Chapter 149: Born to Worry (Monthly Ticket Bonus Chapter)

Carefully! Tip-toeing!

Zhong Di slowly opened a crack in the door and peered through to observe the Pallas's cats. The three kittens were huddled together, dozing off. It must be said, Pallas's cats look remarkably like domestic kittens when they are young, save for a few distinct features. Their ears are shorter, their legs are stubby, and their bodies are a bit more plump, but this only makes them look even more adorable. They were so round and fluffy that just looking at them melted Zhong Di’s heart.

"Wooo!"

Perhaps the movement was a bit too loud; the kittens were startled awake. They scrambled out of their nest, chirping and scurrying toward Zhong Di. Giving up on stealth, Zhong Di entered the room and picked them up, one by one, to give them a good petting. Remembering what the older generation often said—that you shouldn't pet cats too much or they’ll become thin—Zhong Di didn't dare overdo it, just in case the Pallas's cats shared this trait. Better to let them grow up well; there would be plenty of opportunities to cuddle them later.

Zhong Di looked at Da Mao and couldn't resist petting him again. This was becoming addictive!

"Come on, Er Mao, San Mao, time to eat." After putting Da Mao down, he fed Er Mao and San Mao first. Compared to Da Mao, the other two were in slightly poorer condition and naturally required more meticulous care. Isn't that how parents are? Whichever child is physically weaker gets more attention.

After the chicken, Zhong Di fed them some milk, supplemented with a very small amount of vegetable juice to ensure nutritional balance. For a feline species like the Pallas's cat, a certain intake of vitamins is necessary, which is why they are often seen grazing on grass in the wild. Since the kittens were still young, Zhong Di added just a drop of vegetable juice, fearing that too much might have the opposite effect.

Once fed, the three little ones became lively, playing and tumbling around. Er Mao and San Mao teamed up to pester Da Mao. Well, can you blame them? He was the strongest, after all!

Watching them, Zhong Di took out his phone and snapped plenty of photos, carefully choosing the best angles to capture their "cuteness overload" look. If you only look at a Pallas's cat, you are instantly smitten, but if you listen to their voices, they sound quite fierce—which is exactly why Zhong Di thought they were "ferociously cute." After taking the pictures, he sent them to Bureau Chief Xing. There was no helping it; the Chief was a huge Pallas's cat fan who insisted that Zhong Di send him photos whenever he had the chance.

Zhong Di couldn't understand why a man in his forties or fifties would be so fond of these fluffy little creatures. It was as if he were saying, "I have the heart of a young girl." No, no, wouldn't having the heart of a young girl mean liking pink? Perhaps liking cute things counts too? Yes... that must be it.

After sending the photos, Zhong Di left. As adorable as the kittens were, he couldn't just stare at them all day. Although he wanted to hold them forever, it was better to wait until they were a bit bigger.

The environment, freshly washed by the rain, looked pristine. Zhong Di began tidying up the aftermath. The rabbit enclosure needed adjustment; he would have to elevate the floor next time, as there was some standing water. The hedgehog den also needed attention—he needed to build a proper rain shelter over it or relocate them entirely. This old house was slated for demolition, after all, so it wasn't the right place to keep them permanently. Once the homestay renovations were complete, he planned to build a larger kitchen behind the house, add a storage room in the corner, and then tear down the old structure.

The jujubes seemed to have some splitting skins; he would need to supplement them with liquid calcium fertilizer tomorrow.

***

The next morning, Zhong Di rose early. After the previous day's rain, the weather was cool, and since he lived alone, it had been quiet enough for him to get an early night's sleep. The first order of business was feeding his "children" and cleaning their living quarters.

Sigh... the life of a worrier!

While Zhong Di was feeding the Pallas's cats, Shao Hong and his parents arrived one after another. They all seemed to be in high spirits, either humming little tunes or practically walking with a spring in their step. It was a mystery what had happened yesterday to put them in such a good mood.

After tending to the cats, Zhong Di discussed the issues he had tallied yesterday with Shao Hong and his father, as the primary workload rested on their shoulders. As for the farm design and publicity, Zhong Di left that entirely to his elder sister, only stepping in to sign off on things or offer an occasional good idea. Every specific detail was her doing.

"Our membership system is all set. Do you want to take a look?"

"Ah! No need. If you think it's fine, then it's fine. Just make adjustments if any problems arise." As soon as his sister brought it up, Zhong Di felt a headache coming on. He could handle the technical side of things, but leave the administrative systems to someone else.

"What a hands-off manager! To make sure you don't stay idle, I've planned a flower arrangement class. Since many children are free on Sundays, I've scheduled it for this coming Sunday."

"I'll have the specific plan ready soon. Whether our first flower arrangement class succeeds or not depends on you!"

The moment her brother declined her offer, Zhong Hui let her hand drop. She had expected that answer, so she immediately moved on to the second topic.

"A flower arrangement class? Oh, sure, leave that to me!"

Zhong Di accepted the task. He might not have the skills to place in a professional competition, but teaching a few kids some simple arrangements was well within his capabilities.

After discussing more details, Zhong Di joined Shao Hong to apply fertilizer. The spray for today was just a simple foliar fertilizer. During the transition from the late fruit expansion stage to the ripening stage, the main concerns are final growth, sugar conversion, and fruit coloration.

Secondly, there is the issue of stress resistance. Against strong winds or heavy rain, targeted foliar fertilization can solve many problems. It doesn't mean that using it guarantees total immunity; for example, if you use liquid calcium fertilizer, it can prevent fruit splitting after heavy rain, but it doesn't mean splitting won't happen at all. It’s a matter of probability—without it, you might have a two to three percent split rate, while with it, you might only have one percent. That is the concept.

Zhong Di’s selection wasn't overly complex: fermented amino acids, a little pure soy milk, sheep manure water that had been soaking for a long time, liquid calcium-magnesium compound fertilizer, and some high-potassium foliar fertilizer. That was more than enough.

Many people waste huge amounts of money in the late stages on meaningless chemical fertilizers and pesticides. To put it simply, if you encounter a few heartworms, there's no need to spray something like deltamethrin. Besides killing a few bugs, what's the point? The damage is so minimal that the cost of the pesticide might not even be worth the saved crop.