Gao Xiaobing quickly shook her head. “No, there are lice on the farm. I’m not staying.” Besides, she didn’t really like reading as much as Nie Weimin did.

Her interest in astronomy wasn’t as strong as his.

Watching stars in the middle of the night, with the cold spring wind blowing and giving her a headache, didn’t sound fun at all.

“Well, never mind then. I’ll go find my sister to watch with me.”

“Nie Weimin, who’s your sister?”

“Liu Xiaohong, she’s my sister. My cousin,” Nie Weimin said with a pure look on his face. “She probably doesn’t like watching stars, but she’ll help take care of my little brothers.”

“Hmph, then go watch with her. I’m going home with my mom,” Gao Xiaobing said angrily, snatching the book from Nie Weimin’s hand and turning to leave.

The feisty Liu Xiaohong had once slapped her across the face for a bowl.

The more Gao Xiaobing thought about it, the angrier she got.

She couldn’t stop at just one sentence and added, “You wait and see, our family’s books will never be lent to you again, hmph!”

Nie Weimin looked confused. “If you don’t want to lend it, then don’t. Sister Gao, why are you so mad?”

Chen Lina first inspected the entire farm. At noon, she personally helped the educated youth distribute steamed buns made with 85 flour and cabbage lamb soup powder to the people coming to help or work part-time from the mining district, as well as many unemployed family members.

She then went to Chen Lili’s place to knead and stretch the dough herself, using the finest wheat flour to make pulled noodles for Helan Mountain.

The first year during the New Year, after making fried twisted dough, she had some leftover dough. With a skill that amazed three children, she pulled it into a dough sheet that dropped their jaws, and then made a pot of pulled noodles, topped with a sauce made from tomatoes, carrots, and beef.

Helan Shan ate two large bowls in a row, and after finishing, didn’t even take a nap but immediately went to the fields.

Of course, Jin Shi also took several photos of her and Sun Duoyu from all angles.

In short, the camera kept clicking, He Lan Shan’s smile was bright, and her energy was full.

If these photos were published in the newspaper, it would be great publicity, both for the mining area and for District Chief Gao.

When Chen Lina turned around and saw the man, who hadn’t smiled in a long time, standing behind her and actually smiling with some pride, she immediately walked over. “So, why didn’t you have lunch in the dorm and had to eat the cabbage stew in the cafeteria? Do you think the food I made isn’t good enough?”

“The princess cooks herself, how could I dare to complain? But Miss Chen, I can understand why you kept Reporter Guo here, but for the interview with New Qing News, the one who should be in the spotlight should be you. Why push Helan Shan into the limelight? Are you trying to help Gao Feng climb higher?” Nie Bozhao

“His official career will eventually reach a high position. Since he’s useful to me, why not help him along? Besides, if Factory Director He wants the spotlight, let her have it. I can’t make it to the newspaper anyway.” Chen Lina replied.

“Why can’t you make it?” Nie Gong( Nie Father/ Nie Bozhao ) sounded a bit upset. “You deserve to be in New Qing News.”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent late nights researching agricultural data, coordinating with the professors, and writing a press release.

“Did you forget that I’m a ‘stinky old nine’?” Chen Lina said. “Although Secretary A and District Chief Gao have discussed that my file has been destroyed, Old Nie, my parents are still at the farm. If they check my background through them, it’ll be clear, and one inquiry will expose everything. You know, Gong Hongxing is Nie Guozhu’s wife. She knows all about my background.”

“So, it seems like you’re not too worried,” Nie Bozhao said.

“Keep a low profile in life, but be high-profile in work. Focus on production. Since He Lan Shan helped me get the spotlight, she should also help me handle any troubles. Don’t you think so?”

“You’re not a little princess, you’re the Empress Dowager Cixi. If I were to say, nowaday’s Cixi probably has your kind of strategy,” Nie Bozhao said regretfully. “I just want to ask, if you really had a past life, with such a clever mind, how could you let someone like Nie Guozhu bully you?”

“How do you know Nie Guozhu bullied me? We were in love. It’s just that later on, my vision broadened, and I lost interest in him, so we got divorced.”

“That’s impossible. You’ve always been a kind-hearted, grateful woman. You look at Nie Guozhu like a dog. Unless he broke your heart, you wouldn’t be like this.” Nie Bozhao said.

Her husband hated her ex-husband from her past life, and that disgust was something she could no longer hide.

So now, Nie Bozhao wasn’t jealous anymore, not even a bit.

He was just extra heartbroken for his wife, to the point that he didn’t know how to comfort her.

“So, I want to make it up to him for you. Tell me what you want—lipstick, high heels, perfume, cosmetics. Whatever you want, I’ll figure out how to get it for you.”

“What do I need those for? Old Granny Xiaojiao is dead, and I was already sick of them in my past life. As long as you can make me happy in bed, that’s all that matters. So, can we just do it whenever we want, without always sticking to the same old routine?” Chen Lina asked seriously.

Nie Bozhao, who was drinking from his military water bottle, almost choked.

---

….

“Uncle Nie, you’re really amazing today! You fixed all the broken farming machines, right?” San Dan looked up, eagerly watching Nie Guozhu.

“Ai, Guozhu, our farm really thanks you. Here, have a bowl of pulled noodles, and follow Hongbing to the garage. You can take a look at those big machines we haven’t touched in years. How about it?” Chen Lina also said.

In short, when this mother and son looked at him, Nie Guozhu immediately felt at least ten centimeters taller.

