Chapter 32

Qing Mengzhu was slightly disappointed, but said aloud, "I understand. Chili peppers are mainly used as a condiment, and are rarely eaten as a main dish."

Within three months, his family's five mu (approximately 0.33 acres) of chili fields could produce at least 30,000 jin (approximately 15,000 kg) of chilies. Selling them all to a catering group would be putting them in a difficult position.

After all, restaurant groups also have high-end and budget lines, and it's estimated that the budget line wouldn't need to use their chili peppers.

Zhou Yan said, "I'll ask my friends when I get back to see if any of them are interested."

Qing Mengzhu: "Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome." Zhou Yan winked. "Just let me know if you have any good ingredients next time. I really love searching for ingredients."

Sensing Zhou Yan's high regard for her, Qing Mengzhu nodded. "Definitely!"

Chapter 32

Zhou Yan appears to be quite forthright, but he is meticulous and swift in his work.

A few days later, he brought the group's purchasing manager over to taste Qing Mengzhu's chili peppers again, and then promptly signed a contract with Qing Mengzhu.

They offered 120 yuan per jin (500g) for the best-ripened chilies, and would ship 100 jin (500g) three times a week.

Although this price isn't as high as those famous chili peppers, it's the highest price Qing Mengzhu can currently obtain.

To command a higher price, his chili peppers might need to build up some more reputation, or be submitted to competitions and win a gold or silver medal before their value can significantly increase.

After signing the contract, Qing Mengzhu immediately shared the good news with Ming Chunxi.

Ming Chunxi was very happy for him. "[To be able to grow chili peppers of this quality in the first year is truly remarkable.]"

Qing Mengzhu was overjoyed, her eyes sparkling as she typed. "[Thanks to everyone's help, otherwise my chili peppers wouldn't have yielded results so quickly.]"

Ming Chunxi: [Help from others is at most icing on the cake; you could have achieved this even without their help.]

Qing Mengzhu: [Haha, maybe. Brother, when are you free? When you are, I'll treat you to dinner so we can celebrate.]

Ming Chunxi: [I've been working overtime lately. If all goes well, I can take a vacation next week; if not, it's up to fate.]

Even through the screen, Qing Mengzhu could sense his slight weariness and helplessness: [Then we'll meet up again when you're on vacation. Take care and don't overwork yourself.]

Ming Chunxi: [Okay.]

After talking with Ming Chunxi, Qing Mengzhu told Zhao Hexi about it, and unsurprisingly received a lot of praise from Zhao Hexi, who lauded Qing Mengzhu as an agricultural genius.

Qing Mengzhu the courtesy and also praised Zhao Hexi for his discerning eye for talent.

Zhao Hexi: [What the heck, aren't you just indirectly praising yourself?!]

Qing Mengzhu: [I call this killing two birds with one stone, praising two people with one sentence.]

Zhao Hexi: [Tsk, you're really not taking any loss. Hurry up and treat us to a celebration.]

Having made a fortune, Qing Mengzhu naturally wasn't stingy with this small amount of money and readily agreed, "[Okay, which restaurant do you want to eat at?]"

Zhao Hexi: [Luan Xiao'er Barbecue!]

This is a mid-range barbecue restaurant, costing around 300-400 yuan per person.

Qing Mengzhu, who was not short of money, waved her hand and said, "There's no need to treat everyone to a meal at this place. How about we go to Qiancao Private Kitchen instead?"

Zhao Hexi had mentioned this restaurant before and always wanted to go, but couldn't bear the price of over a thousand yuan per person.

Hearing this, Zhao Hexi almost knelt down. "[Godfather! I will obey your arrangements!]"

After chatting with her friends, Qing Mengzhu replied to everyone, focusing on telling Nian Xinfei that the chili peppers had been sold, and then expressing her gratitude.

Nian Xinfei was happy for him, saying that his ability to grow it so well gave everyone the motivation to improve the "Tengjin 01" chili pepper variety.

The chili peppers at Qing Mengzhu's house are getting redder and redder.

He couldn't sell or eat all the peppers at once, so he picked the ripest ones and laid them out in the courtyard to dry.

