Qi Fang found it utterly baffling. Jinchuan and Little Jinchuan weren’t exactly close, so how did he keep running into Qi Fang everywhere?
They crossed paths in the mountains, on the small train, at the state-run diner, and now—right outside his own home…
Well, that one time when Qi Fang came looking for Yan Xue didn’t count.
Still, he couldn’t wrap his head around it. What business did Qi Fang have coming all the way to Jinchuan Forestry Station?
Not only had he shown up, but he’d immediately started asking for directions to the pilot site. Did he have some life-altering matter that absolutely required a trip to Jinchuan?
To make things worse, the moment Qi Fang’s chubby little son spotted the man, he squealed with delight, “Uncle!”
Perched on his father’s shoulders, the boy even wiggled his little bottom in excitement.
Qi Fang’s expression darkened instantly. He couldn’t tell if his son was just the type to greet everyone or if he’d met Qi Fang before—and more than once.
Then he noticed the person Qi Fang had been asking for directions turn around and exclaim, “Oh, if it isn’t Yan Yu! Out with your dad today?”
Ah. So it was Qian Zhiping, who lived just two doors down from them—not Qi Fang after all.
Qi Fang’s tense expression eased slightly, but he still kept his eyes fixed in that direction without a word.
Meanwhile, his chubby little boy seemed quite familiar with this “Uncle Qian,” gesturing eagerly with his tiny hands. “Daddy, find Mommy!”
“Daddy’ll take you to Mommy,” Qian Zhiping replied patiently, teasing the child before turning to greet Qi Fang. “Master Qi, heading to see Technician Yan?”
Qi Fang gave a noncommittal “Mm.”
By then, Qi Fang had snapped out of his daze and was eyeing the boy on Qi Fang’s shoulders. “This your son?”
Another “Mm” from Qi Fang. Whether he liked it or not, he patted his son’s leg. “Yan Yu, say hello to Uncle.”
The boy, sweet-talking just like his mother, immediately obliged with a cheerful “Uncle!” and a beaming smile that made Qi Fang grin back goofily.
Qian Zhiping chuckled. “So you two know each other! Well, you should ask Master Qi then—he knows the pilot site way better than I do.”
Probably busy, Qian Zhiping excused himself shortly after, leaving Qi Fang and Qi Fang standing there awkwardly—literally staring each other down.
After a long pause, little Qi Yanyu patted his father’s head impatiently. “Mommy! Find Mommy!”
Qi Fang’s gaze flicked to the boy, and Qi Fang finally took a step forward. “Then follow me.”
His tone was flat. Qi Fang blinked, slow to react. “You’re going to the pilot site too?” He hurried to catch up.
The two of them together—even if it wasn’t outright awkward—created a strange, heavy silence with nothing to say.
After a while, Qi Fang ventured a topic. “Heard you and your wife got transferred to the county town.”
Qi Fang immediately side-eyed him. “How do you know so much?”
“Everyone knows,” Qi Fang replied obliviously. “I just heard it from someone.”
Qi Fang turned his gaze forward again. For the sake of politeness—or something like it—he asked, “Still on the dating circuit?”
Qi Fang actually flushed and nodded. “Yeah.”
Qi Fang shot him another look, truly at a loss for words.
Three years. It had been over three years since that incident. Was finding a partner really this hard?
Didn’t he have a stable job, a good physique, a reputation for being wife-pleasing, and even a knack for saying the right things during dates?
In the suffocating quiet, the pilot site finally came into view. Qi Fang spotted the person waiting for him at the entrance and exhaled in relief. “Aunt Chu.”
“There you are,” Aunt Chu replied, then noticed Qi Fang. “Oh, Master Qi’s here too?”
Another “Mm” from Qi Fang. Connecting the dots from earlier and Aunt Chu’s demeanor, he guessed about seventy to eighty percent of the situation: Qi Fang was here for another blind date.
Sure enough, after greeting Qi Fang, Aunt Chu turned to Qi Fang. “Wait here—I’ll go fetch her.”
She’d barely taken a step when she paused at the door. “Well, speak of the devil—here she comes.”
Qi Fang instinctively looked over and saw Yan Xue stepping out with a smile—
He froze.
Then he realized Yan Xue wasn’t alone; she was surrounded by others.
