Chapter 49: Livestock Acquired

Returning to the West Courtyard, He Yushui went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, while Li Mingyuan pulled He Yuzhu to sit down and said earnestly:

"Yuzhu, I know you are unhappy, but there are some things I must remind you of."

He Yuzhu looked up, his eyes full of confusion: "Uncle Li, why must you collect money? I... I just wanted to help..."

Li Mingyuan looked straight into his eyes: "Don't lie to yourself. You don't want to help; you are bewitched by Qin Huairu's beauty."

He Yuzhu's face flushed red; he wanted to retort but couldn't say a word.

"Yuzhu, how old are you? Fifteen, still a child. How old is Qin Huairu? Over eighteen, right? She is already a married woman and will soon be the Jia Family's daughter-in-law."

Li Mingyuan's voice was not loud, but every word was like a nail, hammered into He Yuzhu's heart.

"It is pathetic for you to be infatuated with her. If she is truly interested in you, then her intentions are not upright."

He Yuzhu grew anxious: "Uncle Li, Miss Qin is not that kind of person! She... she is just gentle and kind..."

"How do you know?" Li Mingyuan retorted, "How many days have you known her? Just because she smiled at you a few times, you are already losing your soul? Yuzhu, I am not saying she is bad, but reality is reality. She is already someone else's wife; no matter how much your heart is moved, it is useless."

He Yuzhu lowered his head, his fingers gripping his knees tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Li Mingyuan's words stung him, but he knew they were the truth.

"Promise me, don't set your heart on a married woman." Li Mingyuan's tone softened a little.

"You are still young; study hard, and in the future, there will be plenty of opportunities to meet a girl who is right for you."

He Yuzhu nodded reluctantly: "I understand, Uncle Li..."

Although he agreed with his mouth, he thought in his heart: Even though Qin Huairu is marrying Jia Dongxu, she hasn't crossed the threshold yet, so I still have a chance...

Li Mingyuan saw through his thoughts, but he also knew that a young person's lovesickness could not be cured in a day, so he could only sigh and change the subject:

"By the way, I have some good news to tell you both."

He Yushui came out of the kitchen carrying dishes and asked curiously: "What good news, Uncle Li?"

"You two can report to the Worker School next week." Li Mingyuan said with a smile, "He Yushui will continue middle school, and He Yuzhu will start remedial classes from the first year of middle school."

Upon hearing this, He Yushui was so happy she almost dropped the plate on the floor: "Really? Uncle Li! That's wonderful!"

He Yuzhu, however, was not as enthusiastic and frowned: "Uncle Li, I'm already this old, and I still have to study from the first year of middle school? Sitting with a bunch of little brats, how embarrassing..."

"What is embarrassing about studying?" Li Mingyuan tapped the table, "Besides, the Worker School is a night school, and the students' ages vary; no one will laugh at you. If you really feel it's embarrassing, then you must study even harder and strive to catch up quickly."

He Yuzhu muttered a response, his mind still on Qin Huairu, not taking the school matter to heart at all.

Seeing this, Li Mingyuan said no more, thinking to himself that he should take it slow; time would prove everything.

……

Early the next morning, Li Mingyuan arrived at the Rolling Mill early.

Just as he walked into the office, he saw Factory Lou Changzhang beckoning to him sneakily.

"Chief Engineer Li, come quickly, there's good news!" Factory Lou Changzhang lowered his voice and said mysteriously.

After closing the door, he asked curiously: "Factory Lou Changzhang, what is so mysterious?"

Factory Lou Changzhang looked around to make sure no one was there before taking a file bag from under the desk:

"Chief Engineer Li, the matter you entrusted me with is all done!" He lowered his voice, "Ten chicks and ten ducklings, and two piglets; everything is arranged in the small shed in the back yard of the factory."

Upon hearing this, Li Mingyuan's eyes lit up immediately: "Really? You got them so quickly?"

He had mentioned to Factory Lou Changzhang a few days ago that he wanted to raise some poultry and livestock, but he hadn't expected results so soon.

"Of course!" Factory Lou Changzhang patted his chest proudly, "My brother-in-law is from a farm; isn't this a simple matter? By the way, I also sent you two bags of chicken feed and pig feed; they are all good stuff."

Li Mingyuan thanked him sincerely: "Factory Lou Changzhang, thank you so much! I will remember this favor."

Factory Lou Changzhang waved his hands repeatedly: "Chief Engineer Li, you are too polite; what is this small matter? Your machine tool design saved our factory; this little bit of help is nothing."

Li Mingyuan calculated secretly that with these breeding animals, the breeding plan for the System Small World could officially start.

Coupled with the high-yield seeds already cultivated, he would soon be able to achieve small-scale self-sufficiency.

Seeing Li Mingyuan's focused expression, Factory Lou Changzhang thought he was thinking about some major problem and did not dare to disturb him, so he quietly backed out.

For the whole day, Li Mingyuan was absent-minded, his head filled with thoughts of how to secretly transfer these animals to the System Small World that night.

Fortunately, work was not busy today, just routine inspections of production, so there were no mishaps.

After the bell rang for the end of the workday, Li Mingyuan waited until the workers had mostly left before sneaking to the small shed in the back yard of the factory.

Lifting the straw mat on the shed, he indeed saw several wooden cages containing chicks and ducklings, and another larger cage holding two black and white piglets.

"Really good!" Li Mingyuan checked them carefully; these animals looked very healthy and were excellent material for breeding.

Looking left and right to ensure no one was around, he quickly called out to the system in his heart: "Transfer these animals to the System Space."

A flash of white light passed, and the cages before his eyes vanished instantly, leaving only a few clumps of dry grass and two bags of feed.

Li Mingyuan also stored the feed into the System Space and tidied up the scene before riding his bike home.

……

Returning to the Siheyuan, He Yuzhu and He Yushui had already prepared dinner and were waiting for him.

He Yuzhu talked about the menu for the wedding banquet while eating; it was clear he was quite confident about this performance.

Li Mingyuan responded casually, but his mind was entirely on the breeding plan in the System Small World.

After dinner, the two children returned to their rooms to rest, and Li Mingyuan locked the doors and windows, lay on the bed, and sank his consciousness into the System Small World.

The scene before him suddenly opened up; the ten-mu small world was even more vibrant than when he last visited.

In the grain area on the right, rice and wheat were growing gratifyingly, and in the vegetable garden on the left, various vegetables were lush and green.

And by the small stream, the system had already built him a simple breeding area; the chicks and ducklings were running around happily inside, while the two piglets were rolling in a mud puddle—a scene full of vitality.

"Small World, start the Number One Breeding Acceleration Plan." Li Mingyuan ordered.

The time flow in the System Space accelerated immediately, and the chicks and ducklings grew at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Li Mingyuan adjusted the acceleration area again, raising the time flow of the breeding area to the maximum, and then began to plan the large-scale breeding project:

"Phase one: achieve self-sufficiency in poultry and livestock, providing myself with meat, eggs, and milk;"

The second stage: selective breeding of high-yield varieties, preparing to promote them externally;

The third stage: establishing a complete aquaculture industry chain to achieve large-scale production..."