Investment

For three days straight, Jiang Miao accompanied Lin Shuya as they toured Hai Lu Feng and enjoyed themselves.

Not until December 8 did the two finally discuss work.

Inside the chairman's office at headquarters.

"Shu Ya, I plan to build an Edible Mushroom Laboratory for you. This year's budget will be seven million."

Lin Shuya shook her head. "That's too much. Your company's other businesses need money too..."

"You still don't know how profitable our company is, do you?"

"Oh? Isn't it just Eel Canned Food and Eel Fry? That industry shouldn't be very profitable, right?" Lin Shuya clearly did not understand the eel industry chain's true situation.

Jiang Miao took out the company's financial report from last month. "You'll know once you look at it."

Hearing that, Lin Shuya grew curious as well. She accepted the document and carefully flipped through it.

After a while, a trace of shock appeared on her face. "Your company's revenue last month reached forty million? Eel Fry are worth that much?"

Jiang Miao explained the technical difficulties involved in artificially breeding eels.

Only then did Lin Shuya understand why Hai Lu Feng Company could achieve monthly revenue of forty million.

"I never expected that while you'd been keeping such a low profile these past few years, you actually developed eel breeding technology, while I couldn't even manage to graduate." By the end, Lin Shuya sounded somewhat moved by life's unpredictability.

"So you don't need to worry about the company's funding. If we don't spend it, thirty-five percent of the net profit will be collected as personal income tax at the end of the year."

Lin Shuya nodded. "All right! An Edible Mushroom Laboratory it is. It's in the fungal field anyway."

Although her doctoral research had focused on medicinal fungi, she knew very well that, given Hai Lu Feng Company's qualifications, it would be impossible to get approval for a medicinal fungi research laboratory. An Edible Mushroom Laboratory, however, would be much easier to establish.

Seven million was not actually much. If they wanted to build a relatively comprehensive and well-equipped fungal laboratory, instruments like cryo-electron microscopes alone could cost tens of millions each.

Therefore, this seven million was only meant to lay the groundwork and conduct some basic research.

Jiang Miao knew that he had to set a direction for Lin Shuya so he could secretly give her a boost.

"Shu Ya, I suggest you focus your research on three premium edible mushrooms that cannot be artificially cultivated: Termitomyces, truffles, and matsutake."

"Termitomyces, matsutake, and truffles?" Lin Shuya fell into thought. "Those three edible mushrooms are indeed challenging. I remember a research institute in southern Yunnan has already developed a method for artificially cultivating Termitomyces, but the yield is quite low and unstable."

"Do you have confidence?"

Lin Shuya rolled her eyes at him. "Confidence, my ass. So many big names in the industry can't crack it. What makes a little woman like me capable of it?"

"Believe in yourself. Those big names aren't gods. I believe in you." Jiang Miao appeared brimming with confidence in her.

Lin Shuya could only accept the task despite herself. "All right! I hope you won't regret it. When the time comes, I won't be able to repay your investment if I lose it all."

"Don't worry. If you can't repay it, you can pay with your body." Jiang Miao joked.

"Hehe, who's afraid of whom? Want to try tonight?" Lin Shuya was not afraid of him.

Outside the office.

Li Wenna and Ye Meijing were chatting quietly.

Holding a cup of coffee, Li Wenna said with a regretful expression, "I never expected the boss to have another girlfriend."

"Hehe, you made your move too late. Who can you blame?" Ye Meijing teased.

"I admit I have a bit of a crush on the boss, but it's only a crush." Li Wenna tried to defend herself.

"Hehe, you just like that the boss is young and rich. Stop denying it."

"Fine, fine, I admit it. Tonight, you have to take me to a movie and comfort my wounded heart, Little Jingjing!"

The two joked around while changing the subject.

In truth, they both knew perfectly well that several girls in the company harbored improper thoughts about their boss. If Jiang Miao had wanted to, he could have had them long ago.

Unfortunately, Jiang Miao had no such intentions. He was a rather traditional man.

