Qin Lin watched Chen Dabe come forward with people to help and instructed him, "Put these fish into the pond."
The mountain resort had originally offered fishing. Visitors could rent fishing rods, weigh whatever they caught, then prepare the fish themselves—steamed or barbecued.
For people visiting the resort, it was one way to have fun.
But when he bought the farm at auction, there wasn't a single fish left in the pond. He needed to restock it, which would take several more trips with fish. The fact that they were wild fish was another selling point.
Besides fishing, visitors could also buy fish directly in the main hall and take them to prepare themselves. He would need to make separate arrangements for that.
Still, most people visiting a farm resort would rent a fishing rod and give it a try, whether or not they knew how to fish. There was a good chance they wouldn't catch a single fish.
Chen Dabe didn't waste time talking. He immediately climbed onto the truck with the others, then personally directed two security guards as they carried down the big buckets.
"What huge fish!" one of the guards exclaimed, clearly spotting a big one.
"This one must weigh over thirty pounds, right? And there's more than one!" another guard said in amazement.
Master Lin, dressed in his chef's uniform, was drawn over. He took a look inside the buckets and exclaimed, "Boss, are all these fish wild?"
"Good eye, Master Lin," Qin Lin said with a smile.
"Incredible, incredible." Master Lin knew his fish. He looked astonished as he said, "So many wild fish, and they're all huge. Especially these big ones—each must be worth at least 2,000 yuan. They're not easy to find even if you have the money. Boss, it must have cost you quite a bit to get these fish, right?"
"It cost me just a little," Qin Lin said with a smile.
It really had only cost him a little, hadn't it? He'd spent some time fishing in the game, then a little time bringing the fish out. Just a little.
"I knew it. You can't get fish like these without paying a price!" Master Lin said, convinced he'd guessed right. He smiled and suggested, "Boss, why not put these big ones in the hall's pool? Wild fish this large will attract people even just to look at them."
"Sure," Qin Lin replied with a nod. He could bring more big fish over for the pond later.
But he planned to strictly limit the number of big ones he brought out.
You hardly ever saw fish like these in the market, even over the course of a whole year. It wouldn't be suitable to put too many out, and their price was beyond what ordinary people could afford.
Aside from the ones he wanted to eat himself, he could bring one out when he needed to entertain guests. That would make a better impression.
After leaving the two big buckets of wild fish with Chen Dabe and Master Lin, he called Gao Yaoyao over.
"Boss, what do you need?" Gao Yaoyao jogged over.
Qin Lin instructed her, "Tomorrow, I'll have someone come film a promotional video for the Bougainvillea Sea. Dress up nicely and help with a set of promotional videos and photos. I'll give you an extra 2,000 yuan."
Now that the Bougainvillea Sea was ready, he needed to let people know about it and attract visitors. The first step was to make people aware of the flower sea, so promotional videos and photos were essential. The tickets couldn't be blank, either; they needed promotional photos printed on them.
Naturally, he also needed a model.
Gao Yaoyao was a pretty, fresh-faced young woman, and she had the looks for it. Since he already had someone suitable, there was no need to waste time finding someone else.
"Thank you, Boss!" Gao Yaoyao replied sweetly, delighted by the opportunity.
Then Qin Lin headed toward the Bougainvillea Sea.
A dedicated cobblestone path led to the flower sea from the main hall.
The entrance had a ticket booth. Tickets to most flower gardens cost around 30 to 70 yuan, but he had set his price at 100.
That price wasn't expensive for his flower sea, but if he wanted to attract visitors, he couldn't set it too high, either. Once the crowds came, he could arrange other ways to make money, such as growing crops in the game and selling them directly.
A dense row of bougainvillea bushes formed a neat wall around the flower sea, preventing people from entering anywhere except through the ticket booth.
The thirty acres of flowers were quite a sight. Even the ordinary bougainvillea densely planted along the outer edge made the trip worthwhile. The deeper visitors went, the more pleasing the game-grown bougainvillea became to the eye.
The seven-colored, co-growing ornamental bougainvillea planted in Quality 3 plots all had the attributes Gorgeous +2, Ornamental Value +2, and Attraction +2.
