Selecting materials, grinding, mixing dough, proofing, kneading, etc., took three days.

Then came the pressing of the incense.

Since the customized pressing tool hadn’t arrived yet, they temporarily used an old syringe borrowed from Old Man Lu.

Lu Erge was responsible for pressing the incense, while Lin Shu and Fang Dihua handled the incense processing, cutting it into regular lengths, and laying it out on sorghum stalk mats to dry.

When the incense was half-dry, they had to straighten it out.

However, since they were handcrafting and using non-professional tools, making it as straight as machine-made incense was impossible.

This required Lu Erge and Fang Dihua to brainstorm and find ways to make do.

Lin Shu also had them manually make some fine coil incense.

For different types of incense like stick and coil incense, they would provide samples for customers to choose from.

Making incense seemed easy to talk about but was tedious and monotonous to do.

Lin Shu felt she would get irritable doing it every day, so she decided to teach Fang Dihua and Lu Erge and then focus on cooking instead.

Lu Erge could sit there pressing incense continuously, repeating the same action without finding it tedious, probably due to his experience with farming and weaving.

Xu Erzhu, meanwhile, was like a mule in the production team, endlessly grinding the incense mixture in circles.

Lin Shu thought that if they could really make money, it would be a good idea to set up a water mill in Xihe to automate the grinding process, which would save labor.

Electric mills were out of the question due to the high cost of the motors and electricity, which the team couldn’t afford.

After several busy days, they finished making some stick incense.

They dried them on the heated kang and then stored them in a large jar for aging.

Once they accumulated a certain amount, they would send samples out to get orders.

That morning, Lin Shu got up to make breakfast.

Chen Yanming was packing up and ready to leave.

Panpan was surprised and asked, “Godfather, why are you packing up?”

Chen Yanming smiled and said, “My injury is almost healed. Your dad can’t stand me being idle, so he’s probably going to drag me off to work today.”

This was the longest rest he had taken due to an injury, and he felt a bit reluctant to leave.

He had enjoyed the warmth of family life.

Panpan and Tiantian were sad to see him go.

Lin Shu smiled and said, “It’s okay. Godfather will come back in the future.”

Chen Yanming quickly added, “Yes, I’ll visit whenever I can.”

Just as they were about to have breakfast, they heard Lin Xia’s cheerful voice outside, “Panpan, Tiantian, guess who’s here?”

The kids ran outside excitedly, shouting, “Auntie! Auntie!”

Lin Xia was accompanied by Jiang Weidong.

Seeing Jiang Weidong and her second sister arriving, Lin Shu joked, “Brother Jiang, are you on a business trip to Huang County?”

Jiang Weidong laughed and said, “Actually, I’m on a business trip to Qing County. We need to cooperate with the local factory for some parts. I came personally to deliver them.”

Of course, the real reason he came was to see his girlfriend.

He unloaded a wooden box from the jeep and told Lin Shu, “The tools you needed are ready. I brought them along too.”

Lin Shu was pleasantly surprised and said, “So soon? Thank you, Brother Jiang!”

There were no factories in the commune or county that could make the spice extractor Lin Shu needed.

She had asked Lu Shaotang to bring the blueprints and help her find Jiang Weidong.

She thought it would take at least two months, but she received the tools in just over ten days.

Jiang Weidong explained, “I was worried about delaying you. As soon as I got the blueprints, I went to the Qizhou Machinery Factory to have someone look at them. The engineers made some adjustments based on your requirements to make it more convenient to use.”

Lin Shu replied, “That’s wonderful.”

Jiang Weidong helped carry the box and also had Tiantian and Panpan bring in the candies, fruits, and ten pounds of rice that Grandma Jiang had sent.

Rice wasn’t produced locally, so the rice was a special treat given to factory leaders.

Old Lady Jiang thought they might not be used to it and didn’t want it to go to waste, so she had her son bring it to Lin Shu and the kids.

Lin Shu noticed her second sister carrying her tool bag and asked, “Second Sister, will you be busy in our commune next?”

Lin Xia smiled and said, “Yes.”

Panpan and Tiantian were thrilled.

Although the electricity would mostly mean using electric lights for reading, the new changes were exciting and fun for the kids.

They were all in high spirits.

When they got home, Lin Shu first introduced Jiang Weidong to the family, and then introduced Chen Yanming to Lin Xia and Jiang Weidong.

As a retired soldier, Jiang Weidong had a special affection and respect for active-duty soldiers.

Being able to stay in the army for over ten years without transferring was a sign of a promising future, with a career secured.

Moreover, Chen Yanming, like Lu Shaotang, was young and accomplished.

The two of them hit it off.

Although Jiang Weidong and Lin Xia said they had already eaten breakfast, Lin Shu still invited them to sit down and eat.

They didn’t refuse.

To them, Lin Shu’s breakfast was quite refined, unlike the casual meals most families served.

She had made coarse rice porridge, heated up pancakes, stewed eggs with pickles, and several side dishes, including blanched vegetables, cold cucumber strips with chili oil, salted duck eggs— a colorful, appetizing spread.

Even though they had already eaten, they could still enjoy another two bowls of porridge.

During the meal, Panpan kept glancing at Jiang Weidong and then at Lin Xia, and suddenly asked, “Auntie, are you and Uncle Jiang dating?”

“Pfft,” Chen Yanming almost spit out his porridge.

How did Panpan figure that out?

How come I didn’t notice it!

Everyone in the room—scooping dishes, chewing, and slurping porridge—stopped and looked at Lin Xia and Jiang Weidong.

Sister Lu Da was particularly curious, her bright eyes almost sparkling.

Lin Shu, however, remained calm. Hadn’t Jiang Weidong been particularly affectionate when he called her “Third Sister”?

This suggested that their relationship was solid and growing.

Jiang Weidong, holding his bowl, turned to Lin Xia with a look of expectation mixed with anxiety.

If she didn’t admit it, it would be fine.

Lin Xia smiled and said generously, “Yes, we’re dating and seeing how things go.”

Sister Lu Da loudly congratulated Lin Xia and Manager Jiang, “You two look very well-matched. And Old Lady Jiang will make a great mother-in-law. If it were me, I’d be…”

“Cough, cough!” Lu Dage quickly interrupted her, pulling her away.

What are you so happy about?

Do you think you’re the one in the spotlight?

Sister Lu Da gave Lu Dage a smile. “I’m just making a comparison. You’re the best.”

Fang Dihua glared at them both, reminding them not to be so sour in front of the children.

She and Old Man Lu both congratulated Jiang Weidong and Lin Xia, saying that they were a good match.

Jiang Weidong was so pleased he almost felt like shouting, but he managed to keep his composure.

He was very grateful to Panpan and promised to buy her and Tiantian some good treats and give them big red envelopes every year!

Tiantian, not understanding much, thought of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl who had two babies and quietly asked Lin Xia, “Secons Aunt, do you have a baby too?”

Lin Xia hurriedly said, “No, we don’t have a baby. You have to be married to have a baby. Your Uncle Jiang and I are just dating, not married yet.”

Tiantian sighed with relief, nodded, and praised Jiang Weidong, “So Uncle Jiang is better than the Cowherd. The Cowherd is a big scoundrel!”

Everyone: “… Uh.”

Chen Yanming praised, “My goddaughter is sensible. The Cowherd is indeed a scoundrel. If you see him in real life, keep your distance.”