Ch 82: Bringing a Farming Game System to the 1970s

Gu Nanfeng and Yu Xiang’an traveled south together by train and arrived in Baishi County.

At that time, Yu Qingshan was at home feeding his chicken. He only kept one—any more and he wouldn’t be able to manage. But with this one hen laying eggs, he often didn’t need to spend money buying them. When the kids visited, they could grab an egg from the coop for an extra treat.

If he raised more chickens, there’d be more eggs—but when he used to work, he didn’t have the time to take care of them.

Yu Xiang’an pushed open the courtyard gate, looked at him, and called, “Dad, I’m back.”

When Yu Qingshan saw her, he smiled, put down the wild greens in his hands, and walked over quickly, giving her a once-over. “Good to have you home.”

Gu Nanfeng smiled as well. “Hello, Uncle Yu.”

Yu Qingshan nodded in greeting. Yu Xiang’an set down her bags. “Dad, what’s this about your retirement? Tell me everything.”

Yu Qingshan picked up her things and headed into the house. “First thing you ask about the moment you’re back, huh? What’s the rush?”

He poured water for the two of them.

The hometown hadn’t changed much—it lagged behind the big cities. And without a woman managing the household, everything showed signs of age. Even the cups were old, cracked, chipped, but still in use. When drinking, they just avoided the jagged edges.

One wrong move and you’d have a cut on your lip.

“I’m only a few years from retirement anyway. I can’t stop worrying about you over there. While I can still move around, I figured I’d come and keep an eye on things for you.”

Yu Xiang’an couldn’t help laughing. “Dad, if I had you just watching the door, wouldn’t that be wasting your talent? Now that you’re retired, what are the plans?”

Yu Qingshan replied, “I’m officially retired. I get a monthly pension. I also brought in one of your Fourth Grandpa’s grandsons—he’s working at the factory doing odd jobs.”

Formal worker positions were still hard to get at the time. Their factory hadn’t yet shown signs of decline.

Now that he’d stepped down, typically one’s own child would take over. But his children all had jobs of their own.

As for the grandchildren, the oldest, Yu Mingjie, could’ve taken over, but he was in college. He’d be out of his mind to drag him back for this job. So Yu Qingshan started looking through the extended family. The closest by blood were his brother’s sons. But the eldest, Manchang, was well-respected and earning good money near home, so he stayed close to care for the family. The second, Manwu, was in Shanghai. The third, Mansheng, was already running a business in the special zone and making who knows how much per month. None of them were interested in taking over.

So he kept digging until he found his Fourth Uncle’s grandson. In his twenties, a bit simple-minded, with no stable job. He was just working the fields back in the village. For someone like him, coming to the county was a great opportunity. He got a new household registration, a monthly income—far better than laboring in the fields under sun and rain.

Yu Xiang’an was moved. She brought him tea. “Thanks, Dad. I know you did this for me. Now that you’re with me, I’ll make sure everything is properly handled.”

He would be helping, and she’d pay him a salary, year-end bonus, and monthly incentives.

Once her business grew even more, she’d upgrade his setup. As long as he had money in hand, he wouldn’t have to worry in the future.

What? Worried his kids might be unfilial?

Once he had property and savings, no child would dare ignore him.

Not that it was all about money—but Yu Xiang’an could say with confidence: she and her siblings were all good to Yu Qingshan. Nothing like that would happen.

He had devoted himself to raising them. Their hearts weren’t made of stone. Their love for him was real. But the next generation?

Apart from the three kids raised right in front of Yu Qingshan by her eldest brother, the rest lived far away. With little time spent together, there wasn’t much emotional bond. A child’s love for a grandparent wasn’t the same as the grandparent’s love for the child.

Grandparents were often more tender toward grandkids. They could still discipline their own kids strictly—but when it came to the grandkids, they’d gone soft.

Yu Xiang’an went to check the kitchen. Now retired, Yu Qingshan didn’t go to the communal canteen anymore. He cooked for himself—but truthfully, his cooking was just passable. If it was cooked through, it was a success. As for taste? That was asking too much. Still, the pantry had all the basics. Yu Xiang’an rolled up her sleeves and started cooking.

