Chapter 123: Deputy Chief Engineer Sends Another Grand Gift

The next morning, outside the guesthouse in Changchun City, the steam from the breakfast stall mingled with coal smoke and drifted through the cool air.

Lu Qingshan and Li Jianqiang sat opposite each other, each with a bowl of tofu pudding and a few fried dough sticks.

The companion surnamed Wang, Li Jianqiang's old partner Wang Ming, also ate silently, his gaze occasionally flicking toward Lu Qingshan, still bearing a hint of scrutiny.

Li Jianqiang seemed to have slept well last night; the oppressive aura around his brows had eased a bit, adding a touch of liveliness.

"Little Lu, since you truly want to get things done, I, Lao Li, can't keep it to myself. I have two old partners, both genuinely skilled, but out of luck like me, stuck in their former posts."

He set down his chopsticks, tapped his oily fingers, and said, "One is surnamed Yao, named Yao Bai'nian, a hereditary Chinese‑medicine practitioner, especially adept at processing and formulating herbs from Guandong Mountain, though his temperament is a bit odd. The other is surnamed Qian, named Qian Jin, a mechanical enthusiast, his mind very lively, tinkering with novel gadgets all day; unfortunately, the factory's old relics deem his ideas fanciful and give him no chance."

Lu Qingshan's eyes lit up; this was literally a timely help!

"Master Li, that's wonderful! Could you make an introduction? Our Shanwan Village now most lacks talents like you!"

Li Jianqiang chuckled, "I knew you'd be at a loss for words. Come, after we've eaten, I'll take you to meet them. Whether it succeeds depends on your own skill."

The first stop was Yao Bai'nian's residence.

It was deep within an old, narrow alley, an inconspicuous little courtyard.

The courtyard was drying various herbs, and the air was thick with a strong medicinal fragrance.

A slender elderly man with greying hair, meticulously combed, wearing reading glasses, was carefully sorting through a pile of dried herbs. He was Yao Bai'nian.

"Old Yao, I've brought a guest for you."

Li Jianqiang greeted him familiarly.

Yao Bai'nian didn't even lift his head, his voice a bit hoarse: "Lao Li, what wind brings you here? I have nothing to offer but a bitter medicinal broth."

Lu Qingshan respectfully stepped forward: "Master Yao, greetings. I am junior Lu Qingshan, from Bai Shan Wan Village."

He briefly outlined Shanwan Village's location, its abundant herb resources, and his plan to build a herb‑processing plant, speaking earnestly.

Yao Bai'nian finally lifted his eyelids, his glasses‑framed gaze sharply scanning Lu Qingshan, then lowered his head to continue his work, saying lightly, "A small commotion in the mountain ditch wants to get into the herb trade? Young man, Chinese medicine is a deep field; it's not just about digging a few sticks or picking a few leaves."

His tone carried a barely perceptible hint of condescension, as if he'd seen many such 'far‑fetched' youngsters.

Lu Qingshan was neither hurried nor angry; instead, he stepped forward, pointing to a single herb on the drying rack: "Master Yao, forgive my presumption, but is this batch of astragalus harvested near the Old Mountain Ginseng area of Yang‑facing Slope? From its stalk and texture, the age is not shallow, yet the processing heat seems a bit insufficient, possibly damaging some of its properties."

Yao Bai'nian's hand sorting the herbs suddenly halted; he snapped his head up, a flash of surprise in his glasses‑covered eyes, and examined Lu Qingshan anew: "Oh? You, young man, already understand this?"

Lu Qingshan gave a slight smile; in his previous life he had painstakingly studied some herbal knowledge to treat his wife and daughter, and with the 'Mountain Wild Heart' he possessed keen perception of plant essences, naturally allowing him to discern certain subtleties.

"I only know the basics. Our Shanwan Village guards the Changbai Mountain Remnant Range, growing up alongside these plants. Master Yao, we sincerely wish to run a proper herb factory, to promote the fine things our ancestors left behind, not to fool around. We have the best raw materials; we lack a capable helmsman like you who truly understands the trade."

Li Jianqiang added from beside, "Old Yao, this young Lu isn't one to brag. The terms he offers are far more transparent than those of the state‑run factories and their bureaucrats."

Yao Bai'nian fell silent for a moment, picked up the Dried Meat Lu Qingshan had brought, sniffed it, then set it down, his eyes flickering as if weighing something.

After bidding farewell to Yao Bai'nian, Li Jianqiang led Lu Qingshan to find Qian Jin.

Qian Jin's situation appeared even more destitute than Yao's; he lived in a single room of a tube‑shaped building, the space cluttered with assorted component schematics and half‑finished little inventions, looking terribly cramped.

He himself seemed in his thirties, hair disheveled, deep eye sockets, yet his eyes shone unusually bright, reflecting a passion for machinery.

After hearing Lu Qingshan's purpose, Qian Jin first scoffed, "A village‑run factory? Do you have lathes there? Milling machines? Even the stability of the power supply is doubtful, right? My precious little gadgets are costly, they can't endure rough handling."

He patted a strangely shaped iron contraption beside him, as if soothing his child.

Lu Qingshan did not rebut, but said earnestly, "Master Qian, our conditions are indeed modest, but precisely because of that we need a talent like you to innovate. We lack excessive regulations; whatever ideas or designs you have, as long as they aid production, we will fully support them! Haven't you always wanted to build a more efficient potato slicer? Our village's food factory needs it! Don't you think the current grain‑threshing machines waste too much? Our Shanwan Village's hills are full of corn and sorghum waiting for your improvements!"

Qian Jin was stunned; the ideas the factory leaders had dismissed as 'impractical' and 'wasteful' now, from this youngster's mouth, became urgent practical demands.

He looked at Lu Qingshan, a trace of curiosity added to his gaze.

Lu Qingshan seized the moment: "Master Qian, I know you have the skill, but you lack a platform where you can work freely. Shanwan Village may not offer the conveniences of a big city, yet it can give you utmost respect and space to showcase your talent. The salary will certainly be generous!"

After a round of verbal sparring, and with Li Jianqiang's subtle prompting, Yao Bai'nian and Qian Jin, though not immediately agreeing to switch, both expressed willingness to accompany Li Jianqiang for an on‑site survey of Shanwan Village before deciding.

Securing this outcome left Lu Qingshan fully satisfied.

He seemed to envision Shanwan Village's future becoming brighter with the addition of these technical talents.

He calculated the time; it had been several days since he left, and it was time to return.

Just as Lu Qingshan, elated, led Li Jianqiang and Wang Ming, having arranged meetings with Yao Bai'nian and Qian Jin, bought early‑morning train tickets to return to Bai Shan, he thought of reporting his safety home, so he found a public phone near the guesthouse and called the village committee.

The phone rang several times before being answered, and Lin Yue'e's voice, frantic with worry, came through, mixed with some noisy background chatter.

"Qing Shan? Is that you, Qing Shan!"

Lin Yue'e's voice, tinged with sobs, made Lu Qingshan's heart drop sharply.

"Yue E, it's me! Why are you at the village office? What happened? Take your time, don't rush!"

Lu Qingshan quickly comforted her, a foreboding feeling rising in his mind.

"Qing Shan, come back quickly! Something serious has happened!"