Chapter 460: Heading to the Beautiful Country

Zhang Ping'an stayed in his hometown for over two months, and only after the elderly had recovered and their health had been nursed back to stability did Zhang Ping'an continue to busy himself with his own affairs.

However, he still left behind plenty of life-saving medicine and two doctors from the Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital in the village clinic, which allowed Zhang Ping'an to feel more at ease.

The current Zhang Family Village has developed from the initial two hundred households to over six hundred now, becoming a large, well-known village in the vicinity.

The primary and secondary school in the village, which Zhang Ping'an provided the funds to establish, is also one of the reasons why girls from surrounding villages are willing to marry into this place.

"Ping'an, are you heading back?"

"Yes, Uncle Laiyou. There are still some matters outside that need to be handled; I'll be back after a few days."

"Mm, that's true. You've been at home for over three months, it is time to head out."

Zhang Ping'an drove off, greeting people along the way as he left Zhang Family Village. Returning to Sijiucheng, he prepared to fly directly to the Beautiful Country.

Two hundred apprentices had gone to the farm over two months ago, and Zhang Ping'an had originally intended to go as well, but because of his grandparents' situation, he never made it.

"Do you guys feel like the taste isn't quite right?" At a farm in the Beautiful Country, the two hundred apprentices had already brewed over four thousand catties.

"Yeah, it always feels like something is missing."

The two hundred people were divided into ten groups and tasted it one by one; it truly felt like it lacked a bit of the flavor from when they were brewing in Yantai.

"Let's stop for now. General Manager Zhang said he'll be over in two days."

"That's fine, let's finish the preliminary preparations first."

"Okay."

Two days later, Zhang Ping'an landed in Los Angeles under the identity of Xie Yanan, and Tong Laosi came to pick him up.

"Divine Doctor Xie, welcome, welcome! Hahaha!"

"Laosi, it's only been a few years; why have you aged so much?"

"..."

"Divine Doctor Xie, I'm already over seventy. Isn't it normal to be a bit older? You, on the other hand, are as elegant as ever."

"Hahaha, not bad, not bad. Is Li Shenyi still around? I've brought the Family Heirloom Silver Needles for him."

"Uh, he is. Li Shenyi is still here, but he said that these needles can only fulfill their proper purpose in your hands."

"Hehe, that works too. Then I won't give them to him; I'll let him take a look at them later, and that will count as settling the usage fees for these years."

There was no need to guess; this time he would definitely have to examine a few of the old remnants of the past, as they were all basically in their seventies or eighties.

The business here also needed their help and patronage, so he would treat it as his consultation fee. Of course, if they insisted on paying, Zhang Ping'an would not refuse.

"Hehe, Brother Divine Doctor, take a look at me while you're at it later."

"Sure, but your complexion looks good to me; you shouldn't have any major ailments."

"That's great to hear."

The vehicle sped along and finally stopped at a manor; judging by its footprint, it covered dozens of acres.

"Is this where you all live?"

"Yes, Brother Divine Doctor. Our manor is nearly a hundred acres. The families that left together back then all live here, while the younger generation has gone out to make their own way."

Zhang Ping'an nodded. This group of old remnants always huddled together and stood united against outsiders wherever they went.

As the car drove on, Zhang Ping'an saw Jin Ye from afar, leaning on a cane. He was wearing a Tang suit, looked quite portly, and was much older than before.

Behind him were seven or eight decrepit-looking people, all of whom had left with Jin Ye back then, including the three families whose treasures had been emptied by Zhang Ping'an.

"Divine Doctor Xie?" As soon as Zhang Ping'an got out of the car, Jin Ye brought people over to greet him.

"Jin Ye, long time no see."

"Hahaha, Brother Xie? I have admired you for a long time. Since we parted in '65, we haven't seen each other for nearly thirty years."

"Indeed. I must thank Jin Ye for taking care of my business all these years."

"Hahaha, Brother Xie, you're being too formal. It's thanks to you that our supermarkets in the Beautiful Country could experience a second spring."

