Upon hearing this, Shen Xiaogang's face instantly fell. He had thought that coming to the food workshop would allow him to find an easy job, such as packaging products in the factory or doing odd jobs in the office. He never expected that Lin Wanqiu would ask him to work at the planting base. Although the greenhouse was warm, it required watering, fertilizing, pruning, harvesting, and moving the produce every day—all physically demanding work. How could he possibly handle it?

Zhang Lan also became anxious, her smile freezing on her face. She quickly said, "Wanqiu, this...this work at the planting base is too hard! Xiaogang has never done heavy work since he was a child, I'm afraid...I'm afraid he can't handle it. Can you change him to an easier job? Like helping with packaging in the workshop or something, he can definitely do it well!"

Lin Wanqiu shook her head, her tone firm: "Sister-in-law Zhang Lan, it's not that I'm unwilling to compromise, but the rules of the food workshop cannot be broken. Most of the workers in our food workshop, whether they are in management or ordinary employees, started from the bottom. Only by personally experiencing every step of planting and processing can they truly understand the products and be able to handle any position with ease in the future."

She looked at Shen Xiaogang with a hint of expectation in her eyes: "Xiaogang, it's not a bad thing for young people to endure more hardship. Although the planting base is tough, you can learn real skills. Technician Wang is an agricultural expert we invited from the provincial capital. If you learn from him, you can not only learn fruit and vegetable planting techniques, but also get a technician certificate in the future. These are skills that will last a lifetime. If you can't even endure this little bit of hardship, then even if you switch to an easier job, you may not be able to do well."

Shen Tingzhou chimed in, "Wanqiu is right, Xiaogang. Grassroots training is the best way to hone your skills. It will help you calm down and shed your impetuousness. If you really want to establish yourself in society, you must be down-to-earth and start from the most basic things. We're giving you this opportunity, but whether you can seize it depends entirely on yourself."

Old Mrs. Shen arrived at the factory gate at some point. She was wearing a thick cotton-padded coat and a scarf wrapped around her head. Looking at Shen Xiaogang, her tone was stern, yet also full of expectation: "Xiaogang, your aunt and uncle are right. The men of our Shen family can't be afraid of hardship or fatigue. If you really have potential, then work hard at the planting base, make your mother proud, and make the Shen family proud. If you dare to slack off or cheat, I'll be the first to not forgive you!"

Looking at the expectant eyes of everyone, and recalling Zhang Lan's nagging at home, Shen Xiaogang, though extremely unwilling, could only nod. He took a deep breath, raised his head, and his eyes showed a hint of stubbornness: "Fine, I'll go work at the planting base. But if I work for three months and pass the assessment, you'd better give me a better position!"

Lin Wanqiu smiled, her tone softening considerably: "As long as you perform well and pass the assessment, we will naturally assign you a suitable position. Technician Wang is at the planting base now; I'll take you there and have him assign you specific tasks."

After saying that, Lin Wanqiu led Shen Xiaogang towards the planting base. Stepping out of the factory, a gust of cold wind immediately hit them, and Shen Xiaogang couldn't help but shiver, instinctively pulling his cotton-padded coat tighter. Lin Wanqiu saw this and thought to herself, "This child is indeed spoiled. He can't even handle this little bit of hardship; he'll have a lot to learn in the future."

The greenhouses at the planting base stood in neat rows, covered with thick insulating film, making the inside warm and cozy, a stark contrast to the icy landscape outside. Technician Wang, a man in his fifties wearing reading glasses, was carefully pruning the strawberry vines with scissors. Seeing Lin Wanqiu enter with Shen Xiaogang, he quickly put down his tools and greeted them with a smile: "President Lin, you've arrived."

Lin Wanqiu nodded and pointed to Shen Xiaogang, introducing him: "Master Wang, this is Shen Xiaogang. He will be working with you at the planting base from now on. He just graduated from school and doesn't have much experience. Please take good care of him and let him start from the most basic jobs."

Technician Wang glanced at Shen Xiaogang, noticing his tall and thin build and somewhat immature eyes. He smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, Mr. Lin, I'll take good care of him. There are no tricks to planting; you just need to be meticulous, patient, and hardworking."

Lin Wanqiu gave Shen Xiaogang a few more instructions, telling him to learn diligently from Technician Wang, follow orders, and not slack off, before turning and returning to the factory. Shen Xiaogang watched Lin Wanqiu's departing figure, then looked at the lush green fruits and vegetables before him, his heart filled with confusion and resistance. From childhood to adulthood, aside from going to school, he had hardly done any manual labor; now, he would have to deal with soil and fertilizer every day—the thought alone gave him a headache.

Technician Wang seemed to see through his thoughts, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a gentle tone: "Young man, don't complain about the hard work. Your aunt took Nian'an with her back then, farming and cooking in the village. It was ten or a hundred times harder than this, but she still made it to where she is today. Young man, do more work, it won't kill you, and you can learn new skills."

After saying that, Technician Wang handed Shen Xiaogang a small shovel and a bucket: "Today, you will learn to water and loosen the soil for strawberries. Remember, water thoroughly, but don't let the water accumulate, otherwise the roots will rot; loosen the soil shallowly, so as not to damage the root system. Watch me do it once first."

Technician Wang picked up a shovel and demonstrated how to loosen the soil and control the amount of water, his movements skillful and precise. Shen Xiaogang stood aside, watching casually, his mind preoccupied with the lively scene at the village entrance card table, completely ignoring Technician Wang's words.

After Technician Wang finished demonstrating, Shen Xiaogang took the shovel and bucket and began watering the strawberries. He perfunctorily splashed water on the ground, watering some areas several times until the water overflowed the roots; in other areas, he only watered the surface, leaving the soil dry. When loosening the soil, he was even more helpless, inserting the shovel too deep and accidentally breaking the roots of several strawberry plants.

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