Chapter 21: Haste Makes Waste

  The spring water did not disappoint Xiao Ping. A day later, the seeds sprouted, and then grew rapidly at an astonishing speed. In just a week's time, all the vegetables had grown to the height of a palm. All kinds of vegetables were growing well, and the large fields were lush and green, pleasing to the eye.

  Xiao Ping invited workers who were all old farmers who had been farming for most of their lives, but even they had never seen vegetables grow so well. These old farmers all sighed with emotion, feeling that nowadays even farming has to be scientific, and look at how good these "high-tech vegetable seeds" have grown!

  The result of this attempt was so perfect that it made Xiao Ping extremely happy. This way, he could save the precious spiritual liquid and use it in other places where it was needed more. Xiao Ping did not know that the Alchemy Cauldron was originally a treasure left by the ancient immortals, which would greatly benefit the cultivators who took it to improve their cultivation. Even ordinary people who took it could cure diseases, strengthen their bodies, and prolong their lives. But Xiao Ping actually used this treasure to grow vegetables, which was absolutely a waste of heaven's gift. If that immortal were to find out, he would definitely be so angry that he would come down to the mortal world to settle accounts with him.

  That night, it was time for the Ling Yao Hu to produce spiritual liquid again. Xiao Ping continued to take the spiritual liquid as usual.

  Xiao Ping was well aware that his physical condition had improved significantly recently, and he could even take down six people with one punch, all thanks to the spiritual liquid. He also wanted to know how much benefit the spiritual liquid could bring him, and whether it would ultimately allow him to live forever like in legend. Since vegetables didn't need to be watered with spiritual liquid, Xiao Ping thought he could take a few more drops to strengthen his body. Unlike before, when he only took two drops and stopped, this time he continued pouring the spiritual liquid into his mouth. However, after taking the fifth drop of spiritual liquid, something unexpected happened.

  The original warm and cozy feeling of taking the spiritual liquid suddenly changed, replaced by unbearable heat and scorching. Xiao Ping felt a high-temperature steam rushing into his body, as if it was going to scald his internal organs. What's even more terrifying is that this steam is still expanding, and Xiao Ping now feels like a balloon, which may burst into pieces at any moment with a loud "pop".

  "It's true that impatience will not get you there, it seems like I'm going to be unlucky this time!" This was the last thought that flashed through Xiao Ping's mind before he fainted.

  Xiao Ping woke up again to find it was already daylight. He hastily sat up and saw the Lian Yao Hu beside him, only then did he put his mind at ease. Recalling last night's ordeal, Xiao Ping couldn't help but still feel a lingering fear. It seemed that although this spiritual liquid was good, its dosage absolutely could not exceed the body's capacity to withstand it, otherwise the consequences would be very severe.

  Xiao Ping carefully hid the Lian Yao Hu close to his body, stood up and stretched his waist to loosen his muscles, and found that his body seemed to be more agile, and his spirit had improved a lot. He couldn't help but mutter to himself: "It seems that last night's bitter head wasn't eaten in vain, at least it still has some effect."

  But even so, Xiao Ping did not dare to overdose on the spiritual liquid again. After all, the Lian Yao Hu produced spiritual liquid every three days, why rush and risk his life?

  At this point, the vegetable garden no longer needs spiritual liquid, and Xiao Ping is also thinking of developing new uses for spiritual liquid. The effect of spiritual liquid on humans and plants is no longer in doubt, it's just unknown whether it has the same effect on other animals. Xiao Ping's gaze inadvertently fell on the pond in front of the small building, and he immediately had an idea.

  Xiao Ping's small building was the former village committee, and at that time Zhong Shengli built a pool in front of the building to raise goldfish for so-called feng shui. Now the village committee has moved away, and no one takes care of the goldfish in the pool, which have died leaving only four left, and they are all sick and won't live much longer.

  "Let's try it on the fish and see if it works." Seeing that there was no one around, Xiao Ping poured a drop of spiritual liquid into the water tank.

  Xiao Ping rented ten mu of land, but only took out eight mu to grow vegetables, and originally planned to use the remaining land for other purposes. If it is confirmed that the spiritual liquid is also useful for fish, then change these few mu of land into a fish pond and raise the most expensive fish! Under the effect of the spiritual liquid, ordinary green vegetables can sell for dozens of yuan per kilogram, and the raised fish will undoubtedly be more valuable.

  The essence entered the pool and quickly dispersed, two pairs of goldfish originally just lazily swimming at the edge of the pool suddenly became spirited. They were seen flipping up and down in the water, splashing white foam everywhere, and the originally lifeless pool was soon filled with vitality.

