Attic?!
If these soils really have secrets, then the plants grown with them should show unique growth rates or traits!
This idea rekindled his spirits, and he immediately began preparing petri dishes, screening seeds, and setting up a controlled experimental environment.
He wants to reveal the secrets of this soil in the most intuitive way!
Li Qiang returned to the laboratory and immediately began his cultivation experiment. He used two identical transparent plastic boxes, lined the bottoms with clean filter paper, and then filled each with equal amounts of soil.
In the box on the left was the dark brown soil he had dug from deep in Zhong Ling's yard.
In the box on the right is ordinary soil that he randomly collected near the school as a control group.
He carefully selected plump Chinese cabbage seeds and evenly sprinkled them on the surface of the two boxes. Then he sprayed them with pure water with a spray bottle, covered them with lids, placed them on the culture rack, and set a constant temperature and light.
In the following time, Li Qiang devoted almost all his energy to these two plastic boxes.
He observed and recorded the germination of seeds and the growth rate of seedlings several times a day.
On the first day, the seeds in both boxes began to absorb water and swell, revealing tiny white embryos. On the third day, the embryos grew a bit longer. On the morning of the fifth day, when Li Qiang habitually leaned forward, his eyes suddenly widened.
In the box on the left containing Zhong Ling's soil, the pakchoi seeds seemed to have fast-forwarded. Each tender stalk shot upward, crowned with two tender green leaves.
They grew significantly faster than the control group next to them, and their leaves were brighter in color and their stems appeared thicker and stronger.
Although the seeds in the box on the right have sprouted, the seedlings appear thin and weak, and are only half the height of those on the left.
"Success... Really successful!" Li Qiang couldn't suppress his inner ecstasy and roared in a low voice.
With trembling hands, he picked up the camera and took pictures of the seedlings in the two boxes from different angles.
Data doesn't lie. In just five days, the same environment, the same seeds, and just because of different soil, produced such a huge difference! This was definitely not a coincidence, nor was it his eyes playing tricks on him.
While Li Qiang was excited, he was also perplexed. What exactly was contained in this soil? Was it some unknown active substance? How did it affect plants?
He urgently needed to analyze the composition of the soil and find that magical factor.
However, the equipment and technology he had at hand were no longer sufficient to explore this unknown territory.
He needs more advanced instruments, more samples, and even the support of a strong scientific research team.
This discovery was so astonishing that he seemed to have already seen the paper that would be published in the top international journal and the shocked and admiring looks from countless colleagues.
But he also understood the covetousness and trouble that would result if this secret were leaked. He had to be careful, very careful.
Perhaps he could go back and conduct a more thorough search, this time not just of the water tanks and the soil, but deeper, even examining the structure of the house to see if there were any hidden containers or traces.
Oh, right, the house! All his attention had been focused on the yard and the vegetable patch, but he had neglected the old house itself!
He stood up suddenly, hurriedly packed up his experimental records, and didn't even bother to take care of the two pots of cabbage.
He needed to go back immediately, to Yunxi Village, and conduct a thorough investigation of the old house.
Li Qiang asked for leave from his supervisor again with the lame excuse of "supplementing soil samples for cross-validation" and almost ran to the long-distance bus station.
The phrase "homesick" has never been so suitable to describe his mood as it is at this moment. However, what drives him is not homesickness, but an almost pathological obsession.
After returning to Yunxi Village, Li Qiang did not go home immediately. Instead, he carried his sampling bag and pretended to stroll around the village for inspection, but his feet involuntarily moved towards Zhong Ling's house.
This time, he raised his head and looked carefully at the farmyard. Just as his eyes swept over the gable on the side near the backyard, his pupils suddenly contracted.
High up, just below the eaves, there is a small square window that almost blends in with the color of the wall.
Attic! This old house actually has an attic! This discovery made Li Qiang's heart skip a beat.
How could he not have noticed it before? This attic looked so inconspicuous from the outside, so where would the entrance be?
Could it be that... Zhong Ling's true secret is hidden there? For example, a container for storing that magical liquid, or fertilizer for cultivating special soil?
He suppressed his impulse and continued walking forward as if nothing had happened. He walked around the old house and observed the small window and roof structure from different angles. He became more and more certain of the existence of the attic.
Night fell again. Li Qiang was restless at home. He ate a few bites of dinner and went back to his room to rest, using the excuse of being tired.
In the middle of the night, he took out the prepared tools from under the bed: a high-intensity flashlight, a multi-functional folding knife, and a small roll of strong string.
He changed into dark clothes, put on a hat and a mask, and slipped out of the house again.
The third time he sneaked into Zhong Ling's yard, Li Qiang no longer felt the initial nervousness and awkwardness, but instead felt a morbid sense of familiarity.
He didn't stop in the yard, but headed straight for the main house. The entrance to the attic was most likely indoors.
He arrived at the door to the main house. The lock was an old-fashioned padlock that didn't look very strong. He pulled out his folding knife and used one of the small tools to fiddle with the lock cylinder. After fiddling with it for about two or three minutes, it opened with a soft click.
He pushed the door open a crack, slipped in sideways, and quickly closed the door. The room was pitch black and smelled heavily of dust.
He lowered his body and began to search the house carefully: living room, bedroom, kitchen... He checked every ceiling and every wall, trying to find the entrance to the attic.
As time ticked by, beads of sweat began to form on Li Qiang's forehead. The room wasn't big, but he'd searched nearly every corner, yet found nothing. Could the entrance be outside? Or perhaps there wasn't an inside entrance at all?
Just as he was about to give up and leave to think of another solution, his flashlight stumbled across a small compartment in the corner of the kitchen where firewood and farm tools were stored. The compartment's ceiling was made of simple wooden boards. He walked over and shone the flashlight upwards.
On the ceiling near the inner wall, the color and texture of a wooden board are extremely subtly different from the other boards, and there seems to be a not-so-obvious gap on the edge.
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