My 1995 Small Farm.

"Hey? Wait a minute, Uncle Fugui, look! That white car is coming!"

"Hey, hey, there's another new black car following behind."

"Quickly get your weapons from the car; these people might try to rob us from here."

The group was feeling uneasy about making so much money for the first time when a car suddenly started following them. Anyone would have doubts in that situation.

Seeing two cars driving straight towards us, it would be strange not to panic.

Zhao Dahai was a little confused. Having lived in the city for so many years, he had seen all sorts of things.

Although some places are indeed a bit chaotic, especially at night, it is not uncommon for people to drink, fight, and cause trouble, and there are also quite a few robberies in the street.

But he himself had never actually encountered anything like that.

Seeing this, he panicked and went to get his gun from the car.

This is a must-have when traveling long distances.

But just then, the black van behind the white car suddenly stopped, and a middle-aged fat man with a round head and curly hair got out, staring at them in astonishment: "Brother Fugui, Xiao Fang, how come it's you?"

"Uh, it's you, Lao Yu! You startled me."

When Chen Ling saw the person who came, he breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out to be Yu Bangjin, who owned an instant noodle factory.

He is one of the partners in Sun Yanhong's crayfish restaurant in the provincial capital.

So I also know the little sheep that often transport aquatic products.

"Hahaha, the flood washed away the Dragon King Temple! I heard someone report that someone had loaded a cart with vegetables, and I thought they had encountered a big fish, so I rushed over in a hurry. It turns out it was you guys."

Yu Bangjin couldn't help but burst into laughter.

He was quite frank, but that's how business is these days; to make money, it's normal to use a few tricks.

"You old Yu, instant noodles aren't enough for you to make, now you're eyeing vegetables too..."

"They even dare to let someone follow them in their car? Aren't they afraid the person will get out and beat them up?"

Chen Ling and this man were already acquainted; they were partners in the lobster restaurant, and he had already paid for the second-generation wolfhound puppies, so he joked about it.

"Hey bro, I can tell from your expression that Old Sun's wife didn't tell you. This month, several of our shops have been affected by the floods, and basically no one has gone there."

Yu Bangjin shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "I did make a fortune from instant noodles, but you know better than me how much money our crayfish restaurant can take. Now we've lost more than half of our income, how can I not be anxious?"

Old Sun is also worried, but she's a little afraid of you and always only tells you good news, not bad.

"That's why we're looking to see if we can resell vegetables. Right now, if we have vegetables, we can make money."

Chen Ling was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, but quickly understood and said, "It's not easy to get proper vegetables here, so it's better to get mountain products. Why don't you go down there and collect livestock?"

Meat prices are rising rapidly now.

The number of vehicles at the livestock market in the morning is no less than that at the vegetable market.

"Ahem, my brother, you're quick-witted. But even though the livestock market is bustling right now, beef, mutton, and donkey meat aren't selling well. People still eat pork the most."

Yu Bangjin lowered his voice and pulled Chen Ling aside, saying, "Brother, let me be frank with you, Old Sun's wife has already gone to collect pigs. You probably know, she used to do this kind of business and knows quite a few people..."

So, do you want to join us? Let's make it three of us together again.

"You'll be in charge of the vegetables, and the two of us will just handle the pigs. We'll split the profits equally."

……

Chen Ling was speechless at the sight.

This fat guy is really something; he revealed his true colors as they chatted.

Of course, if Sun Yanhong were here, she wouldn't mention it to Chen Ling, whether it was buying pigs or livestock. She knew Chen Ling wasn't interested in this kind of business, so there was no point in talking to him.

Wang Qingwen and the others were a little stunned when they saw Chen Ling talking to this curly-haired, short, fat man with the air of a nouveau riche.

While in the village, he didn't notice anything amiss, but as soon as he stepped outside, he felt surrounded by familiar faces.

But then again, those two professors and writers in the village came to us on their own initiative.

And then I felt relieved instantly.

He began to sized up the people who had come with Yu Bangjin, then offered them cigarettes and started chatting casually.

After exchanging a few words, Chen Ling finished talking with Yu Bangjin, walked over to Wang Jusheng, and said, "Brother Jusheng, bring out the pickled vegetables and chili sauce so that Boss Yu can taste them."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jusheng's eyes lit up. He quickly led his brother-in-law to the car, and then each of them carried a jar of pickled vegetables and a jar of chili sauce.

They just happened to be here for lunch, and there's a breakfast stall right next door.

