Chapter 128 (continued)

The fertilizer they buy is usually applied within a few days, and it's currently piled up in a long strip on the edge of the field.

Fortunately, sheep are herbivores, and the manure is already decomposed, so there's not much of a smell when piled up on the edge of the field, and it won't be pungent.

Qing Mengzhu went over to inspect.

Zhao Hexi followed behind him and said, "Is this batch of fertilizer fully decomposed? I specifically asked when I bought it, and they all said it was completely decomposed, so there's nothing to worry about."

Qing Mengzhu: "Let me see. Something seems off."

Zhao Hexi, who was just trying to take credit, widened her eyes instantly upon hearing this, looking at Qing Mengzhu and then at the fertilizer. "Hmm? Is there a problem? I specifically bought sheep manure from a large ranch, and they even inspected it before selling it."

Qing Mengzhu pondered for a moment and said, "The color, smell, and texture are slightly different. Let's send it for testing; the metal content may be too high."

Zhao Hexi took a deep breath, but couldn't smell anything. "This, this is too detailed! Your nose is even more sensitive than Dharma Protector Guard '!"

This time it was Qing Mengzhu's turn to beat him up. "Don't cricket at me in front of me, send it for testing right away."

Zhao Hexi: "Okay."

Their company offers a wide range of testing services and already has established partnerships with several companies.

Zhao Hexi quickly took samples and sent them to the testing company. The testing company expedited the testing and gave feedback soon, saying that the copper and zinc in this batch of fertilizer did indeed exceed the standards.

Holding the test report, Zhao Hexi was filled with admiration for Qing Mengzhu: "That's amazing!"

Qing Mengzhu, relying on her experience and intuition, observed. "Some livestock feeds on the market nowadays are specially fortified with various trace elements. These trace elements, when combined, can easily cause excessive levels of metallic elements in manure. Next time, don't buy manure produced by ranches that specialize in feeding livestock with these kinds of feeds; it's too easy for the levels to exceed the limits."

Zhao Hexi: "Okay, I've also contacted them to return this batch of manure."

Qing Mengzhu: "Is it alright to withdraw?"

Zhao Hexi rolled up his sleeves. "Even if it's difficult to return, you have to give us a refund. It's not our problem."

Zhao Hexi quickly returned the fertilizer, which would probably involve some haggling. However, Qing Mengzhu's ability to identify whether the fertilizer's metal elements exceeded the standard with just a glance was too amazing. While feeling troubled, he couldn't help but broadcast Qing Mengzhu's glorious deeds.

Even Ming Chunxi heard about it.

When Ming Chunxi brought this up, Qing Mengzhu rubbed her forehead and said, "The metallic smell is still quite strong, even though I haven't lost my sense of smell."

After saying that, Qing Mengzhu added, "Not only can I tell, but experienced farmers should also be able to tell."

Ming Chunxi: "That's impressive. It's only at the beginner level now; I wonder what it will be like when it advances to the intermediate or advanced level."

Qing Mengzhu also became expectant. "Maybe I'll become Master Grower by then, but I wonder when I'll reach that level?"

Ming Chunxi: "There's Interstellar Mall; it shouldn't be long before it becomes available."

Qing Mengzhu: "Then I'll try my best. Are you sure you don't have to work overtime tomorrow? Let's go into the mountains."

They hadn't been to the mountains for a while, Qing Mengzhu wanted to take the little ones into the mountains to find some local products and have some fun.

Normally, Qing Mengzhu observes the plants around the farmland in the fields, but she has never tried to go into the mountains to observe the plants as a "Junior Grower".

With his current skill level, he's sure to discover something special when he goes into the mountains, and he can also see those familiar plants from a different perspective. It sounds like a lot of fun.

Qing Mengzhu and his family considered this trip to the mountains a family activity.

This time, the two brought two dogs, a red fox, and an otter, but did not bring Zhao Hexi.

They brought a car, which just fit all the little ones.

The little ones hadn't been out to play for quite a while, so they were all very excited to be able to come out now.

