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

Chapter 72 Master Liu is Sick

Luo Xinde was discovered at five o'clock in the morning.

That day, as usual, he went to inspect the pigsty. Passing by the feed warehouse, he saw Grandpa Liu sitting at the warehouse door, his head against the wall, his eyes closed.

He thought he was asleep, but when he got closer, something was wrong—Master Liu was frowning and clutching his left chest.

"Master Liu!"

Master Liu opened his eyes, glanced at him, and slowly removed his hand from his chest.

"It's okay, you're just having trouble breathing, you'll be fine after a rest."

"What's wrong? You can't breathe. How long has it been?"

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"It was a little bit before I went to bed last night, but it got worse this morning. Don't make a fuss about it."

Luo Xinde ignored him and turned to call Li Minxia. The two of them carried Grandpa Liu directly to the town's health center.

The doctor measured my blood pressure and did an electrocardiogram, saying that the lack of blood supply to the heart muscle, coupled with recent overwork, had triggered mild angina.

They prescribed medicine and told me to rest and not to stay in the pigsty from morning till night like before.

Mr. Liu sat on a chair outside the clinic and snorted at the diagnosis report.

"At my age, I'm bound to have some health issues. Is it really necessary to make such a fuss?"

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Luo Xinde took the medicine bag, put it in his pocket, and glanced at him.

"Mr. Liu, how old are you this year?"

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Master Liu did not answer.

"Sixty-seven," Luo Xinde said to himself. "You're about the same age as my father. You're more capable than him, but you're not made of iron. I'll keep an eye on the farm. You go back and get some rest."

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Grandpa Liu turned his head away and looked out the window.

When he arrived at the farm, there were two hundred piglets.

Currently, there are over a thousand pigs in stock. The second phase of the pigsty has been completed, and there are fifty cooperative farmers. He knows the monthly production data by heart and can report it at any time.

He knows better than anyone which pigsty is still lacking ventilation, which farmer's feed ratio was slightly off last month, and which sow is going to be bred next month.

This is what he has done his whole life.

"Don't let Xiyuan know, don't let her worry." He said this after a long time.

Luo Xinde did not respond.

Back at the farm, the news spread. First, Uncle Chen found out, then the workers, and then Luo Wen heard about it when he came home from school.

Luo Wen put down his schoolbag after entering the house, went to the kitchen to drink some water, and then went straight to the room where Master Liu lived.

Mr. Liu was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a technical journal in his hand. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Luo Wen.

"What are you here for?"

"Come and see." Rowan sat down in the chair, put his schoolbag on the ground, and asked, "What book?"

"Agricultural technology journals, you can't understand them."

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"Just read it to me."

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Master Liu gave him a stare.

"Issue 47: Research on Nutritional Supplementation for Early Weaning of Piglets — Do you really want to hear it?"

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"Listen." Luo Wen took out a draft paper, held a pencil, and looked serious.

Looking at the young man, Master Liu found it somewhat amusing. He cleared his throat and began to recite.

After reading about three paragraphs, Luo Wen wrote a line on the draft paper and pushed it to Master Liu.

Grandpa Liu leaned closer and said, "Grandpa Liu, you need to rest more. Dad can keep an eye on things at the farm."

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Below that is another line, in smaller print: "Did you take your medicine on time?"

Grandpa Liu picked up the paper, folded it, put it aside, picked up the journal again, turned to the previous page, and continued reading.

Luo Wen straightened the pencil again, said nothing more, and just sat there listening.

The wind outside the window rustled the leaves.

Grandpa Liu's voice was deep and his words were clear. When he read the part about iron supplementation for piglets, he paused and casually asked, "Do you know why piglets need iron supplementation in the first three days after birth?"

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Luo Wen thought for a moment and said, "Because breast milk doesn't contain enough iron?"

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"Yes. Anything else?"

"————There is iron in the soil, but the pigs in the pen can't eat the soil."

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Mr. Liu put down the journal, glanced at Luo Wen, and said, "His mind is still sharp."

This is one of the highest praises he could give.

Luo Wen lowered his head and carefully wrote the words "iron supplement for piglets" on the draft paper. After finishing, he added a question mark at the end.

The wind was still blowing outside the window, and someone walked past in the yard; the footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

It was Li Minxia who decided to participate in the trade fair.

