AYLS -Chapter 164

As soon as Xiao Qiao finished building the pigsty, she bought two piglets from the logistics department.

When selecting the pigs, she followed the techniques described in the manuals to the letter.

She had never raised pigs before, so she wasn’t confident in her own skills. That was also why she didn’t directly volunteer to raise pigs for the commune; she wanted to try it herself first.

Talking theory on paper was never enough.

The courtyard residents all came over to watch when they heard she was raising pigs.

There really weren’t many families raising pigs these days—mostly because they couldn’t afford it.

With so many children at home, people didn’t even have enough food for themselves. Where would they get feed for pigs? As for letting the pigs eat wild forage, well, pigs couldn’t survive on that alone—they’d lose weight. And raising pigs was risky. If even one pig fell ill, it was a huge problem.

So everyone felt it was incredibly novel that Lin Qiao was raising pigs.

Lin Qiao herself was very happy. Looking at the two milk-scented little piglets in the pen, her eyes curved with delight.

After the crowd dispersed, Su Weizhen asked, “Do you want me to get you a better breed?”

She didn’t even know why—she just trusted Xiao Qiao a lot.

She felt that once Xiao Qiao learned she was a transmigrator, the girl must’ve realized something, just hadn’t said it out loud. So now she had no scruples.

But Lin Qiao refused. “I want to test whether the pig-raising techniques work. I’ll start with these local piglets.”

“Xiao Qiao, you really have determination. Fine, I’ll just wait to eat pork from your pigs then.”

Lin Qiao: “…”

Right now she really wanted to say something melodramatic, like Piglets are so cute—how could anyone eat pork?

But she absolutely must not say such things. A livestock raiser must never say such things. It also made her abandon the idea of giving the piglets names.

No matter how cute they were, they were destined to be eaten.

After only a few days, Lin Qiao realized raising pigs wasn’t easy.

The little pigs pooped way too much. Far more than chickens.

She had to clean the pen every day just to keep the smell from affecting their daily life. Otherwise, she would be sitting in the main room eating and still smell the stench.

During lunch, she complained tearfully to Gu Huayuan. “Everything feels so hard to do.”

Gu Huayuan ate while laughing. “Then send them back to the logistics office?”

“… Forget it, that would be too embarrassing.” Lin Qiao felt she couldn’t give up halfway. “I have to raise them. I refuse to believe I can’t succeed.”

Gu Huayuan chuckled. “Comrade Xiao Qiao is really planning to make a big career out of this, huh?”

Lin Qiao said, “Of course. I want everyone to be able to eat meat.”

“How many years are you planning to spend on accomplishing that?”

“… I’ll just see how it goes.”

“Absolutely not giving up?”

“Absolutely not giving up.” Lin Qiao was very firm.

Gu Huayuan nodded with a smile. “Alright, I support you.”

He then brought up that he would be going out of town in a few days. He reminded Lin Qiao not to communicate with “them,” so she wouldn’t expose herself.

Lin Qiao became nervous. “Can I handle everything alone?”

“Before I leave, I’ll write down all the precautions again. Just follow the steps. Don’t talk to them—not even a single word. If they stop making demands, just let Fat Cat handle it.”

Lin Qiao nodded quickly.

Before Gu Huayuan left, another letter had arrived from the other side, containing a catalog of the materials they needed.

It turned out that the reason they hadn’t replied these past few days, nor urged for the items, was because they were working out a complete list.

This way, they wouldn’t need to communicate every day. They could send one consolidated request, and afterward, everything could be provided step by step according to the list. This was exactly what Lin Qiao wanted—she felt they were incredibly considerate.

But in reality, Uncle Lin and the others had their own reasons. Daily communication was too risky. What if the connection was suddenly cut off? Or if they contacted too many times and the other side realized how much they needed? So they simply drafted a complete list and asked the other party to follow it. Much more convenient for both sides.

Of course, Uncle Lin and the others also considered the matter of reciprocation. They couldn’t just take things for free. Even though they were currently impoverished and had nothing, they couldn’t just keep asking for handouts. They asked Lin Qiao if there was anything from this era that the other side might want. They would try their best to provide it in return.

Lin Qiao had originally wanted to refuse. When she came out, she told Gu Huayuan about it and said, “We should just decline. How can we take things from them?”

Gu Huayuan replied, “If you don’t take anything, they won’t feel at ease.”

“Why not?”

“Give-and-take makes relationships last. It’s just like between relatives—if you bring gifts, I bring gifts, and feelings are built through exchanges. If you take nothing, it feels too distant.”

“So… should I just casually ask for something?” She genuinely couldn’t think of anything she wanted.

“Just ask for something you like. As long as it doesn’t expose your identity, it’s fine.”

“Really? Anything?”

Suddenly, Lin Qiao remembered something she truly wanted.

Gu Huayuan nodded.

“Can I… ask for a signature?” Lin Qiao rubbed her fingers excitedly.

Even though this was a game world, it was created by the original author based on real history, and much of it aligned with reality.

Gu Huayuan laughed. “That really suits you future people.”

“Exactly! In our time, signatures are all the rage. If you admire someone, you get their autograph.”

“Then request it. We’ll keep it as a family heirloom.”

