The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 651 - 620: Retention, Vigil_1

Chapter 651: Chapter 620: Retention, Vigil_1

Village Chief Qi had already calculated in his mind that allocating land to households would bring great benefits, but he was worried about a sudden change in policy in the future. If things escalated politically, he’d inevitably tarnish his reputation in his later years!

"It’s a lot!" Village Chief Qi said, "They also mentioned that if we allocate land to households, it seems we’ll get a subsidy... a subsidy for chemical fertilizers..."

At that moment, Huo Yingjie squinted his eyes and suddenly spoke up, "Village Chief Qi, don’t use chemical fertilizers in Qijia Village!"

"Why not?" Village Chief Qi was taken aback. He had heard that using chemical fertilizers could increase crop yields by twenty to thirty percent.

"The soil in Qijia Village is particularly fertile, so the rice and wheat are of very high quality. If we use chemical fertilizers, we might increase the yield, but the quality will be lower, and it won’t fetch a good price," Huo Yingjie said. "Moreover, chemical fertilizers will damage the soil and environment of Qijia Village, and consequently affect those precious peach trees."

"Ah?" Village Chief Qi was astonished. The prospect of increased yield had tempted him.

Niu Dajun chuckled and said, "Dad, Yingjie studied chemistry; he understands these things better. I’ve often told you how delicious the wheat flour from our farm is, and it’s not just flattery—it really is tastier than the flour and rice we buy from the supply and marketing cooperative in the county. I’d rather pay more for good-quality flour."

"Heh, I always thought you were just being polite," Village Chief Qi laughed. "Alright, in that case, I’ll stop the villagers from using chemical fertilizers. Anyway, our village doesn’t produce much grain, so when the time comes, Dajun, think of a way to help us sell it in the county. A higher price will naturally convince the villagers not to use those fertilizers."

Hearing this, Huo Yingjie nodded and said, "Never use chemical fertilizers. The magic of Qijia Village must not be destroyed."

"Indeed, our Qijia Village is quite magical," Village Chief Qi said. "Ah, if it weren’t banned now, I’d really like to build a Divine Dragon Temple on the back mountain and renovate the Land Temple. I’m not sure about other villages, but Qijia Village is a place protected by Fu Ming. I hope that in my lifetime, I can repay them."

"Hehe, Village Chief Qi has grand ambitions," Huo Zhekun laughed. With reforms taking place and cultural shifts gradually happening, it may not be long before his ideas materialize.

Village Chief Qi received definitive answers from Huo Zhekun and Huo Yingjie and no longer had any concerns, so he rested at ease.

After resting in Nan City for a day, it was time to leave.

They had intended to leave the next day, but He Tiantian insisted, firstly because Village Chief Qi and Niu Dajun needed two days of rest and secondly because He Tiantian also wanted to buy some things to bring back for Third Grandma Qi, Qi Xiaoyan, Niu Lili, and others.

He Tiantian prepared two large bags and went with Huo Yingjie to send Village Chief Qi and Niu Dajun onto the train.

He Tiantian also cooked them a dozen or so eggs, scallion pancakes, braised pig ears, pig liver, and the like. These foods were delicious even when cool.

They had arrived in haste and now were leaving in haste.

Watching the train depart, He Tiantian felt somewhat melancholic.

However, she also knew that everyone has their own life, and this departure was for the sake of their next reunion.

Huo Yingjie gently held He Tiantian’s hand and said, "Tiantian, don’t be downhearted. When the summer vacation starts, I will take you to Qijia Village, and you’ll be able to see Grandma Qi and the other villagers."

"Mm," He Tiantian nodded, feeling grateful to have Brother Yingjie by her side.

A week later, Huo Zhekun and Jiang Lifang were off work, and they began packing their belongings, preparing to take their son, daughter-in-law, grandsons, and granddaughters to the capital.

The train was crowded, and the smell wasn’t very pleasant.

To make taking care of the children easier, Huo Zhekun bought six sleeping berth tickets, securing an entire small compartment.

This way, it was much more convenient for them to travel with the kids.

Along with Grandma Wang, five adults and two children didn’t seem too wasteful.

To make it easier to take care of the children, He Tiantian brought a double-seat stroller as well. Tiantian unfolded the stroller’s step, allowing the two children to sleep inside it. She padded the bottom with small quilts, and at night, she removed their coats and changed them into the kind of sleeping bags that left their heads exposed, then waited for them to fall asleep before covering them with the small quilts.

It was very warm.

That was a modification Tiantian had made especially for the children.

Such clothing was very common in the future, but it didn’t exist yet.

Huo Ruihua was quite well-behaved, staying snugly in his blankets after undressing, but Huo Ruimin was too mischievous. At night, after undressing, he would sometimes crawl out of the blankets. And once he got cold, he’d catch a cold.

Tiantian made this so that even if the children crawled out of their blankets in their sleep, they wouldn’t feel cold.

Tiantian’s invention won the admiration of the whole family.

"Brother Yingjie, go to sleep. I’ll watch the children," Tiantian whispered gently. Yingjie had watched the children in the first half of the night, and Tiantian, waking up on her own, had offered to do so for the second half.

Huo Yingjie chuckled and said, "It’s okay, you keep sleeping. Back at the research institute, I used to go days and nights without sleep and it was fine."

"That’s not okay," Tiantian scolded. "You were a bachelor before, but now you have a family, with elders above and children below. Your body isn’t just yours anymore; it belongs to all of us. I warn you, you must take good care of yourself; we’re all counting on you for the future!"

Yingjie covered Tiantian’s mouth with his hand and murmured softly, "Okay, okay, I’ll sleep!"

The crib was on the lower level, and Tiantian was in the upper berth. All she needed to do was watch; there was no need to go down, and it wasn’t cold under the blankets.

Even though they had closed the small door, Tiantian still felt uneasy.

When it came to the children, Tiantian was more careful than anyone—she was always afraid that the moment she opened her eyes, they would be gone.

By morning, the children awoke.

Tiantian got up to change their diapers, wash their faces, clean their bottoms, and only then did she feed them formula.

As long as Tiantian was at home, she wouldn’t let anyone else take care of these tasks.

Her own children were her responsibility. It wasn’t for others to take care of them.

After Tiantian had finished taking care of the children, she was free to freshen up. The first thing she did was take out a bar of soap and wash her hands thoroughly.

With many people around, it was easier to watch the children.

Huo Zhekun was in charge of getting the meals, and by the time Tiantian and Yingjie returned, it was just in time to eat.

When they first boarded the train, the two children were a bit scared, but now they were fine, lying against the window and watching the trees recede in the distance, babbling in excitement.

Tiantian didn’t sleep in the latter part of the night, and now she felt somewhat sleepy.

"Tiantian, we’ve got the kids, why don’t you go up and sleep for a bit?" Jiang Lifang offered with a smile, knowing her son and daughter-in-law had taken turns watching the children and hadn’t slept in the night.

Seeing the children happily playing with plenty of people to look after them, Tiantian nodded and said, "Thank you, mom, I’ll sleep for a bit."