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

Li Qingqiu sipped his tea and hummed a tune. Director Guo was a really nice guy; he even let the two brothers eat in the cafeteria. What a good person!

"Comrade Qingqiu, do you have any good suggestions for promoting snow mushrooms?"

"I haven't thought about promotion."

"Are you kidding me? The snow mushroom was a freebie from my lottery. It's been five generations since it was introduced. How am I supposed to promote it? What a joke! I'm definitely not taking this on." "Director Guo, the snow mushroom is a new strain. Its stability is completely unknown. Promoting it rashly could easily lead to problems."

Li Qingqiu would definitely make himself clear about what needed to be said, and he even planned to write something down to clear himself of any responsibility. He had said what he needed to say, and as for what happened afterward, it was no longer his concern as an ordinary member of the production team.

The two newly arrived agricultural technicians, both vocational school graduates, carried a certain arrogance of technical professionals and didn't take Li Qingqiu's words, who was just a peasant, seriously. "Director Guo," one of them said, "I think snow mushrooms have great economic value, and the branch method used by Comrade Li Qingqiu is a common cultivation method in mushroom cultivation, with very little difficulty."

"Yes, Director Guo, snow mushrooms are an extremely rare species. As far as I know, they are the first fungi in the country and even the world to grow naturally at temperatures below minus ten degrees Celsius. Their economic and scientific research value is extremely high." Wang Qingqing's father was once an expert in provincial agriculture. Even though he has been demoted, his treatment is still very good.

This shaped Wang Qingqing's relatively proud personality. Similarly, she didn't think highly of Li Qingqiu, who was cautious and discerning, even though she had heard of his reputation.

Guo Feng frowned slightly after listening to what the others said. Li Qingqiu's words made some sense, but as Wang Qingqing and the other person said, snow mushrooms were extremely valuable. Guo Feng knew about the lack of vegetables in winter, and if snow mushrooms could be successfully cultivated on a large scale, it could solve part of the problem.

"Director Guo, snow mushrooms can not only solve part of our winter vegetable shortage problem, but if the taste can satisfy foreign guests, it might also generate considerable foreign exchange revenue for the country," Wang Qingqing said. "As far as I know, even abroad, there doesn't seem to be any edible fungus that can grow naturally at temperatures below minus ten degrees Celsius."

At this moment, Guo Feng's mind was tipped. If it succeeded, the foreign exchange earnings would be a great achievement.

"What are some good methods you have for ensuring the stability of bacterial strains?"

"I think that after breeding for several more generations, it will most likely stabilize."

Wang Qingqing considered for a moment and said, "There are precedents where wild mushrooms have developed relatively stable growth characteristics after several generations of cultivation."

"Comrade Li Qingqiu may not be familiar with this aspect, so it is understandable that he is concerned about the stability of the strain."

Li Qingqiu thought to himself, "Fine, if that's how you put it, then don't blame me. I've given you all the reminders I needed to." He continued, "I reserve my opinion, Technician Wang. Just in case, I'd like you to provide an explanation."

"Oh, you still think the snow mushroom strain is unstable?"

"Yes, I think it's better to play it safe."

"Hahaha!"

Li Qingqiu's words elicited a slightly contemptuous smile from Wang Qingqing and the other woman.

"Leave the bacterial strain to us; we'll take on the same responsibility."

Upon hearing Wang Qingqing's words, Li Qingqiu immediately nodded. "Alright, now that Director Guo is here, he can be a witness."

"Just kidding, the Five Dynasties were wiped out, that's what the system said," Li Qingqiu thought, still believing the system.

"Third Brother..."

Li Qingshi wanted to persuade him, since it was his third brother who discovered the strain. Originally, his third brother should have taken at least half the credit, but if he gave up the strain now, the credit would be much less. Especially since he had to sign a responsibility division statement with the technician who cultivated the strain. If the strain was successfully cultivated, he would probably be laughed at for being timid, and his credit would be even smaller.

"It's okay. I never liked this kind of time-consuming thing anyway. If the snow mushrooms hadn't grown so many, I wouldn't have bothered with it. It's fine now." Li Qingqiu finished writing the statement, and Wang Qingqing and Li Qingqiu signed it. Guo Feng sighed and signed his name as well.

Li Qingqiu completely relinquished control over the cultivation of the mushroom strain. Of course, there was still no major problem with his own cultivation of snow mushrooms, since he was the first to discover the snow mushroom strain. However, Li Qingqiu completely abandoned the task of promoting it.

"I still have to say, be extremely cautious before large-scale promotion..."

Li Qingqiu put the statement in his pocket, but in the end he couldn't help but say a few words of advice. However, it seemed that not only Wang Qingqing didn't listen, but even Guo Feng frowned. Li Qingqiu was being too nagging and too timid.

Well, what else is there to say? Li Qingqiu originally thought that Director Guo was a nice person and that he could offer more advice, but now it seems that if he tries to advise too much, he might just annoy him.

