Chen Changyuan was quick to act and put his arm around her waist. The two of them were so close that he could even hear her breathing clearly.
He felt that the moment he supported An Caicai, time seemed to have stopped.
An Caicai's face was as red as the wild fruit in the mountains. She lowered her head and didn't dare to look at him. She held his arm tightly, afraid that she would fall again.
Chen Changyuan's heartbeat quickened a few beats, and he didn't loosen his grip at all, but he said stubbornly, "You city girl, how come you walk like you're walking on clouds, so light and airy?"
An Caicai raised her head and glared at him, then replied in a rather coquettish tone, "Can you blame me for the bumpy potholes on this broken mountain road? My shoes aren't made for climbing!"
She glanced down at the pair of small leather shoes, the toes of which were stained with mud. She frowned and muttered softly, "I should have changed into a pair of flat shoes earlier."
Chen Changyuan followed her gaze and was delighted: "Hey, these shoes are quite fashionable. No wonder they are so slippery."
He let go of her hand, stood up straight, brushed the dirt off his hands, and urged, "Hurry up, we haven't finished touring the base yet, don't dawdle!"
An Caicai curled her lips, shook off the dust on her skirt, and followed him forward.
As they walked, she asked, "What do your chickens eat to grow so strong? And why are the herbs planted so neatly, like rows?"
Curiosity arose, and she felt like a country girl coming to the city to see something new.
Chen Changyuan answered patiently, and occasionally got stuck when she asked him questions, so he had to scratch his head and answer casually.
The two were chatting happily when they heard the sound of footsteps mixed with a few rough roars in the distance.
Chen Changyuan's ears twitched, and he turned his head to look. Zhang Mazi's skinny, monkey-like figure was swaying closer, holding a tattered cloth bag in his hand, with a smile on his face. "Brother Changyuan, good news is coming! The city's medicinal material transport team will arrive tomorrow, and we can ship the goods!"
Chen Changyuan's eyes lit up, and he immediately went to meet him: "What a coincidence! Let's go and order the goods!"
He turned around and shouted to An Caicai, "Take a break first. I'm busy."
An Caicai waved her hand: "Why are you taking a break? I'll go take a look too!"
She trotted after him, her skirt swaying in the wind like wild flowers in full bloom in the mountains.
Zhang Mazi glanced at her sideways, winked at Chen Changyuan, and muttered in a low voice: "Tsk, this girl is not simple, Changyuan, you are lucky."
Chen Changyuan glared at him, too lazy to pay attention, and led his men straight to the warehouse.
The medicinal herbs in the warehouse were piled up like small hills, and the bitter smell of herbs was floating in the air.
Zhang Mazi was quick and nimble. He ripped open a bag, pulled out a handful of dried rhizomes, and handed them to Chen Changyuan: "Look at this stuff! Those people in the city will go crazy for it!"
An Caicai stood nearby, squinting her eyes and watching carefully, occasionally interjecting, "Is there some secret to drying these herbs like this?"
He added, "My father mentioned this medicine. It's very effective in treating colds."
She asked the question in a very serious manner, and Zhang Mazi couldn't help but glance at her twice, thinking: This city girl is really something.
Chen Changyuan replied as he counted the medicine, his tone softening a bit: "It depends on the weather when you want to dry the medicine. It won't work on cloudy days because it's too humid. The herb for treating wind and cold is called Bupleurum, and I have plenty of it here."
He pointed to the pile of sacks in the corner and said, "Here they are, all over there."
An Caicai nodded, took out her notebook and wrote a few more notes, muttering, "I have to talk to my dad about this later. The stuff here is more reliable than what he gets from abroad."
Chen Changyuan didn't hear clearly what An Caicai was muttering, but seeing An Caicai's cute look, the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose, and the warm feeling in his heart emerged again.
After counting the herbs, it was already dark and the cool mountain wind blew into my neck.
Zhang Mazi dusted off his hands and said to Chen Changyuan, "I'll go to the county town to meet up with the transport team first. Tomorrow you can have the workers at your base prepare the goods."
"become."
Chen Changyuan nodded and turned to look at An Caicai, "It's getting late. I'll take you down the mountain and take a bus to the county town."
An Caicai didn't refuse. She gathered her coat and followed him down the mountain.
The mountain road is narrow.
Chen Changyuan walked ahead, holding a stick in his hand to explore the way, occasionally looking back at her: "Watch your step, don't fall again."
An Caicai snorted: "If I fall, you still have to help me up? What are you afraid of?"
She acted tough in words, but was actually much more careful in her steps.
The two of them talked as they walked, from medicinal herbs to breeding, and then to their future plans.
An Caicai said excitedly, "If you expand this base and build a processing plant, wouldn't all the pharmacies in the city be scrambling to sign contracts with you?"
Chen Changyuan paused and turned to look at her: "You really dare to think that. A processing plant is not as simple as building a shed."
"What's so difficult about that?"
An Caicai raised her head and smiled, "You are so capable, you will definitely be able to do it."
Chen Changyuan felt warm in his heart when she said this.
The bus station was crowded with people. Under the dim street lights, Chen Changyuan, carrying An Caicai's small bag, squeezed left and right in the crowd and made his way through.
On the platform, the shouts and horns of the last train rang out, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of coal.
An Caicai stepped onto the ladder, turned around and waved at him with a bright smile: "Hey, be careful on the road, don't fall into the ditch!"
"Don't worry if it falls off!"
Chen Changyuan grinned and waved.
He stood there, watching the dilapidated bus rumble out of the platform, emitting black smoke.
The taillights of the car flickered in the night until they disappeared, and then he turned and left.
The dirt road back to the village was bumpy and shadowy under the moonlight.
As Chen Changyuan walked, he pondered the transport team that Zhang Mazi mentioned.
The medicinal materials base has made a lot of money in the past few months, so it's a good opportunity to expand its scale.
If we can connect with the pharmacies in the city and build a processing plant, we won’t have to rely solely on selling raw materials to make a living.
Thinking of this, his steps became lighter.
But when he thought about the hassles of building a factory - choosing a site, recruiting people, buying equipment, and dealing with those old foxes in the county, he got a headache.
Suddenly, An Caicai's words popped up in my mind: "You are so capable, you can do it."
Chen Changyuan curled his lips and said, "Oh, little girl, you are really good at talking."
Suddenly, the sound of dogs barking mixed with men cursing came from the distance.
Chen Changyuan pricked up his ears and squinted his eyes, only to see a staggering figure standing on the side of the road - Zhou Dazhu.
This guy was holding a bottle of wine, his face flushed red, and was shaking his fist at a skinny dog: "Get away from me, you're killing me!"
The dog ran away with its tail between its legs. Zhou Dazhu stumbled and almost fell into the ditch.
Chen Changyuan was too lazy to pay attention to him, but Zhou Dazhu happened to see him.
"Hey, isn't this Brother Chen? Are you sending your little lover off?"
He staggered over, reeking of alcohol.
"Mind your own business."
Chen Changyuan turned and left.
Zhou Dazhu grabbed his arm and said, "I heard you're going into business with the city people? Tsk tsk, you're quite promising. If my Xiaoya hadn't dumped you, you wouldn't be where you are today."
Chen Changyuan shook off his hand and said in a cold voice, "Go home and sleep, don't cause trouble here."
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