Ch 115: Bringing a Farming Game System to the 1970s

After Ding Minxiu walked out of the police station, the sunlight outside felt like it belonged to another world.

She was finally out. After fifteen days of detention, she had regained her freedom.

She had made it out at last. Her face twitched as she tried to force a smile, but what appeared could hardly be called one. It drooped, closer to a cry.

How had she been caught?

The first two times, she had slipped away without a problem.

She had been careful. Maybe she should not have gone a third time. The interval between attempts had been too short. They were on high alert now. If she had waited longer, they would not have been so tense or so attentive to movements at night.

Ding Minxiu felt she had suffered a huge loss.

Now look at this. She had been detained for so long, lost her job, did not know how she would find another one, and had even had to pay a fine.

A total loss.

Afraid of losing face, Zhou Changshou did not come to pick her up. The only one who came was Zhao Qiaoniang. Zhao Qiaoniang’s hair had turned almost completely white. There had once been strands of black left, but now they were nearly all gone. The bags under her eyes were deep and heavy, making her look more than five years older.

Ding Minxiu stared for a moment, dazed. So she had aged this much already.

Time had passed so quickly.

Only after a moment did she come back to herself, her face stiffening. “What are you doing here? Come to laugh at me?” Her voice was sharp and piercing.

Zhao Qiaoniang looked at her, tears streaming down her face. “Daughter, can we just go back and live our lives properly?”

The words “live properly” stabbed deeply into Ding Minxiu.

Live properly?

How could she possibly live properly now?

Her life was a complete mess. And whose fault was that?

If others did not know, that was one thing. But if they found out she had been detained, they would definitely point fingers at her. How could she live properly like that?

Once they were far from the police station, Ding Minxiu said, “Didn’t you go beg Yu Xiang’an? Over something so minor she still called the police! This world is so unfair!”

Zhao Qiaoniang choked back her sobs.

Ding Minxiu snapped, “You just watched me get taken in like that. Are you even my real mother?”

Zhao Qiaoniang broke down crying. “If I’m not your real mother, what, am I your stepmother? You child, sometimes you make me so angry I feel like you’re my stepmother instead. I told you before not to go, but did you listen? Now something’s happened, and what do you want? To keep going? They’re fine, and you? You don’t care about your family or yourself anymore.”

Ding Minxiu flared up. “How do I not care about my family? How do I not care about myself? I’ve done everything I’m supposed to do. My grandson is already several years old. How could I not care about my family? If not for them, why would I come out here to work? Wouldn’t it be easier to just lie around at home?”

Zhao Qiaoniang felt a surge of regret. If she had known, she would have stopped her no matter what. “You need to think carefully about what you’re going to do next.”

If only they could go back to the beginning.

Zhao Qiaoniang drifted in her thoughts.

Back to before her daughter and Zhou Boyang had gotten together.

She would rather have let her be sent to the countryside.

As for the future, Ding Minxiu herself felt lost.

The future… what was she supposed to do?

There was, of course, a reason she had suddenly done such things. Zhou Boyang had been laid off. The meat processing factory had shut down. Misfortune came one after another. Zhou Tianyou, because of his long-standing poor work habits, skipping work more often than not, had also been forced to take a buyout. Suddenly, the burden of supporting the family fell entirely onto Ding Minxiu.

Originally, Zhou Boyang and Ding Minxiu had the highest incomes, followed by Zhou Changshou’s pension, and Zhao Qiaoniang and Zhou Tianyou’s basic wages. Now all of that was gone.

Zhou Changshou and Zhao Qiaoniang were old, and no one wanted to hire them. If anything happened while working, it would be hard to sort out responsibility.

Now, the only person in the household with an income was Ding Minxiu.

Zhou Changshou’s pension was gone as well, replaced by a one-time payout.

Hit hard by all this, Zhou Boyang shut himself in at home. Ding Minxiu’s son and daughter-in-law were at an age when they should have been working to support the family, yet they stayed home, constantly asking her for money.

Ding Minxiu had tried to get them to come out and work with her, but they refused. Their excuses sounded reasonable enough: the daughter-in-law needed to take care of the grandson, and her son wanted to find another “iron rice bowl” job.

But in the current situation, finding another iron rice bowl?

Those were the very jobs disappearing the fastest.

Private enterprises were better at least they paid wages on time each month.

The pressure from her family situation had suffocated her. Then she heard that Yu Xiang’an’s life was flourishing more and more. In a moment of impulse, she did what she did.

