Old Mrs. Song is reborn; get out of here, you scumbag husband and illegitimate child!

The captain stood up and walked quickly outside.

He walked to the vicinity of the brigade headquarters and encountered several villagers squatting under the wall, basking in the sun.

"Captain, you're going to Song the Pig Slaughterer's house? I heard she hired a professor?"

"An agricultural professor from the province." The captain didn't stop, but quickened his pace.

The accountant was using an abacus, and the clattering sound came from inside the room.

The captain pushed open the door, and Lao Zhou looked up at him.

"Old Zhou, bring the company seal, inkpad, and contract template, and come with me."

"Where to?"

"Song Xianglan's house. Sign the contract."

Old Zhou was taken aback. "What kind of contract?"

"You'll see when we get there. Hurry up."

Old Zhou pushed the abacus aside and pulled out a notebook and the company seal from the drawer.

I tucked it under my arm and followed it out the door.

When the two returned to Song Xianglan's house, the Party Secretary and the old Party Secretary had already discussed and finalized the specific terms.

When Lao Zhou heard that he could rent 45 mu of land for 50 years, he paused his pen.

He glanced at the captain.

The captain didn't look at him.

Old Zhou didn't ask any more questions and buried himself in writing the contract.

At this moment, Chen Ke's two students came downstairs.

The two young men were named Hong Tianmiao, a tall, thin man with a dark tan, and Gao Shengde, a short, stocky man wearing round-framed glasses.

The two stood at the top of the stairs.

Seeing a group of people sitting in the courtyard, I felt a little lost.

Song Xianglan waved to them. "You all go about your business. There's food in the kitchen, go get it yourself."

The two students nodded and slipped into the kitchen.

The contract was drafted in about half an hour.

Old Zhou's handwriting was neat and his terms were written clearly.

Forty-five mu of sandy land, leased for fifty years, for agricultural planting and the construction of related supporting facilities.

The food factory will purchase the land it currently leases, with the price based on the market price of similar land in the town.

Song Xianglan read it from beginning to end.

I picked up the pen, signed my name, and pressed my fingerprint.

The Party Secretary signed the document.

The captain signed it.

The former Party Secretary also signed the document as a witness.

Old Zhou stamped the official seal.

Song Xianglan took out a brown paper envelope from the house, which contained money.

She counted the money and divided it into two bundles.

One stack represents land rent.

One stack of money was for buying land.

"Count."

Old Zhou took it and counted it twice, and the numbers matched.

"The amount is correct."

The captain looked at the two stacks of money, feeling a mix of emotions.

He opened his mouth, and blurted out:

"Old Song, just let me know if you need anything later."

Song Xianglan smiled.

"OK."

After the group left.

Song Xianglan folded the contract neatly and put it into the iron box in the cabinet.

She now has fifty acres of land.

In the afternoon, Song Xianglan went to the food factory, and the gatekeeper said that Tang Zhong was off today.

She rode her bicycle to Tangjiazhuang.

Tangjiazhuang is not far from Xiaoquan Brigade; it's just over a small hill.

The two villages are close to each other, but their relationship has never been good.

The people of Tangjiazhuang are very fierce. They had a fight with Xiaoquan Brigade decades ago over water resources.

Tang Zhong's house is the third house at the entrance of the village.

The courtyard wasn't large, and a row of fishing nets was stacked at the base of the wall.

Tang Zhong was repairing fishing nets in the yard.

Hearing the sound of a bicycle, he looked up, saw Song Xianglan, and stopped what he was doing.

"Boss Song, what's up at the factory?"

Tang Zhong was not tall and had broad shoulders, with muscles bulging on his arms.

An old scar on his face runs from his left brow bone down to his cheekbone.

These are scars left from his time in the military, participating in the Vietnam War.

"Tang Zhong, this isn't a factory matter." Song Xianglan leaned her bicycle against the wall and stood in the yard.

"I've leased 45 mu of land near your Tangjiazhuang village. I need manpower to level the land, create ridges, and build greenhouses. Could you help me recruit about ten farmers from the village to do the work?"

Tang Zhong's eyes lit up immediately.

The people of Tangjiazhuang had long been envious of Xiaoquan Brigade.

With the opening of Song Xianglan's food factory, the people of Xiaoquan Brigade had money in their pockets.

Even the morning market, which was only available in the commune, was brought to Xiaoquan Brigade.

The people of Tangjiazhuang also wanted to work in the factory, but the factory had many requirements for hiring, so most people couldn't get in.

Tang Zhong was able to work as a security guard thanks to his status as a veteran.

Now that Song Xianglan had taken the initiative to come to him, Tang Zhong was overjoyed.

"No problem. How many people do you need?"

"Twelve people, please. Quick and hardworking. Wages will be paid daily, one dollar and fifty cents a day."

"One dollar and fifty cents?"

Tang Zhong gasped.

These days, if you can find odd jobs in the countryside and earn 50 cents a day, you're considered lucky.

Song Xianglan paused for a moment, then continued:

"In addition, those few acres of land near the sea also need to be leveled. Besides leveling the land, we also need a few hardworking people who can do the work in the fields regularly. They will receive a bonus every month if they do a good job."

Tang Zhong nodded repeatedly.

"Okay. My brother is honest, hardworking, and reliable. I'll make him the foreman, and he'll take the men over first thing tomorrow morning."

Song Xianglan nodded. "Okay."

"I plan to do some farming in this area from now on. I'll grow white asparagus, mushrooms, and greenhouse vegetables. I'll provide the seeds and technology, and my people will take care of the seedlings."

If the people of Tangjiazhuang are willing to plant it, they can also participate.

