Ch 22: Bringing a Farming Game System to the 1970s

Yu Xiangyan discussed with others and exchanged for ready-made clay bricks from families who weren’t in urgent need of building houses. Those families were happy to lend them for the sake of convenience, as Yu Xiangyan promised to return them later without causing any delay. After all, his case was different—he was getting married and couldn’t wait.

Soon, with enough help enlisted, the new two-and-a-half-room house was completed.

Wen Yizhen, knowing he had his own room, was reluctant to move in.
He was a burden.
He didn’t want to drag his sister down.

His sister was already 22 years old this year, and after much difficulty, she was finally open to the idea of marriage. He couldn’t keep relying on her care.

In the end, however, he was persuaded by his future brother-in-law.
He wasn’t afraid of doing housework, and once he had a nephew or niece, he could help his sister take care of the child.
Moreover, he resolved to work even harder.

The wedding date was set close—Yu Xiangyan could hardly wait and chose the nearest possible date. Every day after returning from the fields, he would think of ways to decorate the house.

He pasted old newspapers on the walls, and the furniture, crafted by the villagers, was simple but functional. Bit by bit, he acquired the necessities like bowls, chopsticks, oil, and salt. Whenever he saw any beautiful flowers or plants by the roadside, he would dig them up and plant them in the yard.

Little by little, he made their home increasingly cozy.

Qu Lingshan, seeing this, clicked his tongue and commented, “Don’t you feel like this yard is missing something?”

Yu Xiang’an humbly asked, “What’s missing?”

“Don’t you think it needs a fruit tree? Imagine, in the future, you can just reach out and pick fruit. Even if it doesn’t bear fruit, it’ll provide shade in the summer.”

Yu Xiangyan thought it made sense. “I’ll ask her what kind of fruit tree she wants. The sooner we plant it, the sooner it will bear fruit.”

And with that, he left.

Qu Lingshan: “…”
Why did he suddenly feel choked?

Not long after, the wedding day arrived. Yu Xiangyan had prepared all the materials in advance. As the groom, he left the kitchen tasks to others who came to help. He invited the educated youths from the dormitory, the brigade leader, the secretary, and a few close villagers to the banquet.

There were two tables in total.

The food was considered lavish, with chicken and fish, and everyone praised the spread.

Before Chairman Mao’s portrait, they recited a declaration of mutual progress, officially becoming a family.

According to tradition, such a joyous occasion for young newlyweds should involve their elders. However, the groom’s family couldn’t take leave, and the bride’s situation was unknown to others—her father was still undergoing reeducation.

Most of the educated youths were in similar situations. Traveling thousands of miles wasn’t realistic.

However, Yu Qingshan wanted to go.

His son was getting married, and he wanted to drink the daughter-in-law’s tea. But due to the factory’s situation, he couldn’t be away for that long.

So he had to give up.

However, Yu Xianghai could go.

Unlike Yu Qingshan, who was a master craftsman, Yu Xianghai wasn’t at that level yet. He coordinated in advance to get three days off. Though he couldn’t make it in time for the wedding, he could visit later.

As for whether it was safe for him to travel alone—Yu Xianghai was tall and strong, and it wasn’t very far. What could possibly happen?

Yu Xiang’an, on the other hand, felt tempted. She wanted to go too. Who knew what opportunities she might encounter on the way?

But Yu Qingshan rejected the idea. His daughter had just started working, and it was better for her to stay put. Besides, the round-trip fare wasn’t cheap—almost a month’s salary. Wouldn’t it be better to spend that money on food?

One person as a representative was enough.

…

Yao Cuifen cheerfully walked out of the supply and marketing cooperative. She had just bought some scrap fabric from Ye Qijia without needing coupons.

These scraps couldn’t be used to make clothes, but they were perfect for making shoes. She planned to make a pair for her little granddaughter.

A few days ago, she brought over some homemade pickled long beans. The taste was just right—her granddaughter’s cooking skills had improved remarkably. However, she still had her shortcomings.

She couldn’t make clothes or shoes.

Right now, she was wearing her factory uniform, but the clothes she used to wear were all made with the help of her sister-in-law. Her own sewing skills were limited to mending, and even then, her stitches were barely passable.

Seeing her shoes were worn out, Yao Cuifen decided to make her a new pair.

Not long after she started walking, she ran into Yang Xizhi.

Yang Xizhi saw her too but, holding back her frustration, turned her head and quickened her pace to pass by.

As she walked past, Yao Cuifen let out a snort. Yang Xizhi sped up even more, pretending not to hear.

Ever since being forced to retire and stay at home, she had no choice but to keep a low profile, unable to do much of anything.

Her position had been given to Director Chen’s relative, and she couldn’t say a word about it. Some of her old friends, unaware of the details, asked why her position hadn’t been passed down to her grandson’s wife. What could she say? She had to make excuses, saying she cared about her granddaughter-in-law’s health and didn’t want her to work too soon. She assured them that her granddaughter-in-law would eventually take over her daughter-in-law’s position.

Her words sounded good, but every time she thought about it, her heart bled. If her grandson had been more capable, how could she have given up her job so easily?

