Chapter 25: Only Without Debt Can One Be Truly Carefree! Lin Fen's Worries!

The motorcade soon arrived at the villa resort. However, these large trucks could only be parked in the resort’s parking lot; there was no road access to the interior.

Qin Lin parked his tricycle, and Wangcai leaped off the vehicle, staying close by his side.

"Mr. Qin, shall we unload directly here in the parking lot?" Zhao Liyuan asked as he stepped forward.

"Yes, unload it here." Qin Lin nodded; this was the only place suitable for unloading.

Zhao Liyuan began directing his team to unload the cargo. The unloading fee had been calculated separately, and the electronic contract had already been signed before their arrival.

Qin Lin headed toward the resort grounds. Wangcai let out a few whimpers and hurried to keep up, peering around at the surroundings with great curiosity.

Seeing this, Qin Lin smiled and said, "Wangcai, this is your territory from now on. Are you happy?"

As if understanding his master, Wangcai yipped twice, then suddenly broke into a run. Along the way, the dog would stretch its nose to sniff at various plants, then, looking satisfied, lift its leg and mark them with a stream of urine.

Qin Lin watched the dog’s behavior with a stunned expression. Had he really just claimed his territory like that?

Inside the resort, besides Gao Yaoyao, several other former employees were waiting. Having received Gao Yaoyao’s notification the day before, they were already on-site. In modern society, jobs were hard to find, and in Youcheng, where the average salary was around 3,000 to 4,000 yuan, the resort’s pay was decent. No one wanted to be unemployed.

"It’s the new boss!" Gao Yaoyao announced to the others as soon as she saw Qin Lin.

The others looked at the new boss with curiosity. He was very young and was accompanied by a dog. That was their first impression.

"Boss!" Gao Yaoyao ran up to greet him.

"Gao Yaoyao, which one is Master Lin?" Qin Lin asked.

"Master Lin, the boss is looking for you," Gao Yaoyao immediately called out to a dark-skinned man in his fifties.

Master Lin stepped forward. Before Qin Lin could speak, he said, "Boss, I can work for you, but you must let me save those two ginkgo trees. You are not allowed to cut them down."

This demand took Qin Lin by surprise. Most employees asked for a raise; this was the first time he had heard such a request.

Gao Yaoyao quickly explained, "Boss, during the turbulent times in the past, Master Lin’s family was targeted. Because this place was very remote, Master Lin’s grandfather brought the family here to seek refuge. They lived under those two ginkgo trees for a long time, and his grandfather eventually passed away right there."

"After things were set right, Master Lin’s father moved the family back, but Master Lin has been willing to do any grueling work here ever since, all for the sake of those trees."

"Master Lin, I agree to your request. We will sign the employment contract later. For now, come with me to the parking lot; there is something I need you to be in charge of." Qin Lin hadn't intended to cut down those withered trees anyway. He now understood why Master Lin had been willing to do any job at the resort—it was to protect those trees.

This was a deeply moving sentiment from the older generation. Such people were usually very loyal and trustworthy.

Qin Lin led Master Lin toward the parking lot, with Gao Yaoyao and the other employees curiously following behind.

When they reached the parking lot, Zhao Liyuan and his team had already unloaded a portion of the bougainvillea plants.

"Boss, is this the bougainvillea you bought? It’s so beautiful!" Gao Yaoyao exclaimed, clearly captivated the moment she saw the flowers.

The other employees were the same, unable to resist stepping forward to take a closer look. These bougainvillea were truly stunning.

Even at his age, Master Lin was drawn to the flowers—the appreciation for beauty knew no age. "Boss, are you planning to create a sea of bougainvillea here?"

Qin Lin nodded. "That’s right. I plan to create a sea of bougainvillea covering about 30 mu. About 15,000 plants will be arriving in succession. Master Lin, Gao Yaoyao says you are skilled in cultivation, and I intend to have you oversee this project."

Master Lin was shocked. "Boss, do you think I’m a beast of burden? 30 mu, 15,000 plants—I can’t do it alone! You need to hire more people!"

