?68: Chapter 68: Magical Farming 68: Chapter 68: Magical Farming Fen Ran, under the guidance and comfort of Du Yueling, slowly got better day by day and gradually returned to her former state, while Liu Hun was out early and returning late with nobody knowing what he was up to.

    A month passed by as quickly as flipping through the calendar on New Year’s Eve, and Ye Canghai had taken the trouble to arrange some flower pots at the entrance of Wanbao Village, just waiting for Yang Yide to bring people over for inspection.

    As Yang Yide arrived, being fussed over as if surrounded by a host of stars, Ye Canghai felt as uneasy as a scale without its counterweight.

    “What’s the matter with you?

    Got body lice or something?” Qin Yue glanced at Ye Canghai and said.

    Ye Canghai replied without hesitation, “This is a big event for our Wanbao Village.

    How can I not be anxious?”

    “Oh!

    It’s the first time this big girl is getting into a sedan!

    You’ve even mortgaged your wife to pay off debts, and you still care about the village?

    Who would believe that!” Qin Yue didn’t hide her disdain for Ye Canghai at all, and said outright.

    Having spent time with Fen Ran, she even knew the cowardly things Ye Canghai did in bed, which only made her despise him more.

    Ye Canghai, seeing Yang Yide approaching with people, had no time to argue with Qin Yue and welcomed them with an overly bright smile plastered across his face.

    “Village Chief Ye, the businessman Yang has indeed given us an opportunity, you better seize it!” Xie Heguo reminded Ye Canghai, really worried that after all this time nothing had come of it.

    “Some things aren’t just about talking the talk, I really want to see what you all have managed to grow!” Cai Yan said mockingly to Ye Canghai with a cold smile on her face.

    Ye Canghai felt extremely irritated by Cai Yan, always thinking she stood tall and snobbish, looking down at everything.

    “Mayor Xie, Businessman Yang, come and have a look.

    This is the blueberry seedling I’ve grown.

    Take a look, how is it?” Ye Canghai said and quickly bent over to pick up a small flowerpot with a lush green seedling growing inside.

    “Oh!

    You actually did it!

    Nicely done, Village Chief Ye!” Xie Heguo beamed, thinking that if they could keep this big businessman in Wanbao Village, it could bring incredible economic growth to Ping’an Town.

    “That’s right!

    Mayor Xie, I’m like a triple-faced file, useful in every way!” Ye Canghai said to Xie Heguo ingratiatingly, with a smile.

    Cai Yan’s face turned even colder, as if she was in the depths of winter, and the smile on her lips was as sharp as an ice blade, as she crossed her arms and walked over, saying, “Don’t get too happy too early, you two.”

    “What do you mean by that?

    We’ve got the seedling here, what more do you want?

    Doesn’t this prove that our Wanbao Village is suitable for growing this...

    Look at you, ice-cold face but with a yearning heart.” Qin Yue jumped in, not pleased with Cai Yan’s outfit for the day, those ten-centimeter high heels like stilts, her legs wrapped in black stockings that somehow still itch one’s heart.

    All in all, she just couldn’t stand Cai Yan.

    “Ignorant village woman!” Cai Yan cast a sideways glance at Qin Yue and then said to Ye Canghai, “You’re the village chief, right?”

    “So what if I am?

    This blueberry seedling was planted by my own hands.” Ye Canghai said, his face stiff with a smile, his heart pounding with fear that his deception would be uncovered.

    “Hmph!

    Blueberry seedling?” Cai Yan said and walked straight up to Ye Canghai, reaching out and snapping off the tender young seedling and crushing it into the ground with the tip of her high heels.

    “Cai... Miss Cai, what are you doing?” Xie Heguo was somewhat baffled, his face unable to hide his discomfort.

    Disaster struck!

    Ye Canghai’s heart momentarily seized up, afraid to say another word, only wondering how to wrap up the situation later.

    “Hmph!

    A bad land produces naughty people!

    A filthy-mouthed fool, a deceptive village chief!

    And where’s the person who was bragging before?

    Look at you all, what kind of people are you?

    Gone mad with poverty, to dare to substitute rose seedlings for blueberries, you might fool yourself but you can’t fool me?” Cai Yan’s disdain grew as she spoke, and she immediately wanted to leave this place, feeling as if she herself was sullied by the mere presence.

    “Mayor Xie!

    What is happening here?

    I came here sincerely seeking cooperation; how can you do this?

    This sort of thing isn’t right!” Yang Yide too was inflamed, not expecting this group of people to deceive him with rose seedlings.

    Without Cai Yan present, wouldn’t his investment of hundreds of thousands have been wasted?

    “Ye Canghai!

    Explain yourself right now?!

    What’s with all this trickery?

    Do you still want to be a village chief, or not?

    Do you realize what you’ve done?!” Xie Heguo’s face was utterly unable to save face, exposed on the spot by Cai Yan like that.

    Forget about cooperation, the reputation spread from this would tarnish Ping’an Town’s “investment attraction” efforts, completely ruined as if a stick stirring into feces.

    Ye Canghai was sweating bullets, unable to utter a word as if his mouth clamped on a red-hot iron, his legs trembling as if about to give way beneath him.

    “Let me explain!”

    As Liu Hun walked out from among the crowd after his words fell, he swiftly dragged Ye Canghai to the back.

    He really worried that Ye Canghai would crumble and spill everything.

