Mountain Looting: Targeted by a Leopard at the Start
Chapter 142: The Farmer Next Door is a Master!

Chapter 142: Chapter 142: The Farmer Next Door is a Master!

The students from Agricultural University were wailing all over the place.

Xu Yang watched with interest on the side.

Some of the crops they planted turned out well, others not so much.

For example, one guy claimed he was growing mushrooms, but upon inspection, there was nothing but a patch of moist soil—no mushrooms in sight.

The teacher was baffled.

"Where are the mushrooms you planted?"

asked the teacher.

Clutching a spade, the student dug into the soil with an expression of slight despair and explained:

"Teacher, they’re in the ground, you see, the mycelium has formed, but the mushrooms just won’t grow, I don’t know what’s going on."

Indeed, there were mycelium-like substances in the soil he’d uncovered, but no fully formed mushrooms.

The other students gathered around, some curious about why they wouldn’t grow, others snickering at the misfortune.

"No mushrooms, no points," the teacher replied.

"But don’t lose heart, this semester is just practice, it doesn’t count towards your course grade, you can still get points if you grow them next semester."

Then the teacher moved on to inspect the crops of another student.

Having spotted the problem, Xu Yang waited until the teacher had left and then turned to the student:

"You need to punch holes, or the mushrooms won’t come out. There’s too much moisture in the ground right now; if you squeeze the mycelium, it’s all water."

"I’ll tell you what you should do."

He took a small shovel, and instead of using it to dig, he used the handle to stab into the earth, creating a round hole.

He then made round holes around the area where he had planted the mycelium.

"Just like this, make some holes, and in about two or three days, there should be mushrooms sprouting."

Xu Yang told him.

With Xu Yang’s guidance, the student felt as if he had found a savior.

A few other students who witnessed this also took Xu Yang’s words to heart.

These students all knew that Xu Yang was the farmer of the adjacent farm and had a grass project in cooperation with the school. His planting skills were very high.

"Alright, I’ll give it a try."

"The teacher comes once a week to give grades. I’ll talk to the teacher in a moment and ask them to wait before grading me."

The student who was growing mushrooms thanked Xu Yang sincerely.

He had put a lot of effort into those mushrooms, painstakingly applying fertilizer to the soil."

Yet, there were no mushrooms.

The mycelium had developed underground, but not a single mushroom showed up.

It was infuriating.

Now with just a simple poke in the ground and a few round holes, Xu Yang had solved the problem that had troubled him for two weeks.

Indeed, nothing’s difficult to the person who knows how.

At this point, no one knew whether Xu Yang’s method would be effective or not.

However, word of the incident spread among the students.

Xu Yang saw that the student’s expression was one of sheer frustration; he could tell that the mushrooms had nearly driven him to the brink, so he kindly offered advice.

It’s a joy to help others.

These students were indeed worth helping.

An expert finds it amusing to watch a novice try farming.

Especially when fruits failed to grow for various reasons, Xu Yang learned a lot from their experiences.

Of course, there were also outstanding individuals, like Liu Wu from their college, who grew tomatoes that turned out quite well, and they were the golden variety that tasted even better.

Liu Wu even picked one for Xu Yang, who found it very good.

Life went on like this.

Until two days later.

The students from Agricultural University were back at the experimental fields to work.

The student growing mushrooms went first thing to check on them.

When he saw the small mushroom heads poking out of the holes he’d made, he danced with excitement, shouting with tears in his eyes:

"They’ve grown! They really have!"

"My mushrooms!"

The people from the college understood why he was so excited.

Previously, when it was time for the mushrooms to appear and there was no sign of them, the student was very anxious.

He tried various methods, added more fertilizer, but nothing worked.

He was so worried he could neither eat nor sleep, just wondering why mushrooms weren’t growing in his plot.

Then, Xu Yang showed up one day, and with a few casual pokes in the ground, he made several holes.

Just two days later and the mushrooms were growing.

The weight in his heart was finally lifted.

Seeing this, the other students discussed among themselves:

"They have really grown! That farmer is amazing!"

"Brother Yang is really skilled; our research institute even collaborates with him, and I heard that professors specifically seek him out!"

"He’s only a few years older than us, how can he be so capable!"

"Seems like he just graduated from college this year, but his farming skills are top-notch."

"Next year’s practical courses, I’ll have to ask him for help."

The students were visibly excited.

To meet a real master.

Who would have thought the farmer next to the test field was such a pro?

This definitely called for seeking his advice.

Xu Yang didn’t know that his reputation among the students had exploded; he was still busy with his own work on the farm.

Every day, he would move around the greenhouse, calling on Li Shan to help whenever there was work to do.

He hardly ever took a break.

However, most of his energy was focused on the greenhouse; he didn’t pay much attention to the potato field outside, letting the potatoes grow on their own.

Potatoes: Guess I’m the stepchild, huh!

In fact, the potatoes were nearly ripe and just needed to grow freely.

