Outside the cowshed,
Shen Nanchu held a paste-like liquid, examining it carefully and giving it a sniff.
Liu Huaiyi and Zhang Qingfeng watched her nervously.
"Wash your hair with this and let me see."
Shen Nanchu handed the shampoo paste to Zhang Qingfeng.
Without hesitation, Zhang Qingfeng took it and began washing his hair.
Throughout the process, Shen Nanchu didn’t detect any unpleasant odors—instead, she caught a faint whiff of fresh grass.
The scent was quite nice. Not overpowering, and it complemented the tea seed residue perfectly.
Liu Huaiyi eyed Shen Nanchu anxiously. "Comrade Shen, what do you think?"
"Not bad." This time, Shen Nanchu seemed satisfied.
"Good, then."
Just as Liu Huaiyi was about to relax, Shen Nanchu added,
"The current production process might be a bit too complicated. Grandpa Liu, see if you can simplify it."
Liu Huaiyi nearly choked.
"You little rascal, afraid I’ll have too much free time, is that it?"
"Keeping your mind active helps prevent dementia," Shen Nanchu replied with a bright smile.
Liu Huaiyi huffed and turned away.
"Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law!"
From the foot of the mountain, Pei Yunzhou’s urgent voice rang out.
"The rabbits have given birth!"
Finally.
A look of joy crossed Shen Nanchu’s face.
"Grandpa Liu, I’ll leave this matter to you."
With that, she dashed off toward home in a whirlwind.
Liu Huaiyi didn’t even get a chance to refuse.
By the time Shen Nanchu arrived, the mother rabbit had already finished delivering.
Three tiny bunnies—pink, fleshy little balls, their eyes still closed, their fine fur as soft as a thin layer of fluff.
A small litter, but that was just fine.
"Old Fourth, go fetch the village chief. Tell him I need to discuss something."
Shen Nanchu sent Pei Yunzhou away.
The boy wouldn’t know whether the rabbits had finished giving birth or not.
Once she was alone at home, she immediately exchanged for a litter of twelve Angora rabbits from her system, placing them alongside the three newborns.
Newborn bunnies all looked the same—pink and plump, indistinguishable from one another.
By the time Wang Jianguo hurried over, Shen Nanchu was already cradling the entire litter to greet him.
"Good heavens, how many did she have?"
Wang Jianguo leaned in and started counting.
"One, two, three…"
"Fifteen?!"
He couldn’t believe his eyes and counted again.
Still fifteen. Finally, he accepted it.
"Nanchu, you’re something else! Raising rabbits like this—fifteen in one litter!"
Wang Jianguo’s voice was thick with envy.
The most he’d ever seen was eight.
Shen Nanchu didn’t bat an eye. "Must be beginner’s luck."
Wang Jianguo nodded.
"By the way, Uncle, I don’t have any experience raising these little ones. Maybe you should take them back with you?"
She added,
"These two rabbits have particularly long fur—I picked them out for breeding. If this litter grows up with good coats, we can start a proper rabbit-raising business."
Wang Jianguo’s eyes lit up.
"Don’t you worry, girl. Your uncle knows his way around rabbits. Leave it to me."
"Oh, and Uncle—we should also get started on applying with the county early."
Shen Nanchu didn’t want to hit a bureaucratic wall after all their hard work.
Now was the time to push through the necessary paperwork.
After all, private production could easily be labeled as speculation and profiteering.
The village was pushing production efforts for collective income.
Wang Jianguo pondered for a moment.
"Tomorrow, I happen to have a meeting in town. Why don’t you come with me?"
Shen Nanchu thought it over.
"Uncle, no problem. I’ll go with you then."
"But, Uncle, are you confident the town officials will agree?"
Wang Jianguo fell silent.
This was his first time handling something like this.
He wasn’t sure either!
Gritting his teeth, Wang Jianguo steeled himself.
"If they don’t agree, I’ll kneel until they do."
Shen Nanchu’s lips twitched.
That… might be a bit much.
"Uncle, I’ll draft a proposal tonight. We’ll bring it with us tomorrow."
A proposal?
What was that?
Wang Jianguo was a little confused, but it didn’t stop him from nodding.
"Good, good."
Shen Nanchu took the opportunity to make a request.
"Uncle, I can’t write the proposal alone. Let Pei Yunzhou stay and help me."
"No problem."
Wang Jianguo waved his hand, reassigning Pei Yunzhou’s work duties to assisting Shen Nanchu with the proposal.
No fieldwork?
Pei Yunzhou was over the moon.
O(￣▽￣)ブ
After Wang Jianguo left with the rabbits, Shen Nanchu had Pei Yunzhou fetch a pen and paper.
"I’ll dictate, you write."
"Got it."
Pei Yunzhou picked up the pen, ready to go.
"Oh, and no typos or corrections."
That one sentence made Pei Yunzhou break out in a cold sweat.
He cautiously asked,
"Sister-in-law, can I draft it first and copy it over later?"
"Fine."
Shen Nanchu generously agreed.
"Ready?"
She poured herself some water, washed a few tomatoes, and settled into a rocking chair.
"Ready."
Pei Yunzhou sat up straight, steeling himself for the task.
Shen Nanchu took a bite of tomato.
"First page, center, three big characters: 'Wang Family Village Production Plan.'"
"Second page, first line: 'Table of Contents.'"
……
Twenty minutes later, Shen Nanchu finished dictating.
The rest was up to Pei Yunzhou.
Watching him scribble furiously, Shen Nanchu congratulated herself on her brilliance.
She’d found herself a scribe.
Shen Nanchu: "Oh, and Lao Si, after you finish this copy, make two more."
Pei Yunzhou: "Huh??? Okay~~~"
……
The next day, Shen Nanchu carried the freshly completed proposal to the town government office with Wang Jianguo.
The mayor’s office.
After hearing Wang Jianguo’s request, Lin Aimin was silent for a long time.
"Old Wang, it’s not that I’m unwilling, but our town has no precedent for this."
"Mayor, if there’s no precedent, then Wang Family Village will set it."
Wang Jianguo had already braced himself for a long battle.
Lin Aimin didn’t relent.
"Old Wang, if I agree and this fails, who takes responsibility?"
Lin Aimin was already swamped trying to boost the town’s grain production. He had no time for side projects.
He spoke earnestly.
"Our town’s output ranks dead last in the county every year."
"Shouldn’t Wang Family Village focus on improving grain production and shedding its 'poor village' label?"
"Do you really want to stand on stage at this year’s meeting and be criticized?"
The image…
Wang Jianguo’s heart sank.
I've stood up there year after year, so what's one more time?
Gritting his teeth, Wang Jianguo steeled himself and threw caution to the wind.
"This is happening—I'm doing it."
"Even if everyone criticizes me, I'm still doing it!!!"
