A Divine Farmer

Chapter 265 - The Mysterious Small Factory!

“Stop for a moment. Don't water the crops anymore,” Zhang Xiaolong urgently called out to the villagers after spotting the issue.

“What's the problem, Xiaolong?”

With Zhang Xiaolong's assistance, everyone in the village, whether they were farmers or not, had started to earn money, and he had earned their deep respect.

“The water is contaminated. We can't use it for irrigation anymore, or it will affect our wheat too. It could become a real mess,” Zhang Xiaolong warned.

“What's the issue with the water? It looks clear enough to me,” the villager said, eyeing the water with suspicion.

“Just trust me on this,” Zhang Xiaolong said, knowing the villager wouldn't be able to tell the difference and not wanting to get into details. “Also, could you please inform the village chief that no one should use river water for irrigation, including for my orchard and vegetable market?”

“Okay, I'm on it,” the villager replied, realizing the gravity of the situation when even the lucrative vegetable market couldn't use the water. It was clearly an urgent matter, and he hurried off to find Wang Tiehzhu.

Once the villager had left, Zhang Xiaolong scooped up a handful of water from the river to inspect it more closely. It was indeed polluted. Although the contamination was just beginning, if left unchecked, the river water would eventually become completely unusable.

It wasn't just about drinking the water; using it to irrigate crops could lead to reduced yields, mutations, or even toxicity. The most immediate concern would likely be a significant drop in production, possibly to the point of no harvest at all.

Moreover, this river didn't only flow through Clear River Village. Downstream, numerous other villages relied on this water for their fields. The potential impact of contamination could be devastating.

“What's going on?” Qu Moyao approached, having heard the commotion. “I heard you've been telling people not to use the river water for their crops. Is there a problem with the water?”

Zhang Xiaolong nodded gravely. “The water is becoming polluted. If we continue to use it for irrigation, our crops will become inedible, and the medicine could turn into poison.”

“What's the problem?” Qu Moyao's brow furrowed, sensing the gravity of the situation.

She could overlook the damage to the vegetables and crops, and even address it gradually, but if the river water started to affect the Beauty Preserving Grass and Blood Converging Vine, that would be unacceptable.

“It looks like a factory upstream has been dumping wastewater into the river. I need to check it out immediately. If we don't intervene now, there could be serious repercussions for the plants,” Zhang Xiaolong stated with concern.

“I'll come with you,” Qu Moyao offered quickly. “Sometimes, your words alone might not be enough. My presence could make a difference.”

After a moment's thought, Zhang Xiaolong replied, “You should stay here and watch over the Beauty Preserving Grass. If we both step in for a minor issue, it might appear that our relationship is too close, leading others to speculate. I'll handle it for now, and if that doesn't work, then you can step in.”

Qu Moyao saw the wisdom in his words. Their primary task was to safeguard the top-secret medicinal herbs. If the military were to intervene over a seemingly trivial matter, it could draw unwanted attention to their operation.

“Then be careful, and call me immediately if anything arises. Some merchants will stop at nothing to turn a profit,” Qu Moyao cautioned him.

“Hehe, you're making it sound worse than it is,” Zhang Xiaolong chuckled. “Some people might not foresee the consequences of their actions. If they knew the harm they were causing, they might think twice.”

“Don't be too trusting. I've encountered more rogues in the last two years than you have,” Qu Moyao said, her tone tinged with frustration.

“That's because you're attractive; it's like you have a magnet for troublemakers. If you were less appealing, no rogue would bother you,” Zhang Xiaolong teased, smiling.

Qu Moyao rolled her eyes, yet she couldn't help feeling pleased. At least in his eyes, she was considered beautiful.

Without further discussion, Zhang Xiaolong turned and made his way toward the river, intent on tracing the source of the pollution upstream.

On their journey, which spanned roughly seven to eight kilometers, they were nearing Qingyuan County when they stumbled upon a drainage point cleverly concealed underwater.

Without Zhang Xiaolong's exceptionally keen senses, the anomaly would have gone unnoticed.

“He's made the drainage point so secretive; clearly, he's aware that this water shouldn't be dumped into the river,” Zhang Xiaolong mused, exhaling deeply. Qu Moyao had been right; some businessmen would indeed stoop to any level for profit.

But how much waste could a small river endure? Continuing at this rate, the river would be polluted within a month, the foul odor detectable by anyone. No matter how well hidden, such a secret couldn't be kept indefinitely.

Guided by his instincts, Zhang Xiaolong traced the underground pipes to their origin, halting before a factory.

Looking up, he saw the sign with subtle lettering: “All Completion Standard Component Factory.”

This had to be the place.

The factory specialized in manufacturing items like screws and bolts, particularly those coated with zinc—a process fraught with toxicity. Left unchecked, the surrounding crops would wither, and the local groundwater would become undrinkable.

Approaching the entrance, Zhang Xiaolong addressed the security guard, “Hello, this is the place that manufactures standard components, right? I'm interested in placing an order. Is the factory manager available?”

“An order?” The guard blinked in surprise, then quickly responded with enthusiasm, “One moment, I'll get in touch with the boss immediately.”

Business was booming; the factory had barely opened, and they were already receiving orders. It looked like they were set for a windfall.

After a brief phone call, the guard eagerly escorted Zhang Xiaolong inside.

As they walked, Zhang Xiaolong took in the modest size of the factory and its less-than-ideal location, which only added to its enigmatic aura.

In an office, he met the young factory director, Huang Zhigang.

Huang was younger than Zhang Xiaolong had anticipated, with a sharpness and composure that belied his age, exuding a steadiness uncommon among his peers.

“Hello, hello! I didn't expect you to arrive so soon, and you didn't even call me,” Huang Zhigang said warmly, clearly having been expecting someone.

“Factory Director Huang,” Zhang Xiaolong said with a smile, shaking his hand, “It's evident that you're a person of exceptional talent. Even if you weren't running your own factory, I have no doubt you'd be a top executive elsewhere.”

“You flatter me. Let's get down to business and discuss the order. As I mentioned online, my factory can handle any precision job, be it Level 1, Level 2, or non-standard. You can be completely confident in our quality. However, the only issue is our current production capacity; it's not sufficient to meet a very large demand. So, if your needs are too great, I'm afraid we won't be able to accommodate them.”

Zhang Xiaolong smiled again. “Since you're aware of what's feasible and what's not, Factory Director Huang, you must also be aware that your factory is polluting the river, correct?”