Back to 2008: I Helped My Dad Become the Richest Man

The contract to acquire the abandoned primary school was officially signed on the third day of the Lunar New Year. Luo Xinde, carrying the 2,500 yuan he had scraped together, solemnly signed a five-year lease agreement with village head Wang Jianguo in the village committee office.

When Luo Xinde walked out of the village committee with the thin piece of paper that read "Land Lease Contract," he felt light on his feet, as if he were walking on clouds.

"Dad, we got the contract, what should we do next?" Luo Wen asked, looking up at his face.

Luo Xinde hadn't yet recovered from his excitement and subconsciously looked at Luo Xiyuan beside him. Unbeknownst to him, his daughter had become the pillar of this family.

"Next, we need to invite a great master to come out of seclusion." Luo Xiyuan looked towards the south of the village.

There lived a man named Liu Jianjun, whom everyone in the village called Grandpa Liu. In his youth, he was a veteran pig farmer at the county's state-owned pig farm, and his pig-raising skills were renowned far and wide.

It is said that he can tell what disease a pig has just by looking at its feces; and he can tell whether the feed is mixed correctly just by smelling it.

However, he had an eccentric temper and lived a secluded life after retirement, showing no respect to anyone.

To set up a pig farm, this Mr. Liu was an indispensable key figure in Luo Xiyuan's plan.

Without his technical support, the pig farm would be an empty shell, and could be wiped out at any time by a swine fever outbreak.

That afternoon, the Luo family of four went out again.

Luo Xinde carried two packs of good cigarettes and two bottles of good wine, while Li Minxia and Luo Xiyuan carried some snacks and fruit.

Grandpa Liu's house is in a secluded courtyard at the south end of the village. The courtyard wall is made of stone, and there are two large locust trees planted at the entrance, which look quite old.

Luo Xinde stepped forward and knocked on the door knocker.

"Who is it?" came an old but still loud voice from inside the courtyard.

"Uncle Liu, it's me, Luo Xinde," Luo Xinde quickly replied.

After a while, the courtyard gate creaked open a crack, and an old man with gray hair, a thin but vigorous figure peeked out from behind the gate.

He was wearing a slightly worn blue Zhongshan suit, and his sharp eyes sized up the Luo family members.

"Luo Xinde? What's up?" Master Liu's tone was indifferent, even a little cold.

"Uncle Liu, Happy New Year! Our whole family has come to wish you a Happy New Year." Luo Xinde quickly handed over the cigarettes and alcohol in his hand.

Master Liu glanced at what they were holding, frowned, but didn't take it.

"You don't come here unless you need something. So, what do you want?" He got straight to the point, without any pretense of politeness.

Luo Xinde was taken aback, all the polite words he had prepared stuck in his throat. He looked at Luo Xiyuan for help.

Luo Xiyuan stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Grandpa Liu, we've come to ask you for your guidance."

"Ask for advice?" Master Liu's gaze fell on Luo Xiyuan. "What could you possibly want to ask me, you little brat?"

"Grandpa Liu, our family wants to start a pig farm and would like to ask you... to come out of retirement and be our technical consultant." Luo Xiyuan stated his purpose directly.

As soon as he said that, Master Liu's face darkened instantly.

"Raising pigs?" He sneered. "These days, people get all high and mighty just because they've made a little money. You think raising pigs is as simple as raising cats or dogs? Let me tell you, give up on that idea as soon as possible. I've dealt with pigs far too many times in my life, I'm sick of it, and I don't want to get involved anymore."

After saying that, he slammed the door shut with a "bang," almost hitting Luo Xinde's nose.

The family, carrying gifts, were met with a cold shoulder in front of the tightly closed door.

"This...this old man has such a strange temper!" Luo Xinde was so angry that his face turned pale.

Li Minxia was also somewhat discouraged: "It seems this won't work. Let's go back and think of another way."

"No way." Luo Xiyuan shook her head. "This pig farm absolutely needs him to be there. We need to think of another way."

The first visit ended in failure.

The next day, Luo Xinde, unconvinced, went again alone. This time, he didn't bring a gift and went empty-handed. He thought that perhaps the old man didn't like the usual gift-giving rituals, so he would have a heart-to-heart talk with him and try to win him over with sincerity.

He stood in front of Master Liu's house for a long time before Master Liu finally opened the door.

"Why is it you again?" Master Liu's expression was very unpleasant.

"Uncle Liu, please listen to me for a moment," Luo Xinde said, lowering his tone. "I genuinely want to make this happen. I've been poor my whole life, and I don't want my children to suffer the same fate. I've finally got an opportunity, and I don't want to give it up so easily. I know raising pigs is difficult, which is why I'm asking for guidance from someone as knowledgeable as you. Please have pity on me and give me a hand..."

Luo Xinde spoke with such sincerity that it was almost a plea.

After listening, Master Liu remained silent for a long time. He looked at Luo Xinde's face, weathered by life's hardships, and a hint of unease seemed to appear in his eyes.

But in the end, he shook his head: "I understand how you feel. But I really don't want to get involved in those things again. Go away, and don't come back."

After saying that, the door closed again.

Luo Xinde returned home dejectedly.

"No way, that old man is stubborn and won't listen to reason. He plopped down on the stool and took a big gulp of cold water."

Li Minxia sighed, "Forget it, Xinde, let's not go. If they don't want to, we can't force them. At worst, we'll figure it out ourselves."

