The small boat drifted downstream to the island group in the center of the lake.
"This entire island was previously submerged in the lake. Later, when the reservoir was filled, this reef was exposed."
Professor Luo couldn't help but smile as he recalled the past:
"My wife and I came here to survey the terrain and accidentally discovered the shore of Sanxi Lake."
"I was so excited at the time, like I had struck gold. The climate and environment were simply the ideal habitat for egrets. I stayed without thinking twice and was determined to turn this place into an ecological wetland park."
"I stayed there for a full twelve years."
The small boat glided into the bay, where egrets stood gracefully on the shallows, their plumage entirely white with two stripes of feathers adorning their heads. Hearing the sound of the water, they flapped their wings and flew into the sky, landing in unison in the bushes on the island.
Standing tall and graceful, with full wings.
Jiang Hexi couldn't help but exclaim, "Professor, this place is so beautiful!"
Professor Luo looked at this habitat, his eyes brimming with pride:
"Originally, this place was just bare reefs. My wife and I brought in silt and planted different kinds of shrubs and trees to create an ecological wetland, which is why we have this vibrant scene before us."
Jiang Hexi could hardly imagine how much effort it took to turn these islands into oases.
Yan Jie said admiringly, "The original ecology is also very well protected. If there were no high-quality water source, the egrets would not choose to roost and breed here."
Professor Luo: "My wife and I carried out ecological restoration of flora and fauna on the island and lakeside. It took us seven years to improve the water quality, which allowed the egret population here to increase from fifty or sixty at the beginning to eight or nine thousand now."
Yu Xiangwan couldn't help but think: "Professor, will you open the entire ecological park to the public in the future so that more people can see the scenery here?"
Professor Luo nodded earnestly, "This is what we plan to do next. The procedures are already underway. I want to return this natural landscape to the local people."
As the mist dissipated, the small boat passed one island after another. Under the shade of the dense forest, the group encountered flocks of graceful egrets.
The entire boat ride felt like stepping into a fairyland.
Even after reaching the shore, Jiang Hexi still felt unreal as her feet touched the ground, as if she had been in a dream from which she could not wake up.
"What are you still standing here for? Get out of here."
Yan Jie came over to call her, but seeing that she was standing there blankly without any response, he asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
"Did you hear anything?"
Jiang Hexi listened intently, trying to discern the differences.
Yan Jie glanced into the depths of the old forest. Under the dense canopy of trees, the end of the jungle was blurred into a dark shadow. He heard the chirping of an unknown bird and the rustling sound of weeds being pulled, which was hidden by the lapping of the lake on the shore.
There are people on the riverbank.
Jiang Hexi, as if she knew someone was there, urged him, "Why don't we go check it out?"
"Curiosity killed the cat. Have you forgotten how you were scared by the water snake this morning?"
After Yan Jie finished speaking, she pushed him forward, forcing him to walk to the lakeside. He peered through the grass and saw an unexpected old acquaintance:
"Uncle Li, what are you doing here?"
Li Youtian was squatting on the lakeside cutting grass when he heard this and turned around, only to bump into Yan Jie. He tightened his grip on the sickle, looking ready to rush over and fight at any moment.
"Uncle Youtian, Professor Luo asked us to come and repair the road, but I didn't expect to run into you here."
Jiang Hexi pulled Yan Jie behind her and kept pushing him away, afraid that the two of them would start fighting and she would be at a disadvantage if she stood in the middle.
“King Yan, step aside, I’m going to learn from you.”
"What are you doing here in the middle of nowhere?" Yan Jie immediately snapped at her angrily.
Jiang Hexi kept pushing Yan Jie away until she finally pushed him out, then she lowered her voice and told him:
"The fish raised by the village bully are so fat and beautiful, it must be related to this aquatic plant. I'll go and ask him for advice."
Before he could respond, she pushed aside the waist-high weeds and walked towards the water's edge: "Uncle Tian, let me help you tie up the water plants."
As Li Youtian watched her wade through the water, he picked up a hemp rope from the ground and began to tie up the water plants. His wrinkled old face finally fell.
"Who told you to come and help me bundle the hay?"
"I'll help if I want to."
Jiang Hexi diligently bundled the water plants into a ball, pulling the hemp rope taut. As she tied the knot, she sighed:
“My two worthless ponds, after a year of raising fish, didn’t yield as many grass carp as Uncle Tian’s pond alone. Aren’t they both free-range fish? How come there’s such a big difference?”
"I have never said that I raise free-range fish."
Li Youtian swiftly cut down weeds, one after another, with sharp blades. "It's those lazybones in the village who have never seen me working hard from dawn till dusk to cut grass. They just gossip behind my back."
Jiang Hexi looked at the water plants in her hand and asked, "Uncle, did you feed the fish with these plants?"
“That’s how I feed them,” Li Youtian said irritably. “Whether you can raise fish well by feeding them this way is none of my business.”
"Uncle, I've noticed your pond has been dry for many days. When are you planning to fill it with water?"
Li Youtian's eyes were wet with sweat. He narrowed his gaze and said, "You want to secretly learn how to raise fish with me?"
Jiang Hexi tied a bundle of water plants tightly, not daring to look up, and said, "Uncle Tian, I've already asked you openly, how can this be considered stealing knowledge?"
Li Youtian said with slight annoyance, "From now on, just do what I do. Why ask so many questions? It's so nagging."
Jiang Hexi smiled and said, "Uncle, I'll listen to you."
Even the village bully Li Youtian couldn't resist the sweet girl's smile.
[Xi-mei kept calling him "Uncle You-tian," and the village bully was completely captivated by her flattery.]
Seeing that the matter was almost settled, Yan Jie came over and urged, "Xi-mei, let's go."
Jiang Hexi tied the last bundle of water plants tightly, making a tight knot, and said, "Uncle Tian, I'm leaving now. I'll come back to cut more water plants after I release the fish fry."
"Drain all the water from the pond and let it sit in the sun for four or five days."
Li Youtian kept cutting the aquatic plants without stopping, and said irritably, "I'll buy six truckloads of quicklime and spread it in the pond, then fill it with water and let it soak for two or three days before I can fill it with water."
Yan Jie accepted the kindness and said, "Thank you, Uncle Li."
Li Youtian slashed his sickle into the mud and said fiercely, "I wasn't talking to you."
Jiang Hexi pushed Yan Jie out and replied with a smile, "Uncle, I understand."
Li Youtian lowered his voice and instructed her, "Professor Luo has had a very difficult journey. Since you promised to help him repair the road, then repair it properly."
Jiang Hexi finally understood why Li Youtian had taught her how to raise fish: "I will fix the road."
"If they need your help—"
"I will definitely help."
Jiang Hexi interrupted him.
Li Youtian glanced up at her, then picked up his sickle again and continued cutting the water plants. He had his back to them, as if nothing had happened.
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