The moon was hazy. It was a rare fine day.
Ye Zhinan sat by the lamp, copying books. She wrote the small regular script skillfully, muttering to herself.
"Spinach, green beans, eggplants, cucumbers... are suitable to be planted in spring."
"And some Chinese chives. It's better to plant Chinese chives earlier. When the temperature is stable but the ground is not fully thawed, with the surface soil moist, it's easy for the seeds to germinate and avoid weed damage..."
"If only I could have a plate of cucumber cubes with mustard to wake myself up now."
She stretched her waist, trying to drive away the thought of a full Man-Han banquet that was about to be laid out in her mind.
If it weren't for these delicious foods keeping her going, she might have gone to see Duke Zhou long ago.
Now she really regretted blabbing out and agreeing to Qin Yihuai so quickly!
It was really too good for him to only get a pig's trotter!
The more Ye Zhinan thought about it, the more inappropriate it seemed. But when she saw the book she was copying, an idea came to her mind.
Early the next morning, a neatly wrapped package was placed outside the supply station. There were some elegant small regular characters on it, saying "For Inspector Qin".
When Qin Yihuai saw the familiar handwriting, a strange look flashed across his eyes.
Chen Zhenhai leaned over. "Boss, this must be from Miss Ye. Miss Ye really cares about you!"
He was waiting to see what was inside, but unexpectedly he received a glare. He quickly scurried away.
Qin Yihuai looked at the things in the package and smiled.
"She even sneaked in some personal goods."
After saying that, he got up and walked towards Ye's farmland.
But when he got there, there was no one in sight.
"Where is everyone?"
Sister Hong walked over from the side and quickly stepped forward to explain.
"Miss Ye locked herself in the room again!"
Seeing Sister Hong looking blank, a trace of worry flashed across Qin Yihuai's eyes. He quickened his steps towards Ye's house.
Before he even reached Ye's house, he heard a great commotion inside.
"No, it's like this!"
"You're wrong. It should be like this."
Hearing this, Qin Yihuai hurriedly pushed open the door. He saw Ye Yingfeng pulling a strange thing in the backyard field.
"What are you doing?"
Ye Zhinan was not at all polite. Without explaining, she stuffed a rope into Qin Yihuai's hand.
"You came just in time. Help me test it too. You pull in the front, and my brother will push from behind."
Qin Yihuai thought the strange thing in front of him looked a bit familiar. He immediately thought of what he received in the morning.
So that's it. He had been treated like an ox!
All his dissatisfaction turned into a deep look as he stared intently at the woman in front of him.
"One pig's trotter!"
How could she even set a price? And not only that, she even wanted to take his meat.
How could she be willing? Her eyes shifted, and she looked pitiful.
"Or could Inspector Qin lend me a cow?"
Cows were rare things. Ye Zhinan knew Qin Yihuai couldn't produce one, so she dared to say so.
Sure enough, Qin Yihuai turned around and honestly pulled the rope.
"Is this a seed drill?"
A seed drill was a sowing tool with three or six legs at the bottom.
There was a bucket-shaped container on top to hold the seeds, and the amount of seeds could be adjusted in the middle. One person pushed from behind while another pulled from the front.
The conditions in the northern border were harsh, so farming relied entirely on people's hands and legs.
Ye Zhinan suddenly found this wonderful thing while copying books at night. It was simple to make and operate, so she decided to tell Qin Yihuai about it.
She originally planned to tell him after the test was successful, but unexpectedly the test subject came to her doorstep on his own.
"This is a simplified version of the seed drill. If it succeeds, I hope the inspector can help."
Before Qin Yihuai could respond, Ye Yingfeng couldn't wait any longer from behind.
"Hurry up. Why are you so hesitant, a big man?"
Saying that, he gave a hard push, and Qin Yihuai rushed forward.
Fortunately, his stance was stable. Otherwise, he would have become fertilizer in Ye's field.
Ye Zhinan ignored the intense interaction between the two men and focused on the seed drill.
As they walked in the front and pushed from the back, the speed was indeed much faster than that of one person, and the seeds were scattered very evenly. The result was very satisfactory.
After Qin Yihuai walked around once, he couldn't help but nod repeatedly at the result.
"This time we need to find a reliable person."
Ye Zhinan hated recruiting people the most. Every time she did, she met the wrong people. She originally wanted to find some psychology books to read, but after searching for a long time, she couldn't find a suitable one. Instead, she found an interesting book and thought she could share it with the person in front of her.
So she took out the book mysteriously from her bosom and handed it to Qin Yihuai.
"I'll leave the recruitment to you. You can borrow this as a reward."
Qin Yihuai glanced at the title of the book, and his face changed slightly.
Ye Yingfeng caught the subtle change on his face and immediately leaned over.
*If You Can't Lead a Team, You'll Work Yourself to Death Alone*
"Sister, your taste is really... unique!"
Although he didn't understand it, he felt inexplicably happy seeing Qin Yihuai embarrassed.
So he tied the rope around himself and pulled the seed drill around twice.
Qin Yihuai spread the news about the seed drill, and several families immediately volunteered.
"Here's the list. Have a good look."
Ye Zhinan looked and noticed that his finger was on a name.
Chen Li.
Since the last incident, the Chen brothers had been silent for a long time. The wheelchair had only brought their family short - lived vitality, and now they could only barely make ends meet.
"Why is it only the younger brother?"
"The younger brother said his elder brother was sick."
Ye Zhinan was surprised. "Should I go and take a look?"
Qin Yihuai didn't stop her. "I'll go with you."
The two of them came to the Chen family. It was a familiar environment but with strange people.
Giving them the manufacturing method of the automatic wheelchair back then hadn't improved their living conditions.
Ye Zhinan felt both regretful and disappointed.
When Chen Li saw the two of them standing at the door, his eyes shifted.
"Inspector Qin... Miss Ye. What brings you two here?"
Chen Li wasn't as smooth - talking as his elder brother Chen Sheng. If it weren't for his elder brother being sick, it probably wouldn't have been his turn to greet guests.
Ye Zhinan flashed a pair of clear eyes and smiled slightly. The curve of her lips relieved the other person's nervousness.
"I heard your elder brother is sick. I've come to take a look."
"This... Miss Ye, you're so kind - hearted. We brothers really let you down."
Saying that, Chen Li was about to kneel down again, but Qin Yihuai grabbed his collar.
"A man's knees should not be so easily bent."
Chen Li saw Qin Yihuai's fierce look in his eyes. His eyes flickered, but he didn't mean to invite the two of them into the house.
"Can I go in?"
Ye Zhinan stared at him with inquisitive eyes, but Chen Li still didn't move. He stammered for a long time before saying.
"My elder brother is not at home. We appreciate your kindness, Miss."
After saying that, he looked outside. His eyes were evasive, as if he was very flustered.
"In that case, I'll come another time!"
Ye Zhinan didn't stay any longer and turned around to leave.
Qin Yihuai didn't ask anything. He just quietly followed behind her.
"Don't you think it's strange?"
Ye Zhinan suddenly asked after walking a long way.
"Do you mean the elder brother or the younger brother?"
"The elder brother is obviously at home. I saw a figure behind the window in the room. The younger brother obviously doesn't want me to see his elder brother, but he still wants to make the seed drill."
Ye Zhinan kept talking to herself. A gust of wind blew, messing up her hair. Then she remembered there was someone beside her. So she turned her head and saw Qin Yihuai standing in the direction the wind was blowing from.