```

"Chef Wang, since you think it's good, why don't you order more? I don't have any specific price requirements."

"Sure, let's go for 10,000 pounds!"

"Make it 30,000 pounds. This stuff isn't like fresh vegetables, it won't spoil easily," Wang Xiaoqiang urged.

"Okay, then 30,000 pounds..." Wang Xiaoqiang had taken the trouble to come all this way, and since they had been cooperating for so long, and this was the first time Wang Xiaoqiang had ever requested something, even someone as rigid as Wang Dakui wouldn't refuse him the courtesy. He said decisively, "As for the price, let's make it 30 yuan per pound!"

Wang Dakui could offer 30 yuan per pound firstly because the price of mountain yams really wasn't cheap; the premium Huai yams they had imported before cost over 20 yuan per pound as well. Secondly, Wang Xiaoqiang's yams really were exceptional! They were better than any other variety of yams they'd ever purchased!

Wang Xiaoqiang had assumed that Wang Dakui wouldn't offer a price as high as Hundred Herbs House, but he too proposed a rate of 30 yuan, which came as a pleasant surprise.

After finalizing the deal with Wang Dakui, Wang Xiaoqiang contacted Zheng Hua from Junle Hotel and Xu Kunyou from Qingcheng Grand Hotel. Upon hearing that Wang Dakui had ordered yams, Zheng Hua didn't hesitate to purchase 30,000 pounds at the same price. Xu Kunyou was even easier to deal with.

Unlike Wang Dakui, Xu Kunyou wasn't as straightforward; even if Wang Xiaoqiang's yams had been of lesser quality, he would still have given Wang Xiaoqiang face. Considering Wang Dakui had also ordered the yams, it was safe to assume the quality was assured, so in the end, Xu Kunyou agreed very readily to the same price for 30,000 pounds.

Wang Xiaoqiang decided not to sell the remaining 10,000 pounds and to keep them for his own consumption. He had heard that yams could invigorate the spleen, stimulate the appetite, conserve essence, and benefit the kidneys, having a great nourishing effect on the body. With such a wonderful food, he couldn't sell it all, he needed to treat his own mouth and body well.

Wang Xiaoqiang hadn't expected that his yams would earn him nearly ten million instantly. When comparing the cost to the revenue, it was practically negligible. Of course, the elders in Sanmiao Village couldn't have imagined this, and Wang Xiaoqiang hadn't mentioned it to anyone. If word got out, it would surely invoke envy.

Initially, Wang Xiaoqiang didn't plan to grow yams again, but now it seemed like a good money-making opportunity, so he decided to continue growing them next season. With the Five Elements Spirit Spring, he wasn't worried about the soil's essence catching up.

Of course, it wasn't just about growing yams. He also wanted to lease more land to grow other things. Anyway, as long as the rent wasn't too low, there would be no problem leasing land.

With the Five Elements Spirit Spring, it was only right to make good use of it and earn more money.

After dealing with the yams, that day, Wang Xiaoqiang was planning to fish out the Reeve's Shad to sell, when he received a phone call from Xu Qingxue, which surprised him. However, he didn't hesitate and immediately picked up.

"Hello, Little Xue." Now, when Wang Xiaoqiang called Xu Qingxue "Little Xue," it came out very naturally and affectionate, and Xu Qingxue didn't object anymore.

"Little Qiang, there's something I need your help with..." Xu Qingxue spoke meekly. One could discern her low spirits from her voice.

"What is it? Just tell me. Your issues are mine, and I wouldn't hesitate to go through fire and water for you, haha..." Seeing her unhappy, Wang Xiaoqiang tried to cheer her up.

"Pfft..." Xu Qingxue was actually amused by Wang Xiaoqiang's words, but after a brief laugh, she fell silent again. Wang Xiaoqiang could sense her hesitation and discomfort from her silence, so he asked, "Why aren't you speaking? Don't you trust me?"

"Little Qiang, you are really kind!" Xu Qingxue's voice was a bit choked up.

"Little Xue, if you know I'm good, then quickly tell me. Whatever the problem is, we can share it..."

"Little Qiang, come to my place tomorrow, accompany me to meet someone..."

"Meet someone? Who?" Wang Xiaoqiang asked, surprised.

"Don't ask now. I'll tell you once you get here tomorrow... Before you leave, remember to make yourself look good..."

"Hey, how can a big guy like me 'look good'..." Wang Xiaoqiang gave a wry laugh.

"Er, I mean make yourself look more handsome." Xu Qingxue's voice brightened a little.

