Chen Changyuan got out of the car and stood at the door, glancing at the plaque. His calves tensed and he gripped the canvas bag tighter and tighter in his hand.
He stepped into the door.
The medicine shelves and counters are filled with bottles, jars and dried herbs.
His eyes quickly swept around, then he spotted Zhang Qinghai, who was busy flipping through documents, and stopped.
"Director Zhang, good morning."
He twisted his shoulders and shouted steadily.
Zhang Qinghai turned his head at the sound and saw it was Chen Changyuan. He trotted over to greet him, his face beaming. "Hey, isn't that Old Chen? Things have been going on in Qingshui Village lately. Even the county is praising you for your courage and ability. Hey, how come you have time to come here today?"
"Look at you, how dare I answer that?"
Chen Changyuan smiled grimly, took out a bag from his bag and gently placed it next to Zhang Qinghai's hand.
"I just brought some Bupleurum samples with me, and I thought you could take a look and see if the things from Qingshui Village are worth your while."
Zhang Qinghai opened the bag and the fragrance of medicine wafted out.
He picked up a few strands with his fingers, looked at them over and over again, and then put them under his nose and smelled them.
His frown relaxed a little, and his eyes brightened a little.
"Hey, this stuff is pretty good, it looks quite high-end!"
Zhang Qinghai raised his eyebrows slightly and handed it to the old pharmacist beside him, "Old Zhao, come and take a look."
Old Zhao took it, took a small bite of the Bupleurum root, tasted it, and twitched his lips slightly as he praised, "It's really solid and dry. The roots are thick and plump. This is definitely top-notch stuff in this county!"
Chen Changyuan breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.
Although the words were neither hurried nor slow, they were full of confidence.
"Director Zhang, since the quality is impeccable, let's discuss pricing and supply. Although the medicinal herb fields in my village aren't large, the quality of the bupleurum root is sufficient. If you trust me, how about we sign a long-term contract?"
Zhang Qinghai held the back of his head, touched his chin, and his brain was creaking.
He waved his hand and slammed it on the table, and the sound shook the air three times.
"Alright, Old Chen, let's just pay 20% above the market price for Bupleurum. How's that? I'll have someone draft the contract and sign it today!"
Chen Changyuan's palms felt hot and sweat broke out on his forehead.
This price is much higher than expected!
He nodded in agreement, "Then I'll just listen to you, Director Zhang! You set the price, and if I can't supply the goods in the long run, you can always destroy my signboard, and I won't complain at all!"
After the contract was signed, Zhang Qinghai slapped Chen Changyuan on the shoulder with a smile on his face: "Young man, I have confidence in you! Work hard, the villagers of Qingshui Village are counting on you, don't let them down!"
The sun was scorching and there was a dry, grainy feeling in the air.
Chen Changyuan had just wandered back to the village entrance. Passing by the old locust tree, he stopped to wipe the sweat from his forehead and shouted a few times into the distance: "Fellow villagers! Put down your work and go to the ancestral hall. Let's have a meeting!"
Hearing the shouts, the scattered villagers put down their hoes and sickles and slowly gathered in the ancestral hall.
The crowd was in chaos, with everyone talking at once.
Chen Changyuan stood in the middle of the courtyard, raised his hand to calm the crowd, and spoke in a tone as steady as a bell: "Everyone, listen up! The Bupleurum Root from our Qingshui Village has been inspected by Director Zhang of the County Pharmaceutical Company! He said that its quality is top-notch in the entire county! I just signed a long-term contract with them, and the price is a full 20% higher than the market price outside!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the village ancestral hall exploded.
Some people pounded the table, some stamped their feet, and the place became as noisy as if it were New Year's Day.
Wang Tieniu clapped Chen Changyuan's shoulder vigorously, his voice as loud as the village bell: "Changyuan, this business is worth it! This is like digging out a golden baby from the ground!"
Seeing that the scene was a bit chaotic, Chen Changyuan raised his hands to calm the atmosphere.
Everyone fell silent, and he continued, "We've received a significant amount of orders. To keep up, we need to expand our planting area immediately. I plan to transfer some of the village's able-bodied laborers to the newly opened medicinal fields. They'll plant herbs during the day and continue to look after the farm at night. What do you think?"
The room was silent for a moment, and then several people stood up.
They rushed to express their willingness to join the planting team, especially the young ones, who were full of enthusiasm.
Seeing the shining eyes of the villagers, Chen Changyuan felt relieved, and finally lived up to the villagers' expectations.
As soon as the meeting was over, Chen Changyuan took Tie Niu with him, and the two of them went into the backyard of the ancestral hall. They whispered a few words, "Brother Tie Niu, the piggery project can't be delayed any longer. Quickly pick a few people and go to the neighboring county to quickly pick up breeding pigs. We have to get the first batch of piglets in the fields by the end of the month."
Upon hearing this, Wang Tieniu grinned heartily, "Alright! Brother, just leave this to Brother Tieniu. I'll take the men to get the strongest breeding pigs back! No matter how much it costs, we can't afford it!"
The sunset glowed in the sky, and the first piece of land in the medicinal field at the west end had just been reclaimed to plant Bupleurum.
Chen Changyuan climbed up the small hill in the village and looked around.
There was a lot of busy work below, and the muffled sounds of hoes shoveling soil could be heard one after another.
He looked down at the crumpled contract.
The night wind blew, and Qingshui Village was unusually quiet.
Chen Changyuan pushed open the dilapidated wooden door of his home.
There was a lingering warmth from the kang in the room.
Fang Suxia had already crawled into the bed, curled up into a ball, and faced the wall.
Chen Changyuan gently put down the cloth bag, tidied it up quickly, and then spread out the contract he had signed during the day and placed it on the edge of the table.
The lights flickered, and the five words "Long-term Supply and Marketing Agreement" on the paper glowed brightly!
He picked up the small notebook he always carried with him, turned to a blank page, and began to write down the data in pencil as if he was writing a diary.
"Growing Bupleurum requires careful consideration of costs: seeds, fertilizer, and labor."
He muttered softly.
The tip of the pen hissed as it scratched across the paper, marking a few marginal notes while he pondered the rules and the gains and losses in his mind.
Suddenly, there was a faint sound of footsteps outside the door.
Chen Changyuan quickly put down the contract and turned towards the door.
The next moment, the familiar coughing sound faintly came into my ears. It was Old Yuantou!
"It's long-term, haven't you taken a break yet?"
The door was pushed open and the wind rushed in.
Chen Changyuan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked over to greet him: "Old Yuan, what are you still hanging around so late?"
The old man covered his mouth and coughed a few times, then winked and smiled, "Hey, isn't it because I know you can't sit still? The contract was just signed, so how can I not be thinking about this account book?"
Chen Changyuan waved his hand: "Come in and rest for a while. It's cold outside. Don't let your old illness come back!"
As he spoke, he pulled Lao Yuantou to sit on the kang and poured him a bowl of hot water.
The old man clutched his bowl and muttered breathlessly, "Changyuan, I heard everyone say that you started that village meeting for medicinal planting. The approach is one thing, but whether there's enough labor is another. If you expand this way, relying solely on people to drive the effort, you'll end up with nothing."
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