Qi Fang clearly hadn't expected to run into Qi Fang and Yan Xue either. He reacted a beat too late before greeting them, "You're taking this little train too?"
Yan Xue only just noticed the person beside her. "Oh, it's you." She'd been too busy finding seats earlier to look closely.
This was awkward—two people who'd once had an unsuccessful blind date now sitting together, while the actual father of her child stood to the side.
What Yan Xue didn't know, but Qi Fang did, was that Qi Fang had once harbored some feelings for her. Whether those feelings still lingered was unclear.
Could Qi Fang just move to the other side of the aisle? Instead, he stood frozen, merely nodding at Qi Fang with a quiet "Mm" in response.
Anyone with a bit of tact would’ve immediately stood up to offer their seat, but Qi Fang sat there, locking eyes with him for a long moment, completely failing to catch on.
Truthfully, Qi Fang was also drowning in awkwardness—so much so that his brain had practically shut down.
Under Qi Fang’s intense gaze, he scrambled for a topic to diffuse the tension. "I heard you’re really good at fixing tractors."
Was this really the time for that? Qi Fang lowered his eyes, half-tempted to take apart Qi Fang’s head like a tractor to see what was going on inside.
In the end, it was Yan Xue who stood up, glancing at Qi Fang. "Why don’t you sit here? There’s space for the basket."
She deftly dissolved the awkwardness—after all, Qi Fang could leave the basket here and then move to the other side.
But the moment she stood, Qi Fang finally snapped out of it. "I don’t have much with me. I’ll go sit over there." He quickly vacated the seat.
Yet the scene remained bizarre. Even the train attendant, who knew Qi Fang well, paused in the aisle when he saw them.
He wasn’t aware of the blind date history between Yan Xue and Qi Fang—only that Qi Fang had once been interested in her, that Qi Fang was Yan Xue’s husband, and that he seemed to know something about Qi Fang…
Ugh, this was messy. Were these three really okay sitting together? Would one wrong word spark an argument?
The attendant was a little worried for Qi Fang. He shot him a look, urging him to move elsewhere.
Unfortunately, Qi Fang didn’t get the hint. Not only that, but after sitting down, he couldn’t help glancing toward Yan Xue again.
Was this guy still hung up on her? The attendant quickly blocked his view, afraid Qi Fang might notice.
If Yan Xue’s husband got angry and things turned physical, should he intervene or not?
But Qi Fang, now obstructed, grew impatient and leaned around the attendant to peer down the aisle.
Desperate to redirect him, the attendant asked, "It’s been over a year since that blind date. Has your aunt set you up with anyone else?"
It was also a subtle hint to the man behind them—Qi Fang was still in the dating pool, not pining after someone else’s wife.
Yet Qi Fang, ever honest, replied, "My aunt mentioned someone during New Year’s, but I wasn’t interested, so I declined."
The moment the words left his mouth, the attendant felt a sharp gaze land on his back, impossible to ignore.
Only when Yan Xue nudged Qi Fang with her elbow did he finally look away. "What is it?" he asked her.
"I’m not going home after this. I’ll head straight to the pilot site," Yan Xue said. "Changan, Yue’e, and the others are waiting, and I have all the supplies."
Qi Fang gave a quiet "Mm," then hesitated before asking softly, "Tired?"
"Not really. I’ve been sitting the whole time anyway." Yan Xue had never been one to fuss over minor discomforts.
As the couple spoke in low voices, Qi Fang seemed to finally realize how inappropriate his behavior had been and fell silent.
The attendant chatted with him for a while, relieved when no drama unfolded, before leaving to tend to his duties.
Just as the train neared Jinchuan Forestry Station and Qi Fang and Yan Xue stood to disembark, the attendant moved to open the doors—when suddenly, Qi Fang shot to his feet.
Everyone turned to stare, making him falter mid-sentence before swallowing his words.
Finally, after a glance around, he told the attendant, "I’ve got something to take care of. I’ll get off at Jinchuan too."
