Chapter 112 Zhang Chengxiu looked on in equal shock…

Cheng Xiuying stared at the wooden gun in shock. Could this toy wooden gun really have such power?

She looked at the broken tree branch, then at the dark and thin Zhenzhen, and felt that the world was a bit magical.

"You made this? You did it all by yourself?"

She couldn't believe it at all; was this a lie?

He Zhenzhen nodded, "I made it."

Yu Jiajia exclaimed, "Zhenzhen, you're amazing! You're a genius!"

He Zhenzhen blushed from the praise, "I'm not that amazing."

Cheng Xiuying took the wooden spear and examined it carefully for a while. She found it hard to believe that the wooden spear could have such power. "Can I try it?"

He Zhenzhen did not answer. She looked at Yu Jiajia, who had already received the gift.

Yu Jiajia: "Mom, you use it."

Cheng Xiuying pulled the slide to chamber a bullet, raised the wooden gun, aimed at the pigeon on the treetop, and pulled the trigger. With a whooshing sound, the pigeon fell from the treetop.

"Boss, hurry up and collect the pigeons!"

It's all meat, so it can be used to make soup.

Yu Songqing quickly ran downstairs and retrieved the still-breathing pigeon.

Cheng Xiuying looked at the wooden gun but couldn't figure out how it fired bullets. It must be quite complicated inside. She had handled real guns and knew how precious they were, and she understood how precious Zhenzhen was. She kept praising it: "This gun is easy to use and powerful! Zhenzhen, you are a genius at making guns."

The way she looks at Zhenzhen now is completely different. Before, she just thought of her as a pitiful child who had been helped by Sibao.

Now, he's a very promising talent!

Grandma He was also surprised, "This wooden spear is so powerful?"

Cheng Xiuying invited everyone inside to talk. "Zhenzhen is so smart. She can read without ever going to school, and she can make such a powerful wooden gun without ever learning these things! If she studies hard now, she will definitely be successful in the future."

Hearing this, Grandma He was overjoyed. "Zhenzhen loves to study. At home, she reads and reads. I've never seen anyone who loves studying so much. It's a pity she can't take the college entrance exam now, otherwise my Zhenzhen would definitely get into college."

Yu Hongding and Yu Songqing examined the wooden spear repeatedly, eager to disassemble it and see what its internal structure was. How could this seemingly ordinary wooden spear unleash such astonishing power?

Yu Songqing asked impatiently, "Can it be opened?"

He Zhenzhen nodded: "It can be disassembled." But whether or not it should be disassembled depends on Yu Jiajia, as the wooden gun now belongs to Yu Jiajia.

After Yu Jiajia nodded, He Zhenzhen deftly disassembled the gun, revealing its simple yet sophisticated internal structure.

Yu Songqing studied it carefully for a while, then humbly asked Zhenzhen for advice.

Although Zhenzhen had never been to school and did not understand any mechanical formulas or engineering principles, she possessed innate wisdom and could pinpoint the key points incisively, which enlightened Yu Songqing, instantly bringing to mind a variety of possibilities for applying this principle to large machinery.

He took out paper and pen, sketched out the enlarged structure, and then used professional terminology, allowing Zhenzhen to truly understand the power transmission behind this ingenious device for the first time.

Many possibilities also emerged in her mind; with just a slight change, she could make the wooden gun unleash an even more astonishing impact.

It was ingenious and addictive to her.

It's so good to be able to read.

He Zhenzhen returned the repaired wooden gun to Yu Jiajia, saying, "You can use it for now, and I'll make an even better one."

Yu Songqing went back into the house, took out a book on basic mechanics, and handed it to He Zhenzhen, saying, "If you don't understand anything, you can come and ask me."

He Zhenzhen picked up the book and started reading.

Yu Songqing discovered that her math foundation was actually quite good and her comprehension ability was also very strong. She was able to understand the parts, and the only reason she didn't understand them was because she really had no background in mechanics.

