On the way back from the county town, Lu Fan was somewhat annoyed, feeling that the entire day had been wasted. It was already time for dinner by the time he got home, and he still had to treat the village head, Liu Ruyan.
He had originally planned to go into the mountains to catch some wild pheasants and rabbits, and then carry some water back to cultivate mushrooms. Now, it seemed he wouldn't be able to do any of it. However, he really needed to build a temperature-controlled greenhouse suitable for mushroom growth as soon as possible, especially since wild mushrooms were seasonal and would disappear in a few days.
Another thing was that he really needed to get a driver's license and buy a motorcycle. It would save a lot of time traveling back and forth to the city. His time seemed to be perpetually insufficient!
As the vehicle arrived at Fengyuan Town, Lu Fan got off and went to find his electric scooter. Huh? The electric scooter was gone!
"Damn it! Is this what I get for doing good deeds? My electric scooter is gone!" Lu Fan felt an urge to curse. He needed to report it! Lu Fan immediately ran towards the police station.
Inside the police station, several officers were preparing to get off duty. Seeing someone enter, they immediately looked over.
"Why are you here again? What's the matter?" Officer Xiao Zhao recognized Lu Fan at once and asked.
"My electric scooter is gone, I'm here to report it! Officer, can you help me find it?" Lu Fan said urgently.
"Your electric scooter is gone? Where did you lose it?" Xiao Zhao asked quickly.
"In the parking lot next to the bus station," Lu Fan replied hastily.
Officer Xiao Zhao took a statement from Lu Fan, recorded the information about the electric scooter, and then told Lu Fan to go back and wait for news. But Lu Fan was dumbfounded. How was he supposed to get back? Did he really have to walk the more than ten miles back?
"Xiao Zhao! What's up?" Suddenly, Shen Xinyi appeared at the doorway and asked.
"Director! Many bicycles and electric scooters have been stolen in town recently. Several reports have been filed this week. This one, his electric scooter is also gone, and he's here to report it," Xiao Zhao said quickly.
"You again?" Shen Xinyi also saw Lu Fan.
"Hehe! Beautiful sister!" Lu Fan grinned and nodded in greeting.
"I remember you're from Shilidagou Village, right? How will you get back with your scooter gone?" Shen Xinyi asked with a slight smile.
"Alas! My legs will have to do the work, I'll walk!" Lu Fan said dejectedly.
"Let's go! I happen to be going to Shilidagou Village to visit a friend, I can give you a ride back!" Shen Xinyi said.
"Wow! That... that would be great!" Lu Fan leaped to his feet.
Officer Xiao Zhao immediately cast envious and jealous glances; this kid was truly lucky!
Shen Xinyi, dressed in sportswear, rode a beautiful motorcycle. She casually tossed a helmet to Lu Fan, gesturing for him to get on.
Lu Fan looked at Shen Xinyi's alluring figure. The moment he sat on the motorcycle, he felt a surge of excitement. His hands were timid, unsure whether he should embrace her slender waist.
Whoosh... As the motorcycle sped off, Lu Fan involuntarily leaned against Shen Xinyi's back, his arms wrapping around her waist. His heart pounded like a drum, its frequency instantly soaring.
A few minutes later, the motorcycle stopped in front of the village committee's gate. Liu Ruyan was standing at the entrance, waiting. Seeing Lu Fan dismount from Shen Xinyi's motorcycle, she looked surprised.
"Lu Fan? How come you two are... together?" Liu Ruyan asked, her eyes wide.
"Oh! Village head! My electric scooter is gone. It just so happens that Director Shen... By the way, you're Director Shen's friend!" Lu Fan finally came to his senses, realizing that Shen Xinyi was here to see Liu Ruyan.
"What do you mean? Prioritizing romance over friendship! I specifically came over ten miles to see you, you know! And you're ignoring me! Hmph!" Shen Xinyi looked at Liu Ruyan's expression and immediately sensed something, striking a pose as if she had seen through them.
"Xinyi! Don't talk nonsense, we..." Liu Ruyan wanted to explain, but suddenly realized she didn't know how to explain. There's a saying that the more you try to clarify, the worse it gets... "Alright! Lu Fan, the mountain you want to contract, I've already discussed it with the villagers. It's contracted to you for two thousand yuan per year. The contract is ready. How many years do you want to contract it for, fill in the dates, and pay the money."
It had to be said that Liu Ruyan was an absolutely clever girl; she directly changed the subject.
"Thank you, Village Head! For contracting it to me so cheaply. I'll sign a twenty-year contract!" Lu Fan was thrilled. He knew that this price was definitely because Liu Ruyan had helped him. Otherwise, it would never have been contracted so cheaply.
"Then... do you have enough money on hand? If you have any difficulties, I can help you solve them!" Liu Ruyan said quickly.
"No need, I happen to have tens of thousands on me!" Lu Fan said immediately. Lu Fan suddenly felt fortunate that he hadn't bought that motorcycle.
After signing the contract at the village committee, Lu Fan finally went home. As soon as Lu Fan left, Shen Xinyi and Liu Ruyan started playfully bickering.
"Ruyan! Tell me, do you like that kid?"
"Nonsense! We just have a leader-and-constituent relationship. As for you, you actually gave him a ride back. Come on, be honest... How did you two hook up!"
"Pah! You're the one who hooked up!"
"You are! Hehe!"
...
At home, Lu Changfu and Zhao Rongrong were waiting for Lu Fan to return for dinner.
"Xiao Fan! How is Uncle Zhang's illness?" Zhao Rongrong asked while eating.
"He should be fine. You don't need to worry. If I'm not mistaken, he'll be discharged in two or three days." Lu Fan knew that for responsibility's sake, the hospital would observe him and conduct daily checks for these two days. Only after confirming he was completely fine could Zhang Minggui be discharged.
"By the way! I've contracted the mountain behind the house. I plan to build a temperature-controlled greenhouse on the flat ground at the foot of the mountain to cultivate pine mushrooms," Lu Fan continued.
"You really contracted the back mountain? Where did you get so much money?" Zhao Rongrong's eyes widened immediately.
"Don't worry! Leave the money-making to me! You don't need to worry!" Lu Fan said, patting his chest. However, even as he said it, he knew in his heart that building a sufficiently large temperature-controlled greenhouse would cost at least a hundred thousand yuan. It seemed he still had to work hard to make money!
After dinner, Lu Fan went to check on the pheasants, rabbits, and wild boar and their piglets, and prepared their feed for the next day.
"Lu Fan! Lu Fan!" Suddenly, Liu Ruyan's voice came from outside the gate.
Lu Fan hurried out and welcomed Liu Ruyan and Shen Xinyi in. Shen Xinyi had heard from Liu Ruyan about Lu Fan's wild animal breeding and found it very novel, so she came specifically to see.
Zhao Rongrong and Lu Changfu's eyes lit up when they saw Lu Fan bringing two beautiful women into the yard. They saw that the beautiful woman next to Liu Ruyan was exceptionally attractive, not inferior to Liu Ruyan at all. If only she could become their daughter-in-law...