Chapter 99 - 85: Holy Shit, These Stats...

Chapter 99: Chapter 85: Holy Shit, These Stats...

(Skipping ahead! A thousand characters were cut—I’m not allowed to write out the long plot in detail!)

When Zhang Lin saw Zhao Han’s number, he guessed it must be about the county official.

So, he quickly answered the call.

Zhao Han’s voice came over the phone. "President Zhang, the Bamboo Culture Park opened today. Remember how I told you that Liu County was planning to bring people over to have a look?"

"Mhm," Zhang Lin said, pretending not to know. "You’re calling now, so does that mean Liu County is on his way?"

Zhao Han quickly explained, "That’s right, Liu County is heading over. But he wants to bring people privately, so please don’t make a big scene at the farm. Don’t let the tourists or staff know his identity. Liu County wants the most authentic experience. Boss Zhang, you should understand!"

"Understood," Zhang Lin said with a smile.

At this moment, a person with low emotional intelligence would probably agree enthusiastically, ’Yes, yes, I get it, I’ll arrange everything!’ A person with high emotional intelligence, however, would just think, ’Understood, understood. I’ll definitely arrange things so subtly the official won’t even notice.’

Perhaps some would say, ’It’s just one county official. Given Li Yuan Farm’s popularity, what kind of idiot would need to bother with all this?’

But what kind of people actually become county officials?

Do you think just anyone can get that position?

They might have come down from some high-level office, and the person in charge of that office might be on their way to a provincial post!

However, given the Bamboo Culture Park’s current condition, he didn’t need to make any special arrangements. Simply showing it in its normal state would be enough.

So, after hanging up, he didn’t worry about it or do anything out of the ordinary. Still, since an official was coming, social etiquette dictated that he should at least take a walk over and show his face.

With that in mind, he got on his scooter and headed toward the Bamboo Culture Park.

When he arrived at the Bamboo Culture Park, he saw that it was already filled with tourists.

Apparently, the tourists visiting the farm today had all made the Bamboo Culture Park their first stop, causing the place to be bustling with activity early in the morning.

「At the same time!」

On a road in You City, several cars drove into Li Yuan Farm.

After his call with Zhang Lin, Zhao Han’s face was all smiles. He had shamelessly designated the Bamboo Culture Park as a project supported by his tourism bureau, and he was waiting for today, the day he would reap the rewards.

In truth, he felt a little embarrassed, since they had only provided 10 million in support funds for the Bamboo Maze.

He didn’t know that the 5 million for the Bamboo Garden had actually come from that same 10 million fund, so he felt he owed a huge favor.

"Director Zhao, quick, look at the news online!" a member of the tourism bureau in the car said with a hint of excitement. "Li Yuan Farm’s bamboo products from the Bamboo Culture Park have been vindicated! That Master Zhao must be so embarrassed now."

Zhao Han’s face lit up, and he quickly pulled out his phone to check.

This was, naturally, a matter he had been following closely.

When that Master Zhao had suddenly appeared yesterday, Zhao Han had intended to invite him for a friendly discussion about bamboo products.

After all, there was no need for debates or arguments in a situation like this.

He had never intended a life-or-death struggle with the man; they could have easily generated some friendly hype and ridden the wave of publicity together to make it even bigger.

But he hadn’t expected the man to be so arrogant and completely blow them off.

After reading the news online, he couldn’t help but laugh.

This Master Zhao was truly full of himself, thinking he could livestream a competition against the Bamboo Culture Park’s artisan, even making the exact same kind of bamboo boat. Now, he’d clearly gone into hiding, even disabling the comment section on his Tiao Yin account.

Thanks to him, the Bamboo Culture Park had even landed another trending topic that morning.

"Sigh. Why make things difficult for others, only to end up making things difficult for yourself," Zhao Han said with a smile, shaking his head.

When the car stopped in the parking lot, Zhao Han got out and went straight to Liu County’s side to report. "Liu County, the Bamboo Culture Park is trending again. Yesterday, a so-called master of bamboo art questioned our products. Today, he even livestreamed a competition against our artisan, and who would’ve thought, he ended up getting completely humiliated."

As he spoke, he took out his phone and showed him the trending topic.

Liu County was clearly intrigued. He took the phone and looked at it, then said in surprise after a moment, "It seems there’s great potential for our You City’s bamboo craftsmanship! Or perhaps I should say, this Boss Zhang is a truly capable man!"

Zhao Han agreed. "You’re right, Liu County. Boss Zhang is truly incredible. We’re talking about the same bamboo products, but just think about how long we’ve been trying in You City. All those other bamboo factory owners, one after another, demanding support and favorable policies, and after all this time, they’ve shown no improvement at all."

"But the moment Boss Zhang gets involved, it becomes a massive success known to everyone. When those other owners work with bamboo, they only think about assembly lines and equipment. They never considered that the true value of bamboo products starts with the people who make them."

"Boss Zhang, however, thought of these You City artisans from the very beginning. He’s relying on their craft to build a reputation for You City’s bamboo products. It’s truly brilliant!"

"Let’s go," Liu County instructed the group with him. "Once we’re inside, I want everyone to do more watching and more listening."

The people behind him all nodded in unison.

After entering the farm, Zhao Han and the group went straight to the Bamboo Culture Park. They were greeted by a lively scene, with tourists constantly coming and going.

Many of the tourists emerging from the Bamboo Culture Park were carrying small bamboo trinkets.

"These bamboo products from Li Yuan Farm are gorgeous!"

"Yeah, and they look even better than the ones that so-called master on the internet made, but they’re dozens of times cheaper!"

"That master doesn’t even dare to keep his comment section open now. The artisans from You City are the ones with real skill."

"Didn’t you hear the artisan’s introduction? You City is the home of Mao Bamboo! They have skills passed down through generations and a unique bamboo culture!"