As he drove, Lin Feng thought about solving their electricity problem. For now, they could get by with solar power, but that definitely wouldn’t be enough once the Farmland was developed.
It would be best to build a small hydroelectric generator, and maybe a photovoltaic power station as well.
Of course, if he had the money, he could just apply to the State Grid to run a line to the village. That would solve the electricity problem directly.
’Once I sell all these grapes, I should have enough money for the initial development phase.’
The only problem was that the grapes weren’t selling well.
It couldn’t be helped. Even if the grapes were delicious, they had no reputation, so people were scared off by the price.
But Lin Feng had no intention of lowering the price. The main reason was that he had very few sources of income at the moment. Plus, the grapes wouldn’t spoil as long as they were in his inventory.
The Jade Grapes didn’t respawn every day. After a harvest, it took three months for a new crop to grow and ripen.
Lin Feng planned to plant various vegetables in most of the Farmland he was going to build next.
Winter was approaching. With just a little preparation, the Farmland he developed could produce fresh, green vegetables.
Mountain Ridge Town was a bit remote, but of course, Lin Xian Village was even more isolated. Otherwise, its residents wouldn’t have been relocated.
’This town is pretty much the same as when I was a student. Aside from a few new houses, it feels like it’s been forgotten by the world.’
Only the occasional car driving through the center of town reminded you of the bustling world outside.
He found the courier drop-off point. It was just next door to the post office, separated by a single wall, and was clearly run by post office employees.
’It makes sense. A small town like this doesn’t have many people to begin with, and even fewer young people.’
’If it weren’t for the well-developed internet and the explosion of short-form video apps, which taught the elderly how to scroll through videos and shop online, a business like this could never have gotten off the ground.’
Just as he parked in front of the post office, he heard a few middle-aged women chatting nearby.
"So, that fool who came back to our town, how much money do you think he’s spent?"
"Who knows? A ton, probably. I heard he even opened a travel agency in the county seat."
"He’s really got a screw loose. I heard from Eighth Auntie’s third grand-uncle that he’s a college graduate, too."
"You don’t think it’s going to be demolished for redevelopment, do you? Why else would he be so stupid?"
"Redevelopment? Not a chance it’d be him. Besides, that village is where everyone was already moved out from."
The more Lin Feng listened, the more something felt off. ’Are they... talking about me?’
"You think maybe all that studying made him stupid?"
"Sigh, the poor kid. No wonder he ran off to such a remote place."
"What can I do for you, young man?"
"Picking up some packages," Lin Feng said, his face expressionless.
One of the women stood up and said, "What’s the name? Can I see the code on your phone?"
"Lin Feng. Here."
"Lin Feng... ah! Your name is Lin Feng?"
The woman looked at Lin Feng awkwardly. It seemed he had been standing right there while they were gossiping about him.
"Yep. I’m Lin Feng."
The woman didn’t even bother looking at the phone anymore and hurried off to get Lin Feng’s packages.
"They’re all here. These are all your packages."
Lin Feng checked them over to make sure nothing was missing, then picked up a portion of them and walked toward his van.
Seeing this, the woman came forward to help. "Let me get some of those for you."
After all the packages were loaded into the van, Lin Feng turned to the woman who had recognized him and said, "All that studying didn’t make me stupid. I just want to get into the tourism business..."
He had been about to explain further, but he suddenly realized there was no point in explaining away gossip. They might just twist his story into something even more legendary.
He turned, got in the van, and drove away. Once these people found out the price he was selling his grapes for in the county seat, they wouldn’t be spreading these rumors anymore. They’d be jealous of him instead.
Besides, the rumors would disappear on their own once he started recruiting workers from the town.
Still, he felt a bit uncomfortable. This was just how it was in the countryside. When a young person suddenly returned to start a business, many people didn’t understand, and all sorts of gossip and rumors would quickly spread.
Their mindsets were still stuck in the past: cities were good, and having a job in the city was the definition of happiness.
It couldn’t be helped. The countryside they had experienced was nothing but hardship and toil—a place of backwardness, poverty, and no future.
He turned on the car stereo and played some music.
"I want to fly to the heavens, shoulder-to-shoulder with the sun / The world is waiting for me to change it.
The dreams I want to dream, I’m never afraid for others to see / Here, I can make them all come true.
Laughing loudly, you and I, shoulder-to-shoulder / Where can we not find limitless joy?
Throwing worries aside, striding bravely forward / I stand in the center of the stage.
..."
The song was surprisingly fitting, and his mood suddenly lifted.
"Mo Yu, let’s go! We’re going home to build our beautiful mountain village!"
"WOOF, WOOF WOOF..."
Mo Yu had no idea why its master was suddenly acting so crazy, but it barked a few times in response.
Meanwhile, the women continued their gossip, though the subject had changed slightly.
「At Wanfu Square」
A van even more dilapidated than Lin Feng’s eighth-hand one rattled to a stop, parked crookedly across two parking spaces. Three men got out.
The one in the lead was older, small and wiry, with narrow, triangular eyes, thin lips, and a small mustache. A big gold chain hung around his neck.
Following him were two young punks. One had bleached-blond hair, and both wore black T-shirts and had large, colorful sleeve tattoos. They looked like trouble.
"Brother Liu, the internet says it’s illegal for us to go steal grapevines."
SMACK! "What law? It’s not stealing if you’re just ’taking’ it. We’re just gonna take a little bit. I told you not to believe everything you see online."
He raised his hand to look at his watch with its worn-out strap, feeling the weight of the metal chain on his neck. He shouldn’t have swapped out the plastic one, but then again, he’d read online that plastic floats in water.
"Your big brother here has been knocking around for seven or eight years. What’s legal, what’s illegal—I know better than the cops."
The other punk chimed in, "But boss, didn’t you say you’ve gone in for ’advanced studies’ a few times?"
SMACK! "You talk too much!"
"Hurry up and go see if that guy’s still there. And what the hell is up with this map? I can’t even find Lin Xian Village on it."
"Boss, I think it’s a scripted stunt arranged by Hu Tufei."
"Probably not. A guy like Hu Tufei, even if he were to script something, wouldn’t script a bit about selling grapes at a street stall."
When Hu Xia first started streaming, they’d had a run-in with him. It hadn’t gone well. Not only did the three of them get a beating, but they also almost got sent to the slammer.
From then on, they knew there was one more person in this small county that they couldn’t afford to mess with.
"Boss, he’s not here. The van’s gone too."
"If he’s not here, why don’t you ask the people around?"
To the surrounding stall vendors, the three of them clearly weren’t decent people and were best not to be provoked.
Hearing them also ask about Lin Feng, the vendor closest to his spot thought to himself, ’I can’t be wrong this time. These three are obviously bad news.’
"You three got scammed, didn’t you? Let me tell you, that guy is no good. Grapes for 888 a bunch—he really has the guts to charge that..."
"Cut the crap. I’m asking you where the guy lives."
"Sirs, I don’t know either. I’ve never spoken to him."
"Then do you know where this Lin Xian Village is?"
The vendor shook his head. They really didn’t know where Lin Xian Village was; they had never even heard of it and were planning to ask around about it themselves.
After asking around, they still didn’t know where Lin Feng was from or the location of Lin Xian Village.
"Boss, what do we do?"
"We’ll come earlier tomorrow and just follow his van. I refuse to believe we won’t find the place."
The trio drove their rattling van and slowly left Wanfu Square.
At that moment, Lin Feng had already returned to Linshan Village with his materials, ready to test the additional attributes of the Farmland using various items.
He also planned to build the Arrow Tower to see if the reward, the "Archer Training Manual," was a Cultivation Technique or a Skill.