Big Data Cultivation-Chapter 561 - : The Signing Ceremony

Chapter 561 -561: The Signing Ceremony

Feng Jun’s second gift was two Storage Talismans that even mortals could use.

He had purchased ten Storage Talismans for mortal use on the mobile phone plane and had not given them to anyone, with the first two going to his parents.

Well, he also took out an extra one to let the elders learn how to operate it—after all, he wouldn’t be short of practice scenarios when giving them out in the future.

Feng Wenhui and his wife’s conception of the world was refreshed once again. After trying to operate the Talisman, they looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

After a long while, Feng Wenhui nodded at his wife, “We really are a match made in Heaven.”

“Oh, stop it, that’s our son’s capability,” Zhang Junyi bantered back with her husband, quickly returning to her usual self, “Besides, how is the flesh that fell from my stomach related to you?”

Feng Wenhui rolled his eyes, “Could you have given birth alone? You really think you’re the Virgin Mary.”

Zhang Junyi ignored him and instead smiled beamingly at her son, “So, Xiao Jun, do we also need a bamboo forest like yours to practice cultivation?”

Mom sure knew how to get to the point! Feng Jun silently applauded in his mind, then responded seriously, “That will be necessary sooner or later. Right now, your cultivation doesn’t require it much, but by the time you’ll need it, the mountainous land should be well transformed.”

Martial Cultivators do indeed need Spiritual Energy to train, but the difference isn’t that significant, especially when they have enough Natural Treasures to assist them. By the time they start practicing Cultivation Techniques of the Immortal Family, two to three years would be enough to refurbish the leased mountain forestry.

Of course, if his parents couldn’t wait, they could go to Luohua Manor to practice; none of that was a problem.

The main issue was Feng Wenhui and his wife’s attachment to their current environment; otherwise, it would be fine to move away now, and Feng Jun could save on leasing the land.

Yet leaving one’s birthplace is hard and unavoidable. The three old households in the courtyard had moved away with reluctance, with two of them handing the places over to their relatives, who still came back to visit from time to time.

As for managing these situations, Feng Jun knew what to do, so there was no need to explain to his parents; let them just focus on their practice—otherwise, how would they live up to being a “Generation of Immortals”?

After that, he went to guard the convenience store at night. In fact, by this time, whether the convenience store was kept or not didn’t really matter; he could readily give it away to someone else—like Gazi’s parents.

He believed his own parents understood this.

However, unless they made a decision, he would absolutely not persuade them—let them do as they please, whatever they fancy.

The next day, he made a trip to the county government building.

County Chief Chi was out inspecting due to recent continuous rain, but he said on the phone that he could hurry back in the afternoon to sign the contract.

This contract signing ceremony would be filmed on-site by the county television station. After all, it was such a large sum of money, the largest single investment in Chaoyang County since the founding of the nation, worth publicizing heavily. The county leaders also needed to add a touch of gold to their faces.

However, Feng Jun stated that it was fine to film and broadcast, but he did not wish to appear on television.

The county authorities agreed that this was negotiable—in fact, the leaders were more concerned about their own screen time.

The contract signing ceremony that afternoon took place in the county government’s conference room, which was the only meeting room in Chaoyang County dignified enough for the occasion.

The representitives from Feng Jun’s side included only Li Xiaobin and Dou Jiahui—with Dou Jiahui making a friendly appearance.

The county sent more personnel, apart from the county head and vice county head in charge, leaders from the political coordination committee and people’s assembly, as well as directors of the finance, forestry, transportation, and tourism bureaus were present.

Chao Ying also arrived; she came in her capacity as a member of the municipal political coordination committee.

Interestingly, Hu Changqing was somewhat tempted and unsure whether to attend. He decided against making the trip to Chaoyang after learning that Feng Jun had returned alone without Yang Yuxin.

No matter what, he was a former ministerial-level official. Had he truly decided to come, even if the reception level could be slightly ignored, at the very least, there needed to be corresponding municipal leaders to accompany him.

It was easier for everyone with Elder Hu not attending.

Since Feng Jun was a local, the signing ceremony was solemn but did not overly emphasize formality.

After signing the contract, County Chief Chi gathered leaders of the relevant bureaus for an on-site meeting, demanding their full commitment to supporting the project and tolerating no slackness.

He declared with a menacing tone, “Whoever hinders the development of the county, don’t blame me for hindering their progress!”

Chao Ying attended the meeting and silently observed everyone’s statements without making any stance.

However, her mere presence was a statement in itself; no further words were needed.

The on-site meeting didn’t last long, only about an hour. At the end of the meeting, Chi Zhijie hoped that no one would leave—President Chao had prepared a celebration banquet for everyone.

Given the circumstances, such a banquet should have been arranged by the county government, but… with the current regulations being so numerous, although there was a valid reason, why stir the pot?

Since President Chao was picking up the tab, no one could say a word.

Except for one leader from the zhengxie, who left due to his mother’s critical illness, everyone else stayed put.

