Seeing that the vines were already covered with flower buds, Jiang Xiaoman felt a wave of dizziness and turned her head away in pain.
Fortunately, there were many other delicious vegetables in the garden.
I found a few plump loofahs, a few cucumbers, and a bunch of long beans on the fence. I also picked a lot of purple-skinned flat beans, cut down a cabbage, picked a few purple eggplants, plucked a handful of pumpkin vines, and picked half a basket of peppers.
I was originally thinking of picking a tender pumpkin and stir-frying it, but I was worried that it would anger his dad, so I decided against it.
After all, his father's generation believed that they would rather starve than eat an unripe pumpkin. Only a spendthrift son could eat a tender pumpkin the size of a fist! This pumpkin could weigh more than ten pounds when it grew up!
If you want to eat tender pumpkins, I'll go to Uncle Baichuan's vegetable garden and pick a couple when I get down the mountain, and eat my fill!
As long as his father doesn't see it, he won't be wasting food!
Chapter 169
In the evening, Jiang Xiaoman chopped the freshly slaughtered chicken into pieces and cooked a whole pot of stewed chicken with potatoes. She also made a dish of stir-fried loofah with eggs, a dish of smashed cucumber, and a bowl of stir-fried cured pork with green beans.
The chilies aren't particularly spicy this season, so Jiang Xiaoman washed a small basin of them, took a few, sliced them into strips, and used them to stir-fry with shredded green beans, cabbage, and eggplant. She flattened the rest and made a dish of tiger-skin green peppers.
Seeing that his son had been busy for so long and had only made two meat dishes, Jiang Youliang almost fainted!
This is not how they treat guests!
Just as I was about to reprimand him, I heard Tong Shuai next to me praising his son repeatedly—
"I was wondering why you were asking me about my diet on the way up the mountain. Sigh! These are all health problems I developed years ago from drinking heavily with clients. High blood pressure and high cholesterol, they're hard to cure. The doctor just says I need to eat a light diet! Light! My mouth has suffered so much these past few years!"
Hearing Tong Shuai complaining about his high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar, Jiang Youliang couldn't help but laugh: "I was just about to scold him. We finally have such a distinguished guest, and all he did was prepare two meat dishes? So it's because you can't eat meat, Xiao Shuai?"
"Sigh! It's not just that I can't eat big fish and meat, I can only eat as little cured meat as possible. I usually eat with less oil and less salt." Tong Shuai was extremely aggrieved.
When I was young, I desperately wanted to eat sea cucumber, abalone, and the Manchu Han Imperial Feast, but I didn't have the money.
Now that I've finally made a lot of money, I can only look at all the big meals of meat and fish, but I can't eat anything else, I can only eat grass (commonly known as low-fat healthy salad)!
Fortunately, the vegetables at Jiang Xiaoman's house were all organic and pollution-free vegetables grown by Jiang Youliang himself, and they were freshly picked from the garden. They were fresh and crisp, and Jiang Xiaoman was also a good cook. Tong Shuai was all smiles after the meal and wished he could stay there forever.
After dinner, the group chatted over tea in the courtyard. Tong Shuai pointed to the Zen retreat guesthouse next to his house, which was almost finished with renovations, and asked Jiang Xiaoman if it was an investment of his.
"Where would I get the money to undertake such a large project?" Jiang Xiaoman smiled and explained how he had exchanged his family's land for a new homestead and sold his old house to someone else to invest in a bed and breakfast.
Unexpectedly, Tong Shuai actually knew Tang Xinlan!
"I knew it! It was her! You're really lucky!" Tong Shuai laughed and told Jiang Xiaoman that their company also had a collaboration with Tang Xinlan's Hongnigou Ancient Tea Project.
"No wonder she wanted to open a Zen retreat guesthouse here. There are just too many tourists over there now, tour buses are everywhere all day long, it's driving me crazy. Looks like we'll have to come here to meet up and talk business from now on." Tong Shuai patted Jiang Xiaoman on the shoulder with a sigh. "You little rascal! You have no idea how many connections your little Tang sister has brought you, do you?"
