Seeing the balance on the screen, the two of them still felt that Lin Xiaolong was trying to deceive them just to put their minds at ease.
It wasn't until Lin Xiaolong explained exactly how everything had happened that the two of them finally accepted the fact, which left them both shocked and thrilled.
"Oh, my dear heaven! Xiaolong, when you said you’d pay back the money within a week, I thought you were just bragging. It’s only the third day, and you’ve already managed to pay it off," Wang Ju said, tears of joy streaming down her face.
"Xiaolong, since you have enough money now, hurry up and call Liu Erhu. Pay him back right in front of the villagers so we don't have any more trouble," Lin Qiusheng urged.
"Dad, there are still four days left. No rush. You can't just give in to scum like that," Lin Xiaolong replied.
"But..." Lin Qiusheng was still uneasy.
"No more 'buts.' From now on, let Xiaolong make the decisions for the family. Our son is far more capable than you are," Wang Ju said with a smile.
"Ahem, alright then," Lin Qiusheng laughed awkwardly.
"Dad, Mom, let me clear your meridians for you. I still have to go to the field after that. Our cherries are just too good; I need to keep a close eye on them. There are plenty of people jealous enough to kill for them," Lin Xiaolong said.
"Xiaolong, you must be careful staying out in the orchard at night," Wang Ju said.
"Don't worry."
Lin Xiaolong immediately used his massage technique, combined with his True Essence, to help his parents clear their meridians.
After that, he headed to the field.
He first filled the water tank to the brim, then diluted the spiritual liquid into the water. He used this to water six more trees. The remaining water was poured specifically at the base of the trees that had been sprayed with Paraquat.
While selling the cherries was important, saving the lives of those trees was equally urgent. If the trees died completely, even this diluted spiritual liquid might not be enough to revive them.
***
**Chapter 36: A-huang the Wolf-Dog**
The sky was still bright; even if someone wanted to cause trouble in the cherry orchard, they wouldn't dare come until the middle of the night.
Lin Xiaolong decided to leave the orchard and head straight for Longyang Mountain.
What used to take two or three hours to reach the summit now took less than one. From the peak, he entered Longyang Cave.
Lin Xiaolong could clearly feel that the spiritual energy inside the cave was much denser than anywhere else. Cultivating here was several times more effective than outside. Furthermore, he had another purpose: to use the jade bottle to absorb the surrounding spiritual energy and condense it into spiritual liquid.
Taking out the jade bottle and removing the stopper, Lin Xiaolong sensed the air carefully. Sure enough, the spiritual energy from all directions began to gather, flowing steadily into the bottle.
Lin Xiaolong smiled knowingly and placed the jade bottle nearby. He sat cross-legged and began to practice the Longyang Formula.
Three hours later, Lin Xiaolong’s eyes snapped open, a brilliant light flashing within them. He had successfully broken through to the second level of the Longyang Formula. Indeed, practicing here yielded twice the result with half the effort—it was immeasurably better than being at home.
He picked up the jade bottle and checked it; a layer of spiritual liquid had already pooled at the bottom. At this rate, by tomorrow morning, the amount would be nearly back to the level it was when he first found the bottle.
Longyang Cave was extremely hidden; it would be very difficult for anyone else to discover it. Checking the time, he saw it was already around 11:00 PM. He decided to leave the jade bottle there, climbed back to the summit, and quickly headed down the mountain.
As he passed through a dense thicket, a pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared in the distance, startling him.
A wolf?
That was his first instinct. Although his current abilities made dealing with a wolf no problem, he still felt a subconscious jolt of fear. However, upon seeing Lin Xiaolong, the owner of those eyes let out a soft whimper, looking just as frightened of him.
A black shape shifted, and the owner of the eyes emerged from the grass. Lin Xiaolong’s eyes were sharp, and he finally made it out: it was just a puppy. It looked frail and sickly; seeing Lin Xiaolong, it seemed hesitant, clearly wanting to approach but not daring to.