Yu Jiajia played with the pistol. She thought He Zhenzhen was a genius. Such talent should not be buried. She should design firearms and gunpowder to make the most advanced firearms.

Should this be considered an extremely urgent matter? Should we use the emergency contact information left by the Prime Minister?

She really wanted to secretly meet with her contact.

In the past few days, the rewards generated by the system have been mediocre, not even enough to warrant handing them over.

Grandma He and He Zhenzhen ate breakfast at the Yu family's house.

During the conversation, Old Mrs. He also talked about the He family's affairs.

These past two days, He Xiaoyun has caused quite a bit of trouble. Ever since the factory transferred her from the office to the workshop, she hasn't gone to the factory. She simply doesn't dare to go. She, once the factory's most beautiful girl, has been turned into a "black category" (a derogatory term for women who are considered undesirable or perpetually corrupt). From now on, she has to write self-criticisms and reports every week. She simply cannot accept this, let alone the fact that she has gone from being a cadre to a female worker.

He Yao helped her get a week of sick leave.

Grandma He wouldn't allow He Xiaoyun to live in the house, and she wouldn't allow He Xiaoyun to commit suicide either, because Grandma He also tried to commit suicide.

He Xiaoyun jumped off the building, and then Old Lady He hanged herself.

He Xiaoyun cut her wrists, and Old Lady He even hanged herself.

As long as He Xiaoyun is at the He family home, Old Lady He will hang herself.

Zhenzhen had such a miserable childhood; it's a miracle she survived. How could we let He Xiaoyun go so easily?

Director Wu of the grain station is putting pressure on He Jianshe. He can't be confused. He Xiaoyun is not innocent. She is the daughter of two criminals. The blood of criminals flows in her veins. The family building cannot allow such a person to continue living there.

The director of the post office was also paying attention to this matter. If Xue Mei continued to protect He Xiaoyun, it would mean her morals had deteriorated, and she would no longer be suitable for the job of a clerk.

Post office clerks must have impeccable political integrity.

The workshop director of the steel rolling mill even went to He Yao to ask what illness He Xiaoyun had that prevented her from coming to work. Was she really sick, or did she look down on the work in the workshop?

In the end, Xue Mei and He Jianshe rented a room for He Xiaoyun to stay in, which could be considered as drawing a clear line between them.

If we don't draw clear lines, our jobs will be ruined.

Grandma He was happy when He Xiaoyun moved away, since the He family could do without her anyway.

Xue Mei was worried about He Xiaoyun, so she basically lived with He Xiaoyun outside. He Jianshe and He Yao also frequently went to check on her, trying to treat them equally, caring for He Xiaoyun while not neglecting Zhenzhen.

However, Zhenzhen didn't care about any of this. She thought the city was great, with endless books to read, endless knowledge to learn, and her grandmother and Jiajia who brought her back. She didn't pay much attention to her father and older brother, and even when her mother didn't come home at night, she just listened and let it go.

Grandma He felt incredibly frustrated, but she couldn't say it in front of Zhenzhen, for fear of hurting her feelings.

After Zhenzhen finished eating and washed her hands, she took the book to ask Yu Songqing. She said, "I really don't understand my daughter-in-law. She doesn't care about the child she gave birth to, but she cares about the child of a murderer. She didn't even say a few words to Zhenzhen, nor did she cook a meal for her. How could she be so foolish! Fortunately, Zhenzhen is quite indifferent to these things and doesn't mind. Otherwise, how much more painful would the child be?"

Grandma Yu couldn't understand either, "Luckily you were here, otherwise Zhenzhen would have suffered even more."

Cheng Xiuying: "Our Zhenzhen is so smart and capable, just wait and see, she's going to have a bright future! Auntie, you can just wait to enjoy the blessings of our Zhenzhen."

With his exceptional gun-making skills, he could even hold his boss's hand and argue with him using his college textbooks, earning the boss's respect. This shows just how capable he was.

Those were university textbooks, but they looked like scribbles; she couldn't understand them at all.

