Inheriting a Farm Made Me an Internet Sensation - Chapter 8

Those deep eyes, clear as ever, were gazing at her calmly. Yet, beneath that tranquility, there were flickers of surprise and confusion.

Tan Xiao just happened to have the Ghost Orchid that her mother loved; it was indeed a bit too coincidental.

But what did that confusion mean? Did she think Tan Xiao was taking advantage of her?

At this thought, a surge of irritation rose within her. She unconsciously tightened her grip on the steering wheel, opening her mouth several times but failing to utter a single word.

Suppressing her thoughts, she pursed her lips and pressed the start button. The car slowly rolled forward.

It wasn’t until they left the town that she spoke again: “Think about it. If you feel it’s an unfair trade, I can pay you in cash instead.”

Tan Xiao, who had been staring out the window the whole time, checked the time and replied, “It wouldn’t be good to be late.”

Lin Muhan blurted out, “If you don’t want to exchange it, just say so. There’s no need to make so many excuses.”

She had assumed Tan Xiao wouldn’t refuse; Tan Xiao had no reason to refuse.

Hearing this, the words “I have another one” that were on the tip of Tan Xiao’s tongue were swallowed back down. She remained silent.

An hour later, at the Central District.

Tan Xiao got out of the car unhurriedly and entered a villa.

The interior decoration was in a classical style, with solid wood furniture placed in the spacious, bright living room. Although crystal lamps from the 70s or 80s hung from the ceiling, lamp stands were still placed throughout the room, each holding a decorative lantern.

Da, da…

Hearing the sound, she quickly turned toward the staircase on the right. She saw a middle-aged woman dressed in a cheongsam looking at her tenderly.

“You’re here.”

Whether it was her attire, her demeanor, or her age, everything indicated that this was the person who had invited her here today—her aunt, Huang Manyu.

It took Tan Xiao two attempts before she managed to call out the words “Auntie.”

Huang Manyu nodded slightly. After descending the stairs, she stopped in front of Tan Xiao and said warmly, “Bloodline is truly a strange thing. Even though we’ve never met before, I feel a sense of closeness to you.”

Tan Xiao didn’t know how to respond for a moment. In Huang Manyu’s eyes, she saw a sense of longing.

She surmised that Huang Manyu probably saw a resemblance between her and her long-deceased uncle, which prompted those words.

Huang Manyu shifted her gaze to Lin Muhan, who was greeting her. “Muhan, we haven’t seen each other in a while, and you’ve grown distant with me.”

Lin Muhan shook her head with a smile, stepping forward to take Huang Manyu’s arm. “Not at all. I was just stunned by your beauty, Auntie Huang.”

At this, Tan Xiao’s lip twitched slightly. She hadn’t expected that Lin Muhan would also have a side that flattered and coaxed people.

However, it was enough to show that Lin Muhan had a very good relationship with the Su family.

“Oh, you, your tongue is getting sweeter and sweeter,” Huang Manyu said dotingly. Seeing Tan Xiao, she gave another gentle smile. “Don’t just stand there, sit down.”

Tan Xiao nodded and carefully placed the flower pot in her hands onto the wooden coffee table. “I didn’t know what you liked, Auntie, so I brought this.”

Huang Manyu and Lin Muhan’s mother, Song Jin, were close friends. Through long-term exposure, she also recognized some orchids. When she first saw the orchid Tan Xiao was carrying, it looked familiar, though she couldn’t place where she had seen it. Now that Tan Xiao had placed it on the table, she looked closer and finally remembered. She was filled with astonishment: “This… this is a Ghost Orchid.”

Su Han finished her work and came downstairs, hearing Huang Manyu’s words and feeling surprised.

If it really was a Ghost Orchid, it was priceless. If sold, all of Tan Xiao’s previous debts could be easily resolved. Why would she still agree to go to the farm?

She looked at Lin Muhan, hoping for an answer, but Lin Muhan only gave a slight shrug.

Tan Xiao didn’t notice the interaction between Lin Muhan and Su Han; she merely gave a quiet hum of affirmation.

“I heard from Muhan’s mother that this Ghost Orchid has extremely harsh requirements for its environment,” Huang Manyu said, shaking her head. “I see it’s growing quite well in your hands; it’s better if you continue to raise it.”

Seeing Tan Xiao hesitate, she continued, “I’ve received your kind sentiment. If I want to see it in the future, I’ll go to the farm to visit you, alright?”

Hearing this, Tan Xiao could only agree.

Before she had brought this Ghost Orchid back to the small courtyard, Professor Wu had told her the cultivation method, which was indeed troublesome. Out of a desire to experiment, she had transplanted a small offshoot into another pot. Judging by the growth, the situation had stabilized.

She had originally planned to wait for that small plant to grow well and then return it to Professor Wu, to save him from losing sleep over this Ghost Orchid.

Besides, since she had successfully transplanted one, she could succeed a second time. It didn’t matter if she kept that small one or not.

In the car, when she heard Lin Muhan’s suggestion for an exchange, there was a moment when she thought about waiting for that small offshoot to grow a bit more before transplanting it for her.

But Lin Muhan’s words had irritated her, so she dismissed that idea.

Sitting beside Huang Manyu, Lin Muhan naturally heard what she had just said. A flicker of regret rose in her heart. She had only thought that her mother would like it, but forgot that even if the Ghost Orchid reached her mother’s hands, it might not survive.

If anyone could keep it alive, the Ghost Orchid wouldn’t be so rare.

