The weapon refiner is not doing her job properly

Chapter 168 The Harvest of the Manor

Funi's voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable power. "I truly love these long-forgotten histories, and I love the stories and mysteries behind each artifact. Although the 'Key of Prophecy' is incomplete, its secrets are far from being revealed, and my research certainly cannot end here. You have so many research topics; why are you fixated on the Key of Prophecy?"

"Because none of them can make me famous! None of them can help me gain a foothold in academia!" Assistant Sun shouted out his most honest and pragmatic thoughts in a fit of rage.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she seemed startled by her own voice. She abruptly squatted down, clutching her head tightly with both hands, burying her face between her knees, her voice filled with remorse and sobs: "I'm sorry... Teacher, I'm so sorry. I've been under so much pressure lately... My child just turned one year old and cries day and night, and my husband... and then suddenly lost his job, I... I..."

Seeing this, Assistant Zhou immediately put down his work, quickly walked to Assistant Sun's side, squatted down, gently patted her back, and comforted her in a gentle voice: "It's okay, it's okay... everything will be alright, don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Funi looked at the scene before her with a complicated expression.

She didn't say anything more to blame him, but just quietly watched Assistant Sun, who was squatting on the ground sobbing, and Assistant Zhou, who was comforting her. Her brows furrowed slightly as she fell into deep thought.

Seeing Assistant Sun squatting on the ground in frustration, Assistant Zhou felt a pang of sadness.

She couldn't help but recall how, when Assistant Sun decided to get married in a flash, she and several other close colleagues had subtly advised her that workaholics like their teacher, Funi, or researchers like themselves who spent years in the lab working on projects day and night, should be extremely cautious about marriage.

Marriages of workaholics are often unhappy.

This statement has almost become an unspoken consensus within their small circle.

But Assistant Sun was blinded by her infatuation at the time and didn't really listen.

Assistant Sun slowly raised her head, tears still wet on her face, and gave a self-deprecating bitter smile: "Looking back now... I really should have listened to you. I shouldn't have been so hasty and married just anyone..."

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and looked at Funi. "Teacher... I... I'd like to ask for half a day off, is that okay? I need to... take a break."

At this moment, Funi's attention was drawn to the restored image of the holy artifact she had just obtained, and the academic excitement enveloped her like a warm current.

Upon hearing Assistant Sun's request, she barely hesitated, her eyes still glued to the computer screen, and casually replied, "Okay, go ahead, get some rest." Her approval was exceptionally quick.

Assistant Sun silently watched Funi's profile as she immersed herself in the joy of her research, her gaze lingering on her for a few seconds with a complex expression.

There was disappointment, weariness, and perhaps a hint of unspoken envy in his eyes.

I admire how teachers can dedicate themselves so purely to what they love without being distracted.

In the end, she said nothing more, but silently stood up, wiped her face, and dragged her heavy steps out of the studio, looking particularly frail from behind.

Assistant Zhou stared at the doorway where Assistant Sun had disappeared, filled with worry. She couldn't help but whisper, "Teacher, with Senior Sister Sun like this, will she do something rash and end up in a dead end? She's under so much pressure."

Funi snapped out of her excitement, turned her head, and gave her assistant, who looked worried, a reproachful look. She smiled helplessly and said, "You silly girl, after all these years, you're still as naive as when you first came here. You haven't grown at all!" She lightly tapped Assistant Zhou's forehead with her finger. "Do you know why she suddenly asked me if the research results could be released ahead of schedule?"

Assistant Zhou pondered for a moment: "Does Senior Sister want to become famous and independent?"

“Your senior sister does want to become famous. In any industry, everyone wants to be among the top performers. But she was clearly provoked by Su Ninglong. Once the outside world knows about Su Ninglong’s abilities, it will be even harder for people in our industry to become famous, so she’s in a hurry.”

Furney changed the subject, "Instead of worrying about her, you should worry about yourself first! Look at your paper, what kind of mess was the first draft? Every time, I had to revise it repeatedly before it was ready to be shown to the public. How many times have I told you to learn to be independent! Independent! I have always supported you in doing projects independently, but you just don't live up to my expectations. If I keep supporting you, when will you be able to stand on your own?"

