Chapter 58

Jiang Ruan left without even saying goodbye to Grandma Huang, knowing that the others would help escort her home. Grandma Huang told Qin Yan not to bother searching aimlessly but to go directly to the countryside, “Such a big thing, and you didn’t mention it beforehand. You even wanted to keep it from her, but Ruan Ruan is upset now. Go make amends.”

Jiang Ruan wasn’t actually that upset, and by the time she returned to Dawang Village, she felt much better. The villagers who were helping look after her farm greeted her, “Xiao Jiang, why are you back? Didn’t Qin Ao come with you?”

The last bit of her unspoken discontent disappeared. She replied, “I was worried about this batch of Shencao grass flowers since it’s time to harvest the seeds.”

She sent the villagers home first and then gathered some mushrooms, braising a young chicken for dinner. She fed the chicken neck, head, and liver to her two black puppies.

“Dahei, Xiaohei, tell me, why didn’t Qin Yan ask me for help this time? When I used to be his little helper, I never dared to just leave without saying anything. Do you think he’s angry? Will he skip coming next week?”

The two puppies wagged their tails, affectionately rubbing against Jiang Ruan’s hand before suddenly running out, barking in a friendly manner as if they had spotted a familiar face.

Jiang Ruan set down her chopsticks and rushed outside. It turned out Qin Yan had arrived. For some reason, ever since they got engaged, their dynamic had reversed. She used to worry about him getting upset, but now it was Qin Yan who seemed concerned about her being unhappy, riding his bike for over two hours in the dark just to find her in Dawang Village.

He had classes tomorrow, and Jiang Ruan felt guilty. She had been a bit spoiled and shouldn’t have left without saying a word.

It wasn’t even a big deal. Qin Yan must have had his reasons for not involving her this time. Why did she have to throw a little tantrum, causing him to cycle for over two hours in the dark? What if he got hurt?

Without saying a word, Jiang Ruan dashed toward him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and looked up with a pained expression, “I’m sorry, brother Qin Yan. I won’t be so willful again, and I won’t run off without telling you.”

Clearly, it was Qin Yan who made the decision without consulting her, yet Jiang Ruan was the first to reconcile and apologize. Qin Yan’s heart ached for her. They both knew what the other was feeling, and there was no need for further explanation. It was as if they had a silent understanding.

Qin Yan felt that coming tonight was definitely worth it. He had been busy with the matters concerning Xun Li and Ke Xiu earlier and hadn’t had a proper chance to talk to Jiang Ruan.

“What smells so good?” he asked.

“I made braised chicken with mushrooms and crucian carp tofu soup.” Jiang Ruan scooped a bowl of fish soup and invited Qin Yan to eat. Knowing he hadn’t eaten, he rushed over without a meal.

Qin Yan, however, wasn’t in a hurry to eat. Looking into Jiang Ruan’s clear eyes, he wanted her to understand his feelings.

“I had some people keep an eye on Ke Xiu, Mu Xuehui, Han Qingqing, and Zhong Wenwen’s mom. As for Xun Li’s matter, I knew Qin Ao wasn’t the best person for the job. If I asked you to help, you would do well, but Ruan Ruan, I’m a selfish person. I don’t want you helping other men. As a man myself, I know how men feel about women who come to their aid in times of trouble. They tend to develop feelings for them. That’s why I didn’t ask you this time.”

Jiang Ruan thought for a while, then understood. Qin Yan wasn’t worried she would like someone else, but he was jealous that other men might develop feelings for her.

She touched her face and laughed, “I doubt anyone else would like me besides you.”

Qin Yan shook his head and didn’t hide it, “In our dorm, two of the guys have feelings for you. A graceful lady is what a gentleman desires. It’s normal to be attracted to someone outstanding. Ruan Ruan, you’re outstanding, and I feel the pressure.”

“So many people like me, huh?” Jiang Ruan felt happy. She picked out the chicken leg for Qin Yan, “Forget about them. They’re just passing by. Brother Qin Yan, wherever you go, I’ll follow. If there’s something important next time, call me. I’m quite capable and won’t delay any of your big plans.”

Qin Yan’s heart softened, “Alright, from now on, I’ll come to you for the important things.”

He had prepared to stay the night, even bringing a change of clothes. With the weather warming up, Jiang Ruan had already switched to a lighter blanket, but worried Qin Yan might get cold, she suggested, “Let’s combine the two blankets and sleep together, okay?”

“No way.”

Every time they shared a bed, it was a challenge for Qin Yan. Sharing a blanket would definitely lead to trouble.