Gu Nanfeng was sharp too—he understood the situation. This was the boss’s father, who might even become his superior. No harm in showing some enthusiasm.

News of Yu Xiang’an’s return quickly spread through the neighborhood. Someone mentioned it to Yu Xianghai. During lunch break, he came over and saw a stranger—Gu Nanfeng—and paused, “And you are…?”

Yu Xiang’an introduced him, “This is my colleague.”

Gu Nanfeng smiled, “I’m the assistant to the boss.”

Yu Xianghai was stunned. Assistant? That’s like a secretary to a high-ranking official. Only people with real power have assistants. His little sister had really made something of herself.

He had no idea that Yu Xiang’an was carrying debt. Yu Qingshan had kept that secret tightly under wraps.

When he heard that his little sister was too busy and needed help, and their father had retired to go assist her, he didn’t object.

Over the years, their father had helped him a lot. Apart from the youngest brother, the rest lived far away and couldn’t help. His family of five was the only one nearby, and their father often bought things for his kids.

Now their dad had gone to help the little sister—seemed fair. He and Ye Qijia both had stable, senior-level jobs. Their eldest son had gone off to school and received a subsidy. It was enough to cover living expenses. The two younger ones were in local schools—how much could that really cost?

Given how successful their sister had become, they’d come to accept her decision to resign from her job. Water flows downhill, people go up. She had clearly moved up. Quitting was no big deal—some people just weren’t made to stay within the system.

Aside from close family, the neighbors didn’t know anything about it. Yu Qingshan had kept it quiet.

If word got out that Yu Xiang’an had started her own factory, it would be a huge deal.

This person would want to recommend so-and-so for a job. That person would say someone hardworking and clean should go help. If she said yes, it’d be messy. If she said no, it’d look bad. People would accuse her of forgetting her roots. “Can’t even help with something so small? What’s the big deal about giving someone a paycheck?”

They’d watched her grow up—now that she was successful, did she think she was too good for them?

These things wouldn’t cause real harm, but they were unpleasant to hear. Best to avoid that altogether by keeping quiet.

“Big Brother, where are Mingfeng and Mingyao?” Yu Xiang’an asked about the twins.

“They’re thirteen now—they should be in school. Where do they eat lunch?”

Yu Xianghai shook his head. “They eat at the school canteen.”

“How’s the food there?”

“It’s okay. Not much oil or flavor, but it’s close and convenient. I gave them some allowance money, so if they’re hungry, they can get something from the school store.”

“How are you and Sister-in-law doing?”

“What’s there to say? Life goes on.”

One by one, the neighbors began stopping by for a chat. “Xiao An, you didn’t come back for New Year’s—you’re finally back now!”

“It’s hard when you live far away.”

“Exactly. Visiting family on the second day of the new year is tradition—but when you’re far, it’s hard to come back.”

“Work comes first.”

“Are you on break now?”

“What good stuff did you bring back this time?”

The questions kept piling up. When Yu Xiang’an didn’t want to answer anymore, she simply pulled out candy and handed it to the kids. That instantly turned the mood lively.

When Yu Mingfeng and Yu Mingyao saw Yu Xiang’an, they weren’t particularly affectionate—which was understandable. They hadn’t spent much time together.

Yu Xiang’an was especially affectionate toward Mingyao. As a child, she’d resembled her eldest sister from her previous life, which gave rise to a bit of emotional transference. Over time, the resemblance faded, but that early affection had lingered.

Still, her favoritism wasn’t out of place. Yu Xianghai and Ye Qijia had three children—two sons and one daughter—so naturally, the daughter was more precious.

“Mingyao’s grown up. Auntie brought you all some new clothes. Check if they’re too big—I bought a size up. Better too big than too small. You can grow into them.”

She gave Mingyao a dress, and the boys got fashionable jeans.

Seeing the clothes, the two kids were thrilled. They didn’t have anything like this. “Thanks, Auntie!”

