Ch 18: Bringing a Farming Game System to the 1970s

Ding Fahai vented his anger at home, and Tian Eryan quickly caught on. She also felt this matter couldn’t simply be let go. Although she hadn’t raised this stepdaughter herself—who had followed her biological mother after the remarriage—when she was little, before her mother remarried, she had eaten from the Ding family’s table.

Moreover, as her husband said, no matter what, he was the biological father. She carried the Ding surname. A matter as significant as her marriage, without any word of it reaching him, was unjustifiable by any standard.

Those mother and daughter had gone to the county to enjoy life, and now that she was marrying someone from the county, the bride price must have been considerable. It would be perfect to save it for her son’s future wedding.

Tian Eryan wasn’t like Zhao Qiaoniang, who she considered useless. When she married into the Ding family, she gave birth to a robust son, solidifying her place within the family. Zhao Qiaoniang, in her eyes, was nothing more than a burden—a worthless woman whose only use had been to prop up her younger brother.

With this thought, she chimed in eagerly, “You’re right. We can’t just let this slide. Let’s go find them!”

But it wasn’t as simple as just heading out. They needed to apply for a referral letter. Tian Eryan didn’t need to work, but Ding Fahai did, so they had to wait until his next day off to get the referral and set off. By the time they left, some time had already passed.

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With the supplies from her recent trip to the city, Yu Xiang’an treated herself to hearty meals at her farm every night. The variety of food she enjoyed daily, combined with being in the prime of her physical development, led to a noticeable improvement in her appearance. Her face became fuller, with a healthy blush. Her once dull, yellowish hair, a sign of malnutrition, now looked shinier and more vibrant. This transformation made even the gossipers who once speculated that her looks were the reason Zhou Boyang preferred her sister unable to utter such words.

Clearly, this was a bright, healthy, and beautiful young woman. If Zhou Boyang didn’t choose her, he must be aiming for a celestial fairy.

In stark contrast, Ding Minxiu had grown even thinner than during her worst bouts of morning sickness. To hide her growing belly, she followed Fang Rong’s arrangement to return to the Fang family’s rural home with Fang Rong’s mother, Hu Chunyu. This place was far from Baishi County, a four-hour train ride away. The journey alone was exhausting. Upon arrival, seeing the unfamiliar countryside, with its mud-stained walls and straw-covered beds, she felt utterly lost.

Was she really going to spend the next few months in this place?

The only familiar face was Hu Chunyu, but even that wasn’t comforting. Despite their limited past interactions, Ding Minxiu could keenly sense her disdain. How was she supposed to live well under such conditions?

Her worst fears quickly came true.

Though she hadn’t lived an entirely cushy life, she’d never truly suffered much either. Her earliest years in the Ding family were the hardest, but she was too young to remember much of it. By the time she could recall things, Zhao Qiaoniang had returned to her family’s home to escape her difficult life, bringing Ding Minxiu to live with her maternal grandparents. There, she lived on par with her cousins. After joining the Yu family, her quality of life improved even more. Although food was still scarce, that was a widespread issue at the time.

The only countryside she had ever been to was the Yu family’s ancestral home, which, thanks to Yu Qingshan’s support, was relatively well-furnished and nothing like this place. Here, the first thing she saw upon arrival was a black bug laying eggs in her bedding.

When Hu Chunyu saw it, she dismissed it casually and told her to wipe it clean with a rag and use it as is. She wasn’t about to pamper her.

After all, this was nothing new to her. Before moving to the city, she had spent the better half of her life in this place, enduring such conditions. She wouldn’t be back here now if not for her daughter. Looking at the “troublemaker,” she had no intention of showing her concern.

All that mattered was keeping Ding Minxiu safely hidden here for a few months. Once her belly showed less clearly, no one would question how far along she was.

Beyond the living conditions, the food situation was dire. At the Zhou family, because of her pregnancy and their decent income, Ding Minxiu had eaten the best she ever had. Even without meat, there were always eggs. Here, Fang Rong had provided enough money for Hu Chunyu to ensure a proper diet, but being frugal by nature, Hu Chunyu pocketed most of it.

