Everyone went home to get their family's iron shovels and other agricultural tools, and under Xia Sanwa's leadership, they arrived at Wang Xiaoqiang's yam field. Although it wasn't their first time seeing it, the sight of Wang Xiaoqiang's yam field still left everyone in awe:

"Gosh, how can these yams grow so big?!"

"Goodness, what variety is this, that it matures within a year?"

"I heard the price of Jade Bamboo Yams has risen again, Wang Xiaoqiang can't help but make a fortune!"

Listening to everyone's discussion, Xia Sanwa boasted proudly, "Don't be envious, get ready to work. Make sure not to slack off under my watch, or you'll be paid less…"

"With you, our father-in-law, watching over us, no one dares to slack off…" everyone joked in response.

"What's the matter, are you jealous of me being a father-in-law? If you're capable, find a son-in-law as capable as Wang Xiaoqiang!" Xia Sanwa said arrogantly.

Soon after, Wang Xiaoqiang, who had just arrived, gathered everyone before they began working in the fields, and said a few words:

"Although I've only asked you to do a few days of odd jobs, I hope you all work hard. In the future, I might hire long-term workers, and I also plan to expand the chicken farm and will need more people. Those who perform well this time will be given priority consideration…"

Wang Xiaoqiang's words were far more effective than Xia Sanwa's warning, as most of the group wanted to work at Wang Xiaoqiang's chicken farm. Hearing Wang Xiaoqiang speak, they eagerly promised:

"Don't worry, Little Qiang, I will definitely perform well…"

"Director Wang, I will do my best to work hard and strive to join your chicken farm…"

…

Wang Xiaoqiang wasn't just speaking without intention; after this season's yam harvest, he wasn't planning to plant yams anymore. He might cultivate some crops that yield quicker profits or maybe manage some vegetable greenhouses, and he would inevitably need to hire workers.

After making their promises, everyone immediately plunged into harvesting the yams with great enthusiasm. Xia Sanwa said to Wang Xiaoqiang, "Little Qiang, go ahead with your other tasks, I'll keep an eye on things here, no need for you to worry."

Wang Xiaoqiang nodded and instructed, "With the speech I just gave, they shouldn't slack off. Your job is to watch them, make sure they don't wander off to my fish pond, and prevent them from stealing yams, as these things are worth quite a bit, over ten yuan per kilogram…"

"Okay, I got it, Little Qiang."

As Wang Xiaoqiang's business grew larger, Xia Sanwa grew somewhat afraid of him. He no longer dared to call him son-in-law, nor did he dare to speak out of line in front of him. After Wang Xiaoqiang promoted Xia Guifang to deputy director, her salary significantly increased. Xia Sanwa felt even closer to Wang Xiaoqiang and more devoted to him.

Now that Wang Xiaoqiang had given him such a good job, he was determined to do it well.

"This is also a test for you. If this season's yams are harvested successfully with good quality and quantity, when I hire workers in the future, I'll consider giving you a team leader position..." Wang Xiaoqiang said earnestly and seriously.

"Ah…" Upon hearing this, a look of ecstasy appeared on Xia Sanwa's face: "That would be wonderful! Rest assured, Little Qiang, your business is my business from now on, and I will definitely handle it well for you!"

Wang Xiaoqiang nodded and then left, feeling reassured.

The expansion of the Chicken Farm was underway, and although Wang Xiaoqiang had entrusted Xia Guifang with full authority over the process, he was still a bit uneasy and felt the need to check in from time to time.

Following Wang Xiaoqiang's instructions, Xia Guifang hired the village construction team and built two large chicken coops that could accommodate 20,000 chickens each, two incubation rooms, two chick growth rooms, and two rows of five dormitory bungalows.

The budget for the project was 380,000 yuan, and Wang Xiaoqiang, without hesitation, directly prepaid half of that amount to the construction team.

After the Spring Festival, the Chicken Farm's net earnings for the past six months were about 3.2 million yuan. The sale of the Plain Crown, Lotus Cauldron brought in 5.8 million, and together with the existing funds of 3 million, Wang Xiaoqiang's funds soared to 12 million yuan instantly. The mere 380,000 didn't matter much to him.