Before Qi Fang could react, his son shouted, “Mommy!” At the same time, Aunt Chu waved. “Chuncai!”
Now everyone wasn’t sure where to look—even Yan Xue glanced at Liu Chuncai, who flushed and hurried over.
Head bowed, Liu Chuncai only heard Aunt Chu say, “This is the one I told you about—my nephew’s friend. Hardworking, dependable, the real deal.”
When she finally looked up, she found herself staring into a pair of familiar, slightly narrow eyes. Her mind blanked. “It’s you?”
Qi Fang was equally stunned. “I didn’t know either,” he blurted.
They gaped at each other—another round of wide-eyed disbelief—utterly speechless. The same went for Qi Fang and Yan Xue, watching from a short distance away.
Yan Xue, who knew even less than Qi Fang, couldn’t fathom how Qi Fang and Chuncai could possibly be connected.
Aunt Chu, however, laughed after the initial surprise. “You two know each other? Even better—saves me the introductions.”
“We barely know each other,” Liu Chuncai muttered. “Just ran into each other twice.”
One of those times had involved a wolf den—not something she cared to revisit.
And she never imagined her mom’s friend would set her up with Qi Fang. “No way. We’re not a match.”
Qi Fang scratched his head awkwardly. “I’m not right for her either. She’s way too young.”
In his mind, she was still that half-grown girl who’d stumbled into his trap.
Aunt Chu disagreed. “She’s not young—nineteen this year. If she weren’t in school, she’d already have a kid or two by now.”
Early marriages were common in those days. Many held weddings first and registered later when they came of age—and Liu Chuncai was already old enough.
But Qi Fang still felt weird about it. Liu Chuncai kept shaking her head. “He’s way older than me. It’s not right.”
“What’s a few years? Xiao Qi’s only six years older—that’s nothing. Besides, older men know how to treat their wives. Xiao Qi’s character is solid.”
Aunt Chu genuinely believed they were a good pair. They looked compatible, and their personalities balanced each other out.
The Liu family’s Chuncai had a strong personality—she couldn’t be paired with someone domineering, or they’d clash constantly. A mild-mannered guy like Xiao Qi was perfect.
And Xiao Qi, being so easygoing, needed a spirited wife to keep the household running smoothly.
From what she’d heard, Xiao Qi’s family didn’t mind a strong-willed daughter-in-law—as long as she was decent and practical.
Too bad neither party seemed interested. Liu Chuncai even asked Qi Fang, “Weren’t you already dating last year? No luck yet?”
Qi Fang scratched his head sheepishly. “That one didn’t work out. Things haven’t gone well since.”
Truth was, the woman had bad-mouthed him afterward—said he was cheap for ditching her at the restaurant when things didn’t click.
Her aunt had spread the word, making it hard for his own aunt to find him matches afterward.
Liu Chuncai had witnessed the aftermath. “Was it another one who ordered the most expensive dishes and wouldn’t let you care for your aunt?”
The two of them struck up a conversation, and Liu Chuncai even remarked to Qi Fang, "I think it's because you're too easygoing that she keeps pushing her luck and taking advantage of you."
The young woman spoke bluntly. Though she was several years younger than Qi Fang, her words left him with nothing but an awkward chuckle.
Feeling genuinely uncomfortable, he changed the subject and asked Liu Chuncai, "Are you here for a blind date too?"
"I just graduated, didn’t I?" Liu Chuncai replied. "My mom told me to meet someone if the opportunity arises. It’s not like it’s a big deal."
With that, she waved her hand dismissively. "This isn’t going to work. Aunt Chu, you’d better introduce him to someone else."
The spirited young woman, having made her stance clear, was ready to leave. "I’ve got work to do inside."
She had started working at the pilot site after graduating this year and couldn’t afford to slack off, lest she embarrass Sister Yan Xue and her sister-in-law.
Qi Fang didn’t try to stop her and even apologized to Aunt Chu. "Sorry for wasting your time. We really aren’t a good match."
"It’s fine. These things depend on fate. How often do people hit it off right away?"
Aunt Chu wasn’t bothered, though she was a little regretful. "I thought you two would be a good fit, especially since you already know each other. Why isn’t it working out?"
