While holding onto her hat, Rona Muir walked and answered Cecilia Gu's call: "Oh, my dear Cecilia, I'm counting on you and Mo Rong to cover for me these days. It's so rare for me to get a chance to go out, I don't want to go back so soon!"
Cecilia sighed helplessly. "Alright, since you've worked so hard for Danni Cosmetics all this time, I'll cover for you! But take it easy, and keep an eye on Sean Kerr. Don't let him blow up Hans's base, or Hans will start complaining to me again!"
Rona chuckled softly. "Alright, alright, housekeeper! You're everyone's housekeeper!"
Cecilia laughed. "Isn't that the truth? I never run out of things to worry about. Alright, I'll let you go have fun. I'm off to see my sister."
After a bit more small talk, the two finally hung up.
A few days ago, after they escaped that primitive jungle and tribe, everyone went their separate ways, busy with their own affairs.
Jiro Hirayama, that troublemaker, actually transplanted an entire man-eating tree over here. And President Muir just let him do it!
And Hans, honestly, let Jiro Hirayama mess around and even gave him a small base to do whatever experiments he wanted.
Well, only someone as reckless as Hans would do something like that.
Anyone brave enough to plant explosives in their own heart—what wouldn't they dare to do?
Rona remembered when she first met Hans; his actions back then were absolutely terrifying.
She just hadn't expected things to take such a turn.
Now, Hans gets along with all of them quite well.
Not only did he take in Ethan Yin and Miles Gu as apprentices, but even little Yinuo seemed to be admiring Hans now.
Whether it was for the Hirayama Family or for Cecilia's sake, Hans gave Jiro Hirayama that small base—and now he owed them a favor too.
Well, it's not like she could complain—she was married to Jiro Hirayama after all.
A married couple is supposed to be a team.
So, while she had some downtime, maybe she could help out at Hans's little base.
And, she could use the chance to look for new materials to expand her own company's product line.
In short, vacation, favors, and expanding the product line—killing three birds with one stone!
Rona was secretly planning all this in her mind.
Basking in the warm sunlight, Rona checked the time—it was almost time for her appointment.
The only reason she was here was because of a coincidence.
That day, she was helping Jiro Hirayama with experiments at the base. Jiro happened to need some seeds from a certain plant and casually complained to Rona about how the seeds had a fun property—they were full of active ingredients that worked directly on the skin, keeping it moisturized for ages. Because of his experiments, his hands were even smoother, softer, and whiter than Rona's.
Rona stubbornly grabbed Jiro's hand to check—and it was true!
Seriously, how unfair!
How could a science nerd have softer skin than Vice President Muir herself?
So, Rona asked for the name and origin of the seeds, and came all the way here by herself.
Today, she was meeting the big farm owner who specialized in growing this plant.
Actually, the farm owner mainly grew this crop not for the seeds, but for the stalks. The stalks are excellent fiber, perfect for making clothes, dyes, and even fuel.
But since the yield was so low, they didn't plant much—only when there was a demand.
The seeds were just a byproduct, usually destroyed or tossed aside.
Who would've thought someone would show up one day, asking to buy those seeds?
So the big farm owner set up a meeting with Rona to talk things over.
Just as Rona was checking the time, she heard a voice behind her—a local-accented English that was hard to describe: "Excuse me, miss, are you Ms. Muir?"
Rona turned around and saw a plainly dressed, middle-aged white man in jeans and a polo shirt, politely greeting her.
"Hello, I'm Rona Muir," she answered in fluent English. "I'm the one who set up this meeting."
"My name's Jamie." He shook hands with Rona and sat down across from her, clearly surprised to find his appointment was with such a stunning Asian woman.
"I'm here to learn more about this plant." Rona placed the seeds on the table and smiled. "From what I've heard, not many people in the area grow it, but your farm seems to have a decent amount."
"Oh, you mean the subtype castor bean." Jamie saw the seeds and immediately understood. "Did you bring these out from the Primal Jungle? They're really rare. We only grow a small amount for special uses—the yield is low, so most farms don't bother unless there's a custom order. The utilization rate of this subtype castor bean is just too low. Sure, you can make fiber for clothes, fuel, and dyes, but there are way too many substitutes out there, so it's not worth it. Our main crops are soybeans and corn—that's our bread and butter."
Rona nodded. "Yeah, I noticed—almost all the land around here is planted with soybeans."
"All our soybeans are for export, so we never worry about sales." Jamie pointed at the seeds on the table. "This subtype castor bean has gone through three generations of improvement before it could be used for clothing, fuel, and dyes. But your original seeds barely produce anything."
Rona's interest was piqued. "Did you guys improve the seeds yourselves?"
"That's right," Jamie replied. "We crossbred them with other plants, and only the third-generation seeds are usable."
This chapter isn't over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!
Rona's eyes showed a hint of disappointment.
Only the first-generation seeds had the skin-moisturizing and nourishing effects.
Once the seeds were improved, those effects faded.
No wonder no one ever noticed.
So that's why.
Jamie spoke up again: "Most people here plant the third-generation seeds, but I do know someone who grows the first-generation ones. The yield's super low though—the plants are short and sparse, and a whole season doesn't even cover the costs."
Rona perked up. "Do you think you could introduce me?"
"Sure." Jamie looked at Rona and said, "I'm actually passing by his farm—I can take you there."
"Thank you, thank you!" Rona said gratefully, and without hesitation, she drove after Jamie's pickup all the way to a small farm not far away.
Relatively speaking, anyway.
This area was vast and sparsely populated.
Big farms here usually covered thousands or even tens of thousands of acres, but this little farm was only a few hundred.
Compared to the others, it really was a small farm.
"Here we are." Jamie pointed at a row of houses. "You can go find their farm owner."
"Thank you!" Rona smiled and waved goodbye, then turned the wheel and drove her jeep over, a little crookedly.
The owner's house looked like a fortress.
It was built very simply, but it was huge.
Probably doubled as a warehouse too.
After all, a few hundred acres produced a lot.
You needed somewhere to store it, so it wouldn't get ruined by wind and rain.
Rona got out of the car, walked into the yard, and called out, "Hello, is anyone there? Is anybody home?"
After calling for a while, a strong Black woman came out, wearing a white apron. "Who are you looking for?"
"Hello, ma'am. I'm just passing through, and I heard your farm grows a subtype castor bean. I wanted to ask—is it the first-generation subtype? Could I order some of those seeds?" Rona said with a smile.
Her authentic accent made the Black woman take a few extra glances at her.
"Our boss just stepped out..." The Black woman had barely finished when the sound of a car engine roared outside. She grinned, "Here he comes, our boss is back."
Rona was thrilled.
Timing is everything.
Looks like she came at just the right moment!
Rona quickly followed the Black woman outside and saw a modified off-road vehicle pulling up. She stepped forward to greet, "Hello, I'm from..."
But as soon as Rona saw the man's face, her words stopped abruptly.
She instinctively turned to leave.
How could it be him!
What is he doing here!
"Rona, long time no see." A man jumped out of the car, looking genuinely surprised to see her here.