Happy Little Farmer
Chapter 354

Chapter 354: Chapter 354

The destination arrived.

Time seemed to fly by, it felt like Yang Fan and Pan Xiaoxia had only been fooling around for a short while when the car already exited the highway.

After leaving the highway, everyone took a brief rest at the service area and used the restroom before continuing their journey.

Exiting Linjing County, they passed through two small towns before finally reaching their destination.

The terrain 200 kilometers away from Xin’an appeared to be an entirely different world.

The land here consisted more of flat plains with a patchwork of fields of various sizes, some golden yellow, others emerald green.

During this busy farming season, one could see industrious farmers everywhere among the crisscrossing paths of the fields.

Such scenes were seldom seen in Xin’an, where the mountainous terrain forced the agricultural land to be utilized to its maximum. Almost every village had only a small patch of farmland at the foot of the mountains for growing barely enough food for the villagers.

If it were still times when agriculture was the mainstay, Xin’an people would definitely envy these fields for days and nights, and might sneakily ponder the idea of relocating here.

The car stopped in front of a household’s gate.

After getting out of the car, Ma Baoyu excitedly invited Yang Fan and the others to enter the house first.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do; Yang Fan didn’t bother with further pleasantries and, along with Pan Xiaoxia and Zhao Wu, entered the yard.

"You guys have some tea and rest first. I’m going to prepare a chicken for our financier’s father, we’ll be having some authentic free-range chicken from the forest today. I can’t boast about other things, but I do rear very solid chickens, the flavor is absolutely good, just take a seat, yeah!" After pouring three cups of tea for Yang Fan and his companions, Ma Baoyu said with a chuckle.

"Old Ma, there’s no need to go to so much trouble. We should take a look at the herbs first," Yang Fan said.

"What ’Old Ma’, ’Xiao Ma’, I’m Xiao Ma!" Ma Baoyu replied, "Of course we will look at the herbs, but it’s not urgent this very moment, let’s eat first. If you don’t have a meal once you’re here at my house, I would get scolded."

"Who could scold you at your home?" Yang Fan laughed.

"My conscience would scold me. It’s the way we Linjing people host guests," Ma Baoyu grinned wide, "Just sit for a while, I’ll be quick."

Their county is known as Linjing County, a neighbor to the north of Xin’an.

With Ma Baoyu being so hospitable, Yang Fan found it hard to turn him down and agreed.

This meal seemed inevitable.

He would then have to taste this authentic free-range forest chicken.

"This is my first time in Linjing. It’s really quite different from Xin’an," Pan Xiaoxia said, looking around with interest, "His house is so big, looks like it’s just Xiao Ma alone?"

Yang Fan nodded, "Seems like it."

"Xin’an has many mountains, while here there are more plains, mainly focused on grain farming. The difference is indeed quite significant."

Glancing quietly at Zhao Wu across from her, Pan Xiaoxia whispered to Yang Fan, "What are your plans for tonight?"

In her words, Yang Fan sensed her enthusiasm and the desire for more.

"Tonight, we’re staying in the county city," Yang Fan whispered back, "It seems the conditions there should be relatively convenient. The two towns we passed through seemed quite small, and it might not be easy to find a decent place to stay."

"I was talking about what excuse to come up with," Pan Xiaoxia whispered.

Yang Fan smiled, "That reason is quite simple. Since we’ve come all this way, we should also understand the local herb market, and then collect some Codonopsis to fill up Zhao Wu’s car. This little delay will get us into the evening."

"Seems like you do have some quick wit," Pan Xiaoxia whispered with a low chuckle.

Yang Fan chuckled, "Are you complimenting me?"

"Yes, of course I am complimenting you," Pan Xiaoxia replied with a light smile, squinting teasingly at Yang Fan.

Ma Baoyu really was quick at slaughtering chickens.

The three of them were chatting for a short time when Ma Baoyu came in holding two chickens.

"Come on, let’s get the pot on the stove and heat up the oil, time to eat chicken!"

He lifted the chickens for the three to see, announcing cheerfully.

"I’m not good at much, but I can help you make the fire," Yang Fan said with a smile.

"That’s good, that’s good. I’m pretty good at most things, but I can’t control the fire when lighting it," Ma Baoyu said with a grin, showing his teeth.

Pan Xiaoxia teased, "With you two like this, wouldn’t it be perfect if you lived together?"

"No way!" Ma Baoyu immediately shook his head and said, "It would be a disaster if two pros lived together. If things went south, it could lead to war, people could get hurt."

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?" Yang Fan said with a headache, shaking his head.

The topic was a bit too much for him, a proper young man.

"I’m good at fanning the flames, wonder if there’s a role for me?" Zhao Wu suddenly said.

The brooding truck prince spoke with a cigarette in hand and a light, melancholy tone, as if he had said something very philosophical.

Everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

"My home’s air vent works really well, so it seems a bit redundant to fan the flames," Ma Baoyu joked.

As they talked, he efficiently cleaned the chicken meat and then began preparing the side dishes.

Just then, a woman with short hair walked in.

Her eyes were captivating, casting a mischievous and slightly vexing charm with just a glance.

She surveyed everyone there and said, "Ma Baoyu, you have guests!"

Seeing the woman, Ma Baoyu’s expression instantly soured as he spoke indifferently, "If your eyes aren’t blind, you should be able to see that I’m entertaining guests."

"With your wasteful culinary skills, are you sure you can take care of your guests? Maybe beg me to help, and I’ll cook the meal for you," the woman said with a smile.

"Thanks but no thanks. No need to trouble yourself, please hurry back home. I don’t have time to bicker with you today," Ma Baoyu responded.

The woman ignored Ma Baoyu completely and sat down next to Pan Xiaoxia, asking, "Sis, you’re from out of town, right?"

Pan Xiaoxia was a bit confused by the situation, but still nodded and said, "Actually, not exactly from out of town, just from the neighboring county."

"Oh, that’s not too far then," the woman commented. "You’re not relatives of Ma Baoyu’s family, are you?"

"Hey, hey, hey, don’t be so nosy. If you have nothing better to do, then hurry on back to your own place!" Ma Baoyu shouted.

The woman’s eyes narrowed instantly, "Ma Baoyu, you good-for-nothing, talk nonsense again and I’ll tear that mouth of yours, what’s the problem with me chatting with them?"

"No way, these are my guests," Ma Baoyu yelled, "Get going, get going, you’re an eyesore."