Her Cultivation Diary
Chapter 997 - 977. The selection is over

Chapter 997: 977. The selection is over

Meanwhile, the host was anxiously pacing at the edge of the stage, eyes darting around as he muttered to someone beside him, "Who arranged this? It’s so late, and the presenters still aren’t here!"

The leadership team knew it wasn’t quite time yet, so they loitered below the stage, chattering away, but with only ten minutes left before the event was supposed to start and the key people still absent, how could this look remotely professional?

The host swept his gaze across the venue, completely unaware of the oversized potted plant beside him quietly shifting position with scarcely audible scraping sounds.

As Song Tan straightened her back, she thought to herself, "The effort I’ve poured into this evaluation is ridiculous! If someone else were handling this, their old back would’ve given out by now."

She glanced at the crowd ahead, noting that it was almost time. Hastily, she pulled her sleeves down, patted the dust off her clothes, and re-tied a stray strand of hair that had come loose earlier—

"You! Yes, you—where are you from? Come here, quick!"

Not far away, the host stared at her in surprise and delight. "It’s you I’m talking to—hurry up over here!"

Song Tan froze for a second, her feet unmoving, before the host excitedly marched toward her. "Oh my, which department are you with? Looking this good, they’ve got you doing all the dirty work? What a bunch of shameless men... Come, come, let’s get you a change of clothes and have you stand on stage later."

"If the award presenters don’t show up on time, then when it’s ready, you’ll take the trophy and hand it over to the winner, got it?"

Song Tan: ...

"I’m here as a contestant."

This bunch—always asking which department people belong to, yet never giving her the chance to answer properly! If she didn’t clarify, was she supposed to award herself later?

The host faltered.

Right then, a leader in the crowd caught sight of her and quickly waved her over:

"I remember you! Young lady, quite impressive! Would it be possible for you to share with everyone later the key factors behind earning millions after returning home to start your business?"

He turned to the audience and introduced her:

"Don’t underestimate this young woman. She graduated from university and returned to her hometown to start a business. In just half a year, not only did she establish her own agricultural development company, but she also adopted live-streaming to expand her sales nationwide. It’s truly remarkable!"

Seeing the incredulous expressions directed at Song Tan, the leader felt a surge of admiration within: "Developing agriculture is far easier said than done! Forget others—even I want to consult her for advice!"

Song Tan, with just a hint of political acumen from centuries of cultivation in Immortal Cultivation: ...

Share what, exactly? How was she supposed to share? Should she switch the narrative to immortal cultivation and recount her struggle to refine the first trace of Spiritual Energy during the spiritual drought?

Besides, wasn’t Secretary Xiaozu the one who said she’d just go on stage and accept an award?

Thinking it over, she retained one critical point—the leader wanted to know the key to her financial success.

What’s there to say? The answer’s simple: people love tasty food.

She sincerely invited him, "If you truly want to know, January 10th, the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, we’re hosting a pig-slaughtering feast at my place. Friends from across the country and business collaborators are all coming."

"I believe talking big here a hundred times won’t compare to what those bosses spending loads of money to procure will have to say themselves."

She finished speaking and flashed him a heartfelt smile. "Do you have time that day? Our pig-slaughtering feast is really lively!"

Tsk. Looks like they’ll have to prepare yet another table—already set on 13 tables so far!

Leader: ...

Say what you will, but he’d met people from all walks of life over the years—even handled a protest blockade at the complaints office a couple years back! Yet, he’d never encountered someone so brazenly direct!

And you’d think she wasn’t sharp, but her words hit the nail on the head with remarkable precision and clarity.

After all, those within the bureaucratic system know too well that meetings rarely yield truly actionable insights.

In that brief moment, a thousand thoughts flashed through his mind before they condensed into a hearty laugh: "Alright!"

"I’ll accept Young Comrade’s invitation—January 10th, I’ll definitely attend your pig-slaughtering feast!"

"I might arrive a bit late, though—would that be a problem?" That day being Laba, the leader had a packed itinerary, and visiting the village might take until early afternoon.

"No, no problem at all!" Song Tan quite liked this leader, especially since he’d recently expedited funds to build roads for her village. Observing his good mood, she laughed cheerfully:

"The friends coming from all over the country will also be arriving around noon—we’ve planned for a late lunch anyway."

Have a meal, check out the environment... perhaps they could fast-track the village’s land approvals or the agricultural electricity quotas?

To be honest, factory permits for agricultural electricity were limited, and she’d been wanting to bring this up for a while.

Meanwhile, the host, unnoticed on stage, breathed a sigh of relief as the etiquette staff quietly came into position beside him—

Next moment, the music swelled!

The first-ever Yun City Rural Specialty Agricultural Development Competition—[Little Farmer] Finals—officially began!

Song Tan stood numbly at the side of the stage, following the flow of events—allegedly streamlined. Listening to the host’s lengthy speech and marking the passing minutes, she couldn’t resist a silent sigh:

This is exhausting! Knowing this, she’d rather have stuck to moving flowerpots.

Inevitably, the results were as expected.

The only deviation from Secretary Xiaozu’s original claim was that when it was her turn to take the stage, the leader personally stood up to present the trophy to her.

During the waiting period for the group photo, the leader, grinning, said:

"Keep up the good work!"

At the end of the awards ceremony, a hurried Secretary Xiaozu finally arrived backstage. As they dispersed, Song Tan sneaked over to whisper:

"Our leader is really pleasant—he complimented me on the new roads and even encouraged me to ’keep up the good work.’ Plus, he instantly recognized I was a contestant—the family business..."

Guess that’s what makes a leader!

Secretary Xiaozu side-eyed her: "What’s on your mind? Do you even realize how much revenue you’ve brought in over the past six months? Did you think those bank loans were granted just like that?"

In these parts, Song Tan’s revenue alone rivaled an entire enterprise! And her cash flow was robust, far beyond those companies riddled with debts from every corner.

If it weren’t for national policies, her tax contributions alone—given exemptions for family farms—would’ve been attention-grabbing.

A talent like this—wasn’t being remembered by the leader the very least he could do?

Song Tan: ... Which is why she disliked dealing with political folks—hidden implications and layered meanings all around, none of which she wanted to decipher.

She casually mentioned, "Oh, by the way, I invited the leader to our pig-slaughtering feast on Laba. He agreed and said he’d definitely come."

The previously mocking Secretary Xiaozu: ...!!!

What a Divine Brush move!