Without another word to Qi Fang or Yan Xue, he strode toward the exit. Once outside, he walked a short distance before stopping by the roadside. "Yan Xue."
It was the first time he’d ever called her by name. Qi Fang’s eyes darkened instantly. "What do you want?"
Yan Xue was also surprised, but hearing Qi Fang’s tone, she gently tugged his sleeve before asking politely, "Did you need something?"
The young woman looked healthier than the last time he’d seen her, her complexion bright, clearly well cared for by her devoted husband.
Qi Fang scratched his head awkwardly. "Actually, I just wanted to apologize for what happened back then."
Back then?
Which time?
Before Yan Xue could process it, he continued, "I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time. I said things I shouldn’t have and caused trouble for you both."
Now she understood—and so did Qi Fang. He was referring to that day at their home when he’d demanded they "switch back."
Who would’ve thought he’d still carry the guilt over a year later, even going so far as to disembark at Jinchuan just to apologize privately?
Yan Xue’s eyes curved warmly. "It’s fine. I know you were just struggling to accept it at the time."
He had struggled—though perhaps not for the reasons she assumed.
But none of that mattered now. She seemed happy, soon to be a mother, with a husband who doted on her.
"Still, I shouldn’t have spoken like that." Qi Fang glanced between her and Qi Fang, who hovered protectively at her side. "You two… you’re good together."
Hearing "you’re good together" from him caught Qi Fang off guard, softening his gaze slightly.
Having said his piece, Qi Fang didn’t linger. He turned toward the train tracks. "I’ll get going then."
This time, he left without hesitation, prompting Qi Fang to mutter under his breath, "Should’ve left sooner."
But no sooner had the words left his mouth than the young man came jogging back, his face flushing when he saw them still there.
Qi Fang’s expression froze. Yan Xue, however, couldn’t help laughing. "Something else to say?"
"Not really." Qi Fang rubbed his neck, even more embarrassed now, but pointed ahead. "I didn’t go the wrong way, did I?"
"No, you didn’t," Yan Xue assured him, amused. Qi Fang snorted. "You could always try the other path."
The remark earned him another elbow jab from Yan Xue, though he held his tongue with Qi Fang still present.
Once Qi Fang was truly gone, Qi Fang glanced down at Yan Xue’s slender arm. "That’s twice today." And both times over him.
Yan Xue wasn’t sure if she imagined it, but his tone carried a hint of jealousy—and something almost like a complaint.
She shot him a look. "We only had one blind date, and it didn’t even happen properly. We’ve barely crossed paths since. Are you really this bothered?"
"Absolutely." Qi Fang answered without hesitation, even lowering his head to gently touch her slightly rounded belly. "Right, little one?"
"Can’t you teach the child something better?" Yan Xue had never seen such unconventional prenatal education and promptly swatted his hand away.
By the time Yan Xue returned to the pilot site, the day’s work was already finished. A group of people were cooling off under the shed and greeted her warmly as she arrived.
After exchanging a few brief words, Yan Xue called Lang Yue'e, Guo Chang'an, and Zhou Wenhui into the office for a meeting.
Hearing that the pricing negotiations had gone smoothly, everyone’s faces lit up with relief. Zhou Wenhui asked, "So when we sell to the Forestry Bureau canteen this year, should we charge retail or wholesale prices?"
"It’ll have to be wholesale since we’re practically family," Yan Xue said. "But the quantity this year is too large—their canteen alone won’t be able to handle it all."
Last year, the Forestry Bureau canteen had only ordered fifty catties. Even if prices were lower this year and they bought more, they’d likely only manage one or two hundred catties at most.
Yan Xue looked at the group. "The period just before the hottest days of summer is when the fungus grows fastest and yields the highest. Our pilot site has already harvested three to four hundred catties of dried fungus."
At this rate, they’d have one to two thousand catties of dried fungus before the peak of summer—not even counting what would continue to be harvested afterward.