Lin Qiao agreed with a bright smile. She felt this was incredibly meaningful.

She immediately entered the space and told Fat Cat to bring up this request the next time it delivered the documents.

Gu Huayuan didn’t involve himself further. He simply lay beside her, smiling as he looked at her quiet little face, feeling peacefully content.

The next morning, Gu Huayuan had to depart.

This trip would keep him away for half a month.

Fat Cat was even more reluctant to see him go than Lin Qiao was.

After all, who would tell it stories now? Without stories, how would it get energy?

It would definitely have to extend credit—and there wouldn’t even be interest! How terrible.

The worst part was that it genuinely enjoyed listening to the stories now. They passed the time and earned it energy—such a good deal—and now the man was just leaving like that.

Seeing it so agitated, Lin Qiao warned, “If you cause trouble again, I really won’t be polite with you.”

Fat Cat wasn’t afraid at all. “That native Gu Huayuan is gone. What are you acting tough for?”

Lin Qiao snorted. “I have a flaw. When I’m unhappy, I mute a certain cat and live happily by myself. After enough time, I might forget that the cat even exists. I can still complete missions perfectly fine without you. Worst-case scenario, I’ll just stay here and raise pigs for the rest of my life. If I suffer, you’re not getting off easy either!”

“…”

Fat Cat thought for a moment, then backed down. “Let’s… discuss the document delivery schedule tonight. And remember to keep the accounts.”

Lin Qiao hummed in response, adding that she only did calculations when she was in a good mood. If she was in a bad mood, she might miscalculate—under-count, that is.

“…” Fat Cat wanted to explode. This player was becoming more and more shameless.

That night, when Fat Cat delivered the documents, it also sent the message on Lin Qiao’s behalf, politely stating her request. It emphasized that if it was inconvenient, she wouldn’t insist. It repeatedly affirmed her patriotism and that she absolutely wasn’t trying to make trouble.

Uncle Lin had always found it hard to believe that these materials truly came from people of the future, but after receiving so many crucial documents, disbelief was becoming impossible.

When he saw Lin Qiao’s rare request, he was finally convinced.

Only the younger generation from the future would ask for something like that.

Children of future Huaguo must hold a deep and sincere admiration for the great leaders.

Through Lin Qiao’s request, Uncle Lin thought about many things. He felt that future Huaguo must truly be powerful—otherwise, how could their descendants show such heartfelt respect?

He really wanted to see it—to see Huaguo’s future.

Of course, that was just his private wish. He would never bring it up. He couldn’t trouble future youths.

Not that Lin Qiao would be able to fulfill the wish anyway.

She had no such ability.

Lin Qiao had no idea what Uncle Lin was thinking.

She no longer watched their side through video like before. At the beginning, she was worried Fat Cat might cause trouble and wanted to monitor their reactions. But once everything stabilized, she felt it wasn’t right to constantly watch others—even if they didn’t know. It made her uncomfortable.

And because she didn’t check in this time, she perfectly missed the opportunity to see the great leader.

Uncle Lin and the others took the future youth’s wish very seriously, and reported it upward.

The higher-ups also took it seriously and appreciated the future youths’ patriotism. But since they didn’t understand what use a signature could have, they instead wrote a short poem and signed their name beneath it.

A few days later, when Lin Qiao saw the replicated copy, she was so excited she could barely sleep half the night. Then she sighed regretfully, “If only I had the original…”

Fat Cat said, “Then go ask them for it.”

Lin Qiao knew it was mocking her, so she ignored it and continued examining the calligraphy.

She really didn’t have much artistic talent and couldn’t judge it on an artistic level, but she could feel the momentum in it. “If my dad knew about this, he’d be so proud… In his eyes, this would count as bringing honor to the family… Forget it, I won’t mention him. When I take this back, I’ll piss him off anyway.”

Fat Cat said, “This is a game world. Even if you bring it back, no one over there will recognize it.”

Lin Qiao replied, “As long as I know, that’s enough. No matter which world it’s from, it’s something great. It deserves to be cherished.”

After that, Lin Qiao didn’t make any more requests. The other side seemed more at ease now and no longer asked her to submit requests.

Every day, Fat Cat sent materials according to the list and reminded Lin Qiao to keep track of the accounts. Once Gu Huayuan returned, they’d settle the accounts together. Otherwise, if the little bit of energy it had stored ran out, it wouldn’t be able to transmit anything.

Lin Qiao didn’t argue with it anymore and kept her records clearly every day.

She noticed something: Fat Cat actually seemed a lot more well-behaved now—different from before.

She didn’t know if it was holding in some kind of mischief. She planned to remind Gu Huayuan about it when he came back.

She really didn’t have the energy to deal with this cat anymore. Her days were simply too busy.

In the daytime, the chicken farm kept her occupied, and after work, she still had to take care of the piglets.

Even though Zhenzhen’s Xu Yuanzheng helped clean the pigsty every day, feeding and raising the pigs still depended on her.

But seeing how the piglets had been doing well ever since they arrived, growing healthily—and even faster than the piglets at the state farm—Lin Qiao felt increasingly confident. The pig-raising techniques Fat Cat gave her were indeed very practical.