Chapter 166: I shall wait and see

"Interstellar Plane · All-Things-Growth Nutrient Solution (Advanced)"

Appearance: A deep blue, translucent liquid with countless golden light spots suspended within, like a flowing galaxy. When shaken gently, it emits a lustrous halo of spiritual energy.

Function: 1. Sprouting Induction (Can activate any dormant seed, accelerate germination, and shorten the growth cycle).

2. Root Strengthening (Promotes developed plant root systems, enhances nutrient absorption capacity, and makes the plant more robust).

3. Others. No further elaboration; explore for yourself.

Usage: Dilute before use (1 drop of nutrient solution per 1 liter of clear water; water the soil, avoid direct contact with seeds)."

What she wanted had finally arrived!

Lin Zhao's eyes and brows were filled with smiles.

After being fiercely happy for half a minute, she left with light footsteps.

Seeing her return, Gu Chenghuai withdrew his gaze from the direction of the outhouse. Noticing that Lin Zhao was unusually happy, he raised an eyebrow slightly, not intending to probe further, and simply acted as if he didn't know.

"Fourth Brother, can I take the porcelain basin? I want to try it myself." Lin Zhao found Meng Jiusi and asked with a beaming smile.

Meng Jiusi had no objections. If those seeds didn't sprout after several days, they were likely dead. He had already tried every method he could think of and had even consulted Old Mr. Qiao and those two university professors, all to no avail.

"Alright."

Lin Zhao curved her eyes. "Thank you, Fourth Brother."

"What are you thanking me for? I didn't help you at all." Meng Jiusi was very frustrated, wishing he could turn back time to a few years ago and learn some horticulture.

"It has nothing to do with you; it's the seeds' fault." Lin Zhao shifted the blame onto the speechless seeds.

Magical Grass Seeds: You low-plane human, you won't even spare a blade of grass; you're truly wicked!

Seeing that it was getting late, Lin Zhao and the others left the foot of the mountain.

No one mentioned Lin Shifan's leg injury. Lin Heling, Song Xiwei, and Gu Chenghuai felt that since things had reached this point, they shouldn't rub salt into his wounds; he knew what he should do.

Lin Zhao, however, was full of confidence.

Now that she had the All-Things-Growth Nutrient Solution, the Iron-Bone Knotweed would definitely sprout, and Third Brother's leg would surely heal. He would remain in the military and continue to pursue the profession he loved so deeply.

Being a soldier was indeed dangerous, but one couldn't be deterred by fear. She would always remember the moving smile on Third Brother's face when he learned that his name was on the conscription list...

He had worked so hard and never complained no matter how much he suffered. The "military merit medals" on his body were far more than what most people earned in a lifetime. He had yearned for military life since he was a child and was already accustomed to it. To strip that away from him now would be no different from the pain of shattering his bones.

How could Lin Zhao bear it?

If she had no ability, that would be one thing, but since she possessed extraordinary treasures, she had to make Third Brother's wish come true.

Lin Shifan noticed his sister's gaze resting on him; was it pity? Encouragement?

He felt somewhat helpless.

He didn't feel offended; instead, he felt incredibly warmed.

This girl.

His leg injury was so severe that walking was not painless, but his willpower was strong, and he was very good at enduring; he showed nothing on his face.

Lin Zhao and the others didn't walk fast, chatting about household matters in low voices.

Lin Heling and Song Xiwei talked about their trip to the military base, and when they mentioned Lin Shifan's comrade-in-arms, they inevitably mentioned that Comrade Sun.

Mother and Father had already resolved that; this person was merely a passerby in her Third Brother's glorious life.

Lin Zhao cursed a few times in her heart, then immediately cast it to the back of her mind.

"Third Brother, out with the old, in with the new; don't be sad." She patted Lin Shifan's arm.

Lin Shifan: "..."

Lin Shifan was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, muttering, "That wasn't even the 'old' one to begin with."

"Zhaozhao, retract what you just said!" His tone was resentful.

Lin Zhao made a horizontal gesture across her mouth. "Fine, I retract it."

It seemed Third Brother truly had no feelings for that realistic Comrade Sun.

Excellent!

Gu Chenghuai walked side-by-side with Lin Zhao, holding the porcelain basin. His slender, handsome fingertips tapped the rim of the basin as he spoke: "What is this?"

