Chapter 44: Cang Gou Xiao Hei (Please collect!)

  Banyan, a evergreen arbor of Moraceae family, originated in tropical Asia, is famous for its unique shape, dense branches and leaves, and huge crown. In many southern regions of China, the beautiful figure of banyan can be seen everywhere, becoming an excellent tree species for greening and beautifying the environment.

  Duan Yu chose banyan tree as the first experimental plant for several reasons.

  One is that the banyan tree has a well-developed root system, which can absorb pollutants in the soil very well. In addition, the many aerial roots of the banyan tree can also absorb free-floating pollutants in the air, making the purification ability of the banyan tree itself stronger. Another reason is that Duan Lei has an unusually good feeling about the banyan tree and hopes that this species can play a greater role.

  When he was a child, Duan Yu was brought up by his grandfather in the countryside. There was a hundred-year-old banyan tree at the entrance of the ancestral house, and its huge canopy completely shaded the front yard. Many of Duan Yu's beautiful childhood memories were connected to the banyan tree.

  On summer evenings, he would lie on a bamboo chair, listening to his grandfather's stories of the past, occasionally seeing fireflies flickering in front of him, and hearing the chirping of frogs around him. As he listened to his grandfather's storytelling or grandmother's lullaby, Duan Lei would unknowingly drift off to sleep.

  …………

  Of course, apart from the above reasons, another important factor is that Haicheng also grows a large number of banyan trees, known as the city tree of Haicheng! The climate conditions in Haicheng are very suitable for the growth of banyan trees, which makes it easy for Duan Lei to find experimental subjects without having to think twice.

  Since he had decided on the object of his research, Duan Yue quickly sprang into action.

  Getting off the bus, looking at the sign of 'Green Source Gardening' not far away, Duan Lei had a somewhat dreamy feeling. More than two months ago, he was just a part-time worker struggling in this gardening field, who would have thought that fate played a big joke on him and let him meet Dingding!

  "Ding ding, this is where I used to work!" Duan Lei, whose emotions were fluctuating, had no suitable outlet for his feelings and began to pour out his heart to Ding Ding.

  "You will have more achievements in the future!" Dang Lei could feel Ding's encouragement, and his excited mood.

  Taking a deep breath and calming down, Duan Yue stepped into the gardening area.

  As soon as Duan Lei stepped into the garden, a low growl echoed in his ears, piercing through his eardrums. It was a Tibetan Mastiff with a black coat standing behind the iron fence that made the sound. However, when the dog saw Duan Lei's figure, its vigilant eyes softened and it lay down on the fence, staring at him with eager eyes.

  The boss of Lv Yuan Gardening, He Yuanzheng, is a Tibetan Mastiff enthusiast and has been raising them for over a decade, with some reputation in the Haicheng Tibetan Mastiff circle. At first, Duan Lei's idea of opening a high-end pet store was also influenced by He Yuanzheng to some extent.

  Take this black Tibetan Mastiff, which is less than half a year old, for example. It was personally brought back by He Yuanzheng from the Tibetan region and has pure bloodlines. I remember that someone offered 3 million yuan for it recently, but He Yuanzheng, who treats it as his life, is not willing to sell it at all.

  The Tibetan Mastiff had just opened its eyes and was taken back to the gardening area for feeding. At that time, it was summer vacation, and Duan Lei lived and ate in the gardening area, and also became a part-time feeder of the little Tibetan Mastiff. Gradually, the Tibetan Mastiff also regarded Duan Lei as a family member.

  "The stone is back!" He Yuanzheng heard the voice and came out of the tea house, saying to Duan Lin as usual.

  He Yuanzheng is now in his early forties, but the training habits he developed while serving in the army have kept his figure in good shape, and he doesn't have a beer belly like many bosses in society, looking quite lean. After retiring from the army, He Yuanzheng did not go to work at a collectively-owned enterprise arranged by the government, but instead used his own savings and family support to start this gardening business, and after some hard work, he has managed to build up a career for himself.

  Whether in Qian Baozi's flower shop or He Yuanzheng's gardening field, Duan Lei, such a diligent and capable employee, is very welcome. They all regarded Duan Lei as one of their own people. Even if Duan Lei no longer works here, they are still enthusiastic about him.

  "Second Brother, how come you have time to be here today?" Duan Yue was taken aback when he saw He Yuanzheng.

  He Yuanzheng is the second child in his family, and he doesn't want Duan Lei to call him Uncle He, saying it makes him sound old. Duan Lei can only address him as younger then. He Yuanzheng also opened a restaurant in the city center, which is doing very well. Nowadays, he often stays at the restaurant, leaving the gardening business to others.

  "This period of time the wine building that side is renovated, second brother I have no place to go, can only nest in here!" He Yuanzheng walked to Duan Lei's front, heavily patted his shoulder, and laughed: "However, you little devil, what are you doing recently? Not even showing your face!"

  He Yuanzheng was a straightforward and generous person, knowing that Duan Lei's skills were not bad, he liked to spar with Duan Lei the most. If it were in the past, these two slaps on the shoulder would have made Duan Lei grit his teeth. However, the current Duan Lei found that He Yuanzheng's palm strength was not as terrifying as before, and he was calm and composed.

  "I rented a small lab myself, doing some small topics!" Duan Lei rubbed his shoulders and said: "I came over today to get some seedlings from Second Brother to do experiments!"

  "What breed do you want? Second brother will load the car and send it to you, you go keep company with Xiao Hei first, he can't wait!" He Yuanzheng nodded and pointed at the Tibetan Mastiff lying on the fence, saying to Duan Lei.

  "One hundred saplings of small-leaf fig, second brother you've finished packing call me!" Duan Lei knew that He Yuanzheng would definitely choose the best quality seedlings for himself, so he went to play with the Tibetan Mastiff Xiaohei with peace of mind.

  As soon as Duan Yue opened the iron cage, Xiao Hei pounced on him like an arrow off the string. If not for Duan Yue's recent increase in strength, he would have been knocked to the ground. In just five months, Xiao Hei had grown to over 50 cm tall and weighed at least 35 kg, enough to prove its lineage and the effort Hou Yuanzheng had put in.

  Xiao Hei stretched out his long tongue and wanted to lick Duan Lin's face, but Duan Lin could only laugh and dodge Xiao Hei's slobbering mouth, using his head to push against its neck, and started playing a game of "head-butting" with it.

  Xiao Hei grew up by Duan Lei's side since he was a child. During summer vacation, Duan Lei would stay overnight at the gardening field, and when He Yuanzheng was busy, Xiao Hei's daily life was basically taken care of by Duan Lei, so it was normal that Xiao Hei had deep feelings for him. Although Duan Lei had never raised a Tibetan Mastiff before, he had been raising guard dogs since he was young, and he knew how to take care of them very well. As a result, Xiao Hei came to regard him as the most trustworthy person. He Yuanzheng often joked that even though he had gone through great difficulties to bring Xiao Hei back from Snow Mountain, Xiao Hei didn't seem to be as affectionate with him.

  Hugging Xiao Hei and playing with him, Duan Lei suddenly thought of the little lion. If he gave Xiao Hei 'opening liquid', what kind of effect would it have?

  This idea emerged and spread like a wild grass, it can't be suppressed anymore!