Guo Chang'an thought for a moment. "I have a classmate whose father works at a food factory. They might be able to take some, though probably not much."
After all, Chengshui Town was small, and apart from the Forestry Bureau, the local factories were all modest in scale.
Still, it was a viable option. Zhou Wenhui quickly added, "I can also ask around at other workplaces. My father’s unit has a canteen too."
Since her falling-out with her father, she rarely mentioned him, so this was clearly a genuine effort to help Yan Xue brainstorm solutions.
Even Lang Yue'e chimed in, "I still know people from Kang Peisheng’s old workplace. I can ask them too."
Time had softened many wounds, and the busy, fulfilling work had helped even more. Now, mentioning Kang Peisheng didn’t even stir her emotions.
"You all are really something. Should I start paying you extra for sales commissions?" Yan Xue’s teasing remark made everyone laugh.
Once the laughter settled, she turned serious again. "I know everyone wants what’s best for the pilot site, but we don’t need to go that far yet."
She then proposed an alternative to selling to workplace canteens: "I think we can wholesale directly to the supply and marketing cooperative and let them handle the sales."
The others hadn’t considered this. To them, fungus had always been a sideline product, something gathered from the mountains—they’d forgotten they could now distribute through official channels.
Zhou Wenhui, having grown up in town, was the first to weigh in. "That could work. The cooperative already sells vegetables, and fungus has a long shelf life."
Its durability meant they could stock large quantities without worrying about spoilage, unlike perishable vegetables that required frequent restocking.
And since it lasted, it would still be available even in winter when fresh produce was scarce. As long as the price was reasonable, there’d be no shortage of buyers.
Still, the Chengshui supply and marketing cooperative alone couldn’t absorb thousands of catties—they’d need to look beyond the town.
"Never thought we’d see the day, huh? First, we worried about not growing enough, now we’re worried about growing too much." Yan Xue joked lightly.
"Our Technician Yan is just too capable," Lang Yue'e sighed in agreement.
Guo Chang'an, however, stayed practical. "What we really need is a dedicated salesperson."
He wasn’t suited for the role himself. Lang Yue'e, though kind and meticulous, lacked the boldness for sales. Zhou Wenhui had helped Yan Xue sell before, but her straightforward approach wasn’t ideal either.
The only one naturally skilled in negotiation and networking was Yan Xue herself—but she was five months pregnant.
"Maybe I should take advantage of still being mobile and visit a few places to sell what we have first," Yan Xue suggested.
Before anyone could respond, a baby’s cry echoed from outside, followed by a man’s muffled attempts to soothe it.
Zhou Wenhui, the most attuned to the sound, checked her watch and stood abruptly. "I forgot to go back and feed Airong."
Airong was the name Liu Weiguo had painstakingly chosen for their daughter. At this age, she needed feeding every two to three hours.
Since the pilot site was close to home, Zhou Wenhui usually returned to nurse her before coming back. Today, the meeting had delayed her.
Sure enough, the crying grew louder, mingled with Liu Weiguo’s exasperated whispers: "Little ancestor, can’t you stop crying for a bit?"
Seeing Zhou Wenhui’s anxious expression, Yan Xue waved her off. "Go feed the baby first. This can wait."
Zhou Wenhui hurried out, carrying the child to an empty room. Soon, the cries subsided, and Liu Weiguo exhaled in relief.
Yan Xue was about to resume the discussion when an idea struck her. She leaned out the window and called, "Weiguo, do you have a minute?"
"Nothing urgent. What’s up?" Liu Weiguo walked over and peeked inside. "You’re in a meeting?"
Yan Xue nodded and got straight to the point. "How about taking on sales work outside? There’s a bonus."
Liu Weiguo’s social skills were undeniable—there wasn’t a person in the entire forest farm he didn’t know or a piece of information he couldn’t dig up.
When helping Qi Fang sell radios, he’d even come up with the idea of offering warranties, securing a good price. He was sharp and a natural at sales.
