An Zhiyuan sighed, "Okay, I can agree to let you go, but there are a few conditions."

He held up a finger. "First, the time can't be too long, a month at most. Second, you must call me every day to report on the situation. Third, if you encounter any discomfort or danger, return immediately."

“Thank you, Dad!”

An Caicai hugged her father excitedly and said, "I will definitely abide by these conditions."

An Zhiyuan patted his daughter's back gently. "Also, I will send someone to secretly protect your safety. Don't tell that Chen Changyuan, lest he have any ideas."

An Caicai smiled helplessly, "Dad, you are too cautious. Chen Changyuan is not that kind of person."

"Humph, men can't be trusted."

An Zhiyuan curled his lips and said, "You have to remember, no matter how good he behaves, don't be easily tempted. You are my daughter, An Zhiyuan, and the man you will marry in the future must at least be a successful person in the city."

An Caicai's cheeks turned slightly red, and she lowered her head without responding.

She thought to herself that her father had a deep misunderstanding of Chen Changyuan. If he knew Chen Changyuan's true ability, he probably wouldn't say that.

The next morning, An Caicai began to pack her luggage excitedly.

She picked out a few of the simplest clothes and prepared some daily necessities and a notebook.

Before leaving, she wrote a letter and prepared to have the courier in the city deliver it to Chen Changyuan.

In the letter, An Caicai briefly explained her decision to go to the medicinal materials base to study and expressed her anticipation for this opportunity.

She specifically emphasized that she would study as an ordinary student and hoped that Chen Changyuan would treat her like other employees.

After sending the letter, An Caicai sat in the room, looking at the city scene outside the window, her heart full of longing.

She secretly made up her mind to learn real skills in this month and prove to her father that there is great potential for rural development.

At the same time, Chen Changyuan was busy at the medicinal materials base.

Recently, he has begun to expand the scale of production and introduced some new planting techniques and management methods.

He was discussing with several villagers how to improve the soil and increase the yield and quality of medicinal materials.

Just as Chen Changyuan and the villagers were discussing heatedly, Lao Yuantou hurried over with a letter in his hand.

"Changyuan, the letter from the city seems to be for you."

Old Yuantou said while panting.

Chen Changyuan took the letter and saw the familiar handwriting on it, and his heart trembled.

He opened the envelope and quickly glanced through the contents. The expression on his face changed from surprise to confusion, and finally to a helpless smile.

"What's wrong? Any bad news?"

Old Yuantou saw the change in Chen Changyuan's expression and asked with concern.

Chen Changyuan shook his head. "It's not bad news, just... a little unexpected."

He hesitated for a moment, but decided to share the news with Lao Yuantou. "Remember that city girl An Caicai I mentioned to you before? She said she wanted to come and study with us for a month."

Old Yuan's eyes lit up. "Oh, isn't this a good thing? Isn't that girl quite knowledgeable? She will definitely be of great help to us if she comes here."

Chen Changyuan smiled bitterly and said, "That's the problem. She's here to learn, not to help. And...she specifically emphasized that I treat her as an ordinary employee."

Old Yuan scratched his head. "This... this is a bit troublesome. She's a city girl, how can she endure the hardship we have here? Besides, if something happens, we can't afford it."

Chen Changyuan pondered for a moment, "Yeah, I'm worried about that too. But since she's decided to come, we can't refuse. We can only try to arrange some easier work for her."

Just then, a villager came running over to report that Zhang Qinghai from the county had come and wanted to discuss something with Chen Changyuan.

Chen Changyuan frowned, "Zhang Qinghai? Why is he here at this time?"

Turning to Old Yuan, he said, "Uncle Yuan, please help me arrange a place for An Caicai to stay. Find a clean room and buy some necessities. I'm going to see Zhang Qinghai."

Old Yuan nodded in agreement, and Chen Changyuan hurried towards the village entrance.

Zhang Qinghai was standing next to a dilapidated jeep. When he saw Chen Changyuan coming, he immediately greeted him with a smile.

"Brother Chen, long time no see!"

Zhang Qinghai patted Chen Changyuan's shoulder enthusiastically.

Chen Changyuan responded politely, "Director Zhang, why are you here so suddenly? What's the matter?"

Zhang Qinghai's smile faded slightly. "Well, recently our superiors have asked us to increase our purchases of Chinese medicinal herbs. I'm here to see if you can buy more within a month."

Chen Changyuan's idea came to him, this was a good opportunity to expand the scale.

"Director Zhang, it's no problem to buy more, but I'm a little short of funds and manpower."

He deliberately showed an embarrassed expression.

When Zhang Qinghai heard this, he frowned.

"That's a problem. With pressure from higher-ups, it's hard for us to come up with too much money all at once."

He pondered for a moment and then said, "How about this, Brother Chen? I think the medicinal materials you have here are of good quality. Our pharmaceutical company can purchase from you on a long-term basis. We can also give you a certain discount on the price. What do you think?"

Chen Changyuan was secretly delighted, this was exactly the result he wanted.

"Director Zhang, long-term cooperation is certainly no problem. However, I hope the pharmaceutical company can provide us with some support in terms of funding and technology. As you know, we farmers have limited funds and our technology is relatively backward."

Zhang Qinghai readily agreed, "No problem! Regarding funding, we can prepay part of the purchase price, and regarding technology, we can send experts to guide you in planting and processing. This way, we can not only ensure the quality of the medicinal materials, but also increase your production, achieving a win-win situation!"

The two hit it off and quickly reached a cooperation agreement.

After seeing Zhang Qinghai off, Chen Changyuan immediately went to find Lao Yuantou to discuss An Caicai's accommodation arrangements.

"Uncle Yuan, is Miss Caicai's room ready?"

The old man pointed to a newly renovated house at the east end of the village and said, "This one is it. It's clean and bright, with good lighting. I specially had a new bed made for me, new bedding, and some toiletries."

Chen Changyuan walked into the room, checked it carefully, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Uncle Yuan, you're so thoughtful. However, Miss Caicai grew up in the city and may not be accustomed to rural life. You can find a few young girls to talk to her and cheer her up."

The old man chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I have already arranged everything. Several girls in the village are waiting to meet this young lady from the city."

Chen Changyuan discussed some details of the training plan with Lao Yuantou, including learning content, time schedule, and some precautions.

He planned to let An Caicai start by learning the basics of medicinal herb identification, and gradually get involved in planting, picking, processing and other links.