Chapter 82

Qiping is actually still very busy now; Kate still needs to continue working. Qiping also needs to start managing the forest. Life and work are both important. Even though the two of them would like to be together all the time, there are still some things that need to be handled properly.

The order has been placed, and it will take about a week for the helicopter to be delivered. Before that, Qiping needs to make some preparations for the helicopter.

The helipad is very important. Even if it’s just a relatively ordinary helicopter, the necessary preparations still need to be made. The helipad is important, and Qiping has hired a professional construction team. This can't be taken lightly, not just because Qiping isn't short of money, but also because safety issues can't be overlooked.

Not only the helipad, but a warehouse is also needed. Helicopters are quite delicate and can't be left exposed to the elements. A simple warehouse will do, which can serve as a hangar. It’s not necessarily much more expensive than a modern garage, and Qiping knows it won’t cost much.

Qiping made another trip to San Diego, but this time it wasn't to see his girlfriend. Qiping needed a beginner-level diving set to develop Lake Muse, and he needed to set up a spirit-gathering array. At this point, Qiping needed to dive to ensure the array's operation.

It wasn't like a deep-sea exploration; it was just a few meters deep in a small lake, so there wasn't much danger. Not only because the water was shallow, but also because there were no dangers in the small lake. So Qiping just learned the basics of the diving equipment and its working principles, and then he returned to the forest.

The professional construction team arrived, and buying the helicopter was a good move. The maintenance, regular inspections, and other services are handled by the manufacturer, so Qiping doesn't need to worry too much about these things.

"Right here, the helipad doesn't need to be too big, just for a small helicopter." Qiping gestured slightly, choosing a flat area about 100 meters from the house for the helipad. The hangar will also be built here.

"OK, Mr. Qi, we will complete the work as soon as possible." The construction team leader patted his chest, guaranteeing it. This is just a small project and won't take long.

Since there were no issues with the construction team, Qiping took his group of little followers and prepared to go home. This made the construction workers whistle in amazement. Rich people are really strange, keeping so many exotic pets. Two chimpanzees, two parrots, four dogs, and even a little black bear!

There was also a horse, Black Coal. Although he has a bad temper with others, he gets along well with Qiping. Black Coal is almost fully grown, and long-distance riding is a bit strenuous, but he can still practice a bit. Wearing riding gear and getting used to it is what Black Coal needs to do now.

Qiping drove his dune buggy, with the little black bear Winnie sitting in the passenger seat. Liangshanbo and Zhu Yingtai, the two parrots, proudly stood on the steel frame outside. As for Konggang, he now prefers riding the horse. Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei happily ran behind.

Seeing Qiping's trip, it was really exaggerated, with a large group of strange little followers.

Since there was nothing urgent, the dune buggy could go slowly, treating it as a combination of sightseeing and work. Qiping was very relaxed, and the time spent in the forest was naturally very pleasant. He was enjoying his leisurely and comfortable life.

Just arriving at the small lake, looking at the clear water, Qiping smiled smugly. The water quality of the lake was excellent, with no pollution. This saved Qiping a lot of trouble, as he didn't need to worry about lake management or dredging the lake bottom.

With a 'splash,' Winnie jumped into the lake. Qiping gritted his teeth; bears actually like playing in the water. Winnie could swim a bit, and with the shallow water and a reliable big brother nearby, Winnie naturally had a great time.

This time, Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei also jumped into the water; they could swim too. Only Konggang was anxiously pounding his chest on the shore, not wanting to swim yet. Black Coal was leisurely eating grass, not interested in swimming.

Liangshanbo and Zhu Yingtai were jealous, squawking loudly. But they knew their limits; swimming wasn't their thing, so they just flapped their wings to practice flying.

"Huh, there are fish here?" Qiping was surprised. It was normal for a large lake to have fish. Qiping was surprised because the fish that just surfaced seemed to be salmon or largemouth bass. These are freshwater fish, and Qiping knew that salmon can survive in freshwater.

Qiping was stunned. He didn't think the lake had no fish. With such good water quality, even wild fish like carp would be present. Although Americans don't like freshwater fish much, it doesn't mean there are no freshwater fish in America.

"Could it be that the previous forest owner raised fish here? That would be a bonus, saving me some trouble." Qiping thought this was hard to say. Having some fish is fine, but it doesn't matter if there aren't any. For Qiping, this doesn't affect his plans to develop Lake Muse.

Salmon and largemouth bass are freshwater fish, but Americans also like them. They just don't like fish with many bones and think that carp and silver carp, among other Asian fish, have a strong earthy flavor. It's also possible that Americans just don't know how to cook these fish.

Feeling very good, Qiping thought he needed to reconsider and remeasure the beautiful small lake. He needed to know more about the lake because he was about to set up the array.

"The two pieces of jade are both good. The small lake needs one, so I'll use the larger piece. It's of good quality, and it will save me a lot of trouble. The smaller piece, I'll put it on the mountain." Qiping felt that as the forest owner, the forest was more important. Although he wouldn't develop the entire forest, he needed to make some efforts.

Qiping knew that the array near his house was excellent, with abundant spiritual energy. The wild animals in the forest didn't dare to come close, largely because there were no trees around the house, and the edge of the array was the forest.

Now, Qiping planned to do something at the edge of the forest, opening up a small piece of mountain land to plant some fruit trees or other valuable timber. This was very meaningful.

"Qiping, are you still planning the development of the forest?" Kate was in a good mood after work. Although it took an hour to drive, being with her boyfriend made her feel that the daily commute was worth it.

"Yes, I think I didn't pay enough attention to the forest before. You know, I saw salmon or bass in Lake Muse, which I never noticed before." Qiping smiled, kissed Kate, and then showed her some of his plans.

This was a model of the forest, with nearly 1,100 acres (6,700 mu) of land that hadn't been changed. The 260 acres (1,600 mu) of farmland below the mountain, excluding the 30 acres of Lake Muse, had 700 acres of vegetable fields and some undeveloped areas, leaving about 500 acres of land.

Basically, it was around Lake Muse, which was Qiping's next development plan.

This small forest model well demonstrated the current development level of the forest. Qiping patiently explained the forest's situation to Kate. For example, the development plans for Lake Muse and the reserved land. Apart from setting up the array, Qiping almost shared all his ideas with Kate.

Each small marker indicated the use of the land, and Qiping was quite proud. Now he could more easily act as a designer and fully develop the forest.