Chapter 122: A Turn of Events

Liu Heming forced himself to hold back from using his last chance for the Appraisal Skill. Given the current situation, the Appraisal Skill was not easy to obtain, so he had to use it sparingly.

Humming a little tune, he went outside and took out the whetstone again. He happily sharpened the kitchen knife and cleaver he had made.

He was also thinking about that successful standard lake, but the situation he had just created was a bit unusual. For now, he decided to play it safe and wait until he returned from town to try drawing some water for the Bear Kids and the animals at home.

Sharpening knives was not easy—it required mastering different levels of pressure. Since he lacked experience, he had to be very careful. This was his first attempt, and he didn’t dare sharpen for too long, worried that his inexperience might ruin the blades.

When he arrived in town again, the same people from yesterday were there. It was clear everyone took this matter seriously. Otherwise, with the hot weather, even with sunshades, it would be more comfortable to stay at home.

“Dexter, you seem to be in a good mood today,” George said as he sat down beside him.

“I actually meant to tell everyone yesterday, but since it was the first day of the protest, I held back,” Liu Heming said with a smile.

“The test results from the Department of Agriculture for the sweet potatoes I planted were very good. They’ve already taken samples from my ranch and are running the final tests. If they meet the standards, my sweet potatoes will be able to carry the USDA label.”

“Oh my, Dexter, is that true? What about the other vegetables on your ranch? Can they get certified too?” George asked, looking both surprised and eager.

“They took samples of those as well for testing. I’m still waiting for the results—probably in the next day or two. The person who came was Sasha’s classmate, so the testing should be faster,” Liu Heming nodded.

“George, why do I feel like you’re even more invested in this than I am? Their evaluation process is really strict. I’m not even sure if I’ll pass.”

“Let me think. I need to consider this carefully,” George waved his hand, then stood up and began pacing around.

Liu Heming felt a bit confused, wondering if George was joking. “Let me think”—those four words were a popular internet phrase in China.

The others also had no idea what George was doing and watched him curiously.

“Dexter, perhaps the hope for Xiangshui Town rests on you,” George said after pacing for a while, then sat back down beside Liu Heming and gripped his arm firmly.

“George, could you let go first and then explain what’s going on?” Liu Heming said with a wry smile. The old man’s grip was strong, and it was starting to hurt his arm.

George smiled apologetically and released his grip. “If your vegetables and sweet potatoes can get USDA certification, then Xiangshui Town’s chance for a turnaround has truly arrived.”

“Not many agricultural products receive USDA certification because the standards are so strict. The reason Glent Town has risen so quickly in recent years is that the entire town focuses on USDA-certified agriculture.”

“There was a factory that once wanted to build on the outskirts of Glent Town, but because of Glent Town’s focus on certification, they couldn’t provide a large deposit or enough insurance, so they eventually gave up.”

“If your ranch also has USDA-certified products, then whoever buys this land will have to take extra care in how they use it. That would increase their investment costs, and maybe they’d decide against it. Dexter, tell us the specific requirements for USDA certification so we can pay attention to them too.”

Liu Heming frowned thoughtfully. “I don’t remember all the details clearly, but I know my land couldn’t have any chemical fertilizers used on it for three years, and there couldn’t be any biological or chemical pollution within a certain range. That’s about all I recall—I didn’t look into it in depth.”

“I see,” George stroked his chin, then turned to the others. “To help save Xiangshui Town, I hope that when we plant next year, we can try to use less chemical fertilizer and switch to organic fertilizer instead.”

“This might cause some financial strain for everyone, but think about it: if the weather is still bad next year, we won’t have to worry because Dexter will still supply us with irrigation water. Plus, using organic fertilizer can help our land retain more trace elements, which could also increase our yields.”

“Before, we were cautious about using fertilizers because we worried about not having enough rain. Now, we can set that worry aside. To keep Xiangshui Town from falling into someone else’s hands, I’m begging all of you.”

Hearing George’s words, Liu Heming felt a bit uneasy. If they really did this, everyone’s expenses would suddenly increase a lot, and he still didn’t know if his own products would pass USDA certification.

“Dexter, even if you don’t get certified this time, it’s okay. We’ll know where the problem is, and we can try again next year,” George said with a smile.

“Right now, I can contact the State Government and inform them about this. Even if they’re unhappy and do put Xiangshui Town up for auction, they’ll have to truthfully disclose this factor to potential bidders.”

“I’ve said it before—you’re the lucky star of Xiangshui Town. Now, everyone should believe it, right? It’s because of Dexter that our harvests are secure. And it’s because of him that we have a chance to keep Xiangshui Town.”

“We’ve lived here our whole lives. Let’s make one last effort. Now that we have a real opportunity to save Xiangshui Town, I really don’t want to give up.”

By the end, George was nearly choked up. Among everyone present, no one had deeper feelings for Xiangshui Town than George, and no one wanted to revive it as desperately as he did.

No one spoke, but they all nodded in response. They agreed with George’s proposal.

The free water Liu Heming had provided had already been a huge help. Even if it weren’t for Xiangshui Town, they felt they owed it to Liu Heming to return the favor.

Watching George happily step aside to make a phone call, Liu Heming scratched his head. If he had known this would work, he would have told George earlier. It would have saved them from spending the past few days here.

He didn’t know much about these matters and hadn’t realized there were so many twists and turns involved.