Especially the three Quality 3 bougainvillea plants that towered above the rest, standing more than four meters tall. They had Gorgeous +3, Ornamental Value +3, Attraction +3, Photogenic +3, and Ecological Harmony +3.
The flower sea was truly breathtaking. At a glance, it was hard to look away.
Qin Lin knew all too well that even he, the person who had created the flower sea, was awed by it every day. Visitors would be even more impressed.
When he reached the very center, Qin Lin stopped. Butterflies fluttered around the three Quality 3 bougainvillea plants, and several squirrels darted through their branches.
The area around the three Quality 3 bougainvillea plants had the Ecological Harmony +3 attribute, so the squirrels weren't afraid of people.
Qin Lin reached out to touch a squirrel perched on the railing, but it didn't run away.
He took out a few pine nuts and set them on the ground. The squirrels immediately scampered over and hugged them.
He deliberately kept one pine nut in his hand. The squirrels seemed to know, and kept staring at it.
Qin Lin smiled and put down the last pine nut. One squirrel immediately came over and grabbed it. Then they all darted back up the tree to hide the nuts.
Lately, he'd had Gao Yaoyao bring the squirrels some pine nuts every day. They'd grown used to it. Each evening, they carried off the nuts they'd gathered and disappeared into the forest, then showed up again right on time the next day.
The butterflies, squirrels, and pleasant birdsong would all give the flower sea its own distinctive charm.
The next day.
After delivering okra to RT-Mart, Qin Lin headed to Qin Ren's Hefeng Advertising and Planning Studio.
Qin Ren was one of the partners and owned a share of the studio. He also worked as a photographer, and his skills were pretty good.
Naturally, Qin Lin wanted to ask his childhood friend Qin Ren to shoot a set of promotional videos and photos.
He'd be hiring someone either way, so he might as well let his friend earn the money.
When Qin Lin walked in, Qin Ren wasn't alone. There were several others there, including Qin Ren's fiancée, Liao Li, and another woman Qin Lin had met at Qin Ren's home last time.
"Linzi, what brings you here?" Qin Ren greeted Qin Lin warmly.
"Ren, I want to ask you to shoot a set of videos and photos," Qin Lin said with a smile, explaining why he'd come. "Come look at the location with me first. Then I'll place the order."
Shooting promotional videos and photos for thirty acres of bougainvillea would be a big job. Ground filming, aerial filming, post-production editing, and the rest would definitely require a whole team.
He'd asked online, and a set of promotional videos and photos like this would cost over ten thousand yuan.
"What order?" Qin Ren said, draping an arm over Qin Lin's shoulder. "It won't take much time to shoot videos and photos for your fruit shop. Are we even friends?"
As he spoke, Qin Ren didn't forget to tell the others, "This is my buddy Qin Lin. I'm heading out with him for a bit."
That was also his way of explaining things to the other partners. It wasn't a private job; he was helping a friend, something they all did.
"Linzi, let's go!" Qin Ren called.
Qin Lin smiled. Qin Ren meant well and didn't want him to spend money. He'd helped him shoot something for his fruit shop once before, too. But this time, the promotional videos and photos really couldn't be handled by Qin Ren alone.
Liao Li and her cousin, Chu Na, watched them. Liao Li didn't mind; she valued her fiancé's loyalty to his friends.
Chu Na, however, strongly disapproved. "Liao Li, you should talk to Qin Ren. You can't be too generous with your friends; they'll start taking it for granted. That was the Qin Lin from last time, wasn't it? I thought he seemed like a decent person, but now it's clear he doesn't understand basic etiquette. Qin Ren says he won't charge him, and he doesn't even bother to insist on paying?"
"Let's go shopping," Liao Li said. She clearly didn't agree with her cousin, but she didn't want to argue with her, either.
Qin Lin and Qin Ren left the studio and climbed onto the electric scooter. Qin Ren plopped down on the back seat, and Qin Lin started the scooter and rode off.
It didn't take long for Qin Ren to realize something was off. "Linzi, we're not going to the fruit and vegetable market on Market Street. Why are we heading out of town? Where are we going?"
"You'll find out when we get there," Qin Lin said with a smile.
Before you continue