[The Snow Spirit Fungus has been taken over by the Ten Thousand Cultivation Alliance. Lazy Eater has achieved the minor achievement of Mushroom Immortal, gaining +5 points.]

"What is this?" Li Qingqiu muttered. "Does the system think that cultivating snow mushrooms is too time-consuming and doesn't fit the Lazy Eater's cultivation method? Lazy? Oh well, never mind. I'll go to the steamed bun shop to sign in and get a few agar-agar and cardamom pills."

"Third brother, are you stupid? If you had just held on a little longer, you might have been able to get a temporary job at the agricultural technology station." As soon as he left the office, the second brother, Li Qinghua, who hadn't said a word until now, slapped his thigh, full of regret.

"Second brother, it's best to avoid getting involved in these benefits. I'm just a farmer, and I work at an agricultural technology station. Besides, I'm really worried about the mushroom strain. What if it stops growing snow mushrooms one day? Who will take responsibility then? Now it's all right, I'm out of the picture. We can grow some ourselves and sell them for money. I don't think anyone will say anything. It's so easy and without any responsibility. We're not that strong; we can't handle big things." Li Qingqiu was afraid of taking the blame. In this day and age, who knows?

He didn't want to get involved with either good or bad people anymore. His sign-in location was fixed now—only Lijia'ao. What a joke it was to work in the commune. The benefits of signing in were much better than being a temporary worker. Besides, the agricultural technology station was always running around to the countryside, which was very tiring.

If he were given an office to sit in, he would be happy to have tea and chat, and he could tolerate a salary of thirty or fifty yuan a month.

As for the agricultural technology station, his brother-in-law was one of them, and he often went to the countryside, which was quite tiring.

Although he earned some extra income, it was far less than what he could earn through the sign-in system. Li Qingqiu wasn't stupid; he wouldn't lose the big picture for a small gain.

Most importantly, the Snow Spirit Fungus was a system bonus, and it became extinct after five generations. He had no ability to change the species cultivated by the system.

As for whether Wang Qingqing and the others can successfully cultivate it, then he really needs to thank them. After all, they were the first to discover the strain, and no one can change that. He doesn't want to claim credit; although their contribution may be small, safety comes first.

One of the prerequisites for practicing the Lazy Eater Method is safety and leisure. I just gave away the Snow Spirit Fungus strain and even got a small achievement reward. How great is that?

Seeing that Li Qingqiu didn't seem angry or upset at all, Li Qinghua and Li Qingshi breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a little regretful.

"Comrade Li Qingqiu, please wait a moment."

"Something's up."

"The commune deeply appreciates your hard work in discovering the snow mushroom strain and your noble spirit of selflessly contributing the strain. Director Guo has specially discussed with several leaders to provide you with certain material compensation."

"I can't accept this. What kind of compensation would you like?"

Li Qingqiu thought to himself, "Okay, Director Guo is a good person to get along with. Look at him, he handles interpersonal relationships so well. This kind of leader should be promoted and made a fortune."

"Due to the limitations of the commune, the compensation may be less."

"Twenty catties of grain coupons, ten feet of cloth coupons, five catties of meat coupons, three catties of non-staple food coupons, and a small amount of tobacco and alcohol coupons, industrial vouchers, etc., plus a five-yuan cash reward." Goodness, that's quite a lot, quite a lot, Li Qingqiu thought to himself, Director Guo is quite good in this regard.

Li Qingqiu hadn't expected any material compensation; he thought he'd only get a certificate of merit. But Director Guo was indeed a man of action. He thought to himself that he should take the opportunity to persuade him, and always be cautious.

"Thank you, Officer Wang."

Having received the benefits, Li Qingqiu was in an even better mood. He not only sold the snow mushrooms but also received a note that allowed him to sell a small quantity of them freely. Now he even had to receive compensation. As for the credit for the cultivation of the mushroom strains, let whoever wants it take it; he had no ability to influence the system.

"That's quite a lot of compensation."

Li Qinghua's eyes widened. Coupons! Twenty jin of grain coupons, and most importantly, cloth coupons, meat coupons, and non-staple food coupons—these were all valuable items.

"It's alright."

Li Qingqiu casually put it in his pocket. "Second brother, let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative."

"Well, why don't we go home first?"

Li Qinghua was afraid that Li Qingqiu would become extravagant again after going to the supply and marketing cooperative, so Shi Lanhua had specifically instructed her beforehand to keep an eye on the third son and prevent him from doing anything reckless.

"Second brother, we've come all this way to the commune, we shouldn't just buy things for ourselves, we should at least buy something for Mom and Dad. Come on, you have to listen to me on this." Li Qinghua really didn't know how to argue with Li Qingqiu's words.

As for filial piety, what else could Li Qinghua say? He could only rely on Li Qingshi. Li Qingshi was now preoccupied with the matter of the bacterial strain. His third brother had just handed it over like that. Sigh, he should have talked to his third brother properly. There are so many benefits to bacterial strain cultivation.

