After getting off the national highway, Wang Xiaoqiang took over the driving from Xu Qingxue, and drove his own car for the first time. It felt especially thrilling compared to driving at the driving school, though the country roads were a bit bumpy.

At that moment, Wang Xiaoqiang thought that once he had enough money, he would buy an off-road vehicle so that driving on these mountain roads wouldn't be so bumpy.

When they returned to Sanmiao Village, Wang Xiaoqiang drove up to Mantou Mountain to show Xu Qingxue his chicken farm.

Xu Qingxue had only heard that Wang Xiaoqiang was leasing land in the countryside to grow yams, and she was surprised that he had also built a chicken farm. Admiring the brand-new rows of chicken coops, Xu Qingxue exclaimed, "Little Qiang, not bad at all. Are you planning something big?!"

"It's just the beginning. My plan is to eventually take the chicken farm to America and set up a big ranch..."

"Hmm, that's a good idea. By then, I'll also go with you to America for a trip..." Xu Qingxue said, revealing her longing. She had been to other countries, but never to America.

"Then you need to support my work first," Wang Xiaoqiang led Xu Qingxue into the chicken coop, "help me get in touch with a few large hotels in the provincial capital. My wild mountain eggs will soon be ready for delivery."

"That's no problem. I still have some connections in the food industry in the provincial capital," Xu Qingxue confidently said, looking around the spacious chicken coop and then expressing her surprise, "Wild mountain eggs... really wild pheasants... how come I don't see any here?"

"They're all in the Old Village Committee Courtyard down the mountain. They'll be moved here tomorrow," Wang Xiaoqiang said, "Tonight, let's kill a chicken and cook some pheasant eggs to give you a taste of real wild flavor."

"Ah, I'm in for a treat tonight," Xu Qingxue said excitedly.

After descending the mountain, they drove to the Old Village Committee Courtyard. Both got out of the car and went inside. Wang Xiaoqiang immediately caught two male wild pheasants to slaughter, then took out more than ten wild mountain eggs for his sister-in-law Wang Juyi to take back home to prepare dinner.

Wang Kuishan and his wife, hearing from their daughter-in-law that Wang Xiaoqiang had a police officer friend visiting, were initially surprised and immediately became serious. They helped with the cooking like last time. Liu Juyi made a large plate of chicken, clear chicken soup, and also marinated the wild mountain eggs.

When Wang Xiaoqiang brought Xu Qingxue home, Wang Kuishan and his wife were surprised again to find that their son's police officer friend was a woman, and moreover, she was a young and beautiful lady.

Seeing the chic Xu Qingxue, and hearing her greet them in Mandarin, the old couple became quite flustered and restrained. Previously, in their eyes, Little Ya, the city girl, was seen as out of reach, a prized gem, but compared to the Xu Qingxue in front of them, she seemed quite inferior in presence.

Wang Xiaoqiang did not reveal Xu Qingxue's true identity to his parents, otherwise, it would have scared them: Deputy Director of the District Public Security Bureau, her brother the Secretary-General of the Provincial Party Committee. For them, who had almost never left the village all their lives, these were very high-ranking officials. If they knew, it would make them even more constrained.

Xu Qingxue tasted the chicken made into a large plate of chicken and the clear chicken soup. One was rich and tender, and the other was light and refreshing. The two dishes paired well together. The marinated pheasant eggs, after peeling, shimmered like jade, looking very enticing, having a chewy texture.

Even though Xu Qingxue had tasted various dishes in the provincial capital, the big plate of chicken was common there, and marinated chicken eggs were a household dish that almost every family could prepare, she had never tasted chicken meat and eggs with such good flavor before.

While eating, Xu Qingxue praised, "Really good, Little Qiang, your sister-in-law's cooking skills are truly impressive..."

Wang Xiaoqiang replied, "Of course, but even a skilled chef could accomplish nothing without good ingredients. If it weren't for the quality of the wild pheasants and eggs, the flavor would have been greatly reduced..."

"Er... So, if you were to sell these wild pheasants, they'd be more expensive than ordinary domestic chickens, right?" Xu Qingxue asked curiously.

"Of course. I've yet to figure out the price of wild pheasants, but the price of eggs is nearly ten times higher than that of ordinary domestic chicken eggs," he said.

"Ten times, that's about thirty to forty yuan a kilogram!" Xu Qingxue exclaimed.

"About that," Wang Xiaoqiang replied.

"Wouldn't that be hard to sell?" Xu Qingxue asked hesitantly, being completely clueless about such matters as a city girl.

Wang Xiaoqiang laughed and said, "In our countryside, the cheaper things are the easier they sell, but in the city, the more expensive things are easier to sell."

