Make a Fortune and Become Well-off [90] - Chapter 204

The mountains were also covered with an abundance of wild chrysanthemums, honeysuckle, azaleas, fiddlehead ferns, and more.

And that was only what the mountains offered, not counting what came from the river.

Jiang Ning didn’t like the sweltering summer, but the summers in Linhe Brigade were truly beautiful. The riverbanks were covered in vast fields of swaying lotus flowers. The summer breeze would carry the sweet scent of the lotuses, and lotus seeds, stems, roots—all were valuable.

In the wild wormwood along the riverbanks, wild goji berries thrived vigorously.

Locals didn’t recognize goji berries and called them little peppers, forbidding children from eating them.

As a child, Jiang Ning also didn’t know what goji berries were. She and the other girls just liked the bright red clusters, picking them to play with.

The abundance of wild goji berries showed that the soil and climate here were ideal for large-scale goji berry cultivation.

There were also wild fox nuts and water chestnuts, which the locals had grown tired of eating, but they fetched high prices online.

There were so many untapped agricultural resources, but no one was coming back to develop them.

Everyone was set on heading to the cities.

Jiang Ning knew her hometown was rich in agricultural resources, but she didn’t want to come back either. As she looked back at the land, her mind filled with ideas on how to lead the villagers to prosperity.

But then she smiled.

If she hadn’t ventured out, hadn’t risen to a high enough position, no one here would have listened to her. No one would have believed that a young woman could lead them to wealth.

It was only after she had gained enough status and her father was elected as the village head that people began to take her seriously, starting to build up the village under her direction.

Jiang Bo was still bent over, pulling the cart, while Jiang Ning pushed from behind, and the three of them slowly made their way out of the riverbank and up the coal mountain.

The road ahead was all uphill, with no wormwood to grab onto for support. The path was rocky and uneven, and the snow made it slippery, making it easy to slide down with a wrong step.

Even Grandpa Jiang joined in to help push the cart. Passersby would also lend a hand, helping them push the cart to the main road at the top of the coal mountain.

Jiang Ning had walked this path to and from school every day when she was younger. She was so used to it that she hadn’t realized how difficult it actually was. At the time, all her focus was on studying—having the opportunity to attend school was something she threw her whole heart into, so she didn’t have the energy to notice her surroundings or how tired her body was.

But after experiencing the smooth roads and convenient transportation of the 21st century, retracing her childhood steps made her realize just how difficult it had been to get out of that place.

So difficult, in fact, that when she stood atop the coal mountain, she didn’t even want to look back.

No wonder so many people who left never wanted to return.

The coal mountain was massive, or rather, it was a group of mountains, and the name referred to the whole area. Many villages were scattered throughout this region, and due to the abundance of mineral resources, the area had become prosperous—more prosperous than most regular townships. The only downside was the ever-present dust. The roads were constantly coated in grime, with trucks hauling coal and cement out of the area daily.

Since every truck had to pass over the ground scales, the area had earned the nickname “The Scales”. The streets were lined with various vendors and shops.

When there were no boats, they had to pass through the coal mountain, take a tricycle, and travel all the way to Shuibu Town.

Only at Shuibu Town could they catch a bus to the neighboring city or Wucheng.

Tong Jingang and Jiang Bo had nearly sold out the clothes they brought, but Tong Jingang was still out there selling. From a distance, one could hear his loudspeaker calling out. By the third day of the new year, business had slowed down, so when he spotted them pulling the cart from afar, he quickly dropped the clothes he was holding and ran over to take the cart’s strap from Jiang Bo, slinging it over his own shoulder and pulling the cart toward Jiang Ning’s aunt’s house.

Aunt Jiang’s in-laws, who had enjoyed increased business thanks to the crowd Jiang Bo and Tong Jingang had brought, greeted them warmly, smiling as they called out, “In-laws are here? Haven’t eaten yet, right? Xiao Feng, go buy some snacks! Hurry up!” Then they also called upstairs to her husband, “Dawei! Dawei! Your father-in-law’s here!”

Dawei had been upstairs watching TV, taking advantage of the holiday to enjoy some rare time off from building houses.

Yes, Dawei was a bricklayer. On most days, he worked with his brother-in-law, Jiang Ning’s eldest uncle, building houses for people. Hearing that his father-in-law had arrived, he rushed downstairs with a big smile, greeting them warmly, “Dad, you’re here? Haven’t eaten, right? I’ll go get you something to eat!”

Dawei was short and thin, his face tanned from years of outdoor labor, and he was a bit socially awkward.

Grandpa Jiang, though a farmer, had once been a salaried forest ranger. After Jiang Ning’s aunt got married, the Jiang family never went to ask her for help, even during their toughest years. Instead, they sent her food and grain, and in earlier years, the family even ran a chicken farm. So, even though they were from the countryside, Aunt Jiang held her ground firmly in front of her in-laws.

Aunt Jiang’s in-laws were always polite to the Jiang family.

Aunt Jiang’s parents-in-law had no other hobbies; both of them loved playing small games of mahjong, and as a result, when Aunt Jiang had free time, she also enjoyed playing.

Uncle Jiang especially liked visiting his in-laws because Aunt Jiang didn’t allow him to play mahjong at home. On occasions when he wasn’t busy and there was a chance to play, it was always Aunt Jiang who got to play, not him. But when they visited the in-laws’ house, he was treated as a guest, and Grandma Jiang would let him play while she called Aunt Jiang to do chores.

Grandpa Jiang didn’t like troubling others. He waved his hand and said, “I’m not hungry; I ate breakfast before coming. These past few days, Bai Zi and Jingang have been selling clothes at your place, making you and my in-laws work hard.”