Rural Farming: My Buildings Can Be Upgraded

Chapter 65: Chapter 64: Conditions Met

Fortunately, reminded by Feng Ziling, the old Daoist remembered he had come here with a task to complete.

He stopped dwelling on the unanswerable question and began to seriously study the terrain of Lin Xian Village to choose sites for the Land God Temple and the Mountain God Temple.

"Your Land God Temple should be built right here, at this spot northwest of the plaza. This place is the most bustling."

"Alright, Daoist."

’This spot is the closest to the tourist drop-off point,’ Lin Feng thought. ’All visitors have to gather here, whether they’re arriving or leaving. Of course it’s going to be bustling.’

Even before the original villagers moved away, this had been the liveliest spot. Everyone used to choose this place to hang out and chat.

But there was no doubt about the location. When this grain-drying ground was built, various factors were taken into account, so the spot was bound to be excellent.

The choice for the Mountain God Temple was more difficult. They had initially considered building it on the mountain behind the village, but an Arrow Tower already occupied that spot.

Ultimately, after reviewing drone footage of the surrounding peaks and assessing the various environmental conditions, they selected a location on West Mountain.

There was a small, flat area there that just needed a bit of clearing to be ready for the Mountain God Temple’s construction.

Moreover, there was a water source nearby, solving the issue of drinking water. The path from the village up West Mountain would also be easy to construct, as the slope was quite gentle.

Lin Feng listened carefully to the old Daoist’s various analyses. Once he stripped away all the mystical-sounding elements, he realized it was simply an analysis of topography, landforms, and the natural environment.

Any mystique that the theory of Feng Shui held for him completely evaporated.

The old Daoist concluded, "What I’ve been talking about—well, some schools of architecture have already organized it all into a scientific methodology."

Feng Ziling added, "What my master is really saying is that this place has plenty of sun, no surrounding threats, and a source of water. In ancient times, it was perfect for people to take refuge from disaster and avoid danger."

"Haha, exactly. There’s no such thing as immortality. Cultivating the Dao is about cultivating one’s heart, connecting with nature, and achieving a state of spiritual transcendence.

In today’s society, you have to believe in science. The Dao can be a science, too."

"You’re remarkably open-minded, Daoist Qi."

Feng Ziling said, "My master uses a smartphone and surfs the internet, too. Any Daoist who can’t wrap their head around these things will never achieve spiritual transcendence."

’That seems right,’ Lin Feng thought. ’Once an ordinary person figures this out, their desires diminish drastically, and they stop caring about material possessions. Isn’t that the so-called ’inaction’ of the Daoist School?’

’Of course, this way of thinking can’t become too widespread. Otherwise, it would hinder the development of society. A world with low desire... the very thought is terrifying.’

With the location of the Land God Temple settled, the next issue was construction. The old Daoist had even brought the blueprints along.

This meant the preliminary work could begin immediately. Things like the groundwork, steps, and stone carvings could all be prepared ahead of time.

The statues of the deities also needed to be prepared in advance. With the old Daoist present, Lin Feng didn’t need to fret over it himself—he just had to foot the bill.

Around noon, Ma Dehua arrived with a group of people, looking a little upset.

"Uncle Ma, what’s with that look? Did something happen?"

"Some scoundrel with no conscience is spreading rumors down in the town, saying that working here for 2,000 yuan a month is a total scam.

They’re saying you can find any random job in the county seat that pays more than this."

"You shouldn’t let it get to you. It’s not like it has much of an impact."

Ma Dehua said indignantly, "How can you say there’s no impact? For one, it’s ruining your reputation! And for another, it’s affecting your recruitment efforts.

I had everything settled yesterday, but when I called this morning, two of the families backed out. I had to find new people, which took me all this time."

"Don’t worry about it, Uncle Ma. Once this month’s pay goes out, those rumors will fall apart on their own."

"I’m just furious that they’re so ungrateful for such a great job. They’re even accusing me of trying to swindle them."

