茶杯狐 -CUPFOX

Xiang Kun’s prediction was correct; his mother asking him that question was her way of sidestepping into arranging a blind date for him…

“Do you remember the niece of Aunt Qiu I mentioned during our last phone call? She just came back last week and quit her job to take a break. Since you’re free this afternoon, I’ve arranged a meeting for you. You could have a chat, and if it goes well, you might want to have dinner and stroll together in the evening. Maybe she’ll look for a job in the city where you’re currently living, and that would be a great chance to deepen your relationship…”

Xiang Kun’s mind was swarmed with a dozen excuses to reject the idea, but upon weighing his options, he concluded:

Unless he announced to his mother that he secretly already had a girlfriend, any excuse would just lead to more trouble, and unnecessary displeasure for his mother.

And if he were to lie, it would cause even more problems down the line.

The best solution was still to obey his mother, dutifully go on the blind date, and then claim there was “no spark,” “no destiny,” or “incompatibility.”

As Xiang Kun was having a meal with his parents, Liu Caifu, the deputy village head of Chongyun Village, was having dinner with You Meng at Youlong Restaurant in Tongshi Town.

There were still few customers at the restaurant, so You Meng didn’t need to stay in the kitchen. He left it to You’s grandnephew.

Seeing Director Liu hanging up the phone, You Meng quickly asked, “How did it go? What did Xiang Kun say?”

Liu Caifu shook his head and said, “Mr. Xiang stated that he needed to consider and plan at length. However, it appears that he is rejecting the idea, odds are he won’t settle in our Chongyun Village.”

You Meng found it strange, “That’s not right. I could tell he was quite satisfied with that land. Even if he didn’t use it for a farm, he would still want it for other purposes. ”

Liu Caifu explained, ‘Mr. Xiang’s intention is that he’s not prepared enough at the moment, so he doesn’t want to involve too many people or funds. He probably wants to try it himself first, find the perfect entry point, perfect his plans further, before considering involving investors. I was a little too impatient. Now, Mr. Xiang seems to regret revealing so much to me yesterday, as that exposed his future plans and prospects ahead of time to us. These advanced ideas are inevitably divorced from the reality and may not match the current situation.”

He then added, “If this were anyone else, when they heard someone was willing to help financially and leverage connections, they may not immediately agree, but they wouldn’t outright reject it. Mr. Xiang, however, is worried about us hastily investing and suffering losses. He truly intends to make things work! Ah Meng, you must help me keep Mr. Xiang’s project here in our Chongyun Village.”

You Meng nodded, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely help. But it will mainly depend on Xiang Kun’s own thoughts.”

Upon learning that Xiang Kun had a few ideas to promote their restaurant by leveraging the internet and new media channels and specializing in rabbit meat dishes, Liu Caifu assured them that should they encounter any financial or other problems, they could seek his help. He maintained some connections in Tongshi Town.

“I’m not merely helping your restaurant alone. If Mr. Xiang’s and your ideas really worked out, not only could they help your restaurant flourish, but they could potentially revitalize the entire commercial street and start a rabbit meat cuisine trend in Tongshi Town, leading to an increase in rabbit breeding, boosting tourism, and driving growth in other related industries. Our country is always emphasizing industry upgrades and vigorously developing the service industry. If your experiment worked, it will serve as a great example.”

You Meng was a bit stunned, he and Xiang Kun were just thinking of using cooking videos and leveraging major social media influencers to promote their restaurant—how had that escalated to industry upgrades?

However, considering what Xiang Kun mentioned about the “third step” last night, and connecting it with what Liu Caifu just said, he was beginning to get a sense of the bigger picture.

If their operation poses no risks, then they could use this opportunity to promote the delicacies, scenery, and culture of Tongshi Town. Surely, both the town and the city would be pleased to see this, even helping to drive it forward. While direct support may not be feasible, timely release of favorable policies or official functions could still make a significant impact.

Once lunch was over, Liu Caifu left “Youlong Restaurant”.

Although many of his suggestions, made after getting in touch with Xiang Kun, were rejected today, he was not discouraged.

Having listened to Xiang Kun’s vision and thoughts yesterday afternoon, and pondered it all night, he felt this venture indeed had great potential. If successful, he would inevitably become a great contributor to Chongyun Village, even Tongshi Town!

He felt a surge of energy throughout his body, as if he had shed twenty years, reminiscing about the feeling of being seventeen again, when he had just left the village with his father to try his luck in the world.

In the “Youlong Restaurant,” although staying at the cashier’s station, Liang Yulong, who was covertly listening to the conversation between her husband and Liu Caifu, approached her husband after Director Liu left, curiously asking, “What were you guys just talking about? What the heck is that artificial intelligence rabbit? Is Xiang Kun going to make robot rabbits? The ones that can run and jump by themselves? Like pets?”

You Meng shook his head, “Of course not, it’s automated breeding combined with artificial intelligence and the Internet. Simply put… it’s using artificial intelligence for breeding. Get it?”

“Oh…” Liang Yulong imagined a massive steel breeding farm with robots, their eyes glowing red, feeding rabbits. Feeling awed yet confused, she commented, “Your childhood friend is really impressive. He knows how to make viral videos and also knows about artificial intelligence. Do you think he will become like the boss Ma and create a company worth trillions too?”

“You’re overthinking! The plans are still up in the air. Hell, we don’t even know where the ink and paper are yet! Let Director Liu negotiate with Xiang Kun on this matter. We can help by putting in a good word. We should focus on making our own videos. Did you find a tailor’s shop to make the costumes?” When unaffected by “Emotional Assimilation” , You Meng’s thoughts were still quite clear.

Meanwhile, after having lunch, Mr. Feng took a stroll in a nearby park and played with a cat for a while. He returned home and looked at the eight-armed, eight-eyed wood carving displayed on a shelf in the living room.

He had originally kept the carving in his study, but after having an unusual dream last night, he moved the carving to the living room as soon as he woke up this morning.

Not that he was superstitious, but the character in his dream was strikingly bizarre – an eight-armed, eight-eyed monster dressed in a white lab coat, carrying a medical file, looking every part the doctor.

In his dream, he saw nothing odd about the multi-limbed, multi-eyed “doctor”. It felt strangely appropriate, considering the terror and fear at the deterioration of his health, and the anxiety of dying without being able to see his loved ones one last time.

Upon waking, however, the impression of the eight-armed, eight-eyed monster remained vivid. The grotesque figure, covered in tumors, was unsettlingly clear in his mind, evoking feelings of the macabre and terror.

Even while he was walking outside after lunch, he kept visualizing the eight-armed, eight-eyed “doctor” scrutinizing medical records in the hospital

room.

However, when he picked up the wood carving again and looked at its slightly manga-styled figure, Mr. Feng felt he might be overreacting. Perhaps he had just randomly had a nightmare and the carving, which he had been seeing a lot recently, appeared in it. He didn’t believe the carving itself had anything to do with it.

Still, he had no plans to move the carving back to his study. He would leave it in the living room. Even though the eight-armed, eight-eyed monster from his dream was quite different from the wood carving, the sight of it still gave him quite a start..