Two square tables were pushed together to form one large dining surface.
On it sat a glistening braised pork knuckle, an aromatic red-cooked fish, a refreshing cucumber salad, vibrant stir-fried water spinach, and a simple egg drop soup—each dish generously portioned.
Shen Nanchu, the Pei family, Village Chief Wang Jianguo and his wife Yu Lanhua, as well as Liu Huaiyi and Zhang Qingfeng (who lived in the ox shed), all gathered around the table.
Everyone eyed the spread before them, eating with such focus that not a word was spoken.
Liu Huaiyi and Zhang Qingfeng, who had initially hesitated to join the meal, now felt immensely grateful for their own boldness.
In this world, nothing mattered more than a good meal.
If you weren’t enthusiastic about eating, there was something wrong with your mindset.
Any serious business could wait until after everyone was full and satisfied.
Watching Shen Nanchu eat with such gusto, the others soon followed suit, digging in without restraint.
By the end, not a single dish remained—even the braising sauce from the pork knuckle was scraped up by Pei Yunzhou to mix with his rice.
Shen Nanchu leaned back, thoroughly content.
"Auntie Lanhua, your cooking skills are hands-down the best in Wang Family Village!"
(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ:･ﾟ✧
Yu Lanhua couldn’t stop grinning.
"You little charmer, always sweet-talking your auntie like that."
"Next time you’re craving something, just tell me—I’ll make it for you."
"You got it!"
Shen Nanchu had been waiting for those exact words.
After all, she had plenty of opportunities to invite Wang Jianguo and Yu Lanhua over in the future.
Having regular access to delicious food? Now that was true happiness.
With appetites satisfied, it was time to address the day’s main agenda.
"Chief Wang, I’ve got something special to show you."
Shen Nanchu mysteriously pulled out a small metal tin and placed it on the table.
The cylindrical blue container bore the white characters "Seagull" along with minimalist designs.
"What in the world is this?" Wang Jianguo eyed the tin with curiosity.
"Seagull Hair Cream," Zhang Qingfeng recognized it immediately.
Oh?
Someone here knew what it was?
Even better—that saved her a lot of explaining.
Shen Nanchu smiled and nodded.
"As expected of Uncle Zhang—you’ve seen it all."
The Pei family collectively stayed silent.
Hadn’t they all used this hair cream back in the capital?
"So this… hair cream is for washing hair?" Wang Jianguo was genuinely intrigued.
In the village, people either used wood ash or plain soap.
This was his first time hearing about a dedicated hair-washing product.
"Exactly," Zhang Qingfeng replied, a hint of nostalgia flashing across his face.
"Come to think of it, one of my junior colleagues actually helped develop this Seagull Hair Cream."
Shen Nanchu had initially invited the two ox-shed dwellers out of respect, hoping to build goodwill.
But now—what a stroke of luck! The heavens had practically handed her an expert assistant.
"Then Uncle Zhang, you must be just as skilled as your colleague, capable of developing hair cream too!"
Zhang Qingfeng gave a rueful shake of his head and glanced at Liu Huaiyi.
"I barely mastered half of what our teacher knew."
Wait—were Liu Huaiyi and Zhang Qingfeng master and disciple?
A gleam of realization flickered in Shen Nanchu’s eyes.
Liu Huaiyi, who had been quiet until now, suddenly looked up at her.
"Girl, are you thinking of making hair cream?"
"Why not give it a try?" Shen Nanchu replied with the boldness of youth.
The room fell dead silent.
After a long pause, Liu Huaiyi’s expression turned grave.
"This isn’t child’s play."
"Given the current circumstances, I strongly advise you to abandon this idea."
Shen Nanchu stayed quiet, but Wang Jianguo was the one who spoke next.
"If we can make this shampoo, will our village finally be able to shake off its poverty?"
"Yes," Shen Nanchu nodded.
"Not only that, but becoming the wealthiest village in the country isn’t out of the question either."
After all, the market was huge, and there were only one or two sellers!
Wang Jianguo’s eyes shone as brightly as the lightbulb overhead, his hands trembling slightly with excitement.
"Then—then what are we waiting for? Let’s do it!"
What were they waiting for?
The right timing, conditions, and people.
Shen Nanchu turned to Liu Huaiyi.
Liu Huaiyi’s clear yet weathered eyes flickered with hesitation.
Some walls of distrust couldn’t be torn down so quickly.
Shen Nanchu didn’t push him.
There were other ways to get things done.
"Uncle Zhang, you’ve seen the state of Wang Family Village, haven’t you?"
"Coming here was fate in its own way."
"I want Wang Family Village to thrive."
Wang Jianguo caught on immediately.
"Comrade Zhang, please, won’t you help our Wang Family Village?"
Zhang Qingfeng had a kind heart.
"I can try, but I can’t promise success."
"That’s alright—what matters is that we try."
Shen Nanchu said this while looking straight at Liu Huaiyi.
The old man kept his eyes down, feigning indifference, refusing to speak.
"By the way, have any of you noticed the environment around Wang Family Village?"
Shen Nanchu was certain that what she was about to say would shake Liu Huaiyi’s composure.
Zhang Qingfeng shook his head. "Haven’t paid much attention."
Sure enough, Liu Huaiyi couldn’t help but glare at him.
Shen Nanchu nearly laughed but held it in.
"Wang Family Village is surrounded by mountains, but the soil there is perfect for growing camellia trees."
"I’ve observed that even without cultivation, the camellia trees on those mountains grow exceptionally well."
The moment she finished speaking, Wang Jianguo eagerly agreed.
"Absolutely! The camellia trees in our Wang Family Village flourish every year."
The only problem was that processing them was too labor-intensive.
Wang Jianguo had once organized the villagers to extract oil from the camellia seeds.
It took tremendous effort, and the yield was pitiful—hardly worth it compared to growing peanuts.
Shen Nanchu continued,
"The seeds from these camellia trees aren’t just for oil—the leftover tea seed meal is the best natural shampoo base."
Yu Lanhua nodded in agreement. "That’s right. Hair washed with tea seed meal turns glossy and jet-black."
"If we turn this tea seed meal into shampoo, wouldn’t that be a way to make money?"
This was the first idea that had struck Shen Nanchu when she saw the wild camellia trees covering the mountains.
"As for how to refine it into shampoo, that’ll require more research."
Shen Nanchu wasn’t an expert on the subject.
Perfecting it would take time.
Besides, she was just a pretty face in the song-and-dance troupe—how could she possibly know how to do this?
All things considered, she believed such specialized work should be left to the professionals.
Zhang Qingfeng pondered for a moment. "I’ll give it a try."
"Good."
As long as Zhang Qingfeng agreed, Shen Nanchu was confident Liu Huaiyi wouldn’t stand by idly.
After all, he’d been listening intently the whole time.
"Alright, let’s start tomorrow!"
Wang Jianguo was already raring to go, wishing they could begin right that instant.
"The tea seed oil we processed the year before last left quite a bit of tea cake residue, and I’ve stored all of it."
"Originally, I planned to use it for composting, but now it’ll come in handy."
"I’ll leave this matter in your hands."
……
