Chapter 397 - 258: Hurry Back, the Village is Giving Out Gold Bars

Chapter 397: Chapter 258: Hurry Back, the Village is Giving Out Gold Bars

However, the Rolls-Royce attracted quite a few villagers. They came in to say hello, and since they were already here, they were invited to stay for a bite and a drink.

And so, more and more people came, until there was barely enough room for everyone.

In the kitchen, the few women helping with the cooking were so busy they were run off their feet.

Once a drinking party like this started, it wouldn’t end until at least a few people were out for the count.

It started just as it got dark.

By a little after nine in the evening, they had already polished off a case of Maotai, but they were still going, and the party was in full swing.

"Old Lin, this son of yours is really something else!"

"He’s amazing, so much better than we were back in the day."

"I’ve never even driven a Rolls-Royce in my entire life, and your son’s already got one. He’s a big boss!"

At his father’s friends’ table, Zhang Dahong, his face flushed red and emboldened by the alcohol, gave a thumbs-up and spoke.

Lin Haifu roared with laughter, also shirtless. "Damn right! Like father, like son. How could my kid be anything less?"

"That little rascal, he quietly built up such a huge business, and he has so many friends and connections. Last time he took me to Yang City, guess who received us? At Taiyi Villa—you know Taiyi Villa, right? A bunch of celebrities! Jackie Chan is one of his buddies! He even appeared on his livestream!"

He was starting to bullshit again.

As for Zhang Dahong, Lin Haifu had a rough idea of what was going on. This old friend probably wanted to take him to Australia Island to "see the world."

’He’s up to no good. But, that’s his line of work. I don’t give a damn. He hasn’t tried to screw me over yet, has he? We can still eat and drink together. But if he really tries to pull something shady, then he’ll see what’s what. I’ll make him understand that here in Longwei Village, he’d better keep his head down, no matter who he is!’

Zhang Dahong’s jaw dropped, and he stared dumbfounded. He glanced at Lin Chu, also looking completely stunned.

He quickly recovered, raised his glass again, and laughed. "Badass! Totally badass! Come on, let me toast you again!"

Just then, the sound of rhythmic, marching footsteps suddenly came from outside.

The sound startled everyone in the house, and they instinctively looked toward the door.

Then they saw a team of tall, well-built young men in black T-shirts, camo pants, and combat boots march in with powerful strides. They lined up neatly along the wall by the door.

WHOOSH!

They raised their hands in a salute.

"President Lin!"

"Per Captain Gao’s orders, we have come to the village to await your command. Ten men were dispatched, and ten have arrived. Please give us your instructions, President Lin!"

The man in the lead saluted and delivered the report in a powerful, resonant voice.

Everyone in the room: ???

They all looked at Lin Chu in disbelief.

A sense of unease inexplicably crept into their hearts.

’What is this spectacle? It’s kind of intimidating.’

Zhang Dahong’s expression changed drastically. His face, which had been flushed from drinking, was now deathly pale. His legs felt a little weak, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans instantly dotted his forehead.

’Terrifying! They’re not... here for me, are they? What kind of power is this?!’

"Hahaha, it’s alright. No need to be so formal. Sit, sit, everyone sit!"

"Tonight, we eat and drink!"

"Tomorrow, you guys will help my family with the farm work!"

Lin Chu said, waving his hand.

"Yes, sir!"

The group of men then took their seats.

Lin Haifu: ???

He was completely dumbfounded.

Stunned.

Jaw-dropped.

’You need this many people for farm work?’

But when he came to his senses, he immediately burst out laughing. This was exciting! Awesome! Badass! His son was incredible!

This was a huge show of prestige!

He stood up, raised his glass, and said with a broad smile, "Come, come, brothers, eat and drink well tonight! I’m Lin Chu’s father. I’d like to propose a toast to you all."

The ten men all stood up, smiling politely as they got their glasses and poured drinks.

’So this is President Lin’s dad, huh?’

Lin Haifu clinked glasses with them, tilted his head back, and downed his drink in one go.

’Awesome! This is how you drink! So satisfying! The Lin Family is about to be on top! Completely on top!’

...

The drinking party went on until almost midnight.

