"Kid, today you have no choice but to agree, whether you like it or not. Do you have any idea how much your vegetables have cost our company? When customers specifically ask for your produce, we can't sell ours. Now tell me, what should we do about that?"

As soon as Ling Zhenfei heard this, he knew these two were deliberately looking for trouble. His vegetables were mostly sold to Fatty and others' restaurants, rarely entering the market. Moreover, with the prices being higher, many small traders dared not buy them, let alone customers specifically asking for his vegetables and rejecting others'.

"I can't tell you what to do. I sell my vegetables; if the price is right, I sell, if not, I don't. They're my vegetables, if I'm in the mood, I sell, if not, I don't—and no one can control that!"

Facing unreasonable people, Ling Zhenfei would treat them with same irrationality.

"Kid, it looks like you're asking for death!"

As Huo Long was about to throw a punch, Huo Tian stopped him.

"Boss Ling, I advise you to cooperate with us. Otherwise, I can assure you that you won't be able to sell any vegetables from Xishan Manor!"

Although Huo Tian spoke with a smile, Ling Zhenfei felt a chill. This type of smiling tiger was the hardest to deal with; nothing scared him more than someone conniving behind his back.

"Are you threatening me?"

"Not at all, not at all. Who would dare threaten you? I'm just stating the facts. Here's my business card. Don't reject me so quickly, Boss Ling. Think it over and call me if you decide otherwise—I'll give you two days."

As he spoke, Huo Tian handed over a business card with Tianhe Group's phone number on it. Ling Zhenfei took it and immediately tore it up.

"Sorry, no need to think it over. I, Ling Zhenfei, don't respond to threats!"

"Don't let your youthful arrogance get the best of you. You might end up regretting it. Think it over. There will come a time when you'll ask for my help."

Finally, Huo Tian put away his smile and said to Huo Long, "Let's go." Then he turned around and left.

Huo Long raised his middle finger at Ling Zhenfei and said with a cold laugh, "Refuse the drink and you'll have to face the consequences. We'll see how this goes!" After that, he swaggered away, following Huo Tian with a cocky gait.

As soon as they left, Ling Zhenfei immediately called Yu Deshui. Although he wasn't afraid of threats, he couldn't ignore these villains. They even dared to say they would stop him from selling his vegetables. He might not know what tricks they had up their sleeves, but he had to be prepared.

"My brother, what's up?"

Yu Deshui sounded excited upon receiving Ling Zhenfei's call.

"Do you know anything about Tianhe Group?"

"Boss, why are you asking about that fatherless and motherless company? I know about them, alright. I'd love to slaughter those bastards!"

From Yu Deshui's cursing, it was clear that he had plenty of conflicts with Tianhe Group. Upon further inquiry, the reason became apparent.

Tianhe Group was originally formed by a bunch of hoodlums, using all sorts of illegitimate competitive tactics, taking by force, buying low and selling high. If anyone disagreed, they would use any despicable means to get their way. Yu Deshui had suffered a lot at their hands.

"Boss, you've got to be careful with these beasts, especially that Huo Tian. He's the worst of the lot, a wolf in sheep's clothing who's rotten to the core with the most devious intentions—you must watch out!"

Ling Zhenfei also felt a headache coming on. It hurt worse than a slow cut from a blunt knife, not anticipating that he would become a target of these thugs—and not just one, but a whole group of them. The problem was, he didn't even know exactly who he should be guarding against.

"I know, I really want to see what kind of tricks these toads are up to."

Ling Zhenfei had made up his mind; after all, he'd deal with whatever came his way. Worrying about these issues now would only put him on the defensive.

Early in the morning, Ling Zhenfei was meditating on his bed when he received a call from Yang Zixuan.

"Brother Ling, I'm going to the Provincial City today."

It was hard to tell if Yang Zixuan's voice was happy or not, but one could guess she was decidedly not pleased—even if she sounded cheerful, it was likely just a pretense.

"I'm really sorry, Zi Xuan. I originally wanted to accompany you," Ling Zhenfei was indeed feeling somewhat helpless. If Yang Zixuan were in danger going to the Provincial City, he would still go, even if it upset Lin Yuluo. But now, everything seemed so deliberate.

"Brother Ling, don't apologize. You've been so good to me; I'm already very content. No matter if I can return or not, you will always be on my mind."

For some reason, Yang Zixuan's words sounded extraordinarily melancholic.

"Zi Xuan, what are you talking about? You're just going to the Provincial City to discuss some business. Once it's done, you'll come back. It probably won't take more than a few days. Don't worry, I will definitely come to pick you up."

Ling Zhenfei thought that saying this would make Zi Xuan very happy, but after he spoke, he realized she didn't seem to react at all. She just thanked him and then hung up the phone.

Ling Zhenfei found Yang Zixuan's words very strange but didn't think too much of it. Perhaps the girl was just jealous. Women seem to be the same in some ways, always so prone to jealousy, always fighting over a person or something to the bitter end.

After eating, he left for the manor. Passing by He Lingxiu's house, he saw several people lining up at the door. He Lingxiu's home had essentially become a small clinic. Seeing people continuously coming out made him feel an inexplicable concern, so he entered He Lingxiu's house.

He Lingxiu spotted Ling Zhenfei right away and hurried to greet him. Ling Zhenfei waited for He Lingxiu to finish with the patients before sitting opposite her to chat.

"Have you been studying the Medical Arts books I gave you?"

"Of course, I have been studying them. But some of the content doesn't seem as practical as what Brother Ling taught me," said He Lingxiu earnestly.

Since He Lingxiu's theoretical knowledge was very lacking, even with guidance from an expert like Ling Zhenfei, her foundation was indeed weak. In order to improve her Medical Arts, it was essential to read more medical books, which is why he had prepared many medical texts for her to study in her spare time.

"What about the medical practice qualifications and business registration, have you taken care of that?"

When Ling Zhenfei asked about this, He Lingxiu felt a bit embarrassed and playfully stuck out her tongue.

"I really haven't done that. Do we need medical practice qualifications or business registration to treat people in the village? I asked the village chief, and he said it's not an issue."

"Wang Changhe doesn't know jack. Listen to me, you must get those things sorted out quickly. Don't let anyone find a reason to cause you trouble," Ling Zhenfei cautioned.

"Got it, Brother!"

After advising He Lingxiu, Ling Zhenfei, driven by interest, climbed up Xi Shan. It had been a long time since he felt this relaxed. For some reason, even his usually busy phone was quiet today, which led him to wonder if his phone service had been cut off.

Standing on the hillside of Xi Shan, the hillside below was his Xi Shan Farm, which by now had become quite significant. It had been transformed from a large barren field to include vegetable greenhouses, staff housing, a small lake at a distance, and then the endless forest beyond. The reason he chose this location was precisely because of its potential for expansion.

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