For Song Xianglan, the more people growing mushrooms and asparagus, the better.

Her factory's output will increase.

Currently, we rely on purchasing from other places, but the transportation costs are high, making it more expensive than purchasing locally.

Tang Zhong's breathing suddenly quickened.

"real?"

"Under certain conditions, the asparagus and mushrooms grown must be sold to my factory."

The guaranteed purchase price is 50 cents per pound for asparagus and 25 cents per pound for mushrooms. You can't sell them to others. Every household has to sign an agreement. Violations will result in compensation.

Tang Zhong didn't even think about it.

"What's there to hesitate about? How much money can we make growing rice all year round?"

"There's one more."

Song Xianglan held up one finger, "All the best-quality asparagus and mushrooms must be delivered to the factory."

"You can keep the broken, fragmented, or poorly shaped pieces for yourselves or sell them at the market. This is also written into the agreement."

Tang Zhong patted his chest.

"No problem, my family will be the first to sign."

Song Xianglan nodded.

"Okay. Let's sign the agreement first, and I'll have someone notify you once the seedlings are ready."

"Thank you, Boss Song." Tang Zhong felt that good days were just around the corner.

Song Xianglan went to get her bicycle.

Tang Zhong followed behind and saw them out of the courtyard. "Boss Song, I'll talk to everyone in the village about this today. I guarantee I'll get all the people you need."

"Let's finish leveling the land first. Planting isn't urgent; we'll wait until Professor Chen finalizes the plan."

Song Xianglan got on her bicycle and headed back.

When passing the sandy land where the two villages meet.

She stopped and looked for a while.

The wasteland was covered with knee-high weeds, and clumps of shrubs were scattered here and there. In the distance was a windbreak forest, and beyond that, the sea. The afternoon sun made the sandy land look white.

She did some mental calculations.

The costs included leveling the land, building greenhouses, seedling cultivation, fertilizer, labor, and Professor Chen's team's expenses.

The initial investment will be at least ten thousand yuan.

But as long as the first batch of asparagus and mushrooms is grown, breaking even is not a problem.

As soon as she entered the village, Song Xianglan was stopped.

"Old Song, I heard you're going to teach everyone how to grow white asparagus?"

"Sister Song, is it really true that you're buying it for 50 cents a pound?"

"I have land at home, can I plant orchids there?"

How many times a year is asparagus harvested? When will we see any money?

"My family wants to grow mushrooms. White asparagus might not be a reliable option."

The news spread throughout the village.

One person after another gathered around.

The villagers asked questions here and there.

Even Granny Yu followed behind, eagerly asking questions.

Song Xianglan was blocked on the village road, surrounded by people on all sides.

The questions asked were always the same few.

What to plant?

How to plant it?

They're really giving me money?

How much to give?

Her throat was burning.

Song Xianglan roared:

"Go ask the Party Secretary. He knows exactly when to start, how to plant, and how much to plant. Don't ask me."

But the crowd did not disperse.

Several more arrived, each more anxious than the last.

When Song Xianglan got home, she didn't want to be disturbed, so she saw two boys squatting against the wall playing marbles.

One was eleven or twelve years old, wearing a patched vest; the other was slightly younger, with snot smeared on his face.

"You two come here."

The two boys looked up, glanced at each other, and ran over.

"Grandma Song."

Song Xianglan took out two 50-cent coins from her pocket and gave them to the two of them.

"Five cents each. You two stay here at the intersection. If anyone comes to me asking about growing asparagus and mushrooms, tell them you're going to see the Party Secretary. Understand?"

The older boy looked down at the money in his palm.

His eyes almost popped out.

"I understand."

The two boys grabbed the money and ran towards the intersection.

A short while later, another person turned out of the village road and headed towards Song Xianglan's house.

The youngest boy darted forward, spreading his arms wide to block the path completely.

"Go find the Party Secretary. Go find the Party Secretary about planting asparagus and mushrooms."

The man paused for two seconds, muttered something, and turned to head towards the village secretary's house.

Song Xianglan went to the kitchen to cook in the evening.

Chen Ke came downstairs with a notebook in his hand.

"Sister Song, I just discussed it with Tianmiao and Shengde. Tomorrow we'll go to that sandy area to collect samples, and then go up the mountain to check on the broad-leaved forest. If the conditions are right, we can plant mushrooms directly under the trees."

Song Xianglan nodded.

"Okay. I'll arrange for someone to go with you tomorrow."

Chen Ke adjusted his glasses. "Also, my friend, the agricultural PhD from Gangcheng, will be able to come over next month. The sooner the fruit tree grafting experiments begin, the better."

"Let him come. I'll arrange his accommodation and cover the expenses."

Chen Ke opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He'd been in academia for so many years and had never encountered such a straightforward investor.

In the past, applying for research funding required getting numerous stamps, visiting many departments, and even then, approval wasn't guaranteed.

He excels at research and dislikes socializing.

But if you need money, you can reduce socializing and flattery.

Now it's so easy to just give money or land whenever you want.

They didn't even discuss any conditions.

He was determined to make Song Xianglan a nationally renowned boss who made her fortune through agriculture.

There was another knock at the gate.

Song Xianglan didn't even turn her head. "Go find the Party Secretary."

There was silence outside the door for two seconds, then the footsteps faded away.

The younger boy peeked out from over the wall. "Grandma Song, we've stopped twenty-seven already."

Song Xianglan grabbed a handful of candy and handed it over.

"Keep guarding it. Leave when it gets dark."

The boy took the candy and darted back to the other side of the wall.

"Thank you, Grandma Song."