Volume One, Chapter 24: Growing Too Fast

On the mountainside, the landscape had undergone a complete transformation. The fields had been neatly divided, and a small wooden cabin now stood beside the large tree.

In the past, no one ever ventured up here. Now, however, things had changed; people were constantly running back and forth, hoping to pick up some experience from Guo Dong. Yet, there was truly nothing to learn from Guo Dong’s farming methods, as everything he did was entirely conventional.

With the help of Li Tianhu, his progress had undoubtedly accelerated. Ever since he had made a bet with Meng Tianming, Meng Xiaohan had been visiting much more frequently, often finding various excuses to help out for hours at a time.

"Guodong, you only just planted these seeds a few days ago, right? How are they growing so fast?"

Wearing white casual trousers and a tight blue T-shirt, Meng Xiaohan crouched by the vegetable patch, staring at the sprouts—already the size of a thumb—with intense curiosity.

Guo Dong, busy soaking a bag of seeds in water, flashed a brilliant smile at her words. "The soil quality is good!"

He wasn't lying; it was indeed the soil. He had poured three drops of spirit water to irrigate the entire plot. As for the seeds, he had dug a small pool near his cabin, diverted mountain water through bamboo pipes, and added two drops of spirit liquid to soak them. It would be a miracle if they didn't grow quickly.

He had spent an entire week remodeling the mountain top. While it looked much the same from the outside, the internal conditions were vastly different.

"Think about it, the weeds here used to be so thick—what does that tell you? It means the land is fertile!" Guo Dong said, straight-faced. He knew Meng Xiaohan wouldn't know any better. As long as things grew, that was all that mattered. He wasn't planning on achieving everything all at once, so he had started by planting a bit of everything—bok choy, spinach, radishes—regardless of the season.

Initially, Li Tianhu had been enthusiastic, but seeing Guo Dong’s reckless approach, he had grown disappointed. His visits had gradually dwindled from four or five times a day to just once.

Nowadays, he would stop by once a day simply to ask if Guo Dong needed help. If not, he would drive his small truck off to find work elsewhere. He hadn't been by since yesterday morning.

"At this rate, these vegetables will be ready to eat in less than a month, won't they?" Meng Xiaohan asked, looking around in disbelief. She noticed that the situation was the same in every patch; everything was growing exceptionally fast. Take the radish patch, for example: she had been there helping him sow the seeds yesterday morning, and already they had sprouted.

"Some will be ready, some won't," Guo Dong said, rising after finishing with the seeds. He looked at the land with joy. "When they're ready, I’ll pick some and send them to the county town."

"Send them to whom?" Meng Xiaohan asked, confused.

"Xianghe Grand Hotel!" Guo Dong said, as if he had already made up his mind. "For free!"

Meng Xiaohan was bewildered. "Xianghe Grand Hotel? Who are you giving them to? Will they even let you in?" She knew that Liu Lan had visited for medical treatment a few days ago, but she was unaware of Liu Lan's status.

"Why wouldn't they? We’re delivering vegetables and grabbing a meal while we're at it. Why wouldn't they let us in?" Guo Dong was determined. In his view, if you wanted to make money, you had to be thick-skinned. It was time to leave his old ways behind. He believed that with the connection to Liu Lan, delivering some vegetables and getting a free lunch was perfectly feasible. He even planned to buy a new phone and some decent clothes. After all, if you made money, you had to learn how to enjoy it.

Seeing his confidence, Meng Xiaohan didn't have the heart to discourage him. If he lost money on the vegetables, so be it. In her eyes, Guo Dong still had his peach orchard; by next year, the harvest would be worth hundreds of thousands. Even if he lost the bet with her father, Meng Tianming, his financial standing meant her family wouldn't oppose their marriage. Thinking of this, she felt much better.

"Guodong, Sister Min video-called me yesterday!"

"Oh? What did she say?"

"The video of you spraying the peach trees was leaked and used to attack Lexiang Supermarket!"

"Video? What video?"

"It has to be that Zheng Weiguang. He must have snuck a video of you spraying the trees that morning and claimed you were using pesticides!"

Guo Dong chuckled, unconcerned. The peaches had already been sold, and Xie Minmin knew perfectly well whether he had used pesticides or not. As for Zheng Weiguang’s schemes, that was Xie Minmin’s problem, not his.

"But you'll never guess how Sister Min responded to him!" Watching Meng Xiaohan’s amused expression, Guo Dong became curious.

"Sister Min got a bunch of people to reply underneath: 'If every fruit farmer had to kill a dog every time they sprayed their trees, then I can only say that today's farmers are far too wealthy!'"

She burst into laughter, looking so beautiful that Guo Dong was momentarily stunned. He swallowed hard and offered a dry laugh to match her mood.

"So, does that mean Blackie has become a hero in this incident?"

"Exactly! Because of this, it didn't bring down Lexiang Supermarket; it actually increased its popularity. It's become a joke online!" Meng Xiaohan couldn't stop laughing. She mimicked the tone of internet trendsetters: "Do you know why peaches don't sell for a high price? Because you didn't use pesticides to kill your own dog!"

She doubled over with laughter, her frame trembling. Guo Dong stared, transfixed. After a while, Meng Xiaohan noticed his gaze and blushed, quickly turning her head away.

The atmosphere turned slightly intimate. It wasn't entirely Guo Dong's fault; he was a young man in his prime, and Meng Xiaohan was already attractive—in that tight outfit, any man would have looked.

Fortunately, the tension was broken by Li Tianhu, who came running up the hill, his voice announcing him before he even arrived.

"Guodong, stop for a second! I need to talk to you about something!"

Li Tianhu lacked his usual energy and seemed rather nervous. When he saw Meng Xiaohan, he looked even more awkward. "Oh, Xiaohan is here too? Uh, I need to talk to Guodong about something—could I borrow him for half an hour? That’s alright, right?"

The implication was clear: he wanted Meng Xiaohan to leave.