"Little one, come here." Lin Xiaolong crouched down and beckoned to the dog.
The puppy looked at him, head tilted, unsure if this person was a friend or a foe. Lin Xiaolong beckoned again: "Come here, come here, I have something good for you."
The puppy seemed to understand the mention of food and trotted over. When it reached him, it rubbed against his pant leg as if begging for affection. Looking at the creature, Lin Xiaolong realized it wasn't a pure breed—it was very likely a cross between a wild wolf and a local farm dog. The little guy had yellow fur and bright, intelligent eyes, but it was nothing but skin and bones, having clearly suffered in the wild.
Lin Xiaolong picked it up and began to stroke its fur from head to tail. The puppy seemed to enjoy the touch, letting out soft whimpers.
"You’ll follow me from now on. You won't survive long in these deep mountains otherwise."
Lin Xiaolong carried the puppy and quickly descended the mountain. Once back, he let it eat its fill. Having eaten, the puppy treated him as its master, running circles around him with joy. Seeing how dirty it was, Lin Xiaolong gave it a bath. Once washed and dried, though it remained thin, it looked much more spirited.
"Haha, you look pretty sharp now. How about I call you A-huang?" Lin Xiaolong asked with a smile.
A-huang ran around him, excited. At first, it didn't understand the name, but after Lin Xiaolong called it a few times, it realized he was talking to it.
"A-huang, you're really smart. Why don't you keep me company at the cherry orchard tonight?"
Lin Xiaolong no longer carried it, letting it follow him to the orchard. Along the way, though A-huang struggled to keep up with his pace, it tried its best and didn't fall behind. When they reached the orchard, the puppy was clearly panting, its stamina still quite weak.
The orchard was silent. Lin Xiaolong let A-huang stay inside the shack by the entrance, and he lay down, falling fast asleep.
In the middle of his sleep, Lin Xiaolong suddenly heard footsteps from a distance. He snapped his eyes open and saw that A-huang was awake too, looking out from the shack with a low, guttural growl.
"Shh!" Lin Xiaolong patted A-huang's head, signaling it to be quiet. As if understanding, the dog crouched down and stayed still.
Lin Xiaolong focused his hearing. The sounds were coming from the path outside, and there was more than one person. His brow furrowed. Was it that wretched woman Wang Yanhong again? Scared half to death yesterday, was she bringing reinforcements today?
Lin Xiaolong had already downloaded that ghostly laughter sound effect onto his phone. He walked out of the shack toward the entrance of the path, and A-huang followed, tail wagging. Just like yesterday, he hid behind a cherry tree and watched the entrance.
Soon, two sneaky figures slipped inside.
"Damn it! That little brat made us suffer so much; today, we're going to kill all his trees."
"Aren't his cherries growing well? I’m going to spray Paraquat all over them. Let’s see if he can sell them then!"
It was Er Lai and Baldy Three. These two must have felt slighted and, not daring to take revenge on Lin Xiaolong directly, decided to sabotage his orchard after hearing his harvest was good. Of course, it was also possible they were being incited by that piece of trash, Liu Erhu.
They were truly people who wouldn't shed a tear until they saw their own coffin.
Lin Xiaolong didn't hesitate. As they walked within ten meters of him, he hit the play button.
Suddenly, a piercing, horrifying ghostly laughter echoed through the orchard. The two, who were busy preparing their sabotage, nearly soiled their pants in fright. Looking ahead, they saw a pair of glowing yellow eyes staring straight at them.
Both let out a shrill, inhuman howl and turned to run for their lives, screaming in terror as if they had gone mad. A-huang wanted to chase after them, but Lin Xiaolong picked the dog up.
"Don't chase them. This is more effective."
With that laughter, he figured the two would have psychological trauma for a long time.
***
**Chapter 37: Don't Tell Me That's Another Sister of Yours?**
Last night it was Wang Yanhong. Tonight it was Er Lai and Baldy Three. A simple ghostly sound effect on a phone had scared them half to death.
