Chapter 498 - 512: Inspection

The middle-aged man supervising the work felt his breath catch in his throat. He stammered, "C-c-c-coun..." for what felt like an eternity, but everyone—sharp or not—understood what he was trying to say.

The man before them, dressed in a worn-out overcoat, was the new...

"My surname is Shan, and my given name is Yang. You can all just call me Shan Yang. No need for formal titles."

Shan Yang’s gaze shifted to the middle-aged man. His smile was faint, his tone mild.

"Director Wang, what brings you here? What a coincidence to run into you."

This single sentence made one thing clear to everyone: Shan Yang’s arrival had nothing to do with Director Wang. That meant the whole story about shoveling snow was suddenly questionable.

Director Wang quickly dropped his iron shovel. A nearby villager, wincing at the waste, immediately picked it up—it was a rather expensive tool.

"Well—I-I just happened to be passing by. I thought I’d get everyone moving a bit. It wouldn’t do for the roads to be blocked, would it?"

It was a high-sounding excuse, but Shan Yang didn’t call him out on it. He simply found Sun Dazhuang and said in an understanding and reassuring tone, "Hello. Please arrange for everyone to head home. On a cold day like this, they should all go back and have some hot ginger soup."

"And if you don’t mind, I’d like you to take me to the village’s vegetable greenhouses. I came here hoping to learn a thing or two."

A bit of courtesy makes any task that much easier.

Sun Dazhuang was, of course, happy to welcome Shan Yang. He led the way, calling over An Guoming as they went.

"This is the An family’s—er, their second son. What was your full name again?"

"My name is An Guoming."

An Guoming introduced himself, and Sun Dazhuang added from the side, "That’s right, An Guoming. The vegetable greenhouses belong to the An family, and he’s in charge of them now."

Shan Yang looked at An Guoming and said, "So young and already so accomplished. You have a bright future ahead of you."

"You’re too kind. This was all my little sister’s idea. I’m just the one doing the manual labor."

An Guoming demurred, deflecting the credit and bringing An Ning into the spotlight.

Shan Yang was naturally intrigued. "If your little sister is that capable, then I simply must meet her."

"No problem. She’s right here!"

An Guoming waved An Ning over. With a sigh of resignation, she walked up and stood beside her brother.

Bursting with pride, An Guoming excitedly made the introduction. "This is my little sister, An Ning."

’An Ning?’

The name set off alarm bells in Shan Yang’s mind.

Before coming to take up his post, the Old Man had given him a list. There were a few names on it, but An Ning’s was at the very top, specially circled in red.

Red meant she was to be protected. It meant she had a special status.

’An Ning, Shili Gou, the vegetable greenhouses... so it’s all connected.’

"Hello, I’m Shan Yang."

His tone was polite, but not obsequious.

Hearing him use the formal "you," An Ning had her suspicions, but she revealed nothing as she shook Shan Yang’s hand and began discussing the vegetable greenhouses.

The villagers began to head back. With An Ning on his left and Sun Dazhuang on his right, Shan Yang walked with the large party back to the village, where everyone dispersed to their own homes.

As for Shan Yang, he was truly there to conduct an inspection.

A new official is said to light three fires to establish his authority. His first fire was the vegetable greenhouses. He wanted to do something tangible for the people, not just engage in a vanity project.

Through their conversation on the walk, An Ning got a sense of Shan Yang’s intentions, and her own words became much more sincere as a result.

An Ning wasn’t the type to be secretive about her techniques. Whatever Shan Yang asked, she answered truthfully and in great detail.

Inside the vegetable greenhouse, Shan Yang turned to An Ning. "Thank you for sharing so selflessly."

"Selfless? I wouldn’t go that far. There isn’t a high degree of technical skill involved with the greenhouses. The main issue is the initial investment. If the villagers had the money, they’d build them themselves."

"Besides, with so many people here, every household needs vegetables. There’s no way I could grow enough for everyone on my own."

