Chapter 117: Shanwan Village Boils! Top Fragrant Factory Opens Today!

In the offices of the logistics sections of several units in Baishan City, the scent of ink still lingered, and contracts stamped with bright red seals burned like clusters of flames, igniting the aspirations in Lu Qingshan and Zhao Dazhi's hearts.

Coming out of the city, Zhao Dazhi's dark face was flushed with excitement, his steps a little light, and he kept muttering, "Qing Shan, we… we're really about to do something big this time!"

Lu Qingshan tightened the heavy contract in his satchel, his heart likewise roiled.

Mayor Zhang's thunderous efficiency and the county leaders' strong support—this friendship, Lu Qingshan kept etched in his heart.

He knew these were not merely a few contracts, but the future livelihood and hope of the hundreds of people in Shanwan Village.

"Uncle, this is only the first step."

Lu Qingshan's voice was steady, yet his eyes shone unusually bright.

"What follows are the hard battles. We must make the product right, let people eat with confidence and satisfaction, and only then can the road be long."

The news spread like wings, and when it flew back to Shanwan Village, the whole village boiled over.

Firecrackers crackled and popped for a long time; every household's members smiled broadly, noisier than the New Year celebrations.

This meant that the fruits of their hard labor would finally turn into real money!

The "Top Fragrant" food factory's sign had been up only a few days, yet the modest workshop instantly lit up, voices swelled, and it entered a high‑speed operating state.

Lu Qingshan practically ate and slept in the factory.

Though he had never worked in food processing in his previous life, his extreme perception of ingredients' true flavors from "Mountain Wild Heart," combined with his later‑life exposure to food‑safety and production knowledge, let him draft operating procedures that were remarkably thorough.

From selecting pork, cutting, marinating, smoking to packaging, he personally inspected every link, to a degree almost harshly meticulous.

"This piece of meat is a bit too fatty; cut it off and use it for minced pork."

"Adjust the seasoning ratio a bit; the numbing pepper can be a little more pronounced, but it must not overpower the meat aroma."

"The smoking time must be strictly controlled; one extra minute makes it charred, one less leaves it raw."

His voice rang clear in the somewhat noisy workshop, carrying undeniable authority.

The workers were initially uneasy with his "nitpicking," but when the first batch of trial products emerged, their tempting color and mouth‑watering pork scent made everyone shut their mouths, leaving only the sound of swallowing saliva.

Lin Yue'e spent this period hustling back and forth, absorbing everything about factory management like a sponge.

She wore a clean white cloth apron, a headscarf on her head; her once gentle brows and eyes now bore a few more strokes of competence and focus.

She was in charge of monitoring hygiene and discipline on the production line, as well as the intake of raw materials and the tally of finished goods.

"Sister‑in‑law, this basin just washed—does it look clean enough?"

A young daughter‑in‑law carried a large iron basin, asking timidly.

Lin Yue'e leaned in, examined it meticulously, not overlooking even the seam on the rim, then nodded.

"Hmm, it's clean. Next time be careful; dry the bottom of the basin as well."

She spoke little, but her tone was gentle yet firm; the women who were usually a bit lax now restrained themselves considerably before her.

Lu Qingshan watched his wife's busy figure, his heart full of contentment.

She was like an orchid grass that stubbornly grows on barren soil; once it receives sun and rain, it bursts into a dazzling brilliance.

He deliberately assigned her some relatively simple accounting and reconciliation tasks; Lin Yue'e learned quickly, and her diligence even made Lu Qingshan feel a little inferior.

Sometimes, when Lu Qingshan became overwhelmed and made an error in a figure, it was Lin Yue'e who could point it out carefully.

"Qing Shan, look at this batch of pork's unit price—doesn't it mismatch the previous batch? I recall Zhao Fei's group bought it a few days ago, apparently cheaper by two cents per jin."

Lin Yue'e held a small notebook, pointed at the numbers, and whispered a reminder.

Lu Qingshan took it, saw it was indeed his own mistake, and laughed, giving her a playful pinch on the nose.

"My daughter‑in‑law's heart is as fine as a hair! Those two cents are small, but many small amounts add up, and it's no trivial sum."

Lin Yue'e's cheeks flushed from his affectionate gesture; she scolded him with a look, yet the corners of her mouth couldn't help but lift.

This sense of fighting side‑by‑side, working together for one cause, made her feel grounded and satisfied.

Raw material is the lifeblood of production.

With the contracts signed, demand for pork surged.

Lu Qingshan immediately gave the order for Liu Fugui and Zhao Fei to be in charge of purchasing live pigs from the surrounding villages.

