Chapter 478 New Industries in Southwest China

Gu Jiayue's changes are too obvious.

The tone of his voice was familiar and clear, and there was no longer any unfamiliarity or hesitation in his eyes. Even the way he stood seemed to have changed back to the former Principal Gu who could manage the school and the shop in an orderly manner.

Zheng Qinghe's fingertips clenched quietly in his sleeves, and his knuckles turned white.

What method did Jiang Luli use? How did she recover her memory in just one night?

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, took half a step forward, and his eyes fell on Gu Jiayue's face.

Jiang Luli stood behind the crowd, watching Gu Jiayue's natural expression when she spoke to Zheng Qinghe. He felt as if his heart was stuffed with a ball of wet cotton, and he felt suffocated and uneasy.

He also noticed the difference in Gu Jiayue. Her eyes and tone clearly showed that she had regained her memory.

This proves that my previous guess was completely wrong.

She really is Gu Jiayue, she just lost her memory.

He was very upset and blamed himself for being too anxious before.

He opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but Zheng Qinghe had already stepped forward and took Gu Jiayue to the backyard.

Jiang Luli froze in his tracks, clenching his fists. He wanted to continue waiting at the Gu family's house.

Gu Yuhe approached cautiously. "Teacher, are you going to the academy today? My second sister isn't feeling well, so I don't think she'll be able to attend classes today. If she doesn't have you to teach her today, can she go home early?"

The college entrance examination results have not come out yet, and they have just taken the exam, so they still have to go back to school to continue their classes.

Those who passed the exam had to prepare for the provincial exam next year. Those who failed had to repeat the exam.

Time is money, and money can't buy time. Time is short, so don't waste it.

Of course, Gu Yuhe is different. As long as the results come out and he passes the college entrance examination, he will no longer have to continue studying in the school, but will graduate and start his own entrepreneurial journey.

Jiang Luli had no choice but to leave the Gu family first. He would come back to apologize to Jiayue after class.

And the apology must be done in a proper manner, and at least some gifts should be prepared.

The bamboo forest in the Gu family's backyard was thriving. The bamboo poles shot straight up into the sky, and the leaves piled up in layers. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled spots of light on the bluestone slabs. The leaves rustled in the wind.

"Jiayue, do you have something to tell me?" Zheng Qinghe spoke first, but his eyes never left her face.

Gu Jiayue turned around and gestured twice in the direction of the bamboo forest, her tone tinged with excitement. "It suddenly occurred to me that we could develop a new industry in the southwest. If it succeeds, the people's lives will definitely be much better."

A trace of disappointment flashed through Zheng Qinghe's heart. It turned out that he wasn't going to talk about what happened between them.

He moved his fingertips and asked tentatively: "Have you...recovered your memory?"

Gu Jiayue nodded with a casual smile on her face. "Yeah, I vomited too much blood yesterday and felt dizzy. I remembered everything when I woke up."

This explanation sounds absurd, yet strangely irrefutable.

Zheng Qinghe stared into her eyes and asked again: "Do you remember what happened in the past few days?"

"I don't remember clearly." Gu Jiayue shook her head, a bit confused in her eyes. "I just felt dizzy and couldn't grasp many fragments." She paused and asked, "Is there anything important?"

How could Gu Jiayue not remember? It was just that she didn't know how to explain it.

It would be better to just pretend that she doesn't remember. With Zheng Qinghe's personality, he won't make things difficult for her.

Zheng Qinghe felt even more lost.

How could I forget?

"It's nothing serious, you just said you wanted to go to the county government office to find me."

"Oh, about this." Gu Jiayue clapped her hands and spoke in a cheerful tone. "I wanted to go to the county government office to find you to talk about this matter. Since you're here, it's a good time to talk about it now."

"You talk, I'm listening." Zheng Qinghe sat on the stone bench next to him.

"You know that our southwest is mountainous and has little land. It's certainly difficult to grow crops on a large scale, right?"

Zheng Qinghe nodded. He had been in Annan County for two years and knew some basic knowledge.

"But there are also advantages to having many mountains. The vegetation on these mountains is lush and diverse. If you look carefully, you can find many treasures in the mountains."

Zheng Qinghe nodded and continued, "Well, there's a lot of wood and medicinal herbs in the forest. I've also thought about organizing villagers to plant medicinal herbs on a large scale."

"Besides medicinal herbs, there are also grasses." Gu Jiayue raised her head, her eyes sparkling. "Haven't you noticed? The grass in the southwest grows particularly well, and there are so many varieties. The cattle raised in the village grow faster in spring and summer."

"That's true. What does this have to do with what you said?" Zheng Qinghe replied.

"So we can raise more herbivorous animals!" Gu Jiayue stood up, her tone even more excited. "For example, cows and sheep. Sheep can be eaten for meat and milked, and their wool can be made into clothes and blankets. Cows, on the other hand, can plow the land, making farming much more efficient. Cutting grass for the cows to trample on, mixed with their feces, can make it excellent fertilizer. If we keep doing this, the southwest will definitely be transformed within two years!"

