Chronicle of the 70s-Chapter 376 - 353: Implementation of the Plan

It’s odd, the twins and Gu Niannian are over three years apart, yet they get along so well. The children’s speech isn’t very coherent, and many words elude them, but the three kids are chatting happily. You can hear Gu Niannian ask excitedly, "Did you go ice skating?"

Ba Yibao eagerly used their hands to gesture how to skate.

Li Xianglu opened the door, asking the driver and Hu Zi to bring things in, while letting the three children play in the living room. The wind outside was a bit strong, so she stoked the iron stove, and soon the room warmed up.

Li Xianglu brewed some strong black tea, inviting everyone to have tea, while she went to the kitchen. Dumplings were the most convenient choice; she had raw ones in her Storage Ring. She quickly made a pot with green onions, bone broth, adding shrimp, mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and tomato sauce. Just before serving, she threw in a handful of spinach.

Everyone had a large bowl of soup dumplings, accompanied by side dishes and soup, the vibrant colors stimulating the appetite.

Having not eaten well on the way, their stomachs grumbled loudly. Gu Niannian, like the twins, had their small bowls, enjoying the meal immensely. Gu Niannian exclaimed, "Ba Yibao, your family’s cooking is really delicious!"

The twins, with identical faces, showed similar smug expressions. It was only then that Li Xianglu truly recognized that these children were twins.

Qin Xi had left in the morning for a meeting in the province, so they had returned home first. It was not until the evening that Qin Xi came back, his face carrying a trace of excitement. Li Xianglu served him a bowl of soup dumplings, and seeing him devour it with a smile on his face, she couldn’t help asking, "Is there any good news?"

Qin Xi smiled and said, "The province has designated our county’s project as a key pilot project. If successful, it will be promoted widely starting from the end of this year."

Li Xianglu was also delighted, planting a kiss on Qin Xi’s cheek, saying with a grin, "My husband is so capable!"

Qin Xi’s eyes squinted with pride, resembling the twins’ expressions during the day.

The next day, Li Xianglu also went to work. Chairman Xu was very pleased to see her as their loan plan was about to proceed.

Since mid-March was approaching and farming would begin in half a month, the bank decided to immediately send Li Xianglu and Wang Yanan to the countryside to explain the lending model and repayment to the farmers. They were to directly record the information of those who needed loans for the project and bring it back. Once the agreements were finalized, the loans would be disbursed.

Meanwhile, arrangements for Qin Xi’s work were also set in motion. Banks, businesses, and the government all began to operate simultaneously, building confidence that such a good fortune exists—receiving money to do what one excels at, with assured buyers for your harvest, ensuring worry-free sales. Seeds were delivered just the night before when Qin Xi brought them back to the warehouse with Li Xianglu.

After storing them, Qin Xi curiously inspected some chili seeds. They seemed glossy and plumper, though it could be a sensory illusion or psychological effect. These seeds had already been tested, and now the old man started getting busy.

This year, the courtyard at home was expanded, both front and back yards dug up by Hu Zi. Qin Xi specially brought in plenty of black soil from the rural areas. The old man planned to fully showcase his skills planting oil yield watermelons, sweet melons with red heart, and strawberries, which are Su Yan and the children’s favorite.

Li Xianglu was to be in the countryside for half a month. Luckily, Qin Xi, Leng Qing, and others were also going, so the old man felt reassured. Nevertheless, he gave a long list of precautions, especially not to go out at night.

Early next morning, they directly took the government’s minibus from the bank. Meanwhile, representatives from Leng Qing and Hu Zi’s factory drove there themselves—in Su Yan’s car.

Li Xianglu felt that although the task was divided among three departments, it somehow still felt like a family operation.

However, following Su Yan’s earlier reminder, Li Xianglu did not talk much with Leng Qing and the others when she arrived in the village, except for work-related matters.

The project went smoothly, thankfully due to the strong publicity beforehand, nearly half of the farmers participated in the planting agreement.

Huai County had a population of over 5000 households, half of whom took out loans, while the other half either did not meet the requirements or adopted a wait-and-see attitude.

After handling all these matters, half a month had passed. Li Xianglu would often work outdoors in the courtyard of the village government office; the wind would leave her face and hands chapped, and Wang Yanan would get sunburned badly, wishing she could wear a mask every day, but that made answering questions inconvenient, and she gave up.

So, both of them went to work with red faces.

On the first day Li Xianglu returned, her two children were playing well, but they started crying loudly when they saw Li Xianglu, clinging tightly to her without letting go.

While hugging her two already heavy children, Li Xianglu asked Su Yan, "Why didn’t Niannian go to school?"

Su Yan sighed, "Exactly, they’ve been making a mess at home since you left, so we had no choice but to discuss it with Zhu Hong. We decided to let Niannian stay at home during the day and help look after them, keeping them company, as the three kids playing together seemed a bit better."

The children cried for a long time. Li Xianglu initially wanted to get up and wash up, but the kids just tearfully looked at her, giving her a pitiful look as if she was abandoning them.

Li Xianglu reassured them for a long time, convincing them that she would come right back after washing up before they let her go.

Yet no sooner had Li Xianglu left, the two little ones went to the kitchen to wait with Gu Niannian.

Li Xianglu felt helpless, but seeing the children’s pitiful faces, she couldn’t bear to scold them, realizing she had been away on business for too long.

Qin Xi returned on the third afternoon. Only then did Li Xianglu deeply feel that these two were just too kind towards her. Even when Qin Xi tried to play with the children, they ignored him completely, acting as if they didn’t know him, almost driving Qin Xi to tears.

Li Xianglu couldn’t help but laugh at the situation; the children were too grudge-holding, using such cold treatment to let others know they were upset.

It wasn’t until that evening, when Qin Xi bathed the children himself and allowed them to eat chocolate after brushing their teeth, that they finally forgave him. Even then, Ba’er fiercely slapped Qin Xi’s thigh, baring his teeth, saying, "Hit!"

The message was clear: if he left for that long again, he would be hit; hahaha, Li Xianglu found it utterly amusing.

At night, when Qin Xi was making romantic overtures, he couldn’t help complaining, "Baby, what do you think about having a daughter next time? Sons are just not affectionate enough!"