Qin Lin knew, of course, that Master Lin couldn't handle it alone and that he would need to hire landscapers or experienced farmhands for the transplanting. It seemed Master Lin had misunderstood, perhaps scarred by the exploitation of the previous management. He hadn't intended for Master Lin to do the manual labor himself, but rather to supervise, given his experience.

"Master Lin, I will hire plenty of people to help with the transplanting," Qin Lin explained. "Once they arrive, you just need to keep an eye on them. Once the sea is established, I will also hire two long-term landscape gardeners for daily maintenance."

Only then did Master Lin nod, promising to keep a close watch on the workers.

The 178 bougainvillea plants were quickly unloaded. Qin Lin happily paid the final installment, adding, "Supervisor Zhao, I will need you to come back tomorrow. Furthermore, I may need your services every day for the next month."

"Just contact me, Boss Qin," Zhao Liyuan replied readily. Transport work was tough, and as a team supervisor, he wouldn't turn down work that came right to his doorstep. Though he wondered why Boss Qin didn't just have these things delivered directly to his warehouse, as long as there was money to be made, it wasn't his concern. Some rich people just had peculiar habits.

After Zhao Liyuan’s team left, Qin Lin briefly interviewed the resort’s former employees. His first impression was positive; there was no one who immediately rubbed him the wrong way. He would observe them further over time.

The labor contract was a bit of a headache as he lacked experience. He decided to use the resort's old template as a draft, print it out, and sign it with Gao Yaoyao and the others tomorrow.

Afterward, he followed Master Lin on a tour of the 500-mu resort to select the right spot for the 30-mu bougainvillea sea. After an hour, he decided to place it on the land to the north of the main hall. To create a "sea," the terrain needed to be open and level; if the elevation varied too much, the visual effect of a dense, continuous sea would be lost.

Once decided, Qin Lin returned to town to contact a reputable construction firm. Such companies in Youcheng handled a wide range of tasks and were able to provide both experienced landscapers and farmhands, though the labor cost reached 400 yuan per day.

After signing the contract and paying the deposit, the company’s staff immediately went to the resort to conduct a preliminary survey, finishing only by late evening.

However, once night fell, the bougainvillea in the parking lot became a concern. They were quite valuable, so he had to have the security guard, Chen Dabei, keep watch overnight—which would also serve as a test of his character.

With everything arranged, Qin Lin planned to return to town. Since the project was underway, it was time to settle his family's debts. News of the resort would spread eventually, and if he didn't settle up, some might think he had money for a resort but not for his debts. These creditors were his parents' friends and relatives; they had lent money out of kindness, and even if they didn't hold it against him, others might stir up trouble. It was better to pay them off so that when they heard about the resort, their perspective would be different.

Qin Lin opened his phone contacts, where he had listed everyone his family owed money to. Excluding the 50,000 owed to his father’s friend Qin Ren, and accounting for the monthly payments made over the past year, he still owed over 330,000 yuan.

He dialed the first number. "Uncle Ergen, have you eaten? ... Ah, you have ... Could you come to the house tonight? ... Yes, I’ve earned some money, and I want to repay what my father owed you..."

He hung up and called the next person, inviting all the village elders to his house. While it would have been more polite to visit them personally, he needed to put his mother’s mind at ease. She still kept his father’s portrait out and fretted daily that if the debts weren't cleared, she couldn't watch him get married and have children, and his father wouldn't rest in peace.

After finishing the calls, he went to the warehouse and took out some common wild fish from the game, put them in buckets on his tricycle, covered them with a cloth, and drove back to his residential complex. Since the uncles had already eaten, he needed a modest gift as a courtesy, and these wild fish were perfect.

When he arrived home, Lin Fen had already prepared dinner.

"It's time to eat," Lin Fen called out. After Qin Lin sat down, she asked, "Xiaolin, why are you so late today? How is the farmhouse resort going?"

"It’s getting on the right track; it’s been a bit busy lately," Qin Lin replied.

Lin Fen reminded him, "Xiaolin, busy as you may be, don't neglect Moqing. She’s such a good girl..."

She didn't finish her sentence. She was worried that such a wonderful girl might end up with someone else, and she would never find another like her. But she felt helpless—her family was a mess, drowning in debt, and her son had neither a house nor a car. How could Zhao Moqing’s parents ever agree to let her marry into their family?