Early in the morning, Helan Shan was preparing to take Gao Xiaobing to the farm to help with spring planting.

Her family owned a small car, so there was no need to take the refinery’s large truck. As soon as she got into the car, Gao Xiaobing complained, “Ugh, this is so annoying, Mom. Why on earth are we going to the farm? Every time I go there, I get a headache.”

Helan Shan, who was driving the car herself, replied, “Xiaobing, your father is currently at a level 12 position, with level 11 benefits. But your grandfather and great-grandfather were all high-ranking individuals who sacrificed themselves for the Republic. The higher-ups are intentionally grooming him, and he’s willing to work hard. In the future, he could rise to level five or six, or even higher. His career progression is our top priority right now.”

“So,” she continued, “I heard reporters from Beijing are coming for an interview. You need to perform well at the farm and try to get a few photos in the newspaper, so the higher-ups can see.”

“This is only half of it. The other half is, I simply can’t lose to Chen Lina,” Factory Director He said decisively.

“Come on, Mom. Auntie Chen intentionally lost to you in the cotton-picking contest, wasn’t that enough? You’re really competitive,” Gao Xiaobing said, shaking her head helplessly.

Then she thought of something and added, “Oh, it’s the weekend today. Could it be that Nie Weimin is at the farm too? I have the book Foundation and Empire from The Galactic Empire series, which my aunt sent from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for my dad. I need to bring it to him.”

“Be mindful of the impact and remind Nie Weimin not to let it spread.” Helan Shan reminded.

“Alright, Mom, I get it. Can you stop being so cautious all the time?”

On the way, their car was stopped.

It was Gong Hongxing, the leader of the revolutionary working group parachuted in from Hongyan.

“Director He, what’s going on with your entire mining area? Not an ounce of enthusiasm. Now I’m just waiting for you to step up and report Chen Lina,” Gong Hongxing said bluntly.

After all, she had tried numerous times to convince Helan Shan ideologically, but Helan Shan, like Gao Feng, always evaded her with polite but insincere responses. Their passive resistance was as hateful as that of Gao Dayong, the head of the Armed Forces Department.

“Well, let me tell you this, Comrade Gong. Do you see the hat and gloves on my back seat? Manager Chen is laboring personally at the farm, and so am I. We are fighting for the food of everyone in the Republic and fear no one’s reporting or accusations. As for you, you say you want to criticize Chen Lina, but shouldn’t you at least understand her, her work, and her level of ideological consciousness? You’ve never even stepped into the farm and are already looking to criticize her. Isn’t that laughable?”

Being part of a thoroughly revolutionary family, Helan Shan was not afraid of Gong Hongxing. She stepped on the gas and drove off.

“Mom, aren’t you always competing with Auntie Chen? How come at a time like this, you’re suddenly on the same side?” Gao Xiaobing was puzzled.

“Lina and I are like skilled opponents sparring with mutual respect. Within the same organization, it’s about friendly competition. But when it comes to external matters, we must stand united against a common adversary. Remember this for the future: if you want to compete, do it openly. People like Gong Hongxing, with her underhanded ways and petty attitude, will never accomplish great things,” Helan Shan said disdainfully.

…..

At the farm, Chen Lina warmly welcomed Helan Shan with open arms.

“Director He, I’ll personally make hand-pulled noodles for lunch, with a tomato, onion, and carrot sauce. You must have two bowls!” Chen Lina said.

Helan Shan, however, had come to impress Reporter Guo. She climbed onto the seeding machine and said, “Alright, Lina, just tell me where the reporter is. Back in the day, I was sent to the countryside and drove a tractor in Ili, so handling this machine is no big deal. But you have to make sure the photographer takes a few good pictures of me.”

“See those three acres of spring fields? Our farm’s model worker, Sun Duoyu, will compete with you. Regardless of who wins, I guarantee you both will be featured in the newspaper. How’s that?”

