Chapter 111: Heaven‑Sent Blessings! 500,000 Gold, a National Pilot Village!

The jeep jolted along the dirt road back to Jiangyuan County, and Lu Qingshan stared at the birch forest racing backward outside the window, his inner turbulence even more tumultuous than when he arrived.

The appreciation of the municipal Party Committee secretary, the personal audience with Minister Lin of the Ministry of Agriculture, a 500,000 credit union special‑fund loan, the honor of being a national pilot village, and the imminent arrival of a top‑tier expert team…

This all struck him like successive thunderclaps, leaving him both exhilarated and a little dizzy.

Behind this monumental opportunity lies a responsibility and expectation as massive as a mountain.

He could clearly feel that ever since the grandiose talk about the "industrial chain" in the city, especially after receiving Minister Lin's endorsement, his connection with this Guandong Mountain Forest seemed even tighter.

The perception stemming from his Mountain Wild Heart now conveyed a subtle throb.

The mountain that had slumbered for centuries stirred a faint awakening because of him, holding its breath, conveying a sense of approval and anticipation, waiting for his next move.

This feeling was mysterious beyond mystery, yet it made the hairs on Lu Qingshan's back stand up slightly.

He knew he could not betray this heavy trust, nor the land that had nurtured him.

When the jeep entered Shanwan Village's boundary, the sounds of firecrackers and gongs drifted in from afar.

Zhao Yongnian and Zhao Dazhi, leading almost every man, woman, child and elder of the village, surged to the village entrance.

The children cheered exuberantly, and the adults' faces brimmed with excitement and pride.

Qingshan is back! Our great benefactor of Shanwan Village has returned!

Zhao Yongnian, the veteran Party branch secretary, spoke with a hoarse voice; he rushed forward a few steps, grasped Lu Qingshan's hand tightly, his eyes reddening.

Qingshan, you have truly brought great glory to our Shanwan Village!

Zhao Dazhi was so excited he rubbed his hands, a reddish glow spreading across his dark face.

The unabashed worship and expectation in the villagers' eyes surged like a warm current through Lu Qingshan's heart, heating his eyes and making the weight on his shoulders feel heavier.

He repeatedly waved his hand to the villagers, expressing his thanks.

In the crowd, Lin Yue'e cradled Lu Xiao Xue, standing quietly a little farther away, her gentle gaze constantly following him.

Lu Xiao Xue waved her tiny hands excitedly, squealing in a baby‑like voice, "Daddy! Daddy!"

Lu Qingshan pushed his way through the crowd, hurried to his wife and daughter, scooped Xiao Xue into his arms, planted a kiss on her pink cheek, then turned to Lin Yue'e, his eyes full of apology and tenderness.

Yue E, I made you and the child worry.

Lin Yue'e merely shook her head lightly, a faint smile at the corner of her mouth, her expression containing understanding, relief, and a barely perceptible pang of concern.

She said little else, only: "Let's go home; the meals are ready. I know you love the chicken stew with mushrooms, so I asked Tie Zhu to help slaughter the backyard chicken for us."

That simple sentence instantly relaxed Lu Qingshan's taut heartstrings.

Home is always his warmest harbor.

After dinner, the village committee's courtyard was brightly lit.

Lu Qingshan stood on a makeshift small earthen platform, delivering a detailed announcement of the city and Ministry of Agriculture's decisions to all the villagers.

When the phrases "500,000 special fund," "national pilot village," and "Ministry of Agriculture expert team moving in" were heard, the entire courtyard boiled over!

Cheering and applause rose and fell, deafeningly loud; many elders were so moved they even wiped away tears.

Just as the villagers were immersed in immense joy, a corner of Lu Qingshan's eye caught a few unfamiliar faces behind the crowd.

The few men wore middle‑class style Zhongshan suits, smiles plastered on their faces, whispering something to Zhao Yongnian.

Zhao Yongnian introduced them as village cadres from nearby Hongqi Village and Songshu Gully, who, having heard Shanwan Village's good news, had come especially to "learn and gain experience."

One middle‑aged man with a sharp, monkey‑like face and darting eyes laughed and said to Lu Qingshan, "Comrade Lu, you are young and capable; in the future you must take us poor neighbors along more often."

Yet Lu Qingshan's Mountain Wild Heart keenly sensed that behind those smiles, the depths of their gazes flickered with an unmistakable jealousy and scrutiny, especially the sharp‑faced one, whose words carried a sour, probing tone and even a barely perceptible…

—malicious intent. His heart tightened, but his face remained unchanged as he politely greeted them.

"Let's learn from each other and progress together," he said.

It seems this "fragrant bounty" of Shanwan Village has already started to draw envious eyes.

A few days later, the Ministry of Agriculture's expert team arrived at Shanwan Village in great numbers.

The leader was Professor Wang Jingmin of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, a man in his sixties, wearing gold‑rimmed glasses, his hair meticulously combed, a towering authority in domestic soil science and plant cultivation.

Accompanying him were several young doctors and masters, each energetic, bearing various novel instruments and heavy suitcases.

At the welcome ceremony held by the village committee, Jiangyuan County's Secretary Zhang Xincheng and County Mayor Liu Yuejin also attended in person, warmly welcoming the expert team.

Although Professor Wang Jingmin was courteous at first meeting, his words carried a scholar's rigor and caution, even tinged with a barely perceptible sense of superiority.