After listening to Chen Ling's introduction, Yu Bangjin was also a little impatient and led everyone to sit down at the breakfast stall with Chen Ling.

They opened two jars, scooped out a few spoonfuls of pickled vegetables and chili sauce, and shared them with everyone.

The breakfast stall owner couldn't resist joining in and taking a bite with his chopsticks.

"Mmm, this pickled vegetable is delicious, refreshing, sweet, and goes well with rice."

"Yes, it's slightly sweet. Oh, and there are pickled green beans too? Is this cucumber? Delicious, really delicious."

"Wow, this hot sauce, I suddenly want a bowl of rice or a big white steamed bun."

When Wang Jusheng took out his pickled vegetables and chili sauce, he was met with a chorus of praise.

To say that these people's reactions were a bit exaggerated is indeed true.

But at this time and in this place, it's not too outrageous.

The main reason is to compare it with the pickled vegetables from the breakfast stalls.

This is the kind of ordinary, common pickled vegetable you get at breakfast stalls.

It's either unbearably salty, or it has a strong, pungent, and unpleasant smell, like something that's been fermenting in a pickle jar for too long, making it unappetizing.

Or it could be a popular breakfast stall; the pickled vegetables they make go by quickly, requiring daily pickling, resulting in a bland flavor.

In addition, as city dwellers' lives have improved, many people were already tired of eating pickled vegetables in the past, so they have developed a dislike and aversion to them.

So when Wang Jusheng took out the fresh, sweet and refreshing pickled vegetables, the contrast was quite obvious.

Even the breakfast stall owner picked up a couple more bites, chuckling as he said it tasted much better than their pickled vegetables, and asked where he bought it.

Chat for a while.

Steamed buns, fried dough sticks, tofu pudding, and eggs were all served.

With pickled vegetables and chili sauce, everyone enjoyed the meal.

Especially when you throw the chili sauce into the tofu pudding bowl, the taste is absolutely amazing.

They ate plate after plate of pickled vegetables.

I didn't get tired of eating it at all.

Moreover, when paired with meat buns and fried dough sticks, it actually helps to cut through the greasiness.

People didn't take it seriously before, having preconceived notions, but now that they've tasted it, they can't resist wanting to eat their fill all at once.

"It's alright, Lao Yu. Do you think it's possible to set up a pickle factory, specializing in chili sauce and pickled vegetables?"

Chen Ling asked.

Upon hearing this, Wang Jusheng and the others slowed down their eating and all looked over.

"It's possible to do it, but it doesn't fit with what we already have."

While eating, Yu Bangjin was also thinking, "Tell me, the taste of this crayfish is so bad that even the pickled vegetables can't taste anything after eating it. It definitely won't sell well in a crayfish restaurant. It's not like your fruit wine, which would sell much better if paired with it."

Instant noodles are an even bigger mismatch; I can't even imagine pairing instant noodles with pickled vegetables and chili sauce.

Also, think about it.

People's lives are getting better and better now. Villagers pickle their own food, but city dwellers don't really value it. No matter how delicious the pickled vegetables are, they can't compare to meat. I'm worried that if I rush into building a factory, will I be able to sell them?

Let's be cautious.

These words immediately made Wang Qingwen and Wang Jusheng and the others worry.

Chen Ling remained calm and asked, "So you don't think this is a good idea?"

"Yeah, I'm not optimistic about it, so I advise you to be more cautious, brother. You should join us as partners. You can handle the vegetables, and Lao Sun and I will handle the pig procurement..."

Yu Bangjin was still preoccupied with the issue of vegetables.

"Never mind then, I was thinking of giving you the pickled vegetables and chili sauce."

Chen Ling actually had his own thoughts, but his relationship with Yu Bangjin was not as deep as that with Sun Yanhong, so since he had concerns, he didn't say anything more.

Even if you told him about the 'Lao Gan Ma' and 'Mou Ling Zha Cai' from later generations, he probably wouldn't believe you.

"These vegetables..."

"There are no vegetables left, really. All we have left are wild vegetables and mountain mushrooms. I'm not kidding you. Why don't you come back to the village with us this time?"

We brought more than half a truckload of proper vegetables from our garden this time. If it were just wild vegetables and mountain mushrooms, it would probably take almost a week to gather a whole truckload next time.

It's just a minor skirmish.

Chen Ling shrugged, saying that what he said was the truth.

It's true that these guys can make money together, but Yu Bangjin wants to haul it out truckload after truckload, which is nothing compared to that.

