Seeing Su Yuan lovingly embracing Jiang Cancan and teaching her embroidery step by step, the fans could no longer hold back and burst into tears.
"I'm sorry, I know this is a bit offensive, but I heard that Jiang Cancan's mother passed away a long time ago? If possible, wouldn't it be nice for Sister Su Yuan to adopt a goddaughter?"
"Can Can is a good kid. I've watched her competitions. If our Sister Yuan had a daughter, she'd probably be about the same age as Can Can, right?"
"And have you noticed that Jiang Cancan's features really do look a bit like Sister Su Yuan's when she first debuted..."
Fans were extremely worried about their idol's offspring, but little did they know that a little over a month later, Su Yuan was suddenly revealed to have gone to a maternity hospital for a prenatal checkup!
Subsequently, the award-winning couple generously shared their pregnancy test results on Weibo, sharing the good news with their fans.
When the ancient tree blossomed and bore fruit, Weibo was instantly flooded with onlookers, causing it to collapse immediately.
I don't know which marketing account had such a wild idea, but it made a connection to Su Yuan's trip to Langshan to shoot an advertisement, which seems to have been just over a month ago.
Then, considering the mysterious shamanistic culture of Langshan, the marketing account's picture-writing exercise instantly produced an 800-word story about an "actress seeking a child."
He described it in such a convincing and detailed way!
The story goes that "Su Yuan went to Langshan to film a movie and unexpectedly heard about a local shaman who was very effective in granting wishes for children," and that she spent a lot of money to finally persuade the shaman to use some mysterious prayer method to help the actress, who had been unable to conceive for a long time, finally realize her dream of becoming a mother...
If the shaman himself hadn't been sitting right in front of him drinking tea, Jiang Xiaoman would have almost believed the nonsense from the marketing accounts!
"You really didn't perform a ritual for her?" Jiang Xiaoman stared at Jiang Xia with suspicion for a long time.
After all, this guy has a criminal record!
Didn't you open an online fortune-telling shop to help people when you were short of money because you were chasing after celebrities?
"Perform a ritual? I'd be a shaman! You're a college student, and you're so superstitious!" Jiang Xia rolled her eyes. "But Su Yuan did buy some talismans from me. Maybe it's just psychological. I heard that some women can't get pregnant no matter how hard they try, and they need a catalyst to conceive."
“This kind of thing happens quite often here, don’t you remember? There was a family in your village before, the couple couldn’t get pregnant, so they adopted a child, and she got pregnant within two years.”
Although Jiang Xia tried his best to explain that it wasn't his talisman that worked, for Su Yuan and her husband Cheng Mo, Langshan was simply a blessed place!
If it weren't for the heavy snow blocking the mountain, the two of them would have even considered coming to Jiang Jiwu to "fulfill their vows".
With this connection, Hongye Entertainment's film and television base project in Langshan was quickly finalized.
The Langshan Town government has been experiencing a series of happy events lately, and even the gatekeeper is all smiles every day. In fact, they don't want to work so hard. It's almost Chinese New Year, and other towns are busy preparing for their year-end summary meetings. After the meetings, they can look forward to the holiday. But Langshan Town shows no signs of taking a holiday.
According to news coming from the office, neither the Party Secretary nor the Mayor plans to go home for the Spring Festival this year; they'll be working overtime in town!
With both top leaders working overtime, how dare these lowly subordinates take a day off?
But working overtime is fine, because there's overtime pay!
Langshan Town used to be so poor! Really poor! Forget about overtime pay, even the wages of non-permanent staff were sometimes delayed for a while.
Compared to previous years, Langshan Town has turned its fortunes around in the last two years, becoming incredibly wealthy.
Jiang Xiaoman, that clever little fellow, had already negotiated with the village and town when she started the agricultural cooperative. Since they couldn't afford to buy the land, they would let the village and town contribute their collective land as shares.
