She reached out and touched my face: "But today, I saw Qin Jingru, and I saw you too. I knew then that I might have miscalculated."
"He likes you guys very much."
I looked at her, and at that time, I didn't understand what she meant by those words.
It wasn't until later that I learned just how precious the health-preserving Tai Chi and those Chinese medicinal herbs that Wang Shouren taught us during those years truly were.
Yes, I should have thought of that sooner. Even if it's not about staying young forever, things that can even slightly slow down aging are something that people would fight tooth and nail for.
According to Lou Xiao'e, she felt that once she returned, it was only a matter of time before we two women from the countryside were squeezed out by her.
But she never expected that Wang Shouren liked us so much.
It was from that moment that my mood started to improve.
At least, Wang Shouren truly cared about me.
Lou Xiao'e told me that if I really felt I wasn't good enough for him, I should do what I could to become a better person.
At least, I won't betray myself.
I asked her, "How can I be sure if he loves me or not?"
Lou Xiao'e smiled, patted my shoulder, and told me, "Love is something that exists if you say it exists, and doesn't exist if you say it doesn't exist."
I don't quite understand what this means.
Among the books I've read.
Love takes many forms: a princess falling in love with a prince, or a princess falling in love with a scholar, or a fox and a scholar, or a love that transcends life and death, or a love that is unforgettable. But in my world, it seems that Wang Shouren never needed me...
I don't like this feeling.
But at least, I have another direction.
Perhaps, if I do something I want to do, I can change the current situation.
I chose to return to the village and keep myself busy. Perhaps, in this way, I could calm myself down and help the village out of its predicament.
In fact, the village at that time was not considered to be in particularly difficult circumstances.
During those ten years, the village secretly cleared a plot of land on the back hill. Wang Shouren, from who-knows-where, brought in plastic and used it as a greenhouse. They even secretly sold some of it, which meant that the villagers weren't actually lacking in food. During that time, Uncle San personally looked after that greenhouse.
Later, after things were relaxed...
Problems arose in the village, which split into several factions, all of which wanted that land.
If it weren't for what happened to me, I probably would have gone back to deal with it by now.
In the end, Wang Shouren came back to the village with me.
Finally, he came with me to the village committee, where we discussed some things and decided to maintain the village collective system as before. Oh, of course, it's different from the old system of communal dining.
It's about the whole village coming together to start a business.
Fortunately, they've made a lot of money through this greenhouse. And incidentally, they can also help the whole village develop.
I became the person in charge of this project without really knowing what was going on.
I originally wanted to refuse, but my parents said that I was the only one in the village who could be respected by everyone.
I know why. It's because the people selling things from the village are all his people. In this day and age, selling things carelessly could cost you your life. And they also have a hard time getting good prices.
Because of him, I became the director of the village committee, and eventually, I became the village chief.
It was during this period that I truly came to understand his abilities.
Initially, development was not smooth.
He told me that for a village to develop well, it needs a core industry. What is a core industry?
He said that the core differences lie in different places.
In some places, oil is buried underground. In such cases, the core industry of that place is most likely oil. What that place needs to develop are the products used for oil extraction, and it also needs to be careful about the growth of mold.
Qinjiacun, as a typical rural village, is situated by a small river and lacks abundant natural resources. The best option for them is to open a moderately sized livestock farm.
What to raise?
Naturally, one should start by cultivating the energy of chickens and ducks, which are relatively simpler.
When he told me this, I was very puzzled. It's just raising chickens, is there some kind of trick to it?
Forgive me, I was truly so ignorant at first. Unlike Qin Jingru, who would spend all her time reading or chatting with the old professors at the "retirement home" when he wasn't home, I had to take care of my family and fulfill my responsibilities. I only had time to read in my spare moments.
To be honest, back then I couldn't concentrate on reading. My mind was filled with Wang Shouren, and I wished I could stick to him all the time whenever I had free time.
When I first came out of school, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I was illiterate.
He didn't look down on me; instead, he explained it to me carefully.
He told me that no matter what you do, once it reaches a certain scale, there are certain rules to follow.
Raising chickens, even just a few dozen or a hundred at home, is nothing special, nothing to mention.
But if it's a large-scale farm, then it's a completely different story.
He first gave me some books to read, told me to understand some of them first, and then wait for him to find some experts.
I thought that after leaving him, I could build a career of my own, but I never expected that I would still be led by him just like before. I wanted to blame something, but every time he grabbed me, I would go weak all over, and that anger would disappear without a trace in that instant.
Later, under his leadership, the village's businesses did better and better, and even made it into the newspapers and caught the attention of higher authorities.
I felt somewhat apprehensive, but at the same time, I felt fulfilled.
During this time, although he was the one guiding me, I rediscovered my old feeling and gradually stopped feeling lost. I became confident that I could lead the whole village forward.
From the opening of the breeding farm, to the later stages of processing agricultural and sideline products, various processing plants gradually emerged, and the "Qin Family Village" brand continued to expand. At one point, "Qin Family Village" even became a nationally recognized and commended area. Everyone knew that such a "Qin Family Village" existed in Beijing. I spent twenty years working on this village.
It made everyone in the village rich.
Although many things saddened me during this period, I also know that it's time for me to step down so that the next person can fully utilize their talents.
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