In their dormitory, Zu Zhongjin and Lu Sijing had moved in together shortly after starting to date, so Lu Sijing wasn’t keen on breaking up easily. It wasn’t so easy to resist temptation. If Jiang Ruan, in her thin pajamas, slept close to him, Qin Yan doubted his own self-control.

“Ruan Ruan, we can only sleep under the same blanket after we’re married.”

“Alright then.” Jiang Ruan hugged his waist through the blanket, “Is this okay?”

“It’s fine.”

“Brother Qin Yan, do you think I’ve always wanted to take advantage of you?”

Qin Yan replied, “Ever since you first came to my house, hasn’t it always been this way? I’m used to it.”

Jiang Ruan laughed, “That’s true.”

Thinking about Qin Ao, who hadn’t come back, she lay back down and asked, “Did Qin Ao not come back tonight because he’s waiting for Ran Xiaorong?”

Qin Yan said, “Yes, he wants to ask her tomorrow why she didn’t show up today.”

Jiang Ruan guessed, “I bet her father locked her up. I’ll advise Qin Ao not to be angry when he gets back.”

Qin Yan had noticed that whenever Jiang Ruan talked about other men, she would instinctively distance herself from him. He pulled her back into his arms, and sure enough, she stopped talking about Qin Ao.

She had an odd principle of not discussing other men while in his arms. Qin Yan found it amusing and touching.

“I have to get up early and head back to the city tomorrow. You should sleep a little longer,” he said.

Jiang Ruan, having resolved their little misunderstanding, fell asleep quickly, but someone else was tossing and turning—Qin Ao was wondering why Ran Xiaorong didn’t show up. Wasn’t she worried that her absence might make it seem like she was accusing him of misconduct?

…

Meanwhile, Ran Xiaorong was at home, throwing a fit and banging on the door, “Dad, if anything happens to Qin Ao, I won’t forgive you! I trusted you, and this is how you repay me? Locking me up?”

Her father replied, “If Qin Ao had any sense, he wouldn’t have asked you to be part of such a scheme to frame someone else.”

Ran Xiaorong thought her father was being too upright, “If the other party wasn’t up to no good, how could we harm them? Dad, you’re just biased against Qin Ao, thinking everything he does is wrong.”

Her father had no intention of letting her out, “The people Qin Ao associates with are complicated—Xun Li has been in jail, Chang Fuxiang drove his mother to her death, Qin Yan deals in antiques and mingles with suspected grave robbers, and even Grandma Huang… Did you know she was a concubine in a prominent family during the Republic? That whole family, except for her, died in the chaos. Isn’t that suspicious? And Jiang Ruan…”

“What’s wrong with Jiang Ruan? She’s so kind! Dad, you can’t even find fault with her, can you?”

“I’m not trying to find fault,” her father said, “but she’s a young girl with miraculous seeds in her hands. It’s like a child holding a fortune; it’s dangerous. If you become her sister-in-law, you’ll become a target for those coveting the seeds. I only want you to be safe.”

“So, in the end, you’re just dissatisfied with Qin Ao.”

Her father replied, “I won’t stop you from being with him, but I will correct your mistakes. If Qin Ao comes to see you tomorrow, I won’t prevent you from meeting him.”

…

Qin Ao thought it over all night and didn’t go looking for Ran Xiaorong the next morning. Instead, he returned to Dawang Village.

All along the way, he pondered his situation. Ran Xiaorong’s father’s disapproval wasn’t entirely unjustified. He was just a small merchant, and their families weren’t a good match. With Ran Xiaorong attending university, their differences would only grow.

He didn’t want to use emotions to bind Ran Xiaorong. It was better to let things take their course and revisit promises of forever once he had succeeded in his career and Ran Xiaorong had matured more through university and life experiences.

Upon returning home and explaining his idea, Jiang Ruan didn’t oppose it. She suggested, “Next time, talk to Ran Xiaorong about it so she understands your thoughts and there are no misunderstandings.”

“Are things good between you and Qin Yan?” Qin Ao asked.

“Yes, we’ve sorted it out.” Jiang Ruan shared with Qin Ao the details of her conversation with Qin Yan the previous night. Qin Ao admired the trust they had in each other.

…

Yesterday, they finalized plans in the city to open a fried chicken business. Today, Xun Li and Chang Fuxiang arrived together at Dawang Village.

Chang Fuxiang wanted to join the venture and experimented with over ten chicks from Jiang Ruan’s farm, preparing fried chicken for everyone to taste. He offered to contribute his skills and expertise in developing new recipes. He promised to come up with new variations whenever Mu Xuehui’s fried chicken shop launched a new product.

Indeed, they needed a skilled chef for research and development, and everyone agreed that Chang Fuxiang’s improved fried chicken tasted better than the offerings at Mu Xuehui’s shop.

