In the late 1990s, high school student Chen Jianjun fails the college entrance exam and becomes the subject of gossip among villagers. Facing financial pressure, he sets his sights on the wild river snails in the ditch at the entrance to the village, which nobody dares to eat. Using scientific cleaning and odor-removal techniques alongside a secret spicy recipe, he starts by selling at market fairs and earning over a hundred yuan a day. His product soon becomes a sensation throughout the town. Despite doubts and inspections, Chen Jianjun responds with quality products and compliant business practices, gradually expanding into a shop and then a processing factory. Villagers who once stood by watching join his snail-gathering team, while even his relatives volunteer to work at the factory. This impoverished young man who failed the exam turns his fortunes around through river snails, leads the entire village toward shared prosperity, and ultimately earns everyone's respect and recognition.