If it really works, it will be promoted throughout the entire commune, the entire county, the entire region, even the entire province, and the entire country. The benefits from this, even if you miss a little bit, would probably be enough for Third Brother to live off for a lifetime. Yet Third Brother doesn't seem to care about such a good thing.

Li Qingshi also felt a little guilty. Why hadn't he thought of this earlier? Now that he had said what he wanted to say and written the statement, it was hard to do anything else. Oh well, with Third Brother's personality, if he really got involved, who knows what kind of trouble he might cause.

[Sign-in successful. Signed in at the Agar-agar Nutmeg Shop. Received 10 Agar-agar Nutmeg Pills and 2 points.]

Not bad, 10 meat buns. Li Qingqiu was delighted; the sign-in reward was good.

"Come on, second brother, let's go shopping."

I bought the cloth immediately, since I was short a pair of pants. I could tolerate the patched-up pants, but they weren't warm enough. I bought some groceries to use for hot pot when we got back. As for the industrial coupons, I used them to buy some things for my grandparents and parents.

Hats, shoes—Li Qingqiu bought them all in one go. If Li Qinghua hadn't stopped him, good heavens, he probably would have spent all the money he made from selling snow mushrooms. Li Qinghua had witnessed firsthand how much money his third brother could spend; it was simply astonishing, making him tremble with fear.

This isn't just a few cents or a dollar; it's ten or twenty dollars! You can spend it without even blinking.

"Second brother, look at this hat, how is it? Doesn't it look good?"

Li Qingqiu wore the cadre's hat, and it was actually quite nice; it was much more comfortable to wear in this cold weather.

"It's alright."

"The cloth coupons were all used up at once, how could it not be good?" Li Qinghua said, both amused and exasperated.

Hats required cloth coupons, and shoes required industrial coupons. Li Qingqiu was decisive and bought them.

"Second brother, there's a saying: 'Everyone has their own talents, and even if you spend all your money, it will come back again.'"

Li Qingqiu patted his basket with a smile. "When we get home, Mom will be so happy to see the shoes we bought for her."

Li Qinghua muttered, "I'll beat you up if I'm happy, you believe it?" Li Qingqiu could tell from his second brother's expression that his second brother was definitely thinking about him, so he chuckled. "Second brother, don't think about it, have some candy."

"I'm not a child."

Li Qinghua muttered to himself, "This third brother used up all half a jin of candy coupons at once. Oh well, the third brother doesn't have any children. These candies will just end up in the hands of his family and his eldest brother's kids. No wonder these kids have been so fond of his third uncle lately."

Humming a little tune, Li Qingqiu ate candy, his head covered with a cadre's hat. His basket was filled with shoes, hats, gloves, and face cream he had bought. He had quite a lot of things, except for not having much money in his pocket.

"Oh, Mom's here?"

At the intersection, Shilan Flower was standing on tiptoe, eagerly waiting. Li Qinghua thought to himself, "Oh no, if Lao San is in trouble, I'm afraid I'll suffer along with him."

Li Qingqiu's eyes darted around, and he quickly shoved the basket into his second brother Li Qinghua's hands, saying, "Second brother, about the snow mushrooms, I need to go to the team and tell Uncle Fuyuan. The commune already knows, so it's probably hard to keep it a secret. I'll go over now. Please take the stuff home for me and tell them you bought it."

"What? I bought it all? You bought it all! Don't go..."

"Okay, okay, I bought it. You didn't stop me."

"Third brother, you...."

Li Qingqiu quickly waved his hand. It was better for his second brother to be unlucky than for him to be unlucky. His own brother was there to take the fall in a critical moment. "Mom, I have important business to discuss with Uncle Fuyuan at the brigade."

"What's the important matter?"

Shi Lanhua was caught off guard and turned to look at Li Qinghua, who had failed to escape.

"Mom, why are you looking at me like that?"

What's in your basket?

"It's nothing, no, it's just something the third brother bought."

"What did you buy?"

Li Qinghua thought to himself, "This third brother is trying to trick me."

"Tell me, what did you buy?"

Shi Lanhua took a few steps forward as she spoke, and several women by the well joined in the commotion. "Qinghua, what good things did you and Qingqiu buy at the commune? Your mother came over early this morning to wait for you."

"Auntie, it's nothing much, just a hat, shoes, cloth, and some groceries and stuff."

"What?"

Goodness, I was just going to make fun of Shi Lanhua for being stingy, but who would have thought that Li Qinghua would say he bought hats, shoes, cloth, and groceries? Is that possible? Is Shi Lanhua really that generous?

"Are you kidding your aunt? Would you really be willing to spend that much?" The women didn't believe it. They thought Shi Lanhua, that stingy slut, would be willing to buy hats, shoes, and even groceries.

Why is Qinghua also starting to talk nonsense like Qingqiu?

"You really bought it?" Shi Lanhua was a little flustered. She wouldn't be afraid if it was just the second son, but with the third son, it was hard to say.

"Mom, listen to me, these were all bought by the third son..."

"Oh my god, it really exists..."