41

As for the television station, Xiao Fengyun had spent some resources to raise the status of her business partners. After recording the program, she even went to watch it twice and treated the program team to a meal, with one goal in mind.

She wanted everyone to know that the vegetables from Yanxia Mountain were of excellent quality, and such good vegetables could only be found in their Huihe.

Lin You had secretly worried about it before. Of course, being on TV was a good thing, but her main business was live streaming. What if there were people causing a ruckus again? She might end up disturbing the peace of the village.

However, if she let her own inconvenience stop the village from accepting interviews, that wouldn’t be right either. Lianhua Town was backed by mountains, and the mountain road had only been built seven or eight years ago. The villagers had finally established stable livelihoods, so how could she let them give up just because of her own minor inconvenience?

Lin You’s concerns were understandable, but later, it proved that her worries were completely unnecessary.

When the county television station aired the interview, Lianhua Town had very little coverage, and even the fact that Lianhua was the only vegetable-producing area was subtly downplayed.

The young man, Xiao Ma, who came from Fangping Town, acted naively and laughed awkwardly.

Anyone with sharp eyes could tell that this was definitely something the town had influenced.

Xiao Ma: “The leaders sent me here to… not, to listen to everyone’s opinions, haha. Don’t blame our leaders, the town has been struggling in recent years—it’s hard to attract investment, and the villages below have seen severe population outflows. It’s not easy to have a vegetable business. What the leaders mean is, we’re not faking it, just a little bit of an adjustment. It’s also to help the local vegetable farmers in the town…”

Lin You immediately knew this seemingly naive young man with acne was lying. Every time he mentioned the leaders, he was clearly using them as a shield.

However, this suited her intentions just fine. The vegetables came from Lianhua Town, even though the TV station didn’t mention it, anyone with a little curiosity would figure it out. Yao Jiu was only worried about Huihe facing the same issues as Zhang Ji, but now, if Huihe pulled out, the county would immediately step in with money to find new partnerships.

Given this, it didn’t matter much to her to help Fangping Town.

Moreover, the TV program didn’t give Fangping Town much coverage.

After Xiao Ma finished complaining, he started to grumble, “You see how clever Huihe is. In a 30-minute program, half the time was spent showing their supermarket’s booming business. They even announced plans to open a branch in the city…”

If Xiao Fengyun knew Xiao Ma was saying this, she would definitely defend herself. After all, she was the one who arranged the TV program, and her priority was to look after her own business first.

But Xiao Fengyun had been busy lately. No one expected that her fresh food supermarket, started at the age of fifty, would grow so rapidly.

In such a short time, Xiao Fengyun had already started looking for locations in Lu City, preparing to open a branch soon. This made her competitors in the county so angry they couldn’t eat.

Especially for families who had gotten used to good food and tasted the flavor of Yanxia Mountain vegetables, there was no comparison with their own vegetables. Every day, they watched their sales plummet and still had to send money to Xiao Fengyun…

Well, it seemed she should transfer her focus early. She could either remodel the supermarket or take over another city’s market, as competing with Huihe would only result in mutual losses.

After watching the TV program, Yao Jiu also called Xiao Fengyun. If Xiao Fengyun wanted to open a branch, she must be relying on Lianhua Town’s vegetables.

These were the newly planted vegetables from Lianhua Town.

Yao Jiu was worried, feeling the risk was too high.

But Xiao Fengyun’s voice on the other end was bright and cheerful: “What’s there to be afraid of? As long as the product is good, whatever we do will succeed.”

Xiao Fengyun also strongly invited Yao Jiu, saying that the vegetables from Lianhua Town came from individual farmers, and as a partner, it was often difficult for her to manage things. She wanted Yao Jiu to act as a communication bridge. She had considered this idea before, but it hadn’t been formalized in writing. Now she wanted to make things more structured and offered Yao Jiu a share.

After a few days of hesitation, and with the support of Lin You and the villagers, Yao Jiu agreed.

Xiao Fengyun also contacted the Agricultural Science Office in the county, intending to plan the vegetable cultivation in Lianhua Town in a reasonable and compliant way. She had to ensure that there would be some produce every season, every day of the year.

Soon, Yao Jiu became very busy. Apart from trying her best to join Lin You for meals every day, she had no free time.

One early morning, Lin You got up to head to the town’s morning market. She didn’t need to sell vegetables anymore, so now she got up early to check if the items she purchased had arrived.

The contract for the land lease was signed, and Lin You first sowed seeds in Lianhua Pond. The remaining hundred acres of mountain land couldn’t just be left idle.

The upper part of the mountain was unsuitable for growing vegetables, but it was ideal for planting trees. After thinking it over for a while, Lin You decided to plant kiwifruit. There were already some kiwifruit trees on Yanxia Mountain, and every autumn, there were quite a few fruits. However, there hadn’t been any large-scale cultivation, primarily due to the transportation issue.

Because transportation was difficult, the purchase price was low. Even though the fruit sold in the city could fetch several yuan per pound, the purchase price in the mountain was still low.

But this problem didn’t faze Lin You. She had her own live streaming channel, so she could sell directly there. The price issue was not a concern at all.