Thinking of this, she quietly looked up at Tan Xiao, wanting to apologize for her earlier attitude, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the words.

Su Han walked over and stopped beside Tan Xiao. “Welcome.”

Regardless of how Tan Xiao obtained this Ghost Orchid or why she came to the farm, as long as Tan Xiao didn’t harbor any improper intentions, she could choose not to press the matter.

Tan Xiao rose from her seat and nodded slightly to Su Han. “Thank you for having me.”

“We are practically family; there’s no need for such formalities.”

Tan Xiao didn’t respond this time, only offering a shallow smile. If she continued the conversation, it would only make everyone uncomfortable.

After dinner, Tan Xiao declined Huang Manyu’s suggestion to stay the night. After saying goodbye to Huang Manyu and Su Han, she left the villa.

She had only walked a couple of meters down the road when a horn honked behind her. Turning around, it was surprisingly Lin Muhan.

“Get in, I’ll drive your back.”

Tan Xiao checked the time on her phone; it was already nine o’clock. Taxis were rare in this area. If she refused Lin Muhan, she really might not be able to get a ride.

“Hurry up,” Lin Muhan urged.

Tan Xiao gave an “Oh” and opened the car door to get in.

This scene was witnessed by Huang Manyu and Su Han, who were standing on the second-floor balcony.

Su Han, whose gaze followed the moving car, said, “She doesn’t seem like a greedy person.”

“You can know a person’s face but not their heart; it’s better to remain cautious,” Huang Manyu sighed. “Your father… he’s still too soft-hearted. That life of his was bought out long ago by your grandparents for ten thousand yuan.”

“I understand.”

Two kilometers away from the Central District, Lin Muhan tried to find a topic. “I can tell Auntie Huang likes you.”

“Is that so?” Tan Xiao lowered her eyes to look at the Ghost Orchid in her lap. “No one likes a person who suddenly pops out of nowhere.”

Huang Manyu seemed gentle and kind, but that warmth stayed only on the surface. Thus, Tan Xiao didn’t feel any genuine affection from her.

Lin Muhan opened her mouth to argue, but then thought back to her own feelings when she first learned Tan Xiao had come out to split the inheritance with Su Han. She swallowed her words.

Indeed, if she as an outsider felt that way, what about the people directly involved, like Auntie Huang and Su Han?

If she remembered correctly, Auntie Huang had once poured a lot of effort into that farm.

Who would be willing to hand over their hard work to someone else for nothing?

If that were the case, then what Auntie Huang displayed tonight was…

She didn’t dare think further, nor was she willing to blindly suspect the elder she had always admired based on a single casual remark from Tan Xiao.

“About what happened in the car earlier… I’m sorry. I was too impatient,” she said hesitantly.

These words startled Tan Xiao, but the displeasure in her heart vanished completely because of them. She turned her head to look at the colorful city lights outside the window and said slowly, “I am improving the cultivation method for it. I’ll give you a plant later.”

Lin Muhan caught the key point, her foxlike eyes sparkling. “You can even change that?”

“How will we know if we don’t try?” Tan Xiao replied nonchalantly.

By the time they returned to the small courtyard, it was already ten o’clock. Lin Muhan, feeling exhausted, decided to stay over tonight.

Tan Xiao was used to waking up at six. After washing up, she walked downstairs, ate with the helpers, and went out to the fields.

She had set aside the land closer to the courtyard. Aside from the one acre allocated to the students, the rest was used for seed breeding.

By the time she finished and returned to the yard, it was nearly ten o’clock. The sun was already high in the sky. The students who followed her back were huffing and puffing, sitting in the first-floor living room, drinking water and catching their breath.

Just as Tan Xiao was about to go back upstairs, Sun Le walked over, looking at her with hesitation.

She stopped and asked, “Has something happened?” She glanced around the living room; including Sun Le, there were only five students there today.

Compared to the usual group of seven, they were missing two people.

Sun Le clenched her hands and stammered, “It’s Xiao Ran. Her father is caught up in a lawsuit. The other party wants Xiao Ran’s family to pay 1 million yuan in compensation. Her family can’t possibly come up with that much money right now and is extremely anxious.” She looked up cautiously at Tan Xiao. “I… I heard Sister Chen say that Lawyer Lin might be able to give some advice. I wanted to ask if you could give Lawyer Lin a call.”

Lin Muhan, who had slept her fill, just happened to come downstairs. Hearing someone mention her, she immediately asked, “Who’s looking for me?”

Tan Xiao moved two steps to the side to make room for Lin Muhan. “She’s here. You can tell her directly.”

Sun Le was very nervous. She wasn’t familiar with Lin Muhan, having only met her twice. She worried that Lin Muhan would refuse.

But she didn’t know any other lawyers, so she could only brace herself and say, “Hello, Lawyer Lin. I… I have something I’d like to consult you about.”

Lin Muhan found a seat and sat down, listening patiently as Sun Le finished.

The gist was that Xiao Ran’s family orchard had signed a contract to provide 30,000 catties of grapes to a certain streamer. However, because it rained frequently during the ripening period, some of the grapes spoiled. The final total didn’t reach 30,000 catties, and so they were sued by the streamer for compensation.

Without seeing the contract, Lin Muhan didn’t want to make a hasty judgment. She told Sun Le to go back and have Xiao Ran send the contract over, and she would make a decision after reviewing it.

Seeing that the students had left, leaving only the two of them in the living room, she turned to Tan Xiao and asked, “What do you think?”