Working at an otherworldly junkyard, making a fortune by collecting trash.

On the afternoon of the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, there was not a trace of snow in the southern winter, but the damp and cold air was like a needle that could penetrate anywhere, drilling into the bones through the collar and cuffs of clothes.

The leaves of the old banyan tree at the village entrance were swept up by the wind and fell down in a rustling sound, covering the ground with fine yellow dust, like an autumn that lingers and refuses to leave.

Chen Chen stood at the entrance of his own yard, the zipper of his down jacket pulled up to his chin, but he still felt the dampness creeping up his legs and up his trouser legs.

He had just parked the car when his trousers were covered in a ring of yellow mud—the road from the village to the town was always incredibly muddy when the sky was overcast; cars would slip and slide, and people walking too fast would risk falling on their backsides.

"Woof woof woof—"

A burst of rapid barking came from the yard, loud and clear, with a hint of excitement.

"Grandpa? Grandma?" Chen Chen pushed open the half-closed courtyard gate and called out twice. The courtyard was quiet, and no one answered. Only the big black dog with shiny fur came running over and circled around his legs, its tail wagging like a blooming flower.

"Little Black, don't bark." He bent down and patted the dog's head, then turned to look at Ji Yunli behind him.

Ji Yunli's shoes were already covered in mud and turned a yellowish-brown color. As soon as she entered the house, she picked up some firewood from the corner of the wall, squatted on the threshold, and scraped the mud off her shoes, muttering, "Grandpa and Grandma are probably not home."

"I guess they went to pick vegetables in their private plot." Chen Chen walked familiarly to the stone dog trough behind the gate, took out a rusty key, opened the door to the main room, and put the key back as it was.

"You go inside and rest for a while, boil some hot water to warm your hands, I'm going to the village committee."

"Go ahead, go ahead." Ji Yunli waved her hand, already playing with Xiao Hei. "Come back soon."

Chen Chen played with Xiao Hei for a while longer, watching it rub its head against his palm, before turning and walking towards the village committee.

Just as I reached the door, I bumped into Chen Weiguo walking out from inside with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed, as if he were pondering something.

"Uncle Chen," Chen Chen called out.

Chen Weiguo looked up, squinted at him for a while, and finally recognized him. His voice was very loud: "Chenwazi? What brings you back? Your company in the city has given you a holiday so early?"

"I came back to take care of some things." Chen Chen smiled and took two steps closer, the mud under his feet making a "squeak" sound. He took out a cigarette from his pocket and offered it to him. "Uncle, I was just about to look for you. There's something I want to discuss with you."

"What's up?" Chen Weiguo took the cigarette, pulled an old lighter from his pocket, and after pressing it several times, it lit with a "click." The flame flickered and licked the cigarette. "Look at the mud on your legs, come inside and wash your face, warm yourself by the fire before we talk."

"No rush." ​​Chen Chen waved his hand, his eyes shining brightly, and got straight to the point, "Uncle, I want to rent all those abandoned vacant lots in the village, as well as those three mountains behind it."

Chen Weiguo's mouth, which was holding a cigarette, suddenly stopped, and the cigarette almost fell out. He looked Chen Chen up and down, as if he were seeing this younger man for the first time: "What are you renting it for? That land has been abandoned for almost ten years. The grass is taller than a person, and the hillsides are covered with miscellaneous trees and thorny vines. You don't mean to rent it just for decoration, do you?"

"Let's do ecological farming." Chen Chen took a folder out of his backpack and handed it to him. "I know some friends at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences. I got some high-quality fruit tree seedlings. We can plant the trees in the ground, raise chickens and ducks under the trees, and then plant vegetables in the ground. We can harvest them out of season. It's definitely going to be profitable."

Chen Weiguo didn't take the folder. He took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaled a large, round smoke ring, and said with full disapproval, "Do you think I don't know the ins and outs of this? Planting trees requires scaffolding, laying power lines, and leveling the mountain roads. Every single one of these costs money. You work hard in the city and earn a living. Don't throw your money into this bottomless pit. It's not worth it."

