Mountain Looting: Targeted by a Leopard at the Start
Chapter 297 - 296: The Vast Mountains, The Sick-Feigning Foolish Roe Deer!

Chapter 297: Chapter 296: The Vast Mountains, The Sick-Feigning Foolish Roe Deer!

Xu Yang had contracted 2,000 acres of wasteland.

Contracting wasteland was no longer a novelty. Many big bosses with a passion for agriculture took on construction projects on wasteland after retiring.

They would create economic forests on one hand, and on the other, set up homestays, breeding farms, etc.

According to the contract, the government granted the contractor a 3% construction land use right.

This meant Xu Yang could develop on 60 acres of mountainous land.

But Xu Yang had no immediate plans for homestays because the location was not suitable.

In the scenic area, there were homestays everywhere, and often, business was poor.

His location was remote; it took several hours to drive here, and nobody wanted to stay in such a place.

Moreover, he had a farm on the flat land at the foot of the mountains, so he didn’t need it.

Xu Yang rode his motorcycle to this desolate mountain land.

From the foot of the mountain, it looked completely barren.

He always passed through this area when he entered the mountains, walking a distance inside, before reaching the lush vegetation of the rear mountains, home to various wild animals.

He had never cared about this place before, but now it was his.

Looking at a big mountain always made him happy.

And with 2,000 acres, the price was quite cheap too.

The government probably never expected someone to be willing to contract this wasteland for a reforestation project.

"When the time comes, I’ll have to calculate carefully which trees to plant. I heard that in some places, you can plant trees on contracted mountains, but you can’t cut them down," he said.

"I need to plant trees that are a bit more economically beneficial."

"But investing here means that, once the forest matures, it can generate a steady income. It’s not much, but it’s sustainable," he mused.

Xu Yang was calculating.

Nowadays, there are many types of economic forests that can generate economic benefits.

For instance, those producing chestnuts, walnuts, tung trees, or other fruit trees.

Forests producing oil, like tea oil, olives, Xanthoceras sorbifolia, or almond trees.

Forests producing turpentine like pine forests, or wax insects in lacquer forests, among others.

Even tea could be grown.

The mountain was there, vast lands all to be seen, what to plant was entirely up to Xu Yang.

Moreover, planting trees didn’t involve starting from saplings; he could directly buy mature trees for transplanting from a tree company.

All these were rather niche businesses unknown to those not in the industry.

But after all, it was business, and there was always someone doing it.

With a mountain behind him, Xu Yang found these ventures perfectly suitable.

"It’s a big investment with some risk, ordinary businessmen wouldn’t think of contracting mountains to plant trees. Mostly it’s wealthy bosses who, having money, can withstand the risks," he thought.

"Especially in the early years, those big bosses made money, and quite a few of them took on mountain contracts."

"Twenty years have passed, and many have stabilized their footing."

"I’m just starting out, so I’m not in a hurry," he reflected.

Xu Yang rode on his motorcycle, contemplating what to plant here.

He could plant a bit of everything.

Currently, he planned to start with Korean pine and Xanthoceras sorbifolia. Korean pine mainly because it’s easy to plant and could produce pine cones, and Xanthoceras sorbifolia for oil production, which, by contracting with oil companies, could also be a major source of income.

But for now, everything was just beginning and had to proceed slowly.

Trees wouldn’t be mature for several years.

On the slope, two Black Bears were active in the area.

They ambled their large buttocks down the hill. Although black is a protective color, in Xu Yang’s eyes, their movements were clear.

"These two guys are a bit flashy, it’s only because animal protection is handled well these days, making poaching not so easy," he thought.

"Otherwise, they’d be too easy targets for the bad guys."

"Especially in winter, when patrols are less frequent, there definitely are still poachers around," he added.

Xu Yang looked at the two Black Bears and commented.

The two creatures noticed Xu Yang and ran over to greet him.

After all, they had been hanging around Xu Yang for so long and had grown quite fond of him.

Each individual was different; Xu Yang had encountered hostile Black Bears in Taiwan, which were very aggressive.

But looking at the two he had raised, Black had a naive look, giving off a timid vibe. The Circus’s Black Bear would just mimic others, copying whatever Black did.

It was normal since the Circus’s Black Bear had no experience surviving in the wild, relying solely on recognizing their "big brother."

Then following big brother, they recognized big brother’s big brother.

The two Black Bears approached Xu Yang, and seeing their naive expressions, he couldn’t help but laugh.

"You two just keep up the good work, and next year I’ll build you a forest," he said.

"You can be the security in there."

Xu Yang said with a smile.

Having land felt truly different, full of grand ambitions.

Probably many big bosses felt the same way initially.

