If you were to ask Qi Fang whether he had ever considered transferring back to the Zhenji Repair Factory, the answer would be no.
Not to mention his original reason for leaving the repair factory, even without that, both the repair factory and the small repair workshop were irrelevant to his expertise.
At the forestry center, at least he had a home, family, Yan Xue, and their soon-to-be-born child.
But just as the words of refusal were about to leave his lips, he hesitated.
Qu Mingli noticed and asked, "Is there a problem?"
He held great admiration for Qi Fang—after all, who wouldn’t appreciate a capable young man?
Qi Fang met his gaze and said, "Yan Xue is pregnant. Her due date is in November."
Though the underlying message was still a refusal, he hadn’t entirely closed the door on the possibility.
This caught Qu Mingli off guard. The last time he had seen Yan Xue, her pregnancy wasn’t visibly obvious, hidden beneath her clothes.
Calculating the timeline, Yan Xue had already been pregnant when the pilot project in Jinchuan was established. Who would have thought that the success of the Jinchuan pilot rested on the shoulders of a pregnant woman?
Qu Mingli couldn’t help but remark, "Yan Xue is a commendable comrade." His tone carried both admiration and deep respect.
After all, how could they possibly transfer her husband away when she had worked so hard for the bureau’s pilot project and was now nearing childbirth?
The pilot project was entirely Yan Xue’s initiative—it couldn’t function without her, and it was unthinkable to ask her to relocate as well.
In the end, Qu Mingli relented. "Let’s leave it at that for now. Once the snow comes in two months, no one will be thinking about modifying machinery anyway."
The forestry bureau’s top priority was timber harvesting, and everything else had to take a backseat.
Still, he added, "Think it over, and discuss it with Yan Xue. I truly believe your talents are wasted at the small repair workshop."
After a pause, he continued, "And tell her to keep up the good work. I believe artificial mushroom cultivation holds great potential."
This time, Qi Fang didn’t respond, merely nodding in acknowledgment.
As expected, after the two excavators in the city were modified, inquiries still came in, but no one else made the trip to Chengshui for modifications.
For one, the harvesting season was approaching, and modifications wouldn’t be useful for long. Secondly, none of them were direct superiors to Chengshui, so they couldn’t simply order the Chengshui Repair Factory to make the changes.
But word had spread about Chengshui’s ability to modify excavators. Come next spring, once the harvest ended, people would likely remember and request modifications again.
As Qi Fang packed up to leave the repair factory, someone called out cheerfully, "See you next year, Master Qi!"
It was clear they assumed Qi Fang would return—whether for modifications or simply because his skills would eventually bring him back.
Having worked with the man on several temporary assignments, Qi Fang had a decent rapport with him, so he replied mildly, "See you next year."
But no sooner had the words left his mouth than another voice chimed in, "Who knows? Maybe we won’t have to wait that long. If those Jicai-50s break down again, we’ll need Master Qi’s expertise!"
Though meant as flattery, the remark missed the mark entirely. Qi Fang shot the man a look and fell silent.
When he returned home, Yan Jigang was writing his name in a newly issued textbook. The young boy had just returned from school and would soon be a third-grader.
Delighted to see him, Yan Jigang welcomed him enthusiastically before immediately asking when he’d leave again and how long he’d stay this time.
Qi Fang paused before ruffling his brother-in-law’s hair. "I’m not leaving this time."
With Yan Xue’s pregnancy advanced, nothing mattered more than her and their child.
Besides, Yan Xue was still staying in Second Old Lady’s room. It wouldn’t do for her to remain there even after giving birth.
As if summoned by his thoughts, Yan Xue walked in—petite and delicate, one hand lightly supporting her lower back.
She had grown slightly rounder recently, her once-sharp cheekbones softened, giving her an overall gentle radiance.
Qi Fang immediately went to her side, supporting her before she could even ask. "I’m staying this time. I’ll be here for you and the baby."
Yan Xue didn’t comment, simply handing him a letter. "I ran into Director Xu earlier. He gave me this—it was sent to the small repair workshop."
Qi Fang took it but didn’t open it immediately. Only after Yan Xue had settled onto the kang did he glance at the envelope.