Grandma He loved hearing Cheng Xiuying's words; they resonated with her. She didn't expect to enjoy a life of luxury; she just wanted Zhenzhen to be capable, very capable.

Grandma Yu: "Of course! Now she ignores Zhenzhen, that imposter. Once Zhenzhen becomes capable, she won't even have a chance to get close to her."

Grandma He was overjoyed: "I can finally feel at ease."

After finishing their meal and chatting for a while, Grandma He got up to leave. Cheng Xiuying handed the rooster to Grandma He, saying, "Go back and make chicken soup for Zhenzhen. The child is too thin and needs to eat more."

Grandma He refused, saying that her family wanted it, as it was for Jiajia to improve her health.

After much arguing, the rooster was ultimately kept.

Cheng Xiuying returned a one-pound grass carp, a pound of ham, and two pounds of mushrooms. Old Mrs. He thought it was too precious and still refused to accept it. Cheng Xiuying pretended to be annoyed: "These are for Zhenzhen!"

Grandma He accepted it.

After seeing Grandma He and He Zhenzhen downstairs and waiting for them to leave, Cheng Xiuying checked the time. There were still more than forty minutes before she had to go to work, so she hurried to help Director Li at his house.

The rest of the Yu family went along as well.

Other neighbors are also helping out here, and they've already cleaned up quite a bit.

Yu Jiajia gave Li Mingshu the gift she had prepared: two pink hair flowers, which were very pretty and the little girl couldn't refuse.

Li Mingshu was overjoyed and hugged Yu Jiajia's waist, saying, "Sister Jiajia, I can't bear to part with you."

Yu Jiajia patted her head: "I'll miss you too. Let me comb your hair again."

She didn't want to help with the work, so she just comforted the little girl whose eyes were red from crying.

For adults, Director Li's promotion is a source of joy, happiness, and anticipation, but for eight-year-old Li Mingshu, it is a source of sadness and heartbreak. She has to transfer schools, leave her best friends, and go to a completely unfamiliar place.

Yu Jiajia took a comb and tied Li Mingshu's hair into pigtails, adding new hair accessories. She looked incredibly cute. Li Mingshu touched the hair accessories, looked at herself in the mirror again and again, and smiled happily, "Thank you, Sister Jiajia."

Yu Jiajia: "Mingshu is so cute and pretty. She will make more new friends at her new school. Whenever she misses us, she can come back to play with us."

Li Mingshu nodded emphatically.

Sun Yuxia smiled when she saw her daughter smile, and she smiled too, praising, "This hair flower is really pretty, quickly thank your sister Jiajia."

Li Mingshu wrote about Yu Jiajia again.

Soon after, Sun Yuxia urged everyone to get to work. It was 7:30, and there was still half an hour until 8:00, so there was plenty of time before work.

Cheng Xiuying took Yu Jiajia directly to work. When they arrived at the factory, she was quite nervous. Everyone says that a new broom sweeps clean, and she was really afraid that the fire would spread to her, the deputy factory director.

Although she felt that the new factory director wouldn't make things difficult for the Yu family, she still felt uneasy until she saw him.

She took a walk around the factory and felt that everything was fine, at least in terms of safety, the new official couldn't find anything wrong with her.

Yu Jiajia gave Cheng Xiuying a handful of candy—three nougat candies and two White Rabbit milk candies—and exclaimed, "Mom, you're the best!!!"

Cheng Xiuying peeled a piece of candy and ate it. "Go to work quickly. You can eat lunch with your colleagues in the cafeteria. Don't wait for me. I don't know what's going on."

Yu Jiajia then remembered her dinner appointment with Lu Chenzhou. She said, "Brother Chenzhou invited my third sister and me to dinner."

Cheng Xiuying didn't ask why, and nodded, saying, "Okay, wait until you see your third sister or Director Lu come to pick you up before you go out."