“Fine. Make sure to look after my daughter Xiaobing. Is Weimin here? Ask him to keep her company,” Helan Shan said. She then grabbed two bags of wheat seeds, called over two women to scatter seeds, and headed to the fields.

Of course, there were also women scattering seeds behind Sun Duoyu.

The fields smelled distinctly of phosphate fertilizer, reminiscent of laundry detergent. Chen Lina waved goodbye to Helan Shan, then turned and saw Gao Xiaobing still standing behind her.

She asked, “My daughter’s heading to the cornfields to transplant seedlings. Want to come along?”

Unlike her impulsive mother, Gao Xiaobing wasn’t keen on acting tough. She pursed her lips and said, “Don’t want to get tanned.”

Chen Lina laughed and said, “My Weimin is there too.”

“Really? Doesn’t he hate farm work? How could he end up in the cornfields?”

Oh dear, Chen Lina could hardly contain her curiosity.

In his past life, Nie Weimin must have loved reading, too.

After all, he was an intellectual hooligan. According to the tabloid rumors, several members of the investigation team assigned to interrogate him ended up brainwashed by him.

So, in their past lives, did he and Gao Xiaobing have some connection because of book borrowing?

A daughter of a senior official and a street thug—how intriguing. And Gao Feng was destined to become a sixth-tier cadre in Hongyan, a top leader.

What might have happened between them?

They took the little girl onto the tractor, and it rumbled all the way to the cornfield.

After setting Gao Xiaobing down, Chen Lina naturally had to get busy with other things.

She wouldn’t intervene too much in the ethical drama of the next generation, nor would she deliberately try to stop it.

After all, they were still just kids.

The district chief had an unlimited future ahead of him. She didn’t care how the children would develop in the future, but she did want them to get along with Gao Xiaobing.

After all, she would be an invaluable connection in the future.

The corn seedlings that were planted early in March had already emerged through the soil film, growing to about the height of a finger.

However, many of them, due to machine planting, were pressed under the soil film after sprouting. The children had to carefully uncover them with their small hands.

Liu Xiaohong could be called the “kid king” of the farm. Though young, she was tough and hardworking.

To be honest, she even dared to slap Gao Xiaobing’s face, let alone the other children on the farm.

Well, she’s leading a group of children to release seedlings for Baogu.

The children on the farm also have skin. San Dan is the smallest and has the clumsiest hands.

With his small buttocks stretched out, he was working hard.

Suddenly, a child reached out and tried to pick up San Dan’s pants, saying, “Oh, doesn’t even have underwear.”

It should be said that in this year and age, having pants to wear for the children on the farm is already good condition.

In summer, when it’s hottest, five or six-year-old children can still run around with bare legs.

But the son of the director’s family is different. Nie Weimin is dressed neatly in a small military uniform, while his younger brother doesn’t even have a pair of shorts.

He has mischievous children and likes to bully San Dan

And this child is from the family of team leader Wang Guanghai, named Wang Xiaobing. He is the most mischievous and loves to bully children.

San Dan still doesn’t have a pair of underwear. His pants are folded, and his round, bare bottomed like egg, white, tender, and silkworm like little cow are all exposed at once.

“Bullying my family’s Sandan, are you looking for trouble?” Erdan said, already raising his fist.

Wang Xiaobing said, “Ow ow, Erdan trampled the corn seedlings, Erdan trampled the corn seedlings.”

A single corn seedling, when it grows, could turn into two or three big corn cobs. If any of the kids trample one, they won’t be able to work starting tomorrow.

And if they can’t work, it means they won’t earn points to exchange for delicious cucumbers, tomatoes, or even strawberries, mulberries, and raisins from the farm.

Erdan, angry, clenched his fist, but didn’t dare to move.

Wang Xiaobing stuck out his tongue at Erdan and tried to run away.

After taking just two steps, Liu Xiaohong stopped him: “Wang Xiaobing, you stop right there. I’m asking you, why are you bullying my brother?”

“It’s just kids playing, the farm director wouldn’t be mad. Liu Xiaohong, why are you angry? Could it be that you like Nie Weimin?” Wang Xiaobing replied.

