The fat man hid behind Chen Rong and whispered, "I was just thinking of giving you a surprise..."
"I'll surprise you! Just you wait!"
As he spoke, he went into the inner room to get a broom handle; he was about to get down to business.
Yu Li is pregnant! That's a huge deal! The fat man and his wife stayed at home until it was dark before returning to the courtyard house.
The streets outside were empty and quiet, with only a few streetlights on. Yu Li suddenly felt a coolness on her face, and when she reached out to touch it, she realized that light snow had started falling from the sky.
It falls on rooftops, treetops, and roads, like light leaking through a black curtain on a stage, illuminating the way home for people returning at night.
The snow wasn't heavy today, but it seemed to be lingering with the wind, drifting through the world.
The two returned to the courtyard house and took out their keys to open the iron gate.
Xu Jiang had Fatty send it back to Stardew Valley. This guy's appetite was too big; if he kept it in the yard any longer, Fatty wouldn't be able to afford to feed it.
Half a year has passed, and Emily's favorability rating has only barely reached 8 hearts, still a long way from the 13-heart requirement.
As Stardew Valley becomes more developed, more native inhabitants are being added to the town.
This includes Emily's younger sister Hayley; Penny, a poor tutor; Abigail, the daughter of a grocer; Maru, a nurse at a clinic; and Leah, who came to town to relax.
The diverse array of girls brought a vibrant, lively atmosphere to the town, and the fat guy found himself increasingly drawn to Stardew Valley.
The most noticeable change after unlocking more residents is the completion of the industrial chain. We can now produce all sorts of strange and wonderful items for the fat man.
For example, there's the potion that restores one's "blue" color. There's the powder that makes one's whole body itch. There's the hummingbird that appears out of nowhere. And there are some seasonings that this era can't produce.
For example, MSG, cooking wine, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, etc., which are familiar to everyone.
What the fat man found most amazing was "a document".
This item is called this. Its function is that as long as you sign your name on it, you can drag the other person into Stardew Valley and force them to do labor while they are asleep.
The moment the fat man got his hands on this item, he immediately dragged Qin Huairu inside and made her shear wool all night long.
Qin Huairu was in a daze when she went to work the next day.
Sha Zhu asked her with concern, "What's wrong?"
Qin Huairu shook her groggy head and said, "I don't know what's wrong with me, but I had a dream last night that I was shearing sheep all night. I was using electric clippers, and I could shear a sheep in no time. It was so advanced!"
"..."
If it weren't for the extremely low production rate—only one sheet could be made per week—the fat man would have loved to sign the names of everyone in the courtyard except his own family!
A document is valid for 48 hours, which means Qin Huairu has to fleece the fat man for 48 hours.
For several days in a row, Qin Huairu was in a daze and couldn't even muster the interest to pay her salary.
All I want to do every day is lie down and sleep, but the more I sleep, the more tired I feel.
She went to the factory clinic to see an acquaintance, who examined her and said, "You're probably just overworked. Just get some rest."
Qin Huairu picked a bunch of scallions from the vegetable garden cultivated by the factory workers, put them under the table, and whispered, "Could you also prescribe some painkillers for me?"
The doctors were incredulous: "Why are you opening it again?"
Qin Huairu sighed: "My mother-in-law is always complaining of aches and pains, and she feels uncomfortable all over if she doesn't eat for a day."
The doctor shook his head as he listened: "Your mother-in-law is addicted to painkillers. I'm warning you, if she increases the dosage, it'll be no different from smoking opium before liberation!"
"..."
That evening, Fatty went to the backyard to find Xu Damao.
As I passed by Qin Huairu's house, I heard Banggeng ask, "Mom, is there any more cornbread? I'm not full!"
Qin Huairu said helplessly, "That's all. Just make do with this. It'll get dark soon, so go to bed quickly. You won't be hungry once you're asleep."
At this moment, Xiao Dang also said, "Mom, I'm not full either."
Qin Huairu ignored her completely, but Jia Zhangshi said to her earnestly, "It's normal that your brother didn't eat enough; why do you, a young lady, eat so much? You'll look ugly if you get fat!"
Xiao Dang said unwillingly, "What? I'm the thinnest in my class. The teacher always says I'm malnourished and just skin and bones."
The fat man chuckled and shouted from outside the door, "Xiao Dang, Xiao Dang! Come out and help me!"
As soon as Xiao Dang heard the fat man's voice, she put down her bowl and tried to come out, but Qin Huairu slammed her chopsticks heavily on the table: "You're not allowed to go!"
Xiao Dang glanced at her, then at her grandmother, and lowered her head in grievance.
The next day, when the fat man got off work at noon, he saw Qin Huairu blocking Qin Jingru at the gate of the courtyard to borrow money: "Look, it's almost the New Year. If you have some spare cash, lend me some."
Lend it to you? That's like throwing good money after bad! It'll never come back.
Qin Jingru was carrying two ounces of meat in her hand, but she said, "I have no money! Da Mao only gives me money for groceries every day, afraid that I will spend it recklessly."
Qin Huairu coldly replied, "I don't believe it!"
Before Qin Jingru could speak, the fat man called out, "Hey, Sister-in-law Jingru, are we having meat for lunch?"
Upon seeing that it was a fat man, Qin Jingru was very enthusiastic: "I bought two ounces of meat and made a minced meat and eggplant dish. Come over for lunch and we'll eat together!"
The fat man quickly refused: "No, no, Yu Li has already cooked. Another day, another day."
"..."
Xu Damao, ever since he became deputy director, has ousted three deputy directors in a row.
He recently had another conflict with Deputy Director Nie. What he didn't know was that Deputy Director Nie had considerable influence, and he was severely offended by her in front of Li Huaide.
What's going on? Xu Damao is ambitious and has become a deputy director, but he still wants to go further.
I've been busy making connections lately, but because I'm not familiar with the people involved, I delivered the gifts to the wrong place! They ended up at the home of Deputy Director Nie's relative.
Now, when Li Huaide and the others have special meals, they don't invite him anymore. Instead, Fatty has heard a lot of inside information.
Xu Damao was about to finish class, and the fat guy was trying to avoid him as much as possible.
Qin Huairu had just finished getting angry with her sister when she heard Fatty say to Xiao Dang, "Go to my room and find your sister-in-law. She has some good food there."
By the time Qin Huairu chased after her, Xiao Dang had already disappeared.
She glared at the fat man: "What do you mean?"
The fat man replied irrelevantly, "Qin Huairu, you're becoming more and more like a country bumpkin. Look at your outfit, a woman in her fifties trying to dress like a young girl with pigtails. And look at your clothes, so tacky!"
Qin Jingru hadn't left yet. She was wearing a scarf, a new cotton-padded coat, cotton-padded leather shoes, and carrying a fashionable handbag.
After listening to the fat man's words and carefully examining Qin Huairu, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Qin Huairu covered her mouth and ran back into the house, as if someone had done something to her.
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