The timeline system has gone awry; they insist that steamed buns are a magic pill.

"Look at this child, buying so much candy and wasting so much money. Even though the commune gave him a two-yuan reward, he shouldn't spend it like this."

Shi Lanhua patted the brown sugar wrapped in kraft paper with a helpless expression, and tugged at the thick cloth. "And this much more. Look at all this cloth you've torn up. You said you were making cotton shoes, but this cloth is so good and thick. It's a waste to use it for shoe uppers."

"That's right, a few more feet of this good cloth could be used to make the fabric for a padded jacket, and the cotton is handled so well, it looks so white and clean."

Aunt Wang Guizhi was very cooperative, and Li Qingqiu was a little embarrassed standing on the side. When he entered the house, he saw seven or eight elderly women. This guy really knows how to make such a big fuss so early in the morning.

"Sigh, if it weren't for the fact that these were all won by this kid in the competition, I would definitely give him a beating."

Li Qingqiu muttered, "Mom, you didn't just spank me, you spanked me quite a bit yesterday. Now I can only put on a smiling face and play along." He continued, "Mom, you haven't made cotton shoes in years, so I bought some cotton and cloth to show my respect to you and Dad. Oh, and I came home late yesterday, so I bought some ointment for you and Grandma, but I forgot to bring it."

"Waiwai Oil, this child, how old am I that I still need to use this to wipe myself?" Shi Lanhua said nonchalantly, but she was actually quite happy inside. This child may be unreliable, but he still thought of buying Waiwai Oil for her when he went to the commune competition.

"Give it to Xiaomei and the others."

"Mom, I bought a lot, I have everything, I gave it to my little sister and Xianjing yesterday."

"Did you buy a lot?"

The keywords for Shilan flower are directly targeted. Buying more means spending more money. Why didn't Xiaomei mention this to me yesterday?

"That's because there are a lot of people in my family."

Li Qingqiu simply pulled them all out, and good heavens, a huge handful landed on the table with a clatter. Everyone in the room was stunned. There must have been more than ten of them. Why did this kid buy so many? "Mom, please divide them up. One for each of my sister-in-law, Xianshu, and the other girls. I'm going to Grandma's house."

The performance was almost over, and Li Qingqiu, after all, still had some self-respect. He was actually a little embarrassed by the praise, and besides, he had plans for today: he had to go to the educated youth checkpoint to sign in later.

Shi Lanhua glanced at the several crooked, oily eyelids lying on the table, her eyes twitching. She suppressed the urge to slap someone. If there weren't so many people around, she would definitely have slapped Li Qingqiu. This third brother, buying one or two isn't enough, good heavens, does he think the supply and marketing cooperative is his own? Is he moving house and buying so many?

Li Qingqiu sensed Shi Lanhua's murderous intent, which is why he ran away so quickly. When he left the courtyard, he ran into Li Xianshu and Li Xianqing and a few other children who were building a snowman at the door. Li Qingqiu took out a few hard candies from his pocket.

"Xianshu, Xianqing, come here, your third uncle bought you some candy."

"sugar?"

Li Yatou ran over as fast as she could, took the candy, and beamed with joy. "Third Uncle, you're so kind."

"Okay, go have fun."

Li Qingqiu, beaming with joy, trudged through the snow to his grandparents' house. His grandparents hadn't gone to the production brigade to repair or weave wheat rations and bamboo baskets today; the snow was too heavy and inconvenient. "Grandpa, let me lend a hand," Li Qingqiu said, grabbing a large wooden paddle to help as he saw his grandfather clearing snow from the doorway.

After cleaning up, they went back inside. The milk had boiled some hot tea and sliced ​​two pieces of ginger; to Li Qingqiu's surprise, it also contained brown sugar. "Drink up! What brought you here on such a cold day?"

"Grandma, I'm bringing you some Waiwai Oil."

Li Qingqiu took out a bottle of Waiwai Oil—no, Jade Shell Nourishing Essence Oil. He had spent 1 point to refine it. This old lady truly cared for him, and Li Qingqiu should repay her in some way, both out of courtesy and reason.

"This kid, this grease is a waste for my old skin. You can keep it and use it to clean yourself."

"Grandma, I have some. I bought this especially for you. Please keep it."

Li Qingqiu shoved the jade-shell-shaped moisturizing cream into Naihan Lishi's hand, while drinking tea with brown sugar and ginger slices, and glancing at several bundles of bamboo strips piled in the corner of the yard. "Master, I want to weave some cages. A few days ago, I saw a few mouse holes at the foot of the mountain on the way up the road, and I'm thinking of trying to see if I can get them out."

