Transmigration: The Little Chef Calls The Shots
Chapter 1109 - 034 River Water Building Contest (Second Update)_2

Chapter 1109: 034 River Water Building Contest (Second Update)_2

Watching the nearly synchronized movements of the two, they couldn’t help but exchange smiles once again.

It was still early in the season, and the fields remained desolate. Scattered around were stalks from last year’s crops and heaps of animal manure meant to fertilize the soil. It seemed the farmers from the Capital city indeed knew a thing or two about farming.

The carriage traveled on a rough path between the lands, shaking occasionally, so the two decided to get off and walk slowly, laughing and enjoying themselves along the way, although occasionally the strong smell of fertilizer was almost too much to bear.

Lin Yuan was somewhat more accustomed to it, as chicken and cow manure could be seen throughout Lin family’s valley, but Xia Zheng, having grown up in a wealthy family, was still slightly uncomfortable, his handsome nostrils flaring as he tried to hold back his laughter, causing Lin Yuan’s cheeks to flush red.

As they walked slowly, they saw a few men approaching from the distance. As the two groups came closer, the men muttered among themselves before shouting, "Is that Young Master Xia and Miss Lin over there?"

Before arriving, Xia Zheng had already sent someone to notify the village head, so it appeared the village head had received the message and came out to welcome them.

Lin Yi used his inner strength and replied in a muffled voice, "Indeed, it is."

After that, he asked, "Are you the Lizheng and the village head here?"

The men, upon hearing the question, hurriedly affirmed and quickened their pace, soon arriving in front of Xia Zheng and Lin Yuan. They greeted them warmly with a fist and palm salute, smiling enthusiastically, "This humble one, Hua Hui, is the Lizheng here, and these gentlemen are the village heads of nearby villages. We have all heard of Young Master Xia and Miss Lin."

The Lizheng was clearly aware of Xia Zheng’s status and smiled in an overly flattering manner.

Lin Yuan felt a certain dislike for such people, but fortunately, their interaction was just for this occasion and nothing untoward occurred.

Leading the way for Xia Zheng and Lin Yuan, Hua Hui eagerly introduced the land, "Our soil here, not to brag, is truly excellent. Look at this soil quality and the crops. Oh, care where you step, don’t dirty your shoes. Ah yes, our crops here grow better than those in other places; after paying taxes, the locals still have more than a year’s surplus of grain, and they never worry about food or clothing. Miss, be careful, our land is fertilized with good manure, so there’s quite a bit of it in the fields. Please don’t mind it!"

Listening to Hua Hui’s endless praise, Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng exchanged glances, sensing his earnest flattery and sycophancy. Additionally, the accompanying village heads displayed the same behavior, hastily introducing the land wherever the two looked. It was odd to them how the village heads seemed to be competing with each other, almost to the point of disparaging each other.

Lin Yuan glanced at Xia Zheng and nodded silently. Although the people were not impressive, the land was indeed excellent. Moreover, she noticed a small river not far away, its water abundant enough that its flowing sound could be faintly heard from a distance.

Realizing Lin Yuan’s thoughts, Xia Zheng casually said, "Well, your land here does look good. Oh, what’s that over there? A river? There’s actually a river?"

Hearing him mention the river, Hua Hui’s eyes flickered, and he laughed dryly, "Ah yes, it’s a small river. Our land relies on this small river for watering the crops!"

Having a river nearby indeed made things convenient.

Xia Zheng nodded repeatedly and took Lin Yuan’s hand, heading towards the river, "Let’s go check out how big that river is."

Seeing them actually heading toward the river, the Lizheng’s expression subtly changed, and the following village heads also exchanged flickering glances, muttering among themselves.

Xia Zheng, shrewd as he was, had already noticed the Lizheng’s uneasy expression when the river was first mentioned. Now, deliberately saying they would go look at it was his way of confirming his suspicions; there was definitely something amiss with the river.

The two exchanged glances, and Xia Zheng feigned curiosity as he turned back, "What’s the matter? Lizheng, aren’t you coming to check out this river with us?"

Hearing Xia Zheng ask him this, Hua Hui internally cried out in distress, but he managed to nod with a forced smile. Since he couldn’t avoid it, he braced himself for what was to come.

The village heads looked at each other and also followed suit.

Hua Hui caught up with them, his chatter began again, but it wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic as when he was introducing the land.

"This, this small river here, has been around for many years. Initially, it was just a small ditch, but later, the people from several villages found it inconvenient for irrigation, so they worked together to expand it."

"Oh, it looks quite long," Lin Yuan commented, looking upstream along the small river, spotting several hamlets and discerning the vague outline of the river further ahead.

Lizheng nodded, grinning, "Yes, yes, Miss Lin has good eyesight. This small river flows from the west—there’s a large lake at its source, but I, with my limited knowledge, have not visited there. This river, by the time it reaches our village, has traveled a great distance, so the water downstream isn’t plentiful. However, we deepened it when we expanded it, and now it mostly relies on groundwater for irrigation."

Lin Yuan nodded and casually turned to Xia Zheng, "Aren’t you known for your broad experience? Have you visited the lake mentioned by Lizheng?"

Xia Zheng raised his eyebrows, "Of course, I have been there. It’s large and deep, and the water, needless to say, is clear and clean—you can even see the fish inside!"

Lizheng hastened to flatter, "Indeed, Young Master Xia is truly knowledgeable!"

Lin Yuan, however, looked at him skeptically, her lips pursed in a smile.