On the day the county's Administration for Industry and Commerce sent the exhibition notice, she took the paper to Sun Dahai, pushed the notice in front of him, and said, "Master Sun, how about we show our sausages at the exhibition?"

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Sun Dahai took the notice and read it through.

The "First Qinghe County Agricultural and Sideline Products and Food Fair" will be held in early December at the county stadium for two days.

He didn't speak immediately, but turned the paper over to look at the back, then turned it back again.

"Just our family?"

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"We're going to the meat processing plant, and two small snack factories too." Li Minxia paused for a moment, "But I think our products are not afraid of being compared."

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Sun Dahai placed the notice on the table, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes to think for a while.

He used to work at a state-owned meat processing plant and had participated in three such exhibitions. Each time, his rose-flavored sausage was the first product asked about at the booth. When the leaders came, they would pat him on the shoulder and say that Dahai was amazing and that he was a star product of the factory.

Those were his most triumphant years.

Later, the factory went bankrupt, and he was laid off. The formula was buried at the bottom of his chest, and during that period he would rather drink than take it out.

Now the recipe has been revived and, under the name of "Master Sun," it sells for 68 yuan per kilogram on the market. The chef at Jinhai Bay says it ranks among the top three, and five-star hotels put his products in their New Year's gift boxes.

"I'll go." He sat up straight again, his voice even. "But on the display stand, I'll cut it myself, plate it myself, and serve it to people myself."

Li Minxia nodded.

On the day of the trade fair, the stadium was crowded with people, and all the stalls were set up. The meat processing plant's stall was decorated in a grand style, with a large banner hanging up and several products on display, making it look very impressive.

The Luo family's booth was in the central area, with a white tablecloth and a sign that read "Master Sun's Handmade Rose Dew Sausage".

The post included an old photo of Sun Dahai working at the meat processing plant, with the caption: "Sun Dahai, technician at a state-owned meat processing plant, with 30 years of experience."

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Sun Dahai, dressed in white overalls, with his apron tied and gloves on, stood behind the display stand, sharpening the knife and wiping the cutting board clean.

Luo Wen got out of school early today and came to help out. He stood at the corner of the booth and was in charge of collecting pre-order forms.

Half an hour after the museum opened, people started to come in.

The first to arrive were two middle-aged women, drawn to a sausage that had already been cut open on the display stand. The sausage was clearly red and white, with a glossy, oily surface.

Sun Dahai picked up a piece, stuck a toothpick in it, and handed it over: "Try it."

The woman took it, put it in her mouth, chewed it twice, paused, chewed it again, and then turned to call the person next to her: "You try this!"

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That's how it all started.

By the afternoon, there was a constant stream of people in front of the booth.

Sun Dahai sliced ​​one piece after another, his hand steady and his knife precise, each slice of uniform thickness. After slicing, he used toothpicks to secure them and arranged them neatly on a white porcelain plate.

After trying it, someone wanted to buy it on the spot. Luo Wen pushed the pre-order form over and said that they did not sell whole items on-site. He left his contact information and said it would be delivered to his home next week.

Some people also asked: "Which factory made this, and where can I buy it?"

Sun Dahai glanced at the man and said, "Luo Family Food Factory in Luo Family Village has stores in the town and also in the county seat."

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The man wrote it down, left, and returned with two other people.

Before closing time, a salesperson from the meat processing plant came over. Taking advantage of the low number of people, he tucked his tail between his legs, glanced at Sun Dahai's booth, said nothing, and left.

After clearing the area, Luo Wen counted the pre-orders twice and told Li Minxia, ​​"87 orders, totaling approximately 420 jin."

Li Minxia wrote the numbers down in her notebook, looked up, and saw Sun Dahai still standing behind the booth, carefully wiping the knife clean, one cut at a time, without saying a word.

She walked over and stood next to him.

"Thank you for your hard work, Master Sun."

Sun Dahai put the knife back in its sheath, took off his gloves, and stared at the display stand sign without turning around.

His name was printed on it, along with the words "Thirty Years in the Industry." In the old photo, his hair was still black.

He stood there for a while and said, "It's not hard work."

That night, Luo Wen sent his sister a message: "At the exhibition today, we received 87 pre-orders. Grandpa Sun didn't leave the booth the entire time."

Xi Yuan replied with three words: "Remember him."

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