A few days ago, she had used her connections in the town to contact a fruit grower from the neighboring county town. The grower had a large orchard, and Lin You asked to buy several hundred kiwifruit trees—not saplings, but mature trees that were at least two years old.

Since Lin You offered a good price, the grower quickly agreed and said the trees would be delivered soon.

When Lin You arrived at the town, she first went to the logistics center to ask. Fangping Town originally only had a courier point, not a logistics center. But after Du Xun opened a biscuit factory, he partnered with a logistics company, adding another service point in the town.

The logistics center reported that the delivery would only arrive in the afternoon, so Lin You decided to walk around the town.

Since the county TV program aired, although people from outside the area didn’t yet know about Yanxia Mountain vegetables, the locals quickly became aware of their reputation.

By early morning, many people were already driving up the mountain.

Since it was the weekend, most people brought their families. The trunks of their cars were filled with barbecue grills and camping gear. They’d stop by the morning market for a meal, buy some vegetables and meat, and then spend the morning playing by the water. By noon, they’d set up a barbecue or hotpot by the river. The freshly picked vegetables from the mountain were enough to make a good meal, and the meat was freshly slaughtered in the morning. With the sun still not too hot and the mountain breeze, it made for a great weekend activity.

The town had also made efforts by setting up a large parking lot outside the town to prevent overcrowding. Near the river, someone had the idea to set up stone tables and benches under a row of trees. Those who didn’t bring anything didn’t have to worry, as there was a place nearby renting out grills for fifty yuan, which included charcoal and skewers, as well as bowls and chopsticks. People who didn’t want to buy and prepare their own food could simply buy pre-made vegetables and meat from them. Families would sit together, prepare the skewers, and start grilling on their own, making for a fun and unique experience.

Some lucky ones caught several fish in just one morning. They borrowed a knife from the grill rental vendor to clean the fish, and then grilled and ate the fish they had caught themselves. It was simply delicious!

It was already early summer, the perfect time to get out and enjoy.

Lin You walked around the market street, almost unable to get through the crowd to the breakfast stalls.

“Mom, I want to eat this! This round thing!”

“Do you mean the sesame balls? Boss, give me one… no, three sesame balls! And some buns, three with fish-flavored shredded pork filling, and five with sauerkraut fish filling!”

“Save some room, we’re having barbecue for lunch.”

“Don’t worry, if we can’t finish it, we can heat it up and eat it for lunch.”

“Boss, do you have soy milk?”

At the bustling little stall, the people inside and out were none other than the parents of Xiao Shitou who had been replaced during the previous incident—Yao Xiangjun and Wang Xianghua.

After Yao Xiangjun had been swindled by his “friend,” his desire to go work elsewhere faded. Moreover, with the income from the vegetable farming in the village, he decided to stay and help out.

Wang Xianghua had made up her mind that no matter what, she was not willing to leave her child in their hometown. The last incident had really scared her, and during this time, she wished she could keep her son right by her side, almost as if he were attached to her belt.

Both she and her husband didn’t want to leave, and Aunt Yinhua was happy about it. In the past, when they talked about working away to earn money, it was always hard with the child not around, and she had to look after the grandson alone, which made her anxious.

Now, it was better. Both her son and daughter-in-law had come back, and even if they were poor, at least the family could live together.

The family’s vegetable garden didn’t require three adults, so Yao Xiangjun and his wife had been planning to start a small business. They didn’t have a clear idea at first, but the other day, they unexpectedly ran into Yao Yun, who had returned to the village. The once aloof Yao Yun actually greeted Yao Xiangjun, his childhood friend, this time.

When they mentioned their plans to find a livelihood, Yao Yun shared a business idea that she had originally thought of for her husband.

At the morning market, everything was being sold except for dumplings.

Selling dumplings had low costs and decent profits. There was no need to rent a shop, all they needed was a small cart. While selling dumplings, they could also sell other breakfast items. Now that more people were coming to the town, the breakfast business had great potential. As long as one knew how to make fillings and could handle the early mornings, losing money was unlikely.

Yao Xiangjun wasn’t afraid of hard work, and as soon as he heard it, he thought it was a good idea. After discussing it with his wife, the whole family quickly started preparing to get it going.

Wang Xianghua had lived in Sichuan Province when she was young and was great at making Sichuan cuisine. On a whim, she decided to change the dumpling fillings a little.

She used homemade sauerkraut pickled in early spring, chopped it up, and sautéed it with chili to release the aroma. Then she mixed in tender fish meat. The result, sour and spicy with the fragrance of the fish, was even tastier than the usual sauerkraut dumplings.

They also made fish-flavored shredded pork dumplings and shiitake mushroom and vegetable dumplings. The fish-flavored shredded pork was perfectly seasoned, and the shiitake mushrooms and vegetables were from their own garden—everything was excellent.

Every morning, the three adults woke up at two or three in the morning. They first wrapped the dumplings at home, then steamed them in large pots and delivered them to the town. The cart was placed in someone else’s store, and after being taken out, they added hot water to keep everything warm. The cart had a soy milk machine and also included a fryer for frying sesame balls.

