Chapter Ninety-Four: Feasting and Drinking?

After hanging up, Zhong Di spread his hands a little awkwardly.

“Another table.”

There was nothing to be done about it. Sometimes when you wanted customers, they would not come; when you did not want them, they came in droves. Tell me, wasn’t that infuriating?

“So that’s what you mean—you still want to drive customers away? Could it be you bear a grudge against money?”

Shao Hong looked positively delighted. He could not have hoped for anything better.

In a hurry, Zhong Di quickly had someone help him set up a place to eat in the Hundred Herbs Garden.

Before long, he saw three vehicles parked at the entrance.

A total of ten people got out. The Forestry Bureau was certainly not so short-staffed, so the only explanation was that not everyone had come.

Both Director Xing and Wu Qi were already familiar faces, and after a few casual exchanges, Zhong Di led them into the garden.

“Not bad. It’s looking better and better here, and it isn’t at all like I imagined—no uprooting of the trees, no sweeping overhaul. This is a development model that organically combines forestry with other industries.”

After looking around, Director Xing nodded in admiration. By Zhong Di’s approach, many things were clearly being combined. It was a sound idea.

From this basic concept, one could expand into many directions. For instance, perennial flowers could be grown between the fruit trees, or medicinal herbs could be planted here as well. There was so much that could be done.

The only thing that needed solving was the cost. Orchard land usually had only fruit trees because that made management easier and reduced investment. Once other things were planted, much of the work could no longer be mechanized.

Still, that did not make it any less of a development model.

“Ah, Xiao Zhong, didn’t you say this place was under renovation? Why is there still a table of guests over there? The cars outside look expensive too. Don’t tell me you think I can’t afford the meal!”

Director Xing glanced toward the other side and joked. For a small farmstead, how expensive could the food possibly be? He said it only to tease Zhong Di.

“No, no, of course not.”

Zhong Di smiled somewhat sheepishly. If the roles were reversed, he might have had similar thoughts.

“Director Xing,” one of the men standing beside Xing Aiguo murmured quietly. His words were a little halting, and his eyes were fixed on the other table.

“Xiao Wang, what did you say just now?” Xing Aiguo had not heard clearly and asked again.

“Director Xing, it’s Director Zhou.”

“Director Zhou? The one from the Development and Reform Commission? The Director I’m thinking of?” Xing Aiguo suddenly remembered something. He first confirmed it with Xiao Wang, then followed his gaze.

From where they stood, they could see Zhou Huayang eating at the table across from them.

“Xiao Zhong, why is Director Zhou eating here?”

“A uncle brought him here to eat.”

The director of the Development and Reform Commission? Even Director Xing reacted like this—was it the director of our prefecture’s Development and Reform Commission? Or perhaps the director from the whole northwest?

“Xiao Zhong, we’re leaving first. Don’t ever say we came by. And if you run into any trouble in the future, just tell me. Anything your Uncle Xing can solve, I’ll definitely solve for you.”

No one had expected Zhong Di to have this kind of connection.

With that, the whole group left in a hurry. A joke—if the Director of the Development and Reform Commission discovered they were here indulging in a grand feast, that would be disastrous.

What? As director, aren’t you also eating and drinking in style? Sorry, this is just a private meal. Is there a problem with that?

No problem at all. Whatever you say goes.

Watching Xing Aiguo and the others depart so quickly, Zhong Di became even more certain that this Uncle Zhou was no ordinary man.

After Director Xing and the others left, only Qian Weining’s table remained. With the two ladies there, there was nothing for Zhong Di to do.

At half past six, the people delivering the ducks and geese arrived, transported in a truck with several tiers, all delivered in one trip.

Though Zhong Di had bought many kinds, the total number was actually not very large.

It was nearly eight o’clock before they finished placing all the birds where they belonged, and the count was exactly right—if anything, there were more than expected.

After settling the payment, the delivery crew left.

The ducks and mandarin ducks, upon seeing water, acted as though they had found their mother and plunged straight into the pond, bathing in delight. The other birds were likewise arranged perfectly by Zhong Di, drawing plenty of onlookers.

Individually, none of them seemed especially rare. At most, people would say, “Wow, those imperial chickens are really pretty.” But once the different breeds accumulated together, the impact was tremendous.

Especially along the shelterbelt at the edges, walking through there felt like entering a zoo, with novelty everywhere.

Zhong Di said nothing, merely letting everyone look around. That was enough to create the effect he wanted.

Not only did it give visiting tourists a sense of freshness, it made him happy too, and if he felt like it, he could even kill one later to taste.

It was not until the sky had grown dark that Qian Weining and the others finished their meal. When they left, they even bought a fair amount of cilantro and some other produce from the garden.

Zhong Di and Qian Weining understood one another perfectly: all of those items would go on the tab, and as for the prices they had mentioned to Zhou Huayang, that would be Uncle Qian’s business.

After feeding the sheep, it was fully dark. Zhong Di told Shao Hong about the chicken manure, and the two of them then went to rest.

The watering of the fish pond could stop tomorrow. They had filled it quite deeply in one go, enough to bring the pond completely full. The reason they had not simply filled it to one meter was because the water would continue to seep downward.

Once it had seeped a bit and settled to about one meter deep, the water temperature would be right and the oxygen levels sufficient, and then the fish could be stocked.

As for how to arrange his mother’s responsibilities, Zhong Di still had not decided. That would need careful thought later; for now, there was no especially good plan.

Thinking of all these scattered matters, Zhong Di drifted off into sleep in a daze.

The next day, Zhong Di got up early. The two of them were busy for quite a while. Things were no longer the same as before; with so many more species being raised, the workload had increased as well.

Fortunately, after they had been at it for a while, his father and mother arrived to help. According to the couple, since Zhong Di had only just started out, they should help keep an eye on everything first.

Even with his parents helping, the few of them were busy for quite a while, and that was without mentioning that his father’s legs and feet were still not convenient.

As time went on, the uncles and aunts who worked there also arrived one after another.

Aunt Zhang Xiaohua was called over by Zhong Di as well. Some of the vegetables had sold over this period, leaving open space, and Zhong Di wanted to continue planting vegetables there.

Of course, crop rotation and staggered replanting had to be considered. That would also help promote the green concept.

Then his older sister, Zhong Hui, arrived too, busy with various forms and accounts. During this period, the flow of money had been frequent, so there was more information to verify.

“Zhong Di, hurry and look at what I sent you. Someone is saying our chickens are fake! Ah, anyway, just look quickly. They were fine last night, and today all of a sudden this happened.”

Amid the bustle, his elder sister suddenly rushed out and said.