After the garden opening banquet, Fu Yueli and Gu Jingyue, without rest, were about to take a helicopter to the White Python Lake along the back mountain.
Cheng Xiaofan got into the helicopter, and Tiaoqibao jumped up too.
As the helicopter rose into the air, the Breaking Sky Eagle, without being told, led the way ahead.
The helicopter did not fly very high, always maintaining a certain distance from the mountain range below.
Gu Jingyue was responsible for piloting, while Fu Yueli held the camera with both hands, responsible for filming the scenery along the way to White Python Lake.
To get a clearer shot, the helicopter would ascend and descend intermittently.
Sometimes it even had to land to search for various angles around.
Fu Yueli was a professional in this regard. After filming the scenic route, she still had to draw blueprints for the construction personnel.
Originally, it would have taken at most twenty minutes to reach White Python Lake from the back mountain, but this time it took the entire afternoon.
When they returned, it was already dark.
Back home, Miao Xiuhua and Cheng Fugui, the elderly couple, had already prepared the meal, waiting for them to return and eat.
During dinner, Fu Yueli asked Cheng Xiaofan, "Mr. Cheng, I heard President Bai say you have internet access. Can I borrow it tonight?"
Cheng Xiaofan smiled and said, "I'm the only one in Zhuxi Village who has internet access, and I have a second-hand laptop bought online. Do you want to use it?"
Fu Yueli chuckled, "I have a dedicated laptop for designing blueprints!"
At this moment, Miao Xiuhua said, "Girl Yueli, Xiaofan usually doesn't stay home at night. I've changed the bedding in his room to brand new ones. You and Jingyue can stay in his room tonight."
"Yes, the internet cable is also in my room."
"Okay, thank you, Auntie and Mr. Cheng!" Fu Yueli nodded and smiled.
Cheng Xiaofan said with a smile, "Yueli, you and Jingyue shouldn't call me Mr. Cheng. We're all peers, just call me by my name. This 'Mr. Cheng' thing, I'm not used to it!"
Fu Yueli didn't stand on ceremony, "Alright, then I'll call you Xiaofan!"
After dinner, Cheng Xiaofan went to the back mountain to rest.
"Woof woof..."
As soon as he reached the hillside, he heard the frantic barking from a nearby grove, as if Tiaoqibao was biting something.
He rushed into the woods and found an old man in tattered robes squatting on the ground, hugging a tree with both hands and burying his head in his arms.
And Tiaoqibao was biting his clothes.
"Tiaoqibao, get away!"
Cheng Xiaofan was furious when he saw this and shouted.
He couldn't believe Tiaoqibao would bully an old man, how could he not get angry?
"Woof woof!"
Tiaoqibao looked wronged.
It pulled a fruit ginseng from under the old man's robe.
It turned out that the old man was stealing fruit ginseng from the field and was caught by Tiaoqibao.
Judging by the old man's attire, he shouldn't be from this village.
The robe was very worn, with patch after patch. It didn't look like modern clothing, giving the impression of a worn-out costume.
"Get out of here!"
Cheng Xiaofan kicked Tiaoqibao aside.
Tiaoqibao yelped, extremely angry. I helped you catch a thief who stole fruit ginseng, and not only are you not grateful, but you also kicked me. Doesn't your conscience hurt?
I'm leaving!
Tiaoqibao glared at its owner hatefully and, with a swagger, left the woods.
Not far away, it ran back again, picked up the fruit ginseng that had fallen on the ground, and took it away, intending to save it for a midnight snack to share with the ten little geese.
At this moment, Cheng Xiaofan approached the old man, reached out, and gently patted him, his voice soft, "Old man, it's alright now. You want to eat fruit ginseng, right? I'll pull as much as you want!"
Unexpectedly, the old man, upon hearing Cheng Xiaofan's words, immediately knelt before him, trembling all over, and said, "This little god is guilty. This little god should not have privately picked the fruit ginseng of Lord Shen Nong!"
Cheng Xiaofan heard this and exclaimed, "Isn't this the Earth God?"
He couldn't help but burst into laughter and said, "So it's the Earth God!"
"Don't bury your head in the ground, aren't you afraid of choking on sand and dirt? Hurry up and get up!"
The Earth God still buried his face in the ground, "This little god has no face to see Lord Shen Nong!"
Cheng Xiaofan smiled, "Don't play these games with me. Get up!"
The Earth God finally raised his head.
Cheng Xiaofan glanced at the Earth God and was slightly stunned.
This didn't look like a dignified deity overseeing a region at all. He was sallow and thin, with sunken eyes, and was extremely emaciated.
"I say, Earth God, are you sick?"
If the Earth God were human, Cheng Xiaofan could have detected illness from his energy.
But the Earth God was not a normal human, so he couldn't tell what was wrong.
The Earth God nodded, then shook his head, saying, "I don't know what's wrong. My whole body feels unwell all day long, and I feel lightheaded when I walk. Today, during the garden opening ceremony, this little god possessed an old yellow ox and smelled a peculiar fragrance, which immediately made me feel much better."
"Later, this little god finally realized that this fragrance emanated from the fruit ginseng."
"I was too embarrassed to ask Lord Shen Nong for it, so I came to the field under the cover of darkness, wanting to pick a fruit ginseng to taste, but unexpectedly, I was caught by Tiaoqibao as a thief."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Xiaofan couldn't help but laugh, "Earth God, if you want to eat it, just ask me. There's no need to be so polite."
He finally understood why the Earth God was so thin!
Poverty sickness!
If an Earth God was born in a poor place, they would suffer from poverty sickness.
Generally, Earth Gods from wealthy places were plump and well-fed.
When a place prospers, even its Earth God benefits.
"Earth God, you are sick, and seriously so!"
Cheng Xiaofan grabbed the other party and said, "Come with me to the attic. I'll treat your illness!"
"Thank you, Lord Shen Nong!"
The Earth God, upon hearing this, asked with extreme fear and reverence, "May I ask, Lord Shen Nong, what illness does this little god have?"
Cheng Xiaofan chuckled and said, "Your illness is, to put it simply, gluttony. If you get some good food, your spirit will immediately improve, and your body will also become stronger!"
Upon arriving at the attic, Cheng Xiaofan directly retrieved two large fruit ginsengs from his space and offered them to the Earth God, saying, "My fruit ginseng is much better than the ones grown in the field. Try it!"
With a crunch, the Earth God took a big bite, chewed a few times, and repeatedly praised, "Delicious, it tastes truly delicious! It truly lives up to the fruit ginseng grown from the Shen Nong space!"
After consuming one fruit ginseng, the Earth God's face not only immediately became rosy but also plumped up at a visible speed.
It was indeed as the village elders said, the prosperity of an Earth God reflected the well-being of the local people.
After two fruit ginsengs were consumed, the Earth God still seemed unsatisfied, smacking his lips and looking longingly at Cheng Xiaofan, saying, "Lord Shen Nong, do you have anything else delicious? Could you grant this little god a taste?"