```

```

"That's more like it!"

Wang Xiaoqiang didn't press further but hung up the phone. Meeting someone wasn't the same as meeting a devil—what was there to be afraid of?!

The next day, Wang Xiaoqiang drove his Hummer to the Provincial Capital and picked up Xu Qingxue at the intersection near the Xu Family's home.

As soon as Xu Qingxue got in the car, she sized up Wang Xiaoqiang from head to toe, and while appraising him, she said, "Hmm! You've cleaned up quite well!"

"Heh, you've got good taste! To be honest, for your sake, I got up early today, washed my hair, and spent half an hour in front of the mirror... I'm pretty considerate, huh!"

"Very considerate!" Xu Qingxue saw that Wang Xiaoqiang had put on the suit she bought him last time and felt a stir in her heart.

"Hey, I've gone to all this trouble, don't I get a reward?"

"What reward do you want?"

"Give me a kiss!" Wang Xiaoqiang said shamelessly.

"Close your eyes!"

Wang Xiaoqiang closed his eyes.

Xu Qingxue gave him a peck on the cheek that was as light as a dragonfly skimming the water.

Feeling that fragrant tenderness touch him briefly left him craving more, and Wang Xiaoqiang opened his eyes and said, "You're really lacking sincerity with that one, it's worse than no kiss at all!"

"Tsk, getting an advantage and still playing cute," Xu Qingxue's face turned slightly red as she glared at him, but then added, "If things go smoothly today, you'll get a five-minute long kiss as a reward."

"Are you serious?!" Wang Xiaoqiang exclaimed and then suddenly remembered that he still didn't know the purpose of today's meeting... "Right, why did you ask me to come today, what's going on?"

"It's like this..." Xu Qingxue's expression became serious, and she explained the reason she had asked Wang Xiaoqiang to come today.

It turned out that Xu Yongqian, in his early years in the army, had a comrade named Lin Zhenlong with whom he was particularly close. Later on, both had risen through the ranks based on their abilities to the position of company commander, one as the head and the other as deputy, working closely every day and becoming even closer.

Because they both had served for a relatively long time, they were both married with children. By coincidence, Lin Zhenlong's wife gave birth to a son, named Lin Juxiong, and Liu Yueying to her second child, who was Xu Qingxue, both in the same month of the same year.

It just so happened that both were born in the army hospital, and since the births were separated by only a few days, they had a joint one-month celebration for the babies. The decision was made for the sake of liveliness and economy. At the banquet,

after having a few drinks, Lin Zhenlong, in front of many comrades, said he wanted to become family by marriage with Xu Yongqian, suggesting an arranged child marriage between his newly born son and Xu Yongqian's newly born daughter,

This kind of traditional custom had fallen out of favor by that time, but it wasn't rare in the early 1980s. Moreover, Lin Zhenlong and Xu Yongqian were both from farming backgrounds, saw such arrangements fairly often, and were thus more receptive to the custom. Xu Yongqian, having also had a few too many, agreed without much thought.

With both parties in agreement, the matter was settled. However, Lin Zhenlong continued his military career while Xu Yongqian left the army to become a civil servant.

Over the years, both men did well—Xu Yongqian climbed from a low-level civil servant to the position of Director of the Provincial Party Committee Office, while Lin Zhenlong leveraged his talents to become the commander of his military region.

Throughout this time, the two families maintained contact, as they hailed from the same county and would visit each other during holidays.

However, they never brought up the arranged child marriage between their children again, until this year's Children's Day holiday, when Lin Juxiong, by then a brigade commander in the military region, came home on leave to visit the Xu Family and suddenly mentioned the arranged marriage.

He told Xu Yongqian and Liu Yueying that he liked Xu Qingxue and wanted to fulfill the marriage agreement from years ago.

```

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.