True to form, Liu Weiguo didn’t hesitate. "Sure, I’ll give it a shot. I’ve been idle at home lately anyway."
Armed with some fungus samples, he secured the first order within days—the Chengshui supply and marketing cooperative took fifty catties to test the market, promising more if sales went well.
Next was the county’s vegetable and non-staple food store, which ordered three hundred catties. Their high foot traffic and five branches across the county made them a strong buyer.
He also struck deals with two county workplace canteens. Cleverly, Liu Weiguo negotiated retail prices before the stores even started selling, knowing the canteens would pay the same whether buying from them or the stores.
With that, their stock was nearly cleared—even the Forestry Bureau canteen’s hundred catties seemed insignificant in comparison.
"After the second round of young forest cultivation, I’ll scout for more buyers, though retail prices might be harder to maintain," Liu Weiguo said.
Yan Xue had expected as much and wasn’t disappointed. She promptly calculated his bonus for the deals.
Liu Weiguo grinned and teased, "Now this is what I call generosity—unlike Airong’s godfather, who’s stingy even with food."
His remark reminded Yan Xue how, just a year ago, she and Qi Fang had still been hauling themselves up the mountains.
Before Granny Er arrived, she’d had to wake an hour early every day to prepare meals. It was hard to believe almost a year and a half had passed since she came to the forest farm.
She defended Qi Fang half-heartedly, "Come on, it’s not like he gave you nothing. I packed extra later, didn’t I?"
After listening, Liu Weiguo looked at her blankly and asked, "You gave him extra? How come I didn’t know?"
Yan Xue initially thought he was teasing her, but Liu Weiguo seemed even more bewildered than she was. "Qi Fang’s something else, huh? You gave him extra, and he didn’t even say a word."
There was no way Yan Xue could defend Qi Fang now. She genuinely hadn’t expected him to quietly eat everything she’d packed without a peep.
At least they wouldn’t have to go up the mountain anymore—otherwise, he might’ve ended up with a stomachache from overeating…
That night, after returning home, Yan Xue couldn’t help but stare at Qi Fang for a long time, her gaze lingering on his firm, perfectly toned abdomen beneath his clothes.
Qi Fang noticed and touched his own stomach first, checking for anything unusual. Finding nothing, his peach-blossom eyes darkened.
Yan Xue recognized that look—it was the same one he’d given her when she’d joked about him being her "personal secretary."
Later that evening, back at home, Secretary Qi employed the temptation of his collarbone mole and did things a "personal secretary" definitely shouldn’t do in public.
At this stage, Boss Yan had little resistance left. With just a bit of coaxing from her little secretary, she succumbed to his charms and surrendered completely.
Of course, with the little boss (their child) around, the secretary had to exercise restraint, merely giving the little one a brief greeting.
But perhaps because it felt a bit illicit, Boss Yan slept soundly afterward—though when she woke up the next morning, her secretary was as energetic as ever.
Now, seeing that familiar shift in his gaze, she immediately scolded him, "I was just checking where all that extra food went before. Don’t get any ideas."
Qi Fang paused, then smoothly changed the subject. "How’s the wood ear mushroom sales going?"
Yan Xue knew instantly—he’d realized she’d caught on, and there was no talking his way out of it. "You hid it well. Over a year, and I had no idea."
With no escape, Qi Fang redirected the conversation to her stomach. "Maybe our baby needed it."
The baby had been conceived around New Year’s. They’d consummated their marriage last August—had he really been preparing for this a whole year in advance? Wasn’t that skill cooldown a bit too long?
Ever since the baby arrived, Qi Fang had learned to pin everything on the child, as if their little one was his lucky charm—his ticket to climbing the social ladder through fatherhood.
Regardless of how Secretary Qi had "ascended," Boss Yan’s wood ear mushrooms were selling like hotcakes after being delivered to local stores and supply cooperatives.
