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He asked worriedly, "What are we going to do with our vegetables now that there's a cold snap in spring?"

"Hey, do you think your dad didn't think of that?" Qiuhe's dad said smugly. "Other families took off their plastic sheeting early, but I didn't listen to the technician's nonsense—that this year's warm winter and early spring are unpredictable. In our C province, there's no such rule. Every year there's a cold snap in spring, and I don't believe this year won't be one. I'm not taking off the plastic sheeting in the fields, nor the plastic sheeting on the greenhouse. Your mother and I will work harder, uncovering it in the morning and covering it up again at night. Erqiang's dad even laughed at me for being a coward! Hey, the cold snap came quickly, and he took off the plastic sheeting on the greenhouse early to save trouble. Just wait! He'll be crying later!"

Qiuhe's father was a well-known shrewd man in the village.

A few years ago, when the Bougainvillea Vegetable Company set up vegetable greenhouses in Qiujia Village, no one dared to respond. Qiuhe's father was the first to step forward, selling everything he owned to borrow money. When the company wanted to sign contracts with everyone, others were still suspicious and inquiring about the details, but he was the first to sign the supply contract. Later, when the company's technicians encouraged everyone to plant a new variety of bell peppers, he was the first to buy the seeds.

The risks weren't in vain; everyone says Qiuhe's dad made a fortune with the company. Last year alone, he earned a net profit of 20,000 yuan from selling vegetables! A net profit! After deducting all expenses like seeds and fertilizer, and paying taxes, a net profit of 20,000 yuan was practically impossible before. They were lucky to barely make ends meet by farming, and if they had any money left over, they could buy firewood, rice, oil, and salt, and buy some clothes for their wife and children in the city for the New Year. They were considered a well-off family.

Last year, Qiuhe's family started building a house in a lively manner, and they managed to build a two-story villa in the old courtyard!

Who doesn't envy his family's prosperous life now?

With one leader taking the lead, the other villagers also set aside their concerns and went all out. Families who had only built one shed before were now planning to use last year's profits to build another one; as for those who didn't believe that private enterprises hadn't built sheds, they were practically kicking themselves and were begging Qiu Qin to sign a contract with the company.

Bougainvillea Company is no longer what it used to be; it has long since overcome the difficulties it faced when it was first established. With strong support from the province, it has now built several vegetable and flower bases in Province C, mainly developing new varieties and selling them nationwide.

Their off-season vegetables have always been at the forefront of the industry, and their technology is also superior to other companies. With their willingness to invest money regardless of cost, Qiu Shanglin personally formulated an eight-character development strategy that Cheng Chong went from skepticism to complete admiration.

After making a fortune from the greenhouse vegetables in Qiujia Village, Cheng Chong wanted to expand the scale and specialize in selling off-season vegetables—but none of them were rare varieties, just common produce like cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbages, and rapeseed.

Although Qiu Shanglin didn't directly interfere in the company's operations, she demanded that the company reduce the planting of common vegetables and increase investment in new variety development. The development of new varieties was slow, and the input and output were disproportionate. All the money the company earned from off-season vegetables was invested in this. Faced with questions from Cheng Chong and several other managers, Shanglin didn't say much; she took out her own savings and invested in new product development. Given the actions of the actual decision-maker, Cheng Chong and the others couldn't say much. Fortunately, the bell pepper was quickly developed, and after planting, both the yield and sales volume delighted everyone. Even more noteworthy is that, not only did they sell the finished products, but last year, the sales of bell pepper seeds alone accounted for nearly half of the company's total vegetable sales.

Having tasted success, Cheng Chong not only didn't hinder research and development, but also invested heavily in recruiting agricultural technical talent, spending large sums to hire technicians from the Provincial Agricultural Technology Development Institute and even the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. At the same time, he vigorously expanded the cultivation of new vegetable varieties and established a flower planting base. In his words, "We're rich and powerful; we'll laugh at those clowns who use price wars to compete for the vegetable market."

Several vegetable companies emerged as a result, engaging in a fierce price war with each other, one lowering prices today and the other offering gifts tomorrow, turning the vegetable market into a complete mess.

Let them do whatever they want. In the end, they'll still have to come to their door with money in hand, begging to order new varieties!

In this context, technicians and technical instructors have become highly sought-after, pampered and coaxed by companies and farmers alike. Qiujia Village, being the earliest experimental base, housed many of the early technicians who later moved away after finding more suitable soil conditions. Currently, Qiujia Village has two technicians guiding the cultivation of new vegetable varieties.

The two agricultural college graduates were highly valued by the company.