Qi Fang just smiled. After exchanging a few more words, he watched Aunt Chu leave before heading back to Little Jinchuan.
On the way, he ran into Yan Xue and her family of three. He stopped to thank Qi Fang. "Thanks for earlier."
Qi Fang gave a simple "Mm" in response, not elaborating further. His gaze lingered on the other man before he nodded at Yan Xue and walked away.
The moment he was gone, Yan Xue shot her husband a knowing look. "Why didn’t you mention that the blind date didn’t work out again today?"
"Chuncai isn’t the right one," Qi Fang said firmly. The last thing he wanted was to visit the Liu family in the future and find Qi Fang standing there every time.
Running into him once a year was more than enough. Qi Fang should find someone far away—preferably not even staying in Little Jinchuan.
With that thought, he smoothly changed the subject. "How’s the pilot site doing?" Clearly, he didn’t want to dwell on it.
Yan Xue found it amusing but didn’t press further. She bounced their chubby little boy in her arms. "Not bad. Weiguo’s really put in the effort this time."
It seemed Yan Xue’s words had gotten through to Liu Weiguo. This year, he was determined to secure more orders. As soon as he arrived in the provincial capital, he reached out to all the units they’d worked with the previous year.
Jinchuan’s black fungus had sold well, and those units were happy to place more orders. The output from Jinchuan Forestry Farm was quickly snapped up, so he expanded his efforts to nearby counties.
He didn’t even overlook the areas along the route to the provincial capital, visiting several of them. By September, the black fungus yields from Wangshan Forestry Farm and Little Jinchuan Forestry Farm couldn’t keep up with demand.
Secretary Ning, though previously uninvolved, had seen how Lang Zhongting operated and quickly coordinated with other forestry farms in the town.
However, there were conditions for using the Jinchuan black fungus brand and sales channels—they had to pass a strict quality inspection.
Yan Xue and Lang Yue'e had repeatedly emphasized this point. They couldn’t afford to compromise on quality and ruin their own reputation.
"Yue'e also said we might finalize the accounts by late October this year instead of November. She asked if I wanted to come collect the money myself or if she should deliver it."
Yan Xue and her husband had worked at the pilot site for most of the year, so their year-end earnings would also be calculated based on their work points.
But the conversation had too much "Liu Weiguo" in it. Their little chubby boy had been listening quietly at first, but eventually, he blurted out, "Uncle!"
"You still remember your Uncle Weiguo?" Yan Xue laughed, but Qi Fang was instantly reminded of his earlier encounter with Qi Fang.
They really needed to move soon. Otherwise, as the boy grew older, the people he remembered might not just be "Uncle Weiguo"...
He reached out to take his son. "Let Dad hold you for a bit. Your mom’s tired."
The little glutton was growing heavier by the day, eating and sleeping well. He burrowed into his mother’s arms, reluctant to go.
But Qi Fang wasn’t completely helpless with his son. He lifted the boy and playfully tossed him in the air, making him giggle and forget everything else.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the couple quickly contacted the homeowner and bought the three-room house for six hundred yuan.
But they couldn’t move in right away—it needed renovations. Qi Fang stripped off all the newspaper pasted on the walls and reapplied cement.
The makeshift walls in the forestry farm, though not sturdy, had been warm. Unlike the brick houses in town, which were fine when newly built but became drafty over time.
That’s why people liked using newspaper to cover the walls—it brightened the space and provided some insulation.
But Yan Xue and Qi Fang weren’t short on money. They opted to reapply cement and coat it with slaked lime, making it look almost new.
For heating, the county’s limited space made it hard to install a boiler room. Since Yan Xue didn’t need to cultivate fungi at home, Qi Fang installed radiators instead.
They filled the pipes with water and set up a separate stove to heat it, creating a circulation system warmer than a heated wall.
By mid-October, the couple had finished renovating. They took a day off work, combined with their rest days, to move.
Second Old Lady had already packed most of their belongings. Bundles were piled on the kang, and the old woman was still counting her chickens. "We can take all of these, right?"
"Up to ten can come with us. I borrowed two horse carts from the bureau to haul everything. There’s a yard at the new place to keep them."
Compared to their move three years ago, they now had far more belongings—all newly acquired, and they hated the thought of leaving anything behind.