Nie Weimin was far away, about a mile away, helping the old professor cut seedlings and graft them.

He was small, but had delicate hands, and was steady, precise, and ruthless in his work.

Grafting tender seedlings required precision, and a small mistake could ruin everything. When he grafted, Professor Qiu Hua, Reporter Guo, and Old Tian all watched him carefully.

You could say the kids were a bit older, around eight or nine, and Liu Xiaohong was also pretty. These mischievous boys couldn’t compete with her. Whenever Nie Weimin was mentioned, she’d blush and act shy.

But today, Liu Xiaohong wasn’t shy at all.

She stomped her foot, and directly trampled a seedling in front of her, saying, “You, Wang Xiaobing, trampled the corn seedlings, you no longer have the right to work with us. Get out.”

“It was clearly you who trampled them! Liu Xiaohong, if you keep this up, I’ll shout loudly for Nie Weimin: ‘Nie Weimin, hey, Nie Weimin, can you hear me? Liu Xiaohong likes you!’”

Liu Xiaohong stamped on two more seedlings and said, “Wang Xiaobing, you trampled all of them. Not only will you not earn points today, but I’ll also tell you, your dad is going to beat you tonight.”

“You’re crazy, you’ve trampled so many seedlings!”

“Erdan, Sandan, Gousheng, Xiaohua, you guys tell me, who trampled the seedlings?”

All the kids chimed in together, “It was Wang Xiaobing.”

“That’s settled then, get out,” Liu Xiaohong said, and with one swift motion, she shoved Wang Xiaobing out of the corn field.

Although Wang Xiaobing didn’t understand the saying “many mouths make a tiger” or the concept of rumors spreading, he had seen Liu Xiaohong’s boldness before. If all the kids said it was him, his dad would definitely beat him tonight.

Ashamed, he left.

“Xiaohong, you trampled the seedlings. Even though Wang Xiaobing is being punished, if my mom finds out, she’ll be mad. And also, this whole patch will be empty now, right?” Erdan’s biggest concern was this. “Mom said, if one corn seed is missing, that means three pounds of grain will be lost, and I’ll go hungry for three days.”

“Don’t worry, I have a plan.” Liu Xiaohong said, running a few steps ahead, carefully searching between the corn seedlings.

.After a while, she bent down, and when she returned, she was holding several corn seedlings in her hands.

“Xiaohong, where did you move these from? If you took seedlings from somewhere else, how are we going to replace them there?” Erdan asked.

“The seeding machine can’t guarantee that each hole only has one seedling. If you walk a few more steps, you’ll see some holes with two seedlings. Just move one from there, right?” Liu Xiaohong patted Sandan’s little head and said, “Sister has recently braided a straw hat. I’m planning to find someone who has some cloth to trade for a few feet so I can make you a little pair of underwear, okay?”

“Okay.” Sandan thought for a moment and said, “Make one for my big brother too, his underwear is torn, and his little cow is almost hanging out.”

“Ah, really? Nie Weimin’s underwear is torn, and his little cow is almost hanging out?” The other kids behind them suddenly burst out laughing.

“No, no, my mom found him a sunflower patch and fixed it a long time ago,” Erdan quickly explained.

Now, even Liu Xiaohong was laughing out loud.

On the other side, Gao Xiaobing, holding a book, was heading to find Nie Weimin.

Little Nie Weimin’s favorite and most cherished science fiction book, The Galactic Empire, was something he was obsessed with. From a distance, he saw Gao Xiaobing, who was carrying a military-green backpack with half of it peeking out. The sight made his heart race, and he almost couldn’t hold himself back—he nearly trampled a corn seedling while rushing to her.

After finally helping Professor Qiu with the seedlings, he dashed out of the field.

“Sister Gao, can you stay tonight? Please? You can stay at my aunt’s house. Reporter Guo brought a telescope and said he wants to watch the stars with me. I’ll bring you along too,” Nie Weimin said excitedly.