“But Lina, my task is to follow your old Nie.”

“We’re cousins, my parents treat you well too. Guozhu, I have to ask you something—why does your wife insist on you following my old Nie? Did he commit a big mistake, or is his thinking reactionary? Or maybe someone up top is out to get him?” Chen Lina asked.

The wind rustled through the poplar trees, the sound swishing in the breeze.

The Poplar River flowed gently, and the setting sun bathed the land.

Now was the best time of day on this desert oasis of the Mulan Farm.

“I’ll tell you, but you can’t tell your old Nie.” Nie Guozhu, after all, was a bit of a fool, naive and embarrassed. “Your cousin-in-law said that his laboratory is really hard to get into. I have to find a chance to sneak in. If I can manage to replace him, then maybe we’ll get recognized as national advanced workers, or maybe even be part of our Hongyan Military District’s share of the recognition.”

“Cousin, you’re really an ambitious young man. But I have to tell you, that lab of old Nie’s, even if you get in, you probably won’t learn anything. I don’t understand what’s in there, and what makes you think you will?”

“You’re a college student, how could you not understand?”

“Different fields require expertise, cousin. Many times, it’s fine to covet someone’s position, but if you want to take it, you need to weigh your own abilities first. Alright, you spend the whole night fixing my tractor, and tomorrow I’ll see if I can get old Nie to take you into the lab. How about that?”

“Okay, I’ll go do it now.”

Honestly, Nie Guozhu, this big rough guy, was full of energy whenever he was given a machine to repair.

But Gong Hongxing might have been dreaming a bit too optimistically.

Chen Lina kept wondering why Gong Hongxing had sent Nie Guozhu first.

Turns out, she wanted him to replace Nie Bozhao’s job.

Holding back her laughter, Chen Lina thought that Gong Hongxing was probably just a fool who knew how to criticize people and play dirty tricks.

Otherwise, someone with a bit of common sense would know that Nie Bozhao’s job could never be replaced by a simpleton like Nie Guozhu.

It was the perfect weekend.

Aside from Nie Bozhao needing to rush back to the laboratory, everyone else stayed at the farm for the night.

Chen Lina tried her best to persuade Factory Director He to stay with her in the mud hut for the night so they could have a good chat.

But Factory Director He just couldn’t stay any longer. “No, I have to go. If I don’t go to the refinery to supervise tomorrow, He Min will stir up trouble and mobilize a few people to depose you.”

She had to continue suppressing everything herself, even though it pained her to do so.

“Alright, since you’re leaving, go ahead and leave early. After all, you’re traveling with a child, and it’s not safe to travel at night. What if there are bandits?”

“I’ve heard that the bandits in our border area have been causing a lot of trouble recently, but I trust the security here in the mining district. The armed forces are patrolling regularly, so they won’t get through,” He Lanshan said as he got into the car.

“Nie Weimin, weren’t you supposed to watch the stars with Reporter Guo tonight?” Gao Xiaobing asked, looking impatient in front of the mud hut.

Nie Weimin was feeding Sandan, who was very spoiled for a four-year-old.

He would often demand to be fed, and today he was upset because he didn’t have any underwear to wear and refused to eat.

“Yeah, so what? Aren’t you leaving? Goodbye, Gao sister.”

Gao Xiaobing didn’t reply.

Nie Weimin, without lifting his head, pointed at Sandan’s nose and said, “You should make your mom have another baby. Then you won’t be the baby anymore, and we’ll see who will feed you then.”

“I’m little Sandan, no one is smaller than me.” Sandan replied.

“When mom has another baby, you won’t be the youngest anymore.” It was so annoying how he used being the youngest as an excuse to act spoiled.

“Nie Weimin, I’ll ask you, do you want to see the book in my backpack?” Gao Xiaobing lifted her backpack a little to show him.

“If you want to give it to me, of course I’ll take it. But didn’t you say you don’t want to give it to me?” Nie Weimin replied.

“You could ask me for it. Did you ask me for it?”

“Alright then, Gao sister, can I borrow your book to read?”

Nie Weimin said seriously, wiping Sandan’s mouth as he spoke.

Today, it was supposed to be Liu Xiaohong’s turn to feed Sandan, but Liu Xiaohong had disappeared, and now Sandan was throwing a tantrum, asking to be held and fed while even spitting at his face.

Nie Weimin was losing his mind.

But this little rascal was usually very well-behaved at home, only at the farm did he get so troublesome.

Chen Lina had said that kids are like this because they know they won’t be scolded when they’re outside, so they act out as much as they can.

Gao Xiaobing, who was the same height as Nie Weimin, looked at him angrily for a long time before saying furiously, “Forget it, I won’t lend it.”

With that, she turned and got into the car without even looking at Nie Weimin.

“Brother, Gao sister is angry,” Sandan said.

Nie Weimin replied, “Yeah, who knows why? If she doesn’t want to lend it, fine. Is she showing off how many books her family has?”

“By the way, Erdan, where did Xiaohong go? Why isn’t she here to take care of Sandan?” Nie Weimin, at his wit’s end with Sandan, went to find Erdan, who was busy digging through his food.

“She left early in the morning. She said she was taking Uncle Jin to a good place. Didn’t you see her?”

Nie Weimin slapped his forehead, realizing that while he was busy here, Liu Xiaohong had already gone with Reporter Guo and the photographer.

However, when he tried to leave, Sandan wasn’t happy about it.

“Brother, take me with you. I want to go too.”