All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

In a recruit company ten kilometers away from them, Zhou Xiaobai was secretly writing a letter to Zhong Yuemin, hiding under the covers in his dormitory.

Her words were filled with her longing for Zhong Yuemin and the thoughts of a little girl.

Looking at the letter that was almost two pages long, Zhou Xiaobai felt as if she still had countless things to say to Zhong Yuemin, and finally wrote at the end of the letter.

"Yuemin, this is the second letter I've written to you this month. I don't know if you received the first one. I think you probably haven't received it yet. I know I shouldn't write to you so often, but I just can't help it. I miss you, I miss your smile, I miss your face, and all the little things we did together. I've realized now that I've really fallen in love with you, hopelessly in love with you!"

After writing this far, Zhou Xiaobai suppressed his emotions and took a long time to calm down before continuing to write.

"After I finish writing this letter, I will wait until I receive your reply before I continue writing to you. In the army, you are not allowed to date before you are promoted to officer. If I write to you so frequently, it will definitely have an impact. I will write to you again after I finish my basic training!"

Unconsciously, Zhou Xiaobai wrote another page. She had agreed to end it here, but it seemed that she had countless things to say to Zhong Yuemin. At her age, a young girl's heart is full of thoughts and feelings that she wants to share with someone.

Zhou Xiaobai still doesn't understand what she likes about Zhong Yuemin. She can't say what's so good about him. Perhaps she gradually became attracted to him after he rejected her the first time.

Girls' hearts are so strange. As Zhou Xiaobai is, she has never been rejected by anyone in her life, but suddenly a boy rejected her. Moreover, the personality and certain skills that this boy showed when he rejected her deeply attracted her. As the saying goes, the more unattainable something is, the more it attracts you.

Unbeknownst to Zhou Xiaobai, the boy who had attracted him was currently bruised and battered by a group of people, heading towards the county's Ge Committee.

Chapter 156: Uncle Ma

"Nonsense!"

"Snapped!"

A middle-aged man with a long face glared angrily at Zhong Yuemin as he slammed his hand heavily on the desk.

"Uncle Ma... Uncle Ma, um..."

Zhong Yuemin stood trembling in his office like a primary school student. After listening to his account of the whole incident, he did not expect the other party to react so strongly.

Ma Guiping raised his head, slowly walked around the room, and after a long while, he sighed and pointed to the chair next to him.

"sit down!"

Zhong Yuemin nodded quickly and carefully sat down next to the seat.

Looking at the young man in front of him, Ma Guiping was lost in deep memories, because this face looked so much like Zhong Shanyue when he was young.

Memories flooded back, and Ma Guiping sighed, suppressing his anger.

The reason he was angry just now was not because Zhong Yuemin fought with those people, but more because he felt like an elder, angry at the younger generation for their lack of ambition.

Who is my old chief, Zhong Shanyue?

When his son was this age, he had already fought bravely for several years and was already a deputy regimental commander. But now this kid has actually degenerated into speculation and profiteering for a bite to eat. It really disappoints him.

Zhong Yuemin hadn't expected Uncle Ma to be so angry. He had indeed underestimated the negative connotations that cadres of this era held for the word "businessman." They practically regarded such behavior as class offenses and enemy accusations.

In fact, whether it was Zhong Yuemin's young mind at seventeen or the soul from the future within his body, they both felt that there shouldn't be anything wrong with setting up a stall to sell pancakes in exchange for some food.

Zhong Yuemin sighed inwardly, realizing that his original idea was too naive.

It seems that selling pancakes in exchange for grain is not a viable option.

Seeing Zhong Yuemin with his head down, Ma Guiping finally softened his tone and said with a stern face.

"Is the injury on your face alright?"

Zhong Yuemin touched the wound on his face, and a sharp pain shot through him. However, it was clearly just a minor external injury. He had experienced this kind of injury countless times in Yanjing. He quickly lowered his head and replied.

"It's nothing, just a minor injury, it's nothing serious!"

Hearing Zhong Yuemin's somewhat manly reply, Ma Guiping felt a little better, and then deliberately asked with a stern face.

"Since you know who I am, why did it take you over a month to finally think of looking for me?"

Zhong Yuemin awkwardly raised his head, glanced at the other person, and still mustered up his courage to speak.

"Uncle, I just wanted to experience the real life of the local people. I never expected that my selling of sesame cakes would be so serious!"

Ma Guiping snorted and said seriously.

"I think you're only acting recklessly because you know I'm backing you up. Do you know how serious a crime it is to sabotage grain purchases and distribution? A few years ago, you wouldn't have been too harsh to be executed!"