By the time National Day arrived, it was probably time to dig up the potatoes.

The farm was still bustling.

The pets ran about every day.

Two dogs, a horse, and a Sika deer.

To be honest, Xu Yang sometimes felt like he had raised four dogs.

Anyway, they all had similar dispositions and came over whenever he called.

However, the black horse only obeyed him when he was around, maintaining a cool distance with others.

The black horse was now very happy on the farm, running about cheerfully every day.

This reminded Xu Yang of a parable.

It was about a man who had two swift horses, and he kept them together, only to find both horses getting thinner and sustaining hidden injuries over time.

After asking someone to look into it, he was advised to separate the two horses and feed them apart from each other, with a wall built between their troughs so they wouldn’t eat grass from the same one.

The man did as he was told, and sure enough, both swift horses grew plump and strong, their health improving steadily.

The story illustrated that a task given to one capable person was enough, but assigning it to two capable people could lead to issues.

It also subtly indicated that swift horses didn’t like living with other horses and despised competition between superior horses.

They preferred the feeling of being outstanding on their own.

That’s exactly how Black Horse Jingzhe was feeling now at the farm.

It was the biggest, fastest, and strongest, and felt quite pleased with itself all day long.

Completely free of pressure.

It got along well with Little Black too.

That was a major relief for Xu Yang.

After all, he had seen videos of horses bullying dogs, mainly because the dogs were too bold and would approach the horses’ hind legs as if they wanted to take a bite at any moment.

Startled, the horse would kick and send the dog flying.

His black horse and black dog, however, had become like brothers.

After finishing the farm work, Xu Yang sat down in the yard to rest.

During this time, he noticed Tabby Cat Sang Biao coming over, walking past him a few meters away.

"Sang Biao, are you here to work?"

Xu Yang greeted the cat.

Sang Biao didn’t look back, just kept walking on its own.

Xu Yang was accustomed to its behavior.

He thought that was the end of it, but after a few minutes, he saw the Tabby Cat walk by his side again as if it was no big deal, still wearing a calm and cool expression.

Xu Yang looked at the cat and had a pretty good guess about what was going on.

As expected, after a few minutes, the Tabby Cat came by again, casually passing by Xu Yang’s side.

The cat’s intentions were written all over its face.

Xu Yang couldn’t help but chuckle, noting that the Tabby Cat wanted a cat treat but was too embarrassed to ask for it.

So it kept walking back and forth beside Xu Yang, hoping to remind him.

This little rascal had tricks up its sleeve.

Sly as a fox.

If it wanted a cat treat, it should just want a treat instead of pretending to be cool here.

Xu Yang was kind-hearted nonetheless and didn’t plan to make the Tabby Cat keep up the act too long. He went to get a cat treat.

As the Tabby Cat approached once more, he called out:

"Sang Biao, come on, time for a treat!"

This time, the previously unresponsive Tabby Cat immediately turned around and ran towards Xu Yang, obviously in a hurry.

As it came close and started eating the treat, it couldn’t help but let out a few "purring" sounds.

Xu Yang took the opportunity to pet its head and give it a good rub.

The little head was quite solid.

"You’re quite the sly one, aren’t you? Wanting a treat but making me call out for you."

"Better catch some mice, or you won’t get any treats, you hear?"

Xu Yang took the opportunity to educate the Tabby Cat.

If the farm were a system, there naturally needed to be an education process.

It was unclear whether the Tabby Cat understood, but it happily nibbled away regardless.

After finishing the treat, the Tabby Cat ran off joyfully, hopefully, to work.

After resting for a while, Xu Yang stood up intending to snack and play some games.

As he entered the living area, he saw Little Black tilting its head to drink water from the tap.

Little Black drinking like that was one thing, but the Sika Deer Bambi was copying it, tilting its own head to drink water too.

Great, another one learned the trick.

Maquan dogs already knew how to do it, and now Black Horse Jingzhe was drinking the same way; all four creatures could drink from the tap.

Who else’s Sika Deer drank water like this!

"Little Black!"

Xu Yang called out sternly.

Upon hearing the call, Little Black quickly lowered its head and crouched down, looking guilty.

The nearby Maquan dog stuck out its tongue, wearing a silly grin, seemingly taking pleasure in Little Black’s misfortune.

That’s just how dogs are.

If they didn’t cause trouble, they acted all righteous; if they did, they became sheepish.

"No water in your bowl, huh? Just like to play with water?"

Xu Yang reproached.

Understanding, Little Black stood up right after the scolding, closed the tap with its paw, and then let its ears droop as it faced Xu Yang with apologetic eyes.

Seeing this, Xu Yang didn’t press the matter further.

The sound of running water from the tap was loud enough that if it were left on, both he and Li Shan would notice it promptly, so there was no concern about wasting too much water.

Still, such behavior had to be corrected when seen.

After being scolded a few times, Little Black learned its lesson.

And it knew how to correct itself.