The town originally thought that this cooperative, like other agricultural cooperatives in other towns, would have to lose money for at least two years before it could turn a profit. However, under the management of Jiang Xiaoman, Shan Yan, and others, it actually started to make a profit in the second year.
The cooperative makes a lot of money, and the village and town can also participate in the profit sharing. In addition, Jiang Xiaoman is good at dealing with people. During festivals, he would take some of the gifts sent by the "cooperative merchants" back to the town... Although they are not valuable things, for the township cadres who are used to being poor, wouldn't they be happy to receive a box of zongzi, a basket of salted duck eggs, a bag of mooncakes, or even some daily necessities such as laundry detergent, soap and shampoo during festivals?
This year, they will not only receive an extra month's salary as a year-end bonus, but also overtime pay for working overtime. Most importantly, everyone knows that once the county's promised "cultural tourism industrial park" and Hongye Entertainment's film and television base projects are implemented, the welfare and benefits of these township staff will get better and better.
Although these grassroots civil servants are supposed to serve the people, when people go out to work, who doesn't want to earn more money so that their families can have a better financial situation?
They're not greedy; they just want to continue receiving their salaries on time every month, like this year, with slightly better holiday benefits, and overtime pay like some large, reputable companies when they work late into the night... all of which require local government revenue.
Thinking about it this way, my motivation to work overtime during the Chinese New Year holiday suddenly came!
What's there to be afraid of working overtime?
As long as these two projects can be implemented as soon as possible, bringing more revenue to their local finances and creating more jobs for Langshan Town, let alone working overtime during the Spring Festival, we wouldn't even mind going to the construction site to carry bricks during the Spring Festival!
Chapter 252
In the blink of an eye, it's that time of year again – the Spring Festival.
As in previous years, Langshan Town is bustling almost every day before the Lunar New Year, especially on market days when it's so crowded you can hardly squeeze in!
Unlike previous years, this year in Langshan Town, the people have earned money and are spending lavishly on the things they need for the New Year.
After working hard all year, who doesn't want their family to have a happy time during the Lunar New Year?
The little ones want to buy fireworks, snacks, and toys? Buy them!
My wife wants to buy two new outfits? Buy them!
My entire body, including my clothes, pants, and shoes, has been replaced with new ones!
An elderly family member wants a smartphone that allows them to video chat with relatives face-to-face. Go for it!
Besides building houses, the villagers can spend money freely during the Spring Festival.
It wasn't that they didn't want to demolish and rebuild their old houses, but rather that they had heard through various channels that after the New Year, the county would build some kind of industrial park less than two miles from Langshan Village, and that all the village's cooperatives would move there.
After that, who in the village would dare to build a new house?
Although they didn't say it aloud, the villagers of Langshan Town had already keenly realized that if they wanted to continue making big money, they had to closely follow in the footsteps of Jiang Xiaoman and his group!
Is the cooperative going to move to the industrial park?
They could discuss with the village about exchanging their homesteads for another plot there.
So what if it's a little off-center?
They used to live in the "core area" of Langshan Village, but they were still dirt poor.
But if we settle down next to the industrial park, won't the park give priority to villagers who live nearby when it needs to hire workers?
Moreover, living close to the industrial park means they're better informed. They themselves may not have gone to university, nor do they possess the strange and unusual ways of making money that Jiang Xiaoman has in mind, but if they don't know how, they can learn from those who do!
They do whatever Xiaoman does, and they're sure to do it right!
Having made up their minds to follow the industrial park, everyone tacitly held onto their earnings tightly. Once the industrial park's plans were finalized after the New Year, they would rush to seize residential land!
In the eyes of the local people in Langshan today, the "township center" is no longer a prime location; the place closest to Jiang Xiaoman is the real deal!
That's the God of Wealth of Langshan!
As long as they stick close to the God of Wealth, even if he just shakes his body, the falling gold will be enough for their whole family to live comfortably for generations.
