Chapter 152: The Sudden Gale

Shao Hong was busy with odd jobs, Zhong Hui was processing documents, customers were picking vegetables, and... Zhong Di was petting a Pallas's cat.

Zhong Di had risen early that morning; as a qualified "nanny," he naturally put his charges first. After tidying up the Pallas's cat, he went to check on his father’s work at the fish pond. Having handed the task over to his father yesterday, the implementation and development were set for today. Zhong Di had racked his brains without finding a solution, so he was quite curious to see how his father would resolve the problems he had anticipated. Perhaps his father was just bragging?

Upon reaching the edge of the fish pond, Zhong Di found his father already in action. Loads of river sand were being hauled in, and the small electric tricycle they had bought back in the day, now looking quite dilapidated, was still in use. Even Zhong Di hadn't expected the old three-wheeler to play such a vital role now, though it seemed on the verge of collapse, rattling and creaking with every move.

Observing the Hundred-Herb Garden while watching his father lead the workers, Zhong Di finally understood the plan by midday. The overall concept was simple: for the dome-shaped fish pond, a wall would be built along an east-west axis at a position well above the water line, near the garden side, leaving a twenty-centimeter gap at the bottom. This would solve his problem: the sand would not slide down to the bottom. Meanwhile, a net would be stretched across the center of the pond, slightly above the water surface, to isolate the ducks and mandarin ducks to the north. Of course, the north side would also be filled with river sand, but in smaller quantities; if it slid to the bottom there, it didn't matter, as it would simply provide a habitat for the shellfish. A beach was created, and the problem was solved—a perfect plan. Zhong Di sighed with admiration; the older generation still possessed their own brand of wisdom.

At the Nanyuan Floral Production Base in Kulun City, flowers were blooming in a riot of color. As the name suggested, this production base shared the same lineage as the Nanyuan Flower Market. The rise of the production base had been as rapid as a new star emerging. The entire base spanned over two thousand mu, incorporating both open-field cultivation and protected facility cultivation, dealing in common flowers, perennial flowers, greenhouse flowers, and fresh-cut flowers. Inside a smart greenhouse, fans hummed, maintaining a comfortable temperature and humidity. A refreshing breeze greeted anyone who entered, and the view was a vibrant tapestry of colors.

Standing near a well-equipped cutting pool, several technicians were gathered. "How is it? Any progress?" Yu Yunfei asked softly, his face grim. It wasn't that he wanted to be sour; in reality, Yu Yunfei was usually quite amiable, maintaining a respectful attitude toward everyone from corporate executives to the base's maintenance workers. But the current situation did not permit such a temperament. Since his visit to that farm, Yu Yunfei knew that obtaining large quantities of breeding stock from them was essentially impossible. Setting aside the strict regulations, he knew he couldn't afford to offend someone who had connections to Qian Weining.

With no other choice, he had to start from scratch. He used his various connections to purchase mosquito-repellent herbs from others and even hired people to search for them. Eventually, he managed to collect only a dozen pots. After consulting with the technicians, Yu Yunfei decided to use these few pots for propagation. There were two main plans: one was tissue culture, which he favored for its efficiency, as it allowed for rapid mass production. The other was the method he was currently inspecting—cuttings. To prevent mishaps, they had only used a few pots for the initial stage while keeping the rest in careful cultivation. Once successful, they would proceed with the most effective method.

"The cutting started on August 26th, using woody, semi-woody, and tender shoots for comparison..."

"Stop, stop, stop... just tell me the result," Yu Yunfei interrupted before the technician could finish. Did I come here today to hear about your process? Am I asking for details? I just need the answer!

"The result is that the semi-woody cuttings have rooted and can soon be transplanted into the cultivation substrate. The woody and tender shoots are rooting extremely slowly; I don't recommend using them..."

"Fine, that's enough. I don't care about the specifics; I just need the mosquito-repellent herbs cultivated." Yu Yunfei ended the discussion. The technician felt aggrieved—wasn't this what you asked for?

After getting the result, Yu Yunfei left the smart greenhouse and headed toward the tissue culture laboratory. Every floral production base worth its salt had a tissue culture facility, as it was the recognized path for rapid propagation.

"I still need imported peat from Denmark..."

"Do you need to tell me about everything?" Yu Yunfei shouted without even turning his head.

"Weren't you the one who said to tell you if there were any needs?" the technician muttered.

A breeze blew, and the willows swayed... wait, no, the poplars shook. The mood shifted, and the breeze turned into a gale. The farm was bustling when the sudden storm hit. Although the visiting customers were momentarily flustered, they weren't panicked. Anyone who had lived in the Great Northwest had experienced a few windstorms. Zhong Di once lived through a once-in-a-century sandstorm that turned day into night, so pitch-black you couldn't see your own hand. While others experienced rain, he had experienced sand. Today's wind, though strong, was nothing compared to that.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the farm is treating everyone to today's meal. Those who wish to leave may do so, and those who prefer to wait out the wind can take shelter in the guesthouses," Zhong Di announced, taking the lead in organizing the evacuation.

Fortunately, the gale had just begun and hadn't reached its peak; it was mostly just dust being kicked up. Zhong Di looked into the distance and saw a wall of dust covering half the sky. He figured it was about time; after the summer, such winds should have arrived weeks ago. Its arrival in September was actually quite late. Zhong Di’s approach was simple: wipe out all the customers' tabs. It was his first time dealing with this, so it seemed the most appropriate gesture. Once the storm passed, he would definitely look into corresponding strategies and solutions. The weather today was unpredictable; usually, there were signs, and the meteorological bureau would issue warnings. But this time, there was nothing. The wind seemed to arrive out of thin air.

As expected, upon hearing Zhong Di's words, the customers were pleased. They had eaten their fill, paid nothing, and aside from their fun being cut short, they had suffered no losses. They drove away happily, promising to come back when they had the chance. Since those who could afford to visit the farm were generally well-off and drove their own cars, the entire farm cleared out in no time. The only ones left were the Zhong family and the workers, all gathered in the guesthouses, filling the air with the noise of chatter and laughter.