I Got Rich in Period Fiction
Chapter 202: A Small Red Flower

Chapter 202: Chapter 202: A Small Red Flower

"Don’t forget about North City," Old Zheng said with a chuckle. "That’s an important grain base for our country."

"My spouse is planning to go back to the Qiao Family Team at the end of autumn to build a winter vegetable greenhouse and experiment with off-season vegetables. If it’s successful, the people of North City will also be able to have green vegetables during winter."

The trip wasn’t in vain; Old Zheng was pleased and said to He Xiuyu, "Our winters in North City are long, and during that time, besides pickled cabbage, potatoes, and large radishes, if we can get some green leafy vegetables, that would be truly great!"

Next, Old Zheng left a phone number for He Xiuyu, belonging to an official responsible for agriculture.

"This person is practical. I’ll give him a heads up when I get back. You can be sure that he’ll be of help if you need anything."

He Xiuyu thanked the two men again.

At that moment, Lu Ye also returned to the Big White Building and was waiting for them downstairs.

Seeing Old Zheng, Lao Liu, and He Xiuyu chatting amicably, Lu Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed that the problem was resolved.

Lu Ye looked at He Xiuyu with a complex expression and nodded to him.

He Xiuyu responded warmly, "Comrade Lu Ye has been waiting downstairs for a while; thank you for your hard work."

Lu Ye’s face changed slightly, but he also smiled. "It’s not hard; it’s what I should do."

He then asked Old Zheng and Lao Liu, "Have the two elderly comrades investigated clearly?"

Old Zheng smiled but didn’t answer Lu Ye directly. "Young comrade, we’re taking the bus back to North City tonight. Thank you for your hospitality."

"Of course, it’s my duty," said Lu Ye, who did not press further. He understood the implied meaning of the words—that there was no issue.

So, Lu Ye followed cheerfully behind the two men, looking for an opportunity to gesture towards He Xiuyu in the direction of the residential compound.

He Xiuyu glanced at Lu Ye and knew this was Lu Ye signaling to inform Qiao Qingyu.

After seeing the three off, He Xiuyu thought for a moment, then arranged some work and rode Old Xie’s bicycle home.

If it hadn’t been for Lu Ye informing Qiao Qingyu in advance, He Xiuyu had planned to talk to her after work. But now that Qiao Qingyu knew, he couldn’t let her spend the whole day worrying.

The Big White Building was very close to the residential compound; it only took a few minutes to get there by bicycle.

He opened the door to see Qiao Qingyu squatting under the grape trellis, staring at a wooden box.

When she looked up and saw He Xiuyu enter, her already bright eyes lit up even more. She pointed at the wooden box and said, "A guard just delivered it; it’s from Beijing. What’s inside?"

He Xiuyu walked over and squatted next to Qiao Qingyu, using a pair of pliers to open the wooden box, which turned out to be full of books and materials.

He Xiuyu took out the books, flipped through them, and then looked at a few documents before saying to Qiao Qingyu next to him, "Before coming back, I made a trip to the Agricultural University. Professor Wang Tingsi once taught me for a while, and I asked him to find some textbooks and materials on agriculture and breeding for you."

He helped Qiao Qingyu take out and organize the books while whispering, "I didn’t expect them to mail it so quickly."

Qiao Qingyu caught a glimpse of the man squatting beside her. When he put his mind to caring for someone, he had an irresistible charm.

She really needed these materials. Although He Xiuyu’s study had some information on agriculture, it was only a few volumes, so the timing of this delivery couldn’t have been better.

Her heart felt particularly warm.

"Did Lu Ye come by just now?" He Xiuyu didn’t look at Qiao Qingyu as he asked while organizing the books.

"Yes, he told me that someone had reported me."

"The investigator has gone back to North City; it’s all right now," He Xiuyu said with soft reassurance.

"Who reported me, and what exactly is going on?"

He Xiuyu was just about to discuss the matter, so he told Qiao Qingyu about his conversation with Old Zheng and Lao Liu.

Qiao Qingyu’s eyes lit up when she heard the news, it seems like He Xiuyu had managed to resolve the issue.

In North City, even if there were a hundred complaint letters, the investigation into the origin of the seeds wouldn’t proceed any further.

With He Xiuyu in the base and Lu Ye in Xichuan, even if someone investigated the thousand silk hemp and cabbage seeds, it would be suppressed.

Though Qiao Qingyu didn’t actually care if someone investigated her, she was indeed very happy that He Xiuyu had dealt with the problem.

Qiao Qingyu smiled, her eyes curving into crescents, and without saying thanks or offering further explanation—as they had reached a mutual understanding on the matter—she said cheerfully, "I’ll make you something delicious tonight."

He Xiuyu pursed his lips and smiled, then went to the study with a stack of books.

He took books out of two bookshelves and placed them in the lower cabinets, thus clearing those two shelves, and then put the books and materials mailed by Professor Wang inside.

Qiao Qingyu followed him, watching his busyness, and asked with a smile, "I have a question for you."

"What’s the question?"

"After moving here, why didn’t you lock the study’s door?"

He Xiuyu turned around, looked down at Qiao Qingyu with a half-smile, and asked, "Don’t you know why?"

Qiao Qingyu blinked, remembering something, then said dryly, "When I said I’d use your books for kindling, I was just joking around."

"Now I think you were joking, but at that time, I didn’t think you were."

Qiao Qingyu pouted—how could he be like this?

He didn’t forget a thing about the past.

Busy with many things, He Xiuyu couldn’t stay longer. He had hoped to get some benefits, but Qiao Qingyu walked away, so he hurried off to his workplace. Qiao Qingyu then followed He Xiuyu’s suggestion to read books, gather materials, and take notes.

When she felt hungry, it was already noon.

Qiao Qingyu sorted out her notes and materials on the desk and prepared to make herself something simple to eat.

As she reached the door, she impulsively stopped, looking up at the calendar on the wall. Tomorrow would be September, and Qiao Qingyu promptly flipped over August’s page.

Then she narrowed her eyes.

She drew a small flower on September twenty-fourth.

Using a red marker.

Qiao Qingyu leaned forward to look closer; underneath was the lunar date of August sixteenth.

Huh?

That date felt very familiar.

Qiao Qingyu paused, then remembered—it was her birthday.

That little flower must have been drawn by He Xiuyu.

Delighted, Qiao Qingyu left the study, guessing that He Xiuyu was planning to give her a birthday gift on that day.

She was actually somewhat excited to see what it would be.

After a quick lunch, she went to the Space Laboratory.

It was as quiet as usual.

Qiao Qingyu inspected the space like a lord surveying her domain.

Most of the storage here was agricultural crops, and other types of plants were only contained in a bottle, or even in small glass tubes.

So, some shelves held a diverse range of nearly thousands of plant species.