When Lu Qingshan finished presenting Shanwan Village's current preliminary situation of medicinal herb planting and breeding, Professor Wang adjusted his glasses and began slowly: "Comrade Lu Qingshan, the spirit of Shanwan villagers—self‑reliant, not waiting on others, developing the economy—is commendable. However, allow me to be frank: from a scientific standpoint, your current model, which relies mainly on experience and oral transmission, still has questionable scientific validity and sustainability. For example, in medicinal plant variety selection, pest and disease control, soil fertility management, and so on, more systematic, scientific methods are needed. We have come this time hoping to bring a scientific spring breeze into the mountain valleys."

Professor Wang's words, though polite, clearly carried doubt and a hint of condescension.

The atmosphere in the conference room grew slightly stagnant. Zhang Xincheng and Liu Yuejin exchanged glances, each silently sweating for Lu Qingshan, fearing the young man might clash with the expert.

The next day, Lu Qingshan led Professor Wang and his party to a field inspection of the medicinal herb planting base.

The experts, holding various instruments, periodically sampled and recorded, muttering a litany of technical terms.

When they reached a newly reclaimed Astragalus field, Professor Wang pointed at several slightly stunted Astragalus seedlings, frowned and said, "The organic matter content of this soil is low, and it seems somewhat compacted, lacking aeration, which will affect root development. Xiao Li, test the pH and trace elements."

The accompanying young experts all nodded in agreement, some already beginning to log data.

Lu Qingshan squatted, pinched a handful of soil, examined it closely, then closed his eyes, silently activating his Mountain Wild Heart.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and pointed to the ground, saying, "Professor Wang, the surface layer looks like this. But I sense that about a foot below, the soil is harder, and… it seems to lack some 'vital energy', as if something has 'stifled' it, a suffocating, dead resistance." He described the internal sluggishness of the land perceived through his Mountain Wild Heart.

Professor Wang looked at him with some surprise: a mountain‑village youth, judging such deep issues solely by feeling?

He inwardly dismissed it, yet maintained scholarly composure, signaling his assistant, "Xiao Li, use the soil auger to take a deep sample and let Comrade Lu see the precision of scientific instruments."

The assistant immediately fetched the soil drill and, with effort, drove it down.

When the sample a little over a foot deep was retrieved, everyone was stunned.

The deep soil indeed was darkened, its texture as hard as stone, faintly emitting a mild musty and rotting odor.

"This is… residual marsh gas and humus not fully decomposed!"

A young expert exclaimed, "Was this area previously a swamp or a stagnant manure pit?"

Zhao Dazhi quickly explained, "Exactly, Professor Wang, the Lu family youngster is spot on! This plot used to be a small water pocket; it dried in winter, and in spring we leveled it for planting, assuming the fertility was sufficient, but we didn't expect this problem!"

Professor Wang Jingmin's eyes shifted instantly; he removed his glasses, the gaze behind the lenses no longer cautious but filled with shock and disbelief, as he earnestly re‑examined Lu Qingshan, his eyes gaining a hint of gravity and inquiry: "Comrade Qingshan, how did you figure that out? Just from experience?"

Lu Qingshan scratched his head and gave a simple smile: "I don't know either; I've just been in the mountains too long, so my feel for the land is sharper. I sense this plot… is a bit off, like a sick person lacking spirit."

This 'soil expert' has a few tricks!

And it's not just any ordinary trick!

Professor Wang thought to himself, his earlier contempt for Lu Qingshan quietly fading a bit, replaced by strong interest.

The 500,000 yuan special fund, although specially approved by the city, still needed to be disbursed through the account of the County Rural Credit Cooperative.

Lu Qingshan and Zhao Yongnian went to the county to handle the paperwork, expecting the city's red‑header documents and the county leaders' greetings to smooth the way, only to get stuck at the Credit Cooperative director's office.

The Credit Cooperative's Director Qian was a man in his forties, wearing thick glasses, his hair neatly combed, with a stern expression.

He leisurely flipped through Shanwan Village's loan application materials, his frown tightening: "Five hundred thousand? Comrade Qingshan, Secretary Zhao, I'm not refusing to support you, but the amount is too large. Shanwan Village's foundation is weak, and it never had any decent industry; if the project fails, how will the money be repaid? Our Credit Cooperative also has risk controls—we can't just open the purse for a pilot project; state funds don't blow in on the wind."

Despite Lu Qingshan repeatedly explaining that this was a special municipal grant with background from the Ministry of Agriculture's pilot project, and detailing Shanwan Village's development plan and repayment outlook, Director Qian remained unmoved, saying slowly: "Rules are rules; for a loan this size we need a detailed risk assessment report, a third‑party guarantee, or equivalent collateral. What does Shanwan Village have that could cover five hundred thousand?"

Zhao Yongnian exclaimed: "Director Qian, this was personally approved by the Municipal Committee Secretary Zhang, and the County Secretary Zhang and Mayor Liu also gave their greetings!"

Director Qian pushed his glasses up, smiling falsely: "We will certainly follow the leaders' instructions, but the procedures must be observed. Risk assessment and guarantee are hard requirements; otherwise I couldn't hold this post."

Finally, Secretary Zhang Xincheng called personally, and Mayor Liu Yuejin also sent a secretary to coordinate, after which Director Qian reluctantly agreed to release the funds, though his words still betrayed worry about the huge loan.

Lu Qingshan felt it too—even with a Shangfang Precious Sword, the caution and rules of this grassroots unit were still a series of hurdles.