Around 8:30, with the assistance of his good friends Luo Yang and Feng Xigua, Cheng Xiaofan loaded the bundled cabbages onto the truck sent by Zui Wei Xuan.
Liu Xinyue did not come this time. The person responsible for escorting the truck was a middle-aged man named Liu Zhonghai, a distant cousin of Liu Xinyue.
Before the truck departed, Liu Zhonghai took several gift bags from the driver's cabin and handed them to Cheng Xiaofan with a smile. "Mr. Ding, this is some gift Xinyue bought for your parents. She asked me to bring it. Please accept it!"
"Uncle Liu, thank you. Please send my regards to Sister Liu when you get back!" Since they had already brought gifts, Cheng Xiaofan couldn't refuse.
Cheng Xiaofan watched the truck leave before carrying the gift bags into the house and handing them to Miao Xiuhua.
Miao Xiuhua said shyly, "Xiaofan, we don't have anything good to give others. How can we casually accept their things!"
"Mom, they made a fortune from our cabbages. This little stuff is nothing!" Cheng Xiaofan said nonchalantly.
Miao Xiuhua shot her son a look. "They paid for it. Cabbage at twenty yuan a jin, where else can you find that!"
"I'm hungry. Let's eat!"
Cheng Xiaofan didn't dare to argue with his mother and quickly ran to the kitchen.
During the meal, Cheng Xiaofan said to Luo Yang and Feng Xigua, "Brother Luo, Brother Feng, I'll have to trouble you two for the next couple of days to help me build a bamboo house in the back mountain as my vegetable cultivation base!"
Cheng Xiaofan felt he had many things to do in the future, and it was inconvenient at home. The back mountain was rarely visited, making it the most suitable place for him to enter and exit his space.
As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Yang smiled, "Xiaofan, we're brothers. No need for politeness. Xigua and I have nothing else to do. Just give us instructions!"
"Xiaofan, why are you building a bamboo house in the back mountain?"
Cheng Fugui asked with confusion, "Are you planning to live there long-term? Are you not going to your city job anymore?"
Cheng Xiaofan had to make up an excuse. "Dad, the company's performance hasn't been good lately, and this holiday break is a bit long. I want to take this opportunity to do more things!"
Hearing his son say this, Cheng Fugui didn't think much of it and nodded. "Alright, I support whatever you do!"
"Brother Luo, Brother Feng,"
Cheng Xiaofan said to Luo Yang and Feng Xigua again, "There will be more and more things to do in the back mountain. I can't handle it alone. Starting today, you two will work with me. I'll pay you a monthly salary of ten thousand yuan."
In Zhuxi Village, Luo Yang and Feng Xigua's families had the hardest time. Cheng Xiaofan wanted to take this opportunity to help them.
"What, ten thousand a month?"
The two were stunned.
For the poor villagers of Zhuxi Village, a monthly salary of ten thousand yuan was unimaginable.
They both shook their heads. Feng Xigua said, "Xiaofan, this salary is too high. We brothers really can't accept it."
"Don't refuse. Since Xiaofan has opened his mouth, you should accept it!" Miao Xiuhua, understanding her son's intentions, quickly said from the side.
Cheng Fugui also said, "Yes, Luo Yang, Xigua, listen to Xiaofan!"
Just now, the old couple had learned from Cheng Xiaofan that his cabbage cultivation had already generated over a hundred thousand yuan in just three days.
Their son was able to study at a prestigious university, and his tuition for several years was entirely thanks to the help of Old Village Chief Luo and the villagers. Now it was time for him to repay them.
Hearing their old couple say this, Luo Yang and Feng Xigua could no longer refuse.
After breakfast, Luo Yang and Feng Xigua each went home to get their essential tools and rushed to the back mountain to help Cheng Xiaofan find a suitable location for the bamboo house.
Cheng Xiaofan designed the bamboo house at the entrance of the cave, connecting it. The back door of the house led directly into the cave.