Lin Xiaolong thought to himself that he didn't need to keep watch anymore. He could install a motion-sensor security camera and a smart speaker that could be controlled remotely. As soon as the camera detected a person at night, he could trigger the alarm and remotely play the ghostly laugh. After a few times, no one would ever dare come to the orchard to cause trouble again.
A sly smile crossed Lin Xiaolong's face as he took A-huang back to sleep.
By the time he woke up, the sun was already high. Lin Xiaolong had just risen when Lin Xiaoxue arrived on her tricycle.
"Brother, you really did it! You really have these kinds of cherries again," Xiaoxue said, overjoyed as she looked at the large cherries on those six trees.
"Don't worry, I promise that eventually, all the cherries in the orchard will look like these," Lin Xiaolong assured her.
"Hee hee, that's great!"
As she spoke, she began to pick them. Lin Xiaolong quickly joined in.
"Woof! Woof!" A-huang ran up to them, barking happily.
"Oh my, where did this little puppy come from? It's so cute!" Xiaoxue crouched down to pet A-huang, clearly charmed.
"I adopted him last night. Just call him A-huang," Lin Xiaolong said, feeling relieved to see his sister so happy. In the last year, she hadn't laughed as much as she had in these past few days. He was finally able to provide a better life for his parents and sister. He decided that once these few days of busy work were over, he would make sure his sister went back to school. At her age, school was the best choice.
"A-huang, eat a cherry." Xiaoxue held one out to the dog. A-huang took it in its mouth, and the sweetness made its eyes squint with delight.
"A-huang is so fun!" Xiaoxue grabbed a handful of cherries and put them under a tree for the dog to eat, while she and Lin Xiaolong continued to pick.
Before long, Xiangxiu arrived.
"Sister Xiangxiu? Why are you here?" Lin Xiaolong asked, surprised.
"I heard your cherries were ripening beautifully, so I came to help you pick them. What, not welcome?" Xiangxiu said, already reaching out to pick some.
"Of course you're welcome!" Lin Xiaolong was delighted. "Sister Xiangxiu, thank you. Come to our house for lunch."
Though Xiangxiu was a widow, she had always been kind to the Lin family, and Lin Xiaoxue treated her like an older sister.
"Alright," Xiangxiu agreed without hesitation.
"Xiaolong, how did these cherries grow so beautifully? I’ve never seen cherries this good," Xiangxiu said, surprised. She had heard villagers saying that Lin Xiaolong’s family had struck it rich and that their cherries were so good that people from the city drove over just to buy them, but she hadn't believed it. Seeing it now, she knew it was true, and she felt genuinely happy for them.
She knew they were shorthanded, which was why she came to help. As for her own twenty-some cherry trees, they wouldn't be ready for another two weeks, so she wasn't in a rush.
Although Xiangxiu was good to him, Lin Xiaolong couldn't tell her the secret of the spiritual liquid. He used the same excuse he had told Xiaoxue, which managed to brush off her curiosity.
Around 8:00 AM, Su Yaxian arrived at the reservoir in her red Mercedes, accompanied by Zhang Yong in his cargo truck.
"Xiaolong, why are there fewer than yesterday?" Su Yaxian asked after looking at the trees.
"I'm not quite sure, maybe it's the weather," Lin Xiaolong replied vaguely.
"Xiaolong, who is this?" Xiangxiu felt a bit self-conscious seeing Su Yaxian but looked at her bravely. She felt a sense of crisis; this girl was too beautiful, making her feel inferior.
"This is Boss Su, who buys my cherries, Su Yaxian." Lin Xiaolong then introduced them: "And this is my sister Xiangxiu, who is helping us pick."
"Hello, Sister Xiangxiu. You are truly beautiful," Su Yaxian said with a smile.
"Oh no, I'm just a farmhand; I can't compare to you city folks. Look at your skin—so white and delicate. It makes me envious," Xiangxiu replied. She was a kind-hearted woman, and despite her initial apprehension, Su Yaxian’s charm disarmed her, and her fleeting sense of hostility vanished.
