chapter 4 The Farming Enterprise

They arrived at the farming factory nearly lunchtime, one of the giant enterprises that Edward Phillipe managed. Edward came out from the car and he continued his steps to the factory’s canteen.

“Lorraine and Hudson, it’s nearly lunchtime. You can back to the office, I and Bernard will stay overnight at this place. But before you leave, you can enjoy lunchtime and have a good meal in the factory’s canteen. Will you?” Edward stopped his steps and turned his back around to Lorraine, a woman who always accommodated his personal needs in daily activities as the owner of two giant businesses. The mid-forties in age woman had been working for Edward since he started his enterprise from zero, fifteen years before he got his grandparent’s inheritance of giant enterprises. Meanwhile, Hudson had worked for him as a personal driver for almost ten years.

“How about tonight, Mr. Edward?” Lorraine looked at Edward.

“I’m free tonight. I don’t have to come to any ceremonies or dinner invitations. Or any meetings.” Edward smirked, breathed in, and put one of his hands into his jeans pocket. “But let’s have lunch time. After that, you can discuss with Hudson, whether both of you will return to the office or stay overnight at the guest house. I am going to stay overnight in my grandparent’s house just a few steps from the guest house.” Edward continued to walk to the factory’s canteen.

“It looks so fresh as usual, Jack!” Edward chopped a salad with the fork and chewed it, Jack, the man Edward employed as a chief canteen man smiled widely and Jack served the four of them with a salad dish for each of them as appetizers. There were also some potato cakes with chicken stuffed. The four of them including Jack were in the canteen and the place began to look crowded as the employees of the factory came into the place to have their lunchtime. They were taking a seat at a table for a group of people near the back door of the canteen where their eyes while they ate their lunch could enjoy the green grasslands for the living stock herds staying there to enjoy their open natural sources of food.

“You like the dressing, Mr. Edward?” He asked with his sparkling eyes as he saw Edward enjoying the fresh salad that he served.

“Perfect!” Edward put his two pinched fingers on his lips and made a smooch sound. He looked at Lorraine and Hudson. “What do you say about the veggies and the fruits in the salad?”

Lorraine smiled widely as she finished chewing her salad. “It’s so fresh.”

Edward grinned and hung to hold the fork with his folded elbow vertically resting on the table. His eyes looked at Jack, a veteran man the same age as him, just a bit older few years than him. “Jack, tell them the story of how you grow these veggies and fruit in our farming land.”

Jack chuckled. “Don’t worry all of the veggies and fruits we are growing here, they are organic.”

Hudson, the driver man, furrowed his eyebrows. “You mean that you don’t use any chemical substances like pesticides on these veggies and fruits?” He pointed to his salad with a fork in his hand.

Jack wobbled his head. “Nope. But the wee-wee time for the cows it’s very important for us. We use it as an organic pesticide.”

“You mean a cow’s urine?” Lorraine lifted her eyebrows.

“Yep. Ammoniac smell but it’s safe for consuming.” Jack giggled. He rose from the seat and looked at them all. “Perhaps if you stay at the guest house, we’re going to sneak into your room and see your wee-wee time just to collect your urine for using it as an organic pesticide.” Jack chuckled. He winked one of his eyes. “Gotcha! Just kidding.” He swayed his hand in the air. He giggled as he turned back to his place, behind the food stand to serve meals for the employees who were standing in the line.

Edward and Bernard beamed while Lorraine was gasping. Lorraine exhaled in a relieved way after she found out Jack only made a joke.

“Mr. Edward, so what is your consideration to one of the board director members to initiate the investment in the Healthies90s products of James Stones for three million dollars?” Ellen, his finance department chief asked him as three of them were riding a buggy car. Edward was sitting next to Bernard who driving the buggy car. “Halt it, Ellen. I’ll find out more about the packaging. I sniff something about it. It is not healthy and I don’t want to get a partnership with a company that makes public lies about its products. That is my rule number one.” He glanced at Ellen. “I have a bag of sampling that I need the research department to analyze them. We head to the Research Department, Bernard!” He moved his hand to command Bernard about the direction. Bernard nodded.

Edward inhaled. “How much can we gain as your prediction by the end of this month, Ellen?” He took a glimpse of Ellen.

The woman was in her thirties and her good shape; she had a tousled elegant blonde coloured shaggy hair. “The worst, we positively could gain 10 million dollars by the end of the month.” She inhaled and rested her both hands on her lap. “With this unstable economic condition, Mr. Edward.”

Edward beamed. “It’s a good step, Ellen. I am always grateful for having you as one of our solid members!” He winked one of his eyes and Ellen beamed at him as her retort.

“Thank you, Mr. Edward. I am glad to become your team member!”

Edward nodded his head. "We head to Ruth and her team building and give them the samples to be analyzed."

Edward entered the front yard garden at his grandparent’s house. He stopped his steps as his eyes captured a figure of a sturdy, muscular tall man with his brunette hair sitting on the porch. Curtis Falcon, Edward’s stepbrother, was enjoying his coffee and a white cigarette at the time Edward approached.

“Just visiting?” Edward tried to speak with him.

Curtis beamed and sipped his coffee. “As you see with your own eyes, Edward.”

Edward inhaled. “Have seen Grandpa?”

Curtis shrugged. “He’s taking some time to rest.” He took a snap look at his watch. “You don’t go back to the office?”

Edward put his hands into his jeans pocket. “No. I am staying at this place tonight. Grandpa needs me to accompany him to the clinic of Doctor Hanson for his treatment this evening.” He inhaled deeply.

Curtis sneered at him, “Did Grandpa ask you or did you just play too sneaky to get his attention?”

“What you mean, Curtis?” Edward furrowed his eyebrows.

Curtis smirked. “Never mind, Brother…”. He sniffed harshly as he saw Edward had entered the house. “You know what I mean, Edward…After all the wealth that you bequeathed from Grandpa!” He murmured intentionally to make his voice sound lower to avoid Edward eavesdropping what he said.