Some saw an opportunity to get closer to Feng Jun. This young man had risen meteorically like a comet, dazzling and blinding, a local no less, truly a worthy investment.

Unfortunately, President Chao had monopolized him, and on Feng Jun’s other side was County Chief Chi. Who could pry him away from these two?

So they had to settle for second best, turning to Dou Jiahui and Li Xiaobin for conversation.

As mealtime approached, everyone drove to the Forestry Guesthouse.

But before getting into the car, Chao Ying found Feng Jun and murmured quietly, “Your car… stop by the county committee’s gate for a moment, wait three to five minutes. Whether you see someone or not doesn’t matter, at least it shows you’ve done the right thing. What do you think?”

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The highest official of the county didn’t attend this signing ceremony, but that was normal since the affairs of the government office were the responsibility of County Chief Chi Zhijie.

But Secretary Lou, the top leader, had also been paying close attention to this matter and had even intervened personally. Since he couldn’t be present at the signing ceremony, if Feng Jun disregarded him, it would be a serious breach of etiquette.

Traveling from the county government office to the Forestry Guesthouse didn’t involve passing the county committee; this meant he would need to make a detour intentionally.

However, Chao Ying had also suggested that he needn’t enter the premises, just stand at the gate. Feng Jun, with his current standing, had that right—simply showing his intention was enough. If the other party took offense, that would just show a lack of grace.

True to form, Feng Jun got out of the car at the committee gate and started smoking. Before he was halfway done, a car came out of the gate and screeched to a stop beside him.

Secretary Lou, the top official of the county, rolled down his window and greeted him with a smile, “Isn’t that Xiao Feng? What brings you here?”

“Hello, Secretary Lou,” Feng Jun greeted cheerfully, “I just signed a contract with the county government. President Chao invited me for a meal at the Forestry Guesthouse. I was passing by, decided to have a cigarette and was wondering whether to disturb you.”

Passing by here on the way to the Forestry Guesthouse? Secretary Lou knew the score, and dismissively waved his hand, “You can come directly inside next time, don’t be so formal. The county committee has a duty to serve you too… How did the signing go, all smooth?”

“Very smoothly,” Feng Jun responded with a smile, “It’s a pity Secretary Lou couldn’t make it.”

His remark seemed rather naïve, but was it truly?

Secretary Lou chuckled amiably, correcting the fallacy, “Haha, well, as it’s government business, it’s not appropriate for me to attend. However, if you encounter any issues with the investment, you can come to me.”

“Alright,” Feng Jun said with a nod and a smile, “I just hope I won’t be too much of a bother, Secretary Lou.”

“What bother? It’s my duty to offer protection, to escort your endeavors,” Secretary Lou assured with a smile, “You have a meal to catch, I won’t hold you up. Let’s plan to sit down together some time when we have the chance.”

Feng Jun nodded with a smile, “Sure, we’ll sit down together when we have the chance.”

Secretary Lou waved his hand, and the car drove off. Feng Jun got back into his car, and Li Xiaobin disdainfully remarked, “All these people… doing this every day, aren’t they tired?”

“Tired? Why?” Feng Jun asked with a smile in return, “It’s their job, after all.”

Li Xiaobin shook his head, unconvinced, “It would be useless to seek his help if you really needed it.”

“You’ve really grown up,” Feng Jun said with a smile, then seriously added, “For small matters, it might still be useful.”

The subsequent celebration dinner might as well go unmentioned; it was the usual rigmarole anyway, and with the tight regulations recently, nobody kept at it too late—roughly an hour and a half and they dispersed.

Feng Jun intended to casually walk home. Barely stepping out of the Forestry Guesthouse, he received a call from Mou Miao, “Feng Jun, you made the news in Yunyuan City. Several classmates called me to ask if the handsome guy was you.”

General Mou had not only called him but had sent several screenshots via QQ.

Truth be told, Feng Jun hadn’t changed much, just a bit more handsome, and many of his high school classmates hardly dared to recognize him. Since Feng Jun had changed his phone number recently, they couldn’t reach him and resorted to contacting Mou Miao instead.

The screenshots were clear, and Feng Jun couldn’t help laughing: it wasn’t even a matter of being shown in full view—had there been a leaf stuck to his teeth, any attentive viewer could have spotted it.

He pulled out his mobile phone and irritably called Chi Zhijie, “County Chief Chi, don’t you think what you did was a bit improper? I asked the county TV not to show my face, and now the city TV airs a close-up instead?”

“What? Impossible,” Chi Zhijie’s surprise was palpable even through the phone, “What’s going on, can you tell me more?”

Whether Chi Zhijie was genuinely ignorant or feigning ignorance, Feng Jun didn’t care. He described the situation briefly and forwarded several screenshots.

Chi Zhijie panicked; they couldn’t have a fiasco right after signing. Not only would it potentially jeopardize the deal, but what would others think of him?

But for now, his priority was to placate Feng Jun, “Let me look into this. I’ve reviewed the comments of the county TV station; we didn’t even mention your name… What’s up with the city TV station?”