I Got Rich in Period Fiction

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Qiao Qingyu Appears Out of Nowhere! Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Qiao Qingyu Appears Out of Nowhere! How could Qiao Qingyu possibly go to collect the keys?

She was merely a family member now; it would be easy for others to take advantage of her if it were known.

“Director Xie, please keep the keys for now, or just leave them in your office. I’ll come to you when I need them later.”

Director Xie nodded, staring at Qiao Qingyu with a smile. This girl was bold yet meticulous, a person who would not likely go wrong in the future.

Unfortunately, that thousand acres of wasteland would continue to lie fallow, and he had no idea how this year’s forestation task would be accomplished, as they hadn’t even found suitable saplings yet.

He had wanted to ask Qiao Qingyu about the Willow Wood and Barley Grass, but the cancellation of the contract had been embarrassing enough, and it was difficult to broach the topic.

He would have to wait for He Xiuyu to return before discussing it further.

Director Xie walked with Qiao Qingyu toward the main entrance of the base. He wanted to arrange for Sun Dazhi to drive Qiao Qingyu back to the staff quarters, but just then, someone behind called out breathlessly, “Director Xie… wait… wait…”

Director Xie quickly stopped and turned around, only to see Lao Sheng from logistics.

He was very skilled at farming, which was why the forty-five acres of cabbage were under his watch. Looking at his breathless state, Director Xie felt a sinking feeling in his chest.

Could something have happened to the cabbage field?

It shouldn’t be, the climate had been normal recently, still dry but without any dust storms, let alone a sandstorm, so the cabbage seeds in the ground couldn’t have been damaged.

The day before yesterday, he had checked the cabbage field, and there had been no sprouts, which already accounted for over a week.

Lost in such disordered thoughts, Lao Sheng had already run up to him, his voice filled with excitement, “Director Xie, quickly come to the cabbage field, they’ve all sprouted…”

Old Xie’s heart dropped with relief, and he too started to feel excitement. He glanced at Qiao Qingyu beside him, his voice barely hiding his excitement, “Qingyu, come take a look too.”

In such a situation, Qiao Qingyu couldn’t refuse, so she followed the two men for over ten minutes until they reached the outer perimeter of the base.

This was the area where the cabbage was grown.

From a distance, one could see a stretch of faint green.

Qiao Qingyu was not shocked; the several boxes of cabbage and little bok choy at her home were growing luxuriantly. There was no reason for such a meticulously tended field to perform worse than those planted by a novice like her.

She looked at the field of cabbage sprouts; the soil below looked somewhat moist, it seemed it had just been watered. Since the beginning of spring, there hadn’t been any rain, so the irrigation here was all done manually.

Across the forty-five acres of land, the vibrant green cabbage sprouts were brimming with life, spreading vibrantly over the desolate land.

Around the cabbage field, about seven or eight people were excitedly discussing something…

Clearly, these were the base staff responsible for this patch of vegetables.

Perhaps initially, when they planted the seeds, these people weren’t confident.

But farming was like this, you couldn’t really conclude until the time of sprouting, growth, and harvest.

Hence, when the cabbages sprouted in such a short period, the people were shocked and exhilarated, filled with elation.

They were all experienced in cultivation, and with such a growth rate, as Director Xie said, they indeed would be able to eat fresh, tender, and green bok choy after half a month.

Then, as time passed, the bok choy would grow day by day. Although this couldn’t completely solve the base’s problems, it alleviated a large part of the pressure.

Director Xie was even more excited, as this was a project he personally oversaw. Initially, the bok choy seeds seemed very promising, but he wasn’t sure if they would sprout.

Now, they had finally sprouted, and at such a quick rate. Old Xie cautiously walked in the furrows of the field.

After walking a considerable distance, he stopped, and Lao Sheng, who was walking with him, joyfully told Director Xie that he should have reported earlier but, since the seeds sprouted in the morning, he and the workers had been busy checking everywhere, achieving a 100 percent sprouting rate.

Old Xie, hearing this, was even happier and quickly turned around to walk toward Qiao Qingyu, who was standing at the edge of the field.

He repeatedly thanked Qiao Qingyu, who this time did not decline and confidently, with a meaningful tone, said, “Director Xie, farming is not child’s play. I wouldn’t waste everyone’s time on uncertainties.”

Director Xie was taken aback, but then laughed it off carelessly.

He didn’t mind what Qiao Qingyu’s words implied, and blurted out boldly, “Qingyu, do you still have seeds for Willow Wood and Barley Grass?”

Qiao Qingyu also chuckled, thinking to herself: Yes, I have plenty, but I won’t give them to you.

“Director Xie, the Willow Wood and Barley Grass are also new seeds, and they are still in the final stage of cultivation. As I told you when we signed the contract, we need to wait for the thousand silk hemp to sprout before considering how to plant Willow Wood and Barley Grass.”

Saying this, Qiao Qingyu paused, sighed with a tone of regret, “Unfortunately, in less than a day, this plan was ruined. The barren land was not contracted, and we can’t plant the thousand silk hemp. Moreover, there might be new troubles because of the Willow Wood and Barley Grass, so don’t even think about it right now!”

Director Xie gave an awkward smile—having been through a lot today, his skin had naturally thickened, and he clearly understood the implication in Qiao Qingyu’s words: even if she had them, she wouldn’t give them to the base.

As for causing more trouble, Director Xie was actually a bit uncertain. Truth be told, everyone knew of Su Yunyao’s feelings for He Xiuyu. Although the two were just ordinary superiors and subordinates, including him, everyone felt that Su Yunyao would eventually marry He Xiuyu.

After all, the two not only shared common aspirations but also grew up together. It was quite normal for them to be together, and it might even turn into a lovely story of childhood sweethearts.

But, who would have thought that Qiao Qingyu would appear out of nowhere!

It was said that after He Xiuyu brought Qiao Qingyu back to the family compound, Su Yunyao not only cried sorrowfully but also smashed many of her own possessions…
But what could be done now? Could they force He Xiuyu and Qiao Qingyu to divorce?

Everyone had their own opinions on this matter. When he went home and discussed it with his wife, she did not support Su Yunyao. His wife argued that if He Xiuyu wanted to marry Su Yunyao, they would have confirmed a romantic relationship long ago—why would they have waited until now?

After all, both were in their twenties and not children anymore.

So, Su Yunyao was just suffering from unrequited love!

However, this was just gossip behind the scenes and didn’t concern them.

But this morning, Old Wei told him that the contract for leasing barren land had been vetoed by Mr. Qi from headquarters, who had somehow received the news very quickly. The two of them deduced that Su Yunyao must have informed on them.

Therefore, they were quite unhappy with Su Yunyao’s actions.

But with Mr. Qi protecting Su Yunyao, they couldn’t voice any complaints.

Most importantly, it seemed that Qiao Qingyu had guessed that this mess was stirred up by Su Yunyao.