Zheng Qinghe's brow furrowed slightly, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the handle of his palm-leaf fan. "You say it well, but... a cow or a sheep costs a lot of money. How can the common people afford to raise them?"

"So we can use the 'adoption' model!" Gu Jiayue spoke faster. "The county government will fund the purchase of cattle and sheep, and distribute them to the people to raise. Each family is required to raise at least two sheep. After one or two years, the county government will buy them back at a predetermined price. Isn't that a win-win situation?"

"Farmers get cattle and sheep without spending any money. During the breeding period, farmers can use cattle to plow the land, improving farming efficiency. They can also exchange goat milk and wool for money. The county government repurchases cattle and sheep, which can be used to supply the market and drive the development of other industries."

"And then there are the people in the county town," Gu Jiayue added. "Life isn't easy for them either. Farmers at least have land to farm, but the people in the county town have no other options except opening shops or working as porters at the docks. But if we had wool and milk, we could open factories in the county town, weave woolen cloth, and make pastries. If the people in the county town have jobs and can earn money, they'll naturally stay. With more people, won't money flow more?"

Zheng Qinghe put down the palm-leaf fan and looked at Gu Jiayue seriously.

The way she spoke and the light in her eyes were the same as the Gu Jiayue in his memory who ran a school and engaged in farming in Taohua Village.

She was so dazzling and beautiful, and logically he should be attracted to such a woman. Only such a woman was worthy of standing by his side.

But for some reason, when he looked at Gu Jiayue like this, the image that flashed before his eyes was indeed her in the inn in Juzhou City two days ago, with red eyes, softly calling him Qinghe brother.

They are obviously the same person.

He was silent for a moment, then nodded. "You have a point. But this won't happen overnight. We need to first research which types of cattle and sheep are suitable for raising in the southwest."

"No need to study!" Gu Jiayue laughed even more happily. "I've thought about it all. The steps and plan are all in my mind. Just wait, I'll write it down for you!"

"Okay, then I'll trouble you." Zheng Qinghe also smiled, with indulgence in his tone.

"It's not a big deal. I also want Annan County to get better and better." Gu Jiayue said as she stood up and reached into her bosom. She pulled out a palm-sized cockroach and carefully held it in her palm. "Oh, by the way, this is my new little pet. I need to write later and I'm afraid I might hurt it. Could you help me watch it?"

She placed the cockroach on the stone table next to her and warned him seriously, "Remember, don't let it get more than three meters away from you."

Zheng Qinghe's smile froze on his face instantly, and he looked like he was under a spell.

He stared at the brown cockroach on the stone table. Its shell was shiny, its antennae were still swaying slowly, and the hairs on its back stood up.

No one knew that Zheng Qinghe, the top scholar, son of the Grand Tutor, and magistrate of Annan County, was actually afraid of cockroaches!

He hid this secret for more than 20 years, and even his own father didn't know.

After all, if it gets out that a seven-foot-tall man is afraid of such a small thing, it will damage his image.

"You must take good care of it." Gu Jiayue emphasized again, a hint of pleading in her eyes. "I love it so much. If I lose it, I will be very sad."

Fearing that Zheng Qinghe would refuse, she turned and ran to the room as soon as she finished speaking, not forgetting to turn around and shout: "Remember to give it some water and feed it something in about half an hour. If I don't finish writing, Master Zheng, please have dinner at my house!"

Three hours is six hours.

It is indeed difficult for a person who is afraid of cockroaches to stay with cockroaches for six hours.

But Lord Zheng, I'm sorry that you have to endure this so that your sweetheart can transform into a human!

On the stone table, Yue'er looked at Zheng Qinghe, whose face was pale not far away, and her tentacles were almost twisted into a ball.

Fortunately, she is a cockroach now, so no one can see her blushing.

But how was she supposed to get along with Brother Qinghe? Was she just going to stare at him like this on the stone table?

It's not that it's impossible, it's just that the shell gets hot from the sun.

Sister Gu left in a hurry and didn't consider this issue.

Zheng Qinghe was stiff for a long time before he could barely regain some strength.

He took two big steps back, trying to get away from the cockroach.

"Warning! Warning! The distance between the host and the target exceeds three meters, the timer restarts!" The mechanical sound of the system suddenly rang in her mind, scaring Yue'er.

Do you need to restart the time?

This first mission determines whether she can change back, so she cannot fail!

Yue'er quickly moved her six legs and crawled towards Zheng Qinghe.

Closer, closer!

Zheng Qinghe watched the cockroach crawl towards him, his pupils suddenly shrinking, and he backed away repeatedly, his back almost touching the bamboo pole, his voice trembling. "Don't... don't come over..."

But just as he took two steps back, he remembered Gu Jiayue's words and stopped abruptly.

If this little thing falls off the stone table, it will definitely die, right?

He could only bite the bullet and take a few steps forward.

"Master Zheng, you must help me take good care of my pet. I will be really sad if I lose it!" Gu Jiayue's voice floated out from the room with a bit of deliberate emphasis.

Zheng Qinghe took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and took a few steps forward.

For Gu Jiayue, I endured it!