Chapter Ninety-One: A Thicket of Wildflowers

Early the next morning, as soon as Zhong Di opened his eyes, he found the sun already high in the sky, its dazzling rays streaming through the window. Damn, he’d overslept! Glancing at his phone, it was already ten o’clock. Several missed calls and a flood of messages awaited him. So many people had tried to call, yet none managed to wake him?

The feast of mutton had stretched well past ten, and Zhong Di had drunk himself senseless—too happy to care, otherwise he could never have consumed so much. Not just him, several others had gotten drunk, including his father, Zhong Tian. Thankfully, his mother and sister had only sipped a symbolic amount. The father and son ending up drunk wasn’t a problem.

Unlocking his phone, Zhong Di checked the missed calls—all from the same unfamiliar number. Clearly, something urgent; otherwise, who would call so many times? With that in mind, Zhong Di dialed back.

“Hello,” he greeted, using the polite phrase that society demanded, suitable for any conversation.

“Hi, I’m here to deliver the ducks. Are you available now? If so, I can bring them over right away.”

A deal agreed upon must be settled quickly. If payment hasn’t been made, the business could fall through at any moment. Hearing this, Zhong Di recalled that yesterday, when purchasing equipment, he had indeed ordered these items, paid only a small deposit, and arranged for the rest to be delivered today, with the remaining balance to be settled.

“How about this,” Zhong Di considered, “could you deliver them at seven this afternoon?”

He hadn’t bought a small amount, and storage was an issue; so for now, delivery was best postponed. There were enough hands, and materials were ready—first, the pens needed to be built, so when the birds arrived, everything would be easier to handle.

“All right, I’ll bring them over this afternoon.”

After hanging up, Zhong Di opened his messaging app—plenty of messages awaited, and he replied to each, most importantly to Sun Miao Miao.

“Big brother, my lemon tree is revived! It’s back!”

Judging by her words alone, Sun Miao Miao’s excitement was palpable. Alongside her message was a short video of the lemon tree she’d filmed.

Revived already? So quickly? Usually, deficiencies caused by a lack of trace elements—even if immediately supplemented—don’t recover so fast.

Typically, it takes a week or two; if there’s a deficiency in major elements, recovery is rapid, visible on the second or third day. Moreover, judging from Sun Miao Miao’s video, this was more than just recovery—it was like a second spring. The leaves were vibrant green, and countless flower buds adorned the branches.

And this had happened overnight! The power of the Desert Immortal Bud was indeed formidable. Reflecting on it, even bougainvillea with near-dead roots could be restored this quickly, let alone a mild deficiency.

Zhong Di replied with a congratulatory message, then set his phone aside.

Getting the pens ready was the priority. He already had a plan in mind, so there was no need to ponder further.

The chicken pen was solidly built in front; he’d thought of dividing the birds—ducks, geese, mandarin ducks—into separate sections, but on second thought, it seemed unnecessary. They’d all be bathing in the fish pond anyway, inevitably mixing together. So a large communal pen would suffice.

Next to the rabbit pen, simply keep extending—one section after another.

With these thoughts clarified, Zhong Di dressed and stepped outside.

“You’re awake? I was just about to call you,” Shao Hong greeted him as he arrived at the construction site.

“Yeah, I need to talk to you about something too.”

Zhong Di pulled Shao Hong aside and explained the plan for building the pens, asking him to take charge of the arrangements.

This task wasn’t complicated. Zhong Di had no strict requirements; with two helpers, they could finish the work well before the birds arrived that afternoon.

“Alright, I wanted to ask about the fish pond water. When do you think it’s suitable to release it? All the equipment is installed, the roadwork is done, especially the section by the pond—completely solid.”

Shao Hong stated his purpose for seeking Zhong Di.

“Right now is fine.”

There was no need to delay; once everything was ready, the water could be released. It wasn’t like a wedding, requiring an auspicious day.

“Okay.”

Having received Zhong Di’s answer, Shao Hong departed.

Looking at the bustling scene, Zhong Di felt a touch of emotion. When he first returned, he never imagined he’d reach this stage so quickly.

Wait—there were still the perennials.

Just as he was reflecting, he suddenly remembered the perennial plants he’d brought back yesterday. The sooner they were planted, the better. Drinking really wasted time; he’d forgotten to mention it to Shao Hong, who would have arranged it without question.

Zhong Di hurriedly contacted Zhang Xiaohua. Luckily, she was home and free, so she agreed to help.

Within half an hour, Zhang Xiaohua appeared at the orchard gate with three others.

They all lived in Lingjing Village, and everyone was eager to work for Zhong Di. One message in the group, and even people planning to rest would take up the task—finding helpers was never an issue.

“Auntie, today we’re planting flowers. Just treat them like saplings—plant them in the ground. I have only one request: don’t plant them so neatly. Make it messy. Ideally, it should look like you’re standing in a wildflower meadow.”

Zhong Di explained his vision, set from the start. Whether herbs or other flowers, he wanted people to feel a sense of exploration and satisfaction just by looking.

Simply put, a tourist might wander and exclaim, “Wow, there’s a double-petaled rose here!” And moments later, “My goodness, there’s even a multicolored variety.”

That was precisely the feeling he wanted.

“But…” Zhang Xiaohua hesitated. The sudden request left her unsure how to proceed.

“Here’s what you do, Auntie—just let your imagination run wild. Plant them however you like, no need for coordination, just scatter them freely.”

Seeing the confusion in the aunties’ eyes, Zhong Di realized they hadn’t fully grasped his idea, which was understandable. He would have been just as bewildered. Isn’t planting supposed to be orderly and uniform? Isn’t landscaping all about design? Random planting, really?

“Just scatter them randomly, I get it now,” Zhang Xiaohua said after thinking it over.

Watching for a while, Zhong Di saw that Zhang Xiaohua and the other aunties had indeed understood—they were planting without any discernible pattern.