"You don't need to worry about the money; the boss has invested." Chen Chen didn't mention that the "boss" was himself, only smiling faintly. "I can pay the rent in one lump sum, directly into the village's collective account. Also—"

He changed the subject, pointed to the bumpy dirt road outside, and said with a determined look, "I want to repair this road from the village to the town, pave it with cement, and widen it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Weiguo dropped the cigarette in his hand with a "thud" to the ground.

He stared blankly at Chen Chen, his eyes filled with shock, and after a long while, he finally found his voice: "What did you say? Road repair? That must cost a lot of money..."

"Probably around a million," Chen Chen said casually, as if it were a trivial matter. "We'll level and compact the roadbed before the New Year, and then start laying cement in the spring. Once the road is repaired, it will be more convenient for villagers to go to town, and it will also be more convenient for me to haul goods."

Chen Weiguo didn't say anything. He squatted down, picked up the cigarette butt from the ground, struck a match, lit it, and the smoke curled over his face.

The wrinkles around his eyes had deepened considerably. After a long silence, he finally asked, "What are you after? Renting this barren mountain land won't make you any money in the short term, and building roads is just throwing money away. With that spare money, wouldn't it be better to buy a house in the city, get married, and settle down? That would be far better than anything else."

"I'm not after anything." Chen Chen also squatted down, his gaze falling on the mud puddle at his feet, where a pool of murky water reflected the gray sky. "Now that the road is repaired, everyone won't have to walk through muddy mud when they go out, and it will be safer for children to go to school on rainy days."

He paused, then added, "From now on, I will prioritize hiring villagers for farm work, paying them on a daily basis without delay. Road construction will also be entirely undertaken by villagers, ensuring that the profits don't go to outsiders."

The wind swirled fallen leaves against the earthen wall of the village committee, making a rustling sound.

After taking the last drag of his cigarette, Chen Weiguo stubbed it out on the sole of his shoe, crushed it to dust, stood up, and turned to walk back into the house: "Wait a minute."

Not long after, he came out holding a red booklet, which was the village's land register, the edges of which were worn and frayed.

He opened the notebook and pointed to the densely written words: "No one is farming the land in the village now. If you want to rent it, everyone, young and old, will be happy to do so. There are a total of 1,500 mu of vacant land and more than 2,000 mu on the three hills combined. You want all of them?"

"I want both." Chen Chen said decisively.

Without further ado, Chen Weiguo flipped to the last page of the ledger, picked up a pen, and neatly wrote the two characters "Chen Chen." He then took out the village committee's red seal from the drawer and stamped it on with a "snap," the bright red ink standing out vividly on the yellowed paper.

"We'll have a village meeting tomorrow night. You need to explain this to everyone." Chen Weiguo closed the notebook and handed it to him. "As long as no one objects, I'll sign it, and the contract will take effect immediately."

He then pointed to the road construction, waved his hand, and said decisively, "There's no need for a meeting about road construction; I've made the decision—if you can really get this road built, everyone, young and old, will be grateful to you!"

"I have something to do tomorrow and need to get back to the city tonight. Is it okay to have the meeting today?" Chen Chen asked.

"What's wrong with that?" Chen Weiguo slapped his thigh. "I'll go to the village broadcasting station right now and use the loudspeaker to tell everyone to come to the village committee in half an hour!"

Chen Chen looked up at the muddy road winding through the fields, and then at the distant, misty mountains. He could almost see next spring, when a smooth cement road would lead to his doorstep, the green vegetables in the fields would cover the ground, the fruit trees on the mountains would sprout new buds, and the whole mountain would be in bloom.

Chen Weiguo couldn't help but laugh when he saw him like this. He reached out his rough hand and patted his shoulder: "Good lad, you've made something of yourself! After the meeting, come to my house for dinner. I'll have your sister-in-law kill a chicken and make a pot of hot soup to warm you up."

"No, Uncle." Chen Chen waved his hand with a smile, "My girlfriend is still waiting for me at home. I'll come over for a meal another day."

"Okay, you must come to my house for dinner next time." Chen Weiguo replied with a smile, watching his departing figure, the smile in his eyes lingering for a long time.