Back at the villa, a lavish banquet had been prepared.
Upon hearing that Lu Fan, Liu Ruyan, and Li Jingjing had returned, Li Mantang hurried over, accompanied by several village chiefs from neighboring villages.
Witnessing the transformation of their once impoverished mountainous region into a prosperous area, the surrounding villages had long been filled with envy. Especially after Wang Yan was recognized as a model worker in the town, the small village chiefs felt compelled to act. They all wished to collaborate with Li Mantang on livestock farming.
Li Mantang, not daring to make decisions independently, brought them to seek out Lu Fan. The moment the village chiefs stepped through the villa gates, they were stunned by its grandeur. They had heard that even the town mayor had been denied entry and slapped not long ago. Now, Li Mantang was leading them in without a hitch, making him seem more influential than the mayor.
Inside the villa, the village chiefs were even more astonished. Having lived in their villages for decades, their exposure was limited. This villa surpassed anything they had seen in movies; it was incredibly luxurious!
"Lu Fan! Let me introduce you. These are the village chiefs from nearby villages. They wish to discuss cooperative farming with you. What do you think...?" Li Mantang approached Lu Fan eagerly.
"Certainly! Have them sit down first. I'll call Wang Yan over!"
Lu Fan called out to Wang Yan, who was busy arranging dishes on the table, "Sister Wang Yan! Could you come here for a moment?"
"Coming!" Wang Yan responded promptly, secretly pleased that the young man no longer called her "sister-in-law."
"You are all village chiefs, so you must be familiar with each other. Let me reintroduce Wang Yan. She is the Production General Manager of my Bufan Group. For any future agricultural cooperation matters, you can directly approach General Manager Wang; she has full authority.
Of course, General Manager Wang is quite busy, so you may need to schedule an appointment. Today is perfect timing, so let's all have a meal together. You can discuss cooperation while dining!" Lu Fan re-introduced Wang Yan's position.
Wang Yan was overjoyed. This meant her current status was not confined to just one village. If cooperation materialized, she would be in charge of matters concerning several villages. She thought, "This is practically being second only to one person!"
The village chiefs felt a bit awkward. Shouldn't they be the ones hosting the dinner for a business discussion? But Li Mantang unceremoniously pulled them to the table. In his mind, he thought, "My beautiful daughter has been with you for so long, and now Wang Yan is a General Manager. You should at least give me a Vice President position!"
Since he couldn't get a Vice President role, he decided to act as if he were at home, making sure everyone knew his strong connection with Lu Fan. Otherwise, who would invite him for drinks in the future!
As the village chiefs sat down, they couldn't help but swallow. This was what a real feast looked like! They had never eaten such fine food, even at the town government's expense. Hairy crabs, sea cucumber, lobsters... *Gulp!* And Maotai liquor! How much must this meal cost?
"Lu Fan! Ruyan! I bought all these ingredients and raised them for three days myself. Try them and see if they taste different from those in the city!" Wang Yan placed a piece of lobster meat on Lu Fan's plate, then quickly did the same for Liu Ruyan, before saying excitedly.
Lu Fan and Liu Ruyan tasted the lobster meat, their eyes immediately lighting up. The flavor was exquisite!
"Sister Wang Yan, you are too brilliant! Lu Fan made the right choice entrusting the company to you!" Liu Ruyan nodded enthusiastically.
"Hmph! This isn't Lu Fan's credit! It's your discerning eye, Ruyan! You were the one who asked me to take over as village chief. I should thank you, Sister Ruyan," Wang Yan quickly replied.
"Sister Wang Yan speaks so well! However, Lu Fan and I are not always at home. We will have to rely on you, Sister, to manage Bufan Group in the future," Liu Ruyan added.
"That's my duty! Coincidentally, I have something to report. I haven't just raised lobsters; I've divided the fish ponds into several large sections and raised different types of fish, shrimp, and crabs. I even specially bought seawater from the coast and created a small saltwater pond... Hehe! From now on, you won't have to leave the villa to eat seafood!" Wang Yan said with a touch of excitement.
The village chiefs beside them were dumbfounded. It turned out this woman was not only beautiful but also incredibly sharp-minded. Anyone who could marry her would be incredibly fortunate!
"Lu Fan! That small pond is right here in our villa. Wang Yan said it's okay even if we don't know how to raise fish. We can buy live seafood from the city and put it in there for a few days; they definitely won't die. In fact, they'll taste even better. She said we should eat more of it often, as it's good for our health!" Zhao Rongrong added from the side.
Zhao Rongrong was quite fond of Wang Yan. When Lu Fan was away, this woman would often visit, either bringing delicious food or devising new activities. Even the head butler, Mo Xiong, praised her intelligence, noting how she managed the entire village impeccably and even helped with Lu Fan's household affairs. Her own butler was almost out of work.
"Lu Fan! From now on, let Jingjing manage the teahouse. With everything at home so well-organized, I don't even want to leave," Liu Ruyan suddenly said to Lu Fan. She had a premonition that if she didn't return soon, no one would even know she was the lady of the house.
"Great! Great! Jingjing, you've been at the teahouse for a long time; it's time you started sharing the burden with your Sister Ruyan. You must do a good job from now on and not embarrass your Sister Ruyan!" Li Mantang exclaimed excitedly. He knew the teahouse generated millions in revenue daily, and his daughter managing it would be far more advantageous than Wang Yan being a general manager.
"Dad! This chicken is delicious. Eat more," Li Jingjing immediately placed a large piece of chicken into Li Mantang's mouth. This young girl could read minds and understood the situation perfectly. She didn't want her father meddling unnecessarily!
"Boss Lu! We came in such haste and didn't prepare any gifts. So, we offer this toast to you! We hope for future cooperation and an opportunity for us to lead our villagers to prosperity!" At this moment, a village chief stood up with a cup of wine. The others quickly raised their glasses and stood up as well.
"As long as you are dedicated to leading your villagers to prosperity, we will support you! However, as I am not privy to market demands or production plans, please discuss the specifics with General Manager Wang," Lu Fan said, raising his glass and drinking with them.
By the time the drinks were finished, it was late into the night. After seeing off his guests, Lu Fan took a stroll around the villa.
"Young Master Fan!" Mo Xiong appeared behind Lu Fan.
"From now on, do not allow anyone else to enter this small building," Lu Fan said, looking at a two-story building.
This building was located at the innermost part of the villa and was currently unoccupied. Normally, only the servants who tended to the flowers and plants rested there. Now, Lu Fan planned to place the Spirit Gathering Bottle here, allowing it to produce spiritual liquid daily.
However, before placing the Spirit Gathering Bottle, he needed to set up a Spirit Gathering Array and a Flowing Cloud Array. With Mo Xiong and others providing protection from the outside, and twelve stone figures guarding the interior, the Spirit Gathering Bottle would be much safer.
Furthermore, Lu Fan intended to set up a Spirit Locking Array to contain the spiritual energy within the two-story building, preventing it from leaking out. This would prevent attracting unwanted attention, unlike the Luoyan Sect incident that had drawn the Zhuge family. Although that was the doing of the sloppy old Daoist, Lu Fan did not wish for such a situation to recur.