nycdaug Chapter 142 The Secret of the Letter: Solving the Predicament
Chapter 142 The Secret of the Letter: Solving the Predicament
Letter of Secrets to Solve the Dilemma
Xiao Yuhan took the letter. The delicate handwriting caught his eye, but the contents were alarming: “Lan Niang, I hope you will read this letter soon. The orchard is thriving these days, but beneath this prosperity may lie hidden dangers. Last night I observed the celestial phenomena and saw that the Purple Star was dim, which I fear might indicate a hidden soil disease that could damage the fruit trees. I urge you to make preparations early, lest your hard work be in vain.” The letter was unsigned; only the faint scent of ink and the delicate handwriting suggested that the writer was a woman.
Su Yunlan frowned, her delicate fingertips gently stroking the letter, a sense of unease spreading through her heart.
The originally cheerful atmosphere around them gradually froze because of her change in expression. The fruit farmers looked at each other, puzzled.
Xiao Yuhan's deep gaze swept over the words in the letter, and a trace of doubt rose in his heart.
"What...what does this say?" Chen Guonong asked cautiously, his tone tinged with unease.
Looking at Su Yunlan's pale face, his heart skipped a beat. Could something go wrong on this joyous occasion?
“Yes, Doctor Su, this letter…” Miss Sun looked at Su Yunlan with concern, her bright smile fading slightly.
Researcher Zhao, who had been standing aside and had expressed reservations about Su Yunlan's improvement plan, scoffed at this moment, "What a load of nonsense! There's no such thing as observing celestial phenomena at night. It's just that someone is jealous of the orchard's bumper harvest and is deliberately spreading rumors! Boss Su, don't be fooled by this absurdity!"
Su Yunlan raised her head, her gaze resolute. "It's better to believe it's true than not to believe it's not. This orchard is the result of everyone's hard work, and I must find out if there's a problem with the soil."
“Miss Su is right,” Xiao Yuhan folded the letter and handed it back to Su Yunlan, his tone steady and firm, “We’ll go check the soil now.”
Researcher Zhao's face darkened, his tone tinged with displeasure, "Brother Yuhan, you're an educated man, how can you believe such absurd claims? If we really want to investigate, we'll have to wait a few days. Right now is the crucial time for harvesting, where do we find the time..."
Su Yunlan interrupted him, "Researcher Zhao, it's always good to be prepared. If we wait until the fruit trees have problems before trying to fix them, it will be too late." Her tone was firm and left no room for argument.
Xiao Yuhan patted her on the shoulder in support. The Seventeenth Young Master also nodded in agreement.
Seeing Xiao Yuhan so protective of Su Yunlan, Researcher Zhao became even more displeased, snorted coldly, and stormed off.
Su Yunlan ignored his attitude and turned to Chen Guonong and Miss Sun, saying, "Please help me prepare some tools. I need to go to the orchard to collect some soil samples myself."
Chen Guonong and Miss Sun nodded in agreement and turned to prepare their tools.
Watching their busy figures, Su Yunlan silently prayed that the letter was just a false alarm.
“Lan Niang,” Xiao Yuhan walked to her side and gently took her hand, “Don’t worry, everything will be alright.”
Su Yunlan grasped his hand in return, feeling the warmth of his palm, which brought her some peace of mind.
She looked up at Xiao Yuhan, her gaze resolute, "Yes, we'll face this together."
Night falls and the stars are shining.
Su Yunlan and Xiao Yuhan, carrying their tools, headed deeper into the orchard...
Night fell, like a huge black curtain covering the earth.
In the orchard, the noisy cicadas of the day have long since faded away, replaced by the soft chirping of crickets and the faint sounds of unknown insects.
Su Yunlan held an oil lamp in her hand, the light dancing on her delicate face, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.
She crouched down and carefully scooped up a handful of soil with a shovel, putting it into the cloth bag she carried with her.
The soil felt cool and damp, with a faint smell of decay.
She sealed the bag, marked the location, and then got up to walk to the next sampling point.
Holding a sharp sword, Xiao Yuhan silently followed behind her, cautiously scanning their surroundings.
A night breeze rustled through the leaves, making them whisper like secrets.
His tall figure, like a mountain, stood in front of Su Yunlan, dispelling her unease in the darkness.
Su Yunlan tirelessly moved among the fruit trees, carefully observing every inch of the land.