This time, when she was detained, aside from Zhao Qiaoniang, no one else showed up. She had lost her job too. She still had a bit of money on hand, but could she just sit there and spend it all away?

After this incident, Ding Minxiu finally saw clearly what kind of person her precious son really was.

Her heart turned cold. They knew she had been detained, yet not a single one of them came not even her son.

Could she still rely on such a son to support her in old age?

Ding Minxiu was utterly disheartened and said nothing more along the way.

What was there to say?

She had vented her anger. Now she had to think carefully about what to do next.

About her future.

After returning, Ding Minxiu looked at herself in the mirror and carefully tidied herself up.

Her foundation was still there.

She had no choice but to plan for her future.

None of these family members could be relied upon. She could only rely on herself.

She was not that old yet.

Zhao Qiaoniang watched her quietly and let out a sigh of relief.

She did not know why, but it seemed her daughter had come to terms with things.

She went to see a doctor to adjust her health, went out to find work, and even dressed more presentably.

Zhao Qiaoniang stayed in their rented place, helping manage daily life. When she had time, she would go out to collect recyclables to earn a bit of extra money. It might not be dignified work, but it brought in a decent income.

That was enough for her. Zhao Qiaoniang was satisfied. Why should her daughter keep clashing with the Yu family? They had nothing to do with them anymore. It would be better to find a stable job and live a good life.

But she never expected her daughter to tell her she was pregnant.

Pregnant? What did that mean?

She had not seen her son-in-law for such a long time. Whose child was this?

At the thought, Zhao Qiaoniang’s vision went black, and she collapsed.

When she woke again, looking at the dim light, she felt as though she had had a nightmare. But this was no dream. It was reality.

Her daughter sat by the bed, her expression steady. “Mom, I didn’t lie to you. This child won’t carry the Zhou surname.”

Zhao Qiaoniang felt the world spin again. But this time she was already lying down, and she had heard it once before.

After taking several deep breaths, she grabbed Ding Minxiu’s hand, trembling. “You child, what foolish thing have you done? This child cannot be kept!”

Ding Minxiu said, “Mom, can’t you see it clearly? My son is unreliable. If I depend on him, when I’m old, I’ll probably end up sleeping on the streets.” Her expression was complicated. “I have to think about my own future. Look at the Zhou family now. I can’t carry them anymore. The whole family is relying on the two of us to survive.”

Zhao Qiaoniang fell silent.

She opened her mouth but could not speak.

Ding Minxiu seemed to know what she wanted to ask. “Mom, of course I love my son. Just pretend you don’t know about this. If anything comes up, help me deal with it. If they ask, just say I’m working here and can’t leave. As long as I send money back on time, they won’t know.”

Zhao Qiaoniang was stunned. This was something she had thought through carefully.

Why?

Ding Minxiu said, “Mom, after this, I’ve finally understood. If I don’t plan for myself, who will? You? Mom, you do care about me, but can you give me a better life? No. Zhou Boyang can’t. My son can’t either. When I was detained this time, not one of them came to see me. Not even a phone call. Mom… my heart has truly gone cold.”

As Ding Minxiu spoke, she turned her head away and quickly wiped at her tears.

“Don’t try to stop me. If you do, you might as well be forcing me to die. At my age, it wasn’t easy to get pregnant. This child will be what I rely on for the rest of my life.”

She took out a gold bracelet.

There was nothing particularly intricate about it. It had only one defining feature: it was large.

“The child’s father gave this to me. If I carry the baby to term, he’ll give me an apartment, and he’ll give me a sum of money.”

Zhao Qiaoniang’s eyes widened.

Ding Minxiu smiled, tears sliding down from the corners of her mouth. “He wants a child, so I’ll give him one. He may not care about me, but can he really ignore his own blood? For the rest of my life, I’ll rely on this child.”

A different kind of light flared in her eyes. “Let’s pack our things now and move somewhere else. We won’t have to worry about living expenses, he’s already given me money. We’ll eat well, live well, and safely bring this child into the world…”

*

The weather had been nice lately, so the family decided to go hiking and enjoy the scenery, to give their eyes and minds a rest.

They chose a nearby hill and set out early, leaving just as dawn was breaking to avoid the crowds.

Still, they were not the first to arrive. Some people had come even earlier.