Under the perfect summer sun, the chili peppers gradually lose moisture, their flesh concentrates, and they slowly transform into a flavor different from fresh chili peppers.

When Zhou Yan arrived with his men, the dried chilies in the entire courtyard of Qing Mengzhu's house emitted a domineering, rich, slightly sweet, and slightly spicy aroma.

This unique fragrance smells exactly like the scent of a bountiful harvest.

Qing Mengzhu opened the door for them. Zhou Yan smelled the delicious aroma filling the courtyard. Before he could speak to Qing Mengzhu, he turned to his friend and said, "I told you their chili peppers were good, I wasn't lying, was I?"

Zhou Yan's friend's eyes lit up as he looked around Qing Mengzhu's small courtyard, nodding repeatedly. "It smells so good, so fragrant! And the bright red color is beautiful too."

Zhou Yan Qing Mengzhu: "This is my friend Di Xing, who works in foreign trade."

He then said to Di Xing, "This is Mengzhu, the one I told you about. He's an exceptionally capable young man."

Di Xing extended his hand to shake hands with Qing Mengzhu, and said with a smile, "I have long admired your name, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Seeing the man's smiling face, Qing Mengzhu knew he was a very generous person, and smiled back, "Nice to meet you, come in and have a seat."

Qing Mengzhu led them into the courtyard, where they sat down under the eaves, and brewed lotus tea.

The two dogs were sleeping in the sunlight. When they saw the stranger, they pricked up their ears and glanced at him warily. After sensing Qing Mengzhu attitude, they fell asleep again.

They are clever and have now learned to distinguish between guests and strangers. When they encounter guests, they not only do not bark, but when they are in a good mood, they will even come over and act cute.

Among the guests of Qing Mengzhu's household, none who had seen them disliked them.

Di Xing sat down, picked up his cup amidst the fragrant aroma of the courtyard, took a sip of lotus tea, and then sighed in a daze.

Both Qing Mengzhu and Zhou Yan looked at him, as if to ask what he was sighing about.

Di Xing said, "A house with a yard, flowers and grass, and two dogs—this is truly a dream life!"

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "I feel alright when I'm resting; there's definitely a sense of peace and tranquility. But when I get up at five in the morning to work, I don't feel that way anymore."

Zhou Yan laughed heartily, "It's all a 'walled city' situation; everyone envies other people's lives."

After chatting for a while, everyone started to get down to business.

Although Di Xing trusted Zhou Yan's judgment, he still personally tasted the chili peppers before signing the exclusive supply contract with Qing Mengzhu.

He bought all of Qing Mengzhu's dried chilies at a price of 1,000 yuan per kilogram, with the contract specifying strict requirements for the quality and moisture content of the chilies.

Their contract was only for this year, but Di Xing requested that, at the same price, he have the right to priority to contract Qing Mengzhu's dried chili peppers next year.

Qing Mengzhu was also very pleased that the deal was made.

With this contract, he basically won't have to worry about his income this year.

He doesn't even need to worry about next year; he's earned enough in one year to cover two years' worth of expenses. After that, he can afford to take on the corresponding risks when trying other projects.

Di Xing was also very pleased, repeatedly saying that the chili peppers from Qing Mengzhu's family were excellent, that he particularly liked them, and that he hoped there would be opportunities to cooperate again in the future.

Qing Mengzhu had no habit of talking about her private affairs and kept both contracts strictly confidential.

However, the villagers still heard the news and soon everyone was talking about his chili peppers.

At this moment, Qing Mengzhu couldn't help but feel fortunate that he had installed surveillance cameras in advance; otherwise, things might not have been so peaceful.

That morning, when Di Caiyong came to collect the vegetables, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Did you really sell all your chili peppers?"

Qing Mengzhu: "I used some connections; a friend introduced me."

Di Caiyong: "When it comes to money, it's not a matter of whether it's related or not. People are only willing to take on this kind of business if they can make money. So it's all because your chili peppers are good."

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "That's true, but the other party's requirements are very strict, and they might have to return the goods if we're not careful."

Tan Wenlei overheard them talking about this and came closer. "Is it very profitable?"

Qing Mengzhu: "It is indeed possible, but the requirements are high. You know how much effort I put into the chili field."