Chapter 151: Everything Can Be Inserted

Having thought through what should be considered and what perhaps shouldn't, the dilemma remained: what was the best course of action?

"If all else fails, let's just dump it at the entrance," Zhong Di blurted out instinctively.

Hmm?

Zhong Di looked up, glancing first at the truck, then at his own doorway, and finally at the space just outside the gate. It actually seemed feasible. This way, they could unload a portion first, clear a path, and stay on schedule, while the river sand for the fish pond could be handled gradually later.

Judging by the distance and width, accommodating two truckloads wouldn't be a problem. After all, the truck wasn't massive—it was just large enough to require a Class B license—so it was perfectly sufficient. Two loads to start, and if that wasn't enough, they could bring more. It was a viable solution.

"I’ll go take care of the payment, and you handle the arrangements. Just tell the driver where to dump it," Zhong Hui said before heading off to settle the bill. Naturally, she was only paying for the transport; the cost of the river sand was paid directly to the supplier.

Once he had made up his mind, Zhong Di told his father, asking him to lead a couple of workers to handle the sand. The day was still sweltering, and the dinner rush hadn't started yet. It was early September; though the afternoons were hot, the temperature would drop quickly once evening approached, and the diners would soon begin to arrive.

They needed to hurry and clear the path. The river sand was already damp, so there was no need to worry about dust. As for the customers, the farm was always under construction, and those who came to dine understood this. Besides, the dining area was within the Hundred Herbs Garden, which was beautifully landscaped and completely unaffected.

After the driver dumped the sand at the entrance and headed off for the second load, Zhong Di began to ponder the fish pond. Initially, he hadn't planned for a beach, so many factors hadn't been considered. Fortunately, they had dug quite deep, so creating a beach shouldn't be a major issue.

The only concerns were the ducks and mandarin ducks, and the sanitation of the sand. Simply creating a beach wasn't easy; it wasn't like the ocean with its natural tides to wash away debris. His fish pond clearly lacked that capability. It was a frustrating situation—the issue of circulating water wasn't even resolved yet, and now the beach problem had cropped up.

Sanitation was secondary; if necessary, he could just keep the tourists off it. After all, the original intention was just to provide a suitable environment for the seafood. But once the sand was laid in a circle, it would inevitably slide downward and settle at the bottom. That was the real headache. Zhong Di thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a perfect solution.

"Zhong Di, should we start filling it now?"

"Dad, I haven't figured it out yet. Let's hold off on that for now; I'll wait until I have a better plan." For things like this, he needed to think carefully rather than rushing in blindly. This time, he had been too simplistic, assuming he could just dump the sand into the pond, but upon closer inspection, that didn't seem to work.

"Just tell me what you want to do, and I'll get it done for you."

"I want to create a beach near the Hundred Herbs Garden side so customers can look at it while they eat, maybe soak up some sun, and give the seafood a place to live."

"Alright, I’ve got it. Leave it to me," Zhong Tian replied decisively, taking on the task.

"But..."

"No 'buts.' Your old man might not have your fancy ideas, but I can handle this. Don't worry."

"Alright then."

After discussing a few more details, they went back to their respective tasks. According to his father, he would start on the beach tomorrow and spend today finishing up the tail end of the first greenhouse. It was mostly just wrapping up: covering the film, installing the thermal curtains, and setting up the rolling machines—tasks that wouldn't take long if it weren't for the need to let the moisture in the greenhouse dissipate.

He greeted the occasional customer, taking care to keep them away from the fish pond, checked on the Pallas's cat, and handled odd jobs. It wasn't that Zhong Di didn't want to focus on one task; it was just that whenever he started something, someone else would immediately jump in to take it over. It was as if whatever Zhong Di touched was the most important task of all.

It was no wonder, really. From the beginning, what Zhong Di did had always exceeded everyone's expectations. Raising chickens and selling free-range eggs—everyone thought it wouldn't work, but he succeeded. Then he grew vegetables, which his mother also doubted, but he made that work too. Gradually, everyone came to believe that even if Zhong Di didn't seem to be doing much and was just wandering around, he was actually contemplating the future development of the farm. Whenever Zhong Di started something, they assumed it was a crucial problem that needed solving, so they naturally treated it as important.

In reality, Zhong Di wanted to say, "I'm just messing around! I'm just slacking off!"

In the end, Zhong Di decided to focus on researching flower arrangement. The class was scheduled for this Sunday, the 6th, so there weren't many days left. By preparing early, he wouldn't be caught off guard.

Once he started on this, no one came to bother him anymore. The others looked at what he was doing, didn't understand it, and stayed out of his way. Zhong Di grabbed a sheet of paper and began sketching out his ideas. Teaching children was quite simple; it didn't need to be overly complex. All it required was some advance preparation.

He had briefly discussed the matter with his sister, though they couldn't confirm the number of participants yet, as the registration period hadn't closed. He needed to know the count to buy materials. Zhong Di decided that since the class was already happening, he wouldn't stress over the exact amount—he would just buy a large quantity. Anything left over could be stored for next time.

Once he settled on that approach, he started planning his purchases. The most essential items for flower arrangement were containers; as long as you had a container, you could arrange flowers. At its simplest, even a bottle with a few flowers in it was an arrangement. Everything could be used. He bought a variety of vases, flower baskets, ceramic pots, and more. Next came floral foam, which was used to secure stems and create shapes. He also ordered fine wire, dried flowers, and everything else he needed.

He made all his purchases online, opting for the fastest shipping available. That way, the materials would arrive in time for the class. If they didn't, he could always supplement them at the Kulun City flower market. As for the teaching, he planned to start with the basics: free-form arrangements, L-shapes, inverted T-shapes, hand-tied bouquets, and fruit-themed baskets.

The day passed in a flash. Amidst all the busyness, time slipped away unnoticed. It was only because he was so immersed that he felt the hours fly by.