As dawn broke, Cheng Xiaofan had already chopped over two thousand jin of cabbage. When Luo Yang and Feng Xigua arrived with their cart, the cabbages were piled at the foot of the mountain.
Luo Yang exclaimed in surprise, "Xiaofan, you're really putting in a lot of effort! You didn't sleep all night, did you? Take care of yourself!"
Cheng Xiaofan chuckled, patted his six-pack abs, and blurted out, "Look at my well-defined physique, I've undergone a second growth spurt. Do you think I'd be lacking?"
"Second growth spurt? Is that even a thing?" Feng Xigua asked, looking puzzled.
Cheng Xiaofan realized he had let slip, and laughed, "I was just joking, don't take it seriously!"
Luo Yang smiled, "Xiaofan, I must say, when you first came back, your complexion was sallow and you looked sickly. You've changed so much these past few days, your body is robust, you're like a different person. It really does look like you've had a second growth spurt!"
Cheng Xiaofan smiled and said, "I've been cultivating a 'fruit ginseng' these past two days. I'll give you a few to try, maybe it'll give you a second growth spurt too!"
"Are you serious?" Feng Xigua asked eagerly.
Feng Xigua was born during the watermelon season, and his name wasn't because he resembled a watermelon.
Quite the opposite, he was very thin, and his family worried that his appearance might make girls dislike him in the future.
Cheng Xiaofan knew what Feng Xigua was thinking and nodded seriously. "Brother Feng, I can assure you, once my fruit ginseng is ready, it will definitely help you build a strong body!"
"Xiaofan, hearing you say that makes me so happy!" Feng Xigua was so delighted that his eyebrows seemed ready to fly off his face.
Luo Yang said, "Xiaofan, I truly admire you. In the few days since you've been back, you've come up with super-nutritious cabbage and fruit ginseng. You truly are a talented student, with a brilliant mind, capable of cultivating anything!"
Cheng Xiaofan said casually, "I can only say that I've done some specialized research in this area, I just know a little more than others."
The three of them chatted and laughed as they loaded the cabbages onto the cart and pulled them towards the village.
Liu Zhonghai's truck was right on time. By the time they had pulled all the cabbages to their doorstep, his truck had arrived.
After the cabbages were all loaded, Liu Zhonghai didn't linger. He immediately drove off. Not long after, Cheng Xiaofan received a notification on his phone – the financial manager of Zuiwei Xuan Hotel had transferred forty thousand yuan to his bank account.
In just a few days, his bank account now held over one hundred and forty thousand yuan.
Because Liu Xinyue was so prompt in her dealings, Cheng Xiaofan always added over ten jin of cabbage to her order each time.
Just then, Miao Xiuhua had finished preparing breakfast. While they were eating, Cheng Xiaofan noticed Cheng Fugui wasn't home and curiously asked, "Mom, where's Dad?"
"Your dad went to the fields at the foot of West Mountain early this morning to check on the growth of the cabbage!"
Miao Xiuhua smiled, "After all, these are the seeds you provided to the village. He's worried if there will be any quality issues with the cabbage when it's grown!"
Cheng Xiaofan chuckled, "Dad worries too much. These are the same seeds as the ones grown on the back mountain, how could there be any problems!"
However, he understood his father's good intentions and didn't say anything more.
After working diligently on the back mountain for half the day, the bamboo pavilion in front of the cave was mostly completed. A little more repair work tomorrow should finish it.
These bamboo poles, after being cut from the mountain, were all smoked and then cleaned. This way, they wouldn't be easily infested by insects and would look aged.
Cheng Xiaofan was very satisfied with the appearance.
Luo Yang and Feng Xigua continued their work nearby, while Cheng Xiaofan took out the live-streaming equipment from a canvas bag inside the cave.
An exquisite drone flew into the air.
On the very same day he had sold cabbage back from Wangjiang City for the first time, Cheng Xiaofan had registered a live-streaming room on a streaming platform. The name he chose was "Leisurely Rural Pastoral Life."
What he hadn't expected was that he had already gained over a dozen followers before he even started streaming.
It seemed these dozen or so fans were quite interested in rural pastoral life, having found him through searches. A few even sent him private messages asking why they couldn't see his stream after he had registered.
"Hello everyone, this is my hometown, a village in the mountains of southern Anhui, called Zhuxi Village!"
Cheng Xiaofan stood on the sunny slope, looking down, sweeping the camera across the panoramic view of Zhuxi Village, then slowly moving towards the nearly completed bamboo pavilion. He said, "I am a small farmer from Zhuxi Village. This bamboo pavilion was built with the help of my friends."
"I plan to live here permanently from now on, embarking on my leisurely life in the mountains and countryside!"
Although this was Cheng Xiaofan's first time live-streaming, his dozen or so followers were quite active, all popping up and sending constant bullet comments.
"The scenery in the streamer's home is really beautiful!"
"This bamboo pavilion is nice, I really want to live in it!"
"The air here must be great, it seems the streamer is someone who knows how to enjoy life!"
"Streamer, could you give me a contact method privately? I'd like to visit your place to play when I have time!"
"I want to go too, I really want to go!"
...
More than a dozen new followers joined during Cheng Xiaofan's live stream.
"Everyone, the bamboo pavilion still needs some finishing touches. I have to get back to work now, so today's stream ends here. See you tomorrow!"
As soon as he finished speaking, bullet comments flooded the screen.
"Streamer, you're too unprofessional, ending the stream so quickly?"
"You can't do this, I just tuned in and you're ending?"
"The streamer is so handsome, and that white casual outfit is really nice. You don't look like a simple rural farmer at all!"
"Streamer, are you single?"
At this moment, Cheng Xiaofan had already turned off the stream.
Despite it being his first time live-streaming, the momentum at the start was quite good.
The next day, Cheng Fugui and Miao Xiuhua also came to help their son. The elderly couple was responsible for cutting reed grass from the mountainside for the roof of the bamboo pavilion.
This reed grass was dark red and very tough. A roof built with this grass would not easily be damaged by sun, rain, frost, or snow.
In Zhuxi Village, villagers commonly used this grass to build houses, which were cool in the summer and warm in the winter, making for a very comfortable living environment.
Cheng Xiaofan noticed the wisteria growing on the cliff was very beautiful. Its green leaves and pink flowers gave off a faint, pleasant fragrance. So, he picked a few tendrils and wound them around the balcony railing.
This touch of decoration instantly brought a bit more vitality to the balcony.
The floor inside the house and the surrounding walls were covered with pine wood panels. They also moved a bamboo bed, bamboo stools, and a bamboo dining table from home.
Even the ground in the cave was inlaid with bamboo planks.
"Thank you, family, for your support. With the help of my friends, my parents, and my dad, the bamboo pavilion is finally complete. What do you all think?"
Cheng Xiaofan opened his stream and panned the camera around the completed bamboo pavilion, saying with a hint of pride in his voice, "Haha, from now on, I will be living here permanently, sharing my leisurely rural life with all of you."
As soon as he spoke, it immediately triggered a strong reaction from his followers.
"This bamboo pavilion is so unique, I love it!"
"No, why does this house look so familiar? Could this be a house I built in my past life?"
"The person upstairs, don't fight with me, this is my house from my past life. I'm going to Zhuxi Village to ask the streamer for my property back!"
"It's mine, I'll fight anyone who tries to take it!"
The live-streaming room instantly saw a surge of over ten thousand new followers.