The address and name were completely unfamiliar. Most people who wrote to Qi Fang sent letters directly to his home; very few used the repair workshop’s address.
He lowered his eyes and unfolded the letter. After just a few lines, his expression cooled, and he passed it to Yan Xue. "You should read this too."
Yan Xue had been wondering what kind of letter required her attention, but her eyes quickly caught the contents. "Wu Xingde wrote this?"
"Most likely," Qi Fang replied, a hint of mockery in his tone. "Too cowardly to speak directly, so he used a fake name and address."
"Sounds like he’s not doing well," Yan Xue mused. Glancing at Yan Jigang, still in the room, she stood and took the letter to their own quarters.
Once alone, she unfolded the letter fully and continued reading. "He says Professor Lin told the institute that he has your teacher’s notes?"
"Yeah, I told Professor Lin that." Qi Fang paused, meeting her gaze. "You were still angry with me at the time."
Back then, Yan Xue had indeed been furious, barely speaking to him except in front of others.
Though they had since reconciled, Qi Fang’s frequent trips had left little opportunity to discuss the matter.
She didn’t press further, focusing instead on the letter. Wu Xingde’s frustration was palpable—his words reeked of impotent rage.
Of course, he couldn’t outright admit his struggles. Instead, the letter was filled with scorn—for Professor Lin, Qi Fang, Su Changqing, and Wei Shuxian.
He mocked Professor Lin for being so entrenched in mechanical work that his mind had dulled, blindly believing others and overestimating his own importance.
Clearly, after Professor Lin reported the notes to the institute, their relationship had soured—and Wu Xingde hadn’t come out on top.
But with his incompetence exposed and critical materials withheld, the institute likely held him in low regard. That was probably why he had written this letter, claiming he had overestimated Su Changqing—implying Su’s research had yielded nothing of value.
At the end, he threatened that if the institute failed to produce results, he would vehemently oppose further funding for hydrostatic research, ensuring no progress was made for decades.
After all, if he lost this project, he could always move on to others. But if Qi Fang truly had something valuable, he’d never get the chance to shine.
It was a classic case of misery loving company—even if he couldn’t strike back, he’d make sure no one else prospered.
Yan Xue couldn’t help but laugh. "Does he really think he can dictate what happens decades from now?"
The remark made Qi Fang pause. He lifted his peach-blossom eyes to hers. "Hmm?"
She held his gaze without flinching. "He should worry about saving himself first."
That much was true. Wu Xingde might very well lose his backers’ trust and find himself sidelined.
But Qi Fang sensed there was more to Yan Xue’s words. She never seemed to fear their current hardships, never doubted that things would eventually improve.
She had been the same when comforting him and later when reassuring Wei Shuxian. Perhaps it was just her innate optimism—an unshakable belief that hope would always prevail.
Thinking this, Yan Xue had already handed the letter back to him. "If the project really gets shut down, he should finally calm down, right?"
"Who knows," Qi Fang replied indifferently, taking the letter and casually setting it aside.
But Yan Xue remembered how strongly he had reacted the first time he received a letter from Wu Xingde—he had immediately thrown it into the stove and burned it.
Later, when Wu Xingde came up the mountain to confront him, the two had gotten into a physical altercation the moment they met. Nothing like now, where Qi Fang could discuss it without a flicker of emotion.
Some things really had changed. Yan Xue touched her belly and was about to stand when Qi Fang brought up another matter. "A few days ago, Secretary Qu came to see me."
It was clear he had more to say. Yan Xue, who had already risen slightly, settled back down.
Seeing this, Qi Fang crouched to help her take off her shoes and lifted her legs onto the kang. "Tired?"
His movements were practiced. Afterward, he fetched a pillow to cushion her lower back and gently squeezed her legs. "Swollen again?"
Yan Xue was used to it. "It's been a whole day." In the late stages of pregnancy, swollen legs were common.
Hearing this, Qi Fang sat beside her on the kang and began massaging them lightly. "We’ll only have this one."
As if it were up to him—this era hardly had reliable contraception.
Yan Xue didn’t respond to that but circled back to his earlier remark. "You said Secretary Qu came to see you."
"Yeah." Qi Fang lifted her legs onto his lap. "Secretary Qu asked if I wanted to transfer back to the machinery repair plant."