They were there to relax, not to rush to the top, so they walked and chatted along the way. Whenever they saw something interesting, they would stop. Lin Yining had brought a camera and would take photos of anything that caught her eye.

Because they moved at a leisurely pace, more and more people gradually caught up and passed them.

Many were parents taking their children out for a weekend outing.

The environment was indeed soothing. Not just the two children, even Lin Chuanbai and Yu Xiang’an began to relax. As they walked, the group naturally split into two, the two children in front, and the couple behind, walking hand in hand.

The twins happened to glance back and saw their parents like that.

“… ”

That was a bit too much. Better keep hiking to work it off.

By noon, the four of them finally reached the top at their unhurried pace. Yu Qingshan had no interest in hiking at all. In his words, he had seen enough of mountains already and had no desire to go out of his way for it.

He would rather stay at home watching television or listening to storytelling.

Since he did not want to come, he did not. Yu Xiang’an had prepared lunch in advance. Lin Chuanbai found a relatively flat spot, spread out a picnic blanket, and Lin Yihong took off his backpack and pulled out the drinks.

Lin Chuanbai unpacked the rest of the food. Most of it was in his bag, though it was not heavy. They had divided the load between them, deliberately bringing things that were light and easy to carry, sandwiches, pan-fried dumplings, shumai, cakes, along with some vegetables and fruit to balance the richness.

While they were eating, a familiar voice sounded nearby.

“What a coincidence!”

It was Lei Ming. Beside him were his wife and daughter. He had brought them here for a visit today.

Lei Ming smiled, looking helpless but clearly full of indulgence. “My daughter insisted on coming up the mountain to see the flowers, so what could I do but bring her?”

Yu Xiang’an said, “I brought the kids out too, to let them relax a bit.”

Lei Ming thought for a moment, then looked at the tall, slender young pair. “They’re in their final year of high school, right?”

Yu Xiang’an nodded. “That’s right.”

Lei Ming said, “The college entrance exams are coming up soon. You can’t just study all the time. It’s good to relax once in a while.”

Their relationship had grown quite good. They had frequent business dealings, and beyond business partners, they could also be called friends.

Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union last year, Lei Ming had felt even more fortunate that he had withdrawn early enough.

Some matters were not meant for people like them to get involved in. Because he had stepped away in time, he had not been affected and could continue running his business smoothly.

Back then, Yu Xiang’an had also advised him to withdraw early. In his view, that only showed how far-sighted she was.

He cast a regretful glance at Lin Yihong and Lin Yining. The two of them were already grown young adults. He had married late and his daughter was still young. If she had been a bit older, he would have wanted to ask about forming a marriage connection. A mother-in-law like Yu Xiang’an was reliable.

Yu Xiang’an said, “Have you had lunch? Want to join us for a bite?”

Lei Ming waved his hand. “Thanks, but we’ve already made reservations. I won’t disturb you.”

The amount of food this family had prepared was just enough for them. Adding three more people would not be enough. It was polite to ask, but he could not take it seriously. It was not as if they had planned for extra. Up on the mountain, you could buy water or snacks, but not a proper meal. He still needed to go back down.

Lin Yihong watched the direction he left and remarked, “Uncle Lei is really tall and solid.”

He squeezed his own arm. He was still growing. Would he also become that tall and strong when he was older?

He quite liked that tower-like physique.

Lin Chuanbai overheard him and looked at his tall, slender son. He took after him in build, though his face resembled his mother somewhat. With that face, he could easily debut as a celebrity, yet he wanted that kind of bulky build. Put together, it would look a bit… off.

If the head stayed the same, paired with that kind of imposing physique, it would be slightly mismatched.

Lin Yining said, “When we go down, should we take the left path or the right? The left route is longer, but it passes by a lake where we can go boating. The other side is just mountain paths and stairs. Which one do we pick?”

Yu Xiang’an said, “Whichever you two want. Your dad and I are fine with either.”

Today was about letting the two seniors relax.

They should follow their own wishes.

Lin Yining said, “Then let’s go by the lake. We can row a boat.”

No one objected.

They strolled leisurely to the lake and rented a boat. Lin Yihong and Lin Yining took the oars and rowed, while Lin Chuanbai and Yu Xiang’an simply sat and enjoyed the ride.

The lake was not large. There were only four boats in total. There were no particular safety measures, no lifeguards stationed nearby. Visit HololoNovels .com to read more. Just an elderly man collecting fees. Even if he could swim, if something happened, he likely would not have the strength to help.

