Chapter 25: Returning a Favor

The conditions here were too poor, so they had lunch at George’s house. During the entire meal, Liu Heming busied himself taking care of his daughter, as he could not join in their conversation anyway.

He felt quite grateful to George. If George had not come over, his daughter would probably have only played for a while before leaving. Sasha would not let the little one stay too long in this rundown place.

“Dexter, I was so foolish. I should have realized earlier that you were connected to the McGill family. I am truly happy that your funding issue has finally been resolved,” George said with a smile after seeing the group off.

“George, there are many matters between Sasha and me that still need to be sorted out. How did you come to know Sasha?” Liu Heming gave a brief explanation and then asked curiously.

“Sasha was very young at that time, but unfortunately, she was kidnapped. The kidnappers brought her to our Xiangshui Town,” George recalled.

“The kidnappers hid Sasha and another little girl in the Magical Ranch where you are now, and they killed the ranch’s original owner. Later, the police successfully rescued Sasha and the other girl, and three kidnappers were shot dead on the spot. To thank the ranch’s original owner for helping during Sasha’s kidnapping, her family gave a large sum of money to their children and bought the ranch.”

“Sasha came here to play when she was little, and her family was managing the ranch at that time. Wait a moment, I have a group photo of us here.”

After saying this, George opened a cabinet and rummaged through it. He pulled out a large photo album filled with many old photographs. After searching for a while, he pointed to one of the pictures for Liu Heming to see.

It was a large group photo with many people. In the front, a little girl holding a small pony was smiling happily, even revealing a missing tooth. Without a doubt, that was Sasha in her childhood.

Liu Heming compared it in his mind and felt that Sasha was much cuter as a child. Though she was more beautiful now, she gave off a somewhat cold impression. He wasn’t sure if it was just toward him or everyone, but he guessed it was probably the latter.

“Back then, Xiangshui Town often held events. This was taken during our harvest festival,” Megan chimed in with a smile.

“Then why did her family stop managing the ranch later?” Liu Heming asked curiously.

“It’s because the people here hurt their feelings,” Megan replied with a hint of complaint.

“When the drought first started, the McGill family offered jobs to the young people in town. But they did not work hard and made some bad friends. They even stole construction materials from the work sites and sold them.”

“And to cover it up, they did very poor work during construction, which caused the McGill family’s construction company to be sued.”

“After the truth came out, the McGill family never came back here. To be honest, even if it were us, we wouldn’t return either. Their family had already done more than enough for Xiangshui Town. Without them, Xiangshui Town wouldn’t have been so prosperous back then.”

“But it’s hard to say for sure. Now, God has sent you, a member of the McGill family, to us. Just as George said, our Xiangshui Town will surely revive.”

“Now you believe what I said, right? This is God’s guidance for us,” George added enthusiastically.

Hearing the elderly couple’s words and seeing their slightly excited expressions, Liu Heming gave a wry smile.

He could be considered part of the McGill family now, but in a couple of years, that wouldn’t be the case. Besides, he didn’t have the financial resources to develop Xiangshui Town. Perhaps old Mrs. Megan’s hopes would be dashed.

“George, you can contact David Roy now. Let’s get the paperwork done tomorrow,” Liu Heming quickly changed the subject.

“Look at me, I’m so happy I forgot such an important matter.” George slapped his forehead, then went to make the call.

“Megan, may I take a photo of this picture?” Liu Heming asked after George left.

“Of course, you are Sasha’s husband after all,” Megan replied with a wink.

Instinctively, Liu Heming felt that Megan seemed to have picked up on the nature of his relationship with Sasha. On second thought, it made sense—otherwise, why wouldn’t they be living together?

He took out his mobile phone and carefully photographed the picture. Looking closely, he realized that when his daughter smiled, it was just like Sasha’s smile—both so joyful and bright.

“OK, I’ve contacted him. But we have to go to a farther town to sign the contract. Sasha’s check cannot be cashed here,” George said as he walked back with a smile.

“Megan, I’m afraid I’ll have to borrow George for the next couple of days,” Liu Heming said, turning to Megan.

“I leave him in your hands. You know, this is the first time in years I’ve seen George so happy,” Megan replied with a smile.

“We really have a lot to do now. With over a hundred acres of land added all at once, we must be careful with the fertilizer we use,” George interjected.

“Also, this land has been left empty for quite some time, so you need to take good care of it. Then there’s the water channel—it needs to be unclogged. If you’re willing to spend a bit more, it would be even better to lay pipes inside that slope. That way, your ranch and farm can be connected without affecting future production, and it would reduce water loss.”

Liu Heming nodded. This was indeed an issue that needed attention. The weather had been generally dry, so irrigation arrangements for the farmland were essential.

In the past, things were fine here because the Xiangshui River had plenty of water. But now, there was hardly any water, and during the driest periods, it almost dried up completely. Otherwise, even with the drought, George and the others wouldn’t be so worried.

“After we finish the paperwork tomorrow, let’s survey the entire farm,” Liu Heming said after thinking for a moment.

“I don’t have experience with farming on such a large scale, so I’ll need your help to optimize the design and arrangement. Your farm isn’t very large either. If the drought continues this year, we can use vehicles to carry water and find a way to irrigate your farm properly.”

George and his wife had been truly good to him. He wasn’t someone who acted like a saint, but since the couple had given him so much help, he felt he should respond in kind.

He felt that his lake must be connected to the System in some way, so he wasn’t worried about pumping too much water and drying it up. This was his way of returning a favor.