That Qu Mingli would ask didn’t surprise Yan Xue. After all, Qi Fang had been temporarily assigned to the town multiple times over the past six months.
What did surprise her was that Qi Fang had brought it up specifically. "Do you want to go back?"
Sharp as ever—she immediately guessed that if he hadn’t been considering it, he wouldn’t have mentioned it.
Qi Fang looked up at her. "Not exactly. But didn’t you say before that he seems well-connected with someone in the provincial government?"
So he was thinking of using Qu Mingli’s connections. Yan Xue’s expression turned serious. "I only heard a little at the time."
"Right. So I plan to ask Zhou Li about it," Qi Fang said. "When I was in Beijing, I never heard of any influential family named Qu."
Zhou Li was Qi Fang’s old friend. Yan Xue had read the newspapers but hadn’t seen any prominent figures with that surname either.
Yet from the familiarity in Qu Mingli’s tone, his ties to that provincial figure seemed genuine. Rumors had long circulated about his deep-rooted background.
Qi Fang’s peach-blossom eyes rested calmly on Yan Xue. "I haven’t really told you much about my family, have I?"
He had always been somewhat reluctant to discuss it, and Yan Xue had never pressed. She had read the original novel and knew his father was Qi Jingwei.
Sure enough, Qi Fang only gave a brief explanation. "My relationship with my family isn’t close. I was mostly raised by my grandfather and my teacher."
Then he shifted to Zhou Li. "We’ve known each other since childhood. After his father was reassigned, we became classmates for several years. But later, I went to university, and he joined the military."
They were childhood friends—no wonder he thought to ask him for information. "So you want to investigate Secretary Qu’s connections with those people..."
She didn’t need to finish. Qi Fang understood. "I do. We can’t keep being passive targets."
First, it was Professor Lin. Who knew who would be next? The less established they were, the more others would feel free to take shots at them.
Besides, more than one person had remarked to him that keeping Yan Xue in the forestry station with him was unfair—though Yan Xue might not care.
But she had her own ambitions. What if one day she moved on while he remained stuck, achieving nothing?
Qi Fang leaned down and kissed her belly. "We need to figure things out before deciding how much effort to put in and where."
The kiss was light, but the tenderness in his gaze as he looked at her stomach made Yan Xue reach down and touch it too.
"Then investigate," she agreed. It pained her to see him stifled in the forestry station. She still remembered the spark in his eyes when he talked about machinery or tinkered with it.
And in six years, all this would be over. She couldn’t let him waste those years only to start from scratch afterward.
Yan Xue cradled her belly thoughtfully. "Since we still owe your friend for helping us check that address, we can send him some of the wood-ear mushrooms we grew as thanks."
She had even thought of the perfect excuse. After all, Qu Mingli wasn’t part of the Yan family—Qi Fang couldn’t just casually inquire about him.
Qi Fang’s peach-blossom eyes softened as he looked at her. "And we can mention how helpful Secretary Qu has been to us, how he’s given us opportunities."
Both were sharp-minded. Without spelling it out, they had settled the matter in just a few exchanges.
Qi Fang, who had always carried burdens alone, rarely had someone to share them with—someone to brainstorm ideas together.
And Yan Xue, who had shouldered everything alone in two lifetimes, had never had someone like this to sit down and strategize with.
For a moment, the room fell silent as the couple simply looked at each other, neither speaking.
It was then that Second Old Lady returned from the vegetable garden. As soon as she stepped inside, Yan Jigang raised a finger to his lips. "Sis and brother-in-law are... discussing something."
The old woman let out a slow "Oh," set down her things, and asked, "Your brother-in-law’s back? How long have they been talking?"
Just as Yan Jigang turned to check the clock, Yan Xue opened the door and stepped out. "Are we having persimmons tonight?"
Second Old Lady glanced at her, then at Qi Fang following behind, but didn’t pry. That evening, however, she packed up Yan Xue’s bedding.
"With a belly this big, do you expect an old woman like me to wait on you? Or your little brother?"
She carried the bedding straight back to her own room. "Now that Qi Fang’s home, let him take care of you. I’m afraid Jigang might kick you in his sleep."
