Chapter 140: Rat Infestation

"Oh, no need for formalities, it's just a small matter," Zhong Di replied with a sheepish grin.

Su Rou had made a rare effort to dress up today. She wore a simple long-sleeved top and trousers, paired with a pair of exquisite-looking sneakers, giving her a unique and refreshing charm.

"Young man, I'm truly sorry for the trouble. Look at this girl of mine; I've told her time and again not to play the privilege card, yet here she is doing it anyway."

"Put that talk away. Today is a family dinner, a private affair. Besides, is Little Zhong really giving us special treatment? This is about the close friendship he shares with our Rou Rou, right? Isn't that so, Little Zhong?"

Su's father had barely started his sentence before the middle-aged noblewoman cut him off.

So that was it... It was clear where Su Rou got her looks. Seeing her mother at this age still possessing such grace, one could only imagine how stunning she must have been in her youth.

"Exactly! My aunt is right. Uncle, your meal is already being prepared. They are all our signature dishes; if there's anything else you'd like, just let me know."

Looking at this family, Zhong Di found himself at a loss for words, resorting to polite pleasantries.

"Is that so? Well, Little Zhong, you go ahead and get busy. We'll head over to eat."

With that, the Su family headed toward the Herb Garden. Su Rou was no stranger to the farm; she was very familiar with its layout and didn't need any guidance, acting completely at home.

As the food was still being prepared, Su Rou took her parents for a stroll around the grounds.

"Sis, was that the future brother-in-law? He looks a bit rustic, doesn't he?" a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy muttered from the side.

"Su Xian, what nonsense are you spouting? What brother-in-law? Get lost!" Su Rou snapped at her younger brother like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, then cast a nervous glance at her father nearby.

"Tch, I heard you talking to Mom. This whole family dinner was a calculated move, wasn't it? Just to bring Mom and Dad here for an inspection." Su Xian obviously didn't buy his sister's denial; could he really not trust his own ears?

"Alright, stop teasing your sister," Su's mother stepped in to defend her.

In truth, she was a bit flustered. How did this brat Su Xian overhear that? As a mother, how could she not know what was on her daughter's mind?

She couldn't help but steal a look at her husband.

"Su Rou, is what your brother said true?" Su's father asked with a stern face, watching her quietly.

"Dad, don't listen to Su Xian's nonsense." Su Rou was nervous now. This was it—if her father insisted on opposing this, what would she do?

"Hmm... I think this young man is actually quite decent, much more reliable than those friends of yours," Su's father said, his stern expression instantly softening.

"Thank you, Dad!" Su Rou was so excited she almost jumped for joy.

"Dad, if my sister can pass the test, then that girl I like..."

"You brat, what do you know about liking someone? Just focus on graduating first."

...

On the other side, after helping his mother with some chores, Zhong Di headed over to the greenhouse construction site. Although his father was keeping an eye on things, he still wanted to check the basic specifications himself. In case anything was amiss, he could adjust it immediately.

The back wall was a bit low, the slopes of the east and west walls were a bit steep, and the angle of the rear roof of the greenhouse was too shallow. These were issues, but perhaps not critical ones. To put it another way, if the back wall were too high, the temperature would rise slowly, but it wouldn't fluctuate wildly. If it were too low, the temperature would rise quickly, but it would also fluctuate rapidly. It was like taking a comprehensive science exam: if you could only score a maximum of two hundred points, it was a question of whether to prioritize biology or chemistry. However, there was a bonus factor: if you balanced the physics, chemistry, and biology scores equally, you could gain an extra twenty points overall. Applying this to the greenhouse construction meant finding the optimal height to enhance its overall performance.

Zhong Di took notes as he inspected, deciding not to mention the flaws to his father just yet. Work was already underway, and pointing it out now wouldn't be much help; the structure was at least functional as it was. If he spoke up now, it might disrupt the flow of work. He would wait until he had time to think through a proper solution.

As for the plastic shed, the blueprints and raw materials were provided by Shao Hong, and they were currently driving the foundation piles. Once that was done, the assembly would be fast. It was late August, and with the frost season still far off, there was no need to worry.

After his inspection, Zhong Di began to wonder if he should bring in some river sand. The soil around the fish pond was mostly clay. While there was some sand, it was fine and mixed with debris. If he were only raising freshwater fish, soft-shell turtles, or loaches, it wouldn't be a problem, but the pond also contained many shelled creatures.

During this period, Zhong Di had introduced a high concentration of "Crazy Sand Immortal Sprouts" into the pond, hoping to trigger mutations that would help the inhabitants adapt to the changing natural environment. However, some of the shelled species were ultimately unsuited for the conditions and had perished.

Zhong Di considered bringing in river sand, as creatures like littleneck clams, moon clams, razor clams, flower crabs, hermit crabs, and swimming crabs all had a habit of burrowing into the sand. While it wouldn't guarantee survival, it certainly wouldn't hurt. With that thought, he messaged his sister to contact someone to deliver some river sand—specifically the kind that had been washed free of alkali and salt.

"Zhong Di, come quickly! There's a problem." Just as Zhong Di was pondering how to improve the farm, Shao Hong came running over in a hurry.

"What's wrong?"

"Just follow me." Shao Hong didn't elaborate, leading Zhong Di straight to the newly completed guesthouse rooms.

"Rats?" Zhong Di stared at the scene before him in disbelief.

It was quite unsettling. A bucket placed against the base of the wall held a dozen rats, with a stick propped up against the wall above it. Zhong Di realized the rats must have been scurrying along the wall at night, climbed onto the stick, and tumbled into the bucket, unable to climb back out.

Ever since the guesthouse was built, except for the first two or three rooms that had been tidied up for the parents to rest in during the day, the rest had remained locked. He never expected to find so many rats.

Shao Hong recounted the discovery, and Zhong Di immediately understood the gravity of the situation. This wasn't just a matter of finding rats in a guesthouse room; it meant the farm had developed a rat infestation without anyone noticing.

Shao Hong had caught sight of a large rat by accident earlier that day. Chasing it into the guesthouse led to the discovery of the bucket of rats. A quick follow-up inspection revealed that several guesthouse rooms had rat burrows, and even worse, near these burrows were eggshells and chicken feathers.