"Alright! Now that you've said that, I can rest easy!"
Wang Lisheng clapped, overjoyed.
'My talent is secure!'
Wang Lisheng walked to the door and saw that Xie Changning had already placed the documents in her cloth bag. He turned and opened the door. "Come on in, everyone!"
*
After leaving the Chuncheng Screw Factory, Xie Changning returned to her home. Looking at the empty-as-ever house, she set out a coffee table and a sofa.
When Yue Yihan came over that evening to cook for her, he saw the new coffee table and sofa in the living room.
The style didn't look like anything from Chuncheng, but since Xie Changning had wrapped them in white cloth, he couldn't tell where they were from. All he knew was that they looked rather unique.
"Why didn't you wait for me to go with you?"
"Well, I just happened to come across them. Besides, they delivered right to the house, so I didn't need to wait for you."
Yue Yihan nodded.
He didn't question where Xie Changning got the sofa. He knew her family was well-off; she wouldn't have come here empty-handed.
Since Yue Yihan didn't ask, Xie Changning breathed a sigh of relief.
"I put a bed for you in the west room. Whenever you want to stay over, you can sleep in there." Xie Changning pushed open the door, revealing the room's furnishings to Yue Yihan.
There was a wooden single bed of a unique design. The headboard and the exposed wooden edges were wrapped in the same white cloth, making it look very neat and clean.
Next to the bed was a wooden desk with drawers, its surface also covered with a white cloth, ready for his belongings.
The room's furnishings were simple, yet Yue Yihan was absolutely delighted.
'This means I can sleep here right after training ends!'
After Xie Changning opened the door, she could see the usually composed man's expression light up—yes, "light up" was the only way to describe it.
He was like a well-behaved golden retriever that had just been given a bone it had coveted for a long time.
So excited it was spinning in circles.
His joy was infectious, and Xie Changning couldn't help but smile. "I've also prepared toiletries for you. They're in the outer room, right next to mine..."
After giving Yue Yihan the tour, Xie Changning went to her own room to rest.
The items in her room were all things she had brought from Shanghai. If the double bed from Shanghai hadn't been so conspicuous, she would never have bought an ordinary one here.
She waited in her room for a long while. During that time, Yue Yihan boiled a kettle of water for her and left a glass of it to cool by her side before he went off to sleep.
Only after Yue Yihan had gone to sleep did she tiptoe to her door—
'I am your father~'
The door swung open, and the space appeared before Xie Changning. She hurried eagerly to the laboratory. Her access to the Spiritual Spring was now unlocked!
The laboratory's quest was complete, too.
The blueprint for the workbench upgrade was lying on the crude tabletop.
'It feels like I'm playing a management sim,' she thought, 'clearing levels one by one, upgrading my workbench, and unlocking more crafting recipes.'
Currently, her workbench could only produce simple farming tools and basic iron nails.
All she had to do was place the necessary materials on it, and the workbench would craft the items automatically. Her only job right now was to gather those materials.
For instance—
"Workbench Upgrade Materials: Wood x5 units, Nails x10 units, Iron x3 units. Additional Condition: Repair several tools daily (5+)."
"Craft: Nails x10, Screws x10. Reward: MIG Welder."
She had to admit, this reward was exactly what she wanted.
With a new goal in mind, Xie Changning got ready to craft. She took some of the defective screws she had brought back from the factory, placed them in the materials slot, and tapped the virtual button. "Craft nails."
A white light flashed, and the workbench was enveloped in plumes of white mist. The CLANG CLANG of striking metal made Xie Changning feel even more like she was playing a game.
About ten seconds later, the white mist dispersed, and five perfect nails were lying on the workbench.
Now that Xie Changning had a sense of how much iron constituted one "unit," she started the second batch.
As soon as the nails and screws were finished, a white light flashed, and a brand-new welder materialized before her.
With the appearance of the welder, the quest on the workbench changed: Upgrade the workbench to unlock more quests.
Xie Changning had no choice but to put aside the idea of tackling more quests for now and walked out of the laboratory.
Stepping out of the laboratory, Xie Changning looked around and saw that a new, ten-square-meter plot of empty land had appeared next to it. A line of text hovered above it: Give me a hoe, and you will receive Farmland x4.
Xie Changning: "!"
'I might not have much else, but a hoe? I can definitely find one of those!'
Forgetting for a moment that she was pregnant, she scrambled over to her pile of scrap metal and began rummaging through it. At last, she found a hoe and tossed it onto the empty plot.
The farmland unlocked, and a new message appeared: Workbench level too low. Unable to unlock seeds. Please upgrade the workbench.
"..."
Xie Changning abandoned the idea of further expansion and went to the Spiritual Spring to draw some water.
[Spiritual Spring: An ordinary person who drinks this will receive a random +1 to one of the following stats: Constitution, Intelligence, Strength, or Agility. (If consumed by a pregnant woman: +1 to all stats.)]
'How considerate. Special treatment for pregnant women.'
She didn't hesitate to take a large gulp of the spiritual spring water.
Then, the text above the spring changed: [Spiritual spring water is good for you, but don't be greedy. One serving is enough!]
Once she had taken care of everything, Xie Changning left the space.
As she was tiptoeing back and about to close her door, she heard Yue Yihan's voice from his doorway. "Changning, are you feeling alright? If you're not well, just tell me. I can take you to the army doctor."
Xie Changning cursed inwardly. 'Is his hearing really that sharp?'
She took two steps back. "I'm fine, I just needed to use the restroom," she fibbed.
"I'll go with you."
His door opened, and Yue Yihan emerged with a flashlight to escort her to the outhouse.
「The night passed dreamlessly.」
By the time Xie Changning woke up, Yue Yihan had already prepared breakfast and left for training with his unit.
Breakfast was being kept warm in the pot.
"What a great homemaker," Xie Changning sighed contentedly. After breakfast, she got ready to head to the Chuncheng Screw Factory.
Just as she stepped out of the alleyway, Xie Changning saw Wang Lisheng standing not far away next to a parked car. "Sister Changning, over here!"
"Brother Wang, what's all this...?"
"Your circumstances are special, so the factory is covering it. We'll have someone pick you up every day. This is Xiao Liu. He'll be your driver from now on."
"Comrade Xie, hello."
"Hello, Comrade Liu."
After they got in the car, Wang Lisheng couldn't sit still, as if he had ants in his pants.
Xie Changning knew he was itching to ask about the documents from yesterday, but with Xiao Liu driving, he had no choice but to hold it in.
They had to wait until they were in the factory director's office.
"Sister Changning, I was about to burst! About those materials the Bureau Chief gave you—do you need the factory's help with anything?"
"Of course. But before the factory can help, I need you to take me to meet this Bureau Chief, Brother Wang." 'The things I need aren't easy to get approved right now,' she thought. 'I'm afraid Brother Wang might not be able to convey my request properly if he goes alone.'
'I have to go in person.'
"No problem! Let's go right now!"