Chapter 1267: Plans and the Annual Saint Agriculture Festival

During the Saint Agriculture Festival, Lans returned to the Lawrence Farm.

The scale of the new farm had been built to be very large; after merging with some smaller surrounding farms, the people from those original farms were all living in their old farmsteads.

But now, they had all relocated to the new farm, which was directly related to the special approval Governor Terry had previously given for the Lawrence Farm to establish a town.

While it was called the Lawrence Farm, from the perspective of the state government, this place was "Lawrence Town," and members of the Lawrence family served as the town mayor and sheriff.

Since it was a town, the scale certainly had to be supported.

Federal people sometimes have a fanatical pursuit of scale, pageantry, and the like.

Therefore, people from the surrounding areas had all gathered here.

To make it convenient for them to return to their own farms to work, the Lawrence family spent money to build an internal railway covering the entire range of the Lawrence Farm.

The total length was over a hundred kilometers, covering almost every farm area.

Every morning between eight and nine o'clock, the farmers and their wives would gather at the residential area's train station, and then the small train would take them to their places of work.

There was a train every two hours, and there was a schedule; whether going or returning, one could refer to this timetable.

Of course, the cowboys still preferred to ride horses; after all, those who ride horses are cowboys, and those who take the train are not.

The farm's development was getting better and better, and it was increasingly attracting more idle farmers from the surroundings; even some people from nearby cities came over to see if there were any better job opportunities here.

The treatment at Lawrence Farm was not considered bad even in the city; after all, their income was high, and the three elders also attached great importance to family honor. In this regard, they were much more lenient and benevolent in their attitude toward employees than pure capitalists.

As Lans walked on the farm road, there would always be people constantly tipping their hats to greet him.

Summer passed quietly without people noticing, ushering in late autumn.

"Mr. Lans, Mr. William, good morning."

Several elderly farmers who knew Lans saw Lans and William walking over together and immediately took off their hats and stood by the side of the road to greet the two.

From their messy hair steaming with heat, it could be seen that the current weather had already turned quite cold.

Lans nodded and smiled in acknowledgment, which counted as responding to their greeting, while William smiled and waved his hand.

After they passed this stretch of road, those farmers put their hats back on and continued doing their things.

"This is the reason why I sometimes don't like coming back, and I have also gradually understood why ancient lords would build a castle to isolate themselves from those ordinary people!"

William was somewhat emotional; power gave him more understanding of the world, just like wearing a pair of glasses, making the blurry world become a bit clearer.

If members of the Lawrence family walked on the road, especially those more famous family members, they would encounter such things.

People would constantly greet them; if you didn't respond to them, they would feel you were arrogant, and if you responded to them, then there were too many things to do for the whole day.

Lans smiled and said, "It is a good thing that people recognize you. If the citizens in Hucheng also treated you like this, it means that at least in terms of governance, you have already reached the limit of what you can do."

The two continued to walk forward; the Lawrence family manor was already close at hand. The cowboys patrolling on horseback at the entrance saw the two approaching and all took off their hats to show respect.

Lans and the others greeted the cowboys just as before, and then entered the manor under their attentive gaze.

"I talked with Terry on the phone, and we plan to hold a 'Star Mayor' selection event in Laizhou."

"Based on the development situation of various cities over the past four years, we will select the 'Top Ten Mayors'."

"Local media, including state-level media, will participate in tracking and reporting, used to help these ten mayors gain huge popularity across the entire state."

He turned his head and glanced at William, "You are one of them."

"The development of Hucheng in the past two years has also been very rapid. We are not looking at specific numbers, but just from the percentage growth, it has already ranked at the forefront of urban development in Laizhou, so there will be no surprises; you will become one of the Top Ten Mayors."

"Then we will further promote the fame of some mayors to continue to rise, and by then there will be follow-up political show activities."

William grasped a keyword in it, "Political show?"

"Yes, political show."

Lans spelled it out, "A show with political goals as the core. If you notice the terms those media use for the current political scene, you will find words like 'capitalization' to describe the changes in the political scene."

"Then why can't we continue to promote some new changes in the political scene on such a basis?"

"Making politics entertaining might be more in line with the development needs of the current federal society."

This was the first time William had heard such a statement, and he was a bit at a loss, "I... is it really okay to do this?"

"I mean, is making politics entertaining a good thing for politics itself?"

Lans asked back, "Why do you think this is not a good thing?"

"Capable people, regardless of whether they are performing or working, are capable people. Politics is the manifestation of the ability and art of governance. You have the ability, and that is enough."

