Signing the Contract

Leonard Li looked at the meticulously drafted contract, feeling a swirl of complicated emotions in his heart.

He’d met plenty of clever women before, but only Lily Evans was both shrewd and open-hearted. Probably only Lily in the whole world would dare say to him: 'Now that you know my secret, either I’ll get rid of you—or you join my team.'

Suddenly, Leonard Li found the whole situation rather amusing. He blinked, then with a flourish, signed his name.

Now it was Lily Evans’s turn to be dumbfounded. 'Mr. Li, you haven’t even heard how I plan to guarantee a steady supply of mushrooms, and you’ve already signed? Aren’t you afraid I’ll scam you?!'

Leonard Li saw Lily Evans jump in surprise at his words, and felt like he’d finally won a round. Grinning slyly, he declared, 'I’ve signed your contract. If you dare swindle me, I’ll either finish you off or tie you up and take you home to cook for me!'

As Leonard Li spoke, he fanned himself in true capital playboy fashion, looking every bit the charming rogue.

Seeing how readily Leonard Li signed the contract, Lily Evans didn’t bother with formalities and said, 'Mr. Li, Uncle Arthur, come with me.'

Leonard Li, full of curiosity, followed right behind Lily Evans, wondering what trick this clever lady would use to produce so many mushrooms.

'Here, the secret’s inside these rooms.' Lily Evans smiled as she unlocked the door, glancing at Leonard Li.

Leonard Li touched his nose, and together with Arthur Evans, pushed open the door and went inside.

'Ah, these are... mushrooms?!' Leonard Li stared in disbelief at the rows upon rows of multi-layered mushroom beds, unable to believe his eyes.

'Of course! See how many I’ve got growing?' Lily Evans replied with a mischievous grin, arms folded and leaning casually against the doorframe.

Leonard Li peered at the nearest mushroom, shocked to discover it was larger, brighter, and plumper than any wild mushroom outside—every mushroom here was top quality.

'Wait, mushrooms can be grown by hand?!' Even the well-traveled Leonard Li was stunned by Lily Evans’s Mushroom Cellar.

Mushrooms are fungi, not the usual crops people grow here, so no one had ever thought they could be cultivated like grain.

'Of course you can! Look at how many I’ve grown!' Lily Evans replied breezily, arms folded and smiling as she leaned against the doorway.

Leonard Li wandered around the room, noticing mushrooms both big and small. Lily Evans explained, 'The big ones are mature and ready for harvest and sale. The small ones are still growing—give them another month and they’ll be ready to pick.'

'Here, these are dried mushrooms, sun-cured to keep their original flavor. They last a long time and won’t go moldy.' Lily Evans handed over some freshly dried mushrooms from today.

The more Leonard Li listened, the more impressed he became—especially when he heard Lily Evans’s mushrooms could be harvested every two months. He sucked in a breath. 'Miss Lily, you’re not just growing mushrooms, you’re growing money!'

Lily Evans grinned. 'So, Mr. Li, how about it? Partnering with me wasn’t such a bad deal, huh?'

Leonard Li quickly waved his hands and put on an exaggerated, flattering smile: 'From now on, my fortune is in your hands, Boss Su!'

Lily Evans smiled gently: 'Oh, I wouldn’t dare claim all the credit. I’ll be relying on you, Young Master Li, to open up the sales channels. Once your network is set up, these mushrooms won’t be nearly enough to meet demand. I'm planning to buy some land and build dedicated mushroom houses. By the time your sales routes are ready, there’ll be plenty of mushrooms to sell.'

When Leonard Li heard Lily Evans was planning to buy land and expand production, he gave her a mental thumbs-up, secretly admiring her boldness. If she doesn’t get rich, it’ll be a miracle!