Those who are so bothered by worldly social obligations that they have to find a quiet mountain guesthouse for a few days are most likely big shots or elites from various industries.
Tang Xinlan placed her Zen meditation guesthouse next to Jiang Xiaoman's house, not only because the place was indeed quiet and secluded, but also probably because she wanted to give Jiang Xiaoman some opportunities.
After all, these big shots are all very knowledgeable. They're bored living here and have nothing to do, so they might give Jiang Xiaoman a few pointers, which could help this kid avoid some detours on his future entrepreneurial path.
I hope Jiang Xiaoman can understand these good intentions.
"Hehe~ Anyway, anyone who can help the people of Langshan get out of poverty and become rich is our great benefactor!" Jiang Xiaoman was too embarrassed to say that he didn't want to expand his business, so he just glossed over it.
After all, saying that sounds very Versailles-esque; who in business doesn't want to grow bigger and stronger?
But compared to making money, he would rather have time to come home every night and have a meal with his father.
...
Although he was reluctant to leave the quiet environment of Jiang Xiaoman's home, Tong Shuai still went down the mountain with Shan Yan and the others after breakfast the next morning.
Today they need to first discuss with the village which piece of land they want to rent.
Perhaps because Shan Yan was in charge, the village officials were a little afraid of him. The village head, Jiang Youtian, was even more eager to give Jiang Xiaoman the best land in the village so that they could grow their business and provide more jobs for the village. The plots of land he selected were all top-quality.
Accompanied by village officials, the group went to the site to compare several plots of land, and Tong Shuai finally selected two as backup options for them.
One plot is a hillside near the road. This plot is not flat enough, and if a factory is to be built later, it will cost extra money to level it. However, the advantage is that it is convenient for transportation and close to the river, making it easy to get water.
The other plot is closer to the mountainside, a distance from the main road. In the future, trucks may need to build a separate gravel road to get in and out. However, the advantage is that the plot is much larger, three times the size of the first one, and the rent for the two plots is about the same.
Shan Yan also knew that Jiang Xiaoman didn't want to expand the tea cake business too much. Sure enough, in the end, Jiang Xiaoman still chose the plot of land near the highway.
“Although leveling the land will cost extra money, we need to build a road on that land, which will cost even more. All things considered, this piece of land next to the highway is the most cost-effective.” Jiang Xiaoman made the decision and immediately went to the village to sign the lease agreement.
He was going to build a factory here, so he couldn't rent it for too short a period. He simply rented it for the maximum term, twenty years straight – after all, even if he stopped running the factory himself in the future, he could sublet it to someone else.
After the land was leased, the next step was to design the factory building.
Tong Shuai suggested that he do it all at once and build all the functional areas of the factory. Since tea is something that is eaten, if the factory is constantly tearing down walls and digging soil, the dust will be everywhere and will dirty the tea packaging. When customers receive the goods, they will think that these are last year's old stock.
Jiang Xiaoman agreed wholeheartedly and humbly sought advice from Commander Tong.
Tong Shuai's current job is similar to that of a professional manager, specializing in helping OEM manufacturers who want to open tea factories or create brands with their initial project planning. He has a wealth of experience in this area, and Jiang Xiaoman's business is just a small workshop, so it's even less difficult for him.
He immediately had his assistant send over many design drawings from projects he had done before. The final design draft that he gave to Jiang Xiaoman was a design for a main factory building and supporting facilities.
Considering the initial cost control, Tong Shuai suggested that the small hill on this plot of land should not be completely leveled. Instead, the gentle slope should be preserved, with the processing plant in the front and the slightly higher slope in the back used as a warehouse. This way, as long as there is no major flooding, the warehouse can drain freely thanks to the natural slope, making it very suitable for storing tea cakes.
However, this means that a sufficiently wide drainage ditch needs to be dug in the open space connecting the processing plant and the warehouse.
"That's no problem. We'll plant taro on both sides of the ditch. Taro loves plenty of water and fertilizer, and the taro seedlings are pretty too, which will also beautify the environment."
