Ch 85: Bringing a Farming Game System to the 1970s

The twins had stayed at their second uncle’s place before, so following their grandpa there now didn’t feel strange at all — but they didn’t get to relax for long.

School was starting, and they had to go back to class.

When they got to school, their skin several shades darker, plenty of classmates asked about it.

They told the whole story of their time in the army camp, feeling prouder the more they talked.

They were determined to go again the next year, and the friends who didn’t know the hardships they’d endured — only imagining the glory — were full of envy.

Because of the tank and wooden pistol in his hands, many were jealous too. They went home and told their parents they wanted one as well. Bullet casing models were hard to get, but wooden ones were possible — the carpenters made a tidy profit.

For a carpenter, carving something like that wasn’t hard; it didn’t need to be exquisitely detailed, just have the right shape.

Not long after their school term began, the universities started up too, and Lin Tiandong came to register. Li Yujiao made a point of coming with him.

Lin Tiandong actually didn’t want her to — he was a university student now, an adult, and didn’t need his mom to tag along. He could handle things himself.

But Li Yujiao wasn’t reassured.

After registration, they went to the dorm, made the bed, and then followed the address to look for Lin Chuanbai.

It was Li Yujiao’s first time going to find him. Normally she wouldn’t go calling, but now that her son would be studying here, having a second brother nearby meant that if any trouble came up, help wouldn’t be too far away.

For her son’s sake, she was willing to take the initiative, say some nice words.

They gave the bustling hot pot restaurant a careful once-over. No wonder Yu Xiang’an had been so confident at New Year — you could tell from a glance it was making serious money.

The gate was locked. Two unfamiliar people loitering outside got the dog barking.

Lin Tiandong called out, “Second Brother! Second Brother! Are you home? Is anyone home?”

No reply, only louder barking.

“Mom, the door’s locked, no one’s answering. I guess they’re not home — let’s come back another day,” Lin Tiandong said.

“Another day? What another day? I have to go back to work,” said Li Yujiao.

“I can just come on my own. I told you I could handle it. I’m grown now.”

“You’re still just a kid,” she scolded. “Traveling alone at your age, carrying all these things — bedding, clothes, shoes — if I hadn’t come, how could you have brought it all? You think I wanted to bring so much?”

“Enough would’ve been fine,” he muttered. “It’s not far from home — I can go back on the weekend and get whatever I need. Worst case, I’ve got money, I can just buy things. Heavy winter stuff doesn’t need to be brought all at once.”

Hearing the constant barking, Wei Funi came over. “Who are you looking for?”

“This is Lin Chuanbai’s home, right?”

“Yes. And you are?” Wei Funi knew the boss wasn’t in. She looked them up and down — unfamiliar faces.

Li Yujiao pointed at Lin Tiandong. “This is his younger brother, just got into university. First time here.”

“Oh! Got into university — that’s a big deal!”

Li Yujiao smiled. “Yes, it is.”

“Which one?”

“Qingmu University.”

“That’s where our boss went — it’s a good school.”

“Yes.”

“Well, come sit for a bit. They’ve gone out — I don’t know where — but they’ll definitely be back this afternoon. Do you want to wait?”

Li Yujiao chose to wait.

They hadn’t eaten yet, so they could eat while waiting.

It wasn’t long till the afternoon anyway, so Wei Funi led them to a private room and served them food and drink.

Why weren’t Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai home?

They were at Yu Xiangyan’s place. One of his colleagues had connections at a farm and brought over more than twenty jin of venison to sell. Yu Xiangyan bought a few jin — venison was rare and worth savoring — and invited Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai over.

While eating, Yu Xiangyan asked Yu Xiang’an if the food court was still hiring.

She had hired quite a few under the company name — cleaning staff, and two gatekeepers. Both were retired soldiers, one missing a few fingers, the other with a limp, both injured in service and introduced by Zhao Li.

Despite appearances, they were more than capable of catching petty thieves.

Even the one with a limp could move faster than most — it wasn’t too serious.