Not only were there more things, but there were also more living beings: their son, a flock of chickens, and two dogs.
Yan Xue decided to borrow two horse carts from Chengshui Forestry Bureau. When she made the request, Chengshui immediately approved it.
She was one of their most valued contributors. Even though she was moving to the county, she’d come from Chengshui, and they’d continue working together. Not to mention, Deputy Director Lang Zhongting was an old acquaintance.
As for their old house, Yan Xue entrusted it to the Liu family. They could sell it if a suitable buyer came along.
On moving day, their belongings were first transported to town via the bureau’s internal combustion engine, then transferred to horse carts for the journey to the county—chickens, dogs, and all.
Before, even though the couple had left, they’d return every weekend, so the forestry farm residents hadn’t felt their absence. But this move made it clear they were really leaving for good.
"Some people just have talent. They got transferred to the county, and now they’re moving their family there too. They’re county folks now."
"Listen to you. If they weren’t talented, could they have built such a big black fungus operation? Or modified that excavator?"
"True. But even if they’re gone, if they make the county newspapers again someday, they’ll still be from Jinchuan—our Jinchuan people."
The names Yan Xue and Qi Fang would linger in the memories of Jinchuan’s residents, just like the pilot site they’d established, the roads they’d built, and the newspapers left scattered around the forestry farm.
Even if they achieved greater things and stepped onto bigger stages in the future, the people of Jinchuan could still proudly say, "They came from our Jinchuan Forestry Farm."
As they walked out, even strangers greeted them warmly. Second Old Lady couldn’t help but marvel, "In all my years, I’ve never had this many people see me off."
Even in Yan Family Village, where everyone was related, their departure went almost unnoticed. Only Yan Songshan's family would remember them—with resentment.
The elderly woman couldn’t help but hug her little great-grandson. "Our Yan Yu must learn well from your parents and grow up just as accomplished as them."
The chubby little boy didn’t understand much, only giggling as he called out, "Daddy! Mommy! Great-Grandma!" before being affectionately carried into the car by the old woman.
Still, he was too young, and it was his first time traveling. He kept curiously staring out the window until exhaustion overtook him, and he fell asleep before they even reached the county town.
Qi Fang carefully carried him to the heated brick bed in the inner room, while Yan Xue supported the Second Old Lady and entered the house with Yan Jigang.
"This is running water, just like at Aunt Qiu Fang’s place. Just turn the faucet, and water comes out—no need to fetch it from the river."
Yan Xue pointed out various features of the house to the two of them, then took the old woman to see the chicken coop and dog kennel they had prepared in advance.
Once everything was settled, she finally pulled Yan Jigang aside for a private talk. "You’re thirteen now, and there’s something I’d like to ask your opinion about."
She explained the situation to him. "There’s Lin Yi Primary nearby, and Lin San Primary near your brother-in-law’s workplace. If you go to Lin San, Qi Fang has colleagues whose children attend there, so they could look out for you. But it’s farther away. Lin Yi is closer to home, but you won’t know anyone there. Which would you prefer?"
If there was one person she worried about most in this new environment, it wasn’t the chubby toddler or the Second Old Lady—it was Yan Jigang.
The boy had once struggled with a stutter and was painfully shy. After arriving at the forestry station, it had taken him a long time just to muster the courage to step outside.
Not wanting him to feel pressured, she added, "If you’d rather go to Lin San, that’s fine too. Your brother-in-law can just take you on his bike when he goes to work."
"Sis, I don’t need anyone to look after me. I’ll go to Lin Yi." Yan Jigang suddenly lifted his eyes—so similar to hers—and met her gaze.
The young boy still spoke slowly, but his tone was firm. "I don’t need anyone to take care of me or take me there. I can go to Lin Yi on my own."
It was then that Yan Xue realized the little brother she had always shielded under her wings was now nearly as tall as her, standing eye to eye with her.
When he spoke, he even smiled shyly, but his eyes were bright. "I’m an uncle now."
It was as if he would never again hide behind her, never again cling to her while crying fat tears without being able to utter a word.
That introverted, timid boy—the one who had stuttered his way through calling her "sis" during their hardest times—had quietly grown up.
Yan Xue couldn’t resist ruffling her brother’s hair, now at her own height. "Then it’s settled—Lin Yi it is. I’ll go register your transfer tomorrow."
