Chapter 42 - 41: Attracting Attention

Chapter 42: Chapter 41: Attracting Attention

After seeing the two off, he returned to the pavilion to find his parents sitting there, waiting for him.

"Xiaofeng! Did you really borrow twenty million?" Liu Chunyan asked, her voice much softer.

Lin Feng sat down and poured them each a cup of tea. "That’s right. I signed the contract yesterday. It’ll all be repaid with Jade Grapes, so you two don’t have to worry."

Lin Dongyue asked in surprise, "You don’t have to pay back money? They want it all in Jade Grapes?"

"Correct. To many people, Jade Grapes are something money can’t buy. Even more people will want to purchase them in the future."

"In that case, your father, your sister, and I should stop eating them. We should use them all to make money."

"Mom, Xiaoxi herself said her grades improved after she started eating the grapes."

"Right, right. Xiaoxi has to eat them. She needs to get into a good university. It’s a shame you didn’t have these grapes back then, or you could’ve gotten into an even better one."

"You and Dad should keep eating them. I only sell 2,000 bunches each time anyway. We keep the remaining 500 for ourselves."

They knew the grapes were good for them. They were in much better shape than before; their old aches and pains had completely vanished.

"It just feels like such a pity. Eating them ourselves seems like a waste."

"Mom, you can’t think that way. If you two really stopped eating the grapes and people found out, they would definitely accuse me of being unfilial."

"By the way, once Xiaoxi gets into a university, you two can move back to the village. You could help me manage the Farmland."

"That works. Your father and I will both move back then."

Lin Feng took his parents for a walk around the village, primarily to tell them about the next phase of its development plan.

He hadn’t expected that after all the commotion in Wuyuan County last night, only Sister Wu and Sister Ma would come looking for him today. To his surprise, no one else had come to bother him.

According to Hu Zhiming, the issue of distributing the Jade Grapes in Wuyuan County had turned into a free-for-all, with everyone showing off their special talents to get a piece of the action.

In reality, he didn’t know that the reason no one came looking for him wasn’t that they didn’t want to, but that they had all been intercepted.

Those in the county who had already secured Jade Grapes certainly didn’t want anyone else coming in for a share, so they naturally helped him by fending off most of the newcomers.

Of course, they also knew very well that there were some outsiders they would be powerless to stop.

Take, for example, the person He Limin was currently hosting. This was someone with connections in high places.

At the dinner table, Sun Yannian asked, "Old He, what exactly is the situation here? Are you sure that data wasn’t the result of a testing error?"

"To be honest with you, when the test results first came in, I didn’t believe them myself."

"But people who ate the grapes genuinely changed. That’s empirical evidence; you can’t fake it."

"Do you have before-and-after photos of this person?"

Sun Yannian still didn’t believe it. He had spent his entire life immersed in the study of medicinal herbs. His primary field of research was improving human health through food and medicine, and in this, he was an absolute authority.

To be told that his life’s work was less effective than eating a few grapes felt like a complete joke.

He Limin knew the other man wouldn’t believe him. In fact, it would be strange if he *did* believe it just from seeing the data on the grapes.

"I don’t have a dedicated before-and-after set, but I do have a photo of him from a few months ago and a recent one. You can take a look for yourself."

He didn’t show him their test results. That was a matter of patient privacy and couldn’t be shown to anyone without their consent.

The photos, however, had been dug up by his student, Su Qingqing. They weren’t considered private, so there was no issue.

Sun Yannian said in astonishment, "Don’t tell me... this picture is from a few months ago, and this one—where he looks several years younger—is the recent one?"

Watching He Limin calmly sipping his tea, Sun Yannian grew restless. The change was too drastic. Even under his own meticulous care, a patient wouldn’t show this kind of effect in just a few months.

Besides, the wealthier the patient, the less dramatic the results of his treatments tended to be.

Wealthy people already paid close attention to their health and were generally in good shape to begin with. His techniques couldn’t make someone’s body age in reverse.

"Old He, stop drinking your tea! Hurry up and tell me what’s going on!"

"Patience, patience. Haste makes waste," He Limin said leisurely.

"Fine, I admit it, my perspective was too narrow! Now, hurry up and tell me the details."

He Limin put down his teacup with a satisfied air. "Alright then, I’ll tell you the whole story behind these grapes..."

He gave a detailed account of the Jade Grapes and recounted the events that had transpired.

Sun Yannian wasn’t the least bit surprised by the drama surrounding the Jade Grapes. With something so valuable, who wouldn’t want to claim it for themselves?

"So, you’re saying the grapes grow in Lin Xian Village and belong to a young man named Lin Feng."

"Correct. Right now, he’s the only one you can get the grapes from."

"The fact that the vines can’t survive being transplanted... that’s truly remarkable."

He Limin said, "I heard another strange thing has happened there recently, and it’s attracting a lot of tourists."

"What’s that?"

"An Arrow Tower has appeared on his land. The view from the top is much better than the view from the bottom. It’s incredibly strange."

"The view from the top of an Arrow Tower is better than from the bottom... ’The higher you stand, the farther you see.’ That sounds perfectly normal!"

"Just watch the video for yourself. I can’t explain it properly."

He Limin didn’t fully understand it either, so he simply pulled up the video and showed it to him.

When he finished the video and learned that even a team of professors from Hua University couldn’t figure it out, Sun Yannian’s curiosity about the place grew even stronger.

"This place... it must be magical!"

As researchers of Chinese medicine, although they dealt with modern medical science, they didn’t completely dismiss more mystical or spiritual matters.

It was like how some great scientists, upon growing old and feeling their own powerlessness in the face of the universe, turn to theology in search of spiritual solace.

The more powerful you become, the more you realize your own ignorance, and the more you need something to anchor your spirit, lest you go mad.

After parting ways with He Limin, Sun Yannian met with his student, Chen Fang, back at his lodging.

"What did your investigation turn up? This isn’t all just some elaborate hoax, is it?"

With the internet being what it is these days, he’d been burned before by endorsing things without doing proper due diligence.

Chen Fang placed a file on the table. "Teacher, I don’t think this is fake. The wealthy people in the county were just making a scene last night, fighting over the grapes."

"Also, in this place called Lin Xian Village, it’s not just the grapevines that are strange. There are other oddities."

"You’re talking about the Arrow Tower, I assume. I’ve seen the video. It’s quite amazing. We’ll go there ourselves tomorrow to see it."

Seeing is believing, after all. He had to conduct an on-site investigation before he could determine the truth.

...

After a full day of gathering information, Xue Hongzhi returned to his lodgings, compiled his data, and sent it to the main office.

A few minutes later, his phone rang. Seeing the caller was President Li Lan, he quickly answered.

"Hello, President Li."

"I’m taking over this matter. I’ve reviewed the file you just sent. Are you certain this information is correct?"

"President Li, I went to Lin Xian Village for an on-site inspection today. This is all information I gathered firsthand. As for the Arrow Tower, you can find videos of it online."

"Fine. I’ll take a look myself later. If things are really as your report says, then this place is indeed very special."

"It is. I even experienced the Arrow Tower for myself. It’s incredible. I heard even those professors can’t figure out why it works."

"Understood. I’m heading over with a team tomorrow. If this pans out, you’ll be well-rewarded."

"Thank you, President Li. I’ll continue to work hard and deliver more results."

After hanging up, Xue Hongzhi’s expression changed instantly. ’I can’t believe it’s Li Lan,’ he thought. ’I hope she doesn’t try to steal my credit.’

’Then again,’ he considered, ’thinking about those professors at Lin Xian Village... it’s hard to say whether this matter can be accomplished at all.’