However, there was one thing the village chief was still undecided about.

"Since we're running a bonsai garden together, will you still buy the Japanese white pine bonsai two years from now?"

"Buy it!"

"Alright! It's settled then!"

The village chief beamed with joy.

However, Li Xiangdong kindly reminded him, "Maybe the price of five-needle pine bonsai will skyrocket in two years, so you can keep some for yourselves."

The village chief was taken aback at first, then smiled bitterly after thinking for a while, "Where can it fly to? To be honest, in recent years, apart from you, only occasionally have government officials come to buy it."

Insufficient market demand means prices cannot go up.

Li Xiangdong nodded noncommittally, "Let's take a look!"

Since the village chief's two sons were working away from home and there was an empty house, Li Xiangdong and his group stayed at the village chief's house.

Only Chen Zaohua and Xiao Leizi were forcibly taken home by Shui Xiu.

Shui Xiu's attitude towards Chen Zaohua now is completely different from when she first arrived; the level of intimacy is indescribable.

"Zaohua, I've heard that you're one of Boss Li's top generals, the third most important person! From now on, our family will depend on your help! Don't forget, the whole army is surnamed Fu. We're brothers who are connected by blood, and we're sisters-in-law!"

Shui Xiu held Chen Zaohua's hand and looked at her with the eyes of someone looking at a golden doll.

At midnight, the moon's gentle light streamed into the room through the window.

Xiao Leizi secretly asked his mother, "Mom, didn't Auntie say that our family and the Fu family have no relation? How come we're brothers now?"

Chen Zaohua patted her son's head and said softly, "Go to sleep! You'll understand when you grow up."

Although Xiao Leizi was inwardly complaining that his mother always used this excuse to brush him off, he was a filial child and did not argue with his mother. He obediently closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep.

The village of Forty-Eight Bends, which had been lifeless, was transformed into a place filled with joy and bustling activity.

The villagers worked day and night, barely having time to sleep. During the day, they would go up the mountain to dig up rootstocks, and at night they would work in the bonsai garden to graft. The grafted five-needle pines would be planted early in the morning, and then they would go to get rootstocks again. This cycle continued endlessly.

Guo Haiguang, Chen Zaohua, and Li Guoqing followed the village's experienced craftsmen around every day, helping them and learning the art of bonsai making.

Bonsai making has its own set of rules, with specific requirements for tree species, tree shape, pruning techniques, and the shape of the pot.

A well-made bonsai requires not only the regulation of climate and season, and suitable temperature and humidity, but also the maker's precise grasp of seasonal changes.

These things cannot be learned simply by reading books or talking about them; one must personally experience them and understand these ineffable mysteries.

Besides focusing on Japanese white pine bonsai, the bonsai garden also produces a considerable number of other plants such as cliff cypress, fir, maple, sandalwood, and golden bullet tree.

“Taking good care of bonsai is not an easy task. In the past, we made bonsai by seasonal means. We were busy in every season, just in different ways.”

The village chief carefully wrapped the branches of the five-needle pine with a thin aluminum wire, and then bent it into the shape he wanted.

As he worked, he spoke to Li Xiangdong behind him:

“In the past, from October to the Spring Festival, we were busy shipping goods. When spring and autumn came, fewer people bought them, so we were busy shaping and transplanting the bonsai. Summer was even more tiring. Every day we were busy with the bonsai, watching them constantly and making sure they were given enough water, not too much and not too little.”

Li Xiangdong nodded, "That was really not easy."

After tending to one bonsai, the village chief took another one, trimmed off the excess and messy branches and leaves, wrapped aluminum wire around the branches, and carefully shaped it, flattening some and twisting others completely. Then he placed it on a wooden platform, took two steps back and examined it carefully for a long time before nodding in satisfaction.

"Actually, everything is hard work! If there's a market for it, making bonsai is much better than growing crops!"

Li Xiangdong looked up at the wisps of mist drifting through the distant mountains and said slowly, "The market will be huge."

"That would be great."

The village chief echoed, but it was clear he didn't quite believe Li Xiangdong's words.

The most pressing matter now is something else entirely.

"By the way, it's been almost a month since we opened, and lately everyone's been asking me about getting paid."

The village chief stared longingly at Li Xiangdong.

Whether or not salaries can be paid on time is crucial to everyone's confidence in the bonsai garden, so Li Xiangdong was well prepared.

"Tomorrow is the 29th, we'll get paid at noon!"

The people of Sishibawan Village happily received their wages, and at dinner time, smoke rose from the chimneys throughout the village, many of which smelled of meat.

Next month, many young and able-bodied men will return to the village.

After all, getting paid in real money and working locally is much better than doing odd jobs outside.

The village chief's two sons also returned, and Li Xiangdong immediately arranged a respectable job for them.

"What? Go out again?"

Fu Youcai and Fu Youde were stunned when they arrived home and hadn't even had a sip of water yet.

"Yes! Get out of here. I'm now hiring you as the acquisition managers for the bonsai garden. Each of you will take one person out to acquire Japanese white pine bonsai."

The village chief's wife was very proud, feeling that her sons were really capable. They had just returned home and were noticed by a big boss, who had even given them some kind of manager position, so they could manage people and money!

The village chief was pleased, but he also felt uneasy. "They just got back, you don't know them yet. What kind of managers are they? Are they capable of handling this?"

Fu Youcai and Fu Youde felt a little embarrassed after hearing what their father said.

Li Xiangdong laughed heartily, "Didn't you two brothers work as salesmen for a shoe factory before? I think you two are capable of handling this manager position."

The Fu brothers did work as salesmen, but they bought shoes wholesale from shoe factories and then sold them door-to-door, settling accounts with the shoe factories based on the number of pairs sold.

Li Xiangdong made the decision himself, "That's settled then. The two older brothers can rest at home for a while, spend some time with our parents, and then pick out the people, take the money, and set off!"

The news spread quickly, and Shui Xiu became somewhat unhappy, throwing tantrums and making a scene.

She's a smart woman. Being an acquisitions manager isn't just a nice-sounding title; the key is that she can manage people and money!

When you go out to buy bonsai, the price is entirely up to the purchasing manager!

When her husband went out to sell vegetables, the government employees all received kickbacks!

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She threw down the rag in her hand and said angrily, "No way! I have to go talk to Zaohua. Why don't you think of your own people when there's such a good thing!"

After a long pause, her husband slowly said, "Zao Hua isn't the boss, what's the point of you looking for her?"