"A medicinal herb with magical effects." Lin Zhao was mysterious and couldn't help but reveal a little, her voice dropping very low. "If it can be grown, Fourth Brother will likely be able to change his situation, and Momo and Bai Bai will be able to go to school like Yubao and Hengbao."

Gu Chenghuai lowered his eyes, looking at the... soil in the basin, wondering where his wife got her confidence.

"... How certain are you?" he asked.

"Ninety percent." Lin Zhao was full of confidence.

Gu Chenghuai: "..."

If she had said she was thirty or forty percent certain, he might have believed her, but her being this confident actually made him hesitate.

"You don't believe me?" Lin Zhao slanted a look at him.

"... I believe you."

That tone—it sounded reluctant no matter how he listened to it.

Lin Zhao wasn't angry. "Don't force yourself. Once I grow it and Fourth Brother experiments and gets results, you'll be pleasantly surprised."

She knew that every year, many excellent soldiers were forced to retire due to arm or leg injuries.

Medicine developed with Iron-Bone Knotweed as the main ingredient would surely be able to keep many outstanding soldiers in service.

Gu Chenghuai didn't pour cold water on her. "I shall wait and see."

Returning home, Lin Zhao placed the porcelain basin containing the magical grass seeds in a corner. While no one was paying attention, she diluted the All-Things-Growth Nutrient Solution and poured it into the basin.

Done!

It should sprout tomorrow...

Looking forward to it!!

That night, Lin Heling, Song Xiwei, and Lin Shifan stayed in the Gu family's new brick-and-tile house.

They had originally intended to return to the Dongfeng Brigade, but were stubbornly persuaded to stay by Lin Zhao. Lin Zhao felt that there were enough rooms in the house, and since Third Brother had an injured leg, it would be too much trouble to return to the village late at night; what if something happened on the road... why bother?

Gu Chenghuai also persuaded them.

Hearing their daughter and son-in-law say this, the Lin couple stayed behind.

The next day, morning.

The twins stood side-by-side in front of the courtyard's washbasin, brushing their teeth and washing their faces.

The washbasin was built by Gu Chenghuai using red bricks and cement left over from building the house. The village had no running water or electricity, so they couldn't install a faucet like in the city.

Gu Chenghuai had pulled strings to have a well dug in their own courtyard—yes, digging a well at this time required pulling strings; the well-digging department was very busy, and without some connections, they wouldn't even bother to pay you any mind.

It was a hand-pump well—

You pressed a long handle downward, the air valve went up, drawing the air out of the pipe, and the water from the bottom of the well would gush out.

It didn't take much effort; even slightly older children could pump water.

With the water problem solved, washing anything was convenient, and the water was icy cold.

Seeing the two people coming out of the guest room, Hengbao was greatly startled and accidentally swallowed his toothpaste foam.

"Ptooey, ptooey..." The little boy frowned, frantically rinsing his mouth.

Once that uncomfortable feeling passed, he spat out the water and looked at Lin Heling and Song Xiwei.

"Grandpa, Grandma, you didn't go back?"

He didn't mean he wasn't welcoming them; he was purely surprised and happy.

"That's right, we slept at your house for one night and will go back in a while," Lin Heling explained with a smile.

Habits formed since childhood made him very fond of cleanliness; he had to change his clothes at least every two days. At this moment, he was wearing a cotton-linen short-sleeved top and dark cyan cloth trousers; the trouser creases were crisp, and the cuffs were neatly gathered, making him look clean and sharp whether sitting or standing.

These clothes were made for her father by Lin Zhao.

If not for having a change of clothes, Lin Heling would have insisted on returning to the Dongfeng Brigade no matter what.

Yubao curved his eyes in a smile, affectionately sticking close to his grandfather.

"I like having Grandpa and Grandma stay at our house. This is the first time I've been able to see Grandpa and Grandma as soon as I wake up in the morning; I'm super happy."

"I'm super happy too!" Hengbao said loudly.

This voice reached the children's room. Yaobao scratched her face, turned over, and went back to sleep. Seeing Qian Bao opened his eyes; he wanted to laze in bed a while longer and wasn't in a hurry to get up, so he closed his eyes again.

The temperature hadn't risen in the morning, and the room windows were open. The wind made the curtains rustle, and suddenly, a few fragments of conversation drifted in, which were very hypnotic.

Before long, the children fell back asleep.

Two cheerful children's voices reached his ears, and Lin Heling's gaze softened.

Song Xiwei was also wearing the clothes Lin Zhao had made for her.

A plain cotton short-sleeved shirt with no collar, just simple binding, and black twill trousers with straight legs.

