Chapter 72: Changes on the Mountain

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In the blink of an eye, it was already mid to late October.

Thanks to the persistent efforts of Lu Qingqiang and everyone at the orphanage, all the fruit trees on the mountain had finally been planted.

The bamboo houses and the renovation of the hot springs were also fully completed.

Now, the back mountain looked completely different from when they had first rented it.

It had undergone a total transformation.

The path from the foot of the mountain to the top used to be a dirt trail worn down by foot traffic.

Now, it had been paved with bluestone slabs, making it much easier to walk.

The fruit tree planting area was divided according to the type of fruit.

There was a Red Fuji apple section, a crisp pear section, a peach section, a sweet apricot section, a persimmon section, a cherry section, a grape section, a jujube section, and a kiwi section.

In addition, the mountain also had trees like chestnuts, walnuts, and hawthorns.

They just weren’t planted in as large quantities as the other fruit trees.

The alfalfa seeds Lu Qingqiang had scattered earlier had grown lush and thick after nearly two months.

The small animals trained by Zhang Haiping and Liu Shufen had grown significantly during this time and had become much more well-behaved.

Liu Shufen would pick suitable times to let them out of their pens to roam freely in a large area.

The chickens, ducks, geese, cows, and sheep all loved munching on the alfalfa.

As soon as they were let out, they would cluck and bleat excitedly, rushing toward the alfalfa fields.

Some of the chickens, ducks, and geese would even wander into the fruit tree areas for a stroll.

Liu Shufen was fully supportive of their little walks through the orchard.

As they wandered, the animals would hunt for bugs in the soil and help fertilize the fruit trees at the same time.

The fruit saplings, like the young animals, were still small and growing steadily.

Once the animals grew a bit more, Liu Shufen would need to keep a closer eye on their behavior.

Because they were raised in a semi-free-range environment, they were much more active than animals raised in confinement.

As they got bigger, it would be common for chickens and ducks to fly or leap up into the trees.

Of course, chickens and ducks raised this way tasted far better than the ones sold in the market.

Lu Qingqiang had heard before that the chicken meat commonly sold nowadays came from mass-produced, fast-growing chickens.

These chickens only took about a month to go from hatching to market-ready.

During that month, they were kept in dark coops with barely any light.

They had no time to move around. Their daily routine was just eating and sleeping, over and over.

They were fattened up as quickly as possible.

When they reached the right size, their lives ended.

These chickens spent their entire lives in cages, barely seeing any sunlight.

Some were so heavy that their legs couldn’t support their weight, making walking difficult.

If there was a loud noise, they could even die from fright.

But the free-range chickens raised on the mountain were entirely different.

They were lively and active, strolling around every day, eating premium feed and foraging for wild food.

They exercised regularly, basked in the sun, listened to music from the cowshed, and breathed in the fresh mountain air.

Once they matured, their meat would be far superior to any store-bought chicken.

The fruit tree and livestock areas were managed exceptionally well by Zhang Haiping and Liu Shufen, even better than Lu Qingqiang had expected.

Thanks to Lu Qingqiang’s persistence, the mushroom cultivation areas for black fungus, white fungus, and lingzhi had also been successfully set up.

As for the bamboo house area, a total of eight bamboo houses had been built.

Each bamboo house had a bathing area connected to the natural hot spring.

Lu Qingqiang had also put great care into the interior decor of each house.

The mattresses, duvet covers, and pillowcases on the bamboo beds were all made of high-quality cotton.

The living rooms had tea sets, and there were lounge chairs or rocking chairs on the balconies or by the doors.

Wall hangings were still being collected gradually.

Lead decorators: Yuan Yuan, Song Li.

The decorative pieces inside the rooms were also being refined.

Lead decorators: Yuan Yuan, Pang Jiajia.

As for the Chinese medicinal herbs to be planted next to the bamboo houses, that project was about to begin in the next few days.

Lead supervisors: Doctor Feng, Xu Kai, Xu Wei.

There was also the planned flower garden area, which was currently in the works.

Lead supervisor: Madam Lu (with her “willing and unpaid” little helper Lu Jianshen).

Looking at it all, the major projects on the mountain were nearly complete.

What remained were smaller tasks that didn’t pose much difficulty, which could be filled in and completed gradually.

After crossing off some completed items from her planning sheet and adding a few new improvements, Lu Qingqiang pulled out her journal and began writing.

No matter what, she was just a task executor.

One day, she would return to her own world, healthy and with money in her account.

At that point, the original host would surely come back.

She didn’t know what would happen then.

All she could do was carry out the system’s tasks with dedication and record everything she experienced as thoroughly as possible.

That, in a way, was both a reminder and a hope.

After summarizing the mountain’s progress, Lu Qingqiang began planning the next steps.

Tomorrow, there would be a donation and an interview.

The patients who had been rescued during the mental health incident, and who had mostly recovered, would be coming to thank them in person.

At the same time, they wanted to donate a batch of supplies.

The media would also be coming to cover the story.

Once the interview was over, it would be time to arrange the fun sports day that Feng Xiao had previously suggested.

After the sports day, it would be time to start planting greenhouse vegetables, strawberries, and watermelons.

Also, there were the Little Radish Heads with special talents that Teacher Yuan had mentioned. Each of them needed a tailored plan for their development.

Yes, come to think of it, there was still a lot to do.

Oh, right. There was also the construction and relocation of the new classrooms, new kitchen, and other facilities.

Thanks to the power of money, the final phase of the new orphanage construction was nearly complete.

At the latest, they would be able to move into the new environment around New Year’s.

The new staff dormitories were also fully finished.

The new classrooms and dormitories were equipped with underfloor heating.

When winter came, no one would have to suffer from the cold.

Just as Lu Qingqiang was continuing to draft her plans, her phone suddenly rang.

The caller was Madam Lu.

“Hello? Qingqing, are you asleep?”

“Not yet, Mom. What’s up?”

“Tomorrow afternoon, I’ve invited some people over to visit the flower greenhouse. Do you have time to come by?”

“I’d like to introduce you to everyone.”

Lu Qingqiang was just about to respond when she suddenly heard the voice of System Xiao Yi in her mind.