Yu Jiajia nodded in agreement. When she returned to her office, she found Section Chief Cheng leading everyone in cleaning. Yu Jiajia joined in, and Section Chief Cheng instructed, "It's the new factory manager's first day at work, everyone work hard."

Everyone understands!

Yu Jiajia worked diligently, read the newspaper attentively, and studied without drinking tea or gossiping. Everyone else was the same, appearing very busy and focused.

Yu Jiajia looked at the newspaper and discovered that the "Down to the Countryside Movement" had already begun in big cities, and this trend was probably about to reach Qingshan County.

Luckily, she has a job!

They didn't have to go to the countryside as educated youth.

The morning passed just like that, and the new factory manager did not appear.

When it was time to get off work, Yu Jiajia went to the factory gate to wait for Lu Chenzhou. Her third sister would go directly to the restaurant. She thought she would have to wait for a while, but as soon as she got to the gate, she saw Lu Chenzhou standing under a tree across the street.

Yu Jiajia ran straight over, "Brother Chenzhou! You rode a bicycle!"

Lu Chenzhou laughed: "It's convenient to ride a bike. My third sister can't come to eat with us. She just started her job and is quite busy."

Yu Jiajia asked, "Which police station did Third Sister go to?"

Lu Chenzhou: "The county public security bureau will be my colleagues with He Liang's public security bureau from now on."

Yu Jiajia was very happy for Yu Jiamin. As for not being able to eat lunch together, it was insignificant, since she could eat with her third sister every day.

Lu Chenzhou rode his bicycle with Yu Jiajia to a state-run restaurant for dinner, this time going directly to a private room.

We didn't order any food; the chef just arranged it as we saw fit.

This was Yu Jiajia's first time dining in a private room. She had never known that state-run restaurants in this era had private rooms! The room was about six or seven square meters, with a square table in the middle, a teapot and cups on it, and Chairman Mao's quotations hanging on the wall. It was simple and unpretentious.

The room overlooks the river, has a spacious and bright window, and weeping willows hang in front of the window, making for a beautiful view.

Yu Jiajia leaned against the window and looked out, "It's quite pretty."

Lu Chenzhou looked at her and said, "She is quite pretty."

Yu Jiajia: "I'll show you something!" After saying that, she took out the pistol that Zhenzhen had made from her bag. Although she had seen it many times, she still thought it was very exquisite and small.

She handed it to Lu Chenzhou: "This was made by Zhenzhen. It can kill wild rabbits and pheasants."

Lu Chen looked down at the wooden gun in his hand and said seriously, "It's very powerful. It can be sent to the arsenal."

Yu Jiajia was very happy that Lu Chenzhou believed her as soon as she said it, and didn't ask any more questions.

She pointed to a tree not far away, took a stone from her pocket, and threw it: "I tried it this morning. Even if it were three or four meters further away, a branch this thick would break instantly. My mom killed a pigeon on the treetop."

Lu Chenzhou: "Can I open it and take a look?"

Yu Jiajia: "Okay, but you need to be careful."

Lu Chenzhou sat down, fiddled with it for a bit, and took the wooden gun apart. Seeing its internal structure, he felt even more impressed by He Zhenzhen's skill. "It's ingeniously made."

Yu Jiajia: "Yes, yes, I think Zhenzhen is a genius. She has never studied or even touched anything before, yet she can make such an amazing handgun. She will definitely be even more amazing in the future. Do you think the country needs such talent?"

Lu Chenzhou: "Yes! I can recommend Zhenzhen to join the arsenal."

After a moment's hesitation, Yu Jiajia asked, "Zhenzhen has never been to school, is that alright?"

Lu Chenzhou: "This pistol is enough."

He never expected He Zhenzhen to be so capable. A little girl who had never been to school and had never left the countryside could design such an excellent wooden gun. What kind of firearms would she be able to make after she had received systematic training?

This was unknown; he couldn't guess.

All he knew was that Yu Jiajia was He Zhenzhen's mentor, and that He Zhenzhen's future was bright.

