Li Xianghong and Xia Guifang's mother were assigned to the chick nursery, specifically responsible for looking after and feeding the chicks. Now, there are more chicks in the Chicken Farm than adult pheasants, and the chicks were the farm's future, so they had to be taken seriously.

Consequently, Zhao Dabao and his wife had an easier time and were only responsible for the free-range care of the adult pheasants and the hygiene of the chicken coops.

Xia Guifang had moved into the room next to Wang Xiaoqiang, and Xia Guifang's mother had been arranged to stay in her daughter's room. Mother and daughter shared a bond—Xia Guifang wasn't just comfortable; she was exceptionally happy. She spent the day working alongside her mother and at night they squeezed into the same bed to have heartfelt chats.

The remaining two rooms were for Li Xianghong to choose. Li Xianghong wanted to stay in Xia Guifang's room because it was closer to Wang Xiaoqiang. Unfortunately, that room was now occupied by Xia Guifang and her mother. Now she had to choose another one.

Being experienced, she chose more thoughtfully than Xia Guifang, deliberately distancing herself from Zhao Dabao and his wife, and ended up living next door to Xia Guifang and her mother.

She and Xia Guifang were different. After all, Xia Guifang hadn't experienced affairs of men and women, so the nightly life of Zhao Dabao and his wife didn't disturb her much. If it had been Li Xianghong, a long-widowed woman, she might have cracked under the strain.

On New Year's Day, Wang Xiaoqiang had settled the workers' wages for the previous month, giving each person a hundred yuan as holiday money.

When working away from home, apart from the construction site wages, places like factories usually settled the previous month's wages between the 10th and 20th of the next month. More strict practices involved holding back one to two months' wages. Wang Xiaoqiang paid at the end of each month; those who needed money at home could borrow from him, and there were bonuses for the holidays.

Where else could one find such a boss?

After receiving their money, the five workers were very happy. Although it was a holiday, none of them took leave. They just went home for lunch at noon and then hurried back to work at the Chicken Farm. Wang Xiaoqiang also went back home at noon.

Recently, he had been very busy and hadn't been home for nearly half a month. Upon returning home that day, he noticed that the young people from the village who worked outside had already started returning home, sharing tales of hardship from their jobs and the harshness of their employers, as well as the wonders of the outside world.

However, when talking about the bright lights and nightlife of big cities, they all sighed and shook their heads because those weren't for them. What was for them was the overtime work at night, the tasteless food, and the cramped dormitories.

While they shared the bitterness of their job experiences, the elders at home also told them about Wang Xiaoqiang's successful entrepreneurial journey, urging them to learn from him and start their own businesses to become rich. However, after hearing about Wang Xiaoqiang's entrepreneurial story, they all shook their heads skeptically.

If leasing farmland was so profitable, no one would leave to work elsewhere.

If one could live comfortably, who would choose to drift?

They considered Wang Xiaoqiang's success to be an anomaly, merely good luck. Moreover, they saw the route of starting one's own business as not being easy; not only was it stressful, but the outcome was uncertain. Winning was fine, but if they lost, they would need to borrow money even for their children's tuition.

Therefore, no one was willing to take the risk, especially those who had already established families—they simply couldn't afford to lose.

Indeed, Wang Xiaoqiang was an exception; if it were not for acquiring the Five Elements Spiritual Spring, the fifty mu of corn would definitely not have made much money after that severe drought, perhaps even less than what could be earned from working outside.

Wang Xiaoqiang brought back about a dozen wild pheasants and a basket of pheasant eggs. He also brought out the cigarettes, alcohol, and Red Bull beverages Xu Qingxue gave him last time, loaded everything into the car, and took it all home. When he arrived, he found that dinner was already on the table, and his family was waiting for him.

His sister-in-law, Liu Juyi, had prepared a big table full of delicious food. Since Wang Xiaoqiang had started making money, he had been covering all household expenses, being very generous to his family, and their living standards had been gradually improving.

Wang Xiaoqiang's business was gradually growing, and Wang Kuishan and his wife, including Liu Juyi, felt reassured. Six months ago, they were still worried about Wang Xiaoqiang, concerned whether this skinny junior high school student could withstand the burdens of life. It seemed now that their concerns had been unnecessary.

At the dinner table, the family happily enjoyed their meal.

That evening, Wang Xiaoqiang spent money to buy groceries and alcohol for a festive dinner with the five workers from the factory. That night, the six of them sat around in Wang Xiaoqiang's office eating and drinking and were very happy. Zhao Dabao and his wife left after the meal, presumably to engage in their endlessly enjoyable activities again.

Xia Guifang's mother had also gone back early. Xia Guifang and Li Xianghong helped clean up, clearing away the plates and dishes.

Xia Guifang wanted to stay longer with Wang Xiaoqiang, but unexpectedly Li Xianghong refused to leave, clinging to him. Li Xianghong, having drunk a few glasses of alcohol, took the opportunity to try to seduce Wang Xiaoqiang, but Xia Guifang lingered and wouldn't leave.

Thus, a standoff began. Usually quick and efficient, it took them nearly half an hour just to clear the remains of the meal because of their mutual procrastination. Finally, Xia Guifang's mother called her back to sleep, ending the standoff.

Xia Guifang's mother's ideas were different from those of Xia Sanwa. Xia Sanwa encouraged his children to actively offer themselves to Wang Xiaoqiang, believing that only by capturing a man's body could you retain his heart.

In contrast, Xia Guifang's mother believed the most valuable thing for a woman was her chastity, and that it should not be given to anyone before the wedding night, otherwise, her value would decrease.

When she called her children back early to sleep, she was also worried that her daughter might interact prematurely with Wang Xiaoqiang and do something foolish.

When Xia Guifang heard her mother calling, she glared at Li Xianghong, who was still sweeping the floor for Wang Xiaoqiang, inwardly cursing her for being tactless and a fox demon, then turned around and left.

As soon as Xia Guifang walked out, Li Xianghong discarded the broom and lunged to embrace Wang Xiaoqiang.

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