Chapter 18

With a local tough leading the way, Qi Ping now had a better understanding of San Diego. Although Amar was just a street character, he seemed to have some rather complex social connections. However, it was still good; Amar was very enthusiastic and worth chatting with.

It is often said that the most loyal are often the lowly, and the most unfaithful are often the educated; although this saying may not be entirely correct, sometimes one has to admit that some of the lower-level people care more about righteousness. Qi Ping didn't necessarily want to get involved in the underworld or have any connections with those people, but meeting a friend who seemed decent, he felt it was worth talking to him.

"In a couple of days, I'll bring my car over, and I hope you can help me fix it up. Buddy, I've only had this car for less than a month, and I want it to look even more stylish when it comes out." Qi Ping was in a great mood. He had walked around the streets with Amar and Steve and even visited a nightclub, gaining some new insights. Qi Ping still needed to go back.

"Qi, I can guarantee that your new car will make you feel like you're seeing it for the first time! Remember to summarize your requirements for the car, and I'll take care of everything." Amar smiled and bumped fists with Qi Ping as they said goodbye. This interesting Chinese guy seemed like a decent person, and Amar wouldn't mind having more friends.

"Qi, get ready; we'll head to your forest in a couple of days." Steve also said goodbye to Qi Ping. They had played all day, mostly just walking around with the local tough Amar, which was nice. However, Steve still had some ideas, like spending a fun weekend at Qi Ping's forest with his friends.

"No problem, have you seen my hunting dogs? They've already managed to tear the leather sofa. They can't wait to get out." Qi Ping laughed heartily but also felt a bit sorry. Puppies are always mischievous and active. He had brought them over to prevent them from causing trouble, but a moment of carelessness in the car allowed them to scratch the back of the sofa.

He had a good night's sleep, from night to morning. The spiritual energy was becoming more abundant, partly because Qi Ping had set up an array in his house. Although developing the ranch was very important, improving his quality of life was equally important to Qi Ping, and these two goals were not contradictory.

After washing up, he made himself a nice breakfast: a large bowl of oatmeal and a bowl of beef stir-fried with potatoes. Breakfast was almost done. Qi Ping didn't care if it was greasy; he needed more energy, and his appetite was huge.

There was a small lawn in front of the house, which looked very nice. After finishing breakfast, it was natural to do some light exercise. Although Qi Ping was in an environment with the most abundant spiritual energy, it didn't make him completely satisfied. He still had good self-discipline. The cultivation techniques he had learned from his senior were never abandoned. Although they didn't give him any supernatural abilities or the ability to walk on walls, they made his body better, and that was enough for him.

"South Wind or West Wind, be a bit more obedient. I've told you many times, if you need to go to the bathroom, go outside. Look at how dirty the house is." Qi Ping was a bit helpless. Many people know that dogs are loyal, but raising them can be very troublesome, especially with these puppies who can't be scolded much.

Qi Ping was practicing boxing and some cultivation techniques to improve his body and mind, while the four puppies, East, South, West, and North, were running around happily. Although they were only two months old and still had the cute, chubby appearance of puppies, they were well-fed and played very happily, so they were growing quickly, thanks to the abundant spiritual energy in the forest.

The three arrays Qi Ping had set up were targeted: two in the vegetable garden and one in his residence. This ensured that the current benefits were maximized, and he didn't waste any resources. Good steel is used on the blade, and this was something Qi Ping was quite proud of. As for setting up arrays to absorb spiritual energy throughout the entire forest, he didn't have the capital for that yet, so it was better to be low-key.

Qi Ping was living very comfortably and contentedly. The development of the forest was going very smoothly, even exceeding his expectations. Although Qi Ping couldn't continue to spend money recklessly and had to be more careful with every dollar, he knew that he would soon be making money.

"Little Boss Qi, you seem to be in a good mood." Huang Siqing was also in a good mood. Although the work in the forest was not easy, working here was definitely not easy, but the most important thing was that the boss was straightforward and paid well, which was enough.

"I am in a good mood; I'm about to get rich. Uncle Huang, you and Uncle Zhao need to work harder and open up the rest of the vegetable garden." Qi Ping was ambitious. Just a few acres of lettuce were far from enough; he needed to do better.

Recently, Qi Ping had been applying for organic vegetable certification, and the results were very good.

Although the United States has very strict regulations for agricultural product certification, involving multiple departments such as the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Food Safety and Inspection Service, it was no problem for Qi Ping. He believed in his products.

Now Qi Ping was getting more ambitious. Organic vegetable certification was a piece of cake for him; as long as the vegetables were fully mature, there was no problem. He wanted to go for the high-end and head straight for the USDA!

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) is composed of different fields such as organic agricultural production, consumption, trade management, research, and certification, mainly helping the Department of Agriculture to set standards for organic vegetables. They were currently facing some challenges and were working with the National Organic Program (NOP) to study a problem they had never encountered before.

Qi Ping applied for the USDA, the most authoritative organic certification in the United States, which is the USDA standard set by the Department of Agriculture. The USDA standard is extremely strict, so there are only fifty farms in the entire United States that have received the USDA standard, and fewer than a hundred worldwide. This means that only the top-tier farms can achieve this status, producing the best vegetables.

Qi Ping seemed to be making a big profit; he was secretly rejoicing. Now that he understood the standards for organic vegetable certification, he was ready to take action. He wanted to show the Americans that the best vegetables are easy to grow. The strictest USDA standard was no problem for him; his vegetables could fully meet the requirements.

"They are probably coming in the next few days. The people from the Department of Agriculture will be running around. When they come to our forest, they'll act like they've never seen anything before. Let them do their thing; Little Boss Qi just needs to wait for the money. Once your forest is certified, the price of the forest will skyrocket. Such a good forest is always in high demand." Huang Siqing felt full of energy. If Qi Ping's farm was certified, he would also benefit, as this boss was not stingy.

Qi Ping was very happy. The bigger the fuss, the more beneficial it was for him. Clearly, Qi Ping was about to make a big profit because his forest was the most valuable, with the best environment. This was value, immense value!

"So, we common people, are really happy today..." Qi Ping was very happy because he received a call. The USDA certification was a big deal, requiring a lot of effort. Now, a joint inspection team was coming, which was enough to make Qi Ping very happy.

Perhaps it wouldn't succeed on the first try because the production facilities or the soil where the crops were grown had not been free of chemical substances for at least three years. However, even if the first application failed, it would still show that Qi Ping had more opportunities. His forest was already one of the top-tier farms in the United States, at least in terms of hardware.