Today is the first day of the Qingming Festival holiday.

Some people are heading home while others are going on trips.

The service area is crowded and bustling.

Jiang Tao spent quite a while before finding an empty spot to park his truck.

After parking, he took his two nephews straight to the spot where he’d smoked with his father-in-law and dad yesterday.

The spot was easy to recognize, just not far from the left side of the public restroom.

As the three of them headed there, Jiang Tao noticed several workers in reflective yellow vests holding trimmers, noisily mowing and pruning trees.

A chubby man was gesturing and talking to one of them, who was nodding and bowing repeatedly.

"Looks like that chubby guy is probably the person in charge."

After assessing the situation, Jiang Tao quickly deduced this and made his way toward the chubby man.

"Old Liu, cut down those few walnut trees over there, and remove the roots as well."

"The newly ordered five-needle pines are already on the way and should arrive tomorrow."

"And replace the lawn over there too."

"Also..."

"Got it, Manager Niu, I’ll arrange for someone to cut the trees and remove the roots right away."

As he got closer, Jiang Tao heard the tasks the chubby man was giving the worker, and his heart tightened instantly.

He glanced at the watch on his wrist, and it was already 10:38 AM.

There were barely more than twenty minutes left before the mutant walnut tree mentioned in the intel was to be cut down.

Luckily, the road had been clear today; otherwise, a bit of congestion and they wouldn’t have made it.

Once the chubby man finished instructing the worker and turned to leave, Jiang Tao approached the worker who seemed to be like a team leader or small supervisor.

"Hello, brother, are you the person in charge here?"

The man appeared to be in his forties, so Jiang Tao calling him "brother" wasn’t abrupt.

The man pointed at the back of the departing chubby man and told Jiang Tao:

"I’m not the person in charge, just a worker. The one who just left is the leader."

Jiang Tao pointed to the walnut trees beside them and asked with a smile:

"No problem, I just heard while I was smoking that you’re planning to cut down these walnut trees?"

The man nodded and said, "Yes, the leader bought new tree species, which will be delivered tomorrow, so these will all be chopped."

"Do you smoke, brother? I don’t even know what your last name is."

Jiang Tao first took a pack of Dà Tiānyè from his pocket and placed one in his mouth before offering the rest of the pack to the man.

"My surname is Ma, Ma Qingsheng."

Seeing the Dà Tiānyè offered by Jiang Tao, Ma Qingsheng suddenly felt a little more goodwill toward him.

Having smoked for decades himself, he knew that a pack of Dà Tiānyè cost around a hundred bucks, more expensive than Hua Zi by several dozen.

After Ma Qingsheng accepted the cigarettes from Jiang Tao, Jiang Tao withdrew his hand, the gesture was self-explanatory.

It was as if there was an unspoken understanding between veteran smokers.

Ma Qingsheng took one cigarette, put it in his mouth, and naturally slipped the rest of the pack into his jacket pocket.

Seeing Ma Qingsheng accept the cigarettes, Jiang Tao then said with a smile:

"Here’s the thing, brother, you’re going to cut these trees anyway, can I buy one to take home and plant for fun?"

Jiang Tao made sure to articulate the word "buy" clearly, to establish his stance.

He’s looking to buy a tree, not get a freebie.

"Buy a tree?"

Ma Qingsheng looked at Jiang Tao with a hint of puzzlement.

His expression seemed to question, why not go to those nurseries if you want to buy a tree, instead of coming here?

"It’s just a coincidence! You’re planning to cut them down, and I happen to want to buy one."

"So, Brother Ma, if you can help me dig up that tree, I’ve got a vehicle to haul it, no need for you to worry about transportation."

"Once it’s done, I’ll give you 3,000 bucks, you can take the crew out for a meal or something."

As he spoke the last few words, Jiang Tao lowered his voice to a volume that only he and the man could hear.

"3,000?"

Hearing Jiang Tao’s offer, Ma Qingsheng was deeply tempted!

To treat his workers to a meal would cost at most four to five hundred; he could personally clear over 2,000!

Moreover, these trees were designated by Manager Niu to be cut down, and he was tasked with overseeing their handling.

Whether they were discarded as waste or sold to Jiang Tao for profit, it was up to him.

A delivery of 3,000 bucks—how could he refuse it?

Seeing Ma Qingsheng was tempted, Jiang Tao continued:

"No worries, Brother Ma! Only the two of us know about this. If anyone asks, just say I helped you dispose of the waste."

"Alright then! Which one do you want? I’ll have someone help you dig it up!"

Gazing at Jiang Tao, Ma Qingsheng ultimately couldn’t resist the lure of 3,000 bucks.

That 3,000 bucks was like a free gift—how many times could it pay for foot massages for him?

Refusing would be a waste; taking it also feels like free gains!

"Brother Ma, you’re straightforward, I just need that one! Be careful when the guys dig it up; I want to make sure it’s transplantable."

Jiang Tao turned and pointed to the mutant walnut tree glowing with a dark golden hue in his vision, and reminded Ma Qingsheng.

"Sure! No problem, rest assured, boss. We’re very professional in landscaping, that tree will be transplantable once we’ve dug it up."

"I’ll make arrangements for you!"

Having said that, Ma Qingsheng strode over to the workers, whispered a few instructions to them.

They put down the mowers and trimmers, and one by one picked up large shovels to start digging out the tree.

The diameter of the mutant walnut tree was less than 10 centimeters, and its root system wasn’t very developed.