Yu Xianghai shook his head, “Why’d you buy them clothes again? They’re not lacking.”

Ye Qijia sighed, “Kids these days have it so much better. New clothes, even. I didn’t even have a few new outfits by the time I got married.”

Yu Xiang’an said, “Life’s only going to get better. In the future, people will buy new clothes every year—two sets each season. Wear them for two years, toss them out, then buy new ones.” She was describing how things would be in the future.

Ye Qijia laughed. “If that day really comes, that’d be living in luxury. Just thinking about it is wild—wearing something for only two years? What a waste! Five years is the minimum, ten years is normal.”

Fabric still required ration tickets in some places. Even if you didn’t need one, making new clothes still cost money.

There wasn’t that much money to spare—there were too many other things to save for.

Yu Qingshan was packing up. He didn’t have much. Just some clothes. But many of those clothes were pulled out by his daughter, who said he didn’t need to bring so much—he’d be getting factory uniforms over there.

There was another issue: he couldn’t wear clothes with too many patches—it would reflect poorly. If he dressed too shabbily, people might think the factory was struggling.

What she said made sense. People respect the clothes before the person—Yu Qingshan understood that. But by that logic, did he have to buy a whole new wardrobe? How many of his clothes didn’t have patches? That would be too expensive.

Outerwear was one thing, but underclothes—patched up or not—were fine. No one would see them.

Yu Xiang’an had no choice but to remove some clothes that were so patched up you could hardly tell what color they used to be.

After much effort, everything was finally packed, and they headed south to the special economic zone—straight to the factory.

Yu Xiang’an now lived more comfortably. Behind the factory office building, she had built a two-story Western-style house.

She lived on the second floor. The place was fully furnished, but not very cozy.

If she was working late at the factory, she stayed there. If she was busy at the restaurant, she stayed at the restaurant—she had a room at both places.

Multiple homes.

Now that Yu Qingshan had arrived, this place would become a permanent residence.

As for transportation, Yu Xiang’an planned to buy a car this year—a van. Something that could carry people and goods.

Multi-functional, practical, and one of the most realistic options available at the time. It’d be easier to buy a car in a few more years.

When Yu Qingshan arrived and saw the house, he was stunned. The place was exquisitely furnished, with a soft, sink-right-in sofa, a big color TV…

None of this had been here the last time he visited.

When he entered his room, the wardrobe was full of clothes in his size—Yu Xiang’an had already prepared everything. Since she’d bought them, how could he return them?

He couldn’t.

Among the clothes was an expensive-looking suit.

Yu Xiang’an explained that it was for formal appearances. Sometimes, he’d need to dress the part.

Yu Qingshan: “…”

He hadn’t even started helping yet and already so much money had been spent. He couldn’t slack off now!

Once Yu Xiang’an returned, she immediately plunged into work. Liu Sanbao arrived with a pile of documents. Though she’d been gone a while, and had handled things by phone, there were still matters that needed her personal review and decisions.

Meanwhile, Yu Qingshan was led around by Gu Nanfeng to get a feel for everything—no rush to assign tasks just yet. First, he needed to understand the general operations.

As he toured the site…

Yu Qingshan couldn’t believe his eyes. It hadn’t been that long since his last visit—how had his daughter achieved such a huge transformation?

The second factory was nearly finished.

Yu Yegui somehow caught wind of their return and came to visit.

He was closely related to them—he and Yu Qingshan were cousins.

Now that Yu Qingshan was here, he came by to pay his respects. When he heard that Yu Xiang’an was thinking of buying a car, he said he could help.

His current employer was in the automotive industry.

He could even get Yu Xiang’an a discount.

Yu Xiang’an had brought it up in front of him precisely to see if she could get this kind of favor.

When he said that, she thanked him right away. “Thanks, Uncle. In that case, I’ll be in charge of your hotpot base from now on—however much you eat, I’ll send it!”

She was joking.

Yu Yegui swirled his hotpot and said, “That’d be great. Honestly, no matter how long I’ve lived abroad, our food is still the best. I can’t get used to eating bread every day—it’s just dull.”

