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

Rural Prosperity Alliance?

When these six words came out of Zhao Dabao's mouth, Accountant Wang, Zhou Zhiming, Niu Da, and Niu Er were all dumbfounded. What kind of strange thing was this?

Chen Youwei wasn't that surprised. He had been paying close attention to news about rural prosperity lately, always wanting to take the opportunity to do something. Especially after Chen Wenfeng was commended by the town, he became even more determined. He didn't expect Zhao Dabao to beat him to it again. Humph!

Upon hearing the words "Rural Prosperity Alliance," Chen Wenfeng instantly understood Zhao Dabao's intentions. This Zhao Dabao, despite his burly and rough appearance, was no less cunning than Chen Youwei. Indeed, their rivalry stemmed from their similar abilities; if their skill levels differed too much, they wouldn't be able to compete effectively, resulting only in one-sided domination.

Zhao Dabao ignored the bewildered Accountant Wang and the others. He glanced at Chen Wenfeng and Chen Youwei, who were listening attentively, and knew that these two understood him. In that instant, he felt as if he had returned to his student days, to the era of him, Chen Youwei, and Chen Shouren, the Three Musketeers.

Seeing that Zhao Dabao had stopped halfway through his sentence, Chen Wenfeng asked:

"Brother Zhao, now that you have a name, what are your plans for the future?"

Distracted by Chen Wenfeng, Zhao Dabao brought his thoughts back and said:

"The town's wealth-creation exchange meeting is good, but it is ultimately an encouragement for a small number of people. The rural wealth-creation alliance I want to create will include all the surrounding villages. Last time, Wenfeng said that he has a cooperation with the Zunxi Jiuzhou Hotel in the county. We can sell our products through a similar method."

"Besides sales, our villages can also exchange information, products, and channels."

Ambitious indeed! Chen Wenfeng had completely understood Zhao Dabao's meaning, and he also knew why Zhao Dabao's first stop was Chen Family Village to find him and Chen Youwei.

They sought him out because of his experience and connections in getting rich, and they sought out Chen Youwei because Chenjiazhuang was the largest village on the east side of the town.

With the addition of Chenjiazhuang, Qiwang Village and Chenjiazhuang, two large villages in the east and west, joined forces, and the surrounding smaller villages would follow suit.

Chen Wenfeng suddenly had a question. He had felt something was off during the meeting the other day, so he decided to take this opportunity to ask him directly. He said:

"Brother Zhao, doesn't that guy in your village who runs a restaurant have any connections? Why didn't you bring him along this time?"

Zhao Dabao coughed a few times and said:

"Let's be frank, that person is basically just a figurehead!"

Chen Youwei had always felt that the person in the catering business was one of Zhao Dabao's trump cards, much like Han Laosi in the past or Chen Wenfeng in modern times was to him. He was a successful entrepreneur and role model in the village. So why did Zhao Dabao say that person was just a figurehead? There must be something wrong!

Chen Wenfeng deduced from Zhao Dabao's observations—that Zhao Dabao hadn't brought that person, that person's performance on set was too perfect, and Zhao Dabao's knowledge—that the person was the "actor" Zhao Dabao had hired.

The real owner of that restaurant was actually Zhao Dabao!

Chen Youwei, unaware of this, said:

"What decoration? Explain yourself clearly."

Zhao Dabao took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and gestured to Chen Youwei, who shook his head.

He then looked at Chen Wenfeng, who didn't smoke, and said:

"Brother Zhao, go ahead and smoke. Most people in this room don't smoke much."

Zhao Dabao took out a match, lit one himself, and said:

"Well, I can't talk about this in town, but it's better to talk about it here. The expert in the catering industry who shared his experience of getting rich on stage was someone I found. As for the restaurant in town, I actually own it. I can't just brag about my own wares, can I?"

"When your village first had someone open a soy sauce factory, our village couldn't compete, so I..."

Chen Wenfeng touched his forehead, speechless. It turned out that Zhao Dabao and Chen Youwei had been competing first, and then Chen Youwei had been competing with Zhao Dabao. Were these two playing house? If they were only playing like three-year-olds, couldn't they at least play like four-year-olds? They were wasting all their little tricks on being unconvinced of each other.

Upon hearing Zhao Dabao's words, Chen Youwei straightened his back again. It turned out that Zhao Dabao was also putting on a brave face.

Chen Wenfeng thought Zhao Dabao's idea was excellent. Now is truly a blue ocean market for every industry; there are opportunities in everything. He then said:

"Brother Zhao, why don't you add your restaurant to the alliance? At least we can cooperate, like buying eggs and mountain products together. By the way, I heard the sweet potatoes in Qiwang Village are delicious."

"Yes, the sweet potatoes in our village are the best in the whole town. How can I describe their sweetness? They're so sweet, you just want to keep eating them. Right, Village Chief Chen Youwei!"

When Chen Youwei heard Zhao Dabao mention the sweet potatoes from Qiwang Village, he couldn't help but swallow hard and said:

"Village Chief Zhao is right. The sweet potatoes from Qiwang Village are indeed the best. Our county used to be divided into thirteen districts, and we belonged to the ninth district. Some old people still like to call us that. In the past, we were so poor that we couldn't afford to eat. Every family grew sweet potatoes because they have a high yield and are very filling."

"People from other districts laugh at us for being poor, saying we only eat sweet potatoes, and that if people here fall and break their bellies, they don't even bleed..."

"It's not bleeding, but it's leaking fluid!" Zhou Zhiming couldn't help but exclaim.

Chen Youwei sighed and said:

"They say our glaze is made from sweet potato glaze."

Sweet potato glaze is the oil that comes out when sweet potatoes are steamed or boiled.

When Zhou Zhiming, Niu Da, and Niu Er first heard this, they all found it unbelievable.

"They mean that all of us who eat sweet potatoes have become sweet potato spirits, and our bodies are covered in sweet potato glaze."

Zhao Dabao added, "But then again, it's precisely because we've been growing sweet potatoes for so many years that our Ninth District's sweet potatoes are so delicious, and the sweet potatoes from our village are the best in the Ninth District."

"You might not be able to imagine what I'm saying, but I'll give you an example. In the fall, every household will dry sweet potatoes. Before they're completely dry, sparrows will come to steal them. These sparrows are really cunning; they'll definitely eat the sweetest and most delicious ones. Usually, out of ten or so pieces, one will be chosen by the sparrows."

"In our Qiwang Village, sweet potatoes need to be watched over by someone when they are drying, or a scarecrow needs to be erected next to them, otherwise sparrows will eat them all. Usually, less than one or two out of ten will be left."

Chen Wenfeng was very familiar with the abilities of sparrows. Every year when his family picked apples, some apples would be found that had been pecked by sparrows. The apples that had been pecked and eaten would be full of holes and hang pitifully on the tree. These apples were usually the ripest and sweetest.

"Then let's consider the dried sweet potatoes from Qiwang Village as a local specialty. They're plentiful and filling; you'll want more after you start eating them!"

Chen Wenfeng suggested, "Let's all think about what other items we can offer as special products!"