The bamboo house was designed in a loft style, built at the cave entrance, with a bamboo ladder leading to the upper floor, which had a balcony, a living room, and a master bedroom.
The foundation was made of stone, and a courtyard was to be built in front.
Cheng Xiaofan showed the blueprints he had drawn to Luo Yang and Feng Xigua. They started working immediately. There were plenty of stones nearby, so they just collected them. In half a day, the foundation walls were laid.
Moreover, Zhuxi Village, as the name suggests, is rich in bamboo, and materials were everywhere.
After a day of hard work, the main frame of the entire bamboo loft was completed. Cheng Xiaofan made several modifications to the blueprints mid-way. Completing it in two days seemed difficult.
All day long, Naughty Dog stayed by Cheng Xiaofan's side, its mournful eyes and dejected appearance making it clear to Cheng Xiaofan that it was worried that the fruit ginseng in the space had all been eaten by the Heaven-Piercing Eagle.
Tonight, Cheng Xiaofan did not go home and stayed temporarily in the cave.
To avoid Naughty Dog being too upset with him, Cheng Xiaofan took it into the space.
However, when the man and dog entered the space, they did not find the Heaven-Piercing Eagle.
Naughty Dog impatiently checked the fruit ginseng first and found no signs of disturbance in the ground, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
"Heaven-Piercing Eagle!"
Cheng Xiaofan couldn't help but shout.
As soon as he spoke, a towering water column erupted from the pond. The Heaven-Piercing Eagle, carrying a live, thrashing fish in its beak, soared into the sky, circled once, and then swooped down, quickly swallowing the fish, which was nearly a foot long.
Woof woof!
Naughty Dog's eyes turned red.
You dare to eat my fish? I'll kill you, you evil eagle!
Without regard for whether his master would take his side, Naughty Dog gritted its teeth and charged fiercely at the Heaven-Piercing Eagle.
Seeing Naughty Dog's fierce approach, the Heaven-Piercing Eagle didn't dare to be slow. It flew into the air, spread its wings, and flapped them.
A gust of wind swept out from under the Heaven-Piercing Eagle's wings, blowing Naughty Dog like a ball, rolling it far on the ground before it fell into the pond.
Naughty Dog, which always considered itself very valiant, was so embarrassed in front of its owner that it let out an enraged roar and leaped out of the pond like a rocket, flying directly into the air. It landed on the Heaven-Piercing Eagle's back and opened its mouth to bite its neck.
"Naughty Dog, stop it!"
Cheng Xiaofan shouted immediately.
This sharp shout startled Naughty Dog, and it didn't dare to bite further.
How did this dog suddenly become so formidable?
However, Cheng Xiaofan noticed that just as Naughty Dog was about to bite the Heaven-Piercing Eagle's neck, a golden light flashed from the Heaven-Piercing Eagle and stabbed towards Naughty Dog's throat.
It was Cheng Xiaofan's shout that made Naughty Dog retract its mouth, and the Heaven-Piercing Eagle also withdrew its golden light. Otherwise, the eagle and the dog would have been seriously injured.
The Heaven-Piercing Eagle, carrying the ferocious dog that intended to kill it, obediently descended from the sky and landed in front of Cheng Xiaofan.
Naughty Dog deliberately bounced a few times on the Heaven-Piercing Eagle's back, as if to vent its anger, before jumping off its back.
"Where did you catch your fish?" Cheng Xiaofan asked the Heaven-Piercing Eagle.
Woof woof!
Before the Heaven-Piercing Eagle could respond, Naughty Dog barked angrily.
That fish was raised by me in the pond.
Before I could even eat it, this evil eagle snatched and ate the pond-raised fish. I'm so sad!
"Pond-raised fish" is a local dialect in the Zhuxi Village area, meaning that after raising fish in a pond, when they grow big, they are caught and eaten for the first time from that pond.
Even if Naughty Dog blinked an eye, Cheng Xiaofan would know what the dog was thinking.
"When did you raise fish in this pond?" Although Cheng Xiaofan's tone was questioning, he knew that Naughty Dog never lied.