The entrance to the villa sat beside the intersection connecting Shacheng and the city. A sign had been put up there, displaying an advertisement for the Bougainvillea Sea. Passing drivers could see it at a glance.
With the +3 Charm attribute, the promotional photo taken by Qin Ren's studio looked artistic and had an inexplicable allure.
Qin Lin hadn't planned any flashy gimmicks for the villa's opening. He didn't think they were necessary.
After entering the villa grounds, Qin Lin drove up to the hall. Since it was opening day, Gao Yaoyao and the other employees were busy getting things ready.
Master Lin had already changed into his chef's uniform. After all, he was a chef, and the bougainvillea had been entrusted to the three landscapers.
"Chen Dabe, get someone to unload the things in the car and bring them into the hall. I've written the prices on them. Gao Yaoyao can just follow the labels." After getting out, Qin Lin gave the instructions to Chen Dabe, who had come over to greet him.
"Sure thing, Boss!" As head of security, Chen Dabe had long gotten into the habit of coming over to help whenever the Boss arrived.
After the okra, strawberries, and watermelon had all been unloaded, Gao Yaoyao came over with the other young waitresses.
A few display shelves had already been set up in the hall. They knew the Boss would bring things to put on display and sell to visitors.
But when Gao Yaoyao saw the prices, she froze. "Boss, did you get the price wrong? The watermelon is 100 yuan per jin."
The other waitresses looked just as astonished.
Not just the watermelon. A small crate of strawberries and some okra were labeled at 200 yuan and 400 yuan per jin, respectively.
He had to have gotten the prices wrong. How could anything cost that much?
"No mistake. Sell them at those prices." Qin Lin explained. Seeing the looks on Gao Yaoyao and the others' faces, he added, "Master Lin, cut open a watermelon and let everyone have a taste."
Everyone found Qin Lin's words hard to believe. Honestly, ordinary folks like them had never seen anyone dare to sell watermelon at such a high price.
At the instruction, Master Lin picked up a watermelon and took it into the kitchen to cut. Then he brought it back out and handed a piece to everyone there.
The young women tried the watermelon with complicated feelings.
It was going to sell for 100 yuan per jin. They had no idea how it would taste.
But after one bite, Gao Yaoyao nearly bit her tongue. It was so delicious!
"How can watermelon taste this good?" one of the waitresses exclaimed.
"Mmm, it's amazing! I nearly bit my tongue." Gao Yaoyao nodded enthusiastically.
The attributes—Delicious +2, Sweet +2, Texture +2, and Aftertaste +2—were no joke.
After trying it, Gao Yaoyao and the others could think of only one thing: maybe 100 yuan per jin wasn't such a ridiculous price after all.
Master Lin was getting on in years, but after tasting it, he couldn't help praising it just like the young women. "Boss, I've never tasted watermelon this good in my life. This isn't ordinary watermelon, is it?"
Qin Lin nodded. "It's a special variety, just cultivated. It's not available on the market yet. I'm the only one selling it."
This Quality 2 watermelon was a one-of-a-kind product from the game. If that didn't make it a special variety, what did?
After eating a slice, Gao Yaoyao thought of something and asked, "Boss, are you not selling regular watermelon? This tastes incredibly good, and the price is clearly marked, but people don't know that. If some troublemaker takes a video and posts it online with a headline like 'Watermelon at an Outrageous Price,' it could cause trouble."
Her words reminded Qin Lin.
She was right.
Even if the price was clearly marked and the sale voluntary, troublemakers could still make things complicated.
But that was easy enough to handle. He could use two plots of Level 1 land to grow some Quality 1 watermelon. Then visitors could compare it with the Quality 2 watermelon. He could also buy in some ordinary watermelon and set the Quality 1 price at 10 yuan per jin.
He could also stock some ordinary okra and sell the Quality 1 okra for 15 yuan per jin.
Different varieties of fruit costing different amounts was common knowledge. If anyone questioned the prices, he could cut open the watermelons in front of them and let them taste the difference. Even a troublemaker would have to shut up after that. Otherwise, they'd just be making a fuss for no reason.
The same went for strawberries. He could buy in some ordinary ones to sell for 25 yuan, while the system's Quality 1 strawberries would go for 40 yuan and the Quality 2 ones for 200 yuan.
With that in mind, Qin Lin cleared the okra from the two plots in his mind and planted watermelon seeds instead. Then he drove the cargo tricycle back into the county, went straight to the wholesale market, and bought a batch of watermelons and strawberries to bring back to the villa.
He'd start with that and make adjustments based on how things went after opening day.
