"You're not afraid I might pull another double-cross on you?"
Zheng Tongwei asked curiously,
"After all, if I join you, I'd be betraying my former boss."
"And I might betray you too."
Shen Nanchu looked at Zheng Tongwei with an expression that clearly said, This guy must be an idiot.
"Which do you think will happen first—you betraying me, or me taking you out?"
Zheng Tongwei’s neck twitched involuntarily.
He believed Shen Nanchu wasn’t joking, and he also believed she could do it.
Zheng Tongwei stubbed out his cigarette. "I’ll think about it."
Shen Nanchu’s lips twitched. "You still need to think about it?"
"Acting all wishy-washy, like some timid woman."
The "wishy-washy" Zheng Tongwei: "……"
If he kept playing coy, he’d end up looking worse than a "timid woman."
This time, Zheng Tongwei nodded decisively. "Fine. But I have one condition."
"What condition?" Shen Nanchu didn’t even blink.
Zheng Tongwei: "Show me what you’re capable of."
Shen Nanchu: "How?"
Zheng Tongwei: "Move back to the capital within a year."
Shen Nanchu: "Deal."
She had expected Zheng Tongwei to make some impossible demand.
But this?
Just returning to the capital?
With two major achievements already under their belt, going back would be a breeze.
Zheng Tongwei watched Shen Nanchu agree so readily and couldn’t help but wonder.
The Pei family must be hiding more than I thought.
"This year will be a probation period for both of us."
Shen Nanchu’s words surprised Zheng Tongwei.
Probation period?
Now that was interesting.
"How does that work?"
"Within this year, you’ll have to prove your worth to me," Shen Nanchu said, a shrewd glint in her eyes. "And of course, I’ll show you what I can do."
Zheng Tongwei didn’t hesitate before nodding.
"No problem."
Helping out in Wang Family Village?
That was right up his alley.
......
Soon, mid-month arrived.
In Wang Family Village, aside from the busy farming season, side businesses were also thriving.
The scent of freshly cut straw wafted over the village’s drying field, while the newly built rabbit hutches nearby still carried the fresh smell of timber.
Village Chief Wang Jianguo paced back and forth in front of the hutches, hands clasped behind his back, his brow furrowed like wilted corn leaves.
"Fifty spots, but nearly two hundred people signed up. How the hell do we choose?"
He plopped down on the threshold, tapping his pipe noisily.
Maybe… draw lots?
No, raising rabbits required skill—couldn’t leave it to luck.
This was driving him crazy.
Zheng Tongwei, standing nearby, scanned the crowd.
He’d never dealt with such a tricky situation before.
"Why don’t we ask Nanchu?"
Before he could finish, Wang Jianguo cut him off.
"Already sent someone to fetch her! That girl’s full of clever ideas—she’ll figure something out!"
Before long, Shen Nanchu pushed through the crowd, her arrival announced by the murmurs of the villagers.
Her clothes were simple, but nothing could hide the sharp intelligence in her eyes.
"Picking rabbit keepers is easy."
Shen Nanchu stood in front of the hutches, her voice clear and confident.
"Raising rabbits is like raising kids—you need patience, care, and a knack for problem-solving. I’ll set up three tests. Whoever passes will naturally be good at raising rabbits."
Wang Jianguo’s eyes lit up.
"Nanchu, you say the word—we’ll follow your lead!"
Zheng Tongwei had no objections either. He was curious to see what tricks Shen Nanchu had up her sleeve.
Without delay, Shen Nanchu set up the testing grounds the next afternoon on the drying field.
Three long wooden tables were arranged.
The first held muddy carrots, dewy alfalfa grass, and a bundle of yellowed straw.
The second was covered with stained cotton padding and wheat bran, atop which sat several lifelike cloth rabbits.
The third had a wall of red slips filled with handwritten questions, the ink still damp.
"First test—feeding and care!"
Shen Nanchu pointed at the materials on the table, her voice carrying across the field.
"Rabbits have delicate stomachs. You need fresh grass, and carrots must be washed and cut properly—mud or sand will make them sick. Whoever can sort and prepare these correctly passes."
The moment she finished,
villagers surged forward, forming lines in front of the tables.
Aunt Liu, an experienced farmer, squinted as she picked dirt clods from the grass, her fingers moving as deftly as if she were prepping vegetables.
"Rabbit feed ain’t like pig slop," she muttered. "Gotta pick the tender bits—they won’t touch the tough stems."
Su Jianzhou, one of the educated youths, crouched down and meticulously scrubbed the carrots in a basin before cutting them into even cubes.
He trimmed off every rough edge and even sifted the grass to remove any remaining grit.
Wang Erzhu, on the other hand, haphazardly mixed straw with alfalfa, insisting,
"Grass is grass—since when do rabbits get picky?"
Shen Nanchu shot him a look. "Straw’s too fibrous—too much will bloat them. You trying to kill the rabbits?"
Wang Erzhu flushed red as laughter rippled through the crowd.
Li Mei and Fang Jie had also joined the selection.
After all, there was no cap on work points—who wouldn’t want extra?
Li Mei dunked a muddy carrot in water and pulled it right back out, leaving dirt still clinging to it.
Fang Jie was even more impatient, stuffing handfuls of unshaken grass into a basket while grumbling, "Why so damn fussy?"
Soon, the first test concluded, and the record-keepers noted everyone’s performance.
"Second test—environmental upkeep!"
Shen Nanchu lifted the cloth covering the cotton padding, revealing the cloth rabbits underneath.
"Rabbit hutches must be clean and dry. These ‘rabbits’ are covered in feed scraps and fake droppings. Whoever can clean them thoroughly without damaging the fur passes."
The cloth rabbits had been painstakingly crafted by Yu Lanhua and Grandma Pei.
Su Jianzhou selected a soft-bristled brush and gently stroked along the fur’s grain.
When he encountered tangles, he carefully teased them apart with his fingers, handling the fake rabbits as gently as if they were real infants.
Sister-in-law Zhang was even more meticulous, using damp cloth strips to wipe away stains before sun-drying the rabbits.
"Rabbits hate dampness," she murmured. "Gotta keep ‘em bone-dry."
Shen Nanchu nodded in approval.
Meanwhile, Li Mei grabbed a stiff brush and scrubbed aggressively, leaving tufts of fake fur scattered everywhere.
Fang Jie wrinkled her nose at the fake droppings, poking at them halfheartedly with a stick before declaring, "Good enough—who cares if it’s spotless?"
Zheng Tongwei watched with a frown, marking a big X next to their names in his notebook.
......
