At night, Su Qinghe chose to cook twice-cooked pork.
Su Qinghe was busy in the kitchen until midnight, when Gu Changan completed the training mission. As soon as he did, she finally heard the system notification:
“Ding... Congratulations to the host. Class B chef twice-cooked pork is qualified in the art assessment task. It tastes good. You are rewarded with a bit of skill, and two portions of ingredients for twice-cooked pork.”
“Ding... Congratulations to the host for completing the upgrade task from level B to level C in cooking. Reward: one thousand catties of middle-yield rice seeds.”
“Ding... Congratulations to the host for overcoming the habit of laziness, showing the spirit of hard work. Reward: farmer’s fertilizer formula.”
After three consecutive notifications, it finally stopped. Su Qinghe looked at her rewards. The twice-cooked pork reward made sense. The one thousand catties of middle-yield rice seeds were also great—it was worth 10,000 star coins. Last time, she had to open so many side missions to get that much. But the extra reward… what did the fertilizer formula mean?
“System, what does this farmyard fertilizer formula mean? It sounds unreliable. Why don’t you just give me tens of thousands of catties of seeds instead? Or at least give me some advanced formulas.”
“Host, ability, harvest, and effort go hand in hand. With the host’s current ability, this is the proper reward. It is recommended that the host use the farmyard fertilizer formula. Although it has little effect on regular land, it is very effective for crops in dry land.”
“…So it only works in dry land? It’s only useful when there’s a drought? System, you tricked me before!”
“Host, this system has no deception settings. According to system analysis, the rewards given meet the host’s current needs. After using the farmyard fertilizer formula, crop harvests can be improved. If the host’s capacity grows, the area of influence will grow too. Ten thousand catties of seeds will become more effective. If the host wants to be more successful, work hard, upgrade, gain more abilities, and have a greater impact.”
Su Qinghe turned off the brainwashing system and began to study the formula.
She had originally planned to trade the seeds, but now there weren’t enough to trade. The two thousand catties of seeds she received wouldn’t be enough. At most, it could help the Dahe Commune get a good harvest if mixed into the county seeds.
If this fertilizer formula was really as effective as the system said, it could still help her father-in-law.
She didn’t want any problems to happen to him. If something went wrong, Secretary Sun and County Magistrate Lin wouldn’t hold back. It would be a disaster.
Besides, the problems in the county were urgent too.
Forget it. Although the system could be stingy sometimes, it had always been reliable.
After getting up the next day, Su Qinghe brushed her teeth and washed her face with dark circles under her eyes. Mother Gu saw her and became worried. “Qing Miao’er, what’s wrong with you?”
“...” I stayed up late, mother-in-law. Su Qinghe sighed. “I was worried about what Dad said about the seeds, and I couldn’t sleep last night.” She wasn’t lying.
Deputy County Magistrate Gu was just about to leave. When he heard Su Qinghe’s words, he glanced at her with emotion. “Qinghe, you’re so thoughtful. But don’t worry. This matter isn’t yours to carry. Dad will solve it.”
Su Qinghe nodded. “Mm, I believe in the organization, I believe in Dad!”
The two sisters-in-law of the Gu family looked at Su Qinghe and felt that the third daughter-in-law was really getting ahead.
Big Sister Gu decided to work overtime at night for the country and the people.
Second Sister-in-law Gu secretly thought that she should also stay up late!
After Deputy County Magistrate Gu left, Su Qinghe also carried her bag and went out. Before leaving, she greeted her mother-in-law. She planned to stop by the bookstore after work.
Mother Gu said with concern, “Come home soon. Look at your eyes, so dark.”
Su Qinghe nodded and rode off.
After finishing the morning’s work, a temporary worker finally arrived. It was Aunt Li’s niece from the countryside, named Li Laixi. The child was honest and hardworking.
So after the morning’s rush, Su Qinghe simply skipped work like Qiao Da and the others.
After leaving the state-run restaurant, she first went to the post office to collect the money Gu Changan sent. Then she ran straight to the bookstore and bought a bunch of books—junior high school textbooks and books related to agriculture. Anything with “agriculture” in the title, she bought.
Still feeling it wasn’t enough, she went to the thrift market to dig through old books.
Old books were cheaper—they were sold by the catty.
By the time she left, she had a pile of books on her back and in her hands.
Thankfully, she had a bicycle. After bundling everything tightly, it was easy to carry.
Since she couldn’t take the books to the state-run hotel, she brought them all home.
Mother Gu had been thinking about her all day, worried she didn’t sleep well and was tired from work. In the end, she saw her daughter-in-law move a pile of books home.
“What are you doing?”
“Mom, they’re all books on agricultural technology. I want to see if I can help Dad.”
Su Qinghe moved the books into her room as she spoke.
Mother Gu’s eyes turned red when she heard that. What a filial child. She had raised three sons, and not one was as thoughtful as her daughter-in-law.
Chang’an was close to her, but although she wanted her children to be filial to her, Gu was her man. Of course she wanted them to be filial to him too. At this moment, watching Su Qinghe’s busy efforts, her heart was full. She quickly helped her move the books and said, “Why trouble yourself? Just focus on your own work. Your dad can handle it.”
“But then Dad would be unhappy.” Su Qinghe moved the books into the room, wiping sweat from her forehead, and smiled honestly. “I just want to help him and solve his problem. He works too hard.”
“Good child, I didn’t love you for nothing.” Mother Gu was touched.
At noon, Su Qinghe went to the restaurant to pass the time and didn’t eat at home.