“That’s great. This way, we can save money on purchasing tree species for landscaping.” Tong Shuai gave his idea a thumbs up and pointed to the empty space next to him. “When the wall is built, we can leave a flower trough about 50 centimeters wide along the wall. We can plant some loofah or flat beans there. It will look nice and also provide some fresh vegetables for the factory canteen.”
In addition to the processing area and warehouse, a small canteen, two office rooms, and a slightly larger guardhouse at the entrance should also be built in the yard. It would be best to divide it into two rooms, an inner and an outer one, so that there would be no need to build a separate dormitory and the guards could sleep in the inner room.
Tong Shuai also marked out a downwind area, planning to use it to build a changing room and toilet, which is standard equipment for food processing plants. In the past, when Jiang Xiaoman and her team hired people to help pack tea, they could still say it was a local specialty, and manual packaging was fine. But if they were to open a proper factory, they would have to undergo regular inspections by the health management department, and they would have to wear dustproof clothing and the like.
Jiang Xiaoman was completely bewildered and wished he could just give the land back. He didn't want to open a factory there anymore.
However, the thought that after a period of hard work, once the factory was running smoothly, as long as he didn't cause any trouble in the future, the profits from the factory would ensure a worry-free life for him and his son, Jiang Xiaoman cheered up again. He diligently remembered Tong Shuai's advice and prepared to buy dustproof suits and other protective clothing later.
He did consider hiring a professional manager like Tong Shuai to help him build up the factory.
But as soon as Jiang Xiaoman heard that Tong Shuai's annual salary started at 600,000 yuan, this poor guy immediately felt that it wouldn't matter if he worked a little harder.
...
Tong Shuai also had other projects on his hands, so he gave Jiang Xiaoman some pointers and returned to the provincial capital the next afternoon.
Jiang Xiaoman hitched a ride with him to the provincial capital, intending to pick up the seven fans who had won prizes in the previous live stream at the high-speed rail station.
After the guest rooms at the express delivery station were renovated, they were ventilated for two months. Jiang Xiaoman bought formaldehyde testing equipment online and tested it herself before she felt relieved. She then contacted several fans who had won the prize, and they made an appointment to come to Langshan for a visit during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.
The lottery draw had been going on for so long that Kong Feifei had completely forgotten about it. But the thought of being able to visit the place where her idol Wei Sheng had previously recorded a show gave her a sudden burst of energy. She got up that very night and packed her bags. After all, she was a landlady, so she didn't need to ask her boss for leave.
Jiang Cancan's fans were so excited that they rushed to the fan group overnight and shouted that they were going to Cancan's hometown to visit Grandma Jiang's family.
As soon as these words were spoken, the fan group immediately came back to life.
Those who usually lurk and slack off suddenly appeared, frantically tagging the three girls. Some suggested that everyone could chip in some money and ask the three girls to help buy things for Grandma Jiang and Yueyue, while others suggested that they could secretly take more photos of Grandma and Yueyue, make them into an album, and send it to Cancan, who would definitely be very happy to see it... The fan group became very lively for a while.
Because there is no direct bus to Langshan Village, and it requires two transfers from the county town, Jiang Xiaoman was worried that the fans might get off at the wrong stop and get lost in the mountains, so she simply rented a minivan and waited for them at the high-speed rail station.
Seven fans came from different cities by high-speed rail. Jiang Xiaoman picked them up from 11 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. By then, the bus from the county to the town had long since left, so luckily he had rented a car in advance.
Upon meeting them, Jiang Xiaoman quickly apologized, saying that when she was drawing lots, she forgot that the newly renovated room needed to be ventilated to remove formaldehyde, which caused the delay.
To express his apology, he said he would treat everyone to hot pot in the county town that evening.
Upon hearing this, everyone quickly stopped Jiang Xiaoman.
"We can eat hot pot anywhere! We traveled all this way just to eat the food you cooked yourself, Brother Xiaoman!"
"Exactly! I don't want hot pot either. Xiaoman, can you fry some of your fried dough sticks for me? I saw a video of them and they looked so delicious. I've never had one before."
"I want to eat steamed pork with rice flour made by Brother Xiaoman. I can buy the pork belly myself, Brother Xiaoman, you can just make it for me. It has to be steamed in a bamboo steamer."
