Chapter 88 Don't be afraid to add fuel to the fire

Yan Xue didn't expect that she would start the movement right after Xue Yongkang left.

At first she thought it was just a contraction, but she soon realized something was wrong; it was labor pains.

She immediately told the second old lady, "Grandma, I might be giving birth soon."

The voice was so calm that the second old lady didn't react at first. After a while, she cried out, "Ah!" "Are you giving birth?"

The things had been prepared long ago, and the second old lady was also an experienced person. She immediately went out to find a neighbor to pass the message to Qi Fang.

When Yan Xue came back, her hair was already done. "Grandma, please wash my hair for me and heat up the food. I'll have a bite later."

This is her first child and she is growing slowly. If she doesn't eat something, she will have no strength later.

But these were originally the words of the second old lady, so she was asked to speak first. The second old lady looked at her, speechless.

Yan Xue held her belly and smiled, "Grandma, please hurry up, or I won't have the energy to eat soon."

If it weren't for her pale face and the thin sweat on the tip of her nose from the last contraction, she wouldn't look like a woman about to give birth.

The old lady responded and hurried to heat up the rice in the pot. She also brought two thermoses from the room and went in to wash her hair.

Not long after, Qi Fang came back. He was still in his work clothes, but he looked calm.

As soon as he entered the room, he set his sights on Yan Xue. "I've already called the midwife, she'll be here soon."

Yan Xue hummed a "hmm" when she heard that, and the man immediately added, "I've also gone to say hello to Secretary Lang. If you need anything, the Motorcycle Card is always available."

This is to prepare for any emergency, so you can give us a heads-up in advance. At least when you need it, you won’t be in a rush or have to wait too long.

Yan Xue hummed again, lowering her eyes to ponder what else she wanted to say. The man had already quickly changed his clothes and washed his hands, and came over to help her dry her hair. "I asked Aunt Liu to pick up Jigang. If he can't, let him stay at the Liu family for one night."

Even Yan Jigang, who was still in school, was taken into consideration. I don’t know how many places he had visited and how many things he had arranged in such a short period of time.

Yan Xue thought about it again, wondering if his arrangements were too thoughtful or her stomach was hurting so much that she couldn't think of anything to add.

This made her look at the man. She was not used to the situation where she didn't have to think about anything and everything was arranged by someone else.

The second old lady was not used to it either. The couple were more rational, calm and organized than each other, which made her, the eldest in the family, feel helpless.

Not long after, the midwife from the forest farm came. Seeing the situation in the house, she began to doubt whether someone was really about to give birth.

The mother did not cry out in pain, and the family members did not rush around anxiously. No matter what she asked, they would get it to her immediately, as if they had rehearsed it countless times.

The man was still walking with Yan Xue, his arms were strong and his voice was calm. The midwife watching beside him felt a little more at ease.

It wasn't until Yan Xue's contractions became more frequent that the midwife saw that it was almost over and asked them to send the patient inside that he held Yan Xue's shoulders and kissed her on the forehead. "The doctor said that your fetal position is very good and the baby is not big. There will be no problem with a normal birth. Don't be afraid."

The last sentence was said in Yan Xue's ear, in a breathy voice, as if afraid that people would hear it, but it still made Yan Xue's eyes sore.

He discovered it.

I found that she didn't want people to worry about her, and was trying hard to appear calm and not afraid.

But it was her first time giving birth, and her stomach was always in pain. In those days when conditions were so backward, it was hard to find a hospital that could perform a cesarean section.

Yan Xue is optimistic and positive, but she is not an iron man. It’s just that God has never given her the opportunity to be weak and calm.

For the first time, she couldn't hold back her emotions. Although she didn't say anything when she looked at the man, her eyes filled with tears said it all.

Qi Fang simply touched her eyes, held her face, and lowered his forehead to touch hers, not caring whether there was anyone else in the room. "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

The voice was just like him saying he had already called a midwife, said he had gone to greet Secretary Lang, and said everything was ready...

The man even pecked her on the lips and said, "If it hurts, call me and I'll come in to accompany you." He said in a firm and reliable tone.

Yan Xue couldn't help but chase him and bit his collarbone fiercely, biting until his clothes were soaked. Then she let go and pushed him out, "Stop making trouble here."