Xun Li could only offer him a 10% share, which satisfied Chang Fuxiang. Given the national franchise plans that Mu Xuehui described to Zhong Wenwen’s mother, 10% was already a significant portion.

Xun Li allocated Jiang Ruan a 20% share. Jiang Ruan called Qin Yan, expressing her intention to share half of her share with Qin Ao.

“Qin Ao is my partner. For a lasting partnership, what I have, he should have as well. A 10% share is enough for me.”

Qin Yan felt that Jiang Ruan was being overly generous. However, her approach had its merits. This strategy would bind Qin Ao closely to the business, ensuring that no one could pry the secrets of the farm from him.

Qin Ao was deeply touched.

The plan for the first batch of broiler chicks involved hatching 10,000 chicks, which would be ready for sale 90 days post-hatching.

Since hiring workers would incur labor costs, Jiang Ruan suggested, “I’ll hatch the chicks, and we can distribute them to the villagers in Dawang for breeding. We’ll purchase them back once they are fully grown. I believe the villagers will be diligent in raising them.”

Having raised chicks for a long time, Qin Ao was well aware of the costs. “We need to charge for the chicks—15 cents each. Our buying price will be set at one yuan. After deducting the cost of feed, breeders can earn about 50 cents per chick.”

With the broiler chicks ready for sale in three months, the income potential was promising.

Chang Fuxiang widened his eyes. “Boss Jiang, even if the cost of breeding the roasted chicken chicks is a bit higher, it won’t exceed one yuan per chick. Selling them for five yuan each is an enormous profit margin.”

Jiang Ruan replied, “Since no one else can breed this type of chicken, why shouldn’t I charge more?”

Xun Li understood. “We can’t base the pricing solely on the cost of breeding. Chickens raised with medicinal herbs are of higher quality, and we should factor in the market value of those herbs. The pricing is actually reasonable.”

…

Jiang Ruan began preparations for hatching the broiler chicks. Once the chicks were hatched, she invited the village officials to compile a list of households willing to participate in the breeding.

Zhou Chengzhong calculated that if each household raised 100 chicks, the net income after three months would be around 50 yuan, which was significant for the villagers.

Before the household responsibility system, even in a good harvest year, the end-of-year earnings for a family with many able-bodied members were only a few dozen yuan.

Zhou Chengzhong instructed the team leaders to encourage villagers to participate, saying, “Chicks and feed can be credited from Boss Jiang. This is a great opportunity for entrepreneurship. Don’t hesitate, or in three months, you’ll be watching others make money while you miss out. As the village chief, I’m taking the lead—my family will raise 200 chicks.”

Raising chickens wouldn’t interfere with farming tasks, as villagers could feed them in the morning, noon, and evening. Thus, most were willing to participate, though some cautious individuals opted to start with just 50 chicks. The team leaders registered the details, then collected the feed from Jiang Ruan according to the number of chicks each household took.

Jiang Ruan reminded the breeders who collected the chicks, “Make sure not to skimp on the feed. If the quality of the broilers doesn’t meet the standards, we won’t buy them back.”

Breeders had to sign an agreement specifying the quality standards. There were still 20-30 households that did not take any chicks, opting to wait and see.

“What if they can’t sell all 10,000 chicks?”

“The breeders bear the risk of losses. If there’s an outbreak of avian flu, they could end up losing money and owing tens of yuan in debt. I’d rather wait.”

Jiang Ruan addressed the villagers, “Farming is also subject to the whims of the weather. If you want to make money, you have to take some risks. The risk in this breeding project is already very low. If you’re not even willing to take that on, then it’s no surprise if you don’t make any money.”

Her words encouraged several more households to participate, leaving only about a dozen that didn’t take chicks. All 10,000 chicks were eventually distributed.

…

Jiang Ruan regularly visited the production teams to guide the farmers in feeding the chicks, checking their quality, and reminding them that skimping on feed would result in substandard broilers and higher losses during collection. Because of her strict supervision, most farmers adhered to the guidelines.

However, she noticed that two households’ chicks were growing weaker, likely due to insufficient feed.

Jiang Ruan reported this to Zhou Chengzhong, analyzing, “These two households each took 200 chicks, but none of the feed was used on them. I suspect they sold the feed instead, making a profit and thus neglecting the chicks.”

“How could they be so short-sighted?” Zhou Chengzhong was furious. “You control the feed supply, and yet someone thought they could get away with this?”

“Perhaps they bought it for research purposes,” Jiang Ruan suggested.

“The secret ingredient, the Shencao Grass seedling, can only be cultivated by me. So, I’m not worried. But I will no longer provide feed to these two households. Those 400 chicks are already ruined, have them stop breeding.”