But after over a decade, or more than twenty years of deep involvement, their thoughts might have completely changed.

Reality was quite cold.

The two Black Bears just naïvely watched.

Xu Yang interacted with them for a while, then he twisted the throttle and rode his motorcycle through the desolate mountain land.

With the terrain having a slope, the motorcycle wasn’t so easy to ride; maintaining a smooth ride depended entirely on his skill.

As he left, the two Black Bears were startled, peeking behind him, watching Xu Yang disappear into the distance with some alertness.

The area that Xu Yang contracted also included a river.

Typically, when contracting mountain ranges, it’s necessary to have both mountains and water.

If protected well, the river could even nurture mole crickets, also known as the Northeast crayfish that Xu Yang had discovered during his Mountain Rushing adventures.

He could even consider raising Snow Crab in a designated area within the forest.

He rode his motorcycle to the river to check its condition.

It was a small river, unnamed, rugged in flow, with some deep areas and some shallow. The grass was sparse on both sides, which made the river seem less lively.

He hadn’t spotted any fish swimming around.

Rejuvenating it would require transforming the surrounding environment.

Xu Yang continued to ride his motorcycle around the mountain, making a full circle before returning to his starting point.

The area was bare, devoid of anything, utterly desolate,

but in Xu Yang’s eyes, this was just the beginning.

Even with nothing there, simply riding his motorcycle around brought him joy.

After all, it was his own land.

"One step at a time. Understand the market first, then decide on what trees to plant."

"Start with red pine and ginkgo."

"Red pine is quite common."

After several rounds, Xu Yang felt it was about right and left the area on his motorcycle.

Back at the farm, Xu Yang called Professor Liu Boliang from the Agricultural University.

He knew quite a few people.

He had a cooperation with Liu Boliang on grass, and they often talked.

Reaching out to him, Xu Yang was thinking of having an expert survey the land’s nutritional content and what modifications were needed.

After all, planting trees on barren mountains was a science, not so straightforward.

"You contracted that barren mountain?"

"I have seen that place, it’s quite good. The soil’s nutrition should be sufficient. Isn’t there a vast forest just on the other side? That can also show the potential of the area."

"If I understand correctly, decades ago, the trees of the Northeast supported the whole country. This mountain, being on the outer edge, had its forests completely cut down."

"Back then, there was no plan in place, they cut everything down and left it as such. Over the years, nothing was left; the forest never recovered."

"If you’re contracting it, that’s really good news. The location is not a problem."

Liu Boliang knew a lot and shared his thoughts with Xu Yang during their casual conversation.

Xu Yang nodded and replied:

"Indeed, the land is fertile and suitable for planting trees."

"But over the years, severe soil erosion has occurred, and the sand content is quite high, so we’ll have to take it slowly."

"I was thinking about testing the soil’s pH to determine its components, and then we can decide which trees would be suitable."

"So, I wanted to ask the Agricultural University to produce a soil analysis report."

Listening to Xu Yang, Liu Boliang admired him.

He was always well-prepared before doing anything, which naturally increased the chances of success.

"No problem, that’s not difficult for the university."

"I’ll check the schedule, and then the testing department will contact you to go up the mountain for sampling," Liu Boliang responded.

"Thanks a lot," Xu Yang expressed his gratitude.

"It’s no big deal. By the way, our existing grass crop should be almost ready, right? I’ll come over in a few days to have a look and study it further."

"No problem, you’re welcome," Xu Yang replied.

After hanging up the phone, Xu Yang felt more reassured.

He was always clear about what he was doing and knew how to proceed step by step.

He was always very steady in his approach.

With the farm operation fully established, Xu Yang didn’t need to worry much.

He stepped outside, and in the yard, the dogs were waiting to play with him.

"Go for a walk by yourselves, I’m still busy," Xu Yang waved at them.

At the command, the dogs and Little Wolf ran out of the yard toward the fields.

Xu Yang was busy and couldn’t look after these guys.

Then, on stepping out, he saw the foolish roe deer looking at him innocently.

Fortunately, the veterinarian Shen Jian Country was there and Xu Yang asked,

"Old Shen, has the roe deer’s hind leg healed? I remember it wasn’t seriously injured,"

Upon hearing this, Shen Jian Country looked at the foolish roe deer and replied with a smile,

"It healed a long time ago. It just doesn’t want to move around, acting a bit."

"Now it can even make big jumps without any issue!"

Xu Yang patted the foolish roe deer’s head and said,

"Alright then, let it stay here."

"We have many animals in the yard anyway; one more won’t make a difference,"

"Consider it a Divine Beast guarding the place."

Xu Yang turned and left to attend to other matters.

The foolish roe deer blinked its eyes, still looking dumb and innocent.