  Now, Xiao Ping's eyesight is much sharper than ordinary people. Even through the water flowers, he can clearly see the goldfish in the pool and find that they are undergoing obvious changes. The originally thin fish body has become significantly fuller, and the dull flower patterns on the fish have become more vibrant. The red, white, and black colors are intertwined, making them much more beautiful than before. What's even more exaggerated is that Xiao Ping found that the whiskers at the corners of the goldfish's mouth had grown a lot, swaying slightly in the water with the movement of the goldfish. In short, the goldfish looks completely different from before, whether in appearance or spirit, and has already become "two fish".

  Xiao Ping didn't think the spiritual liquid would have such a good effect on fish, and he muttered to himself as he watched the colorful carp swimming happily in the water: "Just one drop of spiritual liquid has this effect, if I add a few more drops, these carp will all turn into dragons!"

  Since ancient times, there has been a legend about carp turning into dragons, which is called "carp jumping over the dragon gate". In fact, Xiao Ping's guess was not wrong, and the spiritual liquid really had the effect of transforming carp into dragons. However, it's not easy for fish to turn into dragons, and at the current rate of production of spiritual liquid by the Lian Yao Hu, it would take at least several hundred years to be enough.

  However, Xiao Ping did not want to cultivate a few legendary dragons, but just wanted to raise some high-quality and fast-growing fish to make money. From the situation of the goldfish, it only takes a small amount of spiritual liquid to achieve this.

  Just as Xiao Ping was considering the fish farming plan, a villager who worked on the farm found him. This villager was the one who first expressed his willingness to work hard, surnamed Wang, and everyone called him Wang Dapao. Although this man's temper was somewhat urgent, he was good at farming, and he took care of the farm's affairs very much. Xiao Ping let him be in charge of the farm's daily affairs.

  Wang Dapao asked Xiao Ping somewhat awkwardly: "Boss, I have a few things to discuss with you, okay?"

  Xiao Ping said bluntly: "No problem, go ahead."

  "Boss, with the weather about to cool down, I think we should first build the vegetable greenhouse. This way, we can still grow vegetables in winter. Also, everyone has been idle for a few days now, and if you agree, we'd like to tidy up the mountain area behind us. That way, if we want to plant fruit trees on the mountain in winter, we won't be delayed."

  Wang Dapao's words made Xiao Ping somewhat unexpected, didn't think he still had a strong sense of ownership and planned for the future of the farm quite thoroughly. Since Wang Dapao was thinking about the farm, Xiao Ping also went along with it: "Your suggestion is good, this afternoon I'll find someone to contact about building a greenhouse. As for planting fruit trees on the mountain...I think I'll ask, what do people around here usually plant?"

  "Think about it, just peaches and tangerines and the like, a year's harvest can earn one or two thousand per mu of land!"

  "I see." Xiao Ping thought for a moment and said, "I'll have to think about what kind of fruit trees to plant later. First, let's get the greenhouse done. When building the greenhouse, you must help me keep an eye on it, I'm completely inexperienced in this area. If there's time in the next two days, let's clear up a few acres of mountain land first."

  Seeing that the boss had adopted his suggestion, Wang Dapao was also very happy and smiled foolishly at Xiao Ping: "Don't worry, with me Wang Dapao here, I guarantee there won't be any problems!"

  Xiao Ping contacted several companies that build vegetable greenhouses in the afternoon and found out that the cost of building a greenhouse is not cheap either. Each square meter costs more than 20 yuan, and for more than 7 mu of land, it would cost nearly 100,000 yuan. However, vegetable greenhouses are basic infrastructure, and if you want to plant vegetables on a large scale without building one, it's impossible. Xiao Ping could only grit his teeth and make a decision, and the other party promised to start work within three days and complete everything within ten days at most.

  After agreeing on the time to build a vegetable greenhouse, Xiao Ping discovered a serious problem - he had no money again. Although he made 200,000 yuan by selling ginseng before, he spent 100,000 yuan renting land, more than 80,000 yuan building the greenhouse, and some other expenses, so Xiao Ping became poor again.

  Buying fruit tree seedlings and building a fish pond have also been put on the agenda, all of which require spending money, forcing Xiao Ping to think of ways to make money. After thinking about it, Xiao Ping still pinned his hopes on ginseng, but this time he didn't plan to sell it in the local city, instead wanting to go to the provincial capital to try his luck.

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