Yu Qingshan agreed completely. “I’ve had bread too. As a snack, it’s okay. But as a proper meal? I can’t do it. It’s like I haven’t eaten at all.”

The two of them reached perfect agreement on that point.

Afterward, Yu Qingshan asked, “So when are you planning to relocate your father?”

Even if Yu Yegui hadn’t been asked, he was planning to bring it up. “We consulted a master. He said this year isn’t good—it’ll have to be next year.”

“A master? What kind of master?”

“My wife’s younger sister’s husband introduced us. He’s well-known, surname Chen, very accurate in this sort of thing.”

As soon as the topic came up, Yu Xiang’an quietly listened from the side. Hong Kong was steeped in feng shui beliefs. On the mainland, after the Cultural Revolution and its rejection of the “Four Olds,” the industry nearly vanished. Still, she couldn’t deny that some of these people might genuinely have skill.

Hidden dragons and crouching tigers, as they say.

Yu Xiang’an had never seen one herself, but after the strange experiences she’d had with Lin Chuanbai, she remained cautious—respectful, but distant. If someone like that really picked up on some trace or clue, that could be disastrous.

So, she chose to believe in science.

Things like this came down to personal beliefs. It wasn’t illegal, so she didn’t voice her opinion.

With Yu Yegui offering help, the car purchase officially got underway.

When she revealed the price, Yu Qingshan clutched his chest, feeling a jolt in his heart. She was actually going to buy a car. His daughter—buying a car!

She was such a money magnet. How was she so good at making money?

That kind of car was something only big officials usually had, and now his daughter was buying one?

Business was really this profitable?

Yu Xiang’an gave Yu Qingshan a month to familiarize himself with the area before officially putting him on the job. His position: Director.

Main duties: oversight, inspections, and representing the company publicly.

Yu Xiang’an had clearly written out the standards—he was responsible for spot checks.

Yu Qingshan had a primary school education—self-taught. He could read, write, and do math. He never attended formal school, but he was sharp in his youth and understood the value of literacy. He’d picked things up on the sly and gradually built a foundation, improving over the years until he became a literate, well-informed person.

As long as Yu Xiang’an wrote out the requirements, he could follow them easily. Not difficult for him at all.

He didn’t go with her to every business negotiation—his identity wasn’t always convenient—but just his presence in the area made things different. Those who wanted to bad-mouth her couldn’t just lie with a straight face anymore.

At the end of the first month, Yu Qingshan received his wages and bonus: 80 yuan salary, 20 yuan bonus. A solid 100 yuan.

That was more than what he made at the factory!

Plus his pension—his wallet was now comfortably full.

Yu Qingshan didn’t want it. He told her to save it and use it to pay off debts. But Yu Xiang’an said, “Dad, you hold onto it for me. When something comes up, we’ll take from it.”

One step at a time.

Not long after, Yu Xiang’an received a big follow-up order from Kellett. The goods she’d shipped before the New Year had nearly sold out, and they were placing an additional order.

Kellett also brought good news: he could help her acquire another production line. Did she want it?

Of course she did.

Wasn’t she interested in expanding her product variety?

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to—it was that she couldn’t, not yet.

But with one more production line, her output could double.

Kellett also introduced her to a classmate of his—an overseas Chinese woman in her forties who had come to open a large hotel.

She was in a different line of business from Yu Xiang’an, but they had common ground. Being new to the area, the woman treated Yu Xiang’an with great courtesy and said that once the hotel opened, she’d buy sauces from her. She’d tried some and really liked the taste.

Both sides flattered each other a little. Though there was about a ten-year age gap, the two got along very well.

Yu Xiang’an had originally planned to return to the capital every two to three months, but she couldn’t spare the time. Lin Chuanbai came instead during his holiday leave. Between official holidays and his accumulated vacation, he had enough time for the trip. The twins also had to miss school, but they were willing to make up the lessons afterward.

With military boot camp planned for the summer at Grandpa’s base, who knew when they’d see their mother again?

