Old Li forgot to smoke his pipe, and the tobacco flickered in the morning breeze.

"Four dollars and eighty cents a pound."

Chen Changyuan pulled a leather notebook from his canvas bag. The yellowed pages were densely packed with notes on price trends. "Last year, the purchase price of Renhetang in the provincial capital rose to 5.2 yuan. We can deliver directly to the province and make an extra 40 cents per pound."

A buzzing sound broke out in the crowd.

Wang Tieniu counted the money with his thick black fingers and suddenly gasped: "My God! Can I earn 150 yuan per mu of land?"

"After deducting the cost of seeds, fertilizer, and labor, this is the net profit."

Chen Changyuan raised three fingers and caught a glimpse of a blue cloth shirt flashing behind the old locust tree at the bottom of the slope. Zhou Dazhu was hunched over and looking over here, his trouser legs still stained with cockleburs from last night's fence.

He deliberately raised his voice: "When the bupleurum is planted in the spring, we will build a drying shed at the foot of the slope.

Women drying herbs earn eight work points a day!

The morning mist wrapped in ice chips penetrated into people's collars. Chen Changyuan stood on the stone mill on the breeding farm.

The canvas overalls rustled in the north wind.

The bamboo pole in his hand scratched several deep grooves in the ground. "Brother Tieniu, take twenty strong men to the South Canal. We must dig up the frozen soil before noon. The women comrades will follow Aunt Li to clear the bottom of the slope. Pile the gravel to the east."

"start!"

The construction site was bustling with activity.

Chen Changyuan held the bamboo pole, his eyes sometimes falling on the ground, sometimes sweeping towards the crowd.

He would squat down every now and then, scratch the soil with the bamboo pole, and then stroll leisurely over to the women.

They moved quickly, the linen bags in their hands were full, and the gravel was moved in piles to the foot of the hillside. Beads of sweat on their foreheads fell to the ground from time to time.

He bent down, picked up a fist-sized stone nearby and thrust it in front of Aunt Li: "Don't let this big stone slip through! We're short on materials for repairing the ditch in the east, and we need these."

His tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable sincerity.

Aunt Li waved the sack in her hand and replied with a smile: "Hey, Changyuan, did you hear me? It's just a few stones! If all our villagers work together, we can clean the bottom of the slope until it's smooth and slippery."

Chen Changyuan nodded at her and turned towards the group of people who were digging a drainage ditch.

Wang Tieniu carried a shovel and moved with great vigor. Every shovel he dug up could lift up a large piece of frozen soil.

The dug mud and sand were oozing with moisture, as if the ground was hiding the vitality of winter.

Chen Changyuan stood at the edge of the ditch and gently tapped the wall with a bamboo pole. "Brother Tieniu, the width of this drainage ditch needs to be widened by another foot. The water level will rise once the spring snow melts. Don't try to save this little trouble."

"Don't worry! We in Xipian will never do anything perfunctorily."

Wang Tieniu wiped off the sweat from his forehead and turned the shovel in his hand like the wind.

Hearing this, Chen Changyuan smiled mischievously and raised his voice: "Okay, let's kill an extra pig tonight! Brothers have worked so hard, they should at least have a full stomach and something to look forward to!"

As we were talking, the sound of a car bell came from afar, like a bellbird flying over a bustling construction site.

Chen Changyuan's gaze narrowed, and he turned his head to look in the direction of the voice. He saw the postman, Liu Erkui, charging towards him on his bicycle with murderous intent. He waved his hands and shouted breathlessly, "Changyuan! Great news!"

Liu Erkui stopped the car, pulled out a blue-covered file bag, and handed it over while panting: "Your business license! Here it is!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the group of people surrounding the ditch, with shovels suspended in the air, stared at the file bag in Chen Changyuan's arms.

"Huh? It really got approved? You're not bragging, are you?"

An older sister-in-law who usually loves to make people laugh interjected.

Chen Changyuan tore open the seal.

"Qingshui Village Livestock Farm", the black font exudes a regular power, and the red official seal is also in front of you.

Chen Changyuan held up his license high.

"It's approved! The Qingshui Village farm is finally taking root!"

The cheers were like a pot of boiling water.

A strong man squatted on the ground and slapped his thigh, shouting, "This is great news! The village is going to turn things around!"

Chen Changyuan raised his hand and waved to Wang Tieniu, "Brother Tieniu, quickly tell the kitchen staff to stew pickled cabbage and pork tonight and kill another pig! Everyone gather at the ancestral hall tonight, don't disperse, I'll treat you!"

Wang Tieniu patted his belt and laughed heartily, "Boss Chen, this is quite a generous gesture! Not to mention treating us to meat, it's worth it even if we have to work hard for two days tomorrow!"

The evening banquet was thus arranged.

The backyard of the ancestral hall was bustling with activity.

The pork on the table was stewed until it was soft and sticky, and the sauerkraut was fragrant.

The sweet potato vermicelli is chewy and elastic.

Chen Changyuan picked up a bowl of liquor and glanced at Wang Tieniu and Old Li at the table.

The villagers gathered in a circle and were having a great time.

"Brothers, fellow villagers! This glass of wine, I, Chen Changyuan, toast to you all!"

"Speaking of which, the farm only got its license thanks to the combined efforts of the entire village. It's up to you whether you drink this five ounces of pig's head wine or not. I'll remember this favor and I'll never forget it!"

"drink!"

"Cheers to Boss Chen!"

The crowd toasted and drank.

The women around the bonfire also put down their bowls and chopsticks and watched the festive scene from afar.

After a few drinks, Chen Changyuan knocked on the edge of the bowl and stood up.

"From today on, two things must be adjusted."

He looked around at everyone and spoke word by word.

"Our wages will be increased by 20%, and we'll provide one meal of white rice, and we'll continue to have stewed meat in the evening. Those who perform well will also receive bonuses!"

"Really?"

Someone almost choked and asked in surprise, "With such a big increase, we can save some money to spend!"

Chen Changyuan nodded knowingly, realizing that such adjustments were the driving force behind the villagers' unity and hard work.

After the banquet, Chen Changyuan returned home.

He unrolled the measuring tape and traced it over the crumpled plan of the pig house foundation.

Opened next to it was a densely packed journal.

"Prepare 300 kilograms of Bupleurum seeds and 800 kilograms of fertilizer..."

As I thought about it, I ticked off the list.

Next to the account book were several purchasing contracts from the herbal medicine station.

He thought about it seriously for quite some time and planned to talk to Zhang Qinghai tomorrow to discuss the price of the medicinal materials.

He felt a sense of peace and satisfaction.

It was dawn, and a gray mist hung over the fields, making the ground wet.

Chen Changyuan finished the hot millet porridge in the bowl in two or three gulps and wiped the soup from the corner of his mouth.

He put on his cloth shoes and started working briskly.

The canvas bag on his shoulder was bulging.

Inside were the samples and contracts he had prepared late last night.

Before leaving, he patted his mother Fang Suxia's hand and whispered, "Mom, don't worry about the pigpen. Brother Tieniu will keep an eye on it. I'll be back in the evening after I finish my trip to the county town. Don't worry too much."

Fang Suxia's expression was not very good, but she nodded, her tone mixed with comfort: "Just do your job, I'll take care of the family!"

Watching Chen Changyuan hurried out the door, she secretly prayed in her heart, wishing her son a safe journey.

The plaque of the county pharmaceutical company sparkles in the morning light, looking very beautiful.