"Is this weather suitable?"

"Luckily, the ground hasn't frozen yet. Let's give it a try before the snow gets too heavy."

"Old man, Sanzi just caught a wild rabbit a few days ago. He'll definitely be able to catch mice this time. Make him a few snares." Grandpa didn't say anything after Grandma said that. "Okay, there are two snares hanging on the roof beam. I'll make two more later."

Four holes, Li Qingqiu thought to himself, should be enough. He planned to block the other holes with stones first.

The trap is similar to a fish trap; once you go in, you can't get out. The entrance design is quite ingenious, and Li Qingqiu can't weave it yet.

But I can learn it. I don't have much to do anyway, so I can dawdle for a while and help Grandpa split bamboo strips. It takes about two hours.

[The host humbly sought guidance from the clan's elders in spirit cage weaving and learned the spirit cage weaving technique (a rudimentary method)]

"really."

Most of the skills you learn are rudimentary. At regular sign-in areas, the skills you get are likely to be beginner-level, while the lottery currently offers higher-level, basic skills. Don't underestimate a basic skill card; it's equivalent to ten years of experience. Assuming an eight-hour workday, ten years of experience is no joke.

Grandpa's bamboo weaving skills probably don't even reach the beginner level. After all, bamboo weaving is just a side job for Grandpa in his spare time. Li Qingqiu helped tidy up and carried the four cages back home happily.

Snowflakes were already falling, and the snow had gotten thicker. No wonder everyone was able to clear the snow from their roofs on the way back. Thatched houses are nothing like cement houses in later generations; too much snow can cause problems.

"Third Brother, why are you only just getting back?"

"What's wrong?"

Just as Li Qingqiu was about to put the cage aside, he heard Li Qingmei's words and realized that something was wrong.

"Sixth Aunt heard somewhere about your paid leave and said you're hopeless. Mom had a fight with her, and she's angry right now." Before Li Qingmei could finish speaking, Shi Lanhua came straight to Li Qingqiu.

"No, it's just a vacation, how did I get into trouble again?" Li Qingqiu was both amused and exasperated. "Mom, don't take action yet, there are work points for this, aren't there?"

"And you're really making me so angry! Can't you just give me a break? I was just getting better, I got a reward, and then you had diarrhea again..." Goodness, the old lady really went all out, Li Qingqiu quickly said. "Mom, look, in this snowy weather, besides repairing tools in the warehouse and weaving baskets, there's nothing else to do, so we don't get many work points."

"Earning a few more is always a good thing."

"Besides, the team just said they're going to set up a militia patrol group. You just won an award, so if Fu Yuan mentions it, you're not going to miss it." Shi Lanhua got angrier and angrier, and slapped Li Qingqiu several times. A patrol group? No way! That would probably mean staying up all night, patrolling in the snow for a few work points. No way.

It's already cold in this snowy weather. Although I'm in alright, who knows what might happen if I get sick? My life is more important. I have a cultivation system, so I can't die from a minor illness. Otherwise, people will laugh at me to death.

"Patrol team? I can't do that in the middle of the night, Mom. We've already agreed on this, there's no point in saying it now." Li Qingqiu shrugged and started to back out. Patrol team? Whoever wants to do it can do it. I'll go no matter what. It's the middle of the night, the snow is falling heavily outside, and the temperature is below minus ten degrees Celsius. It's freezing cold.

How could a 21st-century college student withstand such torment? He refused to do anything. Shi Lanhua was disappointed in him, and with the added provocation from Aunt Liu, he almost grabbed a stick. Li Qingqiu saw that he was about to take drastic measures.

Why would I just stand there like an idiot? I'd run away and head straight to the educated youth checkpoint to sign in, hide for a while, chat with Yin Yi, get to know her better, and then send her any good stuff that's inconvenient to bring home to cook.

Seeing her third son run away, Shi Xiulan was in a state of confusion, unsure whether to laugh or cry. "How could I have given birth to such an unreliable, lazy, and good-for-nothing son? It's truly a tragedy."

"Mom, what Third Brother said is true. There's not much work to do in this snowy weather."

"But we can't be like him, slacking off and being lazy. It's good to earn an extra work point."

Shi Lanhua started talking about how, a few years ago, her family almost went hungry in the winter because they had nothing to eat. Li Qingmei could only nod in agreement. At this moment, she was a little envious of her third brother. He was shameless, always running away without a care in the world.

Achoo!

As I was saying, it's so cold today, it's not a good day to go out. It's still daytime, if it's nighttime he'll get sick from the cold. Thinking about it this way, he became even less interested in the patrol team.