Just then, Ma Sandao walked over and said, "Dehua, don’t be so angry. This might have something to do with me."

"Huh? What’s it got to do with you?"

"Well, since I closed my restaurant to come work here, some people have been calling me a fool. They say with so many tourists around now, my restaurant would be making more than my current salary.

My situation probably prompted those people to start spreading rumors about everyone else’s pay."

"Their brains must be made of mush! Don’t they ever think about the future?"

"That’s how people with no foresight are. They only care about immediate gains and never consider the future."

Ma Sandao saw things very clearly. Once Lin Feng’s food and beverage services were established, especially with the pedestrian street the county was developing, the restaurants in town would be pushed out of business sooner or later if they didn’t adapt.

The only reason they were making money now was that Lin Feng didn’t have anywhere to eat up here yet, which gave them a false impression.

Mountain Ridge Town had no tourist attractions of its own. Visitors took the bus from the county seat and went straight up the mountain.

And on the way back, they just took the bus back to the county seat. Almost no one stopped over in Mountain Ridge Town.

Only the guesthouses and breakfast places profited, and that was only because there wasn’t enough room for people to stay on the mountain.

"Looks like the two of us aren’t the only ones being called fools!" Niu Sihai, who was busy working nearby, chimed in.

"People are saying things about you two as well?"

"Yeah. When I got home last night, I heard people saying Liang Damao and I must have rocks in our heads, turning down good money to come work up on the mountain."

Recalling what his wife had told him when she got home last night, Niu Sihai could only reflect, ’It really does take all kinds.’

Any smart person could see that Lin Xian Village was poised for major development. That’s why he and Liang Damao had taken the initiative to contact Ma Sandao as soon as they heard chefs were being hired.

It was only easy to get a job in Lin Xian Village right now. Once it fully developed into a tourist destination, chefs like them wouldn’t even get a foot in the door.

Once the village’s reputation grew and all the infrastructure was in place, they wouldn’t just be competing for jobs with people from the surrounding villages—they’d probably have to compete with city folk too.

’How could people like us compete with those educated, highly qualified individuals?’

They’d heard that servers were being hired and had wanted to ask their children to come back and apply, but their kids had all said they wouldn’t be back until the New Year.

Looking at the pace of construction in Lin Xian Village now, who knew what it would be like by the New Year.

Lin Feng followed Uncle Ma to a pavilion and looked over the eight people he had brought. The two hired to wash vegetables were not old at all, only in their forties.

"Feel free to talk to some of the people already working here to get a sense of things. Then we can sign the contracts."

One of the two vegetable washers said, "I’m willing to work here. I can sign the contract right now."

The other one quickly chimed in, "Me too, me too! There’s no need to ask."

The clever ones had already done their homework before even coming here.

Plenty of people worked here, and they came from many different villages, so it was easy to ask around and find out.

For farmers who could only scrape a living from the land, the salary was already very high. Not to mention bonuses and urban social security contributions—where else could you find a job like this right at your doorstep?

The six younger applicants also said it wasn’t necessary and that they would sign the contracts directly.

On their way over, they had heard from Mayor Ma that some people had refused the offer. The two who were approached as replacements hadn’t expected such a wonderful surprise to fall right into their laps.

It was easy to find out about the pay at Lin Xian Village. Even if no one from your own village worked there, someone from a neighboring village certainly did. It was just a matter of a few phone calls.

And yet, some people actually believed the rumors and turned down the offer. Clearly, they weren’t very bright.

"Since everyone agrees, please follow me inside. We’ll get the contracts signed first."

As Lin Feng was getting the new hires signed on, the notification for the village upgrade popped up right as the second person signed.

However, he was worried that upgrading the village might cause some unusual phenomenon, so he decided to wait until night, when everyone was asleep, to proceed with the upgrade.

As for the items needed for the village upgrade, he had already prepared them.

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