Two of the four boats were in use. One was far away, and the other was not too far ahead of them.

There were three people on it, one boy and two girls, about the same age as Lin Yihong and Lin Yining.

Lin Chuanbai glanced over casually, then frowned and nudged Yu Xiang’an. “Doesn’t that group look a bit familiar?”

Yu Xiang’an asked, “Which one do you mean?”

“The one in blue.”

Yu Xiang’an blinked. Her eyesight was sharp, and even at a distance she could see clearly. She narrowed her eyes, thinking. “I think they look familiar too. Where have we seen them?”

Another acquaintance?

Lin Yihong and Lin Yining looked over, but they did not recognize them.

Yu Xiang’an suddenly remembered. “I know who that girl is. She’s Director Huang from the Health Bureau’s daughter. I think her name is Shanshan. The boy with his back to us should be her brother, Aimin.”

Lin Chuanbai also recalled, “Then the other one should be their niece. I remember their family took in their younger brother’s daughter.”

Yu Xiang’an nodded. Having recognized them, she did not intend to do anything about it.

They continued leisurely enjoying the view of the lake. Lin Yihong was facing that direction while rowing. Right before his eyes, it seemed like an argument broke out. With a splash, the girl in blue fell into the water.

A cry of alarm erupted from their boat. Huang Aimin immediately reached out with one hand to pull Huang Shanshan, gripping the edge of the boat tightly with the other. The boat rocked, and with another splash, he fell into the water as well.

Right after that, Yu Xiang’an heard screaming.

“Help!”

“We can’t swim!”

Lin Chuanbai immediately grabbed the oar from Lin Yihong’s hands and rowed the boat over, while Lin Yihong stood up at once, ready to jump in if needed.

All four members of their family could swim.

As the boat drew near, Yu Xiang’an called out from aboard, trying to calm the two children. “Someone’s here to save you, don’t panic. Once someone gets to you, just relax your body. Don’t be afraid. You’ll be fine.”

Some people became terrified when drowning, and if someone came to rescue them, they would cling desperately to that person, which could easily drag both of them under.

Lin Chuanbai circled around behind Huang Aimin, while Lin Yihong went behind Huang Shanshan. Lin Yining stayed at the other end to keep the boat balanced, and Yu Xiang’an stretched out an oar for them to grab. One by one, they were pulled aboard.

All three people in that boat were landlubbers. The only one who had not fallen in could do nothing but scream from inside the boat. Coming out rowing like this had really been dangerous.

There were no towels or spare clothes on hand. Yu Xiang’an took out their picnic blanket, since Huang Shanshan’s wet clothes were now clinging tightly to her body.

“Thank you.” Huang Shanshan had swallowed several mouthfuls of water and was so frightened her face was completely drained of color.

There was nothing more to say. They immediately turned back toward shore.

Yu Xiang’an asked, “How did you come here? By car?”

Huang Aimin recovered the fastest. “We took a taxi.”

Yu Xiang’an nodded. “In that case, the first thing you need is a place to change clothes. You’ll get sick easily like this. If you don’t mind, come to my car. I have some spare clothes there. The sizes won’t fit properly, but at least they won’t leave you soaked through. I know your father, Director Huang. My name is Yu Xiang’an. We met once at a wedding banquet in a hotel. You were standing behind your father then. I remembered you. You probably don’t remember me.”

Huang Aimin truly did not remember her.

Yu Xiang’an took out her brick phone. “I have a phone here. Why don’t you call home?”

He froze for a moment, then accepted it. “Thank you, Auntie.”

He called his father, confirmed that they did indeed know each other, and briefly explained the situation. Only after hearing his father tell him to go with them and change clothes did he agree, obediently following them down the mountain.

Even though they changed early, Huang Shanshan still sneezed several times in a row. Yu Xiang’an said, “When you get home, remember to drink something warming.”

By then, Huang Aimin had completely recovered himself. He thanked them solemnly. “Thank you, Uncle, Auntie. If it weren’t for you this time, I don’t know what would have happened to me and my sister.”

Yu Xiang’an smiled. “It’s nothing. I’ll take you home. Your parents must be worried sick.”

Yu Xiang’an had only one thought: thank goodness all of them could swim. If her two children had fallen into the water and could not swim, she would have been scared half to death.

Director Huang really had been scared half to death. As soon as he got the call, he rushed home, and by the time Yu Xiang’an and the others arrived, he was already waiting at the door.

