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

The cooperative farming plan is progressing exceptionally smoothly.

After screening, the first batch of twenty households signed cooperation agreements with Luo's Farm. These twenty households were mostly hardworking and reliable villagers, but their family circumstances were average. Luo Xinde hoped they could become the first successful examples, setting a precedent for other villagers.

A new round of busy work has begun on the farm.

After the second phase of the pigsty was completed, Luo Xinde did not immediately use it all for raising pigs himself, but instead used it as a place specifically for breeding piglets.

They imported 500 higher-quality piglets from the city's original breeding pig farm. These piglets were cared for by Liu himself, who led the team to handle their start-up, weaning, and early care at the farm.

Once these piglets have grown to about 50 pounds, are strong and have good immunity, they will be distributed to the various cooperating farmers.

"We'll keep the difficult-to-raise pigs under our control, and give the easy-to-raise, fast-growing ones to the farmers. This way, the pigs are less likely to die, and everyone has more confidence," Grandpa Liu said to Luo Xinde.

Luo Xinde wholeheartedly agreed.

A technical service team was quickly formed. In addition to Mr. Liu as the chief consultant, Luo Xiyuan also used Wang Defa's connections to hire a recently retired veterinarian surnamed Qian from the city's livestock station at a high salary. Veterinarian Qian was very experienced and worked very well with Mr. Liu.

The two of them, along with two clever young men recruited from the village, rode their motorcycles every day, shuttling between the homes of various cooperative farmers.

"Your pigsty isn't well-ventilated; you'll need to add another window in the wall."

"This feed can't be piled directly on the ground, it'll get damp easily. We need to put it on a wooden board."

"It's time for vaccinations today. Get all the pigs out and vaccinate them one by one, make sure no one is missed!"

Uncle Liu and Veterinarian Qian meticulously replicated the strict management standards they had set on the farm in every farmer's home.

At first, some villagers were unaccustomed to it, feeling that the experts were being too nosy and troublesome. But after a few visits, they found that following the experts' advice really did make the pigs grow faster and less prone to disease. Everyone eventually accepted it.

An unprecedented pig-raising craze swept through the entire Luojia Village.

The reputation of Luo's Farm spread even further because of this "company + farmer" model. Even the county television station sent a reporter to interview them once.

On television, Luo Xinde, dressed in clean work clothes, stood in front of a tidy pigsty, facing the camera, somewhat nervous but also extremely proud, introducing their "Luo's Model".

This made Luo Xinde a celebrity in the whole county.

However, the big tree attracts the wind.

Just as the Luo family's business was starting to take off, trouble struck.

That day, Luo Xinde was in his office discussing the formula for the next batch of feed with Master Liu when several cars suddenly pulled up outside the farm gate.

Leading the way was an enforcement vehicle from the Industry and Commerce Bureau, followed by vehicles from the Health Bureau and the Environmental Protection Bureau.

Seven or eight uniformed staff members got out of the car, their expressions serious, and went straight to the office.

"Excuse me, who is the boss here, Luo Xinde?" A middle-aged man in the lead, holding a folder, asked rudely.

"That's me." Luo Xinde's heart skipped a beat. He stood up. "May I ask, comrades, what can I do for you?"

"We are from the county's joint enforcement team." The leading man flashed his badge. "We received reports from the public that your farm is operating without a license, polluting the environment, and producing pork that does not meet hygiene standards. Now, we are going to conduct a comprehensive inspection of your farm! Please cooperate!"

Operating without a license? Polluting the environment? Unsanitary pork?

These serious accusations caught Luo Xinde off guard.

"Comrade, isn't there some misunderstanding?" he hurriedly explained, "All our licenses and permits are complete! We've even built a biogas digester, how could it pollute the environment? Our pork is supplied to the city's five-star hotels, its hygiene is absolutely guaranteed!"

"Whether there's a problem or not isn't up to you to decide; it's up to us to check!" The leader waved his hand. "Xiao Zhang, go check their business license and disease prevention permit! Xiao Li, go test the sewage outlet water in the pigsty! Xiao Wang, go to the warehouse and sample their feed and veterinary drugs! The rest of you, come with me to the pigsty!"

This group of people immediately adopted a confrontational stance, giving Luo Xinde no chance to explain.

Luo Xinde was sweating profusely, but he didn't know what to do. He wanted to call the village chief, Wang Jianguo, but a staff member politely took his phone, saying that he was not allowed to contact anyone during the inspection.

Master Liu, standing to the side, also looked very grim. He knew that someone was deliberately setting them up behind the scenes.

Soon, Luo Xiyuan and Li Minxia also rushed over after hearing the news. Seeing the scene, Li Minxia's face turned pale with fright.