Yan Xue herself couldn't remember what happened afterwards, mainly because she was in so much pain that she didn't have the energy to remember. She just followed the midwife's instructions to breathe in and push.

It wasn't until some time later that she felt something light beneath her body, followed by the midwife's surprised voice, "It's born! It's a big fat boy!"

Someone handed over a pair of sterilized scissors and cut the baby's umbilical cord, followed by the baby's loud cry.

Yan Xue took a long time to calm down, then opened her eyes, only to find that the power supply to the forest farm had been cut off, and a candle on the table was emitting a dim glow.

Someone wiped the sweat off her face with a towel, and then gently brushed away the messy hair that was stuck to her cheeks.

He tried to poke it several times but couldn't get it to work. At first she thought it was because it was stuck too tightly, but later she found out that the man's hand was not steady.

This made her look at the man's still calm face and couldn't help laughing. "Master Qi, is this how you usually repair machines?"

The man paused, and gently stroked her cheek with his slightly rough fingertips. "So it's a good thing the machine isn't you."

The tone was very soft, and there was a hint of tenderness in the peach blossom eyes that looked at him in the candlelight.

Yan Xue found out that she was wrong. This man was not affectionate even when he looked at a dog. When he really showed tenderness in his eyes, he was very different.

This made her look up at the other person quietly, letting him help her tidy up her hair and clothes before she went to look for the child.

"Weighed it, six pounds and one ounce." The midwife had already cleaned the baby, wrapped it up, and handed it to Qi Fang, who then gently placed it next to Yan Xue's pillow.

It was really a small, soft ball, with red skin, eyes closed, and breathing lightly and shallowly.

Yan Xue put her face against him and felt a softness that was connected by blood, as well as a warmth that went straight to her heart.

From today on, she has one more family member, a family that is connected to both her and Qi Fang by blood.

Qi Fang also stretched out his hand to touch the child, and his fingertips were about to touch the child's cheek, but he paused and instead gently touched it with the back of his finger.

From today on, he also has a new family, a family that is connected to him and Yan Xue by blood...

It was the next day when Yan Jigang saw his nephew. He looked at his sister and then at his brother-in-law, but he didn't say that his nephew was a little ugly.

Liu Weibin, who came to look after the baby, was quite experienced. "It's okay. Airong was like this when she was just born. It will heal as it grows."

The little girl could already sit up, and she was chubby and fair, so she wasn't ugly at all. Yan Jigang felt relieved.

The two younger ones had to go back to school after taking care of the children, but Qi Fang asked for maternity leave from Xiao Xiuchang and stayed at home to take care of Yan Xue and the children.

Yan Xue didn't know how a grown man like him could ask for maternity leave, but Xu Wenli had approved it anyway.

So apart from feeding and changing diapers, Yan Xue didn't have to worry about anything. When Xue Yongkang came to the house again, he was stopped by Qi Fang.

The man didn't even let him in, but stopped him outside the inner door. "She made it very clear last time."

His voice was cold, and his pair of peach blossom eyes had a faint chill when he looked at people, which made people feel uneasy.

Xue Yongkang immediately thought of the look the other person gave him that day, and felt that he was being too suspicious. He hadn't offended Xiu Yan, so it was none of his business whether Xiu Yan was alive or dead.

Moreover, the man looked very interested before, and even complained that the gift was too little. He put on a smile and said, "Don't worry about it, we can talk about it later. I'm here to see the child today." He took out five dollars from his pocket.

This is really not a small amount. In this era, the average gift is only two yuan, not to mention that he is a distant uncle whom I haven't seen for many years.

Qi Fang just glanced at it and didn't take it at all. He suddenly asked him, "Her family gave you a lot, right?"

The sharp words hit the nail on the head, causing his face to freeze. "What are you talking about? You can't even write two characters for Xue with one stroke. After all, Xiuyan's family and I are relatives..."

"Then why did you invest so much money?" Qi Fang lowered his eyes to look at the five dollars. He didn't say anything, but he was inexplicably sarcastic.

Xue Yongkang looked a little embarrassed, "Xiu Yan gave birth to a child, so what's wrong with me, as her uncle, giving a small gift?"

It seems that the other party's attitude is indeed related to Xiu Yan's sudden birth. Either he really thinks the things are too few, or the couple has not reached an agreement.

