Chapter 4

With a place to grow vegetables, Xiao Ping quickly went to get the seeds of the "new variety of vegetables." In fact, he didn't have any classmates working at the agricultural research institute; this was just an excuse to reassure Liu Jianguo. Xiao Ping went to the nearest agricultural technology station, spent ten yuan to buy a large bag of green vegetable seeds, and was ready to start his entrepreneurial journey.

Xiao Ping clutched a large bag of seeds and hurried back to his residence. However, as soon as he crossed the cement bridge at the village entrance, he encountered Zhao Yong and his gang. Seeing the usually sickly Xiao Ping suddenly walking briskly, Zhao Yong was somewhat surprised. But Zhao Yong didn't care about Xiao Ping's health; he blocked his way and said fiercely, "Xiao Ping, you're getting bolder. You dared to retrieve the car without my permission. Wasn't the last beating enough for you?"

Xiao Ping, who was no longer the meek and submissive person he used to be, looked at the gangsters coldly and said, "I don't want to bring up the past. From now on, don't come and bother me!"

"Oh, you've grown up, daring to talk back to me!" Xiao Ping's words enraged Zhao Yong, who suddenly waved his hand and shouted, "Beat him up!"

The two gangsters, who had been eager to fight, immediately pounced on Xiao Ping. Xiao Ping didn't back down, blocking and dodging, and soon the two were engaged in a fierce fight. Xiao Ping had endured a lot of bullying from these gangsters in the past, and now all his pent-up resentment burst forth, making the fight evenly matched. Strangely, Xiao Ping felt that the gangsters' punches and kicks weren't as heavy as before, and they didn't hurt much, posing no real threat to him.

"It must be the effect of the spirit liquid!" Xiao Ping didn't think Zhao Yong and his gang would deliberately go easy on him; he immediately realized the true reason. Since the spirit liquid could cure diseases, it made sense that it could also strengthen the body.

With this advantage, Xiao Ping fought more confidently and soon had the two gangsters retreating. This left Zhao Yong stunned, and he quickly gathered his two subordinates and fled, not forgetting to throw in a threat, "You wait, I'll make you pay next time!"

"Next time? I'll make you pay even more next time!" Since learning about the wonders of the demon refining pot, Xiao Ping became increasingly confident about his future.

The next morning, Xiao Ping couldn't wait to get started. Liu Jianguo's yard wasn't very large, only about two or three mu (about 0.13 to 0.20 acres). However, the yard hadn't been tended for several years, and it was overgrown with weeds and vines, requiring a lot of work to clear it up.

Liu Jianguo used to be a farmer, and although he now worked in a factory, he hadn't thrown away his farming tools like sickles and hoes, which Xiao Ping could use. He cut the waist-high weeds and then used the hoe to dig out the roots, finally leveling the ground and dividing it into rows for planting vegetables.

Although the yard wasn't very large, it wasn't easy for one person to do all the work. Xiao Ping worked from morning to afternoon, skipping lunch, and finally managed to clear the yard. Looking at the neatly divided rows of land, Xiao Ping felt a great sense of accomplishment.

In addition, Xiao Ping had another discovery: his physical strength was much better than before. Clearing the land was no easy task, but after working for half a day, Xiao Ping didn't feel tired at all, not even breaking a sweat, and still felt very energetic. Xiao Ping knew this was also due to the spirit liquid, and his respect for the demon refining pot grew even more.

After leveling the land, Xiao Ping carefully and evenly scattered his "new variety of green vegetable seeds" into the soil and then carefully watered them. Xiao Ping had high hopes for these vegetables and was very serious about the work, not noticing that Li Wanqing was watching him from the yard entrance.

Li Wanqing had just finished work and was curious to see Xiao Ping still busy in the yard. Seeing how Xiao Ping had transformed the yard in just one day, she was also somewhat surprised. Li Wanqing's hometown was also in the countryside, and the neatly prepared vegetable garden made her feel nostalgic. Watching Xiao Ping's busy figure, a smile appeared on her face.

Xiao Ping carefully watered the last row of land and looked up to see Li Wanqing standing in the sunset, smiling at him. For a moment, he was lost in her beauty. But he quickly regained his composure and smiled at Li Wanqing, "Off work?"

"Yes, just finished. I came to see how you were doing," Li Wanqing said with a smile, "You're really working hard."

Xiao Ping laughed, "Of course, my wealth and my wife depend on these vegetables!"

Li Wanqing asked curiously, "Are the vegetables really that popular?"

Xiao Ping, confident that the vegetables watered with the spirit liquid would be extraordinary, said, "These are new variety vegetables. When they're harvested, I'll have Aunt Wang cook some for everyone to try. You'll see I'm not exaggerating."

Li Wanqing nodded, "Sure, I'm curious to see what's special about the new variety vegetables."

"Deal!"

Xiao Ping made a serious promise to Li Wanqing, and the two couldn't help but smile at each other. At that moment, Li Wanqing suddenly realized that Xiao Ping was quite handsome, especially when he smiled, which made her heart beat faster.

Neither of them noticed that just outside the yard, Wang Jian was hiding behind a window, secretly watching them. Seeing Xiao Ping and Li Wanqing chatting happily, this petty man was so angry that he gritted his teeth and muttered to himself, "This can't be. How could my Wanqing like a vegetable grower? No, I have to make this guy pay!"

Xiao Ping didn't know he had become Wang Jian's rival for no reason. In the following days, he devoted himself entirely to tending his vegetable garden. The green vegetables sprouted quickly, and after a week, Xiao Ping carefully mixed a drop of spirit liquid into two large buckets of water and carefully watered each vegetable plant.

The effect of the spirit liquid was even better than Xiao Ping had imagined. After watering the vegetables with the spirit liquid, their growth rate significantly increased, and they grew much larger every day. At this rate, they would be ready for harvest in just a few more weeks. The vegetables not only grew quickly but also looked very good. Each plant was vibrant, with leaves that shone like emerald, and pure white stems that looked like the finest white jade.

Even Liu Jianguo and Wang Fang, who had been farming for decades, praised the vegetables, believing that these "new variety vegetables" would sell for a good price. As Wang Fang put it, such beautiful vegetables would be worth buying even if they couldn't be eaten, as they would look great in a pot at home.

The unexpected effectiveness of the spirit liquid in growing vegetables made Xiao Ping very happy. However, he was also troubled by another problem: the spirit liquid was running out. The demon refining pot could only produce one drop of spirit liquid every three days, and Xiao Ping needed it both to strengthen his body and to water the vegetables, which was far from enough.

However, Xiao Ping was helpless in this situation. He hadn't even figured out all the magical uses of the demon refining pot, so he couldn't think of any way to increase its production of spirit liquid.

In fact, Xiao Ping had spent a lot of effort trying to uncover the secrets of the demon refining pot. Recently, besides tending to his precious vegetables, he had been spending most of his time at the library. However, he found no clues about the demon refining pot in the library, so he turned his attention to the antique market, hoping to hear some legends about it.

One day, Xiao Ping went to the antique market as usual, wandering around, hoping to find some interesting leads. However, after wandering for a while, he found nothing and stood by a stall, feeling discouraged. But just as he stood there, the demon refining pot hanging around his neck began to tremble slightly, which startled him.