Even Lin Chu was about at his limit. Finally, he arranged for everyone to have a place to stay and went back to his room to sleep.

When he woke up early the next morning, he was surprised to find that Zhang Dahong had already driven off and left.

He chatted with his dad for a bit and they "compared notes," discovering they both had the same idea. Lin Chu couldn’t help but shake his head and smile.

’Dad really knows what’s up.’

"Those ten young men, where are they from? Are they all your friends?"

Lin Haifu asked, his eyes darting about as other ideas began to form in his mind.

"They’re from the security company. Didn’t I tell you I was setting one up? They’re all veterans. What do you think they’re for?"

Lin Chu said with a casual grin.

Lin Haifu lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled a long stream of smoke. He then said with sudden determination, "Build the ancestral hall! Build it! We’ll start right after the Mid-Autumn Festival!"

"Build it then..."

Lin Chu said with a nonchalant smile.

’This was one of the reasons I came back, anyway.’

"While we’re at it, let’s build something else. Give me some advice. What kind of industry can we set up in the village? I’ll invest, you be the boss. Organize the villagers and help everyone make more money. Raising chickens is one option, but the scale is a bit small."

’Influence is a multi-faceted thing. Only by helping everyone make money together can you truly win them over and establish your authority. Otherwise, you’ll just make people jealous, and they’ll resent you for it. They probably wouldn’t dare do anything, but there’s no need for that. Benefiting one’s hometown is a traditional virtue.’

Hearing this, Lin Haifu immediately perked up.

"We can build an orchard! And do organic farming!"

"There are still three mountains behind the village!"

"They’re completely undeveloped. I was already thinking about expanding!"

"Raise chickens, pigs, sheep... don’t you have the sales channels? I can supply you with everything!"

"At most, we’d need to build a slaughterhouse, a cold storage facility, and a fleet of trucks. It wouldn’t even require that much investment."

Lin Chu glanced at his dad, lit a cigarette, and after a moment’s thought, nodded with a smile.

’Indeed. This was the most realistic path. It was also the path he was most familiar with. After all, his hometown had beautiful scenery and was close to the sea. Building a factory could provide jobs, but pollution would be unavoidable. Organic farming was the better choice.’

"We’ll do both things at the same time."

"You handle it, I’ll provide the money."

"I believe in you."

Lin Chu lit a cigarette, patted his dad’s shoulder with a smile, then got up and walked out the door.

Lin Haifu: ???

’What the fuck! Are you treating your old man like an employee?!’

...

「At a little after ten in the morning.」

Lin Chu drove to the pier and waited a while for the ferry from the opposite shore in Ye City. Soon, he saw Jiang Ya walking toward him with a light spring in her step, wearing a white dress and carrying a small bag.

Looking at the beautiful girl he hadn’t seen in months, the corners of Lin Chu’s mouth couldn’t help but curve into a smile.

’It’s true what they say: absence makes the heart grow fonder. When you see a woman every day, you mostly notice her flaws, nitpicking every little thing. One wrong move and you forget all her good qualities. But when you haven’t seen a woman in a long time, all you can think about are the good times together, the sweet affection, the loving moments.’

"Honey!"

Jiang Ya came running in short, quick steps and threw herself into Lin Chu’s arms, hugging him tightly with her head pressed against his chest.

After a few seconds, Lin Chu felt his shoulder getting a little damp. He glanced at her and was surprised to see that she was crying.

Two streams of tears ran down her pretty face, her eyes were red, and her long eyelashes were wet.

"What are you crying for? Why the tears?"

Lin Chu said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Jiang Ya pouted, looking a little embarrassed. "I’ve missed you so much. It’s been 104 days."

"Huh?"

"What 104 days?"

"Oh, oh... Time really flies."

Lin Chu asked reflexively, but he quickly realized what she meant. She must be talking about the time since they last met. From the beginning of June to mid-September, it was, at most, a little over three months.

’Holy shit? Only three months? It feels like a fucking lifetime has passed. In these three months, my net worth went from tens of millions and skyrocketed to ten billion, a sizzling, lightning-fast blur. Not even a rocket is this fast!’

...

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