Chapter 23

After Liu Juyi finished speaking, she quickly tidied up the bowls and chopsticks, put them in the basket, and carried it out the door. The old yellow dog, which had been lying on the ground, stood up and followed her out. However, it was called back by Wang Xiaoqiang.

The old yellow dog was raised by Wang Xiaoqiang, so it naturally listened to him.

Wang Xiaoqiang stood on the second floor of the old village committee building, leaning on the railing, watching his sister-in-law Liu Juyi walk away. He didn't收回 his gaze until her graceful figure disappeared into the village.

The old yellow dog had already returned to the house and lay down on the ground again.

Now, the old yellow dog was becoming less and less active, lying down all day. It only barked when strangers came to the house, otherwise, it was silent, like an old man on the verge of death.

Wang Xiaoqiang returned to the house and looked at the old and frail yellow dog. He squatted down in front of it and stroked its body. The old yellow dog licked Wang Xiaoqiang's hand and then closed its eyes, looking very content.

Wang Xiaoqiang felt both amused and exasperated, thinking to himself, "I asked you to guard the grain, not to sleep all day."

But then he thought, the old yellow dog was indeed old and could no longer handle the responsibility.

Wang Xiaoqiang stared at the old yellow dog, examining it and stroking its body. Suddenly, his fingertips emitted five strands of green energy. As his fingers moved back and forth, the energy continuously flowed into the old yellow dog's body.

The old yellow dog's body involuntarily trembled. Then, it let out a low, contented bark. After half a minute, Wang Xiaoqiang's hand had moved over the old yellow dog's body and he withdrew it.

The old yellow dog suddenly opened its eyes, and the once cloudy eyes now shone with a sharp light. It sprang up as if it had suddenly become young again, moving very agilely and looking very strong. It shook its head, and the fur around its neck stood up, showing a bit of ferocity and menace.

Without Wang Xiaoqiang's command, it walked out of the house on its own, leaped onto the stairs, and then jumped down to the ground floor. It began to patrol the old village committee courtyard, ears perked up, eyes shining with a deep vigilance.

Not only had it become young again, but it seemed to be able to sense its master's thoughts.

Wang Xiaoqiang watched the old yellow dog, feeling surprised and delighted. When he had infused the wood-type spiritual energy into the old yellow dog, he had only wanted to give it some vitality. After all, he had raised it for nearly eight years and had developed feelings for it. He hadn't expected that the old yellow dog would seem to have returned to its youth, not only becoming lively but also seeming to understand his intentions and patrolling on its own.

As the sun set and the sky gradually darkened, Wang Xiaoqiang watched the old yellow dog patrol the courtyard in the dim light, like a loyal guard. He smiled happily and went back to the house to sleep soundly.

Throughout the night, he could hear the old yellow dog barking fiercely, its powerful barks echoing through the fields.

Under the old yellow dog's watch, there had been no theft for a week.

Wang Xiaoqiang sold his sesame and soybeans one after another. Compared to corn, he had planted less sesame and soybeans, but the selling price was still quite good. He sold them for a total of over 32,000 yuan. A rough calculation showed that the money he had spent on leasing the land had been recovered.

His funds had returned to 80,000 yuan. Wang Xiaoqiang deposited this 80,000 yuan into his agricultural bank credit card, which allowed him to withdraw and use it at any time.

After selling the sesame and soybeans, the crops in the fields were gradually harvested. With the harvest of these two crops, the prices of sesame and soybeans dropped, but the price of corn, which had a relatively poor harvest, continued to rise.

This situation was exactly as Wang Xiaoqiang had previously analyzed, so he became even less eager to sell the corn.

However, with the arrival of the autumn planting season, he had to get busy again. He had to plan the 40 acres of leased land. After several days of consideration, Wang Xiaoqiang decided to plant all 40 acres with Yu Bamboo Yam.

Yu Bamboo Yam is the best variety of yam, even better than the iron stick yam. It is called Yu Bamboo Yam because the yam grows long and straight like bamboo, with a color like ancient white jade. The price of Yu Bamboo Yam has always been high because it can only grow in Huagui County in the entire country. In the vast Huagui County, only the soil in the Qingshan Town area, where the Sanmiao Village is located, is suitable for growing Yu Bamboo Yam.

Moreover, after a plot of land has grown a crop of Yu Bamboo Yam, the soil's nutrients are greatly depleted, and it must be left fallow for three years before it can be planted again. During these three years, other crops can be planted, but their yields will certainly be poor.

Thus, Yu Bamboo Yam is destined to be rare, which is why its price has always been high and continues to rise. Currently, the price of Yu Bamboo Yam has soared to over 80 yuan per kilogram.

Although the price of Yu Bamboo Yam is high, the villagers in the surrounding area are still unwilling to plant it. The reason is that the yield of Yu Bamboo Yam is low, and it takes two years to mature in the local climate. After that, it cannot be planted again for three years, which means it takes five years to produce one crop.

Five years for one crop—let alone Yu Bamboo Yam, even precious ginseng would not be worth planting. However, some people do plant it on small plots of land, but large-scale planting is extremely rare.

When Wang Xiaoqiang told his father, Wang Kuishan, about his plan, Wang Kuishan immediately opposed it, saying, "Xiaoqiang, are you crazy? Planting all 40 acres with Yu Bamboo Yam, which takes two years to mature, can you guarantee that there will be no drought or pests during these two years?"

"Father, I've already made up my mind. This afternoon, I'm going to the county to buy high-quality seeds. You can go to the old village committee to keep an eye on things for a day..."

The gate of the old village committee building had not been built yet, and a large amount of corn was stored there, so someone had to watch it every day.

"Alright!" Seeing that his son had made up his mind, Wang Kuishan sighed heavily and said, "You go ahead, I'll keep an eye on it."

Seeing that his father had agreed, Wang Xiaoqiang also told his sister-in-law, Liu Juyi, that she didn't need to bring food today.

When Liu Juyi heard that Wang Xiaoqiang was going to the county to buy seeds, she was both surprised and delighted. "That's perfect, I also need to go to the county to buy a couple of clothes. Let's go together!"

Wang Xiaoqiang hadn't expected that Liu Juyi would also go to the county and wanted to go with him, which made him feel a bit uncomfortable, but he had to agree to go together.

Liu Juyi quickly tidied up and followed Wang Xiaoqiang out. She wore a pink sweatshirt and, for the first time, a white floral skirt that barely covered her knees, revealing a pair of slender white legs.

As the saying goes, "A person is dressed up, and a Buddha is gilded." Although she had only slightly dressed up, her demeanor was completely different. Her already beautiful face now looked even more noble. She seemed to have transformed from a simple girl into a refined lady, attracting the attention of everyone in the village as they walked.

However, Wang Xiaoqiang didn't dare to look at Liu Juyi, afraid that his gaze would linger and he wouldn't be able to look away. He also didn't walk beside her, deliberately keeping a certain distance to avoid gossip. Liu Juyi, being considerate, didn't walk beside her brother-in-law but followed two steps behind, like a young wife, closely trailing behind him.