It was an extremely ordinary style, but worn on the upright Song Xiwei, it looked capable and sharp.

She took the new towel and new toothbrush Lin Zhao brought out and smiled. "How come there are new toothbrushes prepared at home?"

Preparing towels wasn't strange; they were hard to buy, but practical. Using them yourself or giving them as gifts was excellent, and many people bought them whenever they encountered them.

Lin Zhao raised her lips. "To be prepared for a rainy day. Aren't they being put to use now?"

She glanced at Lin Heling and said, "If I hadn't been prepared, Father wouldn't have been willing to stay even for one night."

Song Xiwei explained for her husband, "It's a habit your father formed since he was a child. He's lived half his life this way; he can't change it."

"That's why I prepared in advance." Lin Zhao gave herself a thumbs-up, her eyes revealing pride.

"I've decided, no matter whether you come or not, there will always be a set of daily necessities for you at home."

"Zhaozhao is thoughtful." Song Xiwei smiled and began to brush her teeth.

Lin Heling remained silent; there was no help for it, who told him to provoke his daughter last night.

After breakfast, the Lin family of three left and returned to the Dongfeng Brigade.

Lin Zhao and her husband didn't stop them again.

Gu Chenghuai rode his bike next door and invited the stingy Old Man Zhuang. The old man drove the ox cart to take the Lin family of three back to the brigade.

Lin Zhao watched the ox cart go into the distance and looked at Gu Chenghuai. "How did you manage to invite him? Didn't they say... people from other villages couldn't borrow the ox cart?"

"It depends on who is doing the borrowing." Gu Chenghuai's expression was calm, and he looked at his wife with a smile, like a peacock spreading its tail.

"..." Lin Zhao walked toward the village.

Gu Chenghuai touched the tip of his nose and followed with his long legs.

The couple passed by the brigade headquarters and heard arguing coming from inside.

There were both male and female voices.

They sounded slightly familiar.

It was the brigade's educated youth.

"What's the situation?" Lin Zhao stopped and nudged Gu Chenghuai with her elbow.

"Let's go in and take a look."

"Is it convenient? I just want to watch the excitement, I don't want to invite trouble." Lin Zhao was a bit bored and really wanted to watch the excitement, but didn't want the trouble.

"With me here, what are you afraid of?"

Since the man had said so, Lin Zhao gave him a chance to show off, quietly entering the brigade headquarters and standing in a corner, neither showing nor revealing herself.

"Brigade Leader, the newly built educated youth point is already crowded enough. We finally managed to get along and are all used to it. Now four more people are coming; how are we supposed to live? We don't agree!"

"That's right, that's right. More people mean more conflicts. If you don't want us to keep bothering you, Brigade Leader, it's best to build another room. I don't want to fight with people, but if someone provokes me, I won't endure it; I'll only teach them how to behave, and then it will be you who is in a difficult position."

"In the middle of summer, crowding so many people in one room, we're going to die of heat."

Lin Zhao understood; more educated youth were coming to the brigade.

It was the same old routine again.

Nothing interesting.

So, she pulled Gu Chenghuai away.

Just as they reached the door.

They heard the Brigade Leader roar, "Build what? Where would the money come from!"

He pointed his rough hand at them one by one: "Are you paying, or are you paying?"

He was furious. "The previously expanded house can accommodate eight people. How many are living there now? Five, or six? And you're telling me it's not enough space and it's crowded?"

"Where is it crowded, how is it crowded? What did you come to the countryside for? To build the countryside!! Not to enjoy yourselves!"

The Brigade Leader felt that the educated youth were all troublemakers, giving him a massive headache; they were even harder to manage than the most difficult brigade members.

After a round of rebuttals, without waiting for them to argue back, he left behind a furious back and departed rapidly.

These educated youth could write and draw and would report them at the drop of a hat; he, someone without a background or backing, couldn't afford to provoke them and could only stay far away.

As for agreeing to their demands? Agreeing was impossible.

He would satisfy reasonable requests, but unreasonable ones definitely couldn't be agreed to; what if they developed bad habits?

The brigade members were already exhausted from production; where would they have the energy to let them cause trouble?

The educated youth's fussing was useless, and they had also angered the brigade's leader, leaving everyone feeling dejected.

"Educated Youth Guo, didn't you say the brigade was most afraid of educated youth causing trouble, and that as long as we asked, they would definitely agree to our demands? The Brigade Leader is angry now; what should we do?"