Assistant Zhou shrank back like a startled rabbit, then muttered a rebuttal in a low voice, "But... my senior sister hasn't even obtained the qualification for an independent studio yet..."

She looked up at Fennie, her eyes filled with dependence. "Besides, I just love being with you, Teacher. It's so great to have someone protecting me, like a tall person holding up the sky if it falls. If I do something wrong, someone takes responsibility; if I do something right, someone sincerely praises me; and they never withhold or embezzle the rewards I deserve..."

She spoke softer and softer, but clearly expressed her true thoughts. She was an escapist at heart and deeply loved her current stable and supportive work environment.

Independent? Taking on projects on your own?

Just imagining facing pressure from sponsors, doubts from peers, the immense pressure of project failure, and all the hassles of independent operation...

Assistant Zhou felt a chill run down her spine. She simply didn't have the ambition or desire to charge into battle or shoulder heavy responsibilities on her own. As things stood, with someone to protect her and a clear goal to follow, this was the best situation for her.

Funi reached out and poked her little assistant's forehead. "Silly girl, people have to learn to grow up! Look at Su, she's more than ten years younger than you, and now she can not only support a small team and run it very successfully, but the spirit rice she has newly cultivated on her farm is now a rare delicacy that is hard to find on the market! Not to mention her specially made spirit tea, I heard that hunters and wealthy merchants are flocking to it and spending a lot of money to buy it."

Funi's tone was full of genuine admiration, "At such a young age, you have such a long-term vision and you're walking the right path. Don't you yearn for this ability to be independent and self-reliant?"

"I admire you, of course I admire Su!" Assistant Zhou then said with admiration, "Teacher, if you really don't want me anymore, I'll ask Su for a position. Given my relationship with you, she should... be able to give me a place, right? Even just an assistant would be fine!"

Seeing her so pathetic state, Fennie could only shake her head helplessly and sigh.

Everyone has their own path to walk and their own chosen way of life; you can't force them. She understood this well and didn't want to pressure them any further.

When Su Ninglong brought Qirui back to her quiet little courtyard, the afterglow of the setting sun was gently bathing the courtyard.

She spotted the familiar figure standing under the old tree at a glance. Lei Qingya was dressed in a loose and comfortable linen outfit, tall and slender, with long hair casually draped behind him, swaying slightly in the evening breeze.

After successfully advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage, her aura underwent a subtle change, as if she were shrouded in an invisible radiance. The aloofness she already possessed became even stronger, exuding an otherworldly air, as if she might ride the wind away at any moment, completely out of place with the mortal world around her.

"Lei Lei, you're back?" Su Ninglong revealed two sweet dimples.

Lei Qingya turned around, and the moment she saw Su Ninglong, her aloof and cold demeanor vanished, replaced by an incredibly cheerful, even somewhat childlike, bright smile.

She strode over, and without saying a word, opened her arms and swept Su Ninglong up in her arms, supporting her on both sides as easily as when she was a child. She excitedly spun her around several times before putting her back on the ground.

"Ninglong! I've missed you so much!" Lei Qingya's tone was excited, but what followed left Su Ninglong stunned. "Let me tell you, the place we went to this time was absolutely terrifying... The people locked up in that prison weren't human, it was really weird! The guards, they talked like they had a hot eggplant in their mouths, gurgling..."

Su Ninglong was stunned by the string of words with its peculiar rhythm and accent. She blinked and interrupted in confusion, "Wait, Lei Lei! Did you notice your accent? Why did it become like this?"

"Oh, you mean this!" Lei Qingya suddenly realized, then laughed at himself. "My goodness, I didn't even notice. I've been in that lousy place for so long, and everyone there talks like that, their tongues are so smooth. I heard it so much that I unconsciously picked it up. They always laugh at me for not being able to imitate it properly, saying my accent is as weird as an alien's, hahaha!"

She laughed as she cleared her throat, trying to adjust her pronunciation, "Ahem... Okay, okay, I'll be careful, is that right? Is it normal now?"

