Direction Was Wrong
By 2004, Chen Jinshan's term had long since ended, and he had returned to Min Nan, where he had been promoted. Professor Ling was still working for Wang Yue's Desert Oasis Greening Company, steadily greening the desert.
To ensure the Desert Oasis Plan proceeded smoothly, Wang Yue had also completed his water-lifting and canal-building project. The canal started at the Yellow River, and wherever the grass grew, the canal followed. By now, the earliest stretch of desert Wang Yue had contracted was covered in green grass. Though the soil beneath was still sand, it showed people that sooner or later this land could be transformed into arable fields, which was deeply encouraging.
Meanwhile, Wang Yue's ranch had grown steadily larger, though he had paid little attention to it. The small staff he'd originally hired could no longer manage it all, and horses, cattle, and sheep went missing now and then.
When Wang Yue looked over the reports, he assumed the missing livestock had been stolen, eaten, or sold by the staff. He didn't pay much attention to it, though, and merely tightened the management rules.
But gradually, some staff members noticed that herds of horses, cattle, and sheep that didn't belong to Wang Yue had appeared in his enormous, newly greened pastureland. They called him to ask what they should do.
Wang Yue hadn't realized he'd wrongly suspected his staff. He gave them an extra allowance and told them to observe the herds without disturbing them.
The staff were delighted to take on the job and began keeping a closer eye on the herds. They, too, wanted to know whether the animals would become wild.
The one thing that disappointed Wang Yue was that after he first greened the desert and received some heavenly merit, he never