"Dad, Mom, Grandpa Liu, don't panic." Luo Xiyuan quickly assessed the situation. She could tell that this group had come aggressively and were clearly prepared. Fighting them head-on would definitely not end well.

She walked up to the middle-aged man who was leading the inspection team and said politely, "Uncle, we will definitely cooperate fully with your inspection. However, our farm has strict epidemic prevention regulations. Before entering the production area, we need to disinfect and change our shoes. We hope you can understand and cooperate."

The middle-aged man glanced at her, frowned, but seeing the biosafety management regulations posted on the wall next to him, he didn't say anything, which was taken as tacit agreement.

A large-scale inspection was launched across the Rothschild farm.

The inspectors examined the business license thoroughly, turning it over and over, but couldn't find anything wrong. All of the Luo family's licenses and permits were handled personally by Luo Xiyuan; the procedures were complete and there were no issues whatsoever.

The inspectors took samples of the feed and veterinary drugs, sealed them up, and said they would take them back for testing.

The environmental inspectors, carrying various instruments, spent a long time measuring near the biogas digester and sewage outlet, but didn't say a word.

The most troublesome people were the few who went to inspect the pigsty.

They shone flashlights around the pigsty, complaining about the poor lighting and ventilation.

"Isn't the density of your pigsty too high? With so many pigs crammed together, it's easy for them to cross-infect each other," someone said.

"This floor, although it's cement, seems to be damaged, making it easy for dirt and grime to accumulate," another person said, pointing to a small pit dug out by a pig.

They were pointing out minor flaws, like finding fault with an egg. But in their eyes, these minor flaws became major safety hazards.

Luo Xinde followed behind, explaining incessantly, but no one listened.

Finally, the middle-aged man who was in charge gathered everyone together and held a briefing on the spot.

"Our initial inspection has revealed numerous irregularities in your farm's production management!" His voice was loud and stern. "Although you have all the necessary permits and licenses, your production environment, hygiene conditions, and disease prevention measures all have serious problems! In particular, regarding your wastewater discharge, although you have built a biogas digester, we suspect that there is still sewage leakage, causing pollution to the surrounding soil and water sources!"

"According to relevant regulations, we have decided to take the following actions against your Luo's Farm: First, you must immediately cease operations for rectification! You are prohibited from engaging in any production or business activities until you have passed our follow-up inspection and are deemed compliant with regulations. Second, we will take samples of your suspected illegal feed and veterinary drugs, as well as your wastewater samples, back for testing. Further action will be taken after the test results are available. If any problems are found, you will be severely punished and your business license will be revoked!"

Business will be suspended for rectification! Heavy fines will be imposed! Licenses may even be revoked!

This outcome left the Luo family completely stunned.

Luo Xinde's face turned deathly pale. He knew it was over. If the pig farm shut down, the daily losses would be enormous. Feed cost money, workers' wages needed to be paid, and the pigs were still growing every day. If this dragged on for ten days or two weeks, his family would be completely bankrupt!

This is clearly an attempt to kill them!

"Comrade! You can't do this! We..." Luo Xinde was anxious to step forward and argue.

"Mr. Luo, please calm down!" Two staff members immediately stepped forward and stopped him. "This is a decision made by our joint enforcement team! If you obstruct official business, you will bear the consequences!"

After they finished speaking, the group drove off.

Only the Luo family and a group of bewildered workers were left standing blankly in the courtyard.

A white paper with black writing was affixed to the farm's gate, making it particularly conspicuous.

"How could this happen... how could this happen..." Li Minxia collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

The workers were also talking about it, and everyone was in a state of panic.

"Oh no, the pig farm has been shut down. Will we still get paid?"

"Who did the Luo family offend? They're so ruthless!"

Looking at the seal, Luo Xinde felt as if the sky was about to fall. Was his hard-earned family business going to be destroyed just like that? He felt a surge of anger and his vision went black; he swayed and almost fell.

"Dad!" Luo Xiyuan quickly helped him up.

She looked up at the glaring seal, then at the panicked crowd around her.

She knew that it was Zhao Hu, or someone even more powerful than Zhao Hu, who was behind this. They wanted to use this method to completely destroy the Luo family.

However, they were wrong.

She, Luo Xiyuan, is not so easily defeated.

Supporting her father, she walked to all the workers and, with all her might, announced loudly, "Don't worry, everyone! Our Luo's Farm will not collapse! Everyone's wages will be paid in full! Starting today, all workers will be on paid leave! We'll notify you to return to work once we've resolved this matter!"

After calming the workers down, she went to her distraught parents and Mr. Liu.

"Dad, Mom, Grandpa Liu, the sky hasn't fallen yet." Her voice, unusually firm, echoed in the empty courtyard. "They want us dead, but we'll live on, and live even better than before!"

She picked up her phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, Uncle Wang? This is Luo Xiyuan. We've run into a little trouble here..."