"Okay, how about we go out for drinks tonight? You rarely come all this way, so after we drink, let's go dog fighting, the kind that races dogs."

Yu Bangjin was a little disappointed, but he also knew that Chen Ling hadn't lied to him, otherwise Sun Yanhong would have already been thinking about going back to her hometown.

"We're not going. We need to go home and get some sleep. We've been working non-stop for a whole day and night."

"Oh right, I forgot you drove such a long way. Let's reschedule for another day. Last year, those dogfighting guys heard that you were filming a tiger-fighting movie and could even train tigers. They all said they didn't know you were a big shot last year and want to see you again. They asked me, asked Lao Sun, inquired everywhere, and even went to Xiao Zhong's dog farm to get your phone number."

The Zhong brothers also refused to give it to you, saying you have children at home and don't come to the city often.

"Oh, it's not that serious. I was just messing around. It's nothing to brag about."

Chen Ling waved his hand, smiled, chatted for a few words, and then parted ways with them.

……

“Fugui, if pickled vegetables don’t work, we’ll just sell wild vegetables and mountain mushrooms.”

As soon as Yu Bangjin and his group left, Wang Jusheng and the others hurriedly lowered their voices and said, "To be honest, we are already very satisfied with earning this much money. Several thousand yuan per trip is more than what others can earn in two or three years."

They didn't want to trouble Chen Ling too much.

Partnering with him and making a little money, Chen Ling gets to eat meat while they drink soup—that's already quite satisfying.

This is the honest truth.

They all regarded Chen Ling as their leader.

They've already made a lot of money from fish farming and other things in the first half of the year.

Knowing Chen Ling's personality.

If it weren't for this opportunity to broaden their horizons, we wouldn't have made this trip.

I dare not ask for too much.

"Yes, yes, we sold most of our pickled vegetables at the market. We can just keep selling them there. If we don't want to open a factory, then we won't have to go through all that trouble."

"What kind of talk is that? Just because someone says pickled vegetables are no good, does that mean they really are no good?"

Chen Ling gave them a reassuring look: "Go back and rest first. I'll take a look at the rest later."

After returning to the new urban area, they were disheveled and unwilling to go to Chen Ling's house in the city.

He then followed Zhao Dahai and checked into a hotel to sleep.

My brother-in-law also said he was too dirty to go over there, and that he would go over after he had slept and washed up.

Chen Ling couldn't refuse, and seeing that everyone was exhausted, she had no choice but to stop talking.

They went home separately from Zhao Dahai.

I rested for a morning.

Around 11 o'clock, I had a phone call with Liang Yuemin.

So I took the bus there.

Liang Yuemin has left his family's collective business this year and is now partnering with someone to start a beverage business.

Now it's mainly things like cola.

It's said to be about developing national brands and competing with foreign brands, and so on.

Chen Ling didn't know much about this and hadn't asked them much.

But besides beverages, Chen Ling does know quite a few other things.

For example, spicy strips, or instant noodles.

Of course, the idea for instant noodles came to me suddenly while I was talking to Yu Bangjin earlier.

However, Yu Bangjin didn't like the pickled vegetables and chili sauce.

They thought it didn't go well with instant noodles.

There's nothing we can do about it.

Chen Ling's relationship with him wasn't that close, so he didn't bother to say anything more.

Good things should be shared with family and friends.

However, what Chen Ling didn't know was...

Yu Bangjin went back to sleep and then told Sun Yanhong about his encounter with Chen Ling.

He was immediately given a severe scolding by Sun Yanhong.

This kid finally managed to get something out of the house; even if it costs him money, he should still take it.

Moreover.

Losing a little money is nothing.

With that kid's endless stream of ideas and thoughts, maybe losing money will make him feel guilty, and next time he'll give you a money-making idea, and you'll make a fortune.

For example, the recipe for this crayfish.

No matter how much others try to learn, they'll never be as good as you.

In short, even seemingly ordinary spicy sauce and pickled vegetables should not be underestimated, let alone the fact that they are delicious.

Yu Bangjin was very frustrated and kept cursing that the woman had gone mad.

It's just some old pickled vegetables.

No matter how delicious it is, it's still just pickled vegetables.

Why get so anxious and angry, and throw such a tantrum?
It's like missing out on a huge business opportunity.

Women are just unreasonable.

It's no wonder no one wants her at her age.

Meanwhile, in Liang Yuemin's office, two bowls of steaming instant noodles had already been prepared and placed in front of the two of them.

Unlike most instant noodles these days, this one has some dark red sauce floating on top, emitting an enticing aroma.