"Politics should not be too far away from people; after all, politics has a close connection with their lives."

"By then, I will organize television stations in various places to do some promotional activities around you. Your popularity and fame will be further improved, which will lay a good foundation for your subsequent campaign for Mayor of Manton."

"Maybe you even have the opportunity to 'intern' in the position of Mayor of Manton before the election."

Listening to these words Lans said, William had an illusion that he was already old, and he couldn't quite keep up with Lans's train of thought.

"I don't quite understand... but it sounds a bit interesting."

"You can tell me more about these things in detail."

As they talked and walked, William was asking for advice when he heard Emily's voice from afar, "Hi, dear, what are you two talking about?"

Emily was holding Victor and waving her arms at the two, and the two also stopped chatting, "Let's talk about this later."

Subsequently, they walked over.

Victor was very polite; he struggled to jump down from Emily's arms and then greeted William and Lans, looking like a little adult.

The current Lawrence family could also be considered... to have touched the edge of the upper-class families, and they also attached great importance to the education of the next generation.

Whether it was Ace or Victor, they had hired the best private tutors in Laizhou to teach them from a young age how to face this world and learn knowledge.

The fees for these tutors were very expensive, requiring them to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars in fees every month, per person.

Each stage had different tutors; for example, the enlightenment tutors would teach these children for two to three years, and then they would change to new tutors to continue education, almost changing every two or three years until they reached the university stage.

Even middle-class families would find it difficult to pay this expense; what they earned might not even be as much as these tutors.

Victor and Ace were obvious examples, and there were other children in the Lawrence family who were also receiving this elite education. The three elders hoped to stabilize the social class of the Lawrence family.

"What are you talking about?"

William kissed Emily, "We were talking about some work matters."

After they separated, Emily also took the initiative to hug Lans, "Sounds very ambitious!"

She hugged Lans and then separated, "Have you been to see Ace yet?"

Lans shook his head, "I just got back and haven't been to see him yet. What's wrong with him?"

"He is very good, very sensible, and will give you a surprise!"

"I am looking forward to it."

The four of them entered the big house of the manor together. In the hall, quite a few members of the Lawrence family had already gathered, as well as many children.

When they had no money, members of the Lawrence family were not very willing to have children, which was different from those truly poor people.

Poor people were willing to have children because children to them were equivalent to free labor, a tool that could help them earn money.

The Federation allowed the use of child labor, and many factories even stated their attitude directly: they only wanted child labor!

On one hand, child labor was easy to manage; child labor could not join unions, and they would be more afraid of adults. When managing these little workers, one only needed to intimidate them a few times to make them obedient.

These factories were mainly concentrated in the light industry field, such as some manual factories that did not involve knowledge, cultural levels, and mechanical operations.

Beside the assembly line were all ten-year-old children; their salaries were half of those of adults, but their working hours were not much less.

If a poor family could have ten children, it meant they had five more adult labor incomes, and children ate less; for a poor family, this was a large sum of income.

Rich people were also willing to have children; they needed someone to inherit their career and industry, and they needed excellent heirs, so having more children and selecting the best was the correct way of inheritance for a big family.

Only the middle class was neither up nor down.

The Lawrence family had already entered the upward channel, getting rid of that awkward situation, and almost all family members began to have children.

The more children they had, the more it meant they could get more benefits from the family's dividends, and the children also had the opportunity to step into more important positions.

Seeing Lans come in, the people who were chatting suddenly all quieted down, and then looked at Lans together and greeted him.

Lans also tried his best to respond to everyone, but even if there were those he didn't take care of, they wouldn't have any uncomfortable thoughts.

After all, this was Lans.

Patricia was very happy to see Lans come and ran over to give him a hug and a kiss, "You didn't tell me you were coming back today. You should have told me so I could pick you up."

Lans touched the girl's smooth hair, "I am not some big shot!"

He held the girl's hand, "Have you been well lately?"

Patricia turned around and held Lans's arm, "Can't say good or bad. Farm life is just like this, but for me, it is already good enough."

Lans saw in the corner of the hall, a group of children were chatting, and Ace was surrounded by them in the middle.

Actually, children are not as brainless as adults imagine; they know very well who is the real "boss" in the entire farm.

Ace, Victor, such children are the true rulers of the family's future, while those other people, they can only be the subordinates of these two people in the future.

So they all gathered around these two children to play, very carefully maintaining their attitude, trying their best not to do some things they shouldn't do.