After several deliberate adjustments, Lei Qingya's dialect, which had been distorted, finally returned to normal, and his original clear and fluent tone was restored.

The two sat down at the stone table in the courtyard, and Lei Qingya began to vividly recount the various bizarre experiences of this overseas mission.

She spoke with great enthusiasm, and Su Ninglong listened intently, and time slipped away unnoticed.

By the time Lei Qingya finally finished recounting his thrilling experiences, the sky outside the window had already darkened, dusk had fallen, and the stone lanterns in the courtyard automatically lit up with a soft glow.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the courtyard gate. Xingyuan appeared at the door, followed by Ge Wei.

"Ninglong," Xingyuan walked into the courtyard, his gaze sweeping over Su Ninglong and Lei Qingya, and said calmly, "We came here not only to report on our recent work, but more importantly, to discuss the important plans for the future with you."

Xingyuan, now the de facto manager of Suninglong's assets and a key figure in external contract negotiations, is no longer working alone.

He also hired two shrewd and capable assistants to meticulously check every aspect of all investment projects and guard against any possible oversights.

Ge Wei, on the other hand, was responsible for the management of the manor's internal personnel and all financial accounts.

He is known for his meticulous and rigorous personality, and the accounts he handles are almost never wrong. He is one of the "housekeepers" that Suninglong trusts the most.

But at this moment, this usually composed man wore an unusual look of heaviness and a hint of barely perceptible annoyance.

He spoke in a deep voice, admitting his mistake: "This time... it was my negligence, I made a mistake."

He took a deep breath and continued, "Recently, we discovered that someone on the estate has been stealing our precious spirit rice and selling it to black market merchants. The price is outrageously high, reaching 10,000 star coins per pound." Ge Wei's tone was filled with heartache and anger. "After discovering this, I immediately reported it to the police, and the person has been caught and imprisoned. However, the three pounds of spirit rice he stole have already been quickly divided up by buyers on the black market, and we cannot recover them."

Ge Wei looked at Su Ninglong, his eyes filled with guilt: "I'm sorry, Ninglong. Ultimately, it was my momentary overreaction of sympathy that led me to hire such a person."

He explained the situation in detail: the person who made the mistake came from an extremely remote planet inhabited by Greenscale people and had a very low level of education. His hometown was so poor that his family was struggling to make ends meet. His father was seriously ill, his mother had broken her leg and was unable to work, and he had three younger siblings to support.

He had nowhere else to turn, so he wandered to this relatively developed planet in search of a way to make a living.

The work at the manor is almost the only job that doesn't require a high level of education or skills.

The man pleaded repeatedly, even tearfully recounting the tragic state of his family. Seeing how pitiful he was, Ge Wei took pity on him and ultimately made an exception and accepted him.

“I wanted to give him a chance to change his fate…” Ge Wei’s eyes were filled with deep disappointment, “but he betrayed that trust and could not resist the temptation of huge profits, so he betrayed the manor.”

Lingmi rice and Qingling tea are the treasures of the estate.

The allocation of supplies always follows a core principle: prioritizing the daily needs of Suninglong herself and her trusted friends. Only after these internal needs are met, and if there is a surplus, will it be cautiously released to the public in limited quantities.

In fact, they did not attract much attention in their first year of sale (the year before last).

Previously, after Lena tasted the Lingmi rice and Qingling tea produced in the first quarter, she experienced a mild detox reaction over several days.

This unique experience sparked her keen interest, prompting her to take the initiative to conduct in-depth and detailed research on the ingredients of these two items.

Ultimately, she published a detailed research report, the conclusions of which caused quite a stir in the agricultural community and even the broader field of health!

The report points out that long-term consumption of Qingling Tea and Lingmi can not only achieve healthy and natural weight management (weight loss), but also subtly improve physical condition and promote the recovery and balance of various bodily functions.

Even more encouraging is that, for certain health problems caused by minor congenital genetic defects, there is a possibility of significant improvement or even a complete cure if the product is consumed consistently and combined with regular medical treatment.