His two children had fallen into the lake and neither of them could swim. If there had not happened to be another boat nearby with people who knew how to swim, who knew what might have happened.

He only had these two children. Each one was precious to him.

It was not convenient to say much right then. After getting the children out of the car and exchanging a few polite words, Yu Xiang’an’s family left.

On the drive back, with only their own family in the car, Lin Yihong said, “Mom, before Huang Shanshan fell in, I think I saw her younger sister push her.”

Yu Xiang’an fell silent for a moment. “Just pretend you didn’t see it. That’s their family matter. It’s not really for outsiders like us to interfere in.”

Lin Yihong said, “I know. The two siblings each have their own mouths. They can speak for themselves.”

There was no need for him to get involved. It was just… a little sobering.

Lin Yining widened her eyes. “Brother, you mean her younger sister pushed her? On purpose?”

Lin Yihong said, “Whether it was intentional or not is hard to say. But think about the consequences. Even if she didn’t mean it, she was far too impulsive. If something had really happened, even if she herself came out of it fine, she wouldn’t come out of it well.”

After Director Huang had settled the children, he came the next day with gifts to express his thanks. He even specially had an honorary banner made and sent it to Lin Yihong’s class, making no effort to hide the matter.

At once, everyone in the class learned that a little hero had emerged among them. That would be useful for the boy in the future.

Then, after school, Director Huang booked a table nearby and invited their whole family to dinner.

At the end of the meal, he casually brought something up. “These children, ah, it’s like I owed them in a previous life, so in this life they came to be my children and give me nothing but worry. You were close by. Did you happen to see how they fell into the water?”

Lin Yihong shook his head. “We only looked over after hearing the splash. Did someone slip and fall in?”

Director Huang said, “Most likely.”

He laughed cheerfully. “Come, let Uncle offer you a toast. I’m truly grateful to you. This one drink can’t express much, but it shows my feelings. In the future, if there’s anything I can help with, as long as it doesn’t violate organizational discipline, I’ll help.”

That was his way of putting the matter on the table in advance.

This was such a large favor that he would certainly repay it, but not in any way that violated organizational discipline, and only where he was actually able to help.

Yu Xiang’an raised her glass. “Director Huang, the way you say that, we’re all law-abiding good citizens. Of course we won’t violate organizational discipline. Director Huang, you’re welcome to supervise us. I’m not afraid of what others might say on that front. I do business with a clear conscience.”

If someone in the food business had a bad relationship with the Health Bureau, that would be troublesome.

If one day they said your sanitation was below standard, and the next day claimed some inspection had not been done properly, then you might as well stop opening your doors to customers.

After this incident, Yu Xiang’an was not thinking of asking him for favoritism. She had always cared a great deal about this issue.

As a chef, she disliked having a kitchen that was not clean or that failed hygiene standards.

She did not need him to open back doors or turn a blind eye, but now that this favor existed, if someone got jealous and wanted to use procedures and formalities to make trouble for her, it would not be so easy.

Petty functionaries could be the hardest to deal with. That was the principle.

When they got home, Lin Yining asked Yu Xiang’an, “Mom, would people deliberately make trouble for our business?”

Yu Xiang’an answered without hesitation, “Of course. It’s always been like that.”

Lin Yining’s eyes widened. “What? It’s always been like that? Who dares bully you?”

Yu Xiang’an said, “Back when I first went to the Special Economic Zone to open a restaurant, there were people who ate without paying, people who put cockroaches and flies in their food, and people who claimed they got food poisoning just to extort us. Things like that are unavoidable. People with real backing won’t come trouble me. Even if they don’t respect the monk, they’ll respect the Buddha. Your mother here has plenty of classmates of her own, and higher up than that, your grandfather and grandmother are both people of some standing. But a lot of people only stare at the little patch of ground in front of them. Visit HololoNovels .com to read more. They act impulsively, and whenever they see a business doing well, they start looking for crooked ways in. That kind of thing can never be completely prevented. Otherwise why do you think I asked your grandfather for retired soldiers to help me back then? I needed people to hold down the fort. If anyone came looking for trouble, one hand was enough to grab them and toss them right out into the street.”

Lin Yihong and Lin Yining: “…”

The two of them looked at their mother wordlessly. It felt like their mom had just said something pretty incredible with a smile on her face.

🌱🌿 🫧🍃