After hearing this, several people thought this was fair and nodded in response: "Okay, let's do as you say!"

Secretary Xu smiled and looked at Zhou Datian, "Try to get approval for the foundation of the new oven to save trouble in the future."

Zhou Huaian: "Yes, Uncle Xu is really thoughtful."

Zhou Datian nodded, "Okay, let's go measure it tomorrow, and I'll approve the foundation."

After the agreement was reached, Zhou Huaian asked Yang Chunyan to bring paper and pen to write down what had just been agreed upon. Everyone signed the agreement again and gave Zhou Huaian the money for digging the well, buying bricks, water pipes, and building and installing the oven according to their shares.

Zhou Datian thought about it and said, "Youngest, the government is encouraging us to start businesses and set up factories, and banks are also giving us interest-free loans. How about we write an application and get some interest-free loans to set up a factory?"

When Yang Chunyan was about to stand up and speak, Secretary Xu shook his head and said, "Don't be greedy. By then, we won't earn enough to honor them."

After listening to this, Zhou Datian thought about it and began to understand.

Zhou Huaijun asked in confusion: "They lent us the money, so we should just pay them back on time. Why do we have to honor them and entertain them?"

"You don't understand this." Secretary Xu said, "The last time I went to Ning'an, I heard from Lao Er that someone in Chengguan applied for a loan to set up a pig farm. Today one person brought people to observe and learn, and tomorrow another person came to inspect. At the end of the year, the money earned was not enough to entertain those people."

Zhou Huaijun: "Oh my god, I thought I was getting a bargain!"

"The policy from above is good, but it has changed when it reaches the lower levels." Secretary Xu said, looking at Zhou Huaian, "Youngest, we should work hard this year. It's best to get a license, so that we won't be reported by those who are greedy and have evil intentions in the future."

"Okay!" Zhou Huaian said with a smile, "When everything is ready, Uncle Xu, you will go with me."

Secretary Xu nodded readily, "Of course."

Next, everyone discussed about going to the neighboring county to collect truffles at the end of the year, and decided to go to the local brigade in two months, or rent a house locally to collect the goods.

When the time comes, the people who will stay and receive the goods will be selected from these families, and their wages will be calculated separately.

…

The next day, after Zhou Datian came to see the land, he went to the town to apply for foundation approval.

Zhou's father invited the master and gentleman who had helped to dig the well before, and Zhou Huaian called Master Liu, the carpenter, the bricklayer, and the laborer together. They dug the foundation close to the back mountain, and drove a tractor to the brick kiln factory to pull bricks and tiles back to build the baking room.

Secretary Xu and Zhou Yiding also brought over a batch of wood that they had stored at home.

In the afternoon, Zhou Datian, who had run around Ning'an in the town, brought people from the town who wanted to see the mountains to Zhou Huaian's house.

The group went to see the mountain together and found that it was indeed as Zhou Huairong had said, with only barren mountains and some small shrubs that could not be used as timber. So, according to the current preferential policies, they contracted the 2,300 acres of forest to Zhou Huaian and four others.

The news that Zhou Laoyao's family had leased a large piece of mountain land soon spread in the village. Some people even said that the Zhou family had tasted the sweetness of growing herbs on the barren mountain after only one year, so they leased such a large piece of forest.

Therefore, many villagers went to the back mountain of Zhou’s house to see what valuable herbs they had planted.

Before they arrived, they saw that they were digging the foundation behind Zhou Huaian's vegetable garden. They found it strange, so they stopped Yang Chunyan, who was bringing out hot water, and asked her.

"Youngest, hasn't your youngest already contracted this forest? Can you still grant it to me so I can't build a house foundation?"

"I didn't give it to anyone else!" Yang Chunyan said with a smile. "When we were harvesting red mushrooms this year, there were a few days when the quantity was particularly large and there were not enough drying rooms. A batch of red mushrooms were spoiled. The boss in the provincial capital asked us to build a few more drying rooms to prevent the mushrooms from being spoiled again next year."

Everyone was very happy after hearing this. They thought that since the boss in the provincial capital was willing to spend more money to build a baking house, they would be able to pick mushrooms and red mushrooms to sell next year.

"The boss in the provincial capital who cooperated with your family is still rich. He is not like the youngest Xiong, who just ruined a batch of mushrooms and couldn't continue his business."

"How can the youngest Xiong compare with the big bosses in the provincial capital? They have plenty of money. Losing a thousand kilograms of red mushrooms is only a few hundred yuan, which is just a drop in the bucket."

“No matter how rich you are, you will still feel sad if you lose money!”

Yang Chunyan smiled and nodded, "They also thought that if they spoiled a batch of red mushrooms, they would have enough money to build a drying room, so they asked us to build it."

At this point, some people thought that the mushroom season was coming to an end and that truffles should be out by the end of the year. "Youngest family, has the boss in the provincial capital told you about the truffle harvest in the second half of the year?"

Everyone looked at her eagerly, afraid that she would say that they no longer accepted truffles over there.

"Harvest!" Yang Chunyan responded readily, "But we have to wait until the end of the year, when the truffles are ripe, before we start harvesting."

"Of course. Unripe truffles don't smell like feet at all. Even pigs don't like to eat them."

"We are wild boars and cannot eat fine bran. Last time, I learned from my youngest family to dig up the bran and chop it into small pieces, then steam it with eggs for the children to eat. It seems to be really good!"

Yang Chunyan: "Truffles are good things. You can dig out the rotten truffles and stew them with chicken or pig's trotters for your children. It's good for your health."

"Okay!" the woman said with a smile, "Go back and tell my family that we still need to harvest truffles at the end of the year, so that they don't have to call me to ask about Chunyan every day."