Yan Jigang did toss and turn at night, but Yan Xue didn’t even sleep next to him—she was beside Second Old Lady, who had Yan Jigang on her other side.
But the old woman was determined to shoo her out. After setting the bedding down, she acted as if she’d finally unloaded a burden. "Why bother the old when you’ve got the young? Now that Qi Fang’s back, you’ve got no excuse to stick around."
Yan Xue was at a loss for words. Qi Fang, however, looked at Second Old Lady and said earnestly, "Don’t worry, Grandma. I’ll take good care of Yan Xue and the baby."
He promptly spread out the bedding, placing both pillows side by side—then, deciding they weren’t close enough, nudged them closer together.
Then his industriousness kicked in. He fetched water for Yan Xue to wash her face, then her feet. If she hadn’t stopped him, he’d have undressed her too.
The moment Yan Xue lay down, he scooted closer, carefully resting a hand on her belly as if afraid she’d be upset. "Wife, from now on, I’ll listen to you in everything."
Yan Xue noticed this phrase—"listen to you"—seemed to come up a lot. She studied him. "I don’t recall telling you to obey my every word."
She hadn’t. But when he’d asked Zhengrong for advice, that’s what he’d been told.
Hand all your earnings to your wife—listen to her.
Discuss things with her—don’t make decisions alone. Listen to her.
If the wife gets angry and says the sun is blue, then the sun is blue—don’t argue, just listen to her...
Of course, Qi Fang couldn’t say it like that. "I just want to listen to you," he replied instead.
No idea where he picked it up, but ever since that misunderstanding about her going on a blind date, certain words had become cheap.
Though compared to saying nothing at all, Yan Xue was somewhat swayed by this approach. Still, she shifted away slightly. "Don’t squish the baby."
She was far along in her pregnancy, her body heavy. Seeing this, Qi Fang simply held her in place and moved back himself.
Once settled, he rested his hand on her belly again, softening his voice. "Has the baby been moving much lately?"
"Quite active," Yan Xue said, not intending to deny him his rights as a father. "Just now, there was a kick right here."
She pointed, and the man immediately placed his hand where she indicated. "Here?"
But the moment his palm touched that spot, the area he’d been touching earlier twitched, a small bulge rising gently.
This time, he didn’t need Yan Xue to tell him—he saw it himself. He moved his hand back, eager to feel it again.
Then, as if teasing him, the baby stopped moving there and kicked the previous spot instead.
Qi Fang was patient enough to chase the movements several more times, but each time he missed, and eventually, the baby stopped altogether.
The lights were still on in the room as the man sat beside Yan Xue, staring helplessly at her belly, utterly at a loss.
Proof that a child truly belongs to the mother—when Yan Xue placed her hand on her belly, their little one would greet her without fail.
Yan Xue yawned. "Maybe the baby’s still upset. After all, their dad ran off and left them behind."
This time, Qi Fang had no retort. After a long pause, he could only lie back down. "Won’t happen again."
The next day, Qi Fang wrote a letter to Zhou Li, bundling it with a large package of homegrown black fungus and mailing it to Yanjing.
But by October, there was still no reply. Whether something had happened or not, the logging camp was bustling with activity again.
At the repair shop, Qi Fang, Xu Wenli, and the others were busy overhauling all the machinery in preparation for the logging teams heading up the mountain. Meanwhile, Yan Xue began winter management of the fungus logs.
The test batch of logs was manageable—being first-year wood, they were still firm. Like last year’s batch at home, they just needed to be propped up on sleepers at both ends. The home batch, however, was another story. After two years of yielding fungus, they’d started rotting and needed to be stacked in crisscross layers to stay dry.
Luckily, there weren’t too many at home. With Qi Fang, Liu Weiguo, and Guo Changping’s family helping, the work was done quickly.
Yan Xue only had to oversee the test site. Once those logs were all arranged, she gave the two temporary workers, Xu Wanchang and Gao Daidi, an early break.
As for herself, she still had to wait for the remaining fungus to sell and the accounts to be settled before the year’s work was truly over.
Though Xu Wanchang and Gao Daidi had worked here long-term, neither had opted for permanent positions.
This being the first year, no one knew how profitable the test site would be. Xu Wanchang had a family to support and couldn’t take the risk, while Gao Daidi’s family wouldn’t allow it.