With Su Yaxian and Zhang Yong's trucks there, the villagers who had helped yesterday arrived, along with others. Since their own cherries weren't ripe yet, they couldn't make money, so hearing that Lin Xiaolong was paying one hundred yuan for two hours of work made them eager to join in.
Because only six trees were ready, the picking took less than an hour. However, Lin Xiaolong still paid each of the thirty-plus people one hundred yuan, handing out over three thousand yuan in total. The villagers were shocked by his generosity. While they were still jealous of his good cherries, they couldn't help but sing his praises.
"Sister Xiangxiu, I won't give you money now; I'll give you a surprise later," Lin Xiaolong said with a smile.
"What are you saying? If you give me money, I won't help you anymore," Xiangxiu pouted playfully.
Su Yaxian watched the interaction with a faint smile.
"Xiaolong, let's go."
"Alright, Sister Yaxian." Lin Xiaolong agreed, then instructed Xiaoxue: "Have Sister Xiangxiu come to our place for lunch. Make something delicious."
"Don't worry, Brother! I'll slaughter the big rooster for Sister Xiangxiu," Xiaoxue laughed, waving at Su Yaxian: "Goodbye, Sister Yaxian."
"Goodbye, Xiaoxue, Sister Xiangxiu."
Su Yaxian drove off in her Mercedes with Lin Xiaolong, leaving behind the envious stares of the villagers. Zhang Yong’s truck followed behind.
As they reached the village committee area, Lin Xiaolong saw Chen Ying standing by the road, waving at him.
"Sister Yaxian, please stop for a moment," Lin Xiaolong said quickly.
"Don't tell me that's another sister of yours?" Su Yaxian said, speechless. She hadn't expected this small mountain village to have so many beautiful women. Xiaoxue was still just a girl, and Xiangxiu was gorgeous in her own right, but the woman waving at them now—in her thirties, with a charming and mature air—was a total heartbreaker.
"She actually is, and she's taken good care of my family," Lin Xiaolong laughed.
"Sister, what's wrong?" Lin Xiaolong asked as he rolled down the window.
"Xiaolong, I..." Chen Ying looked at Su Yaxian in the driver's seat and hesitated to speak.
"One moment." Lin Xiaolong got out of the car and stepped aside to talk to her.
"Xiaolong, I left in such a hurry yesterday that I didn't bring any clothes. I want to go back and get some, but I'm afraid to go alone. Could you accompany me?" Chen Ying asked.
"No problem, Sister, I'll go with you."
***
**Chapter 38: Being Followed**
"Sister, let me tell Sister Yaxian," Lin Xiaolong said to Chen Ying. He decided to ride in Chen Ying’s car so she would feel secure, but he had to explain it to Su Yaxian to avoid any misunderstanding.
Chen Ying nodded: "Xiaolong, I'm sorry to trouble you again."
"Sister, what are you saying? You've helped my family a lot in the past."
Lin Xiaolong smiled and ran to Su Yaxian's car to explain briefly. Su Yaxian gave him a playful glare: "Fine, protect her, but don't let your 'doctor sister' steal your soul."
Huh? Lin Xiaolong was speechless.
Seeing his awkward expression, Su Yaxian chuckled: "Alright, follow my car."
She started to drive, and Lin Xiaolong quickly hopped into Chen Ying’s car, telling her to follow. Neither of them noticed an inconspicuous SUV following them from a distance.
Inside the SUV sat Liu Erhu, Er Lai, and Baldy Three. Er Lai was driving, and Liu Erhu pulled out his phone and dialed a number: "Brother Daoba, that little woman Chen Ying is driving out of the village. She must be heading back to the county seat."
The person on the other end was indeed Daoba. He was currently lying in the hospital with both arms broken by Lin Xiaolong, unable to cause trouble for the time being. However, Liu Erhu, who ran a karaoke bar in town, was acquaintances with him, and as a well-known local thug, Liu Erhu had always been sucking up to him.