That evening, Cheng Xiaofan, along with Tao Qibao and Po Tianying, came to the edge of the pond in his spatial realm and discovered it was teeming with swimming fry.
"It's great to have a space like this!"
Cheng Xiaofan couldn't help but smile. The idea that had blossomed yesterday was realized today. He truly felt he could "do whatever he pleased" in this space.
The foolish fish he had caught from the river had long since transformed into immortal fish weighing one to two pounds. Cheng Xiaofan grabbed two of them, tossed them to Tao Qibao and Po Tianying, and said, "This is for you as a reward, go and eat!"
"Woof woof!"
"Jee—"
The dog and the eagle each took an immortal fish in their mouths and went off to enjoy their feast.
Besides this Shen Nong Space, Cheng Xiaofan was also pleased to find a natural pond next to the barren land his father had reclaimed.
That pond, fortunately, was about three to four mu in size, as if everything in the back mountain had been prepared for Cheng Xiaofan by heaven long ago.
Back then, the old village chief Luo Changsheng had tried several times to stock the pond with fish, but none of his attempts succeeded. The reason was that the soil quality was too poor to generate enough water insects for the fish to eat.
Fish weighing two to three liang would become less than one liang in less than two days.
To the villagers, this pond became a wasteland, and no one paid it any mind.
However, for Cheng Xiaofan, this was an excellent pond. He could use his spiritual energy to improve the soil quality of the pond and the nutrients in the water.
Cheng Xiaofan took a water bucket from the cave and began to busy himself alone.
He attracted the fry from the pond in his space into the water bucket and then carried them to the pond outside the space. He made several trips like this, transferring most of the fry from his space to the pond in the corner of the hillside.
Next, he released some spiritual energy into the pond, transforming the water and soil.
Before long, the originally yellowish soil became dark and looked very fertile after the cải tạo.
With such soil quality, planting some aquatic plants around the pond would allow insects to reproduce and serve as food for the fish.
Foolish fish liked to inhabit rocky crevices. However, after being mutated by the space, the habits of these immortal fish had changed significantly; these aquatic plants would suffice for them to hide in.
After dawn, Cheng Xiaofan handed over the task of cutting cabbage to Luo Yang and Feng Xigua. He took a few fish from his space, put them in a water bucket, and hurried back.
Upon arriving home, Miao Xiuhua saw her son bring back some fish and immediately asked, "Xiaofan, where did you get these fish?"
Cheng Xiaofan smiled and said, "I caught them from the pond next to the vegetable patch on the back mountain."
There was no way he could tell the truth about some things, so he had to rely on his wits to spin a tale.
Just then, Cheng Fugui walked over and said, "That's a stagnant pond. Fish and shrimp can't survive in it. How could you possibly catch fish from it?"
Cheng Xiaofan chuckled, "Dad, to others, it's a stagnant pond, but to me, I can turn a stagnant pond into a living one!"
"These few fish are immortal fish I bred from foolish fish. They taste exceptionally delicious. I brought a few back because I want to invite Old Village Chief Luo and Mei Xueyun and the others for lunch so they can taste them."
Thinking of their son's mysterious skills, Ding Fugui and his wife were speechless.
It seemed there was nothing their son couldn't do in this world!
"Xiaofan, do you mean to establish a thủy sản aquaculture group in the village again?" Ding Fugui, understanding his son's intention, asked excitedly.
Cheng Xiaofan nodded and said, "The stream water in our Zhuxi Village always flows down and eventually enters the Qingxi River.
There's a large low-lying area at the foot of the South Mountain. We can build two large dams along the foot of the mountain to divert the stream water there, creating a natural lake. It'll be at least a thousand mu in size, enough to raise many immortal fish. If we don't take advantage of this, wouldn't it be a waste?"
"Xiaofan, you're absolutely right!"
Cheng Fugui slammed his hand on the table and said, "I'll go report this to Old Village Chief Luo right away. I'll take on the responsibility of being the head of this aquaculture group!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he got up and left.
Miao Xiuhua watched her husband's retreating back, shook her head, and smiled at her son, "Look how happy your dad is. He'll be busy now!"
Ding Xiaofan smiled, "Dad is happy because he sees a bright future for the village!"
Miao Xiuhua nodded and said, "Yes, your dad and I have been married for so many years, and I've never seen him so excited!"
Ding Xiaofan went to the back of the house, picked a fruit ginseng, and weighed it in his hand. It was at least a pound, fully mature.