Xue Yongkang lowered his voice and said, "Think about it yourself. After all, it's free and it didn't take any effort on your part."

Seeing Qi Fang didn't say anything, he continued, "I'm only helping out because I have a good relationship with Xiuyan's father. The things should have belonged to Xiuyan, how could I let someone else get away with it?"

But Yan Xue didn't even look down on their things, and didn't want to have anything to do with them. Qi Fang looked at her with indifference, "Don't you still have me?"

Xue Yongkang was stunned for a moment, not quite reacting. The man continued, "It won't take much effort anyway. It's the same if you go."

This time Xue Yongkang realized that the other party was asking him to smash the pots and fill the soil for Uncle Xiuyan, and be a filial son and grandson.

Isn't this an insult? He and Xiuyan's uncle are of the same generation. Xue Yongkang's face darkened at that moment, and he was very angry.

Qi Fang acted as if he didn't know, "It's just that the benefits are within the family, and you can get a little more."

The man looked at him quietly. "After all, you can't write two characters for Xue with one stroke. You are relatives after all. If you go, you can strengthen your relationship."

It is really as infuriating as it can be. Is this how he uses the term "closer relationship"?

Xue Yongkang's eyes turned red with anger, "If you think it's too little, just say it directly, don't disgust me here!"

As he was about to go in, he said, "I won't tell you. I want to ask Xiuyan, is this what her mother taught her?"

The man grabbed her wrist and said, "Stop it. Don't cause trouble for her."

There was a warning in his eyes, and the strength in his hands was quite strong. Xue Yongkang didn't even know where he was pinching, and it hurt so much that he couldn't speak.

The noise outside died down, and Yan Xue, who was lying on the kang inside, listened and gradually relaxed.

Out of habit, when Xue Yongkang arrived, her first reaction was to solve the problem herself, but Qi Fang left before her.

Not only did he leave, but this man's words were as sharp as ever. It was probably the first time Xue Yongkang had ever understood this.

Yan Xue felt that she didn't need to listen. She knew that the man must have criticized Xue Yongkang severely, so she didn't need her at all. She couldn't help but kiss her son, "Don't be like your father in the future. You have to be sweet-mouthed to please girls."

Qi Fang came in from outside and just heard this. He paused and looked at the child. "Learn from your mother in the future."

It means that Yan Xue is sweet-mouthed and good at talking. Yan Xue couldn't help laughing when she heard it. "The person is gone?"

"I'm leaving." Qi Fang sat down next to her on the kang. "But I guess he hasn't given up yet and wants to talk to you again. We'll have to add fuel to the fire."

Then Yan Xue could only let her third uncle fend for himself. She thought about Liang Qimao, Yu Cuiyun and Cheng Yuzhen, and then thought about Chen Jizhong who was still undergoing reform.

Sure enough, the little one in her family was quiet and motionless, most likely because he was holding his poop; the little one's father was quiet and motionless, definitely because he was dying of poop.

Within two days, everyone in the forest farm heard that Yan Xue had given birth, and all kinds of people started coming to the farm under the pretext of seeing the child.

Qi Fang let in those who had a good relationship with Yan Xue and had no other purpose, but he directly stopped those who Yan Xue didn't want to see.

This included Pan Dagao's wife, who had previously wanted to force a fool into Yan Xue's marriage. Since she found out how much long-term work points the pilot program had earned, her sister-in-law had another quarrel with her.

Not to mention her sister-in-law, she herself wanted to quarrel with herself. Why did she push Caixia there when she had nothing better to do? Could Caixia be more important than her own family?

If Yan Xue really holds a grudge against them and never needs their family again, wouldn’t that be a huge loss for their family?

So she specially prepared a lot of eggs, came to see the child, and apologized to Yan Xue to calm her down.

But Qi Fang stopped her outside. "Yan Xue just fell asleep." He didn't take her things. "We appreciate your kindness, but we can't put any more eggs at home."

This is not an excuse. Not to mention the gifts from others, they can't finish eating all the eggs from the chickens raised by the second old lady this year.

Pan Dagao's wife was not going to give up. She wanted to ask Yan Xue when it would be convenient for her to meet up. Qi Fang glanced at her and said, "She hasn't been in a good mood lately."