It was definitely hard work, and at first, they couldn’t be sure if it would succeed, so they just had to tough it out.

Fortunately, business was doing well, and today, being a weekend, they were even busier and sweating heavily.

Yao Xiangjun was thinking to himself that delivering dumplings to the town every morning was too troublesome. Since business was good, he might as well rent a place that didn’t need to be on the street, so they wouldn’t have to wake up so early. They could prepare the fillings the day before and let the dough rise. They’d modify their small cart to add a fire underneath. This way, they could make and sell the dumplings at the same time every morning.

When Lin You came, it was just when Yao Xiangjun and his wife were incredibly busy. Yao Xiangjun picked out a few large and fat dumplings for Lin You and gave her a big cup of soy milk, refusing to take any money.

Seeing that he was so busy, Lin You didn’t insist, and when she left, she quietly scanned the payment code.

The steaming dumplings paired with soy milk were delicious. Halfway through her meal, Lin You realized that Yao Yun had also come.

Yao Yun was eating sauerkraut fish dumplings in big bites and chatting with Lin You: “I’m telling you, Xianjun and his wife are really good at this. These dumplings are delicious!”

The fish was tender, the sour taste was appetizing, and the spice was mild but fragrant. Yao Yun had practically been coming every morning recently.

Yao Yun quietly asked Lin You: “Do you think it would be possible for Xianjun and his wife to supply meals for the kindergarten…?”

Lin You raised an eyebrow: “You serve dumplings for lunch at your kindergarten?”

Yao Yun quickly waved her hand: “Not for lunch, they still have the additional snacks, right?”

The kindergarten provided additional snacks every morning, which had always been a small bun and a cup of milk. Previously, Yao Yun had taken over the milk supply job, but the small buns hadn’t changed.

“You don’t know, but the kids are getting pickier. They used to eat a few bites of the old snack, but now they won’t touch it at all and just wait for lunch. Parents have complained several times, asking if we could change the snack.”

Yao Yun was both pained and happy, but if she had to prepare the additional snacks herself, there simply wasn’t enough time. She had previously considered supplying milk and biscuits to the kindergarten, but when she inquired about the prices, she immediately dismissed the idea without even consulting Lin You.

The kindergarten’s meal fees were unaffordable!

So, she decided to focus on Yao Xiangjun’s dumplings instead.

Lin You: “That sounds good, but you should ask Xiao Shitou’s parents if they can help with the work.”

There were already quite a few people at the breakfast stall, and earlier, some left with pouty faces because they couldn’t get any dumplings. If they added the kindergarten’s daily orders on top of that…

Yao Yun thought the same and sighed, deciding to ask the others later. With that thought, she couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated.

Yao Xiangjun and his wife’s business had started to pick up, and Yao Yun’s husband, who had somehow gotten wind of it, learned that Yao Xiangjun was from Lianhua Town. After considering that Yao Yun had stayed at her parental home for quite a while recently, her husband immediately became angry.

He thought Yao Yun had shared the money-making business idea with someone else.

He only made a vague accusation before Yao Yun snapped back at him.

“What does it matter who I give advice to? You don’t work hard, just watch others make money, but you don’t see the hard work behind it. You were given the chance to make money, but you couldn’t handle the effort! Didn’t I tell you before? You said making dumplings was too tiring, and you didn’t want to do it! Your mother even said I had bad intentions for not letting you stay idle. Now that you see others making money, you get jealous. Have some shame!”

Yao Yun wasn’t envious of Yao Xiangjun’s successful business, everyone knew that making food brought in money quickly, but not everyone could handle the hard work. Just waking up early every day and being on your feet all day—most people couldn’t do it. As for her husband, he wasn’t even capable of handling the simplest tasks, let alone working hard. He couldn’t even hold a big pancake without it hanging from his neck.

Yao Yun was clear about what she wanted. She didn’t even spare a glance at her useless husband. If he couldn’t work at the kindergarten, then he could figure it out on his own. She didn’t feel like wasting her time talking to someone who couldn’t get things straight.

The last time she went back to her parents’ house, her mother had asked her what the point of living like this was, whether she should get divorced or not.

Yao Yun wasn’t eager to divorce, but she felt that if her husband and mother-in-law kept causing trouble, it wouldn’t be long before she’d make up her mind.

Lin You finished her dumplings, quietly scanned the code, had lunch at Yang Zhi’s place, and in the afternoon, finally arrived at her fruit trees.

After checking that the fruit trees were fine, Lin You got in the car and directed the truck to Lianhua Town. The tree pits had already been dug, and over two hundred fruit trees were planted, leaving the villagers who came to help exhausted.

“Youyou, these trees don’t take up much land. What are you planning to do with the rest of the space?”

With such a large mountain area, planting too little was a waste. After all, she had paid a 400,000 yuan leasing fee.

“I think you should plant something easy to manage, otherwise with such a big plot, even hiring people won’t be cost-effective.”

Something easy to manage…

Lin You glanced at a patch of wild mugwort growing nearby.

“Then, let’s plant mugwort!”