Qing Mengzhu led the red fox and the Guard with a leash, Ming Chunxi led the Little Otter and the Dharma Protector with a leash. The two of them went up the mountain from under the windmill and circled around the mountain.

Qing Mengzhu also opened her self-made map notebook after a long time, intending to add this unfamiliar mountain to their activity area.

Ming Chunxi helped him with his map app. Now the map is more accurate, and it's easy to paste text and images found online. After taking notes, you can download and print them, which is very convenient.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi led the little ones up the mountain. Once inside, they untied the ropes and let the little ones roam freely.

Qing Mengzhu then opened the map and began marking interesting places and things she saw along the way.

Ming Chunxi noticed that he had even marked the fallen trees and asked, "Why are you marking these?"

Qing Mengzhu happily showed him. "This fallen tree is an oak, and so are these. With fallen trees providing nutrients, it's especially easy for porcini and red mushrooms to grow here. I'll mark this down so I can come back and check on them next year when the season comes."

Ming Chunxi understood. "A possible foraging spot has been marked."

Qing Mengzhu loudly. "That's exactly what I mean."

The two walked deeper into the mountains, and the four little creatures obediently ran around them without wandering far.

The little ones occasionally find something special, like mushrooms, wood ear fungus, or even jujubes or persimmons, and they'll shout loudly. When the others hear the noise and go to investigate, they often find something of interest.

The fruit is especially sweet this season, probably because it has been exposed to frost, which has increased its sugar content.

However, there are many small animals in the mountains, so it's not easy for them to find whole fruits. Most of them have been bitten by small animals, so they have to be careful when eating them.

After spending half a day in the mountains, as the sun began to set in the afternoon, they took the items they had collected that day and the little ones down the mountain, intending to drive back.

The little ones were completely exhausted, so they stopped making a fuss and started dozing off in the back seat.

Ming Chunxi was driving, Qing Mengzhu was listening to music and felt a little sleepy, her head nodding off.

"Go to sleep," Ming Chunxi said to him. "I'll wake you when we get home."

Qing Mengzhu rubbed her face. "No, let's talk. I want to talk to you so you don't get sleepy. I'll open the window a little bit."

Ming Chunxi said softly, "I slept very well yesterday, I'm not sleepy."

Qing Mengzhu opened the window a crack, letting in a gust of cold air, which made her feel much better. "Anyway, I can't let you fight off sleepiness alone. Speaking of which, it's going to snow in a couple of days. You should stay in the city when it snows, otherwise it's too unsafe to go back and forth every day."

Ming Chunxi: "Will vegetables freeze when it snows?"

Qing Mengzhu: "It shouldn't be a problem, as long as the temperature doesn't drop below -10℃. If it really gets too cold, we can quickly build a greenhouse."

They were talking in the car, while the scenery outside rushed past.

Nestled among a large expanse of gray deciduous and evergreen trees is an orange grove.

It was almost the end of January, and the oranges still hadn't been harvested. They hung bright yellow on the branches, immediately catching Qing Mengzhu's attention.

Qing Mengzhu forgot where she was in the conversation and started to stumble over her words, her eyes fixed on the orange grove.

Ming Chunxi glanced at it and slowed down. "What's wrong?"

Qing Mengzhu without hesitation, "Those oranges seem quite special; their color is different from ordinary oranges. I want to go take a look."

Ming Chunxi didn't see anything special about it, probably because he wasn't Junior Grower. They were on the national highway, with no cars in front or behind, making it easy to turn around. "Go."

They turned the car around and drove to the orchard.

The orchard is not far from the highway; it's just a few steps from where you get off the bus.

The little ones were all sleeping in the back seat. When Qing Mengzhu and the others opened the car door, the little ones only glanced up at them but didn't seem inclined to follow.

They walked side by side up the dirt path, standing in front of the orchard's simple fence gate and looking inside.

Qing Mengzhu called out, "Is anyone there?"

No one answered; instead, the dog inside started barking loudly.

Qing Mengzhu called out again, "Is anyone there? Can we come in and take a look?"