Chapter 454: 454: Seedling Nursery Base

Mayor Zang was stunned; he had never seen anyone deny a leader’s face quite like this. Dammit, I’m your superior officer.

His secretary, Secretary Xiao Shen, wouldn’t let it slide. Some things were inappropriate for a leader to say, so he had to speak up, as if to imply, “If the lord is insulted, his subjects should feel the disgrace.”

He spoke with gravity, “President Feng, we are here to serve our leaders, and our leaders are here to serve the People of Zhengyang.”

You’re in Zhengyang and you dare to slight the city’s deputy mayor? Do you believe I can teach you how to behave properly in minutes?

But Feng Jun wasn’t buying that. People get bigger tempers as their capabilities grow, and it’s not like he meant to give anyone else a hard time. There were too many secretive things on his estate; this was not a can of worms to be opened carelessly.

So he wasn’t upset, but instead he answered seriously, “This is private property, and I can ensure the leader’s safety. There are certainly things that are not convenient for you to visit at will.”@@novelbin@@

What he didn’t say was that everything he has achieved was built with his own two hands, without owing anything to Zhengyang. So in his eyes, the so-called superior officer – well, it wasn’t that big of a deal—after all, what can an emperor do to me?

Mayor Zang indeed had helped him in some ways, but Feng Jun owed that goodwill to the Yuan Family. If it hadn’t been for them, the mayor wouldn’t have given him the time of day. It’s true one should be grateful, but first, you have to be clear on who deserves your thanks.

Still, there was some emotional connection, and it wasn’t necessary to say anything excessive.

Upon hearing this, Secretary Shen was taken aback as well. Since the other party had clearly stated the reason for refusal, it wasn’t easy for him to continue with his insinuations.

But he was adamant about entering that gate, if only to maintain the leader’s dignity.

So he spoke with a smile, “President Feng, those two plane tickets to Beijing last New Year’s, it was I who secured them for you.”

“Well, you should’ve said that sooner,” Feng Jun laughed upon hearing this, “Then it’s my oversight. Please, come in.”

If the other party could give him a reason to enter, he wouldn’t stand in their way—after all, it wasn’t about obstructing for the sake of it.

After exchanging a few words, the gate opened, and several cars drove into the estate.

Only a group of People of Chaoge were left standing at the gate, looking at each other, one of them finally spoke up, “That guy with the glasses, seemed like a leader… What kind of official?”

“Don’t know,” Wang Chao shook his head, speaking thoughtfully, “I guess not a very high-ranking one.”

Mayor Zang, sitting in the car, admired the scenery along the way, nodding frequently, “Not bad, this place is really well done. In a few years, it’s bound to be covered with forests.”

Secretary Shen slyly dropped a hint to Feng Jun, “This mountain used to be contracted by the Funiu People, who laid a solid foundation. After that, it was transferred to President Feng. Both contractors took their work seriously.”

Mayor Zang could, of course, hear the implication and glanced at him, “Why was it sold to Feng Jun? Is there a story behind it?”

His impression of Feng Jun today, how should he put it? Not particularly favorable. He had met temperamental people before, and capable ones indeed had the right to be temperamental, but here you are in Zhengyang, slighting me, the deputy mayor— that’s a bit brainless.

But this unfavorable impression was still within his tolerance. At most, he would stop caring about this young man’s affairs in the future —You think you’re capable? Go handle it yourself then.

Mayor Zang never considered that when Feng Jun had been repeatedly troubled by Cao Weihua, he hadn’t offered his assistance, merely saying, “I find it inappropriate to deal with him.”

Anyway, he regarded Feng Jun as a nobody, so he didn’t mind finding out how this guy managed to take over the mountain—hope he hadn’t used some dirty tricks, right?

Secretary Shen didn’t dare exaggerate, “The previous owner was Li Ning, the one… suspected of illegal fundraising.”

“Oh him,” Mayor Zang nodded thoughtfully, “Didn’t I hear someone say he was emigrating?”

“That should be it,” Secretary Shen didn’t want to speak with certainty, “He probably wanted to emigrate, so he transferred the contract rights.”

As they conversed, the car arrived at the villa. Elder Yuan got out and looked around, “This place with its green mountains and clear waters is great… very nice… As expected of a national-level expert. He knows how to pick a spot.”

Feng Jun responded with a smile, “Elder Yuan, let’s not talk about being a national-level expert. I just feel like modern life is too stressful, so finding a place to plant trees seems like a good way to relieve that stress and give back to society… Why not do it?”

Luckily, the weather was cooperative today; it was cloudy, and standing on the mountain, the breeze was quite refreshing.

Yuan Youwei was looking around too. The mountains and waters here were nice, but there were still too few trees and they weren’t very old. He wandered around and found a pavilion in the backyard, “Ah, there’s a pavilion over there!”

Just as he was about to head over, a tall and beautiful woman approached and gestured to him, “Xiao Youwei, right? Don’t go there; how about I take you on a yacht instead?”

It was none other than Sister Hong. The sudden arrival of the Yuan Family in Zhengyang caught everyone off guard.

After some discussion, they decided to try to keep the secret of the two bamboo forests, at least not to let too many people in on it.

