Chapter 9

【Mutter the Saitu website three times, do you remember? If you haven't memorized it, I'll ask again in the next chapter. It's best to share it on Facebook.】

Amidst the national celebration, Zhao Xinyu was in the space, planting the withered grapevine he had stolen. He was inspired by the herbs, but he wasn't sure if the withered grapevine could come back to life.

That night, he didn't go out. He knew that going out would only add to his sadness, and in this space that belonged only to him, he could feel a confidence he had never felt before.

When he woke up from his sleep, he glanced at the space, which showed no changes, making him a bit disappointed. He quickly went to the place where he had planted the grapevine and dug up a section of it.

In the next moment, a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes. Although the grapevine was still withered, fine roots resembling hair had appeared at the base.

He reburied the grapevine, took a deep breath, and looked at Heifeng, who was playing in the vegetable garden. He called out, and the little guy jumped to his side, rubbing his head against Zhao Xinyu's leg and barking a few times.

"Let's go out for some food."

When he returned to his room, Zhao Xinyu found it was already 9:00 AM on the first day of the lunar new year. He took out the herbs he had soaked in the space, prepared ointments and medicines.

When he took off his pants, he was slightly stunned. He noticed that the scars on his legs seemed to have faded a bit. He then took out his phone and used the camera to see his scarred face.

This was the second time Zhao Xinyu had looked at his face since being discharged from the hospital. He saw that the scars had faded significantly, and his dark left cheek had improved noticeably.

The improvement in his injuries lifted his spirits. He quickly applied the ointment, took the medicine, and reheated the dishes that he had barely touched the previous noon.

After eating, he rested for over an hour. Feeling no reaction from his injured areas, he washed off the ointment, went out of the yard, and began to clean up the yard, which had been abandoned for many years.

This was a scrap yard, but due to Xu Xing's mobility issues, few people were willing to sell their scrap here. Therefore, there wasn't much useful scrap in the yard, and most of it was useless garbage.

There was too much garbage. In the afternoon, Zhao Xinyu only managed to clear a corner, but the garbage had piled up into several small mountains.

In the following days, Zhao Xinyu continued to clean the yard. The villagers passing by were surprised, but they didn't know what Zhao Xinyu was doing.

One day, while Zhao Xinyu was cleaning the yard, he heard someone calling him. Turning around, he saw Han Tianliang looking at him with a hint of confusion, holding a brown paper bag.

"Grandpa Han, you're here."

"Xinyu, the yard has been transferred to your name, and I've also arranged for over ten acres of land for you. The land isn't great, but as long as you plant something, the government will provide some subsidies each year."

"Land," Zhao Xinyu was slightly stunned. He wiped his hands and took the paper bag.

"Grandpa Han, where is the land?"

Han Tianliang pointed to the east side of the yard, "It's right there, on the east side of the Luo River. There are eighteen acres in total, but six or seven acres are sandy and don't count, so you only get ten acres."

Zhao Xinyu looked at the farmland that had been abandoned for many years. He remembered that Xu Ning had told him about the Luo River, which used to be a stream that the people of Xihanling relied on for survival. However, due to various reasons, the stream dried up, and with the development of the city and the construction of roads, the upstream and downstream areas were filled in. Now, only a large pit remained, which had become a foul-smelling pond due to lack of management.

Every year when the weather got hot, the pond was infested with mosquitoes, and the yard was also full of mosquitoes. This was why, despite its large size, the yard was ignored by everyone.

As for the land Han Tianliang mentioned, it was on the edge of the Luo River. However, after the land was abandoned, the village and construction units dug soil there, leaving it like an island in the middle of the foul-smelling pond. It was difficult to farm there.

Seeing Zhao Xinyu staring at the abandoned farmland, Han Tianliang looked a bit embarrassed, "Xinyu, with your mobility issues, it wouldn't be suitable for you to have land too far away. Although it's a bit difficult to farm this land, don't worry, I'll ensure you get all the subsidies. I'll have someone spray pesticides in a few days."

Zhao Xinyu understood Han Tianliang's misunderstanding but didn't explain, "Thank you, Grandpa Han. Is the Luo River still under the village's management?"

"What Luo River? It's just a foul-smelling ditch now. Most of the villagers work in the city. If I were twenty years younger, I would have cleaned up this ditch and raised fish."

Zhao Xinyu was slightly stunned, "Grandpa Han, didn't you say the source of the Luo River was buried?"

"They don't know anything. There's a spring right under the yard, with a good flow. People are just lazy and don't want to dig it out. Xiao Lei, how about I include this area for you? If the village develops in the future, you'll get more compensation."

"That wouldn't be right; the villagers would talk."

"You're right. How about this: I'll lease the Luo River to you. You just need to put some insecticide in it to reduce the mosquitoes, and the villagers won't say anything."

At this point, Zhao Xinyu understood why Han Tianliang had given him the land that was difficult to farm. He wanted to provide more subsidies for him.

"Xinyu, what are you planning to do? Old Xu has mobility issues. As long as you run this scrap yard, you can earn over 50,000 yuan a year."

"Grandpa Han, the city is developing quickly, and there are already two other scrap yards nearby. I plan to clean up the yard and plant some vegetables in a while."

"Planting vegetables is good, but don't forget that our village lacks water. If you need to water the vegetables, it will cost a lot."

Zhao Xinyu chuckled, "Didn't you say there's a spring outside the yard?"

"You rascal, fine, I don't understand young people. If you want to plant vegetables, give it a try. I'll have Han Jun and Han Li come over tomorrow. They're not working these days, and they can help you clean up the yard."

The next morning, Han Jun and Han Li, along with four others and a tractor, arrived.

"Xinyu, they're all from our village. They heard you want to plant vegetables and came to help. No need to pay them, but you must have some alcohol," Han Jun, who was about 27 or 28, was just an acquaintance of Zhao Xinyu, but Han Li often visited and was familiar with him.

Zhao Xinyu was delighted and quickly nodded, "Sure, thank you. What do you want to eat? I'll prepare it for you."

Han Li laughed, "Just buy some cooked meat. We can handle the rest."

In the morning, the seven piles of garbage that Zhao Xinyu had cleared were all taken away. He didn't know where they were taken.

"Han Li, call everyone for lunch."

When Han Li and the others entered the room Zhao Xinyu had cleared, they were all stunned and swallowed their saliva.

They saw a newly bought table filled with delicious dishes. Han Li and the others were young and often gathered with friends, and they could tell that such dishes were not something a regular small restaurant could make.

"Xinyu, we're all friends. Buying cooked meat would have been fine. Why waste money? If the old man finds out, we'll be scolded."

Zhao Xinyu chuckled, "Han Li, you don't know me. I don't have that much extra money. I made all this myself. Sit down and try it. I'll get the alcohol."

"What?" Han Li reached out and stopped Zhao Xinyu, who was about to go get the alcohol.

"What's wrong? Don't you want to drink?"

"I'm asking if you made all this."

"Yes."

"You rascal, you've been hiding your skills. We're in for a treat," Han Li laughed and called the others to sit down.

After taking a bite, the six of them were stunned, their eyes filled with amazement. They couldn't believe that such delicious dishes existed in the world.

【Do you remember the three times I asked you to mutter the Saitu website at the beginning of the chapter? Sharing on Facebook might bring a surprise.】