Though Liu Fugui still stuttered a bit, his mind was quick, and he was adept at mingling through streets and dealing with people.

Zhao Fei, young and having studied a few days, was sharp‑minded, responsible for bookkeeping and quality control.

One played the tough‑face, the other the soft‑face; their coordination was surprisingly harmonious.

"Big… big aunt, your pig… its fat… plump and sturdy, at a glance it's… good material!"

Liu Fugui circled a large fat pig, chattering praises, saliva almost spitting out.

A woman from a neighboring hamlet crossed her arms, pouted.

"Liu Monkey, stop feeding me that empty talk; this pig was raised on refined rice bran, I won't sell it for a cent less!"

Zhao Fei calmly took out a beam scale, weighed carefully, then pressed the pig's hindquarters, checking its fatness, muttering under his breath.

"Aunt, your pig is indeed fine, but the weight seems a tad lighter than you said. We're all fellow villagers; the factory in Shanwan Village is to lift everyone's lives, so on price—could you maybe…"

Through back‑and‑forth, thanks to Shanwan Village's good reputation and fairly fair pricing, pork kept flowing back to the factory.

Though occasional cheap‑deal seekers or price‑hikers appeared, the two resolved them.

Inside the workshop, a dozen young women who had received brief training became the main force on the production line.

Most were newcomers to factory work, wearing the uniform white caps and aprons issued, initially a bit clumsy—knocking over basins or cutting meat unevenly.

Lin Yue'e patiently taught them hand‑by‑hand, from basic knife skills to marinating techniques, then to observing the smoking chamber's heat.

"Sister Wang, your meat strips are uneven in width, the smoked appearance will look off and affect the texture."

"Sister Li, when sprinkling salt, do it evenly; every corner must be covered, otherwise it spoils easily."

The women, from early nervousness to gradual proficiency, began to smile.

They knew their work affected their families' grain‑chewing and the village's big matters, and they were full of vigor.

The first batch of "Top Fragrant" branded Dried Meat and Sausage, worked overtime to finish, showed a bright red luster and rich aroma, making mouths water just by looking.

According to the contract, priority was given to loading trucks and sending them to the several large unit canteens in the city.

When the first Liberation truck, fully loaded with Shanwan Village's "hope," putt-putt-putt out of the village entrance, many villagers spontaneously stood by the roadside clapping and seeing it off, their eye sockets a little moist.

The funds arrived faster than expected.

A few days later, when Lu Qingshan and Lin Yue'e returned from the town's credit union with the news of the first large sum credited to the factory's account—over eight thousand three hundred yuan—the entire village committee fell silent for a moment, then burst into thunderous cheers.

Lin Yue'e stared at the long string of numbers on the savings book, her fingers trembling slightly.

Although she knew most of this money would have to go toward repaying the city loans and investing in the two medicinal-material processing factory and herbal-beverage factory under construction, the tangible benefit was like a shot of adrenaline, injected into everyone's hearts.

"Qingshan, we… we really made money!"

Lin Yue'e's voice carried a hint of choking up, her eye sockets red.

She thought back to these days of hardship, her husband's constant traveling, the whole village's expectations—it was all worth it.

Lu Qingshan put his arm around his wife's shoulders, gazing at the tranquil, vibrant Shanwan Village bathed in sunset light outside the window, his heart filled with lofty ambition.

He always had a plan in mind; this was only just the beginning.

The road ahead is still long, but as long as the couple are of one heart and the villagers work together, there is no obstacle they cannot overcome.

In the evening, Lu Qingshan was discussing the equipment purchase for the medicinal-material factory with Zhao Yongnian and Zhao Dazhi when the village committee's phone suddenly rang urgently.

Zhao Dazhi picked up the phone, said "wei" a few times, his face gradually growing solemn, nodding repeatedly, then finally hung up and looked at Lu Qingshan, his tone tinged with disbelief and restrained excitement: "Qingshan, it… it's Mayor Zhang from the city calling personally!"

Lu Qingshan's heart jolted—Mayor Zhang calling personally?

Could there be a problem with the supply?

Or… he dared not think further, quickly asking: "Uncle, what did Mayor Zhang say?"

Zhao Dazhi took a deep breath, struggled to calm his emotions, then slowly said: "Mayor Zhang said, our Top Fragrance Food Factory's meat products have been very well received in the several unit canteens in the city! He also said… he also said that next month the province will immediately hold a province-wide agricultural and sideline products exhibition and sales fair, and he wants to recommend our Shanwan Village… to participate!"