As for why she was in a bad mood, it was because someone in the guesthouse kept pestering her to go back to her hometown, and she was worried about the pilot project.

Qi Fang didn't say more, but precisely because he didn't say it, it gave people room to imagine, and Pan Dagao's wife thought too much at the time.

Although Yan Xue is married, if something really happens and she goes back to her hometown for several months, how can their pilot project at the forest farm continue to operate normally?

And if it weren't for this person causing trouble and making Yan Xue in a bad mood, maybe she would have gone in just now and the matter would have been resolved.

Pan Dagao's wife was very angry recently. She was full of regret and remorse, but she couldn't take it out on herself, so she immediately went to the guesthouse to find Xue Yongkang.

Xue Yongkang didn't even have time to react before he was scolded. He was told that he had nothing better to do than to bother Technician Yan instead of solving the problem himself.

The people around were watching the excitement, and when they heard that Technician Yan was involved, they immediately asked what was going on.

Pan Dagao's wife had no idea what was going on, and Master Xiao Qi was notoriously taciturn, so she simply added fuel to the fire and made up some stories herself.

Then someone thought, "He's pestering Technician Yan so much, insisting he go back home. Could it be that he heard Technician Yan can grow wood ear mushrooms and wants to do that too?"

It is a million miles away from the truth, but the reason why rumors can become more and more outrageous is that there are people who are willing to spread them and some who are willing to believe them.

So Xue Yongkang angered everyone. A group of old women who had nothing to do in the cold weather surrounded him and collectively bombarded him for daring to steal people.

His father used to be the clan leader, and later he became the village party secretary. He had received a good education since childhood, so he couldn't handle this at all. He was so angry that his face turned blue.

Then this incident was over, and someone picked a fight with him. It was really a fight. It started with "What are you looking at?", but the key point was that he didn't even look at the other person.

Xue Yongkang couldn't stand it anymore, so he asked someone why everyone called Yan Xue "Technician Yan". He then found out that Yan Xue had set up a pilot project and earned more than a thousand yuan this year.

She couldn't even earn as much as this eighth-level worker, no wonder she looked down on the family's wealth and refused to let her lover go back no matter what.

Since he was already asking about Yan Xue, he also asked about Yan Xue's lover Qi Fang. Then, after hearing a bunch of stories, he completely gave up hope.

If it were him, he wouldn't go back. It would be fine if he just gave it away for free, but he would have to kowtow and smash the pot for others. It really wasn't worth it.

Xue Yongkang gave up the idea of ​​continuing to persuade Yan Xue and her husband. After all, he had come to find them and tried to persuade them. It was not his problem if he failed.

Before leaving, he went to see Yan Xue and the child again, gave them gifts, and spoke very nicely. After all, the couple was capable, and it was better to have good friends than enemies.

When Qi Fang saw Xue Yongkang, he thought of the small winery in Yan Xue's biological father's family and all the doubts in his mind.

But when he looked up, the baby in the cradle was sleeping soundly. Yan Xue's eyelids were drooping as he leaned against the child, so he suppressed his drooping eyes for the time being.

Let’s leave it this way for now. His relationship with Yan Xue has just gotten better, and Yan Xue is still in confinement after giving birth.

Qi Fang pulled the quilt for the mother and son, then checked the boiler to make sure the room was warm enough before washing his hands and going back inside.

While life was peaceful here, things were far from the same in the town's Forestry Bureau, and there was even some chaos.

Secretary Lang took the money and account books to the bureau to report the results. Qu Mingli immediately called everyone to a meeting.

When they heard about the Jinchuan Forest Farm pilot project, everyone was shocked and felt that the pilot project would definitely not make any money this year.

Not only did they not lose money, they probably even made a profit. Otherwise, Qu Mingli would have been too busy to put pressure on them, let alone call them to a meeting with such fanfare.

The one with the ugliest expression here was Director Liu. After all, if Qu Mingli and Secretary Lang had not jointly manipulated him, this matter might not have been accomplished.

The only thing that could comfort him was that the production of the pilot project should not be high, otherwise, how could everything be sold out in just November?

Director Liu frowned and decided to find fault with whatever Qu Mingli and Lang Zhongting said.

Then Secretary Lang took out two stacks of Datuanjie notes, totaling more than two thousand yuan in cash.

