Chapter 252: Chapter 188: The Three Girls’ Excitement
After gathering the rice, Li Xiang set off directly from northeastern Thailand. He passed through Laos, northern Vietnam, Yunnan Province, and Qian Province without stopping at all. The journey was about fourteen or fifteen hundred kilometers, and he was back home in just over an hour.
The main reason was that his warehouse was too small, and he needed to leave some space free. Besides, he had been away from home for many days. His phone had been turned off and tossed in the Otherworldly Warehouse, so he hadn’t contacted his family. He was essentially "missing," and he knew his grandmother must be worried sick.
It was a good idea to go back and check in. This way, the events in Myanmar and Thailand would be even harder to trace back to him. As for other countries, he would have to wait until he had free time or his space was upgraded.
Also, he needed to get rid of those Jadeite Rough Stones. Otherwise, they would take up too much space. But he couldn’t rush something like this; "laundering" them too quickly could easily lead to problems.
Li Xiang arrived home in the middle of the night. He took a shower, changed into his pajamas, and turned on his phone and computer. His messages and emails were blowing up. Just reading through all the information and handling the emails took a long time.
Many of them were private messages from fans, especially Top Aunt, who had sent a ton.
Luo Feifei had sent many as well. Li Xiang replied to them all one by one.
Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, and Lei Xiaohui had also sent quite a few. For instance, Yao Yao sent a video of herself dancing, asking if it looked good and if the choreography was original.
There was also a design proposal for Phase Three from the construction company. Although the Phase Two mountainside Shelter project wasn’t finished yet, the design for Phase Three had already begun.
This was because Phase Three was even more massive. The scope of the work was enormous and the design was incredibly complex, meant to accommodate five thousand people. The proposal alone would probably take half a year, and the final version wouldn’t be ready for another year after that.
After all, it was a massive project worth several hundred million. The good thing was that the land was the collective property of the village, which held a 10% stake, so he didn’t need to spend extra money to purchase it. All the paperwork was also in order.
Then there were some emails and missed calls from the town and county governments.
Li Xiang took a look. One email was from the County Political Consultative Conference, which was organizing a community outreach event. The event would involve visiting various neighborhoods and townships to promote a "Public Safety Awareness" campaign against drunk driving, gambling, illegal lending, and telecommunication fraud. Another email was about a study seminar for the committee members, scheduled for next week and the week after next, respectively.
Naturally, Li Xiang intended to participate in these events. It was a good way to maintain his public presence and interact more with the outside world.
When morning came, Li Xiang got up early as usual. In truth, he hadn’t slept at all. His Spiritual Power was abundant, his body was formidable, and he had a serious surplus of energy, so he didn’t need much sleep. He went to let out the chickens, ducks, and geese, then held a morning meeting with his little animals to check on their Cultivation progress and explain some of the problems they were encountering.
Although the little animals couldn’t speak, Li Xiang could use his Spiritual Power to investigate their conditions and get a rough idea of the obstacles they were facing. He would then tentatively ask them questions. If he got it right, the little animals would nod repeatedly, looking very well-behaved and adorable.
The Little Fox had the highest Cultivation and wasn’t far from the Second Tier. Er Huang was still a long way off, and the others were still some distance from the First Tier. Li Xiang didn’t put too much pressure on them; he was happy for them to just cultivate slowly and cheerfully.
This was because such things were most closely related to talent. While diligent practice was useful, talent was the decisive factor.
After the morning meeting, he shared some small berry-like Spiritual Medicines with each of the cute little pets. Then he went to visit Tuantuan and its mother, tossing them a few Spirit Fruits.
Li Xiang had also discovered that when it came to talent, large, ferocious beasts had a higher ceiling.
For example, the bats he had hunted before were good; their strength lay in their sheer numbers and concentrated "potential for mutation," making it easy to gain Achievement Points and a lot of Spiritual Medicine. However, they were limited by "Innate Factors." Their Level was too low, making it difficult for a High-Grade Great Demon to emerge from their ranks.
In contrast, the ferocious beasts he had killed, like the Wild Boar King, the Bengal White Tiger, and the Elephant, were basically all High Tier.
This was logical. These beasts were already powerful to begin with, so naturally, they became even more formidable after mutating.
Of course, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that some small animals could defy the odds and turn the tables, but the chances of that were vanishingly small. And the process would undoubtedly be much more arduous.
When his grandmother saw Li Xiang had returned, she was overjoyed. She asked him where he had been, and Li Xiang just spun a yarn, saying he had been here and there, and that he had brought her back gifts.
He took out a few hats suitable for an older woman, along with some scarves and bags. They were all bought in Thailand, and he had torn off the tags. The styles were all very fashionable. Although his grandmother was old, she still adored them, grinning from ear to ear. After breakfast, she eagerly took her new things and went out to show them off.
Li Xiang first went to the village committee to handle some backlogged chores. As a university graduate who had returned from a big city, an Extraordinary Being, and a native of Li Family Village, the minor affairs of the village posed no great difficulty for him.
For example, there were some forms that the few people on the village committee couldn’t quite figure out due to their limited skills. Li Xiang handled them in a few minutes, and for the rest, he gave them guidance on how to proceed and let them do it themselves.
Then he took a walk around the village, greeting the villagers and making small talk. When they asked where he’d been, he again spun a tale, saying he had gone on an inspection trip somewhere. The villagers were all quite envious, simply assuming he had been away on vacation.
"Big Bro, you’re finally back!" Yao Yao’s eyes lit up when she saw Li Xiang, and she immediately flew into his arms like a social butterfly.