No wonder he's a loyal fan of Jiang Xiaoman; he started ordering food without any hesitation as soon as they met.
Seeing that no one wanted to eat hot pot, Jiang Xiaoman had no choice but to ask the driver to take a detour to the county town's vegetable market.
The town's morning market had long since closed by this time, and there was nowhere to buy even fresh pork. That's one of the inconveniences of rural life: if you want to eat some fresh vegetables, you have to go to the market early in the morning. Once the market closes, you can't even buy a single pig hair.
The butchers in their town were even more laid-back than Jiang Xiaoman. They only worked five hours a day, getting up at four in the morning to slaughter pigs, setting up their stalls in town at six, and always closing up before nine. They would go back to sleep for a while, and then spend the afternoon squatting at their door playing cards with people. Occasionally, when they had sold out of pigs, they would take some time to go to the countryside to buy a dozen or so pigs, hire a large truck to transport them back, and raise them themselves to sell slowly.
Life in the mountain towns is slow-paced like this, but it's different in the county town. After get off work in the afternoon, the vegetable market is even more lively than in the morning. Jiang Xiaoman and her group arrived early, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to find a parking spot.
Seeing the curious looks on the faces of several fans towards the county's vegetable market, Jiang Xiaoman smiled and decided to give them an hour to get some fresh air.
Anyway, it will take him quite a while to buy groceries and clean fish, so let them get out of the car and wander around for a bit, and meet back in the parking lot an hour later.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he left, the seven fans automatically formed a group.
Jiang Cancan's fans excitedly held hands. They had all watched Jiang Xiaoman's videos before and knew that there were several streets near the county's vegetable market that specialized in wholesale, with large quantities and affordable prices. They planned to take the opportunity to buy a batch of daily necessities such as grains, oils, rice, and flour, as well as some delicious food and drinks, to give to Grandma Jiang and Yueyue.
The other fans were either planning to stroll around the nearby food street and buy some local specialties to send back to their relatives and friends, or they had forgotten to bring some daily necessities because they left in a hurry and rushed to a nearby supermarket to restock.
Everyone thought that life in Langshan Village must be extremely difficult, and the small shop at the entrance of the village was full of counterfeit and pirated goods.
Unexpectedly, Mr. Jiang, who is adept at making money, has made full use of the two rows of shelves that the program crew installed for him at the express delivery station, and has opened a small shop in his own home...
Chapter 170
There were three boys and four girls among the fans who came this time. Jiang Xiaoman could only ask the three men to act like gentlemen and stay in the attic room on the third floor, while the four girls stayed on the second floor.
With so many people arriving at once, Jiang Xiaoman knew she couldn't handle it all by herself, so she called Lang Ying and Shan Ying to come and help.
Shan Ying was also a capable and straightforward mountain girl. After they got to know each other better, they started reminiscing. Jiang Xiaoman then learned that Shan Ying's maternal grandmother's family was also in the old mountain valley, and that her mother was a tough woman.
Shan Ying's father was much like Jiang Erming. Years ago, he said he was going to the city to find work, but he never came back, leaving his wife and two daughters behind and disappearing without a trace.
When Shan Ying's mother realized that she had been tricked, she knew that if she stayed any longer, she would not only have to raise her two daughters alone, but also become a free nanny for her in-laws and save money to support her parents-in-law in their old age. How could she possibly live like that?
In a fit of anger, she took her two daughters and ran back to her parents' home, ignoring her in-laws and even changing the girls' surnames.
The funny thing is, in those days, when many young people in Langshan got married, they would just have a wedding ceremony and invite both families to a meal. Not many people would actually get a marriage certificate. Shanying's mother and her irresponsible father weren't even a legal couple, so they skipped the divorce proceedings!
What's even more amusing is that Shan Ying's father had a good plan. He thought that having two children would keep Shan Ying's mother stuck in their hometown, making his wife willingly support the whole family for him.
He doesn't have to spend a penny of his own money, and his parents have a wife to take care of them. He's living a carefree and happy life outside.
They still fantasize that when they get old and can't work anymore, they can go back to their hometown and let their children work to earn money to support them in their old age.
That's a pretty nice idea.