She would sometimes touch the soil with her hands to feel its texture; sometimes she would bring it close to her nose to smell the scent of the soil.
Every movement she made was focused and earnest, as if she were conversing with the earth.
After a long time, Su Yunlan collected enough samples and returned to the cabin in the orchard.
She lit the oil lamp, placed the samples one by one on the table, and began the testing.
She took out some simple chemical reagents and instruments from her spatial storage and carried out various experiments in an orderly manner.
Time passed by, and a faint herbal scent filled the room.
Xiao Yuhan sat quietly beside her, watching her busy figure with gentle and focused eyes.
He knew that Su Yunlan was completely absorbed in her work at that moment, and no one could disturb her.
Finally, Su Yunlan stopped what she was doing and let out a long sigh of relief.
Her face showed a hint of fatigue, but her eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Just as I expected,” she said softly, “there is indeed a problem with this soil.”
Pointing to the experimental results, she explained to Xiao Yuhan, "The soil fertility has been severely depleted, and some substances harmful to fruit trees remain. If this continues for a long time, the roots of the fruit trees will gradually rot, eventually leading to a decrease in the yield of the entire orchard."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuhan frowned.
"Is there a solution?" he asked, his voice low and powerful.
Su Yunlan nodded, a confident smile appearing on her lips.
“Of course there are. However…” she paused, her eyes becoming somewhat complicated, “to completely resolve these issues, I’m afraid we’ll need…”
Xiao Yuhan looked at her with a resolute expression.
He knew that no matter what difficulties they encountered, he would stay by her side and face them together.
He reached out and gently wiped the sweat from Su Yunlan's forehead. Su Yunlan looked at him with gratitude in her eyes.
The warm interaction between the two seemed to melt away the chill of the night.
"Yuhan, what do you mean..." Su Yunlan hesitated, a hint of worry in her eyes.
Su Yunlan's hesitation made Xiao Yuhan's heart leap into his throat.
He knew that for this fearless woman to show such an expression, it must be no small matter.
"What do you need?" he asked firmly. He would fully support her in whatever she wanted to do.
Su Yunlan took a deep breath and said slowly, "We need a lot of funds to purchase special fertilizers and equipment."
The moment those words were spoken, the slightly relaxed atmosphere froze instantly.
Chen Guonong's already uneasy heart sank even further.
His weathered face was filled with helplessness and bitterness.
"Dr. Su, this...this probably won't work." Chen Guonong's voice trembled as he rubbed his rough hands together, as if trying to grasp at the last straw. "We've already invested all our savings, and we really don't have any extra money."
Miss Sun stood to the side, anxiously looking at Su Yunlan, wanting to say something, but not knowing where to begin.
She knew her family's situation and how important the orchard was to them, but they were powerless to help with the astronomical amount of money required.
The air was thick with the smell of despair.
Everyone was filled with anxiety once again.
Young Master Xiao's eyes darted around, as if he had thought of something, and he hurriedly said, "Madam Su, perhaps we can contact the fruit merchants we cooperated with before and see if they are willing to sponsor us."
Su Yunlan's eyes lit up; this was indeed a good idea.
She had always operated with integrity when working with fruit merchants, so perhaps they would lend a helping hand out of consideration for their past relationship.
Without hesitation, Young Master Xiao set off immediately to contact fruit merchants in town.
Su Yunlan's heart was filled with anticipation. She held Xiao Yuhan's hand tightly, feeling the warmth of his palm, which calmed her down a little.
After much effort, good news finally arrived.
The fruit merchants were moved by Su Yunlan's previous integrity and the orchard's huge potential, and they were willing to invest to help the orchard overcome its difficulties.
Su Yunlan felt a great sense of accomplishment upon hearing the news.
Looking at the hopeful orchard before her, she seemed to see a golden future.
With financial support, she will surely be able to transform this land into a true treasure trove.
However, fate always seems to play tricks on people.
Just as Su Yunlan was preparing to put his skills to use and improve the soil, a fruit farmer came running over in a hurry, his face filled with fear.
"Lady Su! Something terrible has happened! The fruit trees in the orchard... are starting to show signs of illness again!"
Upon hearing this, Su Yunlan's face turned pale instantly. Ignoring everything else, she hurriedly ran towards the orchard.
"Yuhan, hurry!" An ominous atmosphere filled the air.