Ch 3: Bringing a Farming Game System to the 1970s

Today, Yu Xiang’an continued her leave of absence from school. Her body hadn’t fully recovered yet, and in this era, high school students didn’t actually learn much. Teachers, wary of saying anything extra, stuck strictly to the textbooks. Taking a day off didn’t weigh on her conscience.

After a meager breakfast of watery porridge, everyone went about their routines. Those who worked went to work, and those who studied went to school, leaving only Yu Xiang’an and Yu Xiangju at home.

By lunchtime, Ding Minxiu had returned, and Yu Xiang’an, now mostly recovered, took on the task of cooking.

Lunch was simple: a few sweet potatoes and a bowl of wild vegetable soup.

Yu Xiang’an didn’t try to improve the family meals. She could make them tastier, but good cooking required quality ingredients. Given their circumstances, now wasn’t the time to make such changes.

With Yu Qingshan and Zhao Qiaoniang eating at the factory, it was just the three of them at the table. Yu Xiang’an ate in silence, her quietness mistaken by Ding Minxiu and Yu Xiangju as lingering discomfort from her illness. Neither noticed anything unusual.

After lunch, Ding Minxiu returned to school, and Yu Xiangju went off to play with friends. Watching the clock, Yu Xiang’an decided it was time to go out.

Although this was a county town, there weren’t any tall buildings. The tallest structures barely reached two and a half stories, and there were only a handful of them. Most houses lining the streets weren’t even brick and tile but made of mud bricks—just like their own. Their home was one of the most dilapidated in town. Yu Qingshan had been an outsider when he bought the house decades ago, and its age was showing more with each passing year.

Still, there was an upside. Yu Xiang’an consoled herself in a self-deprecating manner: though old, the house was spacious. She could have her own room. Compared to families squeezed into 20 square meters with seven or eight people, she preferred the old house.

Walking along the streets, she saw no overweight people. Everyone wore the same drab black, gray, or blue clothes, many patched and mended. The walls were adorned with slogans reflecting the era.

After wandering nearby, Yu Xiang’an headed to the hardware factory to find Yu Qingshan.

The gatekeeper, an elderly man familiar with her, greeted her warmly. “Xiao An, here at this time? Looking for your dad or your brother? I’ll go call them for you.”

“Thank you, Grandpa. I’m looking for my dad.” She had mentally prepared herself, so addressing him came naturally.

“Alright, wait here.” The gatekeeper briskly went off without questioning why she wasn’t in school or why the matter couldn’t wait until after work.

“Xiao An, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?” Yu Qingshan arrived hurriedly, his steps anxious. He had checked on her that morning and thought she was recovering well.

Yu Xiang’an pulled him aside to a secluded spot and glanced around to ensure they were alone. The open space offered no cover, so anyone passing by could easily see them.

“What’s wrong, Xiao An?” Yu Qingshan’s tone shifted, sensing that something serious was about to be said.

Yu Xiang’an, having rehearsed her words countless times, took a deep breath. Her face showed anger as she began, “Dad, I didn’t tell you before, but my illness this time wasn’t just because I got caught in the rain. I was furious. I overheard Zhou Boyang and Ding Minxiu talking—they’re having an affair behind our backs. She’s already one month pregnant. They’re planning to use Zhou Boyang’s connections to add my name to the rural assignment list, forcing me to go to the countryside. After that, Ding Minxiu will marry him openly.”

Yu Qingshan froze, then erupted in anger. “Are you telling the truth!?”

Yu Xiang’an pressed her lips together and nodded, watching his every expression. His reaction was crucial.

If he supported her, it would make everything she planned much easier. If he chose to tolerate it and stay silent, things would get much harder. Based on the original owner’s memories of him as a good father, Yu Qingshan was likely to stand by her side.

And he did. Yu Qingshan was firmly on Yu Xiang’an’s side. She was his daughter. Ding Minxiu, on the other hand, was not his blood—she had followed Zhao Qiaoniang into the family years ago. Yet over the years, she had been treated equally, given everything his daughter had, even sent to high school. And this was how she repaid the Yu family?

His face turned red with fury, and he clenched his fists as he paced in front of Yu Xiang’an, struggling to calm himself and keep the situation under control. He was so angry he wanted to tear Zhou Boyang and Ding Minxiu apart but knew he had to act wisely.

“Calm down,” he muttered to himself, though his fists remained tightly clenched.

He needed to consider his daughter’s feelings. Although Xiao An hadn’t explicitly said so, he knew about her fondness for the Zhou family’s son. It was likely due to the engagement that he had never addressed it directly. Reflecting on her recent illness, Yu Qingshan blamed himself for being too careless—he hadn’t noticed anything was wrong.

“Xiao An, don’t worry. Dad will make sure justice is served for you!” In his mind, Yu Qingshan wanted to report Zhou Boyang and Ding Minxiu for indecency. Given the current laws, such a charge would ruin them entirely, if not destroy them completely. But that would blow things out of proportion—the entire county would know about Xiao An’s ordeal. Though his daughter was innocent, rumors wouldn’t reflect that. He feared those whispers could ruin her reputation.

With that in mind, he calmed down slightly. “Xiao An, what do you want to do?”