The food arrived quickly: a plate of spicy crab, several cold dishes, and two bottles of chilled soda.

Next came the happy lunch break. Yu Jiajia mentioned that the steel rolling mill had a new factory director, and she asked, "How's the new director?"

Lu Chenzhou smiled and said, "Director Qi is very capable and easy to get along with, so there's no need to worry."

Yu Jiajia: "I also think the new factory manager will be easy to get along with!"

The top leader can't very well send a new factory director to make things difficult for their family.

After dinner, Yu Jiajia took Lu Chenzhou to test the wooden gun. They chose a quiet suburban area, and Lu Chenzhou hit a wild duck that had just taken flight from the reeds with one shot.

Yu Jiajia exclaimed excitedly, "Quick, pick them up! We're having duck for dinner!!!"

Walking through the reeds was difficult, but if you wanted to pick wild ducks, you definitely had to go into the reeds. Yu Jiajia didn't dare to wait alone on the shore, so she grabbed Lu Chenzhou's clothes and followed him down. After a few steps, she felt itchy and didn't want to go any further.

People really do change. When she first transmigrated, she could find wild duck eggs everywhere in the reeds, but now she's reluctant to even take a few steps.

Lu Chenzhou took off his coat, let her wear it, and led her forward.

After walking about ten meters, I saw a maimed wild duck and found a nest of wild duck eggs nearby.

Yu Jiajia was so happy that she no longer felt the prickly reeds. She squatted down and counted the wild duck eggs. There were eight round and plump wild duck eggs in total!

She picked them up one by one and put them into Lu Chenzhou's schoolbag.

It's a bit dirty, I don't want to put it in my backpack!

Lu Chenzhou sighed helplessly, "Fine, fine, I don't think it's dirty."

As Yu Jiajia was picking them up, she felt something was off. She dug open the nest of the wild duck eggs and, holy crap, they were a little shiny. She dug again, and they were even shinier.

Gold bars were hidden under the wild duck eggs.

Five in total!!!

They're all small yellow croakers, each weighing just over 30 grams!

She quickly looked at Lu Chenzhou and found that he was looking at her.

Yu Jiajia blinked and looked at the director of the Revolutionary Committee of Qingshan County, "What should we do?"

If Director Lu says he will hand it over, she will never go out with Director Lu again.

Fortunately, Director Lu said, "I didn't see anything."

Yu Jiajia smiled and stuffed two gold bars into Lu Chenzhou's bag. She wiped the dust off the remaining three bars and put them in her own bag. Perfect!

I don't know who lost it, and they didn't even bother to wrap it in oil paper.

So the gold bar got angry and wanted to go into her spatial backpack to enjoy life.

Yu Jiajia was very happy. The three small yellow croakers weighed almost 100g. Although it was nothing compared to her treasure, it was really great to get something for free, hahaha.

Lu Chenzhou smiled, also very pleased.

He even suggested, "Should we look around the area again?"

Yu Jiajia: "Find it!!!"

The two searched for a while longer, but unfortunately, they only found these five gold bars.

Yu Jiajia was sweating profusely from searching for gold bars. Feeling stuffy and hot, she just wanted to get out as soon as possible. She wrapped Lu Chen's shirt around her clothes and hurried out.

It was cool outside, with a breeze and shade from the trees. Yu Jiajia combed her hair again. "Brother Chenzhou, let's go to my house first. Leave the duck and duck eggs there. We'll have duck for dinner tonight! I also have a wild rabbit at home!"

Most importantly, she needed to change her clothes; her dress was all dirty.

She really couldn't stand going to work in dirty clothes.

Lu Chenzhou offered a gentle reminder: "It's not safe to keep these at home."

Yu Jiajia: "Aren't you the boss of Qingshan County? Are you going to search my house again?"

Lu Chenzhou chuckled: "We split the spoils together, so of course not."

Yu Jiajia felt that the division of the spoils was a bit unfair, "I've hidden it somewhere else, it's very safe, don't worry."