    “You even have the face to show up?

    I’ve never seen anyone as shamelessly thick-skinned as you.

    If I were you, I’d have found a hole to crawl into,” Cai Yan said with a cold look, eying Liu Hun.

    She didn’t expect to meet that unflappable and confident gaze again.

    She felt a flicker of doubt inside but still believed in her professional capabilities, so she turned to Liu Hun and said, “Go ahead, explain!

    I’d love to hear what sort of excuse you can come up with to cover up your fraudulent act of passing off rose seedlings as blueberry seedlings!”

    “Mayor Xie, I’ve been handling this matter from start to finish, so I know what’s going on.

    May I speak?” Liu Hun disregarded Cai Yan completely and turned to ask Xie Heguo.

    Liu Hun’s attitude pleased Xie Heguo greatly.

    Consulting him first on matters was the proper way to show respect to his position.

    His fondness for Liu Hun grew a bit more, and he nodded, stating, “Ling, you have to make this clear.

    You understand, this is no minor issue!”

    Liu Hun acknowledged, then bent down to pick up the seedling that Cai Yan had trampled and held it up for everyone to see.

    The villagers around were silent as if watching the drop of the executioner’s blade, all waiting for Liu Hun to retract his head like a turtle.

    “Ha!

    What does picking it up mean?

    Those worthless rose seedlings can be found anywhere in your village.

    Do you still claim it’s not?” Cai Yan pressured Liu Hun aggressively, not understanding why encountering such a peasant would provoke in her such a strong competitive spirit—perhaps it was his gaze.

    “What are you babbling about?

    A woman daubed with red lipstick and black at the legs like a ghost—your boss hasn’t even uttered a word, and here you are, a half-full bottle clanking away.

    Ye Canghai isn’t worth a damn, but Liu Hun is a different breed!

    Hun, tell her what you’re holding in your hand!” Wang Dajiao couldn’t stand Cai Yan’s behavior, feeling utterly uncomfortable just looking at her and itching to slap her twice.

    Cai Yan, seeing Wang Dajiao as an older woman, felt she couldn’t retaliate with words or fists and stamped her feet in frustration.

    Just as she was about to turn around and persuade Yang Yide to leave, Liu Hun spoke.

    “Auntie Qi, everyone, look closely.

    This is indeed not a blueberry seedling, it’s a white ban flower seedling, which is what Miss Cai referred to as the rose seedling,” Liu Hun said while he held up the seedling for all the surrounding people to see.

    “Oh dear, Hun, what are you doing to me?

    Where do I put my face now?

    I just praised you, you’re slapping me right in the face!

    Where did that spirit of yours go?

    It’s all over now...”

    “What...

    what’s going on here?

    Didn’t Mr.

    Yang give a pack of those berry seeds?

    How did it turn into white ban flowers?

    It’s just white ban flowers, right?

    How did it come to fraud again?”

    “Hun wouldn’t do such a thing, I reckon it must be some trick Ye Canghai pulled.

    When he couldn’t grow blueberries, he tried to use white ban flowers to deceive us.

    Look at what’s become of our village’s reputation now; Mayor Xie might have some uncertain thoughts about our village when he goes back!”

    “...”

    Upon hearing Liu Hun’s words, Ye Canghai’s legs gave out, and he slumped onto a millstone, while Xie Heguo heaved a deep sigh of disappointment regarding Liu Hun.

    Cai Yan was momentarily stunned, not expecting Liu Hun to admit to substituting inferior products for quality ones.

    She couldn’t help but say, “I didn’t expect you to have a bit of backbone, to admit it proactively.

    However, this does not compensate for the fact that you committed fraud.”

    “Miss Cai, please wait until I have finished my words.

    I, Liu Hun, am always the one to slap others in the face, never my own.

    You’re sticking your neck out too far, and it’s going to hurt later on,” Liu Hun replied, giving Cai Yan a slight smile.

    This really infuriated Cai Yan, nearly snapping off her high heel in anger.

    “Mayor Xie, Boss Yang, ladies and gentlemen of the village!

    I, Liu Hun, have always said to you all—our Wanbao Village can manage and grow anything.

    When I, Liu Hun, give my word, it’s as good as gold; it makes a sound when it hits the ground!” Liu Hun addressed the surrounding villagers, aiming to lift his own credibility another notch.

    “What spirit in this young man!” Yang Yide couldn’t help but express his admiration, surprised to find such a charismatic man in this small village, but business is business, and the issue with the blueberry seedlings still had to be clarified, “However, young man.

    You need to explain about these rose seedlings.”

    Liu Hun had already thought out exactly what to say while blending into the crowd and was just waiting for this moment when Yang Yide would ask, so he promptly answered, “Boss Yang, after receiving the blueberry seeds, the village chief and I planted them in the garden behind his house.

    Our mountain village is surrounded by a multitude of trees, and the garden’s hedge is made from white ban vines.

    So, I think it’s quite normal if one or two white ban flowers got mixed into this patch of blueberry seeds.”

    Yang Yide found this explanation quite plausible, Xie Heguo instantly felt a relief, and Cai Yan immediately challenged, “According to what you’ve said, should we expect at least ninety percent of the over one hundred pots out there to contain blueberry seedlings?

    Is that what you’re implying?”

    “Correct!

    All the remaining pots contain blueberry seedlings!” Liu Hun faced Cai Yan’s gaze squarely, the very picture of confidence.