But just as one had grown up, there was still a little one waiting in the wings. After moving to the new house, the toddler became even harder to shake off.
Before bedtime even arrived, little Qi Yanyu had already staked out prime real estate in his parents’ room—and refused to leave no matter what.
Qi Fang stared at him, and the boy squeezed his eyes shut, pretending to be asleep. When Qi Fang tried to carry him out, he yelled for his mother in protest.
Father and son faced off—one at the edge of the heated bed, the other stubbornly planted on it—until they reached an impasse.
When Yan Xue tried to coax him, he switched tactics, fixing her with big, pitiful eyes as he whimpered, "Mommy…"
Finally, after watching his son for a long moment, Qi Fang seemed to relent, silently allowing him to stay…
Or so it seemed.
The moment the little one was sound asleep, he bundled him up—pillow, blanket, and all—and delivered him straight to the Second Old Lady’s room.
Then, before the boy could wake in the morning, Qi Fang carried him back. When the toddler opened his eyes to see his mother, he assumed he’d slept there all along.
For days after moving, the little guy remained blissfully unaware that he’d been an airborne passenger at night, thoroughly enjoying his new home and new life.
Qi Fang was quite satisfied too—no more eavesdropping, and the writing desk no longer creaked.
As their new life unfolded smoothly, the cultivation center received its third order.
This one also came from Liuhu Town’s Forestry Bureau. After realizing verbal promises meant nothing, they finally sent someone to pay the deposit.
The procurement officer from Liuhu’s supply department didn’t immediately demand 8,000 bottles like before, instead matching Donggou Town’s order of 5,000.
Clearly, they didn’t want to be the only ones left out if Chengshui and Donggou both cultivated mushrooms—missing out on profits and looking bad in year-end reports.
The officer, well aware of his bureau secretary’s tendencies, skipped the small talk and handed over the money first.
In his opinion, the secretary was overcomplicating things. If he was so risk-averse, why not just let the forestry stations take responsibility like Chengshui had?
But their secretary was a meticulous accountant. From the start, he hadn’t planned to let the stations bear the costs—he wanted the bureau to fund and oversee the project.
And since the bureau would have to fork out thousands for fungal strains, he’d dragged his feet until winter approached, making it too late to even build the cultivation base.
By now, the cultivation center staff seemed fed up with Liuhu’s antics. Their expressions were frosty as they asked, "You’re not going to skip the final payment, are you?"
The officer flushed with embarrassment. "Of course not! How could we ever order from you again if we did?"
Once the base was built, they couldn’t just cultivate for one year—otherwise, they’d never recoup the investment.
Zhuang Qixiang figured as much and dropped the subject, calling Zhou Wenhui to record the payment.
With this, excluding Chengshui’s orders, the center now had 13,000 bottles booked. Soon after, Chengshui placed another massive order—12,000 bottles.
That brought the total to 25,000—no small feat for a center less than half a year old.
Zhuang Qixiang breathed a sigh of relief, watching as Yan Xue and the others prepared next year’s culture medium, even helping cook the agar for a while.
But just days later, Liuhu’s bureau secretary suddenly called. Without preamble, he asked, "You’ve heard about the Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations, right?"
Who hadn’t? The news had made headlines, sparking widespread discussion.
Zhuang Qixiang frowned, sensing trouble but unable to pinpoint why.
He gave a noncommittal "Mm," and the man continued, "Then you must know they want to import bracken from us?"
Bracken was a local wild vegetable, a type of fern with hairy stems that required blanching and rubbing off the fuzz before eating.
The Japanese believed it had health benefits, and after diplomatic relations were established, they’d placed a massive order. Zhuang Qixiang had heard about it—but what did that have to do with him?
His frown deepened as he listened, finally grasping the man’s point. "You know how it is—bracken grows wild everywhere. Just pick it, no costs involved. We’ve decided to organize people to harvest bracken instead of growing mushrooms."
The secretary from Liuhu Town’s Forestry Bureau asked, "Since we only just placed the order and you haven’t started production yet, can we get our deposit back?"
Qi Fang: Today I packed up my son and sent him away. As for Liu Hu, you all just go ahead and mess around to your heart's content!