Although Yuan Youwei was thick-skinned, he had the basic home training, and a yacht was indeed more intriguing to him. He turned to ask, “A yacht… Where is it?”

Because the weather was cloudy, riding the yacht was not a hardship, and everyone happily boarded it for some fun, including Mayor Zang himself.

Lunch was served in the grand hall of the main building, and afterward, Mayor Zang, who had a habit of taking an afternoon nap, asked Feng Jun for a guest room.

Xiao Youwei, brimming with energy, was always pondering a trip to the backyard. After Sister Hong stopped him twice and failed, she asked Feng Jun and then took him to the backyard, which led to his mother, Li Ting, and Xu Ruofang also coming along.

Zhang Caixin, who had initially been cultivating in the backyard, was also forced to stop.

The bamboo in the backyard had been planted just three days before. Though nourished by spiritual energy and growing well, it was generally sparse, and only the pavilion offered a comfortably shady refuge.

Li Ting and Xu Ruofang, being older, stayed in the pavilion for a while. Although they felt quite spirited, experience told them it was time to rise and go for an afternoon nap.

Yuan Youwei was having a wild time. He was particularly intrigued by the crow’s nest on the coat rack, repeatedly attempting to knock it over.

King Crow was infuriated, cawing loudly in the air, but it knew it couldn’t attack humans, especially those who were allowed into the backyard.

By two o’clock, Yuan Youwei started feeling sleepy. He ran into the pavilion to take a rest, but Zhang Caixin directly picked him up and took him to the main building—to deal with one wild child, it’s best to use another.

Mayor Zang woke up from a half-hour nap feeling very refreshed. He then followed Secretary Shen out and noticed Zhang Caixin in the hall.

Sister Hong was exceedingly beautiful and elegant, which usually drew a lot of attention, but it was Zhang Caixin, with her exotic charm, who was often the center of attention, radiant with youth and vitality.

As an older man, Mayor Zang preferred someone like Sister Hong; young girls were too immature and problematic for his taste.

But from the moment Secretary Shen laid eyes on Zhang Caixin, he was smitten.

He felt a twinge of discontent, thinking, Feng Jun, aren’t you too much of a playboy? Every woman in this estate is a beauty, not to mention the two Assistant Lis, Zhang Weihong, and now there’s another stunning beauty?

He knew President Feng was wealthy, and his influence was apparently not lacking—after all, Yuan Zihao had visited him.

But… beauties were a scarce resource, too. Gathering so many seemed too ostentatious, didn’t it?

Honestly, Secretary Shen didn’t intend to make trouble for Feng Jun. They had some good rapport, but jealousy doesn’t listen to reason. He wasn’t set on getting Zhang Caixin, but her presence made it difficult for him to look at Feng Jun without irritation.

As Mayor Zang’s car left the estate, a group of People of Chaoge was still around. Seeing the car emerge, someone approached to block its way.

Mayor Zang didn’t want to deal with it but also didn’t want to just drive through, so he instructed Secretary Shen, “See what’s the matter.”

It wasn’t long before Secretary Shen came back and recounted the incident with Chaoge. Of course, the version from the mouths of the People of Chaoge was undoubtedly biased in their favor.

Mayor Zang didn’t take a position but gave a dismissive chuckle, “Heh, Chaoge?”

Secretary Shen mustered the courage to add, “In a society that values integrity, President Feng’s classmate blatantly breaking a contract—if word gets out, it might not reflect well on President Feng either.”

Isn’t it said that you can’t afford to offend secretaries? It’s an absolute truth; a casual word can be an eye-opener.

Mayor Zang responded expressionlessly, “Let it be, we zheng officials don’t need to interfere with business affairs… Let most economic activities be determined by the market.”

Setting aside the circumstances of this group, Yuan Zihao had also taken a short nap after lunch and got up a bit after two o’clock.

Joining him were his son Yuan Huapeng, daughters-in-law Xu Ruofang and Li Ting, grandson Yuan Youwei, Yuan Huapeng’s friend Gao Qiang, and a health care physician.

He wanted to take a walk around the estate but found only the health care physician around. Seeing this, Li Shishi volunteered to act as a guide for the pair.

The cloudy day made for a pleasant stroll around the estate. After wandering around, Yuan Zihao pointed downwards and asked, “What’s over there? A large bamboo forest.”

Li Shishi knew that area was off-limits and quickly spoke up, “That’s President Feng’s breeding base, a trade secret that’s off-limits to outsiders.”

Her words weren’t made up on the spot; that was precisely how Feng Jun described it to the public, but he referred to it as a “seedling base,” not a breeding one.

“Let’s go, let’s have a look,” Yuan Zihao waved his hand, clearly eager. “Trade secrets must be protected, of course, but as an old man like me, it doesn’t matter if I take a look, right?”

He clearly didn’t consider himself an outsider.

Li Shishi couldn’t say no and reached for a walkie-talkie, calling out, “President Feng, Elder Yuan wants to take a look at the bamboo forest, but now is a critical time… What do you think?”

Feng Jun chuckled over the walkie-talkie, “Haha, no problem, come on over, Brother Two and Gao Qiang are here too.”

Li Shishi’s lips twitched: President Feng, that’s not how you sell someone out…

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