Shen Xianjun was explaining to Qin Nian how he had injured his arm—he had kicked someone so hard they flew backward, but the other person’s fuse was too short, and during the explosion, Shen Xianjun fell to the ground, his arm slamming against a rock with a sickening crack.
"Dad, why do you get to sleep with Mom?"
Li Wu suddenly ran into the room, climbing onto the bed and blinking his big eyes at Shen Xianjun.
"Cough, cough—"
Qin Nian choked on her own saliva, coughing twice.
"I want to sleep with Mom too!"
Li Wu turned to Qin Nian, whose face was flushed from coughing.
"Um, well… Your dad’s arm is hurt. How about next time, Mom lets you sleep with her, okay?"
Qin Nian couldn’t bring herself to refuse her child’s request.
"Li Wu, you’re a little man now. How can you still cling to your mom like this?" Shen Xianjun interjected.
"But Dad, you’re a big man!"
Li Wu retorted with conviction, leaving Shen Xianjun momentarily speechless.
"She’s my wife. It’s different."
Shen Xianjun managed to squeeze out a reply.
"She’s my mom! We’re closer!"
Shen Xianjun felt a pang in his chest, suddenly reminded of how he used to exasperate his own mother as a child. He took a deep breath.
"Kid, you asking for a spanking?"
"Waaah! Mom, Dad’s gonna hit me!"
Li Wu wailed, and Qin Nian couldn’t help but laugh helplessly.
Yang Yufen, who had been about to sleep, threw on her coat and stepped out at the commotion.
"Li Wu, have you been misbehaving at school lately? Should your dad go ask your teacher tomorrow?"
At Yang Yufen’s words, Li Wu immediately straightened up.
"Grandma, I’ve been good! No need for Dad to go. If we do anything bad, the teacher will visit. I’ll go to bed now—can’t be late for school tomorrow!"
Li Wu scurried back to his room, only to be met with his younger brother’s mocking grin.
Seeing the child return to his room, Yang Yufen said nothing more, pouring herself a cup of water before heading back to bed.
"Mom really knows how to handle kids," Shen Xianjun sighed in relief.
"Li Wu takes after you," Qin Nian remarked, unable to suppress her teasing smile.
Meanwhile, Liao Yuanjie slipped into the kitchen of the mess hall, handing a pack of cigarettes to Old Li, the head cook.
"Can’t take this. What do you want? A special meal or something? Just say it straight."
"Old Li, you’re the best cook here. I want to learn how to cook from you."
Liao Yuanjie spoke boldly.
"You? Why? Trying to steal my secrets?" Old Li chuckled.
"They say the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. So, I thought…"
"Well, well, the iron tree’s finally blooming! My wife was won over by my cooking too—said even tree bark would taste good if I made it. Alright, for a comrade’s happiness, let’s see what you can do first."
Old Li grinned, immediately warming up to the idea.
"I can light a fire."
Liao Yuanjie answered quickly, causing Old Li to choke on his tea.
"That’s it? You’ve never even touched a stove, have you?"
Old Li was stunned.
"I’ve got three older sisters, and then I joined the army. The army has mess halls."
"No wonder. Let’s start with the basics. Forget fancy dishes for now—can you even cook rice? I’ll teach you that first, and you’ll watch for a few days. No wasting ingredients."
Under Old Li’s guidance, Liao Yuanjie learned that even boiling rice had its intricacies.
"Old Li, I want to learn how to make braised pork. Rice with braised pork is unbeatable—especially yours. Everyone in the barracks raves about it."
After helping with the rice, Liao Yuanjie shamelessly asked to learn Old Li’s signature dish.
"One more pack of cigarettes!"
Liao Yuanjie whispered.
Skills weren’t free, after all.
Old Li studied him—this kid had a bit of his younger self in him, even the way he bargained was familiar.
"I heard your wife’s expecting again. I’ve got some milk powder coupons too. Please, just this once!"
Liao Yuanjie clasped his hands together. He couldn’t wait too long—mostly because he was afraid his target might slip away.
"Tomorrow at noon, if you can sneak away, come by. I’ll teach you then."
Old Li gave him a time. Braised pork wasn’t made every day, and sometimes others took over the cooking.
"Deal!"
Elsewhere, Fan Juan was swamped. The advertisement for the Qianjin washing machine had gone live, and orders surged—hundreds of vouchers had already been redeemed.
The new electric rice cooker was about to enter production, and Fan Juan had also brokered a deal for a new laundry detergent formula, earning a tidy profit.
The patent fee went directly to the designer, with a portion allocated to their research team’s funds.
Meanwhile, at Yang Yufen’s end, architects from the design institute arrived. After listening to Yang Yufen and Aunt Wang’s ideas, they drafted a construction plan tailored to the site.
When trucks loaded with materials arrived, the orchard workers belatedly realized buildings were going up—not just a chicken coop, but dormitories too.
The workers, stunned to learn the dorms were for them—rent-free—refused to rest after their shifts, insisting on helping however they could, no matter how much they were told not to.
The dorms were prioritized to avoid anyone falling ill as the weather turned colder. Chicks were ordered from the agricultural college.
"Auntie, are you just raising chickens? How about something else?"
Yang Yufen and Aunt Wang found themselves surrounded.
"Auntie, raise some geese! They’re hardy, good for guarding the place too. I’ve got too many goslings—please, take some off my hands!"
A student raising geese was practically begging. His pride in his high hatching rate had turned into despair as the goslings grew—they ate endlessly, squawked, and even attacked people. He’d spent half his time apologizing for their antics, like the time one escaped and rampaged through a professor’s field, leading to a chase across campus. He hadn’t dared claim ownership then.
"Auntie, how about cows? They plow fields and pull carts. Mine’s about to calve!"
"Your cows will find buyers. My geese are different—they’ll eat two bundles of grass a day soon!"
They all knew each other too well—these were fellow animal husbandry students.
"Auntie, sheep! Great for winter—mutton’s delicious, and sheep’s milk is nutritious!"
"Alright, alright, are you all here to make wishes?"
Wang Shuo, having finished his work, walked over to find the two elderly women surrounded by enthusiastic sales pitches.
"Professor Wang! The aunties wanted to raise some animals—we’re just giving suggestions!"
"Thank you, everyone, but we can’t take on more for now. If we need anything later, we’ll definitely come to you."
Yang Yufen and Aunt Wang smiled politely before following Wang Shuo away.
