Chapter 471 Getting Down to Big Business

The problem was, Gu Qingcheng was actually afraid of being the emperor. What was the point? It would tie her down, restrict her freedom. She decided to give up on the idea. She was naturally carefree and didn't want to be bound by the strictures of a palace.

"You work hard, and I'll support you," Du Lanyue said, thinking of the gold Gu Qingcheng had given her. If Gu Qingcheng needed it, she could offer it back.

"We'll see. Perhaps in the future, a more suitable candidate will emerge," Gu Qingcheng replied.

Du Lanyue and her group stayed in Phoenix Village for another week. Since they had been there for so long, Du Lancheng insisted they had to go home. This trip to Phoenix Village to learn from them had broadened his horizons. The arrogance and complacency he once had were gone, replaced by a steady and ambitious spirit.

Gu Chaobei and Hu Lanfang couldn't discern Du Lancheng's change because they hadn't known him before. However, Du Lanyue could clearly sense that her brother was completely different from before, and she was happy for his transformation.

Gu Qingcheng did not return to Tea Bud Island with them, as she had a lot of village affairs to handle in Phoenix Village. She told Du Lanyue that she would come to Tea Bud Island after she finished dealing with these matters.

However, Gu Qingcheng's promise wasn't immediately fulfilled. After finishing her village tasks, Wang Dapeng informed her that he had found a suitable island to serve as a transit base and a place to build warehouses. The island was originally part of a mountain range, covered with rare wild orchids. Upon hearing this, Gu Chaobei had also gone to survey it and confirmed that the orchids were indeed national treasures. He had solemnly transplanted some of them to his home for cultivation.

The island was subsequently named Orchid Island. Orchid Island was about three thousand mu in size and had a deep-water port suitable for ships to anchor, making it an ideal location.

Gu Qingcheng mobilized over a thousand people from the village to build transit warehouses and living quarters on the island. Simultaneously, she recruited volunteers to reside on the island, offering them generous subsidies. Some villagers who had recently settled in Phoenix Village heard about the attractive subsidies on the new island and the opportunity to become employees at the transit base, enjoying the same pay and benefits as those in Phoenix Village, along with brand-new housing. This was beyond their wildest dreams, and they eagerly signed up.

However, after an assessment, only twenty people were selected, primarily for handling outgoing goods from the warehouse. The warehouse and living area were some distance apart, and Mi Guo handled all incoming shipments.

After establishing the Orchid Island base, Gu Qingcheng moved a large quantity of supplies from her mountain cat farm into the base's warehouses, including rice, wheat, sweet potatoes, potatoes, beef jerky, and lamb jerky. This warehouse served as the central hub for material dispatch and was the most well-stocked. For the first batch, Gu Qingcheng stocked approximately 10,000 units of beef jerky, 10,000 units of lamb jerky, and 50 tons of grain, which were then transported from here to Tea Bud Island and other islands. In the future, all goods sold from Gu Qingcheng's Mountain Cat Farm would be dispatched from this location.

Gu Qingcheng breathed a sigh of relief. She had finally secured a base, allowing her to upgrade her farm and expand her cultivation area. She quickly found 20 more locations suitable for grain transit warehouses and began construction, building warehouses with enormous capacities.

This undertaking took another six months. Finally, these material warehouses began to take shape, forming a network that allowed goods to flow throughout the country. Of course, Gu Qingcheng alone could not manage the reserve of supplies for the entire nation. However, the affordable and high-quality daily necessities she provided, when introduced to the market, played a significant role in stabilizing prices and ensuring ample supply. Ordinary people could afford affordable and good-quality daily necessities.

The surviving populace began to recuperate and cultivate according to the seasons: tea, sweet potatoes, potatoes, cassava, rice, wheat, and various other crops were planted in rotation. What greatly comforted the people was that the climate was becoming stable, without the ominous signs that preceded disasters, such as swarms of crows or locusts. Everything indicated that they were in for several years of stable and abundant harvests. Seeing hope, the people's enthusiasm for reclaiming land and growing food soared.

Six months later, Gu Qingcheng finally found time to return to Tea Bud Island. Upon her arrival, she noticed significant changes there as well. The population had grown, and the island's goods had become more diverse, appearing much more prosperous and lively than during her previous visit. She was also pleased to see grain and meat bearing the Phoenix Village mark being sold in many of the food stores.

The task of establishing 200 material bases was halfway complete. From now on, it would be a natural progression of finding destinations and moving forward. Gu Qingcheng no longer needed to be hands-on. She adopted a shareholding cooperation model: anyone willing to establish a local base would be partnered with, provided Gu Qingcheng held a 51% stake. In return, she would supply unlimited grain and meat. The partners, hearing about a stable supply of food more precious than gold, readily agreed to sign the relevant equity agreements. As long as Gu Qingcheng held a dominant share, the base construction task assigned by the system would be considered complete. Thus, even while resting, others were helping her advance the progress of her mission.

With these matters set in motion, Gu Qingcheng finally had the leisure to go to Tea Bud Island. The first person she wanted to see upon arriving at Tea Bud Island was, naturally, Du Lanyue. During this period, they had exchanged letters, but due to the long distance and inconvenience, the correspondence eventually ceased. Therefore, for several months, Gu Qingcheng had no news of Du Lanyue and was quite concerned.

The freight terminal on Tea Bud Island was almost complete, and it would be fully operational in about a month. Gu Qingcheng went to the dock to inspect the construction. The dock she saw this time was completely different from the last. Massive bluestones gave the dock a solid and solemn appearance, exuding the aura of a future major port. Gu Qingcheng signed an authorization letter, entrusting Du Laoda with its maintenance and management.

After handling the miscellaneous affairs on Tea Bud Island, Gu Qingcheng sent a servant to invite Du Lanyue over for tea. Du Lanyue arrived as arranged. After half a year apart, Du Lanyue possessed a new charm, appearing more mature and steady.

Gu Qingcheng curiously asked, "Sister Lanyue, did you get married? If you got married, why didn't you send me an invitation?" Gu Qingcheng assumed Du Lanyue's transformation was due to marriage, calculating that she would be of marriageable age by now.

"You're such a busy person, you were out of touch for more than half a year. If I were to get married, would you have come?" Du Lanyue's tone suggested she wasn't joking.