"Hey, isn't this the third brother? Carrying a fishing trap, planning to go fishing in the river?"

Li Qingqiu thought to himself, "What bad luck! Why did I have to run into Big-Foot Sister-in-law? This woman is vengeful. It's nothing, I just said a few things about her big feet and slapped her kid a few times."

I can't be bothered with this woman, I should just sign in.

Seeing that Li Qingqiu ignored her and walked away without looking back, Big Foot Sister-in-law was so angry that she spat at Li Qingqiu's back. "What a piece of trash, a hopeless case. Let's see how long you can be so smug. You lazy bastard, you'll never be able to get a wife or even warm your bed..."

"That old woman is really annoying."

Li Qingqiu muttered to himself, quickening his pace. Reaching the educated youth settlement, he saw Yin Yi standing on tiptoe, stretching out her long arm to try and pull snow off the roof with a wooden stick. "Need any help?"

"Ah, it's you, Li Qingqiu."

Yin Yi blushed. She was small and weak, and the three thatched huts were piled high with snow; they hadn't even cleared a fifth of it yet. "Why are you here?"

"Let's see if you need any help."

Li Qingqiu thought to himself, "Signing in, girl, but can I say that?"

"Actually, I can do it myself, although it will be a bit slower."

Yin Yi thought Li Qingqiu had really come to help her pull the snow, and she was quite grateful. However, being alone with a man and a woman, and having only met yesterday, she felt a little embarrassed.

"Huh, what's this?"

"Didn't I tell you yesterday that I found a few mouse holes at the foot of the mountain? I was planning to try digging them out while the snow wasn't too deep yet. I'm going to put these down at the entrance of the holes; maybe I can catch a few more mice."

Li Qingqiu had just forgotten to leave the snare at home; he was in such a hurry to run away. "And there's a log, right? I'll lend you a hand."

"No, really no need."

"Don't mention it. Actually, I'm here because I need your help with something."

Li Qingqiu said with a smile, "This counts as a deposit."

"Then you can hold the stool down for me, I was a little afraid to stand on it." Yin Yi said, sounding a little embarrassed.

"OK."

Pressing down the bench was an easy task, and Li Qingqiu was happy to do it. After chatting for a while, he was finally able to sign in.

[Sign-in successful. Signed in at the local educated youth settlement. Obtained the unorthodox skill - petty theft (beginner level). Points +5]

"Empty-Hidden Miracle Surgery"—that name sounds familiar...wait, isn't that a thief's skill? "How come the educated youth settlement has such petty theft techniques?"

"The Chicken Stealing skill is activated, which can greatly reduce the vigilance of poultry. The Dog Petting skill is activated, which can soothe beasts and animals by petting them, making them quiet and obedient." Li Qingqiu was speechless. They really wanted him to steal chickens and pet dogs.

Are you alright?

"fine."

Li Qingqiu thought to himself, "I'm so frustrated. The educated youth settlement is really full of talented people. I was thinking that I might get Yin Yi's skills, but I didn't expect to get the Empty Hands skill. Goodness, what is this?"

[Host: Li Qingqiu (Lazy Eater Destiny)]

Cultivation Sect: Core disciple of the Li Clan (receiving special attention from the clan leader)

Cultivation Techniques: Basic Immortal Cultivation Method (Beginner), Lazy Eater Method (Beginner).

Cultivation Techniques: Spirit Plant Cultivation Technique (Beginner), Beast-Catching Spirit Rope Weaving Technique (Unsophisticated), Spirit Cage Weaving Technique (Unsophisticated), Sneaky Technique (Entry-level).

Magical items: Beast-catching rope (beginner level), Spirit-enhancing talisman (basic level), Clan Contribution Points Book (low-tier), Pig Beast Taming Skill Card (basic level), Mountain-splitting shovel

Elixirs: One bottle of Blood-Replenishing Pill (80/100), one Agar-agar Nutmeg Pill, one Jade Shell Nourishing Essence Pill

Items: 0.26 yuan Gold Spirit Coupon, 2 jin Silver Spirit Plant Coupon, 2 liang Spirit Oil, 1 Wicked Oil (Common item, can be sublimated)

Physical fitness: 6+1

Agility: 7

Power: 6

Spirit: 8

Points: 31

Sign-in requirements: 0/120 (One sign-in opportunity is granted for practicing the Lazy Eater Method for one hour each day)

Points-based lottery: Eligible participants can enter beginner, intermediate, and advanced lottery draws.

Task: Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, never underestimate a young man's potential. Task completion rate: 30/1000; Dual Cultivation Partner Task completion rate: 1/100; Blood-Eyed Demonic Beast Trial completion rate: 0/10. [Thirty years east of the river]

"what?"