Zhong Yuemin smiled awkwardly, knowing that Uncle Ma was just trying to scare him. He could only sell some pancakes to exchange for some food, and he didn't really need to go that far. But these days, there really was such a crime.

"Uncle, I'm sorry, I know I was wrong. I had no choice. To be honest, the pancakes we sold today were all the grain we had put together. All of it together, it was only a little bit. A quarter's worth of grain was gone in just over a month. We really had no other choice but to come out and find a way to make a living!"

"Didn't the educated youth office give you food? Why are you eating it so fast?"

Zhong Yuemin smiled sullenly and explained the whole story. When Ma Guiping heard that the production brigade had withheld half of the grain, he was initially furious, but after learning the reason, he sighed helplessly.

“Our land has been barren since ancient times, and coupled with the special local climate, every year there is either a severe drought or a severe flood. In many villages, when the food is scarce, the whole village goes to other places to beg for food. I know about this. In the end, what you did is understandable, but you can’t do it again!”

Upon hearing Uncle Ma's tone, Zhong Yuemin knew that the matter was over, but it couldn't just be left like that.

After all, he now had a powerful backer and wouldn't go hungry anymore, but the other educated youth in Shichuan Village were still starving.

Zhong Yuemin couldn't bear to watch his promise to find a way for everyone to make a living end up being ruined on their very first day of business.

Just as he was about to speak, Ma Guiping spoke first.

"Let's just forget about today's matter. You can let those educated youth take the grain back. I'll also try to find a way to help you. We can't let you starve to death. And you little brat, stay in Shichuan Village. When the conscription season comes this year, I'll find a way to get you enlisted in the army in northern Shaanxi. Don't embarrass your father!"

"Also, if you need anything in the future, come directly to me. Since you've started calling me uncle, as your elder, I can't just ignore you. Young people should study hard and be prepared at all times to become qualified successors of the future. They can't always be thinking about crooked ways!"

After Ma Guiping finished speaking, he prepared to let Zhong Yuemin leave, while Zheng Tongning and the other boys were still locked in the meeting room.

Zhong Yuemin stood up and quickly spoke.

"Uncle, wait a minute. It's like this. I'm troubling you with the conscription. I wanted to say that there are eleven of us in this group. If we don't sell pancakes for food, we can't rely on you to support us in the future. How about we make a deal?"

Upon hearing Zhong Yuemin's words, Ma Guiping immediately raised an eyebrow and rebuked him.

"You little rascal, you're not still thinking about your pancake-for-grain business, are you? Let me tell you, that's a very serious matter..."

"Stop, stop, Uncle, please let me finish."

With a grin, Zhong Yuemin quickly stepped forward, pulled Ma Guiping to sit down, poured him a cup of tea to calm him down, and then spoke with a smile.

"Uncle, everyone needs food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. Eating, drinking, and relieving oneself are all things that people need, right? I know it's wrong for private individuals to do that kind of business, but if it becomes a public business, then it's fine, isn't it? Look, there are public restaurants on the street, aren't there? And so many customers go there to eat every day, aren't they?"

Zhong Yuemin continued with a smile.

"Uncle, our county is the poorest among the surrounding counties. Our county has an population of over 100,000, and every year during the lean season, how many of them go to other places to beg for food? Don't you ever think about making sure everyone can live a better life?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Guiping immediately sat up straight, awaiting Zhong Yuemin's reply.

Zhong Yuemin smiled and continued speaking.

"Uncle, to be honest, when I was in Yanjing, I received the true teachings of a master chef. That master chef's cooking skills were top-notch in Yanjing's circles. The reason I want to exchange sesame cakes for grain is because no other family has my sesame cakes. I have a unique secret recipe that makes people want more after they've tried them. This secret recipe can be used to make more than just sesame cakes; we can explore it further!"

Ma Guiping looked at Zhong Yuemin seriously, clearly not understanding what Zhong Yuemin was trying to say.

Zhong Yuemin continued with a smile.

"Uncle, think about it. If I give you this secret recipe, you can have the food factory make a batch of snacks with a special flavor, and then sell these snacks at supply and marketing cooperatives or restaurants in other counties, making these snacks a specialty of our county. What do you say?"

After listening to Zhong Yuemin's words, Ma Guiping did not show much enthusiasm, but instead asked with suspicion.

"What secret formula is so magical? Tell me in detail, I still don't understand!"

Chapter 157: Let Nature Take Its Course

Zhong Yuemin reluctantly picked up the tea on the table and drank it, not caring that it was the same tea he had just poured for Ma Guiping.

He gulped down most of the cup, finally relieving his dry mouth, before continuing.