"With the breeding technology and feed you provided, our profits have grown year by year. Over these years, we've already opened fresh-food supermarkets in nearby cities, and I believe it won't be long before we can gradually radiate out to most cities."

Zhang Ping'an hadn't paid much attention to the Feed Processing Plant over these years; it seemed their breeding farms had expanded again.

"Hahaha, then we can consider this a mutually beneficial arrangement."

"Exactly, hahaha."

The two walked side by side into the living room. The layout of the manor was like seven houses surrounding one, with Jin Ye's courtyard in the center.

"Brother Xie, everything prepared here is our own produce. Try it and see if it still has the taste of the old days."

"Hahaha, alright."

As the saying goes, an orange grown in the south of the Huai River is an orange, but in the north, it becomes a trifoliate orange. These livestock and poultry, such as pigs, horses, cattle, and sheep, had already bred for several generations here, so perhaps they really did have a unique flavor.

"Mm... to be honest, Jin Ye, the quality has declined slightly. It must be due to crossbreeding with local livestock."

"Hahaha, Brother, you're sharp! That is indeed the case. I also wanted to try and see if I could develop a new breed, but if that fails, I'll just pack them up and sell them cheaply to restaurants or sell them at a low price."

"Jin Ye, you'd better not try. These pig and cattle breeds are the result of generations of effort and are almost the best products possible."

"The meat quality will decline with each generation as it is, let alone the fact that you've contaminated them with local livestock."

"This..."

Upon hearing this, Jin Ye's expression became somewhat awkward. They had indeed tried to breed higher-quality meat, but unfortunately, all attempts had ended in failure.

"Of course, I don't object to you trying. Perhaps you really could create a breed of pigs, horses, cattle, and sheep with local characteristics."

"Ahem, let's not talk about this, let's not talk about this. Drink, drink."

Once Jin Ye heard that this was the result of generations of effort, he immediately lost interest. How many years did he have left to live? His current wealth was enough for him to squander for several lifetimes.

Even if his descendants were incompetent, it would be easy for them to carry on the legacy for three or five generations.

"Alright, alright, cheers."

Zhang Ping'an smiled slightly. He hadn't lied; it was indeed only after breeding for dozens or hundreds of generations in his space that he achieved such high-quality meat.

After the dinner party, both host and guest were satisfied, and Zhang Ping'an was arranged to stay in the guest room.

The next morning, Zhang Ping'an examined a bunch of old men; most of them had diseases of affluence.

These people were used to living in luxury; they were experts at eating, drinking, playing, gambling, and whoring, but one shouldn't count on them for any exercise.

Zhang Ping'an left prescriptions for them one by one, including for the ninety-something-year-old Li Shenyi.

"Although this tea is not as good as what I gave Jin Ye back then, it is still a rare treasure. If you are interested, next time I go to Sijiucheng or Xiangjiang, I will spare some for you."

The tea Zhang Ping'an brought was exactly what had been stir-fried at the Zhang Family Village Back Mountain Tea Plantation; after Zhang Ping'an's cultivation over these years, its effects already surpassed the vast majority of tea on the market.

"Good tea, Brother Xie! If you had such good stuff, you should have had Lao Si bring it over sooner."

"It was only in the last few years that the Tea Plant was cultivated; the quantity is not large, producing about eight hundred to a thousand catties a year."

Jin Ye nodded, not doubting Zhang Ping'an's words; he hadn't been able to bear drinking the tea he bought back then, only brewing a little during festivals to share with a few old fellows.

"Brother Xie, leave half for me. How about we go by the price from back then?"

"That is fine."

Zhang Ping'an was also doing this to let these old fellows live a few more years, to save their second generation from acting recklessly; once his farm and winery gained a firm foothold in the Beautiful Country, he wouldn't have to worry so much.

After leaving the manor, Zhang Ping'an was sent to the farm, and upon receiving the news, the two captains were already waiting at the farm entrance.

"General Manager Zhang."

"Mm, how is the wine brewing going?"

"General Manager Zhang, our steps have no issues, but we always feel the taste is not right; it seems to be missing something."