Yu Xiang’an felt relieved. He didn’t doubt her story, and from his face, she could see both anger and restraint—along with deep concern for her. This gave her more confidence.

“Dad, I don’t want to make this a big deal. It wouldn’t do our family any good. I’ve been thinking about it while lying in bed. Zhou Boyang is not someone I want to marry. If Ding Minxiu wants to marry into their family, I’m willing to let her. But I want the Zhou family to give me a formal job. Dad, I don’t want to be sent to the countryside.” Her voice softened on the last sentence, then rose slightly, revealing a mix of stubbornness and unease. “Dad, is this too selfish of me?”

Hearing this, Yu Qingshan’s heart ached even more. His daughter had suddenly grown up and become so sensible, but he would have preferred her to remain carefree.

“What nonsense are you saying? Have you really thought it through? I was just worried you’d be heartbroken and make yourself sick.”

Lowering her head, Yu Xiang’an said, “Heartbroken? For what? I don’t want a man like that. And as for Ding Minxiu—Dad, she’s not my sister anymore.”

Yu Qingshan placed his hands firmly on her shoulders and assured her, “Don’t worry. Leave this to me. As for Ding Minxiu, someone who can do such a thing is no daughter of mine. I’ll speak to your Aunt about this. For now, don’t do anything. Pretend you don’t know. I’ll discuss it thoroughly with your brother and your uncles to come up with a plan. Now, go home and rest. Take this money.” He pulled fifty cents from his pocket and handed it to her. “Buy yourself something to eat—don’t hold back.”

After hesitating for a moment, Yu Xiang’an accepted it.

She currently didn’t have a single cent to her name.

“Go on back. I’ll head back to the factory. Tell everyone I won’t be home for dinner tonight. And remember, don’t tell anyone about this for now.”

Yu Xiang’an obediently nodded, feeling reassured. Her father was reliable.

As soon as his shift ended, Yu Qingshan took his eldest son, Yu Xianghai, to the Qin family—his in-laws.

The Qin family also lived in the county, though on the opposite side. It took about half an hour to walk there. Despite Qin Fenglan’s passing, the Yu and Qin families remained close.

Yu Xiang’an’s grandparents were still alive.

The Qin family had three children: two sons and a daughter. Qin Fenglan was the youngest. The eldest son had died in the war, while the younger son worked as a chef in a state-owned restaurant.

The three siblings had grown up close in age and had shared a strong bond. After Qin Fenglan’s death, her brothers had been especially caring toward her children.

Being outsiders in the county, the Yu family’s closest relations were with the Qin family. Faced with such a significant issue, Yu Qingshan’s first instinct was to seek their counsel.

Yu Qingshan believed that, outwardly, the matter could be smoothed over. The engagement had originally been a casual verbal agreement, made with the understanding that the children might not take to each other. Over time, as the two families grew closer, the arrangement was taken more seriously. However, since arranged marriages like betrothals were no longer popular, the engagement hadn’t been widely publicized. Only close friends and relatives knew about it, while most others were unaware. When the time came, they could simply insist that the original agreement had always been a joke.

For now, he had no choice but to let the two of them be together. However, given their betrayal of his daughter, coupled with the irrefutable evidence of Ding Minxiu’s pregnancy and the fact that Zhou family only had one male heir in this generation, they would have to make a choice. A formal position at a factory was something the Zhou family could provide.

With a stable job in the factory, Yu Xiang’an could rebuild her life. After a few years, when the situation had settled down, it would be easier for her to consider marriage again.

Yu Xianghai was puzzled by his father’s grim silence on the way to their grandparents’ house. When he asked, his father only said, “You’ll find out soon enough.” Upon arriving, his father went straight to find his in-laws—Yu Xiang’an’s grandparents—and her uncle. Once the door was closed, Yu Qingshan laid out the entire situation.

Hearing this, Yu Xianghai clenched his large fists, the veins on his hands bulging as he growled, “That bastard! What has our family ever done to wrong him?”

How could his sister face the world after this?

Just imagining the kinds of cruel things the town gossips might say to his sister filled him with fury.

Though the blame lay squarely on Zhou Boyang and Ding Minxiu, society was far harsher on women in such situations. If word got out, Zhou Boyang might be smugly praised for his “luck with women,” Ding Minxiu might be called a scheming “fox spirit,” but his sister—she’d be labeled as useless and discarded. These scandalous stories, spiced with gossip, had a way of spreading far and wide, lingering for years, even decades.

What had his sister done to deserve such humiliation? The more Yu Xianghai thought about it, the angrier he became. “I’ll go deal with him! Let’s see how smug he is after I’m through!”

Yu Qingshan grabbed his son’s arm. “Calm down.”

Qin Qiang and Yao Cuifen, Yu Xiang’an’s grandfather and grandmother, also looked furious. Though they were seething at the news of their granddaughter’s plight, their age and experience allowed them to remain composed.

Yu Qingshan then explained his plan. “We can’t blow this out of proportion. Xiao An will need to find another partner in the future, and making a scene will ruin her chances. Originally, the Zhou family planned for Xiao An to take over Zhou Boyang’s grandmother’s position at the factory once she retired. That’s off the table now, but they still need to compensate us.”

What compensation? Naturally, it was the job itself.

🌱🌿 🫧🍃

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