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

"Uncle Fuyuan, I want to participate too."

Li Qingmei finally gritted her teeth and stood up. She didn't want to see her mother worry or her third brother lose face. Of course, she also had her own reasons for thinking about herself. Going to the commune to participate in the quotations competition could also help her find out some information about factory recruitment in the county.

"Then I'll participate too."

Li Xianjing sighed. Her third uncle had really caused her a lot of trouble. Seeing that her aunt had stood up to share the burden, she sighed helplessly and stood up as well. Fortunately, she had been quite diligent in studying the quotations.

Li Qingqiu was somewhat surprised that his younger sister and Xianjing had jumped out. Was it to distract everyone and relieve his own pressure?

"actually……."

Li Qingqiu wanted to be fully prepared, so he activated the mental spell, making the assessment a piece of cake.

"Fugui, you come and test me."

"Let's do a screening while we're at it. This time, five people from our brigade should be enough. Too many would be a waste of money." Li Fuyuan originally thought he wouldn't be able to gather five people, but unexpectedly, three people from Li Qingqiu's family came.

The test was actually quite simple. Li Fugui would give the first line of a sentence, and Li Qingqiu and the others would answer with the second line. The test content was basically limited to two hundred quotes, so much so that Li Qingqiu passed the test without even activating a talisman.

"Let's confirm this now."

"The list of participants for tomorrow's quote competition is: Li Qinglian, Li Qingchang, Li Qingqiu, Li Qingmei, and Li Xianjing." Li Fuyuan was quite surprised that Li Qingqiu was actually quite capable. Although he stuttered a bit when answering one question, he still managed to answer it.

Of course, Li Qinglian answered the questions much more smoothly. Li Fuyuan looked at his nephew and realized that he would have to rely on him again this time. As for Li Qingqiu and the others, they were probably just there to make up the numbers.

"He's so smug, thinking he's so great. He can't even answer a question properly. He'll be a disgrace to the commune."

Sixth Aunt finally caught Li Qingqiu red-handed, and she muttered loudly, as if afraid that others wouldn't hear her.

"Han Caihua, you filthy spewing filth, I'll tear your stinking mouth apart!" Shi Lanhua didn't hold back and went up to tear Aunt Liu's mouth apart. Big Foot Sister-in-law and Wang Yulan were about to stop her when Second Sister-in-law Lin Xiu and Eldest Sister-in-law Wang Yun stopped them.

Sixth Aunt had nowhere to run, and Li Fuyuan frowned as he saw this. "Alright, this is a meeting, where do you think you are? Stop it all."

"If it weren't for the captain's sake, I would have torn your stinking mouth to shreds today."

Shi Lanhua released her disheveled sixth aunt, who had been beaten and finally behaved herself. Li Qingqiu thought to himself that this sixth aunt still needed to be disciplined by her mother. She could take her down with a single blow and she was done for.

After the meeting ended, Li Qingqiu rubbed his numb ears and face, and moved his feet, which were almost completely numb from the cold. These old cotton shoes were no longer warm at all. "Xiaomei, Xianjing, tomorrow, I'll treat you to steamed buns."

The thought of going to the commune tomorrow, without having to bother practicing the lazy eating method, put me in a great mood. Especially since I can sign in at the steamed bun shop, or buy steamed buns, since I'm rich and have ration coupons now.

Li Qingmei rolled her eyes. Third Brother was definitely planning to go back and ask Mom for money and food coupons, and he might even be using them as a pretext.

"Third Uncle, no need."

Li Xianjing also thought of it. What kind of person was her third uncle? He was always broke. She suspected that Li Qingqiu's motives for participating in the competition were impure. "Auntie," she said, "do you think third uncle might be participating in the competition just to get some steamed buns?"

"I have to say, this is something only Third Brother would do."

Li Qingmei regretted standing up to help distract Li Qingqiu; she had meant well but ended up doing something wrong.

Li Qingqiu had no idea what his family was thinking. He had a cultivation system, so how could he possibly participate in the competition for two steamed buns?

That was for cloth coupons, grain coupons, and money, okay? You really underestimate yourself.

On the way home, Lin Xiu, the second sister-in-law, whispered to Li Qinghua, "You keep a close eye on things, don't give the third son a chance to ask his mother for money or tickets."

"I understand, don't worry."

Li Qinghua patted his chest and assured him, "I'll get some sleep tonight, you go to sleep first, I'll keep an eye on things."

"OK."

"This third son, I'm afraid he's really considering this," the eldest brother, Li Qingchun, and his wife sighed after hearing their eldest daughter's guess. "Tell me, how come this third son would go to such lengths just to cure his stutter?"

"Sigh, I just hope he'll be more serious after he gets married."

Li Qingchun didn't know what to say. The third brother was unreliable; what could he do?