"What happened?"

Li Qingqiu muttered to himself. "The points shouldn't be 31, how come there's 1 extra? After looking carefully for a while, I realized that the completion rate of dual cultivation partners has increased by 1 point. No way, could it be from contact with Yin Yi? This girl seems quite diligent, but I didn't expect it. Yin Yi, you look cute, but you're actually lazy and love to eat. You're a true friend."

"It's a pity it's a bit small, only eighteen."

"Wouldn't it seem a bit beastly to make a move?" Li Qingqiu sized up Yin Yi. From this angle, she was definitely fertile enough to bear a son—quite large and perky. As for yesterday, he probably already knew that the granary was full enough to eat.

"Don't overthink it. Get familiar with it first, and then work on achieving a higher completion rate."

Li Qingqiu suppressed his slight agitation; he hadn't even taken care of his own food and drink yet, it was too early to think about these things. Once the snow on the roof had mostly cleared, Yin Yi brewed a pot of tea and invited Li Qingqiu inside. "Thank you for your help, otherwise I wouldn't have finished all morning."

You're too kind.

Li Qingqiu took the tea, took a sip, and thought it was pretty good, just like the tea he brought from home. "Anything up this afternoon? If not, could you do me a favor? I'm planning to go dig for rats, but we're short-handed. Could you go help me set up a few traps? I'll share the catch with you."

"Sure, I'm free this afternoon too."

The two agreed to go after lunch. They decided to leave the cage with Yin Yi first and bring it over later. Li Qingqiu returned home and soon lunch was ready.

"Third brother, thank you so much, sister-in-law."

"Second sister-in-law, why are you being so polite with me?"

Li Qingqiu smiled nonchalantly, and was surprised to find that his second sister-in-law had given him a smile. He thought to himself, "This purchase was definitely worth it."

"Don't laugh at me, but this is the first time someone has ever bought me Waiwai Oil."

Goodness, Second Sister-in-law, don't say things like that, it's easy to misunderstand. Li Qingqiu laughed it off. Lin Xiu was just saying it casually. If we don't eat, the eldest sister-in-law also thanked Li Qingqiu.

"Let's eat."

Shi Lanhua didn't say anything, but glared at Li Qingqiu for wasting money. "Old man, what did the brigade say today? Has the trip to the forest farm been settled?"

"Fuyuan said the snow in the forest farm is quite heavy, so it might be a few days before we know when they need people."

"What should we do then? A day's delay means ten work points will be lost."

Ten work points, plus meals and lodging, and I heard they even provide coal for heating. This is much more comfortable than working on the river. This year, they've finally been assigned to work there. Why do we still have to wait?

"There's nothing we can do, the snow is falling so heavily."

"Ugh."

Shi Lanhua sighed. What to do? If they don't get enough work points, they'll probably be short of grain next year. Besides, the fourth son is getting married at the end of this year, and the third son's blind date can't be put on hold. If they wait another two years, Xian'an will be older, and the third son's situation will be even more difficult.

Shi Lanhua was worried and couldn't help but glare at Li Qingqiu, who was muttering about why she hadn't cut some dried tofu. "Mom, why are you glaring at me? I didn't say anything wrong, did I? We bought this stuff, are we just going to leave it here if we don't eat it? Cut some dried tofu and mix it with some dried vegetables, it'll taste good."

"Eat, eat, all you ever think about is eating."

As Shi Lanhua spoke, she tapped Li Qingqiu's forehead with her finger. "I haven't even asked you yet, how did you get those food coupons to buy four steamed buns? You're really rich."

"what?"

"What's with the candy?"

"Goodness," Li Qingqiu thought to himself, "Li Qingmei, you're something else, you've really gone all out with your snitching."

"This is an amazing prize! Let's buy some candy for Xianshu and the others to cheer them up."

"You just want to eat it yourself, don't you?" Shi Lanhua snorted. "This afternoon, come with me to the team. Whether you're braiding ropes or making pine branches, don't let me be idle."

"No, Mom, I have something to do this afternoon."

"What do you need? To fetch water for the widow, or shovel snow?"

"Pfft."

"Li Qingmei, what are you laughing at?"

Shi Lan Hua turned her attention to him again. "I told you to keep an eye on your third brother, but what did you do? You're eating steamed buns, applying liniment, and even making new cotton shoes..."

"Should."

Li Qingqiu made a face at Li Qingmei, who was looking at him with a wronged expression. This girl, betraying him, this is what happens to traitors.

"Mom, how could I stop Third Brother?"