Both households had connections to Chengjia Village—one had married into it, and the other had a sister married there. When they heard about the feed cut-off, they wanted to return the chicks.

One family had separated from the main household, and the other had no elderly members to mediate. Zhou Chengzhong found himself unable to manage the situation.

He announced, “Don’t think I don’t know you secretly sold the feed and took dirty money. Pay up for the chicks now!”

Zhou Chengzhong showed determination, threatening to refuse them credit for pesticides and fertilizers. The families, scared and having made a decent profit from selling the feed, eventually paid for the chicks.

Two hundred chickens were too many for either family to consume. To save grain, they killed off over a hundred, leaving only a few dozen for their own consumption.

Zhou Chengzhong delivered the recovered payment to Jiang Ruan, deeply regretful, knowing these were not ordinary chicks.

Jiang Ruan considered herself fortunate, saying, “Only two families broke the rules. That’s better than I expected.”

“They’re both connected to Chengjia Village. It must be the village officials stirring up trouble,” Zhou Chengzhong asserted.

“They’re just doing someone else’s bidding,” Jiang Ruan speculated. It was likely Zhong Wenwen’s mother, who, being unable to visit the countryside herself, had arranged for the Chengjia Village leader to buy the feed for research.

…

The next day, Jiang Ruan visited the city, where Chang Fuxiang had already investigated the matter.

He told her, “It was indeed my elder sister who paid for the feed, giving each family 300 yuan.”

The village chief of Chengjia had taken a cut, as the actual payment was higher. In addition to the money, Chang Linyan had promised other benefits to persuade the two families to sell their feed.

Chang Fuxiang shook his head, “My sister is capable of anything. To make the villagers give up long-term benefits, she promised that if she succeeded in developing a new chicken feed, the fried chicken shop would share the profits with them.”

“Do you think she would really share the profits if she succeeded?” Jiang Ruan asked.

Knowing his sister’s methods well, Chang Fuxiang replied, “Absolutely not. She would exploit weaker competitors without mercy.”

Jiang Ruan reassured him, “Breeding and cultivation are tasks only I can manage. Chang Linyan’s research will not succeed, and those families will regret their decision.”

…

With only ten days left until the chicks were ready for sale, the four fried chicken shop locations Xun Li had chosen were excellent. They had already been renovated, and staff were being trained.

Two shops were across from Chang Linyan’s Maixiang Chicken, one near the department store, and one inside the train station.

Xun Li and Qin Yan had been monitoring foot traffic and Maixiang Chicken’s sales for a week to get an average.

Jiang Ruan glanced over the numbers. Chang Linyan’s Maixiang Chicken restaurant was selling around a hundred chicken combo meals a day. With Xun Li opening four new stores, they would need at least three hundred chickens daily, meaning the ten thousand chicks raised by the farmers would only last for about a month.

Fortunately, Jiang Ruan was hatching new chicks every month and still had around twenty to thirty thousand chicks at her farm.

Jiang Ruan was only in charge of the hatchery and wasn’t involved in running the stores. She asked, “The villagers have taken quite a lot of chicks and feed on credit, some owing hundreds and others dozens. When are you planning to start the collection?”

Xun Li replied, “The processing plant will be ready for operation in two or three days. Let the village officials know we will begin the collection three days from now.”

After settling the details, Xun Li suggested they all go to Chang Fuxiang’s restaurant for a meal. The restaurant’s business had picked up thanks to several new dishes he developed, and he had already reserved a table.

Qin Yan declined, “There’s nothing more to discuss right now. Maybe next time. I’d like to take Jiang Ruan somewhere else for a change.”

Xun Li teased, “Why are you keeping such a close eye on her? No one’s going to steal Jiang Ruan away.”

Qin Yan replied candidly, “Brother Li, maybe it’s time you found someone yourself.”

Xun Li smirked, “No rush. I’m focusing on my career first. I’m not like you, with someone already saying they’ll take care of you.”

Qin Yan felt rather proud, “That’s right. Without worrying about money, I can focus on other things. It feels pretty good.”

Xun Li chuckled, “That’s why we all envy you. Poor Jiang Ruan, though, supporting you while you still act all tough.”

Qin Yan gritted his teeth. “I never said I wouldn’t make money.”

He and Xun Li had a complicated relationship in their past lives, constantly competing and always exchanging sarcastic remarks. Even in this life, things hadn’t changed much. Being called a freeloader who puts on airs annoyed him—especially since Xun Li himself was eagerly trying to collaborate with Jiang Ruan.

Jiang Ruan had heard enough. Two grown men bickering like this was exhausting. She pulled Qin Yan away, putting an end to their pointless banter.

T/N: dear my lovely readers, please check out my other translation too <3