If Yu Xiang’an had inherited her position, she could have made things difficult for her to vent her frustrations. After all, she had worked there for years and had many friends who could help. But the other party pulled some strings and became an accountant. Now, if she made trouble, her old colleagues might not side with her. After all, accountants controlled the money—if the other party caused trouble during payroll, what would they do?

So, she kept silent. She had no other choice.

Besides, Ding Minxiu’s pregnancy complicated things. If she made a scene, it would ruin everything. Regardless of her grievances and her belief that Ding Minxiu had led her precious grandson astray, she still wanted to save face for the sake of the child she was carrying.

After walking some distance, Yang Xizhi turned around, watching Yao Cuifen’s departing figure with a sigh.

If only Yu Xiang’an were her grandson’s wife, how wonderful that would be! Between Yu Xiang’an and Ding Minxiu, she undoubtedly preferred Yu Xiang’an, both in appearance and character.

Moreover, Yu Xiang’an was Yu Qingshan’s biological daughter, while the other was his stepdaughter. Everyone knew who held more importance to him.

Yang Xizhi shook her head. There was nothing she could do now.

---

Yu Xiang’an, meanwhile, was immersed in the joy of harvest.

The chestnuts on Xixi Farm had ripened, with the single chestnut tree yielding a bountiful crop. Although it was just one tree, its branches were lush and sprawling.

While chestnuts were spiky, the game was designed to simplify harvesting—one click would yield clean, husk-free chestnuts. This saved her a lot of effort; otherwise, removing the prickly husks one by one would have been time-consuming.

As soon as she stored them in the warehouse, she sifted some fine sand and stir-fried a batch of chestnuts—just like the classic street-side sugar-fried chestnuts. The aroma was irresistible, and the chestnuts were soft, fragrant, and filling—a true delight.

However, they were a bit too heaty, which could lead to breakouts. She didn’t overindulge, eating just a small plate to satisfy her craving before starting to make chestnut cakes.

Her stove setup had recently expanded from two burners to four. Unfortunately, she still didn’t have an iron pot.

For now, she had a clay pot, a sand pot, and a carefully selected flat stone slab.

Iron cookware was simply too hard to come by.

During the Great Leap Forward, every household’s iron had been collected. Back then, communal kitchens ensured people could still eat, but individual cooking would have been a problem. Later, the iron collection stopped, but what had been taken wasn’t returned, and the melted iron didn’t just reappear. Now, iron goods had to be sourced from other regions, as there were no local iron mines.

Aside from the expanded stove, there were now flocks of ducks, and the fish ponds had grown from one to three. Soybeans covered an entire acre, the saplings of fruit trees were thriving, and Yu Xiang’an had not given up on adding new species to the farm.

She tried many ideas, like bringing fertilized chicken eggs to the farm for the ducks to hatch. However, when the time came for the chicks to hatch, there was no movement—none of the eggs hatched.

Logically, it should have worked, but after attempting with over a dozen fertilized eggs without success, she realized it was due to the farm’s design restrictions.

No loopholes allowed, it seemed.

With her chestnut cakes ready, Yu Xiang’an turned her attention to harvesting honey. Fully suited up in loose clothing, covering herself from head to toe, she prepared a simple cylindrical centrifuge.

She had provided the bees with hives—rectangular boxes with almost no gaps, save for two small openings at the bottom for the bees to enter and exit. Inside, there were frames where the bees could build their honeycombs. When it was time to harvest, she would take out the frames, place them in the centrifuge, and spin them at a steady speed. The honey would slowly be extracted from the combs, and the frames could then be returned for the bees to continue their work.

The bee colony had grown, thanks to the soybean plants and flowering fruit trees she had planted.

For example, her chestnuts were ripe now, and the pear trees were in bloom.

After a flurry of activity, she managed to harvest nearly two pounds of honey. Satisfied, Yu Xiang’an felt a sense of accomplishment.

Previously, she had only a handful of bees, but as more flowers bloomed, the bee colony expanded, allowing for greater harvests. It was clear that in the future, there would be even more.

Honey was a precious commodity, versatile and deliciously sweet.

She set aside one pound—half for her family and half for her grandmother. They treated her well, and she, in turn, reciprocated.

The rest went into the warehouse. Inside, the shelves were now lined with numerous jars.

Occasionally, she still visited the black market. If she came across something valuable, she would snatch it up, sometimes selling her own goods—not apples, as they were too eye-catching, but processed items like tofu.

For example, she would exchange a few pieces of tofu for a pile of cucumbers grown by local farmers. She also used dried tofu to entice children to help her pick flowers for making flower tea. The children, full of energy and free from household responsibilities, eagerly worked for the promise of a tasty treat.

With their help, she produced a variety of goods: flower tea, health teas, soybean paste, mushroom paste, peanut butter, sesame paste, meat sauce, dried vegetables, pickled bamboo shoots, fermented tofu, dried tofu, fruit jam, and even a small jar of fruit wine made from wild berries. She was also in the process of making soy sauce.

In addition, she was curing salted duck eggs, making century eggs, and preserving pickled eggs. The array of jars and crocks was truly impressive.

Every time Yu Xiang’an looked at it all, her chest swelled with pride and a sense of fulfillment.

From an empty space to this abundance—it hadn’t been easy.

🌱🌿 🫧🍃