Of course, not all children could realize this point; those children who couldn't realize this point had already been severely taught a lesson by their parents.

If they did something wrong again, they would be thrown to a nearby city to go to school instead of staying on the farm.

Nature is cruel, and the farm is also cruel.

Ace received a reminder from others and also noticed that Lans had returned, and then ran over in surprise.

Perhaps thinking of something, when he was about to pounce on Lans, he braked his steps, then tidied up his appearance, slightly bent down and lowered his head, "Father..."

A very colloquial expression of emotion. Lans touched his head, "Heard you did well, like a man."

Ace tightened his smiling face; his tutor told him that he couldn't completely expose his inner heart on formal occasions and had to restrain his emotional expression.

But being praised by Lans, he was still very happy.

From a young age, from the time he became sensible, everyone was instilling a concept in him—your father is the greatest person in this world!

This concept would transcend his understanding of knowledge and be deeply implanted in the depths of his heart.

Being praised by the greatest person in this world, this honor was enough to make his whole world bloom with sunshine!

Lans pinched his face again, "Go play with your friends."

Ace bent down and lowered his head again, and then ran back.

Those big and small children in the distance all looked at Lans with awe, and Lans also raised his hand to greet them, and then walked toward others with Patricia.

Everyone was very enthusiastic, chatting warmly with Lans about topics he was interested in or not so interested in.

Most of them were related to making money, investment, and policies.

Some people also felt that the Lawrence family's power in the Laizhou political scene was still too weak, and the only one who could be brought out was William, and he was only a mayor.

Well, now there was one more town mayor and one sheriff.

But for a family, the power was still too small.

Lans listened to what they said and did not express his position, only indicating that he would consider it at his discretion.

William wouldn't ask him about such things, because politics also has "anti-monopoly behavior." When a state's political scene is occupied by a certain family, it means that this family is about to head toward destruction.

The federal government would not allow such a situation to appear, and would not allow the appearance of an "independent kingdom."

Over a hundred years ago, the Federation had such independent kingdoms, but what happened to these families in the end?

They had already disappeared in the long river of history because of various reasons; in short, until now, they could no longer be seen.

It was already the limit for a family to have one or two roles that could be brought out in the state; any more, and it would attract trouble.

At the family dinner in the evening, Lans saw the three elders. Herbert looked like his spirit was not very good.

The other two elders' situation did not have much change from before, and everyone did not mention this matter, as if they did not notice that Herbert's situation was abnormal.

People were still drinking, eating meat, and chatting loudly as usual, and there were people singing at the edge of the dining table; the entire restaurant was like a small party.

After dinner ended, Lans and William came to Lans's study, and the two each lit a cigarette before Lans asked, "I see Herbert's mental state is not good."

William nodded and said, "Yes, he is already very old, and the doctor said his situation is normal aging."

"At their age, every few years, there will be a cliff-like decline, erupting very suddenly."

Herbert was already over seventy years old, and in a few years, he might be eighty. At this age in the Federation at this time, he could already be called "long-lived."

In other words, his life was about to reach its end.

"Have you been to see him in a better place?"

William shook his head, "Actually, everyone knows very well in their hearts that even if they found a better hospital and doctor, they couldn't take him back from God's hands."

"There are plenty of people richer than him and with more status than him, and I haven't seen anyone who could stop their constantly approaching footsteps in front of God."

"Just treat this matter with a normal heart. He hasn't lost out in this life, and compared to his older brother, he has earned even more!"

Actually, the three elders had an older brother, and this older brother died much earlier than them. Regarding this matter, they actually had psychological preparation themselves.

Lans sighed; life is really a damn thing.

Sometimes he would also be emotional that no matter who it is, the Creator created humans just to torture them.

Gave humans the ability and wisdom to understand the world and explore the world, but did not give humans the time to match their wisdom.

Decades, for intelligent creatures, is really too short.

It's not just the three elders; actually, in a few decades, they will also have to face these problems.

However, Lans was not too afraid of death; perhaps this death represents another rebirth.

He tidied up his mood, "Let the doctor on the farm side pay more attention to his situation, and if there is any sudden situation, call me at any time."

He paused, "Back to our previous topic, after the Top Ten Mayors are selected, you will work in Manton as the acting mayor for a period of time, about a month, assisting the mayor's work from the side."

"This will give you an opportunity to fully contact the citizens of Manton. They will know you, and we will arrange some problems you can solve for you, so that the citizens have a clear understanding of you."

"Let them know that you are a person who can solve trouble!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1268 =====