They were cheap and high-quality—three mao cheaper per jin than the small markets—and before sales even officially began, the staff at the stores and cooperatives had already claimed a portion for themselves.
In this era, working at a store or supply cooperative was a coveted job. When good, affordable products came in, no one got the news faster—or had better access—than they did.
For the truly hard-to-get items, you had to be on good terms with the staff; otherwise, you’d never even see them before they vanished.
After the internal distribution, word spread: the stores and cooperatives now had premium wood ear mushrooms, larger and better than those in the small markets—and cheaper too.
Director Liu’s wife had connections at the supply cooperative and rushed over as soon as she heard. By noon, Director Liu returned home to find a hefty bag of mushrooms waiting.
At first, he assumed it was a gift. Being a director came with some authority, but his salary paled in comparison to top-tier workers. Still, his position meant people occasionally sought favors, bringing mushrooms, wild herbs, or other mountain goods.
Lately, though, with Qu Mingli taking charge, things weren’t as easy, and fewer people came knocking.
The mere thought of Qu Mingli made Director Liu frown—until his wife clarified, "No one gave these. I bought them at the cooperative."
His eyelids twitched. "The cooperative sells these now? Since when?"
"Just started a couple days ago," she said. "Supposedly grown somewhere. Cheaper than the market, and thicker too."
She’d already soaked a handful, and they’d expanded nicely. She gestured toward the kitchen basin where the mushrooms floated.
Director Liu inspected them in silence, then the remaining dried batch. His mood sank further. He left again, heading straight for the cooperative.
Sure enough, the mushrooms were on display, labeled with a cardboard sign: "3.5 yuan/jin."
The new product drew curious shoppers, and several ounces sold quickly thanks to their quality.
When asked why the cooperative was stocking them now, the clerk casually replied, "Produced by a forestry center. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be this cheap. I took some home myself."
"From Jinchuan Forestry Center?" Director Liu interjected. The clerk nodded. "Yeah, Jinchuan."
His heart dropped. At dinner, tasting his wife’s stir-fried mushrooms, he recognized the similarity to last year’s canteen servings.
Those mushrooms had likely come from Jinchuan too. They could be cultivated—and at high quality. He’d probably been played by Qu Mingli and Lang Zhongting.
Had he known earlier, he might not have greenlit Jinchuan’s pilot program, handing Qu Mingli another political win.
The cooperative’s sales weren’t discreet. Soon, others at the bureau caught on. No one said it outright, but regret over siding with him was palpable.
With Qu Mingli solely in charge, failures were his alone—but so were the successes.
Someone even asked Director Liu if he’d known about Jinchuan supplying the cooperative. His face darkened. "Sales just started. We don’t know the full yield yet."
True—the cooperative had only stocked a few dozen jin. If production stayed low, quality alone wouldn’t matter.
And everyone knew wild wood ears yielded less than mushrooms; that’s why they cost more.
But those few dozen jin sold out fast. Within days, the cooperative called Jinchuan, requesting another batch.
Liu Weiguo had left the forestry center’s contact with the county grocery store too. Secretary Lang didn’t mind taking the call, promptly notifying Yan Xue.
At the time, she was inspecting drainage at the mushroom site. July brought heavier rains, and poor drainage risked ruining the harvest or fostering contaminants.
But with the pilot short on workers—most either disabled or pregnant—Lang Yue'e and Zhou Wenhui couldn’t handle everything alone. Qi Fang stepped in, shovel in hand, helping clear the ditches.
Once the drainage was secure, Yan Xue arranged the delivery before heading home with Qi Fang.
From a distance, they spotted a man in his thirties lingering near their doorstep, hesitant to approach.
Hearing footsteps, he turned. "Excuse me, could you tell me—"
Before he could finish speaking, he froze for a moment, then his eyes lit up with joy. "Qi Fang! I finally found you!"
Qi Fang: If I don’t eat more, how can I build up my energy to do my job well—as your personal secretary, bodyguard, and Qi Fang the mentor?
