Chapter 56: Study to Strengthen the Nation System

Qiu Qianjin was absolutely furious—his sister had just thrown away an iron rice bowl!

If their mother found out, she would probably spit blood in anger.

Even Director Liu hadn’t expected Qiu Yinuo to refuse. He had straightened his back, ready for her to ask whether it was true, prepared to explain how impressive the Tractor Factory No. 3 was. But Qiu Yinuo’s refusal caught him completely off guard.

Their factory was doing so well, and the position of technical advisor was valuable. Why would she turn it down?

It wasn’t just Director Liu who was puzzled; everyone else was too.

Xiao Wang quickly figured it out and suddenly realized the issue. Director Liu had talked about everything except the salary.

“Comrade Qiu, the factory offers you thirty yuan a month, and after you become a permanent employee, it will increase with your years of service. There are also good benefits for holidays and festivals.”

Workers were highly valued now. Who could earn thirty yuan a month?

The people around her looked at Qiu Yinuo with envious eyes. They thought for sure she wouldn’t refuse again, but no one expected Qiu Yinuo to shake her head once more. “I can work as a technical advisor, but not in a regular office position. After all, I’m not into research and development. At most, I can offer some safety oversight and technical guidance. The actual work I’d be doing is quite minimal, so I’m only willing to come in occasionally.”

Seeing that no one was saying anything, Qiu Yinuo sighed. “I know you offered me such a good postion because you value my abilities, and I’m grateful. But I have to consider my own situation too. My two sons are still very young and haven’t been weaned yet, so I truly can’t work a regular shift.”

Qiu Qianjin’s mouth twitched. Yeah, right—his mom and Cousin Qingqing were the ones looking after the babies.

But he didn’t dare say that out loud. He was afraid he’d get smacked.

 Director Liu and the others were stunned. They hadn’t considered this issue.

“You can ask the factory manager when you go back. The salary… that’s negotiable.” After all, she had never really expected to make money from this.

After they left Taolin Village, Qiu Qianjin bounced around like an agitated monkey.

“Sis, do you know what you just turned down?”

“That’s a steady job at Tractor Factory No. 3. Do you know the youngest son of the timekeeper’s family in our village?” Without waiting for Qiu Yinuo to shake her head, he angrily continued, “He got a temporary job as a mover at a cardboard factory and has been showing off in the village non-stop. And you, you turned down such a good job.”

He pounded his chest, “Why didn’t such a good job fall to me?”

“Because you’re not good enough. If you were as capable as I am, how could they possibly let someone like you slip through their fingers?”

Qiujian: “…”

“So the reason you brought me with you these past two times, was it just to teach me how to fix tractors?”

Qiu Yinuo took a deep breath. “You think you can learn to fix tractors just by watching twice? What kind of dream world are you living in?”

“Then why’d you bring me?”

“To show you how exceptional I am. Naturally, that draws attention. I can absolutely build the life I want with my own two hands.” She patted his shoulder. “Now think about it. What kind of person do you want to become?”

If a job like that had been offered to him, Qiu Qianjin knew he would never have had the courage to reject it so easily, let alone try to negotiate terms.

 “By the way, don’t mention this to Mom when we get back.”

“Yeah, better not, or she’ll nag at you. Aren’t you afraid they’ll really not want you at the factory?”

Qiu Yinuo shrugged. “It’s not like the tractor factory is my only option.”

“Sis, what else can you do? How come I never noticed you were this amazing before?”

“I can also… hit my little brother.”

Qiu Yinuo: “…”

…

On the 29th of the twelfth month, it was time for the ancestor worship ceremony. Uncle Qiu didn’t have any sons, so he had to bring his nephew to help with all the rituals.

Every time this happened, he couldn’t help but feel a bit bitter.

When he met other villagers going down the mountain for the ceremony, he would lower his head, afraid of being laughed at.

It was the last day of the year, and Qiu Yinuo didn’t dare to be lazy anymore. She got up early and, along with Cheng Hongying, started the stove worship and cleaning rituals. Everyone was busy, bustling around in preparation.

Dabao took advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention and brought Erbao into the space. As soon as 3224 saw the two brothers, it immediately began happily swaying its head.

“Shao Xingchen, have you decided which system you want to bind?”

[Mom says I’m still too young, so there is no need to rush.]

“How can you not be in a hurry? Tasks are easier when you’re young. If you delay, the rewards might not be as good.”

Shao Xingchen remained calm. After all, when he had received the space spiritual spring, a precious item, he wasn’t excited enough to lose sleep over it.

It didn’t help with his work, and he wasn’t short on money, so he never thought about using the space for anything.

If he had known back then that he would transmigrate into a book, he might have actually done something with it.

But now, he had learned to adopt his mother’s approach—doing nothing was truly the best.

With food and drink, as long as his stomach was full, he didn’t care about anything else.

No more waking up before dawn to prepare for work, no more working so hard he was reciting lines while falling asleep.

He slept later than a dog, woke up earlier than a rooster, and if he didn’t perform well, he would be scolded by the director. Even after earning 2.08 million, he ended up with only 208 yuan in his pocket. No matter how hard he worked, he couldn’t escape the exploitation of capital.

Now, no one was calling him a slacker, and no one was cursing his whole family to death. Though his whole family really had passed away, hearing those words still made him feel sad.

The life he lived before had been too intense, and now all he wanted was to live comfortably. No one could force him to strive for more.

So, binding a system? He’d rather leave that to his mom.

[Why don’t you bind a system for my little brother instead?]

3224 glanced at Shao Beichen, and seeing his indifferent look, it immediately shrank back, its ears drooping in fear.

[Show me your system, and I’ll pick one for Erbao.]

3224 sighed in frustration but couldn’t resist its inner desire. It braced itself and waved its hand, and various systems appeared before them.

Not daring to look at Erbao, it shuffled its large body and hid behind Dabao.

The entries for the systems flashed by, and the Study to Strengthen the Nation System flew right in front of Dabao, almost as if it had wings.

[I don’t want this one. I want to find something easier for Erbao.]

Dabao was a good older brother—do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If he didn’t like it, why should he force Erbao into it?

Dabao flipped through the entries faster and faster, showing more and more systems. Yet, the Study to Strengthen the Nation System seemed to be sticking to them like glue, and before long, it had flown over again.

[What’s up with this Study to Strengthen the Nation System? Why does it keep coming back?]

3224 weakly responded, “Serve the country, be recorded in history. Don’t you think it’s pretty good?”

Dabao was annoyed. [What’s the point? Maybe Erbao, like me, isn’t cut out for learning.]

“How could that be?” 3224, realizing it had gotten too excited, quickly cleared its throat and explained, “Maybe learning will be as simple for him as eating and drinking, right?”