She was wearing little, it being summer, and felt soft and warm in his arms. Li Xiang quickly pushed her away and chided, "Watch your image a little. Be careful or you’ll never get married." There were quite a few other young women watching from the side.
The other young women covered their mouths and giggled.
Yao Yao pouted. ’Get married? Why would I get married? I’m never getting married now,’ she thought. ’After meeting someone like you, how could I ever find another man who measures up? It’s not like marriage is a must.’
She was born in the 2000s and had seen the world in the big cities. Now, working for Li Xiang, her salary and benefits surpassed even those of many white-collar workers in major cities. Her thinking was quite progressive, and being so young, she had absolutely no desire to get married and have children.
It was the same for Zhao Xueqing and Lei Xiaohui. If it weren’t for their families constantly nagging them, they would never have gone on blind dates in the first place.
Now that they had high-paying jobs, their families didn’t pressure them as much. If the nagging continued, they were ready to move into the shop.
After learning about their situation, Li Xiang decided to build a staff dormitory. It would also be a small, traditional-style building with upturned eaves, interlocking brackets, carved beams, and painted pillars, about two or three stories high. This way, if business was booming, or if they were busy with a live-stream sale until late at night, or if it was stormy outside, they wouldn’t have to go home in bad weather and could just spend the night in the dormitory.
If they were scared, he could have the kittens, the Little Fox, or Er Huang go over to keep them company.
There were lots of kittens now, over a dozen of them, all half-grown and full of energy. Having them over there would liven the place up.
Of course, the garden, scenic area, and the various shops were now also the pets’ patrol territory and playground, since they were right next door. The Moon Gate in the surrounding wall had also been officially put to use.
Early in the morning, before any tourists had arrived, Li Xiang sat with the three young women in an elegant private room at the National Tea House. Zhao Xueqing brewed a pot of fragrant tea and had someone bring in some refreshments. They talked about work while enjoying their morning tea.
The meeting took the form of a casual chat, but Li Xiang sensed the atmosphere wasn’t entirely harmonious. This was mainly because Yao Yao and Zhao Xueqing were competing with each other, both overtly and covertly, which gave him a headache.
But on second thought, he decided it might be a good thing. ’Competition breeds progress,’ he mused. ’If everyone was just ’lying flat’ with no ambition, then what would be the point?’
Of course, it was impossible for them to actually start arguing. On the contrary, both were all smiles and seemed as close as sisters, but anyone with a modicum of intelligence could taste the gunpowder in the air.
Lei Xiaohui occasionally shrugged from the side and shot a secret smile at Li Xiang. She didn’t get involved.
"Alright, meeting adjourned," Li Xiang said. "Everyone, get to it and take care of the work you have on hand. Also, I have some good news to announce."
"Big Bro, what’s the good news?" Yao Yao immediately perked up and was the first to ask.
Zhao Xueqing and Lei Xiaohui also looked over with wide, expectant eyes. They knew Li Xiang had always been generous. Could it be that he was going to give everyone a bonus again?
Li Xiang smiled and said, "I’m planning to organize a team-building activity. This time, we’ll go somewhere a bit farther away. Hmm, how does a 10-day trip to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand sound?"
There were too many places to see; three to five days wouldn’t be fun, and a week wouldn’t be enough. Li Xiang calculated that 10 to 12 days would probably be just right. Plus, at night, he could take the opportunity to get some other things done.
As soon as he said this, the three young women nearly jumped for joy.
"Whoa! Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand! And for ten whole days! That’s amazing!"
"Big Bro, when are we going?"
"I’ve always been so envious of people who travel abroad. I never imagined... Big Bro, I’m so touched!"
The three young women immediately cheered, absolutely thrilled. None of them had ever been abroad before.
"Big Bro, do we need to apply for our passports in advance?"
"Big Bro, are we going on our own or with a tour group?"
Li Xiang said, "Of course you need to apply for passports in advance. We won’t go with a tour group; we’ll travel independently. You all can decide on the dates. And one more thing: can you find some time to study a little English? When you’re abroad, even though you can get by with Chinese in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, what if we want to do a team-building trip to Europe or North America in the future?"
"Wow, a team-building trip to Europe and the United States, too? Big Bro, you’re the best!"
"Haha, just work hard," Li Xiang encouraged them. "Stick with me, and you’ll definitely get perks like this."
The three young women were ecstatic, an excitement that would likely last for many days. After all, Li Xiang always kept his word and never went back on a promise. However, the moment learning a foreign language was mentioned, their faces fell.
Yao Yao complained in their group chat, "Back in high school, English gave me the biggest headaches." But now, she still bought some English study materials, signed up for an online English course, and started to brush up on her skills.
This was because Zhao Xueqing and Lei Xiaohui had already taken action, and she couldn’t fall behind.
Studying English for the sake of travel was much more motivating than studying it in school. Besides, having suffered hardships during her previous jobs, she now understood the importance of learning.
Of course, Li Xiang was studying as well. As an Extraordinary Being, his mind was sharper and more flexible than an ordinary person’s, so he learned English much faster than he had back in high school or college.
When Lei Jiaming heard his sister was going on a trip to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, he was extremely envious. However, his rank wasn’t high enough, so he figured Li Xiang wouldn’t be taking him along.
Lei Xiaohui promised she would bring him back lots of presents.
For this team-building trip to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, the company would pay for flights, accommodations, and daily meals, which would be reimbursed and recorded as administrative expenses. However, the young women would be responsible for their own shopping expenses.
Since Li Xiang paid them a high salary and gave them occasional "commissions," the three young women had the money for it. They were already planning their itinerary, making lists of must-see attractions and must-buy items.
Li Xiang went to the construction site again to check on the progress. Everything was proceeding according to plan, with no noteworthy issues.
