You were sent to participate in a transformation program, not to participate in poverty alleviation.

"Hey! Brother Qin Hao! You're finally back!"

Su Wan jumped up excitedly.

We were all so worried about you!

The old man also breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pulled Qin Hao to sit down:

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. The mountain roads are dark and scary."

There's still some porridge left in the pot, eat it while it's hot.

Lin Feng sat on the bench without getting up, only slightly turning his head, his eyes fixed on the mud-covered snakeskin bag in Qin Hao's hand.

"You disappeared for three hours just to fill this bag?"

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow, a rare look of curiosity on his face.

"almost."

Qin Hao didn't shy away from it, placing the bag at his feet and opening a corner of it.

Instantly, a rich, unique aroma of mushrooms, carrying the fragrance of earth, filled the small room, even overpowering the smell of the pickled vegetables on the table.

Although Lin Feng wanted to become a Taoist priest, he was, after all, born into a wealthy family and had extraordinary knowledge.

His pupils contracted slightly after just one glance at the contents of the bag.

"Matsutake mushrooms?" Lin Feng's voice rose a few decibels.

"Moreover... these are all unopened juvenile tadpoles, top-quality stuff."

Qin Hao smiled. This Lin Feng was indeed a smart man, and even more so, a man who knew his stuff.

He picked up the bowl of sweet potato porridge on the table, which had grown somewhat cold, took a large gulp, then looked at Lin Feng and lowered his voice:

"Lin Feng, this thing is worthless here."

But in towns dozens of kilometers away, or even in cities further afield, gold is found.

I need to discuss something with you.

"What?"

Lin Feng narrowed his eyes.

"Tomorrow, you can help me with my farm work too."

Qin Hao pointed to the bag on the ground.

"I'll give you 10% of the profit from selling this bag."

Qin Hao knew very well that if he wanted to expand this business, it wouldn't be enough for him to dig alone.

He needs time to develop distribution channels, which requires someone to help him with the heavy farm work so that he can free up his hands.

Lin Feng glanced at the bag of matsutake mushrooms, then looked into Qin Hao's eyes.

He suddenly realized that the companion who had been sent with him for "transformation" was not there to experience life at all.

This guy made this the starting point for his business!

Lin Feng remained silent for a moment, his mind racing with calculations.

He doesn't care about the money; what he cares about is the fun of breaking the rules.

He held up two long, slender fingers: "20%."

"It's too dark."

Qin Hao rolled his eyes without any politeness.

"You just put in the effort; I'll handle the distribution channels, sales, and transportation. At most, you'll get 15%."

Lin Feng's lips curled into a slight smile, the first genuine smile he had shown since arriving here.

He held out his hand: "Deal."

"Snapped!"

The two clapped hands in mid-air, the crisp sound echoing through the dilapidated wooden house.

Su Wan, who was standing to the side, was biting her chopsticks and blinking her big eyes.

Looking left at Qin Hao and right at Lin Feng, I couldn't understand what kind of riddle these two older brothers were talking about.

"Matsutake mushrooms? Profits? And you still have to do the work?"

Su Wan tilted her head, looking completely bewildered:

"But...didn't the production team say that we were here to experience a life of poverty?"

Why do you all seem like you're here to do business?

Qin Hao revealed a meaningful smile.

Experience poverty?

Nothing beats the thrill of starting your own business and getting rich.

....................................

At five o'clock in the morning, the fog in the Daliang Mountains had not yet dissipated, and the air was filled with a bone-chilling cold.

When Lao Zhang, the photographer in charge of filming Qin Hao, sleepily pulled up his pants and came out of the outhouse, he saw a scene that made him question his existence.

Qin Hao had finished getting ready.

He was wearing a faded tracksuit and a pair of ordinary domestically made sneakers.

With that seemingly ordinary snakeskin bag tucked into his waistband, he was doing stretching exercises at the gate of the courtyard.

"Hey, Brother Zhang, good morning."

Qin Hao even had the leisure to wave at him, his smile as bright as a boy next door.

"I'm going to town. It's a bit far, so we need to hurry."

Old Zhang paused for a moment, glanced at the heavy camera in his hand, then at the undulating mountain road, and a sudden, ominous premonition welled up in his heart:

"Go...go to town? Walk there?"

"What else can we do? There aren't any taxis available."

Qin Hao said it as a matter of course.

"Don't worry, I asked the locals, it's only 15 kilometers of mountain road, if you drive fast it will only take two hours to get there."

So, only 15 kilometers? A mountain road?

Before Old Zhang could even protest, Qin Hao had already run out.

"Hey! Slow down! Young Master Qin! Slow down!"

The next two hours became a nightmare that would haunt Lao Zhang's career.

Qin Hao wasn't walking, he was running!

And it's not the kind of slow jogging, it's a rhythmic, extremely fast trail running!

The enhanced physical fitness, honed through systematic training, was on full display at this moment.

Qin Hao walked on the rugged mountain road as if it were flat ground, his breathing was frighteningly steady, and he didn't even sweat much.

Old Zhang, who was following behind him, was in a much worse situation.

He was carrying a camera weighing over 20 kilograms, along with spare batteries and water, and he was running so hard his lungs felt like they were going to explode.

"Huff...huff...I can't go on...Young Master Qin...rest...rest for a while..."

Old Zhang felt a metallic taste in his throat, and his legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

Qin Hao stopped and glanced back at Old Zhang, who was sprawled on the ground like a dead dog. He sighed helplessly.

"Brother Zhang, your physical condition isn't good enough. You need to train more."

We're going to the market; it'll close soon.

Despite his complaints, Qin Hao still slowed down a bit.

Finally, before the sun had fully risen, the two arrived at the nearest market town—Qingshi Town.

This is a typical western town in 2010.

The streets were dusty, filled with the cacophony of vendors' cries and the nostalgic roar of tractors.

Qin Hao didn't wander around; he went straight to the farmers' market.

"How much are these matsutake mushrooms, ma'am?"

Qin Hao squatted in front of a stall selling mountain products, pointing to the uneven matsutake mushrooms in the bamboo basket, some of which were still open, and asked.

The woman selling the goods glanced at Qin Hao and casually said:

"30 yuan per jin for loose stock, 25 yuan for general quality. How much do you want?"

Qin Hao stood up calmly and asked a few more companies.

Prices generally fluctuate between 20 and 40 yuan.

In this remote town of that era, matsutake mushrooms were considered a delicacy.

But it was just a "delicious mushroom," far less precious than it is in later generations.

Qin Hao felt more confident.

He found a corner, opened the snakeskin bag, revealing the top-quality baby mushrooms he had carefully picked the day before.

Those plump, brightly colored matsutake mushrooms with tightly closed caps stood out like cranes among chickens in this chaotic market.

Soon, a middle-aged man wearing a leather jacket and carrying a briefcase walked over.

This man looks like a middleman who specializes in buying and selling mountain products.