His voice was deep and magnetic, carrying an unprecedented solemnity, "He Chenfeng's feelings are very sincere, but my feelings are even stronger than his. I don't have the He family's business foundation, but I have the determination and strength to protect you for a lifetime. Before, I was all alone, not knowing where I would go in the future. After meeting you, I realized the meaning of home."

As he spoke.

He took out a pure white jade hairpin from his bosom. The head of the hairpin was carved with a lifelike lotus flower, the petals delicate and with a warm luster.

This is a piece of warm jade that he specially sought out a few days ago. He designed the design himself and had the best craftsmen polish it, which took more than half a month.

"This jade hairpin, though lacking the splendor of gold and silver, represents my true feelings."

He took Shen Qingtang's hand, placed the jade hairpin in her palm, and looked at her with burning eyes. "I want to marry you, not on a whim, but after careful consideration. I want to be your strongest support, to be Nian'an's true father, and to accompany you through the years. Qingtang, will you marry me?"

Shen Qingtang looked at the jade hairpin in her palm, feeling the warmth emanating from the jade.

She looked up at Pei Wuwang's eyes and saw the sincerity and expectation in them, and a faint blush rose on her cheeks.

She didn't agree immediately, but gently curved the corners of her mouth, a smile hidden in her eyes: "Marrying me won't be so easy. I'll have to test you first. Let's see if you can really protect me and Nian'an for the rest of our lives."

Upon hearing this, Pei Wuwang's eyes lit up with surprise. He gripped Shen Qingtang's hand tightly, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement: "I'll definitely do my best! No matter how long the evaluation takes, I'll wait for you!"

He knew that Shen Qingtang's words were a sign that she was giving in, and that this belated relationship was finally about to come to a conclusion.

Since then, Pei Wuwang has been working like a man possessed, devoting all his energy to helping Shen Qingtang expand her career.

He knew that Shen Qingtang had modern business acumen, but lacked the connections and industrial foundation of ancient times.

He took the initiative to lead the way, connecting all the links and building a complete industrial chain for her.

First, there's the agricultural foundation, which Pei Wuwang leveraged his connections with others.

They rented thousands of acres of wasteland from surrounding villages.

High-yield grain and vegetable varieties cultivated in Shen Qingtang's space were introduced, and villagers were hired to cultivate and plant them.

At the same time, a simple irrigation system was built to form a closed loop of "planting-harvesting-storage".

Not only can the surplus grain and vegetables meet the needs of the manor itself, but they can also be transported to towns and county seats for sale, seizing the local market.

Next came food processing. Workshops were built next to the manor to process the harvested grains into flour, noodles, and pastries, and to pickle vegetables into dried fruit and salted vegetables. They even used modern recipes brought by Shen Qingtang.

They created novel foods such as candied fruit and canned goods.

Pei Wuwang opened up transportation channels, allowing these processed products to be transported to surrounding towns through trading companies, and even into restaurants in the prefectural city, where they quickly gained popularity due to their unique flavor.

Then came the expansion of handicrafts. Pei Wuwang invited skilled craftsmen from all over the country to open textile workshops, soap-making workshops, and porcelain workshops.

The textile workshop used the looms improved by Shen Qingtang to produce cotton and silk with fine texture.

Soap makers use vegetable oils and fragrances to create beautifully shaped soaps with strong cleaning power.

The porcelain workshops, while building upon traditional techniques, incorporate modern aesthetics to create innovative tableware and decorative items. These handcrafted products not only sell well locally but are also exported to neighboring countries, generating substantial profits.

Finally, there was the establishment of a commercial network. Pei Wuwang integrated the resources of his caravans and opened "Qingtangji" branches in various towns to uniformly sell agricultural products, processed foods, and handicrafts produced by the manor.