After sorting everything out, he went home to shower, then headed to a car rental agency to rent a car. He was taking his mother and Zhao Moqing to the villa today, and the electric scooter wasn't big enough.
When he drove the rental car back to the residential complex, Lin Fen was already waiting with Wangcai.
She had even taken the time to dress up a little, and she'd put a pet outfit on Wangcai too.
Qin Lin had been busy these past few days, so Lin Fen had been taking Wangcai out for walks and had bought a little outfit for the dog along the way.
The dog was smart and knew how to charm people, so Lin Fen was very fond of him.
With the family debt paid off, she felt much more at ease. Her son's business was opening today, and she was nothing but happy and proud.
"Woof, woof!" Wangcai barked excitedly when he saw Qin Lin. As soon as the car door opened, he jumped inside.
After picking up his mother, Qin Lin drove to the residential complex where Zhao Moqing lived.
Zhao Moqing was already waiting outside. As soon as the car pulled up, she came over.
Qin Lin had already told her the rental car's license plate.
As soon as she got in, she greeted Lin Fen. "Auntie!"
Lin Fen's face lit up when she saw Zhao Moqing. She was even happier and was extremely pleased with her son's girlfriend.
Now that the family debt was paid off, her only wish was for her son to marry Zhao Moqing as soon as possible.
"Woof, woof!" The dog seemed to greet her too, eagerly nudging his head against Zhao Moqing.
"Wangcai." Zhao Moqing reached over and rubbed the dog's head.
The car started up, left the county, and headed for Qinglin Villa.
Lin Fen was simply looking forward to seeing what kind of place her son had set up.
But as the car continued on, Zhao Moqing's expression gradually turned puzzled.
She knew this road well. Wasn't it the road to Fuhai Villa?
The closer they got, the more anxious Zhao Moqing became. "Qin Lin, you set up your farmstay here? Didn't you know there's another place called Fuhai Villa here?"
She was genuinely worried. Her boyfriend had worked so hard to save up money and start a business. Even if she gave him all her savings, setting up a farmstay next to Fuhai Villa would still mean throwing it away.
After all, Fuhai Villa's new owner had also created such a beautiful flower sea.
But when the car pulled into the Qinglin Villa parking lot, Zhao Moqing was completely dumbfounded.
Qinglin Villa?
How could they be here?
An unbelievable thought surfaced in her mind. Qinglin—Zhao Moqing. Qin Lin?
Was Qin Lin really the rich man who had bought Fuhai Villa?
The thought felt like something out of a fantasy. She knew the state of her husband's family.
"Boss!" The security guard on duty at the parking lot greeted Qin Lin respectfully as he got out of the car.
That confirmed Zhao Moqing's guess. She couldn't help parting her lovely lips in shock. "Qin Lin, what's going on?"
After getting out of the car, Lin Fen gazed at the villa with delight.
She obviously hadn't expected her son to set up such a wonderful villa. It was far beyond anything she'd imagined.
Hearing Zhao Moqing's question, she explained on her son's behalf. "Moqing, Xiaolin was lucky. He caught a wild ornamental fish and sold it for over 600,000 yuan. Then he made some money wholesaling goods for a while, and used it to open this villa."
Zhao Moqing frowned. Something didn't add up. She knew the villa alone had cost 1.2 million at auction, and creating the flower sea must have cost even more.
But seeing how happy Lin Fen was, she didn't voice her doubts. She didn't want to worry the older woman.
"Auntie, let's go inside and have a look!" Zhao Moqing took Lin Fen's arm and led her into the villa.
Lin Fen happily linked arms with Zhao Moqing.
The two women were as close as mother and daughter. Qin Lin suddenly felt like an outsider.
A moment later, the two of them were drawn to the brilliant Bougainvillea Sea nearby.
"Are those bougainvilleas? They planted so many!" Lin Fen exclaimed.
Zhao Moqing gazed at the sea of flowers, looking a little strange.
Earlier, she and her sister-in-law had seen the promotional video and been captivated by the flower sea.
At the time, her sister-in-law had joked that Qinglin Villa must have been opened by Qin Lin, since its name combined their two names.
Her sister-in-law surely hadn't believed her own joke would come true. She'd probably be stunned when she found out.
Then Zhao Moqing remembered something. She recalled casually saying in the hotel room that Fuhai Villa would be popular if someone planted a bougainvillea sea there.
Who would have thought Qin Lin had remembered and actually planted one?
She turned to look at Qin Lin, her eyes glistening as if they were writing a love-struck confession.
Qin Lin noticed Zhao Moqing's gaze. Her glistening eyes were captivating. He considered eating some Quality 2 okra that evening, then booking a room at the hotel in advance.
The villa's opening called for a special kind of celebration.
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