I Got Rich in Period Fiction-Chapter 51 - During The Time He Was Away (Second

Chapter 51 -51 During The Time He Was Away (Second Update)

Chapter 51 -51 During The Time He Was Away (Second Update)

He Xiuyu’s eyebrows twitched slightly as he asked indifferently, “Is the procedure for dispatching engineers from the base in compliance with regulations?”

“Of course, it’s in compliance.”

He Xiuyu stood up and rubbed his forehead, his voice cold and stern, “First, tell me what the deal is with Liu Qiao Wen and Zhu Mingli?”

Shen Haoze was also taken aback; he hadn’t planned on letting He Xiuyu know about Liu Qiao Wen’s issue, as it also involved his mother. He steeled himself and said, “I dealt with Liu Qiao Wen’s matter, but I have no idea about Zhu Mingli…”

Ten minutes later, Shen Haoze left the office dejectedly.

Annoyed, he scratched his head and turned to glare at the door to He Xiuyu’s office.

A man who puts romance before friendship.

He had only been married for a few days, and he was already taking Qiao Qingyu’s side—didn’t he dislike her?

But he had nothing to say in response because there was nothing to criticize Qiao Qingyu for regarding Liu Qiao Wen and the County Machinery Factory.

Yet, he always felt as if there was cotton stuffed in his chest.

He left in frustration.

He Xiuyu went to the room next door and glanced at Rongrong, finding his little niece still obediently sitting beside the box, looking down at the cabbage inside. Then, he gently closed the door and stood in front of the window.

He had not expected his mother would remotely pry into his every move here.

If it weren’t for Qiao Qingyu’s report on Liu Qiao Wen, such things would have continued.

No matter what Qiao Qingyu was up to, that was no excuse for her to be surveilled from afar.

But before He Xiuyu could sort through his thoughts, Director Xie knocked on the door and came in, still talking about Qiao Qingyu.

However, it was all praise for Qiao Qingyu.

Before Old Xie left, Old Wei arrived.

He got straight to the point about the two thousand yuan, then brought up the contract and certain people bypassing the chain of command in their reports. By the end, Old Wei waved his hand grandly, “Xiao He, I’ve already criticized them in a meeting, so let’s let bygones be bygones. The administrative funds will be in place this afternoon, and I’ll make sure you get that two thousand yuan.”

He Xiuyu could no longer remain calm at heart.

During his absence, what all had Qiao Qingyu stirred up?

But it wasn’t over yet; Old Wei continued, “I came today to give you a heads-up; Comrade Qiao Qingyu is preparing to set up a Breeding Laboratory, and this is based on compensations from the contract cancellation. Both Mr. Qi from the headquarters and I have approved it, but we need your signature for the technical aspects.”

A Breeding Laboratory?

He Xiuyu, usually calm and composed, couldn’t help but express his surprise. Old Wei and Old Xie exchanged glances, and Old Wei asked, “Didn’t your family member tell you?”

He Xiuyu shook his head, “She didn’t say anything.”

After thinking it over, Old Wei laughed, “Qiao Qingyu is a good comrade; she’s handling official business properly, so let’s do the same. We’ll discuss it at the meeting and if it’s feasible, we’ll pass it directly.”

Director Xie also smiled amiably, “Xiao He, the cabbage seeds that Comrade Qiao Qingyu brought from her hometown are of very high quality and have already been provided to our comrades at the base. We cannot let those who have contributed do so silently; I suggest we should commend Comrade Qiao Qingyu.” He then added, “Otherwise, it could dampen the comrades’ enthusiasm.”

Seeds brought back by Qiao Qingyu from her hometown?

He Xiuyu’s eyes flashed with a hint of confusion before he lifted the corners of his mouth, “It’s not time for the meeting yet, Uncle Wei, Uncle Xie, why don’t you two tell me about the cabbage seeds and the Breeding Laboratory?”

…

Meanwhile, on the three thousand acres of wasteland of Xiaxi Commune, several hundred members were laboring. Most of them were working passively, as it didn’t matter if the land was good or bad—they all did the same work and naturally, there were no objections.

But Captain Liu of the fifth team furrowed his brows. He looked down at the land under his feet and suddenly tossed his hoe to the side.

He spat and, filled with anger, said to the team leader working in front of him, “Team leader, we can’t go on working this way, blindly and on such barren land, at that. If we end up harvesting nothing, aren’t we just toiling for nothing? Wouldn’t it be better to do something else with our time?”

One person speaking up naturally led to others echoing his sentiment, especially since the land was dry and hard, and several strikes with the hoe hardly loosened it.

Although it was said that someone was providing money and seeds, after all, labor wasn’t money, who said farmers’ work was worthless? Working day after day with no hope in sight, wasn’t easy to persist in.

“Lao Liu has a point. This land has failed to produce a decent yield for many years, and it won’t change this year either. If we squander the seeds and labor here, isn’t that just plain stupidity?”

“Yeah, we really can’t work this way.”

“Wishing to clear all this land, we might not even finish by winter.”

“You officials, you don’t understand the strain because you don’t do the work, stuffing your heads with straw. Making us farm on such barren land, wasting food like that could lead to divine punishment.”

Murmurs spread like ripples in water, and although many didn’t throw down their tools, they leaned on their wooden rakes and began to watch and wait.

This wasn’t a job that offered any hope, so naturally, there wasn’t much motivation.

And farmers, after all, have a natural sense of responsibility toward the land and seeds.

These days, Vice Director Qian was so anxious that he developed blisters at the corners of his mouth. He wasn’t young anymore, but he still got up early and returned late.

Seeing everyone looking like they were about to drop their burdens and quit, how could he allow that? Although the cleared land wasn’t extensive, the contracts had been signed. Could they go back on their word like the research base did?

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If that were the case, then he truly would be in the wrong.

He couldn’t take advantage of Qiao Qingyu just because she was young.

But he, too, was anxious inside. Otherwise, why would so many blisters have sprouted at the corners of his mouth? He shouted with a hoarse voice, “Get to work properly, you’re not being shortchanged of your work points. What are you grumbling about with all this idle talk? Complaining will cost you work points!”

Work points, after all, were the lifeblood of the members.

Without them, what would they eat?

Although they weren’t starving these days, they were only just scraping by. The grain reserves of each household were low, and people conserved food day by day. Now, one could almost see through the rice porridge.

So, everyone was anxious inside, wondering what crop the commune wanted to grow. But if the seeds were distributed among them, perhaps they could endure the summer and look forward to the fall harvest.

However, Vice Director Qian’s authority still carried weight. After his words, Captain Liu grabbed his hoe and started hoeing furiously.

Mr. Qian’s secretary was also worried. The commune was now divided into two factions, with many planning to report Mr. Qian to the county.

Because the eight hundred acres of land were planted with borrowed money, and now that no sprouts were emerging, it seemed they had been swindled. So there was even less hope for the three thousand acres.

“Vice Director Qian, how about giving everyone a day off or distributing some grain today? Otherwise, they’re going to file complaints against you in the county,” the secretary suggested anxiously.

Mr. Qian pursed his cracked lips, looking out over the desolate land. Although there was a flicker of doubt in his heart, he then shook his head resolutely, “No holidays. Keep working. Each household has some reserves still, and the teams have a surplus. After a month, when it’s all consumed, then we’ll distribute some more…”