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

"Second son's wife, don't say such things. Third son is now the deputy captain of the treasure hunting team, earning fifteen work points a day. Outsiders will gossip if they hear this." Shi Lanhua said sternly. "Go to the kitchen and help eldest son's wife cook. Third son, you need to distinguish between important and trivial matters. You are the deputy captain; you can't be greedy for small gains and suffer big losses."

"Mom, I know."

Li Qingqiu had to admit that Shi Lanhua was quite decisive when it came to important family matters. As for what her second sister-in-law said, whether it was right or wrong, she shouldn't have said it in public, in front of the children. After all, the children were young, and she couldn't have been careful when she said it.

Many people in the brigade were already dissatisfied with Li Qingqiu being the deputy captain, and they were worried about what would happen if they found fault with him.

"It's good that you know. Learn from your old headhunter uncle and medicine basket uncle. Be dedicated to the team, but also be realistic and have real skills. That's your livelihood for the rest of your life." Li Qingqiu admired the old lady even more for her words. She may not be highly educated, but she was very insightful.

"Mom, I know what to do."

Li Qingqiu said with a smile, "My skills are something most people can't learn."

"That's good."

"If you have skills to rely on, you won't starve."

"That's right, don't waste money in the future. Buy meat to eat whenever you have a little money. No matter how capable you are, you can't afford to squander it like this. A person needs to learn to save... Don't make people worry. Be good, and find a wife and have a big, healthy son by tomorrow..." Goodness, why did he say something so serious just now, but then he changed his style? Li Qingqiu could only nod.

He thought to himself that it was because he wasn't skilled enough. He was now a cultivator and had a cultivation system attached to him. Although the system was a bit of a rip-off, it was still a system.

"Mom, I know. You should rest. I've been running around all day and I'm covered in dust. Go back inside and wash your face."

"Why wash your face in your room? You don't have a basin there."

Well, Li Qingqiu smiled wryly. Indeed, there was nothing in the room except for a tattered quilt and this set of clothes, patched upon patched, in the dead of winter. Fortunately, he would have a new pair of cotton shoes in a few days.

Li Qingqiu thought to himself that he needed to save some money quickly, as he really didn't plan to harvest cotton in the spring.

In my memory, Li Qingqiu's winter clothes also served as spring and autumn clothes. In spring, the cotton was removed from the clothes and washed, and they became spring clothes. In late autumn, the cotton was stuffed back in, and they became winter clothes. He wore the same set of clothes all year round.

Summer clothes? Are you kidding me? Just roll up the pant legs and don't wear any clothes on top. Two pairs of underwear are already Li Qingqiu's biggest luxury item.

It's not that Shilan Hua treated him badly; most of the people in Lijia'ao were like that, poor on average.

For dinner, we had steamed cornbread, stewed beef with cabbage, and stir-fried bamboo shoots with pickled vegetables and chili peppers. Goodness, the kids ate like little piglets. They hadn't had anything dry for two or three days, let alone beef. It's almost Chinese New Year, and Li Qingqiu's sister-in-law specially saved some beef for him. There were two rather thick pieces, and the braised beef tasted really good.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Li Qingqiu rested for a while and then borrowed a pencil and newspaper from Li Qingmei to make shoe patterns. He returned to the house and sketched the winter bamboo shoot distribution map provided by the system. "I can dig up the winter bamboo shoots in the nearby areas myself. Once Uncle Fuyuan hypes up the kudzu root, the price of winter bamboo shoots will definitely increase. Then I can dig some up and sell them for some money."

"The treasure hunting teams that are further away are all young men, and Qingbing and the others are capable workers. It's good for them to come and dig for the benefit of the brigade." Li Qingqiu thought to himself, and handed over the winter bamboo shoots from several distant locations to the brigade.

"These two bamboo shoots, which are very close to the hillside, are not plentiful, but they are easy to dig up. We can dig them up and stir-fry them with beef tomorrow."

Li Qingqiu drew a map showing the distribution of two winter bamboo shoot areas on the hillside. "These two areas are quite easy to find; comparing them isn't difficult."

"Knock knock knock".

"What's up?"

"Little sister, come to my room with Xianjing, I have something to tell you."

Li Qingmei and Li Xianjing shared a room. They exchanged a glance, nodded, and went into Li Qingqiu's room. "Let's take a look."

"Third Brother, what's this?"