Ding Minxiu was left with little: an egg every three days and a daily diet of sweet potatoes and wild greens, with barely any oil or salt. Malnourished and unwell, her condition worsened to the point she finally decided to dip into her private savings.

Before coming here, Ding Minxiu had asked Zhou Boyang for some money and carefully hidden it.

She hadn’t wanted to use it, but now she had no choice.

Ding Minxiu went to the village brigade a day in advance to inform them she would be taking the ox cart to the commune the next morning. Since she was from the city, the staff treated her politely and immediately agreed to her request.

The next day, Ding Minxiu arrived at the commune and headed straight to the supply and marketing cooperative. She bought some filling biscuits, and the moment she stepped out of the store, she couldn’t resist tearing open the packaging and stuffing some into her mouth.

With time to spare, she decided to take a leisurely walk. Passing by the state-run restaurant, the aroma of food wafted out, making her salivate. She craved meat but hesitated to go inside, thinking about the steep prices.

Standing indecisively at the door, she unintentionally glanced up and was startled to see someone she knew.

Sitting inside, at a table by the wall, was a young man and woman seated face-to-face. Ding Minxiu froze—wasn’t that Liang Yong?

Realizing this, she quickly hid to the side and peeked at the interactions between the two inside.

The Yu family had six siblings—three sons and three daughters. Aside from the third sibling, Yu Xianghe, who had passed away due to illness, and the fifth sibling, Yu Xiang’an, there was also the fourth sibling, Yu Xiangqing.

After graduating from high school, Yu Xiangqing had gone to the countryside with her classmate and boyfriend, Liang Yong. Trying to recall, Ding Minxiu remembered they went to a place called Dayu Commune. She was now in Dahong Commune—were the two places close to each other?

While pondering, she saw the young man, Liang Yong, use the pretense of picking up food to sneakily touch the young woman’s hand. The woman playfully glared at him but then gave him a piece of meat. Witnessing this, Ding Minxiu immediately understood what was going on. Covering her mouth, she stifled her laughter to avoid drawing attention. That young woman was clearly not Yu Xiangqing.

While Ding Minxiu secretly enjoyed the drama, she had no idea that her biological father, Ding Fahai, had already shown up at the Yu household.

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Ding Fahai, feeling entirely justified, went directly to the Yu family home with Tian Eryan. However, they arrived at an inopportune time—only Yu Xiangju, a young boy, was at home, playing in the sand by the gate.

“Hey, kid! Do you know where the adults in this house are?” Ding Fahai barked in a gruff tone, sounding like he was there to pick a fight.

Yu Xiangju was startled. “Who are you looking for?”

Ding Fahai: “What’s Yu Qingshan to you?” He thought the boy looked somewhat familiar.

Yu Xiangju glanced around and, seeing Aunt Tian sewing clothes in the shade nearby, felt reassured. “He’s my dad.”

Ding Fahai didn’t expect such a coincidence. “Where is he now?”

“At work.”

“And your stepmother?”

“Also at work.”

Ding Fahai chuckled coldly. “Call them back and tell them someone’s here to settle things.”

Aunt Tian, noticing his attitude, looked over a few more times. “Who are you? They’re working, and you can’t just call people back out of the blue. Is this something urgent?”

Tian Eryan stepped forward. “Madam, you may not know us. This is my husband, Ding Fahai, and our eldest daughter is Ding Minxiu.”

Aunt Tian suddenly understood. “Oh, so that’s who you are.” Her expression immediately shifted.

So this was Zhao Qiaoniang’s ex-husband, and this woman must be his new wife.

Tian Eryan asked, “And who are you, madam?”

Aunt Tian replied curtly, “You can just call me comrade. We don’t know who’s senior or junior here, do we?”

Tian Eryan gave an awkward laugh. Clearly, the woman she called “big sister” appeared much older than herself.