They really wanted to see her.

Yu Qingshan knew just how busy his daughter was. How busy?
Up at dawn, running around non-stop. Midday, she’d barely nap for ten minutes. In the evening, after all the errands, it’d be nine or ten by the time she bathed and ate.

It was only thanks to better living conditions and good food that her body could even keep up with such a pace.

Knowing how demanding things were on her side, Yu Qingshan couldn’t blame her for not being able to balance work and family. If she stayed home, she wouldn’t be able to manage any of it. Things worked as they were now—her husband had adapted to her.

They say a mother-in-law sees a son-in-law more favorably the more she looks at him. Now it was a father-in-law feeling more and more pleased with his son-in-law.

When Lin Chuanbai came, Yu Qingshan made all his favorite dishes and treated him warmly, even surprising Lin Chuanbai a little.

His father-in-law had never been the warm type. How had retirement changed his personality?

When he asked about it, Yu Xiang’an laughed so hard she couldn’t straighten up.

“My dad thinks it’s not easy for you to support me, that you’re a good husband. So he treats you well and hopes you treat me well too.”

Yu Xiang’an saw it clearly.

Lin Chuanbai patted her. “What kind of nonsense is that? You won’t always be this busy. I’m just free for now—when I get busy again, I’ll be just like you.”

They had limited lab equipment and had to wait in line for access.

Because they’d come, Yu Qingshan and Yu Xiang’an weren’t working around the clock. They’d go out for a stroll every day, then spend time with the family.

Yu Xiang’an still felt guilty about not being able to stay with her kids.

Knowing they’d soon be training at the army base, she bought them lots of durable clothes and shoes.

Lin Yihong had a knack for business. While out shopping, they saw digital watches. He asked for the price, then pulled out his allowance.

They received weekly allowances. After buying lunch each day, if they didn’t spend on anything else, they could save about one yuan a week. Lin Yihong was a hoarder—he never spent his money on anything but food. Over time, with New Year’s red envelopes included, he’d saved 200 yuan and spent it all on digital watches.

When Lin Chuanbai asked what he was doing with them, Lin Yihong replied, “Dad, my classmate bought one of these for 18 yuan. Here they’re only 8. I’ll sell them for 17 back home—people will scramble for them.”

Lin Yining gaped. “You can do that? Then I want to buy some too!”

But she’d spent her allowance much more freely and could only scrounge up 50 yuan. She asked Lin Chuanbai for an advance.

Lin Chuanbai and Yu Xiang’an exchanged a look and advanced her another 50 yuan.

“This time, we won’t interfere. But let me remind you: at your age, academics come first. Just this once, understand?”

“Got it, got it,” they both promised.

When they got back, their watches sold out in no time. Their taste was solid—the styles they chose were a hit among their classmates. And because they were cheaper than local prices, those who didn’t act quickly missed out.

Mechanical watches cost over 100, even 200 yuan. These digital watches were much cheaper. Students needed a sense of time, and as long as the family wasn’t extremely poor, most parents supported the purchase.

After selling them, the twins’ savings doubled overnight.

Their wallets bulged. They’d tasted success.

But trying to do it again? They found there was no longer any room to make a profit.

They’d have to wait until their next trip to the special zone to earn another round.

For now, all they could do was turn their attention back to school.

Time flew by in a flash, and before they knew it, the college entrance exams had arrived. Lin Tiandong and Yan Jin both took the exams that year.

After the exams were over and the university applications were submitted, they suddenly found themselves with all the free time in the world.

When Lin Yihong and Lin Yining were sent by their grandfather to a nearby military camp for the “Military Experience Summer Bootcamp,” they were greeted there by a particularly radiant smile—from none other than their little uncle, Lin Tiandong.

Lin Yining had always liked her little uncle because of his good looks, but now, even though he was smiling handsomely, she didn’t feel the usual spark of admiration—instead, she felt… creeped out.

Could it be… a monster wearing her uncle’s skin?

🌱🌿 🫧🍃

Looking for a Volunteer Proofreader

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