"You're acting all wronged? And you, don't take it personally, you're no good either." Well, what could Li Qingqiu say? His mother was furious.

"Mom, I really have something to do this afternoon. I need to go to the foot of the mountain to catch rats. I've been eyeing them for days." Li Qingqiu took a bite of cornbread and then a bite of pickled chili.

"What did you say? You're not doing anything productive, catching mice! I really don't know what you're thinking. Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?" Shi Lanhua said with a look of exasperation.

"Mom, how is this not important? A rat's skin and tail can be sold for a penny or two."

Li Qingqiu muttered unhappily, "If I just grab ten or eight, that'll only be a dollar or two, which isn't much better than a few work points."

"You think you're so capable? Even your old headhunter uncle wouldn't dare to boast like that, saying you could catch ten or eight. You'd be lucky to even catch one." Shi Lanhua patted Li Qingqiu on the shoulder, and the others muttered to themselves, thinking that rats were hard to catch, especially at the foot of the mountain, where wild rats were better at burrowing than house rats.

"Mom, don't you believe me? This time I'll really catch one for you and show you what your son is capable of."

Li Qingqiu got excited. Holding the map of the Blood-Eyed Monster Cave, he was practically seeing the light of day. If he still couldn't catch them, he might as well just bang his head against a wall and die. "I've even borrowed a shovel. We'll go after dinner. Xianning, Xianle, you guys come with your third uncle too. I'll give you a few rats to buy candy later."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Do you think your house is full of rats and fleas?"

Shi Lanhua slammed her hand on the table in anger. "This kid is just messing around!"

"Third Uncle, can we go?"

Li Xianshu munched on a cornbread bun and asked softly, "Does Uncle really have candy in his pocket? I want some candy."

"Go away, who will give Uncle Three candy?"

As she spoke, she grabbed two or three candies and slammed them on the table. Shi Lanhua quickly collected them, not forgetting to pat Li Qingqiu on the shoulder before saying to Li Xianshu and the others, "Eat your food properly. Grandma will help you put these away."

Li Qingqiu winked at the group of teenagers, patted his pocket, and indicated that his third uncle had more in his pocket. The teenagers' eyes lit up. Shi Lanhua sighed, thinking, "This third brother of mine, why is he so unreliable?"

The eldest and second sisters-in-law exchanged a worried glance, fearing that their child might lead the third son astray. They would give him a good talking-to later. Sigh, this third son, why did he suddenly think of catching rats? A while ago, the team organized people to dig for rats, but they didn't see them dig up many. It was a waste of a lot of labor.

They didn't think Li Qingqiu was more capable than the others in the team. They knew that Old Headhunter Uncle had said that rats were hard to dig because they had many holes. It was a little better in the fields, but there were many rocks at the foot of the mountain, so it wasn't easy to dig them.

After finishing his meal, Li Qingqiu picked up the mountain-opening shovel he had received as a sign-in reward. "Xianle, Xianning, stop dawdling and come with me."

"Third Uncle, my mom won't let me go."

"You, Lin Xiu, actually hindered my trial! I invited you, fellow Daoist, and you intercepted me! You're inhuman! I misjudged you. How old are you? You still listen to your mother in everything. A real man should be in charge of his own affairs."

"Tell your third uncle, are you even a man?"

"Yes."

"Then what are we talking about? Let's go."

Good grief, Li Qingmei rolled her eyes speechlessly as she watched Xian Le being swayed by Li Qingqiu's few words.

Li Qingqiu, along with her family's several teenagers and two little tagalongs, Li Xianshu and Li Xianqing, waited for Yin Yi, who was carrying a cage, to join them.

"Set off."

The Earth Trial Team, led by Li Qingqiu, with Yin Yi as the left protector, Li Xianle as the right protector, and Li Xiangning and Li Xianye as the left and right protectors, along with cheerleaders Li Xianshu and Li Xianqing, marched down into the Blood-Eyed Demon Beast Cave in a grand and imposing manner.

"What's that kid doing?"

Aunt Liu muttered to herself, having overheard a few words. "Going into the mountains to catch mice, oh dear, she really doesn't do anything worthwhile. If she could catch them, why would she wait for you? What are you dreaming of? I'll go tell Big Foot, and we'll see how I make fun of Shi Lan Hua later. Let her show off when she wins the prize."

"Let's see what you're still so smug about, Shilan Hua. Digging for mice, it'll crack me up." Aunt Liu jogged back to the team and found Big Foot Sister-in-law, giving her a long lecture. "Alright, wait a bit, when Li Laosan comes back, we'll go and ambush him. Let's see how cocky he is then."