"I said we couldn't cause trouble. A strong dragon cannot crush a local snake; if we go against the brigade, we will be the ones to suffer, but you wouldn't listen." A female educated youth who had arrived recently said with dissatisfaction, feeling very wronged; she had been harmed by these stupid old educated youth.

After finishing her words, she left angrily.

The third batch of educated youth hadn't arrived yet, and the educated youth team was already falling apart.

Educated youth with plans began to think about teaming up with people in the village.

Lin Zhao thought these things had nothing to do with her family.

Until...

That afternoon.

Female educated youth Su Yi came to the Gu house behind everyone's back.

She said she wanted to rent a room in the Gu house and was willing to pay two yuan a month for it.

Lin Zhao refused without hesitation. "My house doesn't accommodate outsiders."

Su Yi was stunned for a moment and tried to negotiate again. "Is the money too little? I'll add another yuan; is three yuan a month okay?"

She really didn't want to live at the educated youth point anymore; arguing all day over trivial matters was really annoying.

"It's not the money; I don't like having outsiders in my home." Lin Zhao still refused.

"I'm very quiet; I don't make noise, I walk very softly, I don't cough or fart, I can even breathe very softly, you..." Su Yi pleaded relentlessly, looking at Lin Zhao pitifully.

Lin Zhao's attitude was firm. "Sorry."

"Your house has several rooms, and leaving them empty is a waste. It would be better to let me live there; you could have a few yuan of income every month, and it would be great to use that money to buy candy for the twins." Su Yi knew the Gu family had high status, and Lin Zhao was a military wife whom no one in the brigade dared to provoke. If she could move in, there would be many benefits, so she didn't want to give up and continued: "If I move in, I can also help you. Aren't your twins still young? I can help you take care of your children."

"Comrade Gu will return to the military sooner or later. It won't be easy for you to take care of four children by yourself; it will be different if you add me."

"I also have younger brothers and sisters at home, and they were all raised by me. I'm very good at taking care of children; I can help you." Speaking of this, she felt a bit guilty, because she had been pampered since childhood and had never taken care of younger brothers or sisters.

Lin Zhao didn't believe these words.

She had seen this Comrade Su when she first arrived; she was so fair and tender, without even a callus on her hands; she was not someone who knew how to work.

She was lying.

"No need, I can handle it." She politely refused again.

"My cousin is moving in soon, and he is a big young man; it would really be inconvenient for you to move in." Lin Zhao even thoughtfully gave an explanation.

Of course, this was also true.

The fundamental reason was that she didn't want to look for trouble; if an outsider entered the house, even eating a meal of meat would be troublesome.

Hearing Lin Zhao say this, Su Yi had no choice but to give up.

She was full of disappointment. "... Alright, I've disturbed you."

Seeing that Comrade Su had a good reputation in the village and didn't cause trouble, Lin Zhao offered a suggestion. "... Have you ever thought about asking the brigade to approve a piece of land to build a courtyard?"

"Build a courtyard?" Su Yi was tempted.

Lin Zhao asked in return: "Do you have any female educated youth you get along well with?"

"Yes," Su Yi said. "I have a good relationship with Comrade Guan who just arrived not long ago. She doesn't like to take advantage of people and isn't a pushover; I get along with her."

Her mind was also quite flexible, and she immediately understood Lin Zhao's implication.

"You mean, I should build a courtyard with Comrade Guan and move out?" While saying this, Su Yi calculated the various benefits of building a courtyard, and the more she thought about it, the brighter her eyes became.

Lin Zhao nodded.

"Yes," she said. "Building an adobe house doesn't cost much money. Although the conditions are average, it wins by being quiet, and it's comfortable for two people to live in. When you return to the city, you can sell this house to people in the village; you won't lose out."

Lin Zhao was also being kind. These girls, who were like flowers, would have to take root in this land for more than ten years. Perhaps some would have the opportunity to return to the city halfway, but it was very, very rare.

With the return to the city indefinitely far away, it was better to move out as soon as possible and adapt as soon as possible.

Su Yi listened to the advice, her eyes brightening. "That's a good method!"

She said gratefully: "I understand. I'll go discuss it with Comrade Guan right now. Thank you, Comrade Lin. I've troubled you today; if I move out successfully, I'll treat you to candy!"

After finishing her words, she waved heavily at Lin Zhao and ran out of the Gu house with quick steps. ===== CHAPTER 167 =====