After leaving the villa and getting into the car, Luo Yang really wanted to ask Tang Guihua, seeing the two magnificent peaks formed by her seatbelt tightening, if that was uncomfortable.
When Tang Guihua caught Luo Yang looking at her with eager eyes again, she smiled and said, "Cowboy, when you buy a Rolls-Royce, you must take me for a ride."
Luo Yang generously responded, "No problem, I can take you for a ride all day."
Remembering that his 100,000 yuan was stored on her card, she started the car and said in a delicate voice, "Cowboy, you still have 100,000 yuan with me, what do you plan to do with it?"
"You can keep it for me," Luo Yang said. "After all, we are going to open a clinic, and we can use it later as renovation funds."
"Then let's have a good talk about opening the clinic when we get back."
"Sure."
During the casual conversation, they had already returned to Hongyun Brigade. Luo Yang's phone had run out of battery, so he excused himself from Tang Guihua and went home to charge it.
Approaching his front door, he saw his younger brother, Luo Guoxing, carrying a red bucket that seemed quite heavy. It was only upon closer inspection that he realized the bucket was filled with a variety of dead fish, including silver carp, carp, and grass carp.
"Bro, where did you get so many fish?"
"Our fish pond had many dead fish; I don't know what happened. You should take a look."
"Were they poisoned?"
"I don't think so. Other people's fish ponds also have dead fish; it's said it might be because of the abnormal temperature."
In the south, the temperature is usually quite hot in September, but this year the temperature was even higher than in previous years. Just a few days ago, he heard from his family that other people's fish ponds also had incidents of dead fish.
Luo Yang first went to his room to get a power bank to charge his phone, then he stepped out and walked quickly toward his own fish pond.
From a distance, he saw many villagers gathered around the pond, discussing the situation. Luo Zhihai was wearing rubber waders and was scooping up the belly-up fish with a net in the water.
"Fang Lin, do you have any idea what's going on?"
"Fang Lin, didn't you study agriculture in university?"
"Watching the fish float up dead, and there's nothing we can do. As a village official, think of a solution for everyone."
...
...
The villagers were gathering around a young lady, asking questions.
The lady was dressed in a short-sleeve white shirt and slacks, sported a princess haircut, and her bangs were neatly combed down, it was the university-educated village official, Fang Lin. She was roughly 21 or 22 years old, about 165 cm tall, and her youthful and plump figure filled her clothes, exuding vitality.
Facing the villagers' discussions, Fang Lin pursed her red lips tightly, her willow-shaped eyebrows slightly furrowed, staring blankly at the surface of the pond. She took a deep breath and said, "This could be related to the hot weather."
This vague explanation did not satisfy the villagers, who were looking for a solution to the problem.
"So what can we do to prevent more fish from dying?"
"A lot of fish have died in our brigade's ponds these past few days."
"If it goes on like this, all the fish will die."
...
...
Fang Lin, listening to the villagers, was also extremely anxious but couldn't think of a solution, just standing there helplessly fretting. Her brows furrowed tighter, biting her lower lip, her chest heaved more rapidly with her breathing.
The afternoon sun was strong, and standing under the scorching heat, combined with her irritation, Fang Lin was drenched in sweat, soaking her clothes that clung to her skin, revealing the hint of a red strap running across her back under her shirt.
Luo Yang walked to the edge of the pond and saw more fish belly-up, floating on the water. A quick look in the "Shennong Scripture" provided the reason.
It was the abnormal temperature causing insufficient oxygen in the water. As long as they increased the oxygen, the fish wouldn't die. Solving the problem could be achieved by aerating the pond with an oxygenation machine.
Seeing Fang Lin cornered by villagers' questions, Luo Yang felt pity for her and wanted to help her.
He made up his mind, wrote down the reason for the fish deaths on a piece of paper, then walked up to Fang Lin. She gave him a curious glance; they weren't familiar, rarely having anything to talk about on normal days.
When he looked at Fang Lin again, she gave him a slight, somewhat forced smile as a way of greeting Luo Yang.
Luo Yang touched her thigh discreetly, and she turned her head in surprise. Seizing the moment, he slipped the crumpled paper into her hand.
Fang Lin was smart and knew the paper must contain something useful, so she unfolded it to read.
After reading, she looked at Luo Yang with gratitude and nodded at him with a smile.
Then she said, "It's the unusual weather, the high temperature has caused the oxygen in the water to be insufficient, that's why the fish are dying. Using an oxygenation machine to add oxygen to the pond should solve the problem."
The crowd was skeptical, but Luo Zhihai hurried to find an oxygenation machine. After half an hour of work, indeed no more fish were seen floating belly-up.
Fang Lin, seeing the method was effective, was relieved and grateful to Luo Yang for helping her out of a tight spot. Wanting to chat with him privately, she said, "I want to talk to you about something, may I?"
Seeing Luo Yang nod, she added, "Let's go to my dorm."
She lived in the dormitory at the Village Office.
Luo Yang walked to the Village Office with Fang Lin. Along the way, she asked his name, only then learning he was called Luo Yang. Hearing villagers call him Cowboy, she asked if she could call him that too, and Luo Yang laughed, saying she could.
Walking side by side, Luo Yang occasionally glanced at her, noticing her full bosom straining her shirt, which seemed like it would burst its buttons if any tighter.
All along the way, she inquired about where he went to school, which grade he was in, and his hobbies. Luo Yang listened attentively and answered one by one.
Suddenly, Luo Yang's phone rang.
"only you, can take me to retrieve the Journey to the West..."
Pulling out his iPhone 6S, he saw Qin Piao was calling. Figuring he knew what she wanted, he answered and heard her say in a sweet voice, "Cowboy, didn't you say you'd take me to an interview? Where are you now? I want to see you."
Luo Yang laughed, "Don't worry, I'll make a call and ask first, then I'll take you. It'll be quick."
Then he heard Qin Piao's soft voice again, "I've been waiting for you at home all day. I bought something tasty, why don't you come over first and have a bite before we go?"
"Alright, I'll stop by the Village Office first, and then I'll come over," he replied.
After he hung up, they had already arrived at the Village Office.
Fang Lin's dorm was in the farthest room on the east side of the second floor. She opened the door and called out, "Come in."
Almost at a glance, one could take in the entire room, which included a bathroom and shower but no kitchen. To the left of the door was a window, beneath which stood a simple wooden desk, behind the desk a single bed, and opposite the bed a small square table with two chairs alongside it. A tall, seemingly new Meidi fan was in the room.
The curtains were not drawn, so the room wasn't very bright, but once Fang Lin switched on the light, it brightened up.
In a fleeting glance, Luo Yang saw a fresh cucumber lying on the bed, wrapped halfway with a thin plastic film bag, the other half exposed as the bag wasn't long enough. Recalling the similar plastic bag he had seen at Qin Piao's House wrapping an eggplant, he thought it must be a freshness bag. He wondered, if it were for keeping things fresh, why wouldn't it cover the whole cucumber?