Deputy Magistrate Gu came home with a heavy expression. Mother Gu pulled him into the room and said, “Look at Qing Miao’er. She’s so filial and cares so much about you. She heard you’re having a hard time, so she tried to help. She even bought these books to learn how to grow more grain.”
Looking at the books piled on the table and floor, Deputy County Magistrate Gu was dazed for a moment. Then he patted his forehead. “I’m not as motivated as this child. I was already thinking that we’d just accept the seeds as they were. But she’s still thinking about increasing yield... she’s a good kid.”
He suddenly felt full of energy again. He couldn’t give up so easily. Just like when they used to fight enemies—keep fighting until the very end.
He turned and left.
Mother Gu said, “Hey, where are you going? Aren’t you eating?”
“No time. I’m going to the County Agricultural Machinery Institute and the Agricultural Bureau to distribute the seeds. Then I’ll ask if there’s a way to increase production.”
Deputy County Magistrate Gu’s spirits were lifted.
Mother Gu looked at him, both worried and proud. He was tired, but he had found strength again.
“Qing Miao’er is truly a good child.”
Su Qinghe came back late that evening. Once home, she went into her room and started reading.
Big Sister Gu came back even later—she had worked overtime. Second Sister-in-law Gu also learned from her and went straight to her room to study.
So the next day, everyone in the house had dark circles under their eyes.
Mother Gu looked at Su Qinghe with heartache. Then she glanced at the two sisters-in-law. Big Sister Gu had clearly come home late. But she stared at Second Sister-in-law Gu. “What about you? You didn’t come home late. You went into your room early.”
Second Sister-in-law Gu replied, eyes swollen, “I was worried about Dad’s work. I couldn’t sleep.”
Big Brother Gu nearly choked on his porridge when he heard that. Last night, didn’t someone stand against the wall half the night just to stay awake?
Mother Gu’s face turned dark. “Worried, huh? I don’t see you buying books like Qing Miao’er.”
Second Sister-in-law: “…” I’ll go buy books this afternoon!
Over the next few days, Su Qinghe created the image of a hardworking student. Even at the state-run restaurant, she held books in her arms while reading.
“Ding, friendly reminder: the rice seeds from the Yellow River production team have been put into storage and will be planted soon. Do you want to exchange them?”
Su Qinghe squinted. “Exchange them.”
“Ding, exchanged for five hundred catties of middle-yield seeds.”
In Su Qinghe’s storage space, the one thousand catties of seeds she previously bought still had five hundred catties left.
With the one thousand catties of middle-yield seeds she was rewarded later, Su Qinghe had the system exchange them into the county’s seed supply.
After the exchange, there were still two thousand catties of regular rice seeds left in her space. She didn’t touch them for now.
A week later, when the seeds were settled, Su Qinghe finally ‘discovered’ the farmyard fertilizer formula.
It was recorded in an old book. An unknown agronomist had written that the area once experienced drought. The local agronomist gathered a group of experienced old farmers to develop a formula for dry land. After testing, the farmland indeed produced more crops.
Based on the historical background, the times were not stable back then, so the formula was never widely used.
“Host, you really know how to write stories.”
Su Qinghe proudly said, “Of course. Give me a little bit of history and I can make up a touching story about a domineering emperor falling in love with me—cough, I mean, this is just my professionalism.” Then she turned serious. “Back to work, no slacking.”
Early the next morning, Su Qinghe ran out of the room with big dark circles under her eyes.
“Dad, Dad! I found something useful!”
Deputy County Magistrate Gu was drinking tea to stay awake and preparing to head to the Municipal Agriculture Bureau. He choked on his tea when he heard Su Qinghe shout.
After coughing a few times, he asked gently, “Qinghe, what did you find?”
He now genuinely liked this daughter-in-law even more than his son.
Su Qinghe said excitedly, “Dad, look at the last page!”
Deputy County Magistrate Gu looked at the book she handed over. It was old and worn, with the words “Nongshu” on the cover—an agricultural book.
He opened it, found the last page, and read it. As he read, his brows furrowed, then relaxed, then furrowed again. He suddenly slammed the coffee table and stood up.
Mother Gu, who was holding a kettle to pour him tea, was startled. “What are you doing? Don’t scare Qing Miao’er!”
Deputy County Magistrate Gu said excitedly, “I have to go test this. It’s worth a try!”
Then he turned and patted Su Qinghe on the head. “Qinghe, you’ve worked hard. I’ll find someone to test this. If it works, Dad will make sure you get credit!”
With that, he took the book and left without even drinking his tea.
Mother Gu stood there for a while, then realized Qing Miao’er had found something useful. She turned and looked at her daughter-in-law. “Why is our Qing Miao’er so capable? Look at those dark circles, you’ve worked too hard. Wait, I’ll make you some milk to help you recover.”
She turned and went to make milk for her.
Second Sister-in-law Gu came out of her room yawning, just in time to see her mother-in-law handing a cup of milk to Su Qinghe. Her mouth watered. Milk powder…
Mother Gu saw her and frowned. “Why are you waking up so late? And you still look so lazy!”
Second Sister-in-law Gu quickly said, “Mom, I was reading last night!”
“Reading, huh? Qing Miao’er found something useful. I don’t think you care about reading at all.”
Second Sister-in-law Gu immediately wilted. She looked at Su Qinghe with teary eyes. The third daughter-in-law wasn’t leaving anyone a chance to live… Wuwu, I shouldn’t have tried to copy her!