To put it simply, just look at Lang Ying.
From a rural woman who couldn't even afford to eat eggs, she now owns a food factory and a cooperative, and is involved in deals worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of yuan. I heard that she can sell millions of yuan worth of goods in a single live stream!
That rural woman who barely knew any words has almost become a millionaire just because she followed Jiang Xiaoman the longest. When the villagers think of this, they wish they could travel back in time, slap themselves twice, and then scramble to Jiang Xiaoman's house to beg for his help!
Having already missed one opportunity, would they miss a second one?
Everyone kept a close eye on the land near the industrial park.
Shan Yan, while leading a group of apprentices into the mountains to harvest rock honey, didn't idle around. Instead, he and his apprentices visited several villages near Laoshan Aozi, buying any vacant houses they found at reasonable prices.
The old houses in Laoshan Aozi are worthless now. Some families have old houses that have been in disrepair for years and they don't even dare to ask for money for the houses on them. They can buy the old houses and the land together for just a few thousand yuan.
Shan Yan not only bought two houses for himself, but also bought two old houses for Jiang Xiaoman.
"Oh dear, how could I forget? Once the film and television base is built, the property prices in the nearby villages will definitely skyrocket! And with more people coming to film, won't they need places to stay?" Jiang Xiaoman slapped his forehead in frustration. He first transferred the money for the house to Shan Yan, and then thought that after the New Year, he would ask his father to find the contractor who had built the house for his family before and have the two old houses demolished and rebuilt.
This is where the advantages of living in remote mountainous areas become apparent. I've heard that rural homestead management is extremely strict in many places. Not to mention that a family can only buy two more homesteads, some descendants who have moved their household registration out will have their homesteads taken away once the elderly pass away and the house collapses, and they will no longer belong to your family.
Unlike here, many families who moved out have houses in their hometowns that have collapsed and can't be sold. It's like a clearance sale; you can buy one for a few thousand yuan.
However, these kinds of things can be done secretly. As long as it's not too outrageous, the township usually won't interfere. It's a kind of folk behavior of making a fortune quietly.
Jiang Xiaoman only dared to secretly buy two with Shan Yan and the others, planning to build two guesthouses to accommodate tourists visiting the film and television base, and to ride on the popularity of the film and television base. Earning several hundred thousand yuan a year should not be a problem.
He also had another idea: after Uncle Baichuan retired, he could ask him and his father Jiang Youliang to manage the family's guesthouses. Firstly, it would give them something to do, and secondly, he knew Uncle Baichuan's temperament—he wouldn't spend his money. He figured that spending his own money would be less stressful.
Shan Yan and Jiang Yu are not short of money. This time, they bought six houses in one go. The three sisters of Shan Cha will each have one house, and he and Jiang Yu will keep the remaining three houses for their retirement.
While the town's officials were busy preparing materials for their two projects, Jiang Xiaoman herself was already preparing for the Chinese New Year.
Jiang Baichuan will spend the Spring Festival with them again this year.
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Jiang Xiaoman locked the gate of the express station, put up Spring Festival couplets, left a key with Jiang Yu to watch over the house, and then ran back to the mountains to celebrate the New Year.
Back home, the small kang (heated brick bed) in the living room was already lit. Jiang Youliang was curled up on the kang with his phone, watching videos. Beside him, the dedicated Principal Jiang was still steadily writing his lesson plan.
It's the same book every year, and I don't know why he rewrites it every year.
Aren't they all teaching pretty much the same things?
Jiang Xiaoman didn't understand, but he didn't dare to say it.
I went to the kitchen and saw that in several large water vats, freshly made rice cakes, glutinous rice cakes, tofu and the like were soaking in spring water. The water was changed every day, and since the temperature in the mountains was low, we could eat them until the Lantern Festival.
