Chapter 127: C Grade Medium

For three days in a row, Sasha did not give Liu Heming a single friendly look. This was the punishment for his impulsiveness—who told him to reach out and touch her face?

To avoid awkwardness, he left early and returned late those three days. After finishing the chores at the ranch, he rushed to the town to join the protests, and in the evening, he came back to prepare a lavish dinner for everyone.

He also contacted Jenny, mentioning that he had made some medicinal ointment using a formula from China, which could help with fracture recovery. If any animals suffered such injuries, they could come to him for free application.

The medicinal liquid and ointment were ready, but their exact effects could only be determined after use. He couldn’t just break the bones of the small animals at home to test the medicine’s efficacy.

Jenny agreed readily, but such injuries were not that easy to come by. They fell under the category of emergencies; most of the time, they rescued animals that were trapped or suffering from illnesses.

During the protests, Liu Heming sat idle and carefully pondered the current 2.0 version of the System. In his view, the System now felt more flexible than before.

Previously, the System only assigned tasks, and he completed them. Now, if he created any special items and the System acknowledged them, he would receive rewards.

The Black Jade Fracture-Healing Ointment did not earn a reward, but that wasn’t the System’s fault—it was his. He had been too greedy, thinking one medicine could serve two purposes. While the medicinal liquid worked well, the ointment naturally fell short.

The System had always been a bit muddled, so he was quite satisfied with its current growth. As for tasks, he would let the System figure them out slowly.

He had two uses of the Appraisal Skill, so on a whim, he used one on himself. It worked effectively, displaying his physical data:

Strength 70, Spirit 57, Agility 60, Stamina 50, Animal Affinity 35. Titles acquired: Junior Farmer (Ranch product quality increased by 5%), Chef (Food quality increased by 5%), Animal’s Good Friend. Overall rating: C Grade Medium.

He had previously asked the System about his physical condition, and the values from the appraisal were two or three points higher than what the System had rewarded him. He guessed it was because he had been constantly doing farm work, which counted as exercise, leading to the increase.

Before, the System called him a C-grade loser, but now, under the Appraisal Skill, he was C Grade Medium—finally out of the loser category. Compared to the past, his physical fitness had improved significantly.

However, his best value was in Strength, which reached 70. Stamina was still his weak point at only 50, holding him back. He wondered if these values could improve further if he trained properly in the future.

If he was already this strong now, what would happen if all his stats broke 70? Would he advance to B Grade? Would he be able to swagger around freely then?

While lost in these pleasant fantasies, George, who had just finished a phone call, sat down nervously beside him and nudged him.

“George, did we get a definite answer about Xiangshui Town?” Liu Heming asked with a smile.

“Dexter, no final decision has been made yet. Tomorrow, the State Legislature will conduct a final opinion-gathering session on whether to auction Xiangshui Town. I never expected so many people would care about us,” George said, taking a deep breath.

“Isn’t that good? Why are you so nervous?” Liu Heming asked curiously.

“That call was from Senator Bauer Harris. He told me he’s confident about gaining more support this time. But it’s only temporary. If Xiangshui Town shows no signs of recovery by next year, he won’t be able to help at all,” George said with a bitter smile.

“So the proposal to auction Xiangshui Town will, at most, be shelved for now—not outright rejected. Senator Bauer just said that if we want to truly save Xiangshui Town, we must start with the town itself. We need to expand the planting area as much as possible and increase organic production.”

Everyone knew the real situation. This was just an excuse to rally public support. Whether Xiangshui Town could truly be saved depended on whether the weather conditions would recover in the future.

“George, don’t worry. As I’ve said before, the water from my lake can be supplied for normal planting use,” Liu Heming patted George’s shoulder and reaffirmed his promise.

It was only recently that he truly understood the real situation of Xiangshui Town. He had been misled by George before—it was like being promised a grand future.

Xiangshui Town only had jurisdiction over the land; ownership had long been reclaimed by the State Government. His 30% Property Rights would bring some profit, but only a small portion—the majority would be taken by the State Government to repay debts.

However, he held no grudge against George. The old man’s intentions were pure—he just wanted to revive Xiangshui Town. It was a difficult path, relying on nature, even harder than the legend of the Foolish Old Man moving mountains.

The protests in Xiangshui Town had lost much of their significance by now. The reason they persisted was to once again demonstrate the determination of the people of Xiangshui Town.

Liu Heming stayed a while longer and decided he could leave early today. It had been three days; Sasha’s anger should have subsided by now. Otherwise, hiding forever wouldn’t solve anything.

When he returned home and saw the car in the yard, Liu Heming felt a headache coming on. He never expected Nina would visit again.

Summoning his courage, he entered the house. The three of them seemed to be chatting in the Living Room. Nina was dressed as lightly as ever—it was hard to believe she was an FBI agent.

“Dexter, why are you back so late? Sasha told me the fish you make is delicious. I’ve been wanting to try it,” Nina said without hesitation. As soon as Liu Heming entered, she rushed to his side and linked arms with him.

Liu Heming’s heart raced—this was terrifying. He tried to pull his arm back, but Nina held on tighter, as if they were longtime lovers.

“Could you let go? If you want fish, I have to catch them from the Small Lake,” Liu Heming said, afraid to struggle further, as it might seem like he was taking advantage.

He truly couldn’t understand why Nina seemed to have “fallen in love at first sight” with him. He certainly didn’t think he had that kind of charm.

Nina, however, showed no embarrassment. Still holding Liu Heming’s arm, she followed him to get the fishing rod, smugly winking at Sasha nearby.