Lu Ming didn't extend the session.

Walking out of the bathhouse, the sun was already setting in the west.

The New District was much more spacious than the Old Town, with six-lane roads, though there weren't many cars. Occasionally, an electric scooter would zip by on the non-motorized lane.

Lu Ming didn't head straight home but instead strolled along the commercial street of the New District.

There were quite a few people on the street, but most were elderly or women with children.

Young faces were rare.

Passing by a real estate agency, the entrance was plastered with property listings.

He leaned in for a closer look.

New District elevator apartments, unfinished, average price 3,800.

Old Town school district apartments, walk-up, average price 3,200.

There were also a few villas, listed at the top in bold red letters, the most expensive priced at 890,000.

He walked the entire length of the commercial street back and forth, taking about forty minutes.

He had a mental account of things.

A few years back, Yunmeng County had its peak, being a coal resource-based city. But once the coal was exhausted, the economy failed to transition successfully, leading to the current situation.

The current consumption structure in Yunmeng County was very simple.

The four essentials of life—clothing, food, housing, and transportation—were dominated by food and housing, while clothing and transportation were almost negligible. For clothing, the most high-end brands on the streets were Anta and Xtep.

For transportation, taxi fares started at five yuan, buses at one yuan, and most people rode electric scooters.

There weren't any decent shopping malls.

The New District had a "Wanjiafu Shopping Plaza," a three-story building with a supermarket on the first floor, clothing on the second, and dining on the third.

Half of the shops on the third floor were empty, with "For Rent" signs posted.

The entertainment options in the county could be summed up in three activities: playing mahjong, scrolling through TikTok, and drinking.

Tired from walking, Lu Ming found a noodle shop by the roadside and sat down.

He ordered a bowl of lamb noodle soup for eight yuan.

When the noodles were served, the steam hit his face. The broth was genuinely made from bones, without any artificial additives.

The noodle pieces were evenly thick, and there were seven or eight pieces of lamb, not large but not stingy either.

He took a bite.

Delicious.

Really delicious.

Much better than those flashy noodle shops in Shanghai that charge twenty yuan a bowl.

At the table next to him sat a middle-aged man in a gray jacket, his hair disheveled.

In front of him was a bowl of plain noodle soup, priced at five yuan. A newspaper, folded into quarters, was spread out on the table as he ate and read.

"Boss, another bun," the middle-aged man called out.

"One yuan for the bun."

"I know."

As Lu Ming ate his noodles, he pondered.

This was probably the economic state of the county. Even if it wasn't for the system's million-population reward, just for his own spending pleasure, he needed to build up the county.

However, without industry, everything was just a castle in the air.

But Lu Ming, a new media operator, didn't know how to develop industries.

He had written for public accounts, laid out pages, edited videos, and placed information flow ads.

He could analyze a product's user profile with ease.

But setting up an industrial production line? That was a bit difficult.

Yet, if money could solve the problem, then it wasn't really a problem.

What he needed was to find someone knowledgeable.

After finishing his noodles, Lu Ming took out his phone and searched the browser for "Yunmeng County economic development" and "Yunmeng County industrial structure."

He found several links to local government websites. Clicking through, the content was mostly leadership speeches and work reports.

After flipping through for a while, he found a government work report from last year.

The report stated: The county's GDP was 19.86 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.2%. The industrial structure ratio was 44:35:21.

There were 74 industrial enterprises above designated size, with 12 having an output value exceeding 100 million.

He continued to scroll down.

"Vigorously develop traditional industries such as food processing and garment manufacturing" and "actively cultivate emerging industries such as new materials and e-commerce" and "strive to promote high-quality development of the county economy."

Official jargon, with no substantial content.

There were two useful pieces of information, but not much.

First, Yunmeng County's pillar industry was food processing.

This was understandable, as Southern Henan was a major grain-producing area, providing a natural raw material advantage for food processing.

Second, of the county's 74 enterprises above designated size, only 12 had an output value exceeding 100 million.

What does this mean?

In the context of the top 100 counties nationwide, this number is negligible.

But in Southern Henan, it barely counts as above average.

However, these are all secondary industries with low added value. Even if fully integrated, the employment positions provided would only cover the county itself.

To expand and attract talent, other avenues must be explored.

Lu Ming put his phone back in his pocket, paid the bill, and headed home.

Passing by the county government entrance, the iron gate was open, with a row of black sedans parked inside. Several uniformed individuals were smoking and chatting at the entrance.

The sign at the entrance read "CPC Yunmeng County Committee" and "Yunmeng County People's Government."

Lu Ming stared at the sign for a few seconds, then continued walking.

It wasn't time to approach the government yet.

Showing up with nothing to offer would make them think he was a fraud.

He needed to produce something tangible first.

Back home, his mom, Wang Ailing, was in the kitchen picking green beans.

"Ming, your third uncle wants you to go over tomorrow. He really needs someone, and he'll pay you 3,500 a month."

"Mom, not going."

"Then what do you plan to do? Just laze around at home all day?"

Lu Ming thought for a moment and said, "I have some money. I want to start something on my own."

His mom paused her bean-picking. "What money could you have? In Shanghai, you barely saved a few hundred a month."

"I made some money from investments before," Lu Ming made up an excuse.

His mom clearly didn't believe him. "How much? Don't waste it if you have some money. Save it. You're of age now. I was even thinking of asking your third aunt to find you a match..."

"Mom, don't worry about it. I know what I'm doing."

His mom hesitated, but in the end, didn't press further.

However, from the increased force she used on the beans, Lu Ming could sense her dissatisfaction.

"By the way, Mom, I want to buy a car..."

Lu Ming did plan to buy a car. Since he decided to invest, a car was essential. It would make traveling easier, and in the county, many people were superficial. A good car could save a lot of unnecessary talk.

"A car?" Wang Ailing looked at Lu Ming. "You're at the right age for it. Having a car at this age is good for finding a partner. Alright, I'll discuss it with your dad. I think a Volkswagen is good, durable. Your dad's Jetta has been running for years without any issues..."

"Mom, I'll buy it myself. Just letting you know."

"Hmm?" Wang Ailing was taken aback.

"Yeah, I'll go to Uncle's tomorrow and ask him for some advice."

"What kind of car are you thinking of buying?"

"BBA," Lu Ming thought for a moment and said.

After all, these brands were well-known. Although they were criticized online, they were still quite recognized in the county.

"BBA?" Wang Ailing asked, "What kind of car is that? Never mind, just spend wisely. It's hard to find a wife these days, keep that in mind..."

"Got it." Lu Ming returned to his room.

Lying in bed at night, at midnight, Lu Ming opened the system panel.

The line of golden text quietly hovered on the screen.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread.com".

[Today's disbursed amount: 60,024,700 yuan has been credited]

[Account balance: 120,049,400 yuan]

Two days had passed, and he had spent less than three hundred yuan in total.

1.2 billion yuan had been sitting in the bank account for two days, untouched.

He couldn't spend it all, simply couldn't.