They had turned down the state-assigned jobs offered after leaving the army, not wanting to burden the country. But as the years passed, idling away would ruin a person.

At their age, with elderly parents and young children to care for, farming back home wouldn’t bring in much. Life was hard.

Yu Xiang’an hired them, providing dorms, three meals a day, and a decent salary. With those benefits, their households were visibly better off.

One watched the entrance for theft, the other patrolled inside.

Since opening, the food court had been packed, thanks in large part to the raffle event. Many people were fascinated by the chance of winning big for little.

If someone spent fifty cents in a shop, they got a stamped slip as proof, which they could use at the raffle box by the entrance.

All the prizes were displayed on a rack beside it, behind a simple fence. Whatever you won, you took straight from there.

In just a few days, the two guards had already caught several petty thieves.

Yu Xiang’an asked, “So? Do you have someone to recommend?”

Yu Xiangyan nodded. “A coworker’s brother-in-law passed away — no one to support the family — and she wants to find work for his widow. She’s only finished third grade, knows the common characters. I’ve met her — she’s diligent and looks clean.” Cleanliness was a must in food service.

“Then give me her address and have her come try. But you know this work is tiring,” Yu Xiang’an said.

“I know. But it’s not like jobs are easy to find now. She’s always farmed, never worked in a business. My coworker swears if she’s not suitable, you don’t need to do me any favors.”

Yu Xiang’an understood — just an ordinary coworker.

Yu Xiangyan had another concern: “Sis, how much are you losing on that raffle? It’s still going?”

At that, Yu Qingshan’s heart skipped a beat.

For someone frugal his whole life, it felt like watching blood drain away.

All those things just given away?

“Most people win vouchers,” Yu Xiang’an explained. “Like one mao off a fifty-cent hot pot bill, or five fen off thirty cents at Five Flavors. The more you eat, the more you save. Some win little knickknacks, not worth much. The grand prize is just one item — once it’s drawn, it’s gone. The watch is still here, and business is booming…”

Yu Xiang’an had things to do that afternoon, so after lunch she and Lin Chuanbai headed back. Finding out they had been waiting for quite a while, she felt a bit helpless.

“Why didn’t you call before coming? Then we wouldn’t have gone out.”

Li Yujiao said, “We were planning to come tomorrow, but something came up at work, so I came today instead.”

Lin Chuanbai took them back while Yu Xiang’an went to help at the food court.

Qi Xiaohui was swamped running the raffle, busy enough to wish she had eight arms.

Only then did Lin Tiandong learn that the food court they had just passed was also her project — and he was impressed.

Li Yujiao also found it rather impressive. Before, when she heard Yu Xiang’an talk about this and that, she didn’t have a concrete idea. But now, seeing the building and the crowds — this was what “money flowing in from all directions” really looked like.

Lin Chuanbai took them back home, and Li Yujiao had brought a gift.

“When does school start?”

“The day after tomorrow.”

“Then before school starts, are you planning to stay here with me or go to the dorm?”

Lin Tiandong didn’t want to go to the dorm. The other dormmates hadn’t arrived yet, so the place was empty.

Lin Chuanbai nodded. “Then stay here.”

Li Yujiao thanked him directly. “Then I’ll trouble you.”

Of course staying here was more convenient. And it was a good start — if her son ever ran into trouble in the future, it would be easier to ask for help here.

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t gone to school herself. She knew what university cafeterias were like — just passable. If you wanted to eat well, you needed a little special treatment.

If her son came by occasionally, she didn’t think her in-laws would be stingy enough to turn him away.

And since they ran a restaurant, there was no way the food would be bad.

She might have only a distant relationship with her stepson because of the age gap, but her own son was their real younger brother. With a brother here, coming over for a meal every now and then was perfectly natural.

Lin Chuanbai understood what Li Yujiao meant, but he didn’t think Lin Tiandong would come often. At most, he might drop in for a meal once in a while — and that was no problem.

Satisfied, Li Yujiao left.

Lin Tiandong stayed on.

The guest room was fully equipped — just put out the bedding and it was ready to live in.