An Ning’s words earned Shan Yang’s complete approval. Yet, it was a simple truth that many people still failed to grasp.

After the greenhouse tour, Shan Yang also visited the mountain that An Ning had leased. He inspected it thoroughly, walking its paths with care and observing every detail.

When his inspection was over, Shan Yang declined Sun Dazhuang’s invitation to stay and insisted on heading back.

Seeing this, Sun Dazhuang offered to arrange for a car to take him part of the way, but he was refused again. In the end, An Ning stepped in and arranged for a mule-drawn cart to take Shan Yang and his companion back. As for Director Wang, he had come on his own, so he could leave on his own.

Before climbing into the cart, Shan Yang said to An Ning, "I’ll be sending more people over to learn..."

"Feel free to send them. They’re welcome anytime."

"Thank you. But if this is really implemented on a wider scale, vegetable prices will certainly fall."

An Ning gave him a mysterious smile. "That’s fine. Some things will always be special."

Seeing the confident look on An Ning’s face, Shan Yang didn’t press the issue. He thanked everyone once more and left in the mule-drawn cart.

"If he stays like this, he should be one of the good ones."

Jiang Xia’s words earned a nod of agreement from both An Guoming and An Ning. But the road ahead was long and difficult, so who could say for sure?

With Shan Yang gone, the group said their goodbyes to Sun Dazhuang and headed home as well.

An Ning hurried back, her mind fixed on the fish stew and skillet bread Lin Cuihua was making!

At the gate of the An family home, An Ning dashed inside, taking an intoxicating sniff of the air that only made her hungrier.

"Mom! Is dinner ready?"

"It is! Been ready for a while. We were just waiting for you!"

Lin Cuihua came out of the house, washed her hands, and called everyone to eat.

The scene was familiar, the movements routine.

At Lin Cuihua’s call, everyone started washing their hands, setting up the table, laying out bowls and chopsticks, and bringing out the food.

Once everyone was seated, one person was missing: An Guoqing.

As An Guoping watched with a puzzled expression, Lin Cuihua took a bowl and chopsticks to the front house to deliver his meal.

An Guoqing was currently staying in the newly built house out front.

"Our eldest brother—?"

An Guoping asked. An Ning gave a simple explanation, telling him not to spread the news. It hadn’t been three months yet, so they weren’t supposed to tell anyone.

A moment later, Lin Cuihua returned and urged everyone to eat.

"Let’s eat. Don’t worry about your eldest brother. I gave him plenty of meat, and it always tastes better when you eat alone."

Everyone shared a lighthearted smile and began to eat.

Lin Cuihua first served some food to their guests, Anna and Baobei. Then she put down her personal chopsticks and picked up a separate pair for serving.

They were guests, so serving chopsticks were a must. If it were just family, they probably wouldn’t bother with such formalities.

"Thank you."

"Thank you."

Anna and Baobei said in succession.

Beside them, little Hei Dan sat in his special high chair. Deftly wielding his spoon, he scooped up some mashed fish and moved to put it in An Ning’s bowl.

Seeing this, An Ning teased Hei Dan, "Who am I?"

"Hei Dan, you have to say who I am, okay?"

Hei Dan stared at An Ning, gave her a sweet, gappy-toothed smile, and chirped, "A person!"

"PFFT—"

"HAHAHAHA—"

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH—"

That simple answer made several people choke with laughter.

Even An Ning couldn’t help but laugh. She stroked Hei Dan’s head and said, "You’re too much!"

"I meant you should call me ’Auntie,’ not ’a person.’"

Hei Dan looked confused. His little hand, still holding the spoon aloft, was getting tired. He sighed like a little old man and declared, "Tired. Eat."

An Ning was just about to open her mouth when she saw the spoonful of mashed fish disappear into Hei Dan’s own.

"Hey, wasn’t that for your auntie?"