Back to 1984: I built a chicken farm on a barren mountain.

The meeting room of Chenjiazhuang Village Committee.

Han Laosi took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed one to Chen Youwei. Chen Youwei took the cigarette and said:

"Hey fourth brother, why aren't you smoking your pipe anymore?"

"There's no other way. It's inconvenient to carry around a pipe when doing business with outsiders these days."

Han Laosi struck a match to light Chen Youwei's cigarette, and before the match burned out, he also lit the cigarette he was holding.

Since the soy sauce factory opened, Han Laosi has stopped smoking cigarettes outside. Although cigarettes are expensive, he now considers himself the owner of the soy sauce factory and is always mindful of his image.

Han Laosi's hair, which used to be greasy and frizzy, is now neatly combed and looks quite stylish. Even his clothes have been ironed smooth by Li Dahua.

However, Chen Youwei did not pay much attention to the changes in Han Laosi's appearance. What reached his ears was that Han Laosi was recruiting female workers to be his secretary.

Although Han Laosi was rich, he didn't have a good reputation in Chenjiazhuang. No family was willing to let their daughter be Han Laosi's secretary.

Chen Youwei was chatting idly with Han Laosi, wondering if Wenfeng was up in the mountains and couldn't hear the broadcast. Just then, Chen Wenfeng pushed open the door, poked his head in, and said:

"Uncle Youwei, have you had lunch yet?"

"What are you having for lunch? Fourth Brother came looking for you and insisted on waiting for me. I can't leave until you come. Didn't you go to Jiming Mountain?"

"No, I ate at home today. I happened to buy some roast chicken from the county town. I guessed you hadn't eaten, so I brought some over for you."

After saying that, Chen Wenfeng placed a cloth bag he was carrying on the table. Inside were three porcelain bowls: one with rice, one with chicken, and one with stir-fried chili peppers. A pair of chopsticks was also thoughtfully placed in the bag.

Chen Youwei hadn't felt hungry at first, but seeing that the food Chen Wenfeng had brought was very appetizing, his stomach suddenly growled. He reached for a piece of roast chicken and stuffed it into his mouth—it was delicious! He turned to Han Laosi and said:

"Fourth brother, do you want to eat something with me?"

Han Laosi swallowed hard and said:

"Village chief, you eat. I usually have lunch around 2 p.m.

"That's a rather strange habit of yours. Well, I'll just leave you be."

After speaking, Chen Youwei began to wolf down his food. Chen Wenfeng said:

"Uncle Youwei, there's this too!"

When Chen Wenfeng took out two bottles of beer, Chen Youwei reached out and touched them; the bottles were ice-cold, indicating they were chilled. Chen Wenfeng opened the bottles, and Chen Youwei poured the beer into a large mug, drinking and eating at the same time.

Han Laosi cursed inwardly, "Chen Youwei, I'm being polite and saying I'm not hungry, and you're eating like this right in front of me!" But he didn't dare show it and could only secretly swallow his saliva.

Chen Youwei ate for a while and then said:

"I'll eat, and you two can talk. You've both gained some experience anyway. They say practice makes perfect, so how many times have you two talked like this?"

Han Laosi looked embarrassed, but Chen Wenfeng said nonchalantly:

"Uncle Youwei, what do you mean by 'first time'? Wasn't it about buying eggs before? I don't know what this time is about?"

Han Laosi looked puzzled and said:

"Wenfeng, don't you know? This morning someone came to my soy sauce factory saying they would buy Dengdaoshan at a high price, but after I finished buying it and went back, the person was gone."

Chen Wenfeng looked completely bewildered and asked:

"Who are you? Where are you from?"

"He was from the county town at least, driving a black car. He was a pretty young guy, and... well, he said he was sent by his boss."

Han Laosi originally wanted to say that the young man had brought a young female secretary with him. Although the female secretary did not get out of the car and remained in the passenger seat, he saw her clearly.

He had been wanting to hire a female secretary for some time, but Li Dahua had made a fuss with him several times, and no girl from Chenjiazhuang was willing to apply, so he gradually gave up the idea. But seeing this beautiful female secretary today, his heart began to stir again.

Chen Wenfeng laughed and said:

"Fourth Uncle, I call you Fourth Uncle, how come you're getting more and more confused? You really think too highly of me. Do you think I can send someone from the city, driving a car? I have to drive an oxcart to deliver goods myself!"

Seeing how sincere Chen Wenfeng was, Han Laosi began to have doubts. What Chen Wenfeng said made sense. Just as he had analyzed at the beginning, although this kid had a lot of tricks up his sleeve, he didn't have the ability to pull them off.

Chen Wenfeng continued, "Fourth Uncle, are you paranoid?"

"No," Han Laosi denied outright. That's how people are; the more problematic something is, the less they dare to admit it. Although Han Laosi was stubborn, Chen Wenfeng's words had already made him waver. If it wasn't Chen Wenfeng, then who could it be?

Maybe it's a misunderstanding, after all, the other party didn't specifically name him when they came to collect the goods. No, wait, there aren't that many misunderstandings in the world. Could it be Zheng Erli? He complained that I kicked him out and started his own soy sauce factory.

Seeing Han Laosi's uncertain expression, Chen Wenfeng knew that the psychological warfare had worked, so he pressed his advantage and said:

"By the way, Fourth Uncle, what brings you here this time?"

Han Laosi was a little annoyed by Chen Wenfeng's manipulation, but once he was certain that Chen Wenfeng wasn't behind it, he knew that one should have the right attitude when asking for help, and said:

"Wenfeng, I really misunderstood you this time. But you know, I bought the Dengdaoshan at a high price, but it's not worth that much on the market. Why don't you help me out and buy it from me?"

Chen Wenfeng laughed and said:

"Fourth Uncle, can we try something new? You've been taking advantage of me since the eggs, taking advantage of me and selling me again. What have I become? Do I have to clean up your mess every day?"

Han Laosi blushed deeply after Chen Wenfeng's words, and Chen Youwei, upon hearing this, let out a soft "pfft" and the toothpick in his mouth flew out.

"Just accept it, any amount is fine, I'll do whatever you say."

Seeing Han Laosi's sincerity, Chen Wenfeng knew that life was like a play, all about acting. He was playing the role, and so was Han Laosi; it was just a matter of who had the better acting skills. However, since Han Laosi had conceded defeat out of politeness, Chen Wenfeng didn't say anything more. But it was only right that Han Laosi concede some money, so he said:

"Fourth Uncle, these 'mountain-climbing beasts' are different from eggs. Eggs don't jump around randomly. These things like to fight and bite each other all the time, so if I'm going to collect them, I have to pick them out one by one. I won't take the dead ones."

"No problem. I'll do whatever you say."

"Also, I initially bought it for 19 cents per pound. Although we all raised the price later, I still can't buy it for 30 cents."

"How much did you say?"

"Fine, I, Chen Wenfeng, am not one to let others suffer losses. What can I do? I'm just too kind. Twenty-five cents a pound. Any higher and I can't accept it."

"Okay, we'll do it your way. Is that alright?"

"I can't work for nothing, I have to get some compensation for my hard work. This time I don't want money, just buy me three roast chickens from the Nishi Kyushu Restaurant."

"Roast chicken?"

Han Laosi asked, puzzled.

Chen Wenfeng pointed to the leftover roast chicken bones from Chen Youwei's meal and said:

"It's this roast chicken."

Upon hearing this, Han Laosi suddenly remembered that he hadn't eaten lunch yet, and his stomach started growling again.