"Try to figure it out on your own? How much tuition would you have to pay? How many pigs would have to die to learn it?" Luo Xinde scratched his hair in frustration.

The whole family fell silent, and the atmosphere became somewhat oppressive.

"I'll try again."

A clear voice broke the silence. It was Luo Xiyuan.

"You're going?" Luo Xinde looked up. "Don't go. That old man won't even give me face. It'll be even more useless for you to go."

"How will you know if you don't try?" Luo Xiyuan's eyes were firm. "Dad, you and Mom don't need to go. I'll go by myself tomorrow."

On the morning of the third day, Luo Xiyuan came to Liu Ye's doorstep alone again.

She neither mentioned gifts nor complained like her father had. She simply stood at the doorway and called out loudly into the courtyard, "Grandpa Liu, I'm Luo Xiyuan. I'm not here to beg you to come out of retirement; I have a few technical questions I'd like to ask you. You're a senior, surely you could guide a junior like me?"

She was gambling, gambling on a technician's dedication and pride in his field.

The courtyard remained silent for a long time.

Just when Luo Xiyuan thought she was going to fail again, the door creaked open.

Master Liu maintained his icy expression: "Speak. Ask your questions and then leave quickly."

Luo Xiyuan was overjoyed, knowing that there was hope.

She calmly pulled a small notebook from her pocket, filled with densely packed questions she had written down the night before.

"Grandpa Liu, my first question is: if we are importing piglets now, is it better to choose a crossbreed of Landrace, Landrace, and Duroc, or a Duroc-Landrace crossbred with Pietrain bloodline? Considering the climate and feed costs in our southern region, which breed has a better feed conversion ratio and stronger disease resistance?"

The moment the question was asked, Mr. Liu's expression changed instantly.

His previously somewhat impatient expression suddenly turned serious. He looked at the little girl in front of him in surprise.

This is not a question an ordinary rural child would ask. Feed conversion ratio, three-way crossbreeding, Du Pingchang... these are all professional terms.

"How...how do you know all this?" Master Liu couldn't help but ask.

"I learned it from books," Luo Xiyuan replied. "I bought several professional books on pig farming, but they were too theoretical, and I couldn't understand many parts, so I came to consult you, a true expert."

Master Liu didn't speak, but simply gestured for her to continue.

Luo Xiyuan turned a page in her notebook and continued, "Second question. Regarding starter feed for piglets, the book says to use a high-protein, easily digestible formula. I want to ask, under current rural conditions, if we mix our own feed, what ratio of soybean meal, cornmeal, fishmeal, and premixed feed can we ensure nutrition while minimizing the risk of diarrhea in piglets?"

"My third question concerns the construction of the pigsty. We plan to renovate an abandoned primary school, where the classrooms are brick-concrete structures with good ventilation from north to south. I'd like to ask whether it's better to convert it into a traditional single-row pigsty or a double-row one? Considering the high temperatures in the south during summer, how should we design the ventilation and cooling system? Should we install negative pressure fans with evaporative cooling pads, or would a simple sprinkler system be sufficient?"

Luo Xiyuan bombarded her with questions one after another.

Her questions were all spot-on. Each and every one of them addressed the most critical and practical technical challenges in pig farming.

The expression on Liu Ye's face changed from indifference to surprise, then to solemnity, and finally, a glimmer of light appeared in his eyes.

It was the excitement of meeting a worthy opponent, the thrill of finally finding a place to put one's life's work to use.

He hadn't talked about these things with anyone for many years. After retiring, the villagers only knew him as an eccentric, lonely old man, and had long forgotten that he was once the "pig champion" who won first place in the county's pig-raising technology competition.

The young girl in front of him, with her carefully prepared questions, precisely knocked on the door of his long-closed heart.

After Luo Xiyuan finished asking the last question about the swine fever vaccination procedure, Grandpa Liu breathed a long sigh of relief.

Instead of answering her question directly, he countered with, "Did you come up with all of these?"

"Yes." Luo Xiyuan nodded.

Mr. Liu looked at her and remained silent for a very long time.

Several sparrows were chirping and chattering in the big locust tree in the yard.

"Come in with me."

Suddenly, Master Liu turned around and walked into the courtyard.

Luo Xiyuan's heart pounded; she knew she had made the right bet!

She followed Grandpa Liu into the courtyard and into the main house. The furnishings inside were simple, but the house was spotless. On the wall hung several yellowed certificates of merit, all bearing the words "Advanced Producer" and "Technical Expert."

Grandpa Liu pulled out a thick stack of yellowed blueprints and notes from an old wooden box.

He spread the items out on the table, pointed to one of the blueprints, and said to Luo Xiyuan, "Regarding your question about pigsty renovation, neither single-row nor double-row is correct. It needs to be designed as a semi-open, circulating pigsty, based on the building layout of the primary school, to maximize the use of natural ventilation."

He picked up another notebook: "And about the piglet starter feed you mentioned, fishmeal can't be used indiscriminately; it can easily cause allergic diarrhea. Fermented soybean meal should be used; it's low-cost and works well. The ratio is..."

He was no longer the aloof and eccentric old man, but rather a tireless teacher who imparted his decades of accumulated experience and knowledge to Luo Xiyuan without reservation.

Luo Xiyuan stood by the table, listening attentively, her eyes sparkling with a thirst for knowledge.