"That's right. I asked the youngest brother the other day and he said he hadn't replied yet. Luckily he came to ask today. I'll go back and tell my family too."

Everyone was busy going home to share the good news with their families, and no longer interested in Zhou Laoyao's forestry business.

Seeing that everyone had left, Yang Chunyan delivered the tea to the construction site and then turned back to the yard.

The next morning, the Feng Shui master and the well-drilling craftsman came to Zhou's house. After checking the back mountain, they determined the location of the new well less than a hundred meters above the baking room.

Bricks, tiles and foundation stones were delivered to Yang Chunyan's home one after another. Zhou Huaian planned to dig three more wine cellars behind the oven, which could be used to store wine and also to facilitate the storage of red mushrooms in the future.

After making the arrangements, Zhou Huaian followed Secretary Xu to the town to apply for a business license. He found an acquaintance and got it done quickly. The business scope includes various mountain products, fungi, and agricultural and sideline products.

After National Day, I have to go to the Industrial and Commercial Bureau and the Tax Bureau to pay more than ten yuan in taxes every month.

…

The Mid-Autumn Festival came in a flash. Zhou Huaian and Wang Zhen made an appointment to go to Hengshan for fun. They got up early in the morning, packed up the gifts and things for going into the mountains, and took the children and Zhou Huaian back to her parents' home.

When we arrived at the entrance of the village, we saw Yang Dongmei and Wang Zhen walking towards us with their two little nephews. When the two children saw them coming back, they let go of their hands and ran towards them.

"Brother Jiuer, Brother Jiuer..."

Zhou Huaian squeezed the brakes, and Yang Chunyan got off the bicycle holding the child. "Be good, when we get back, I'll give you some candy."

"We have candy." The two brothers took out a candy from their pockets and stuffed it into Jiuer's hand. "This is the White Rabbit candy that my uncle bought. It's very sweet. Jiuer, have some."

"Brother can't eat candy!" Yang Chunyan took the candy quickly, "Be good, wait until brother grows up before giving him some!"

"Sister, brother-in-law!" Yang Dongmei came over and greeted them with a smile, and then said, "Da Shuang and Xiao Shuang woke up and kept talking about Xiao Jiuer, saying that they wanted to give him candy."

"No wonder Jiuer was given candy as soon as he saw her!" Yang Chunyan smiled and put the candy back into the brothers' pockets. You came back yesterday, didn't you?"

"No, I took a ride back." Yang Dongmei took Xiao Jiuer with a smile, "Sister, there will be a regular bus back from Ning'an from now on."

The newly built shuttle bus station is located more than 100 meters diagonally opposite Yang Chunyan’s hostel. After it starts operating, it will also be able to bring more customers to the hostel.

Yang Chunyan asked in surprise: "Are there buses from the county to the towns?"

Yang Dongmei smiled and nodded, "It started operating the day before yesterday. I asked the ticket seller, and she said there is one bus to Pulin Town at 7am and 3pm. There is also one bus to Baima and the town in the direction of the flower market."

Yang Chunyan thought of the vans and minibuses in her past life that would stop as soon as she waved, "Do we need to stop on the road?"

Yang Dongmei: "If you want to stop, just wave and it will stop."

"Then it will be much more convenient to go to Ning'an and go home." Yang Chunyan looked at Wang Zhen who was holding Dashuang and Xiaoshuang and talking to Zhou Huaian, "Is Doctor Wang back?"

Yang Dongmei: "He was supposed to come back yesterday, but someone took him to see a doctor, so it might take some time for him to come back."

Yang Chunyan thought of the surgery Zhang Dajun had performed yesterday, "How was the surgery on that child?"

Yang Dongmei said happily: "Wang Zhen called yesterday afternoon to ask, and the doctor there said that the operation was very successful and he can be discharged from the hospital after a few days of observation."

Yang Chunyan was also happy for Zhang Dajun, "That's great! In the future, that child can go to school like other children."

"Yes!" Yang Dongmei smiled and said to her, "Sister, Wang Zhen said that when my brother-in-law comes, we will go with him to set traps and fish, and he also wants us to take him to the mountains to make honey, collect herbs, and pick mushrooms."

Yang Chunyan smiled and said, "Your brother-in-law brought the fishing net and the gun. How many days do you two plan to stay at home?"

"How can we play for a few days!" Yang Dongmei sighed, "The store and the clinic are waiting for us to return. Later, my brother will deliver the red mushrooms to Ning'an and take us back at the same time. Then you can go back with him on the tractor."

Yang Chunyan nodded, and then laughed again, "It's only been less than a day, and Wang Zhen wants to do all this again?"

"Yes!" Yang Dongmei nodded with a smile, "You don't know, Wang Zhen is just like a child, every time he comes to the countryside, everything is new to him. I took him to pick mulberry leaves and sweet potatoes, and he also rushed to help the family harvest and thresh the millet.

Last time I came, he went to cut some bamboo and asked my elder brother to teach him how to make a fishing rod. He took me to the river to fish, and he actually caught something..."

Yang Chunyan listened to Yang Dongmei talking about the interesting things that happened when Wang Zhen came to the countryside, and thought about what he had said before: no one played with him since he was a child, so he could only memorize medical books with his grandfather at home. He grew up alone, and finally grew old alone.

"The wax gourds in the mountains should be ripe these days, and the sea sand can also be collected. We will take him into the mountains for a walk later."

"Yes, how could I forget that these few days are the time to eat wax gourds. We can also go find myrtles and sea buckthorns to eat." Yang Dongmei said happily and kissed Xiao Jiuer, "Let's go back to the mountains to find wild fruits to eat!"

Yang Chunyan looked at her cheering little sister and felt that she was less mature and more childish than before! (End of this chapter)