He picked more than ten of them, washed them clean, and returned to the house. "Mom, I need to go into town for something later. When Liu Zhonghai comes to pick up the cabbage, please let him take these radishes back for Liu Xinyue to try."
Miao Xiuhua saw them and laughed, "Xiaofan, aren't these just white radishes? They're nothing special. Are you sure you want to have Liu Zhonghai take these radishes for Xinyue? Isn't that a bit shabby?"
"Mom, this is the fruit ginseng I just cultivated. It's not ordinary radish, and you don't need to cook it. You can eat it directly."
He handed one to Miao Xiuhua, "Try it!"
Miao Xiuhua smiled and said, "This is for Xinyue. I'll get one from the yard to eat myself later!"
"Alright, then I'm off to town!"
Cheng Xiaofan rode his motorcycle to Jinbao Town and stopped at the entrance of the Agricultural Technology Station.
The Agricultural Technology Station was a township-run institution responsible for providing agricultural technical guidance to the countryside and also selling various types of rice, vegetable, and other seeds.
Cheng Xiaofan was here to buy aquatic plant seeds and radish seeds.
Cheng Xiaofan entered the Agricultural Technology Station and looked at the various seeds displayed on the glass counter. A young girl stood behind the counter, also looking at Cheng Xiaofan with curiosity.
The girl was a sales assistant at the Agricultural Technology Station, about the same age as Cheng Xiaofan. She had a ponytail tied at the back of her head, a slender figure, delicate features, and was extremely beautiful.
"Are you Cheng Xiaofan?" the girl asked hesitantly after observing Cheng Xiaofan for a while.
Cheng Xiaofan looked up, glanced at the girl opposite him with some confusion, and felt she looked familiar. He asked, "I am Cheng Xiaofan. And you are...?"
"Ah, you really are Cheng Xiaofan!"
Lin Xiaoxiao said excitedly, "I'm your junior high school classmate, Lin Xiaoxiao!"
With her reminder, Cheng Xiaofan immediately recalled and smiled, "It's Xiaoxiao, I remember now!"
Back in junior high, Cheng Xiaofan and Lin Xiaoxiao were desk mates. In Cheng Xiaofan's memory, Lin Xiaoxiao was short and thin, and often had a snotty nose.
Truly, "a young girl's appearance changes with the years," becoming more beautiful. He couldn't believe that after so many years apart, she had transformed into a stunning beauty.
Her long, dark hair, willow-leaf eyebrows, and a pair of beautiful eyes like pools of autumn water, a straight nose, and two lips closed together like ripe cherries.
"Cheng Xiaofan, I heard that you became a senior executive at a company after graduating from college. When did you come back?" Lin Xiaoxiao asked.
Cheng Xiaofan smiled and said, "I'm on vacation from the company and just came back not long ago. I'm idle at home with nothing much to do, so I wanted to help my parents grow some vegetables!"
"I came here today to buy some aquatic plant seeds and radish seeds!"
Lin Xiaoxiao heard him and smiled, "Cheng Xiaofan, you were the renowned top scorer in the college entrance examination in our Jinbao Town area. You've come back to do farm work and you don't put on any airs at all!"
Cheng Xiaofan chuckled, "What airs would I have? I have the blood of a farmer running through my veins!"
"Yes, yes, yes! You're absolutely right!"
Lin Xiaoxiao nodded repeatedly and smiled, asking, "Cheng Xiaofan, what kind of seeds do you want to buy?"
Cheng Xiaofan said, "Give me two jin of aquatic plant seeds for the fish pond, and then about thirty jin of radish seeds!"
Lin Xiaoxiao asked curiously, "Why do you need so many radish seeds?"
"For experimentation!" Cheng Xiaofan couldn't figure out how to explain it to her, so he answered casually.
Lin Xiaoxiao didn't think much of it. She weighed the aquatic plant and radish seeds, packed them into bags separately, and handed them to Cheng Xiaofan.
Cheng Xiaofan paid and smiled, "Xiaoxiao, I have other things to attend to, so I won't be staying longer. Come visit Zhuxi Village when you have time!"
"Okay, I'll definitely come to Zhuxi Village to find you when I have time!" Lin Xiaoxiao smiled at him.
They then exchanged phone numbers.
After Cheng Xiaofan left, Lin Xiaoxiao immediately posted a message in her classmate group: "I met Cheng Xiaofan, our Jinbao Town's talented scholar, today. He's so handsome!"
"He even gave me his phone number!"