The idea that once a man became rich, he should have multiple wives and concubines and indulge in food, drink, and pleasure was only held by some people. It did not represent Jiang Miao, nor did it represent all men.

As for hiring a beautiful female secretary, it was because Jiang Miao was a normal man. He viewed Li Wenna with appreciation; he could not exactly hire some ugly dinosaur just to disgust himself, could he?

Of course, to prevent Li Wenna from being unable to marry in the future or becoming the subject of malicious rumors, he would definitely hire a male secretary after a while, then have Li Wenna work under Lin Shuya.

That would keep things aboveboard.

Now that Lin Shuya intended to start a new life with him, he naturally had to take the initiative to avoid suspicion.

South Lake Farm.

Jiang Miao brought Lin Shuya, Li Wenna, Ke Yong, and the others to inspect the more than one hundred mu of plastic greenhouses.

The land had already been ridged, and the irrigation pipes had been installed.

"Shu Ya, I plan to give you part of the greenhouses for edible mushroom experiments."

Lin Shuya nodded. "That's fine, but we won't need too much. Five mu will be enough."

"By the way, Wen Na will handle your day-to-day work from now on. She'll be your personal secretary."

"Hello, Sister Ya! I'm Li Wenna." Li Wenna hurried forward to greet her.

Lin Shuya did not think too much of it and simply smiled and nodded. "Please take care of me from now on."

Then she turned to Jiang Miao and asked curiously, "A Miao, what are you planning to grow in these greenhouses?"

"Strawberries. I cultivated several new varieties some time ago, and they've already been registered for varietal patents."

"Oh? They're already patented? They must be pretty good varieties."

"You'll know once you come over to the seedling greenhouse."

Jiang Miao led the group over to the old plants that had only been moved there a few days earlier. Those old plants had all borne fruit, while the second-generation seedlings cultivated from runners were also about to enter their flowering stage.

"Currently, I plan to commercialize three varieties: C12, C22, and C26."

Lin Shuya looked at the old plant labeled C12. Three large ripe strawberries already hung from it. "These strawberries are huge. Is their advantage their large size?"

"Their advantages are large fruit, high yield, heat resistance, storage resistance, medium sweetness, and a faint jasmine and Hami melon fragrance." As Jiang Miao spoke, he snipped off one strawberry, rinsed it with bottled water, and cut it into four pieces.

"Try some."

Lin Shuya picked up a piece and placed it in her mouth, savoring it carefully. "Hmm? It really does have a faint jasmine and Hami melon fragrance. The sweetness is decent too. If the yield is high and it stores well, it should have a strong market. Does it have a commercial name?"

"I plan to call C12 Jasmine Strawberry. What do you think?"

Lin Shuya smiled. "Jasmine Strawberry? Not bad. It highlights this variety's jasmine fragrance."

They then sampled C22 and C26, and these two varieties were equally outstanding.

C22 was named Cheese Strawberry. Its flavor closely resembled Zhang Ji Strawberry, except its creamy flavor was more pronounced. It was also heat-resistant, storage-resistant, and high-yielding.

C26, meanwhile, was named Vanilla Strawberry because it tasted somewhat like vanilla, with a hint of passion fruit mixed in. It was not very heat-resistant, but it stored well and produced high yields.

At present, they had already cultivated quite a few strawberry seedlings from seeds: eight hundred Jasmine Strawberry seedlings, five hundred and fifty Cheese Strawberry seedlings, and six hundred Vanilla Strawberry seedlings. Once the second-generation seedlings entered their peak fruiting period next January, strawberry cultivation would enter the stage of large-scale planting.

Therefore, South Lake Farm had begun hiring workers one after another in preparation for the coming expansion. And it was not just the farm that needed people; supporting operations also required staff and space for sorting, portioning, packaging, labeling, and the like. After all, strawberry cultivation would soon cover more than a hundred mu, and with such high-yielding varieties, the output would certainly be substantial. All of this had to be prepared in advance.