Hearing Wang Xiaoqiang's words, Xu Qingxue nodded and said thoughtfully, "That makes sense. Whenever I go shopping at the supermarket, I specifically choose the more expensive items."

"So, I plan to market the pheasant eggs in the high-end restaurants of the Provincial Capital. The price might even double..." Wang Xiaoqiang said confidently, "so I'll still be needing your help in the future..."

"It's no trouble at all…" Xu Qingxue waved her hands repeatedly. She indeed feared that Wang Xiaoqiang wouldn't bother her, which would mean no further interactions between them, and she was still waiting for Wang Xiaoqiang to cure her gynecological disease!

After the meal, Wang Xiaoqiang had Xu Qingxue stay with his sister-in-law. The marriage bed that his brother bought when he got married was quite large, more than enough for two people. Knowing that Wang Xiaoqiang's brother was not at home, and seeing that Liu Juyi was clean, beautiful, and elegantly poised—not at all like the typical rural village woman—she gladly accepted.

The next day, after sending off Xu Qingxue, Wang Xiaoqiang began the relocation, transporting the wild chickens in batches to the Mantou Mountain chicken coops. Since he had a vehicle, it was quite convenient, and with the help of his sister-in-law, Liu Juyi, the "relocation" was completed in just one morning.

The remaining hundreds of wild mountain eggs at the Old Village Committee Courtyard were left in the care of Old Yellow Dog.

Big Black and Little Hei also moved to Mantou Mountain during this "relocation" to watch over the wild chickens.

After the uncle and sister-in-law finished these tasks, they were quite exhausted; although Liu Juyi did not complain, Wang Xiaoqiang still didn't want to see his sister-in-law so tired and decided to hire a few workers.

There were plenty of idle folks in the village, but reliable, capable, and trustworthy people were few.

Wang Xiaoqiang used the Spiritual Energy to hatch chicks, and the growth rate of the wild chickens was oddly fast. This matter could not be known to outsiders. If he hired someone indiscreet, it would be hard to ensure that the secret didn't get out.

While Wang Xiaoqiang was considering these issues, Xia Sanwa came on his own initiative and began by asking, "Little Qiang, has the chicken farm opened?"

"It has opened."

"Such a large chicken farm; how can you manage without hiring people?"

"I do plan to hire."

"Then let me help you. You can pay me whatever you like, I don't care about the amount."

"Raising chickens is a technical job; I plan to recruit some younger people, train them well, and eventually develop them into key members of the chicken farm..."

Xia Sanwa, being someone who couldn't keep secrets and also not very reliable in his work, was not considered by Wang Xiaoqiang; however, he did not want to make him lose face, so he tactfully refused him.

To Wang Xiaoqiang's surprise, Xia Sanwa didn't get upset; instead, he said, "Little Qiang, it's clear to me that you are aiming to make your chicken farm big and strong. I, an old man, can't be of much help to you there. But Little Fang is still young, and she's educated. You could hire her to help you; she's good with numbers and all that sort of thing..."

"Hmm, Little Fang is a possibility," Wang Xiaoqiang agreed on the spot. Xia Guifang wasn't like Xia Sanwa; she could keep a secret. Moreover, Xia Guifang was diligent and smart, and if their relationship could progress further, Wang Xiaoqiang wouldn't mind having her manage the accounts.

Seeing that Wang Xiaoqiang agreed without any hesitation, Xia Sanwa was overjoyed. He happily said, "Well then, Little Qiang, that's a deal. I'll go back and tell Little Fang, let her be happy too!"

Wang Xiaoqiang nodded in agreement.

One position for Xia Guifang was naturally insufficient. Although Xia Guifang was capable, Wang Xiaoqiang didn't want her to do the dirty and tiring work like cleaning the chicken coops; he'd need to hire additional help for that.

After much consideration, Wang Xiaoqiang thought of Zhao Dabao in the village. He felt Zhao Dabao was a suitable candidate—over forty years old, illiterate, with two children. A very honest man who, being mute, was unable to work away from home and always stayed to farm. During the agricultural off-season, he helped in construction crews as a laborer, earning little.

It was hard work, and he barely earned enough to pay his children's school fees, leading a very tight life.

This was exactly the kind of person Wang Xiaoqiang wanted. Most importantly, Zhao Dabao was mute and illiterate. Even if he noticed something unusual while working at the chicken farm, he would find it difficult to spread the word.

Later on, setting three strict rules, someone as honest as Zhao Dabao would surely keep everything to himself even more!

(Vigorously typing, eagerly soliciting votes, ardently seeking favorites, diligence is a quality every farmer should have.)

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