Yan Jin arrived much later, coming alone with bags of luggage.

He had come on the very last registration day. When he arrived at Lin Chuanbai’s place, Lin Tiandong still hadn’t gone to school. He planned to go after dinner. The two teenagers were fine with each other at first, but once Lin Chuanbai introduced them, their expressions froze.

Yan Jin silently put down his things. “This is from my mom for Yining. This is for Yihong.”

Lin Yining took hers — a package twice as big as her brother’s. “What did Grandma give me? Why’s it so much?”

Yan Jin said, “Open it and you’ll see. There’s also a letter for you inside. Remember to write back. I still need to organize my things for school, so I’ll come play with you another day.”

The awkwardness wasn’t just on him.

After he left, Lin Tiandong gave a dry laugh. “Guess I should get to school too. What school did he get into?”

Lin Chuanbai said meaningfully, “Capital University.”

Lin Tiandong: “…”

Oh, that’s… really close.

He bared his teeth, feeling a bit of a toothache. If his mom came in the future and ran into his own mom… what a scene that would be.

After the two older boys went back to school, Lin Yining happily opened her grandma’s package. First, she took out the letter and read it carefully.

She got along well with Wu Zheng — they were kindred spirits and often wrote letters. Wu Zheng was more indifferent toward Lin Yihong.

After reading the letter, she gave it to her dad and then went to unwrap her gifts.

Perhaps because she’d written earlier about going to the army camp, many of the gifts were army-themed — clothes, a canteen, and even a medal.

Lin Chuanbai examined it carefully, then handed it to Lin Yining. “This is your grandma’s military merit medal — proof of honor. You must keep it safe.”

Such a thing being given away was no small matter.

Once she knew what it meant, Lin Yining treasured it dearly. She put it in a box, placed it at the very bottom of her little trunk, and locked it.

Lin Yihong was a bit unhappy — Grandma had only given something to his sister, not to him. That wasn’t fair.

Lin Chuanbai told him to think about it. “Your mom and dad didn’t get anything either. You still got a gift — I only got two lines in a letter.” The letter mentioned that she had cut up a century-old ginseng to save someone’s life.

He explained to Lin Yihong that most of the things Wu Zheng sent were for Yining. The favoritism was obvious, and such behavior could easily stir up conflict among children. This showed her personality.

If you were the one she favored, it was great. If you were ignored, it didn’t feel so good.

Yu Xiang’an said, “Son, think about it — don’t your grandpa and great-grandpa like you more? Now your grandma likes your sister more. So what?”

Lin Yihong had no response but still felt it was a little unfair — his sister had one person’s favor, while he had two.

As for their grandpa, he treated them both the same.

…

Because they’d run into each other at Lin Chuanbai’s, Yan Jin and Lin Tiandong didn’t come over to stay or even to eat, for fear of meeting again and feeling awkward.

Their absence didn’t bother Lin Chuanbai — it was less trouble for him. But occasionally, he had the twins take some meat and vegetables to them to improve their meals, sending to one meant sending to the other. With two children, it worked out just right.

Aside from that, the two boys thrived at university. Once Yu Xiang’an had settled matters here, she went south with Yu Qingshan.

Not long after, Liu Mingyue also set out — she was going to the Special Zone on business. During her trip, she naturally spent time with Yu Xiang’an, going out, shopping, and buying things. With her making introductions, Yu Xiang’an expanded her network even more.

Yu Xiang’an knew the value of this — Liu Mingyue didn’t have to do it, but she did, simply because they were friends.

When Liu Mingyue left, Yu Xiang’an gave her a bottle of perfume. It wasn’t expensive — too much and it would change the nature of the gift. This was just right.

They agreed that when Yu Xiang’an returned to the capital, she’d bring out some good wine she’d been saving and give Liu Mingyue two jars.

When Yu Xiang’an did return two months later, it was partly to keep that promise, and partly because Lin Guangbai had arrived.

He had come from the development zone to the capital.

Yu Xiang’an had some guesses about his purpose — it was the development zone, after all.