"Uncle, I can't explain it to you in a short time, please wait for me!"

After saying that, Zhong Yuemin pushed open the office door and ran out, leaving Ma Guiping somewhat bewildered.

After a while, Zhong Yuemin came running back, cursing and swearing, holding half a sesame seed cake in his hand.

"Uncle, those people down there are really unruly. I had more than a dozen sesame cakes left, and they snatched them all. I only had half left, and I had to snatch it from their mouths."

As he spoke, Zhong Yuemin tore off a small piece from the area marked with teeth marks, handed over the remaining half of the sesame seed cake, and said with a smile.

"Uncle, this doesn't taste as good as it did when it was fresh out of the oven, but it's not bad either. I'll let you try it. What do you think of the taste?"

Despite his doubts, Ma Guiping took the half-cake, carefully bit off a piece, chewed it a few times, frowned, and put the remaining half into his mouth, chewing it slowly. Finally, he looked up at Zhong Yuemin and asked somewhat awkwardly.

"Is there chicken in this?"

Zhong Yuemin wanted to laugh, but he couldn't help it. He smiled slightly, nodded, then shook his head before saying with a smile.

"Uncle, this is my secret recipe, a chicken-flavored seasoning. This stuff can be made in large quantities. What do you think? If I use whole grains to make it into the shape of a chicken leg, then deep-fry and bake it, making it into an easy-to-store snack, I'll call it Mizhi Vegetarian Chicken Leg, and make it a specialty of our county, selling it all over the country. What do you say?"

After hearing Zhong Yuemin's words, Ma Guiping's eyes lit up. He thought for a moment and then said in a deep voice.

"Selling it nationwide? I dare not even think about it. But if this stuff can really solve some of the difficulties in the county, then it might be worth a shot. Yuemin, are you really confident that you can make that vegetarian chicken leg?"

Zhong Yuemin nodded confidently, indicating that given some time, he was certain he could make it. Even if it couldn't be sold nationwide, making it a local specialty food would definitely not be a problem.

Perhaps this thing can still shine in this era, after all, there's a real shortage of meat these days.

Later generations named four famous Chinese chickens: Daokou roast chicken, Dezhou braised chicken, Fuliji roast chicken, and Goubangzi roast chicken.

Zhong Yuemin thought that maybe his Mizhi vegetarian chicken would become the fifth most famous chicken in China. After all, people are so short of meat these days. Even without meat, a little meat flavor can make many people remember it for a lifetime.

Actually, he had just come up with this idea. After the pancake business became unsustainable, Zhong Yuemin was thinking about how to find a way for everyone to make a living. It was only 69, and many educated youths still had to live here for seven or eight years, or even ten years. He could just leave, but was there really no way to do anything for them?

Instead of letting my culinary skills and vegetarian chicken seasoning recipe rot in my head, I might as well put them to practical use.

Once the idea came to mind, Zhong Yuemin couldn't contain himself. His Uncle Ma was the director of the county's Geology Committee. He didn't know what the future held, but he was sure he could try it out in this small county.

Ma Guiping wasn't very optimistic about this, but after tasting the chicken, he felt something was missing in his mouth, and thought it was worth giving the young man a chance.

His county is a well-known impoverished county in northern Shaanxi. Apart from a few coal mines and mineral resources, there is really nothing else there.

Zhong Yuemin knew that this county, let alone in this era, seemed to have only truly shed its label as an impoverished county fifty years later. So it was conceivable that if this vegetarian chicken leg were successfully developed and made into a local specialty, it would indeed benefit the local people.

With Uncle Ma as his backer, Zhong Yuemin was finally able to turn his life around. He told Zheng Tong and the others to take the grain to Shichuan Brigade first, while he would work at the county food factory to produce vegetarian chicken legs. Once things were settled here, Zhong Yuemin would ask Uncle Ma to find a way to transfer the group to work at the food factory.

We'll deal with the future when it comes; we can't let them go hungry for the next few years.

Zheng Tong, Ning Bin, and the others didn't have any particular thoughts. Right now, all they wanted was to have enough to eat. If they really had the opportunity to work in a food factory, they would definitely be willing.

This month-long experience of working in the countryside made them realize that if they stayed in the countryside for the rest of their lives, not having enough to eat would be the norm, and that kind of life was clearly not what they wanted.

It's just unknown whether Zheng Tong and Jiang Biyun, having changed their environment, will continue to study diligently as in the original story, and eventually return to Yanjing as intellectuals.

If, because of Zhong Yuemin's changes, the world leads the two of them down a different path, then Zhong Yuemin cannot be blamed.