"Winter bamboo shoots, they're over on the hillside, not far from Uncle Crooked Neck, about five or six meters away," Li Qingqiu said, pointing to the distribution map. "I checked before the snow; there are probably winter bamboo shoots near the base of the bamboo."

"If you and Xianjing are free, you can go dig some tomorrow."

Li Qingmei and Li Xianjing both heard Lin Xiu's words. Shi Lanhua stopped her at the time, but they didn't expect Li Qingqiu to be waiting here.

"Don't tell anyone."

"Don't worry, Third Brother, we understand."

"There are a few more places. I'll think about them and let you know later."

"Third Brother, is the treasure hunting team alright?"

Li Qingqiu was worried that if the treasure hunting team didn't achieve any results, people might start gossiping about Third Brother again.

"I just dug up such a big kudzu root, no one on the treasure hunting team will say anything for a while. Besides, I'm planning to take the team to dig for winter bamboo shoots in a more distant place tomorrow," Li Qingqiu said with a low laugh. "The ones closer to home are easier to dig, so let's keep them for home."

Li Qingmei and Li Xianjing hadn't expected that Li Qingqiu had already planned things out for the family. They were afraid that even if their second sister-in-law didn't say anything, their third brother would find a chance to tell them. "Don't tell anyone else about this. Uncle Fuyuan plans to use kudzu to promote our Lijia'ao as a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. Only such a wonderful thing could grow in such a beautiful place. We'll dig up more winter bamboo shoots and sell them for a high price."

"Will it work?"

"Why not give it a try? The snow is quite heavy now, and it's not easy to dig up winter bamboo shoots in other places. If we dig them up, and even if the price doesn't go up because of the reputation of kudzu, the reputation of Lijia'ao will spread, and our products will be easier to sell."

"That's true."

Although the two didn't quite understand, there was some truth to what they were saying. Li Qingqiu chatted with them for a few more minutes, giving them some instructions. "Anyone in the family who can take care of you can do so, just make sure you're told not to tell anyone outside."

"Third Brother, you can rest assured."

"Yes, Third Uncle, we know, but we won't tell anyone."

Li Xianjing knew that her third uncle was capable and that he was thinking of her for such a good thing. She certainly couldn't let him down. Maybe she could even rely on him to find her a good husband in the future.

The two went back inside and carefully compared the map, and it was quite easy to confirm that the place was next to the crooked tree.

"Auntie, let's go take a look tomorrow morning."

"Call Xian'an."

Li Qingmei nodded. "Let's go together, the three of us. It's not safe for just the two of us girls to be alone."

"I'll talk to Xian'an later."

Li Xianjing nodded. Having more boys would be better, since the hillside was some distance from the brigade and was still considered part of the mountains.

"Auntie, do you think Uncle has changed lately?"

"no the same?"

Li Qingmei tilted her head and thought for a moment. "The taste hasn't changed. I secretly bought five catties of beef today. My laziness and shirking haven't changed either, but it seems I've become even more capable."

"Aunt, Uncle will probably be angry if he hears you say that about him."

"Why is he angry? I didn't say anything wrong. I was just telling the truth, and I said the same thing to his face."

Achoo!

Li Qingqiu sneezed. He had originally wanted to take off his coat to warm himself by the fire. He had been running around outside all day, and although the snowfall was much lighter today, his coat was still a bit damp.

But no sooner had he taken off his coat than he sneezed. It was just too cold; he should keep wearing it to keep warm. "Make more firewood later."

Otherwise, the brazier wouldn't last until the middle of the night. Sparks flickered in the ceramic basin, and Li Qingqiu wondered how Yin Yi was doing.

Unexpectedly, Yin Yi, who usually seems quite capable, is so timid and scared like a coward. Sigh, she's quite pitiful. She went from the city to the countryside when she was just over 10 years old. At first, things were a little better because she had a few fellow educated youths with her. Now, all the other educated youths have gone back to spend the winter, leaving her all alone.

She was just pretending to be strong before; she's still just a kid at heart. It would be better for her to have her younger sister and Xianjing befriend her than to be alone.

After warming himself by the fire for a while, Li Qingqiu took the brazier back.

The whole family only has this one brazier. It's true, he'll have to buy one sooner or later. When he has nothing to do, he can close the door and roast some sweet potatoes or chicken wings. That's what a comfortable life is like. "It's a pity that I don't know how to cook. I'll never learn in this lifetime. Only women learn to cook. Who cooks for a proper man? Eating ready-made food is the right way."