With the expansion ongoing at the Chicken Farm and the harvest underway at the Yam Field, the past few days had been busy with many people around. The fishpond was not left in peace. Although Xia Sanwa had been tasked with overseeing it, Wang Xiaoqiang was still concerned and thus visited the pond where he saw Liu Juyi scattering feed for the Reeve's Shad from afar.

The graceful figure stood by the pond, and the clear water of the pond also reflected her graceful figure, creating a scene akin to a beautiful painting.

Seeing such a picturesque scene, Wang Xiaoqiang suddenly remembered something he had neglected—the construction of a villa. He had originally planned to build it on Mantou Mountain, but now he thought it would be better at the base of the mountain.

Ideally, it would be located at the foot of Mantou Mountain, where he could build a luxurious and elegant mansion, create a large garden, and a small fishpond with a few ornamental fish...

"Daydreaming, what are you thinking about?" Liu Juyi saw Wang Xiaoqiang's absent-minded appearance and couldn't help but chide him.

Snapping back to reality, Wang Xiaoqiang gave Liu Juyi a naive smile and said, "Sister-in-law, it's been busy these past few days. Could you please spend some more time here by the fishpond..."

Liu Juyi, being a clever person, grasped his meaning before he finished speaking and nodded seriously, "Rest assured, Little Qiang, aside from cooking, I will stay here..."

As Liu Juyi scattered the fish feed into the water, the surface immediately churned as dozens of Reeve's Shad competed to devour the feed. They had grown to more than a foot long, and their size had almost exceeded the density limit for the pond. If it weren't for the regular infusion of Spiritual Energy by Wang Xiaoqiang, they would have fallen ill long ago.

Wang Xiaoqiang decided to harvest the yams and then catch the Reeve's Shad for sale.

With the assurance from Wang Xiaoqiang, there was no need for supervision; the forty workers worked diligently. Within just three days, they had harvested all 40 acres of yams. Fortunately, during these three days, no one had come near the fishpond, ensuring the safe growth of the Reeve's Shad.

The yield of the yams was very impressive, reaching 10,000 pounds per acre—matching the highest data from the experimental greenhouse.

Heaps of yams the size of straw stacks were neatly piled at the edge of the field. From a distance, Wang Xiaoqiang exhibited the joy of a bountiful harvest. In the next two days, he hired people and trucks to transport more than 400,000 pounds of yams back to the Old Village Committee Courtyard.

The house was filled to the brim, so they were stored outside under the watchful eyes of Old Yellow Dog and Big Spotted Dog, without fear of theft.

Having so many yams piled up in the courtyard was not a long-term plan. Next, Wang Xiaoqiang needed to consider the marketing of the yams.

Rarity commands price, and the Jade Bamboo Yam, being a unique local product of Huagui County and even scarcer than the Iron Stick Yam, fetched a rather good price and was continuously rising.

Wang Xiaoqiang inquired around, and the current price offered by the county's purchasing station was 15 yuan per pound. Unhappy with this price, as the yams were nourished with Spiritual Energy, he thought they deserved better.

Considering the dual-purpose nature of yams, as both food and medicine, Wang Xiaoqiang had two selling strategies: one was to sell them as vegetables to restaurant clients in the Provincial Capital to see what price Chef Wang Dakui and his team could offer, and the other was to sell them to major pharmacies.

Wang Xiaoqiang felt selling the yams as mere vegetables undersold their value and missed the opportunity to command a higher price. He leaned more towards selling them to pharmacies.

With a plan in mind, Wang Xiaoqiang took his small truck the next day. Originally, he planned to pick out the Jade Bamboo Yams with the best appearance to fill the truck, but on consideration, all the yams piled up like mountains were uniformly large and good-looking, showing no mixed quality. Delighted, he casually loaded up a truck and first headed to the large pharmacy in the county town.

(Chapter two will be a bit late, possibly around 11 PM, so those who go to bed early might want to read it the next day!)

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