The meeting room fell silent, everyone's eyes were fixed on the money, and they forgot what they wanted to say before.

The main thing is that no matter what they had thought of before, it is useless now. What Jinchuan Forest Farm handed over was far beyond their expectations.

In the end, it was Director Liu who spoke first, "Is this the total sales of your pilot project this year?" He really didn't want to believe the guess in his mind.

Secretary Lang laughed when he heard this. "How could that be? This is the 20% I paid to the bureau this year. I brought the account book with me."

As soon as he handed it over, Director Liu couldn't wait to take it and read it page by page.

It was indeed more than 3,000 kilograms, and sold for more than 10,000 yuan. They only invested a few dollars and employed a few people in the pilot project. Could they achieve such a high output?

Director Liu really didn't want to believe it, so he handed the accounts to the deputy director next to him who had an accounting background, and asked him to take a look.

The deputy director knew immediately that there was nothing wrong with the account, but he still looked it over carefully before nodding, "It is indeed the 20% that should be handed over to the bureau."

Director Liu stopped talking now, and everyone else in the office also fell silent.

After all, they were the ones who got rid of this matter in the first place. If it went wrong, it had nothing to do with them. Now that it has been done well, they have nothing to do with it either.

Ultimately, it was Director Liu who took the lead. If it weren't for him, they wouldn't have thought they could deny their involvement...

No one said anything, but some people were already secretly looking at Director Liu, which made Director Liu's face look even uglier, and he clenched the enamel pot with his hands.

They had chosen it themselves, and he hadn't forced them to distance themselves from it like he had. These people... these people...

Not all of these people agree with him. They were afraid of taking responsibility at first, but now that the idea is feasible and the prospects are good, some of them immediately changed their minds.

"I remember they said that if you plant wood ear mushrooms for one year, you can harvest them for three years. So even if we don't plant them next year, can we still get the same yield?"

Qu Mingli nodded to Secretary Lang, who immediately said, "Next year's output will be even higher than this year's."

He took out a piece of paper and said, "This is the yield of the batch that Technician Yan planted last year. It's obviously higher than the new batch planted this year."

Everyone took it and looked at it, and it was true. That is to say, even if they did not invest anything next year, they could still make at least more than 10,000 yuan in profit.

Don’t think that this ten thousand yuan is a small amount. Compared with the timber that the Forestry Bureau hands over to the country every year, it is indeed insignificant. But how about compared with the ginseng land?

Ginseng cultivation requires both land and manpower, and the growth cycle of ginseng is long, unlike wood ear mushrooms which are made of leftover materials from logging.

Chengshui has a total of seven forestry farms under its jurisdiction. If all the leftover materials from logging can be used, how much extra income can be generated for the bureau every year?

Someone immediately became interested and said, "I think this is indeed feasible and can be expanded."

Others also echoed, "This was pioneered by our Chengshui Forestry Bureau. It can become a major feature of our Chengshui and we can make it bigger and stronger."

As long as it can be done, it will be a continuous source of political achievements, which will benefit everyone in the Chengshui Forestry Bureau.

Unexpectedly, Director Liu, who had been silent the whole time, also said, "This is indeed something we can do."

Everyone was surprised, and then he continued, "The Jinchuan Forest Farm shouldn't be stingy with their technology, and should teach other forest farms more. After all, they are all in the same bureau, and they are contributing to the bureau and to the country."

It turns out they were waiting here, asking Jinchuan Forest Farm to directly bring out the mature technology for use by the bureau and other forest farms.

In this way, when other forest farms are also established, Jinchuan Forest Farm will be no different. Wouldn't it be easy for him to deal with Lang Zhongting who dug a hole for him?

But Jinchuan Forest Farm had to take it. Now, one drawing was used by several factories. If they didn't take it, it would mean that they were unwilling to contribute to the bureau and the country.

Some people were already looking at Secretary Lang with sympathy, while others were just watching from the sidelines. However, there was not much change on Secretary Lang's face.

Secretary Lang's expression did not turn ugly, but he smiled instead. He found that Yan Xue was really meticulous in her work and had even thought of the possibility of encountering such a situation in advance.

Secretary Lang took out another document and said, "Our forest farm has no intention of abandoning everyone and making progress on its own. I have another plan here that you can take a look at."