Li Qingqiu is a 21-year-old male college student. He is arrogant, tall, and has a large penis. His main goal is to not do housework, not learn to cook, not be accustomed to women, spend his money on himself when he has it, and find money to spend when he doesn't. He will take the civil service exam after graduation and his main goal is to spend his life eating, drinking, and having fun.

It's a pity that the announcement was just made. I played a game, had a few drinks, and soaked my feet before coming here. Li Qingqiu sighed and decided to give up. "Right now, I'll make the most of this time. For now, the main thing is food and clothing. Everything else can wait. As for food, there's a baozi shop where I can sign in. Once the snow gets lighter, I can sign in twice. I can also get some items by signing in regularly. I should be able to get food and clothing by the end of the year without much trouble."

"Right now, the most crucial thing is still winter bamboo shoots."

The distribution map is quite large, covering the entire region, more than ten square kilometers. Even without snow, it would take more than a day or two to dig it out. Now that there is such heavy snow, the mountain roads are even more difficult to travel. It may take a month or two to dig it all out.

The treasure hunting team took on the work for most of the month, but Li Qingqiu wasn't worried. He dug up a cluster every other day, which allowed him to rest well and complete the team's tasks. "It's great! Fifteen work points a day, that's more than others earn in two months."

Who would laugh at my four work points? It's like a child's desk. Just thinking about Li Qingqiu makes me happy, especially that girl Zhang Qingya. I won a dollar from her last time, and the little girl is still not convinced. Who knows what she'll say about my four work points?

Sooner or later I'll find a chance to show off in front of that girl. Maybe that'll trigger a "thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river" bragging quest. The possibility is pretty high. "It's just that the snow is too heavy, making it difficult to go to Zhangjia Village."

"Don't overthink it, let things take their course, go to sleep."

The next morning, Li Qingqiu ate a cornbread and ate two more for lunch. Shi Lanhua secretly cut two pieces of beef and stuffed them into Li Qingqiu's hand. "Don't let anyone else see, eat them quietly by yourself."

"Okay, Mom."

Li Qingqiu smiled, carefully wrapped the package in kraft paper, tucked it into his pocket, and skipped out the door.

"Li Qingqiu".

With one hand tucked into her bosom and the other covering her face, Yin Yi saw Li Qingqiu approach and pulled out a meat pie, handing it to him. "I used the last bit of flour I had yesterday to make two meat pies with the beef you gave me. Here, try them and see if they're good."

"There are only two meat patties, can you give me one?"

"The beef you gave me."

Yin Yi whispered, "This girl isn't pretending to be strong anymore; her timid little round face is kind of cute. You eat it, I ate some cornbread this morning."

I ate one.

"Then keep it for lunch. You didn't bring lunch, did you?"

"without……."

"I can skip lunch."

Yin Yi whispered, but Li Qingqiu waved his hand. "That won't do."

"But the meat pie was saved for you."

"Alright, I'll take the meat pie. I'll trade it for a cornbread."

Li Qingqiu stuffed a steamed bun into Yin Yi's mouth and then took the meat pie, broke it in half, and gave the rest to Yin Yi. "I can't finish it, you can have this."

"Thanks."

"No need for formalities."

Li Qingqiu said with a smile, "Let's go, maybe we'll get lucky today and catch another pheasant to roast and eat."

"That's great."

She nibbled on the meat pie, but in reality, Yin Yi had just lied. There wasn't much dough left, and two meat pies weren't enough. The meat pie she ate was less than half the size of the one she gave to Li Qingqiu, and she wasn't full at all.

When the other members of the treasure hunting team saw the two arrive, they prepared to set off.

Today, they split into two teams again: one hunting and the other searching for medicinal herbs. Li Qingqiu didn't choose the hunting team because he didn't own a hunting rifle and didn't know how to use one. He preferred to stay with Uncle Medicine Basket and the others.

When Li Qingqiu and the others set off, Li Fuyuan had already arrived at the commune.

Today, all the production team leaders have arrived to study the county revolutionary committee's documents on how to deal with the snow disaster. During the meeting break, Li Fuyuan took the opportunity to boast that a giant human-shaped kudzu root had been unearthed in Lijia'ao, which was considered an extremely auspicious sign.

"Good heavens, it's at least four or five meters tall, that thing..."

"Let me tell you, such a magical creature can't grow in ordinary places..."