Chapter 43: The Tractor Broke Down

After about forty more minutes on the ox cart, they spotted a tractor parked up ahead, not far from them.

Something seemed to be wrong, as the tractor was stopped in the middle of the field road, blocking the way.

Old Zhang tugged at the ox’s reins and brought the cart to a halt. He called out ahead, “Wei Guo, why did you stop the tractor in the middle of the road? This road is narrow, and I can’t get the ox cart through.”

Yang Weiguo quickly cupped his hands in apology, “Sorry, Old Zhang, the tractor seems to have broken down. I’m trying to figure it out. Could you wait for a bit?”

Old Zhang was in a bit of a dilemma, “How long will it take?”

“If everything goes smoothly, it’ll be quick. If I can’t fix it, I’ll have to go to town to get someone to take a look.” Although the tractor had small problems from time to time, it was the only valuable thing in Taolin Village. He usually took great care of it, but due to its age, some parts had become worn out.

The village had said they would replace the parts, but while the parts were affordable, they couldn’t afford the technician to fix it.

Old Zhang turned back to look at Qiu Yinuo and the others, “In this cold weather, no one has it easy. Let’s wait a bit, no need to rush.”

And so now, everyone, whether on a tractor or a cart, got to freeze together.

Qiu Qianjin slightly lifted his chin and deliberately looked down on the people sitting on the tractor.

Well now, no one could look down on anyone else. They had thought sitting on a tractor made them more dignified?

Qiu Yinuo was so cold that her body was numb, so she decided to take the opportunity to stretch her muscles and warm up.

Yang Weiguo bent over, inspecting the problem. He tightened a screw here, tapped something there.

A crisp sound rang out, and Qiu Yinuo actually figured out the problem.

Yang Weiguo climbed back into the driver’s seat and began to hand-crank the tractor, but the diesel engine remained completely silent.

This was the first time Qiu Yinuo had seen the legendary hand-crank tractor. When they were acquiring the farm, the farm owner had told her stories about how, when he was a child, the village used to have these old tractors.

Curious, she leaned in to look. It didn’t seem much different from the tractors she knew.

Yang Weiguo muttered in confusion, “It used to work when I just tapped here, what’s going on today?”

Qiu Yinuo couldn’t help but suggest, “Maybe you should check the piston pin and pin seat. The gap between the piston and the bushing could have widened due to wear. Another possibility is that the bushing and the small end of the connecting rod’s oil hole aren’t aligned properly, causing insufficient lubrication. With the cold weather, it might be hard to start.”

Yang Weiguo: “???”

He had no idea what she was talking about.

The terms she used were a bit too professional, but the way she explained it seemed so logical and not like nonsense.

He couldn’t tell if what she was saying was true or not. “How do you know all this?”

Qiu Qianjin was equally surprised. “Sis, you know about tractors?”

“…Your brother-in-law has a lot of technical manuals at home. When I have nothing to do, I flip through them. After reading so much, I naturally know a lot.”

She had already decided that, in the future, whenever there were things she couldn’t explain, she would let Shao Chengyuan take the blame.

At that moment, Qiu Qianjin was looking at his sister with admiration, completely in awe of her.

He was now a die-hard fan of his sister, fresh off the press.

Qiu Yinuo eagerly looked at He Ziqing, batting her clear, bright eyes, hoping for a reassuring answer from her.

He Ziqing: “……”

She didn’t know what to say either. Could she stop looking at her like that?

Yang Weiguo immediately motioned for Qiu Yinuo to come forward, “Comrade, it’s great that you know about tractors! Come over and have a look, see if it’s the issue you mentioned.”

Just a moment ago, the people from Taolin Village had been looking down on her, but now, hearing that Qiu Yinuo could fix tractors, they were all staring at her in disbelief.

This was something that even men couldn’t fix—could a woman really fix it?

Qiu Yinuo first examined the engine, then frowned and said, “This tractor is old. The bushings and the pin seats need attention. Even if you replace them, they’ll only last about six months at best.”

“What? Only six months?” Yang Weiguo grimaced in pain. It was his frequent trips to town that had caused the tractor to wear out this badly.

If they didn’t fix it properly, it might not even last until next year’s autumn harvest.

Someone from Taolin Village voiced their skepticism, “Secretary Yang, you can’t just believe whatever this young woman says. We should get a professional to check it out.”

Yang Weiguo froze for a moment and quickly nodded. They were right. No one in the neighboring villages had ever known anyone who could repair a tractor. Now, a woman suddenly appeared claiming to know the problem—something about this felt off.

“Yes, a tractor is a valuable thing. Even professionals might not figure it out, let alone someone who’s just read a few books.”

Qiu Qianjin frowned at the comment. “My sister is that smart. Do you have a problem with that?”

Despite the doubts of others, Qiu Yinuo remained calm and gave Qiu Qianjin a reassuring look. She nodded in agreement, “They make a good point. A tractor is valuable, so it’s best to have a professional check it out. I’m just offering a suggestion.”

Secretary Yang felt embarrassed when he saw that she wasn’t angry or upset and was instead being reasonable.

“Comrade, I’m truly sorry. It’s not that I don’t believe you, but this tractor is invaluable to our village. We can’t afford any mistakes.”

“I understand.”

On the ox cart, Qian Zhiya gave Qiu Yinuo a quiet glance, still unable to comprehend how the usually restless Qiu Qianjin had such a calm and composed sister.

“Since the tractor won’t be fixed anytime soon, let’s all pitch in and push it to the side. That way, we can get the ox cart through.”

The people from Taolin Village felt a bit ashamed in the presence of Qiu Yinuo’s composed demeanor. Upon hearing Old Zhang’s suggestion, they quickly jumped off the tractor. “Sorry for the inconvenience, everyone.”

After about fifteen minutes of joint effort, they managed to push the tractor to the side of the field.

By the time they arrived in town, the sky was already bright.

As they got off the cart, Qiu Qianjin wasn’t quite done with his attempts to win Qian Zhiya’s attention. “Qian Zhiya, come to our house for dinner the day after tomorrow! You have to come see the new house we built—it’s big and bright, and I’m sure you’ll love it.”

Qian Zhiya gave a polite but awkward smile, not agreeing to the invitation.

Li Fangfang, however, didn’t hold back and firmly rejected, “No matter how great your house is, Xiaoya won’t come. So stop trying.”

Qiu Qianjin frowned, “Why are you always around? You don’t represent Qian Zhiya.”

Qiu Yinuo was mentally exhausted. How could he not see that Qian Zhiya was clearly not interested?

“Jinzi, it’s getting late. We should go buy the things we need.”

Realizing the main purpose of their trip, Qiu Qianjin reluctantly said goodbye to Qian Zhiya.