Lin Guangbai was indeed here to seek advice. He’d even gone to the Special Zone himself, tagging along with other leaders on a business trip. Seeing what it looked like now compared to before it was designated as a Special Zone — who wouldn’t be struck?

He wanted to accomplish something real.

The newly designated development zone in Yancheng wasn’t coastal, but it had a good location. This was a pilot project — if successful, the zone’s future would be secure.

He brought out a map, explained the geography, and talked about the local specialties.

He wanted to know more about the Special Zone, and Yu Xiang’an told him everything she knew. But if he was here to recruit investment, she was hesitant — her own business hadn’t fully expanded yet, and she wouldn’t be ready to branch out for a few more years.

Fortunately, Lin Guangbai had no such expectations.

In his eyes, his sister-in-law’s ventures were still small-scale. His main target was overseas Chinese.

Yu Xiangyan could speak on that — he worked in the foreign trade department.

Lin Guangbai also sought out Yu Xiang’an’s university class adviser, Wu Zhusheng.

Besides business, Lin Guangbai and Lin Chuanbai had a private talk, catching up after a long time.

He met Lin Tiandong and Yan Jin — just a quick meeting, exchanging a few words so that if they met again later, they wouldn’t be strangers.

His smooth career wasn’t just thanks to his own abilities. Lin Houp’u might not be in Shanghai, but he had many comrades there who looked out for Lin Guangbai, ensuring he avoided pointless conflicts. On top of that, his wife’s family had some influence locally. With these supports, his path had been much easier.

When it came to Lin Houp’u’s political connections, Lin Guangbai would never turn them down. And now that Lin Houp’u was about to be promoted, it was impossible for him to remain a factory director — that would make it a one-man show. He would be transferred, and with the achievements he’d made there, a promotion was a sure thing.

Right now, government and enterprise weren’t separate, especially since he was in a machinery plant, and he wasn’t all that old. There was even a chance he could get another promotion before retirement.

Even if he wouldn’t open a back door for Lin Guangbai, just as things stood now, he could still make his path a lot smoother.

Lin Houp’u’s resources, however, were limited.

And he didn’t have just one son.

Judging from the situation, his younger son would likely enter the system in the future too. When that happened, who would he put his main support behind?

Lin Chuanbai said, “Big Brother, even if he wants to favor the younger one, there’s the age gap to think about. By the time he retires, how old will the younger one be? What rank could he even reach? And you’re the eldest son — Grandfather values the eldest legitimate grandson highly. As long as you keep your footing and don’t go astray, you don’t need to worry too much.”

Lin Guangbai understood that logic, but the influence of a wife’s pillow talk was something else entirely, so he still intended to be cautious.

He nodded, skipped over the topic, and looked at Lin Chuanbai. “What about you? What’s your plan for the future? You’re not that young anymore — do you plan to stay in academia and research forever?”

Lin Chuanbai told him frankly, “I’m thinking of heading south this year or next. Not to the Special Zone, but to Yangcheng. There are universities there too, so my wife and I wouldn’t have to live so far apart. They have labs as well, and after building up a bit more, I could set up my own and work independently.”

He already had some results that could be put into production, but at a time like this, it wasn’t convenient to bring them out. There would be ownership disputes — even if the initial idea was his, it had been signed under a borrowing agreement, and in the future, it might be contested. So for now, he was holding back.

Lin Guangbai hadn’t expected that. “You’re going to Yangcheng? But this is the capital.”

“It’s not like I’ll never come back,” Lin Chuanbai said.

Lin Guangbai felt a bit helpless. He’d finally gotten closer to his younger brother and could see him more often, and now he was planning to move even farther away to the south.

…

Yu Xiang’an had only been back in the south a few days when, returning from an outing, Yu Qingshan pulled her aside. “Your grandma’s sick — she’s in the hospital. We need to go back to Baishi County.”

Yu Xiang’an was alarmed. “Is it serious? What happened?” Normally, a minor illness wouldn’t mean going to the hospital.

“She was going downhill when some kids ran into her. She fell and hurt her leg — she’s in the city hospital now.”