When it comes to book knowledge, they are second to none. Their superior understanding allows them to boss people around in the village, not only instructing on the planting of new varieties, but also disregarding the farming rules that farmers have believed in for thousands of years.

This year, spring came early, and they asked a friend who works at the provincial meteorological bureau. The friend said that there would be no cold snap in the near future. The two college students, who grew up in southern Jiangsu, naturally assumed that the weather in the north was the same as in the south, and that even if there was a cold snap, it wouldn't be too cold.

Therefore, the authorities issued an order requiring all greenhouses to remove their covers, allowing the vegetables that had been cooped up all winter to receive natural sunlight, while also ensuring proper ventilation.

Qiuhe's father grumbled, thinking about how the college student had specifically talked to him a few days ago, telling him to remove the protective film, and how he was very annoyed by Qiuhe's unruly and disobedient behavior...

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure walk past the door and quickly stood up, calling out, "Shanglin, girl!"

Shanglin went back to the old house to visit his grandparents. Before leaving, he wanted to visit his aunt Qin. He happened to be passing by Qiuhe's house when he heard this, so he stopped and stepped through the gate with a smile.

"Is Third Uncle busy? Is Third Grandma in good health? I haven't come to see her in a long time..." He called out loudly into the large living room on the first floor, "Third Grandma, Third Grandma!"

Grandma Qiu San walked out shakily, leaning on her cane: "Who is it?"

When Qiuhe saw her grandmother come out, she quickly ran up to her to help her and loudly reminded her, "Sister Shanglin, it's Sister Shanglin!"

The old woman was hard of hearing and her eyesight was failing. She squinted and recognized her for a long time before grinning with her toothless mouth: "Jianguo's eldest daughter, come here, come here, come to Grandma and have a good look at you—come back to see your grandpa and grandma? You should have come, you should have come back a long time ago! Don't you know your grandma talks about you every day!"

Qiuhe's mother also came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron, and said with a smile, "Mom, Shanglin is busy with her studies—didn't you hear from her grandma that she gets the 'Three Good Student' award every year? Now she's in high school, and high school studies are really demanding!"

Grandma Qiu smacked her lips: "Study hard, study hard. You look a bit thinner, girl. Studying is important, but you also need to take care of your health. Your parents don't expect you to earn money to support them. You're a girl, you don't need to study so hard—are you going to go to university?"

Her daughter-in-law chuckled, but said helplessly, "Of course you have to go to university, and you have to go to Beijing! I heard from the girl next door that you're one of the top students in your class and a potential candidate for Tsinghua University. Study hard, and our village will produce a female champion!"

Grandma Qiu pursed her toothless lips, disapproving: "What's the point of a girl going to university? And Beijing? It's too far away... Good girl, we won't listen to their nonsense. Your grandparents are getting old, and they're worried about you getting younger every day, so they can't afford to go too far. After graduating from high school, find a job in town, and let your dad pick a good family for you..."

Her daughter-in-law chuckled and pulled Shanglin into the house: "Mom's thinking is so outdated. Don't even mention that Shanglin might not care about Brother Jianguo's factory; the vegetable company was all built up by Shanglin!"

Grandma Qiu clicked her tongue: "What? You started the company?"

Shanglin just smiled and didn't say anything, letting Grandma Qiu San marvel at him repeatedly.

Qiuhe's mother and Qiuqin were close, and Qiuhe had heard about it from her long ago. Secrets can't stay hidden forever; Qiujia Village had long known that the Bougainvillea Company was her business, but she never directly participated in its operation. Therefore, most people just thought it was a casual investment given to her by her family.

The women were talking, but the man couldn't get a word in edgewise. He sat on the sofa smoking and offered her some sunflower seeds.

Qiuhe's father was shrewd but not good at expressing himself. Qiuhe, on the other hand, inherited his mother's eloquence and had more contact with Shanglin, so he asked why Xialin and Changsheng were not there.

Shang Lin smiled and said, "Those two—their monthly exam results weren't ideal, so they're catching up on their studies at home."

Qiuhe stuck out his tongue, stopped asking questions, and turned to play. Qiuhe's mother praised him again, telling her son to learn from his older sister Shanglin and not to run off to play all the time.

After chatting for a while, Qiuhe's father hesitated for a long time, wanting to express his concerns, but feeling it inappropriate to speak ill of others behind their backs, he finally remained silent. After sitting for a while, Shanglin took his leave, and Qiuhe urged his wife to fetch some soybeans they had grown themselves, insisting on giving them to Shanglin.

