Entering the twelfth lunar month of 1982, land distribution to households began in the village. Since Yuan Chun and her four children were still registered in Red Star Village, the brigade leader notified Yuan Chun to return to the village for land distribution.

For this, Yuan Chun took a day off and brought her kids who were on winter break back to Red Star Village.

Yuan Chun’s family was allocated twenty acres of dry land, two acres of mountainous land, and half an acre of reserved land. She immediately rented all of these lands to the family with the most labor in Red Star Village for farming.

The opposite party took care of the tax and grain and gave her three hundred pounds of corn, one hundred pounds of sweet potatoes, and one hundred pounds of millet or sorghum annually.

For the more than twenty acres of land, Yuan Chun only received five hundred pounds of grain, which equates to just twenty pounds per acre, practically akin to giving the land away. That family was incredibly grateful to Yuan Chun.

The entire village envied that family.

By 1985, Yuan Chun had opened two chain braised meat shops. The braised meat was prepared all at once by Yuan Chun, and she simply delivered the goods to the shops. She transferred Sanfeng and Shui Lian to manage the shops.

At this time, Yuan Chun already possessed assets worth over 300,000 yuan. She invested all her money into real estate, buying houses and storefronts not only in the county and urban areas but also purchasing a large traditional courtyard in Beijing for 150,000 yuan.

Back then, being a ten-thousand-yuan household was rare, and the 150,000 yuan Yuan Chun spent was not cheap. The seller wanted to go abroad and wished to carry as much money as possible, hence the house price was not cheap.

Yuan Chun was very fond of the large courtyard and didn’t mind spending 5,000 yuan more than the market price to purchase it.

However, years later, when the seller returned to the country wanting to buy a house in Beijing, he realized he couldn’t afford it. Despite saving diligently abroad for decades and amassing over ten million yuan, he thought he could live a superior life upon returning home. Little did he know, his money couldn’t even buy a home in Beijing.

Meanwhile, the house he sold decades ago had appreciated to over a hundred million yuan.

By then, the seller regretted his decision deeply.

Now, Yuan Chun cheerfully locked up the large courtyard and hurriedly caught the train back to the county.

Afterward, Yuan Chun opened several more braised meat shops. Due to the substantial amount of pork needed for her shops, she suggested that the Chen Family start a pig farm.

The brigade leader of Red Star Village, in order to supply her goods, had already started a chicken farm, a duck farm, and encouraged villagers to grow vegetables to sell.

Thanks to Yuan Chun leading the business efforts, many people in Red Star Village also began engaging in commerce, many starting with street stalls and progressing to opening shops.

Gradually, Red Star Village developed better than several neighboring villages.

It was also the first village to become prosperous within a hundred-mile radius.

By 1988, when Yuan Chun met Second Cui again, she barely recognized him.

Second Cui had aged a lot; though only in his forties, he looked like a seventy-year-old man.

His hair was completely white, his waist was bent, and his back was hunched.

He seemed to be living even less comfortably than in his previous life.

Second Cui was scavenging for rubbish, pulling a cart filled with scrap through the streets. When he passed Yuan Chun’s small eatery and saw that it sold mantou and porridge, he went in to buy a bowl of porridge and a mantou, paired with free pickled vegetables.

After eating, he paid.

Upon realizing the person collecting money was Yuan Chun, Second Cui’s gaze flickered somewhat, "You... you’re Mei Yuan Chun?"

Initially, Yuan Chun didn’t recognize him, but she identified his voice.

Feigning surprise, Yuan Chun exclaimed, "Oh my, it’s Second Cui! I haven’t seen you in so many years; how did you become like this?"

"I heard three years ago, after your father’s death, your family divided assets, and you and your sons were kicked out penniless by your brothers. Never thought you would end up scavenging for junk. Tsk, tsk, tsk, lucky for me I had high standards back then and didn’t choose you, otherwise I would be scavenging alongside you now."