Still, after working from March till now, both had earned over six months’ wages. With Yan Xue’s attendance bonus factored in, it came to nearly 300 yuan.
That might not sound like much, but for Xu Wanchang, who used to farm in the village, seeing even 80 to 100 yuan in cash a year was rare.
He carefully smoothed out each bill Yan Xue gave him, folded them neatly, and tucked them into an inner pocket. Every so often, he’d reach in just to make sure they were still there.
Villagers said he’d stumbled into good fortune—despite having both legs amputated, someone was willing to hire him and pay him the same as anyone else.
Some even muttered enviously behind his back, saying they hadn’t landed such a good job because they still had both legs.
But so what? He had gotten lucky—lucky enough to meet Technician Yan, and such a kind one at that.
Technician Yan was still explaining: "Our schedule here is a bit different. There’s not much work left now, so you can take two months off. The first round of fungus cultivation won’t be too demanding either. You can spend New Year’s at home and report back in February."
Knowing Gao Daidi couldn’t hear, she wrote it down for her. Xu Wanchang, who’d barely had any schooling, had learned more characters just to communicate with her.
Yan Xue also pulled him aside to ask if he’d consider moving to the logging camp temporarily next year. "It’s a hassle commuting like this. Maybe ask the school if your kids could transfer here."
When Xu Wanchang first started, he never thought he’d last—not with his legs. But now, he was looking forward to the next year.
He nodded, saying he’d think it over. That evening, when Xu Xiaoli came with Third Uncle Jin’s cart to pick him up, he mentioned it.
"If we all move here, we wouldn’t have to trouble Third Uncle Jin anymore, right?" Xu Xiaoli thought it was a great idea.
Third Uncle Jin chimed in, "I’ll ask Baozhi. She’s got two empty rooms—used to rent them to Technician Yan."
Just like that, they had a place to stay. It seemed everything had turned smoother since meeting Technician Yan.
A few days later, Xu Xiaoli trekked through the mountains alone to Yan Xue’s house, clutching a bundle in her arms and balancing a stack of pancakes on her head.
"I made these pancakes myself. They’re not great, but I hope you don’t mind. These are my younger siblings’ old clothes—soft for diapers."
Before Yan Xue could refuse, the girl turned and bolted. "Technician Yan, Dad told me to thank you! And happy New Year in advance!"
She nearly collided with Second Old Lady coming in, startling the elderly woman into stepping aside. "Goodness, why’s this child in such a hurry?"
"Just dropping something off," Yan Xue said helplessly.
The Xu family was struggling, and she hated taking their things, but with her big belly, there was no way she could chase after the girl.
Second Old Lady noticed the pile inside. "That’s a lot of pancakes—how many pounds is that?"
After marveling for a moment, she handed Yan Xue a letter. "The postman came by."
Assuming it was Zhou Li’s reply, Yan Xue set it aside for Qi Fang to read later—until she spotted her own name on the envelope.
Second Old Lady tidied the gifts as she added, "Postman said it’s for you. Wonder who wrote it."
Between her and Yan Jigang, there weren’t many left who’d write to Yan Xue—most were already by her side.
But Yan Xue had already seen the sender’s name. "It’s from Grandma’s sister."
That made Second Old Lady look up. "Something must be wrong." After all, Grandma’s sister couldn’t read or write.
"Probably." Yan Xue opened the letter, and within a few lines, her smile faded.
The old woman’s heart sank. "What’s happened? Trouble back home?"
"Not exactly." Yan Xue met her eyes. "Grandma’s sister says my birth father’s family came asking about me."
Qi Fang: Why do I have to coax not just my wife, but also the baby?
Lately, the upstairs neighbors started renovating—daytime noise levels are… something else.
Because of my poor eyesight, I rely on screen-reading software to narrate the text for me when writing, but I often miss parts of it...
So updates might be a bit delayed lately. Also, my dear readers, do you have any good recommendations for active noise-canceling headphones?
Preferably over-ear ones—I have AirPods Pro (in-ear), and while their noise cancellation is decent, they don’t pair well with my mini PC and won’t work with it. 𝖒ⓞö⒩𝕊𝕠ｎ𝓰ⓢ