"They're homegrown, nothing special—tomorrow's the Dragon Raises Its Head, you'll be busy and probably forget about them, so take them home and soak them. My soybeans are the best in the village!" He spoke confidently about his expertise in farming.

Unable to refuse, Shanglin carried a bag of soybeans to Aunt Qin's house.

Qiuqin's family still lives in the same old brick house from a few years ago, instead of following the trend and building a two-story house. The couple rarely stays at home these days, having bought an apartment in the city long ago. Liu Chao is busy working in Huaiqiao City, and Qiuqin travels all over the province when she's busy, so the house in the village has become just for show, with them only occasionally coming back to stay for one night.

When Qiuqin saw her carrying a bag of soybeans into the house, she slapped her forehead and laughed, "Look at me, I forgot that tomorrow is the Dragon Raises Its Head!"

On the second day of the second lunar month, the dragon raises its head. In rural areas, the custom is to eat fried beans.

Qiuqin's mother was also there. Upon hearing this, she pulled out a bag of soybeans and scolded, "You're making things worse by now! I've already prepared everything! — Shanglin, take some with you later!"

Shanglin was so frightened that he waved his hands repeatedly: "I can't take it. Uncle Qiuhe insisted on bringing me so much, and with what you gave me, and since they don't like eating soybeans, I'm afraid they'll still have leftovers even if they eat them until they're eighty!"

Qiuqin and her mother laughed: "Eating soybeans is good, especially for you as you grow, you should eat more!"

Shanglin politely declined, saying, "Changsheng and Xialin frown at the sight of soybeans and refuse to eat them no matter what, saying that eating beans will cause farts and they're afraid of polluting the air!"

Qiuqin laughed heartily and grabbed a handful of food without saying a word, putting it into the bag Shanglin had brought: "I'll teach you a trick later, I guarantee they'll be drooling!"

After chatting for a while, only Qiuqin and Shanglin remained in the room. She asked, "How has Uncle been lately?"

Qiuqin smiled, pursing her lips: "It's the same as always, nothing special."

Shang Lin felt a little sorry for him and advised, "Don't always give him the cold shoulder. Men like gentleness. You've been giving him the cold shoulder for almost two years now. The punishment is about time—he's still in contact with his mistress?"

Qiuqin sneered, "He dares!" Her expression was confident, a far cry from her cowardly and incompetent self of the past.

“I know what I'm doing and how to handle him—but you, at such a young age, understand men so well. I'm really worried about Changsheng. Won't he be completely under your thumb in the future?”

Shanglin refused: "Nonsense!"

Qiuqin smiled, glossing over the topic without saying much, but recalling the rumors she had heard recently, she couldn't help but express her concern:

"What's going on between you and the son of the power bureau chief? I heard you're having an affair with him?"

Without waiting for an answer, he advised again:

"It's not that your aunt is being nosy, but we've watched Changsheng grow up. His character and temperament are impeccable, and he'll be a good child in the future. He's also devoted to you, so we can't be fickle and go off to find someone else!"

Shanglin was helpless.

She was puzzled. When did Li Changsheng win the favor of so many elders? Qiuqin wasn't the first elder to advise her with similar words—her maternal grandmother had advised her during the New Year, her paternal grandmother had given her another earnest plea at dinner today, and a while ago Zhang Hongwei had somehow heard rumors and grumbled that she didn't know how to cherish things… Even her father had a heart-to-heart talk with her, discussing everything from ideals to life, even reaching the realm of philosophy, subtly conveying the same message: one should be kind and honest, and not let down Li Changsheng's earnest expectations and waiting all these years!

She had a relationship early on, and no one blamed her.

Instead, they blame her for not having Li Changsheng as her boyfriend during her early romantic period?

What kind of logic is this!

Eagerly anticipating, bitterly waiting? When did Changsheng become Wang Baochuan, who endured eighteen years of hardship in a cold cave?

She was caught in a dilemma, unable to deny it or admit it. Ever since that incident in Huaiqiao City, she and Ji Yunwen had been in an awkward situation.

Before Shang Lin could think much of it, Ji Yunwen was already on edge.

She would get angry and argue with Changsheng over every word they exchanged, and eventually, she couldn't even stand seeing her chat with her own younger brother!

They argued until winter break, and in their sullen silence, neither of them contacted the other during the break. It wasn't until the start of the spring semester that Ji Yunwen awkwardly asked her if she had come to a change of heart—"Come to a change of heart my foot!"

That's my own brother. Can't I even talk to my own brother?

The two remained at an impasse. Ji Yunwen would occasionally try to contact her, but they would always end up arguing after only a few words, leaving Shang Lin feeling extremely frustrated and annoyed.