Lu Chenzhou: "I don't know where to hide it. Why don't you hide it for me first?"

Yu Jiajia: "You hide it yourself."

It's better to keep such a precious thing as gold bars to yourself.

Lu Chenzhou rode his bicycle to the steel mill's residential compound first. On the way, Yu Jiajia said, "This wooden gun is so useful, why did Zhenzhen starve herself to be so thin? She could have just gone up the mountain to hunt some wild game and not starved."

Lu Chenzhou: "Maybe I couldn't aim accurately or touch it."

Yu Jiajia: "There's wild game everywhere on the mountain! How could you not find any? Even if you can't aim properly, you can still practice. Maybe geniuses don't care what they eat."

She's rather superficial; all she thinks about is what to eat and what to do.

They arrived home quickly. Grandma Yu was knitting when she saw Yu Jiajia and Director Lu come in together, with Director Lu carrying a duck. She quickly put down her knitting needles and went to greet them, "Jiabao, Director Lu, have you eaten? I'll cook for you."

Yu Jiajia: "Grandma, we've already eaten. We even caught a wild duck and collected eight wild duck eggs! I'm going back to the house to change my clothes."

Lu Chenzhou handed the wild duck in his hand to Grandma Yu, and also took out the duck eggs from his bag.

Grandma Yu exclaimed, "Oh my, this wild duck is so fat! It must weigh three or four pounds! And the duck eggs are huge too! How are you so capable?" She quickly put the duck and eggs back in the kitchen.

The kitchen isn't big, but it's packed with stuff! There's a huge ham I haven't even tried yet, a fat rabbit, a big rooster, three or four pounds of pork belly, and now there's a fat duck too!

Who has so much meat?!

These days are like living in a honey pot.

She made two cups of orange juice, handing one to Lu Chenzhou and the other to Jiabao later.

Grandma Yu was still quite reserved in front of Lu Chenzhou, even though they were already quite familiar with each other. After all, this man was the director of the Revolutionary Committee! The highest-ranking official in Qingshan County!

Lu Chenzhou spoke gently to Grandma Yu, praising her sweater for being beautifully knitted, with lovely colors and patterns.

Speaking of this, Grandma Yu had something to say. She held up the sweater and showed it to Lu Chenzhou: "This is yarn that I asked someone to buy in the city. It's a little sweater I knitted for Jiabao. She has fair skin, and this light yellow color looks good on her."

Lu Chenzhou nodded, "It is indeed very beautiful."

Yu Jiajia quickly changed her clothes, and this time she happened to be wearing a light yellow dress. Lu Chenzhou thought she looked really pretty in light yellow.

"Grandma, we're going to work now. Brother Chenzhou, hurry up and go!"

We'll be late if we go any later.

Grandma Yu quickly said, "Drink the orange juice before you leave, you'll definitely be thirsty."

Yu Jiajia was indeed thirsty. She picked up the orange juice and drank it. After finishing, she put down the cup and left, saying, "Grandma, we're leaving now."

Lu Chenzhou hesitated, pursed his thin lips, bid farewell to Old Madam Yu, and left with Yu Jiajia.

Grandma Yu followed a few steps behind, saying, "Chenzhou, come over for dinner tonight."

After the two went downstairs, she didn't go back to her room. Instead, she looked down from the railing and watched Lu Chenzhou ride away on his bicycle with Jiabao on the back.

Yu Jiajia waved goodbye to Grandma Yu.

Grandma Yu waved with a smile, and she was still smiling even after the car turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

Director Lu is a good person, and he's good to Jiabao too. If... she didn't dare to think too deeply about it, Jiabao is still so young.

After she went back inside, she prepared to wash the enamel cups. When she picked one up, she found that it was still full. Jia Bao hadn't drunk much of it. She drank the rest; she couldn't waste such good stuff.

She didn't continue knitting; instead, she went to deal with the wild ducks. She turned on the coal stove, lit a fire, and planned to scald the ducks and remove their feathers.