On the cutting board, the ingredients for several main dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner were prepared. Although his father's cooking skills were average, he was definitely an expert in handling ingredients. The whole rooster and hen were cleaned and the pork belly was washed and dried so that it would not splatter oil when it was cut into pieces and fried later. The beef and mutton were also washed and placed in a bamboo basket to drain.
That said, in the past, his father would never have even considered buying beef and mutton for Chinese New Year, as these ingredients were expensive and required a lot of seasonings to cook properly. This year, not only did he buy them on his own initiative, but he even knew to choose beef brisket and whole lamb chops with skin and meat on...
This shows that it's not that rural people can't cook well, it's just that they didn't have the means in the past.
The Jiang family nowadays has no shortage of food and drink during the Spring Festival. It's not that he himself is rich, but mainly that Jiang Xiaoman is a kind and honest person. When cooperating with some brands, he rarely messes up unless there is a technical failure on the platform. To put it simply, none of the brands that have cooperated with him twice have switched to other companies.
Reasonable pricing is one aspect, but sincerity is the most important. Other streamers haggle relentlessly with their partners for discounts and perks, but the final price isn't actually lower; they want to make money from both sides. With Jiang Xiaoman, he considers the partners' profits and then haggles for discounts and perks on top of that, genuinely giving the benefits to his fans.
In business, repeat customers are always the biggest source of confidence for merchants. Jiang Xiaoman's live-streaming room has such a high repurchase rate, which is obvious to everyone. Therefore, before holidays, many partners take the initiative to send Jiang Xiaoman gifts.
Even though he had already given some to the township and village officials, there was still a lot left. There were only three people in his family, and they couldn't possibly finish it all. However, he thought that many people would be coming to visit him for the New Year this year. With that in mind, Jiang Xiaoman resignedly rolled up his sleeves and began preparing the main dishes for the New Year.
At the same time, in Langshan Village, after putting up Spring Festival couplets for the cooperative and the food factory, Lang Ying was finally able to lay down and have a safe pregnancy.
She never expected that, with her two daughters already so grown up, she would still be pregnant again... Lang Ying felt quite embarrassed. But this was Qing Shan's first marriage, and the two hadn't used contraception since their wedding. Deep down, Lang Ying really wanted to have a child with Qing Shan, and unexpectedly, her wish came true; they both let nature take its course, and she actually became pregnant!
Qingshan was so pleased with himself that he wanted to pamper Langying, not letting her do any work. He took care of his two daughters himself and even brought his mother down the mountain to take care of Langying.
In fact, Qingshan's situation can be considered as marrying into the family. Normally, the mother-in-law would not need to come and take care of her daughter-in-law during her pregnancy and postpartum period. However, as Lang Ying's status in the village has risen, now when people mention this couple, no one says that Lang Ying is "an old cow eating young grass." Instead, they all envy Qingshan for his high standards and quick action in marrying Lang Ying, a hen that lays golden eggs.
The Qingshan family is now making money off Lang Ying, so how could they not fawn over her?
Qingshan's mother was extremely satisfied with Lang Ying as her daughter-in-law!
She liked girls who were so straightforward, capable, and principled. Besides, although her son said he was marrying into the family, Lang Ying was actually a really good daughter-in-law to her husband's family. Not only did she help her sister-in-law get rich, but she also often accompanied Qingshan home, always bringing her lots of things.
Human hearts are made of flesh and blood. Since her daughter-in-law was so devoted to her family, Qingshan's mother could only be even more devoted to her. As soon as she received the news that her daughter-in-law was pregnant, she immediately tied up the fattest and most productive hens in the house with hemp rope and threw them into a bamboo basket. She also collected the farm eggs she had saved up. She originally wanted to deliver them to her in person, but her son called and asked her to come down the mountain to help take care of her daughter-in-law for a while. What else could she say?
Now, Lang Ying's status at home is comparable to that of a giant panda, a national treasure. Qing Shan and her mother-in-law practically feed her every meal!