Ding Fahai barked again, “Kid, go call them back!” He couldn’t care less if it was convenient for them to leave work. He was here now, and they had to give him an explanation.

What little information they had was incomplete. All they knew was that Ding Minxiu and the Yu family’s daughter had fought over a man, with Ding Minxiu ultimately “winning” and marrying him. As for the details, they neither knew nor cared. Their primary concern was the bride price that came with their daughter’s marriage.

Why the two had fought, and why Ding Minxiu had come out on top, seemed obvious to them—there must have been something wrong with the Yu family’s daughter.

Yu Xiangju hesitated, unsure of what to do, and looked to Aunt Tian for help. Aunt Tian stepped in and pulled him aside.

Tian Eryan, seizing the moment, began her litany of complaints. “Comrade, tell me if this makes any sense. We raised our daughter for eighteen years, only for her to get married without even telling us! How is that fair?”

Aunt Tian hesitated. The situation did sound unjust, but as a neighbor of the Yu family for many years, she naturally sided with them. The Yu family had treated this stepdaughter with kindness, raising her like their own. And yet, the girl had taken the fiancé of her stepsister. That was hard to justify.

Granny Chen, overhearing the commotion, excitedly rushed over. “You’re Ding Minxiu’s father and stepmother, right? Wait, are you saying you didn’t know about the wedding?”

Ding Fahai snorted. “That’s right! Can you believe it? They didn’t tell us a thing. What kind of scheme are they running?”

Granny Chen was stunned. “Didn’t your daughter return home to stay for a while recently? Didn’t she mention anything then?”

Tian Eryan froze. “She stayed home? When was this?”

Granny Chen was equally surprised. “You mean she didn’t? Then where was she during that time?”

Tian Eryan slapped her thigh in frustration. “You’re asking me? How would I know? She hasn’t been back in over a year!”

Granny Chen, now thoroughly intrigued, exclaimed, “What’s going on here? Something doesn’t add up! Wait here; I’ll go get someone to clarify this!” Eager for drama, she hurried off, sensing there was more to uncover. She even enlisted her daughter-in-law to help—Granny Chen would go fetch Zhao Qiaoniang, while her daughter-in-law would call Yu Qingshan at the hardware factory.

Aunt Tian sighed and glanced at the growing crowd of onlookers. She leaned down to reassure Yu Xiangju quietly, “Don’t worry. Your dad will be back soon. Stay calm.”

Yu Xiangju nodded obediently but kept his sharp eyes on the intruders. He wasn’t worried; he would stay here to guard the house. The doors weren’t locked, and these strangers didn’t look like good people.

When Granny Chen brought the news to Zhao Qiaoniang, her entire body stiffened.

They’ve come!

How had they found out so quickly?

Logically, the Ding family had no close connections in the area, so it shouldn’t have been possible for them to hear about this so soon. Her mouth went dry, and she began to panic. What should I do now?

Granny Chen, noticing her pale face, couldn’t help but marvel. “I say, Qiaoniang, did you really hide this from them? No matter what, he’s still her biological father. Hiding this kind of thing isn’t right! When he said he didn’t know, I thought I’d misheard. You shouldn’t act like this—blood ties can’t be broken, you know. And another thing: he said Minxiu hasn’t been back home in over a year. Where did she go during that time? Why did you say she had gone back to her father?”

Her words snapped Zhao Qiaoniang out of her daze. She forced herself to calm down. “Thank you for letting me know. I need to request some leave from work before I can go back. Could I trouble you to tell them to wait for me? It might take some time.”

Granny Chen hesitated but eventually agreed. However, after securing leave, Zhao Qiaoniang didn’t head straight home. Instead, she rushed toward the Zhou family’s house.

She hadn’t expected Ding Fahai to find out so quickly. Since she hadn’t informed the Zhou family about the Ding family situation, she needed to discuss a unified story with them to avoid exposing the truth.

If the truth came out, it would be all over.

🌱🌿 🫧🍃