Lin Chuanbai’s eldest sister, Lin Yunling, worked at that city hospital.

They went to the front desk to ask which ward she was in, and when they got there, they saw Yao Cuifen in a hospital gown, lying in bed with an IV drip in her hand and her left leg in a cast. The surgery had already been done.

Looking at her white hair, age spots, and wrinkled face lying pale against the pillow, Yu Xiang’an felt her nose sting. “Grandma, how are you feeling? Anywhere hurting?”

Yao Cuifen forced a small smile. “Xiao An, you came. I’m fine.”

Qin Qiang, standing nearby, said, “She was taken to the hospital in time, and they handled it well. The surgery’s done, and it was successful. The doctor says she just needs to rest.”

Hearing that, Yu Xiang’an and Yu Qingshan both relaxed.

Aside from Qin Qiang, second uncle Qin Fengmao and cousin Qin Shengsong were also there — it had been the cousin who called them.

Yu Qingshan asked, “Someone needs to stay with her. How’s that being arranged? Has Xianghai come?”

Qin Qiang said, “I’m here every day. I rented a place. Today your second brother is here, tomorrow your second sister-in-law will be here. Xianghai came the day before yesterday and said he’d come today too — should be on the way now.”

Yao Cuifen was in a double room, the other bed occupied by another elderly lady, looking younger than her. Seeing so many people gathered at Yao Cuifen’s side — all children and grandchildren, and even more on the way — the woman couldn’t help but feel envious.

“Big Sister, you’re lucky. Your children are so filial. If my life were even half as good as yours, I could die with a smile.”

Yao Cuifen knew the woman’s situation — she’d been admitted a couple of days before, but apart from her husband bringing dinner at night and the occasional visit from one daughter with some nourishing food, no one else came. The rest of her meals, she had to ask the nurses and doctors to help fetch.

The woman complained, “I had two sons and two daughters. I gave everything I had to get those boys married. As for the girls, I didn’t treat them badly — married them off properly. But I gave my job to my son, and now here I am in a hospital bed, and neither of my sons shows up. My daughters-in-law even less so. Only my eldest daughter still has a conscience — she comes every day to see me and bring food. If it weren’t for my pension, I might not even get a hot meal. Big Sister, how did my life end up like this?”

There wasn’t much to say to that. If her children were truly unfilial, she could report them to her work unit. But would she?

And as for which son she’d given her job to — she had two, and giving to one over the other could only breed resentment.

Just then, the ward door was flung open. Her younger daughter and daughter-in-law had arrived, and having overheard her words, immediately began to argue.

“There you go again, spouting nonsense! You just want to drag our names through the mud to make yourself happy!”

“You old bag, even now you can’t keep that mouth shut. Well, I’ll have it out with you today…”

Yu Xiang’an frowned at the scene and went to ask if there were any single rooms available.

There were, of course — just more expensive. Yu Xiang’an paid right away.

With all that noise from the other bed so close, there was no way to rest properly.

Qin Fengmao followed her out, clearly not wanting her to spend the money.

“Uncle,” Yu Xiang’an said, “you’re the one who’ll be coming here regularly to check on Grandma. I’m far away and busy, so I can’t be here often. She’s my grandmother too — let me help with some of the expenses. You’re covering the big costs. If you don’t let me show my filial piety, you’ll make it hard for me.”

Qin Fengmao, stumped, could only smile helplessly. “Alright, alright. I know you’re filial.”

“Uncle, what about those kids who knocked Grandma over?” She hadn’t asked earlier in the chaos.

Qin Fengmao’s face hardened. “Three of them — playing football right on that slope. They saw an old woman coming down and didn’t stop. When she fell, they ran. If someone hadn’t happened by, who knows what would have happened. They’re repeat offenders — just a while ago, a pregnant woman fell there too. Luckily she was fine. Now that your grandma’s hurt, their parents refuse to admit fault. I called the police, and we came here partly because the doctors are better, and partly so those shameless people wouldn’t cause trouble in the ward and keep your grandma from resting.”

🌱🌿 🫧🍃