"Sigh, Xianjing is seventeen. She'll need to be set up with a husband within the next two years, but no matchmaker from the surrounding villages dares to come to our door. And Xian'an is fifteen. Boys need to be set up with husbands early, and it'll only be a couple of years. With the third son acting so recklessly, I'm afraid it will implicate both of the children." Wang Yun worried, and Li Qingchun remained silent for a while. "I know about this. If the third son really can't find someone this year, I'll have to talk to Mom about it no matter what. At the very least, we should find him a refugee. He's unreliable; we can't let him implicate the children."

"You should talk to the second son's family about it later. The second son's wife said before that her son Xianle is fourteen years old and will be looking for a husband in less than two years." Wang Yun had thought that Lin Xiu's words were a bit exaggerated, but now it seems that she was right.

The whole commune is now abuzz with news of the fight over steamed buns. And that's not all—four work points is a huge joke. It won't be long before the production brigades of the surrounding villages all know about it. Work points are lifeblood. Even though Li Qingqiu was always fooling around and lazy, he still had seven or eight work points. Now, he's got his kids at the same table and doesn't care at all. He's completely shameless.

He doesn't want it anymore, but they do.

Li Qingqiu had no idea that his elder brothers hadn't slept all night, discussing his own affairs. He returned to his cave, soaked his feet in hot water, and slept soundly and comfortably. The thought of being able to sign in at the commune the next day made his depressed mood much more relaxed.

"That feels so good."

Upon waking up, Li Qingqiu stretched and grabbed a handful of snow to brush his teeth. As for a toothbrush and toothpaste, there was none. Li Qingqiu couldn't stand this at first, but had no choice but to find a substitute. Fortunately, it kept snowing.

He rubbed his teeth, scooped up some cold water and washed his face. Shi Lanhua saw him and said a few words, "Why wash your face in the dead of winter? Your skin will be too soft to withstand the cold." Li Qingqiu could only laugh awkwardly and say that he washed his face to clear his head. He couldn't very well say that he, a modern person, really couldn't stand not washing his face for three to five days.

After Li Qingqiu finished getting ready, Li Qingmei and Li Xianjing were already waiting. In those days, there was no such thing as makeup. Neither Li Qingmei nor Li Xianjing had any cosmetics at all. The hair oil was brought by her sister, and it was probably almost used up by now.

"Third Uncle, why don't you have a cornbread?"

"No, let's get to the meeting point early and get out of here soon. I'll treat you to meat buns."

Li Qingqiu waved his hand dismissively, "Finally, I can have something soft to eat. But don't even think about having any steamed buns on my table today."

Li Xianjing and Li Qingmei exchanged a glance. Had their third brother managed to get his hands on money and food coupons? "Auntie, didn't you say that Uncle hasn't left the house since he came back yesterday?"

"He hasn't left the house; I've been keeping an eye on him the whole time."

Li Qingmei was also a little puzzled. Where did her third brother get the money and food coupons? Could it be from Grandma? That was quite possible; Grandma doted on him the most and always gave him the best things. "Let's go."

The three arrived at the well. A short while later, Liu Fuyuan, Li Fugui, Li Qinglian, and Li Qingchang, riding in an oxcart driven by the driver Li Guaizi, slowly approached them. "Get on, let's hurry, it starts at ten o'clock."

The three climbed onto the oxcart and sat on the meadow. Li Qingqiu recalled when he first traveled here, he was lying on the oxcart unable to move, his consciousness as if locked in a dark room. He listened to Lao Si and Li Guaizi talking and learned that he had come to more than sixty years ago. He was very confused.

Now, I've gotten used to it a bit. It's still light snow, and the oxcart is still there, but I'm much more at ease. I don't feel as anxious anymore. All I feel is a little hopeful about being able to eat a hot meat bun. Sure enough, when all you need is to eat well, your worries become simple too.

The large wooden-wheeled oxcart creaked and groaned as Li Qingqiu leaned back, automatically practicing his Lazy Eater Technique. Apart from being a little cold, suffering from frostbite and feeling his flesh frozen to death, he was fine. His mind was filled with thoughts of meat buns, which calmed his mind. What a simple and beautiful era! For a meat bun, he didn't think about anything else.

The oxcart swayed along at a moderate pace. The snow seemed to be falling heavier, blanketing everything in white and making the landscape appear somewhat empty. Uncle Fugui spread out his collection of sayings, offering some tips that were most likely to be tested, but Li Qingqiu didn't listen.

Seeing Li Qingqiu's reaction, Li Qingmei and Li Xianjing became even more certain. When the oxcart arrived at the commune entrance, Li Qingqiu jumped off. "Uncle Fuyuan, Uncle Fugui, I'll go to the steamed bun shop first. You two go to the commune ahead."

"This kid..."

Li Fugui sighed. Oh well, this kid's just here to make up the numbers.

"Xiaomei, Xianjing, wait for me to buy you meat buns."

After running for a while, Li Qingqiu realized he hadn't told Li Qingmei and Li Xianjing beforehand. Sitting on the oxcart, Li Qingmei and Li Xianjing almost buried their faces under the cart; it was too embarrassing.

Li Qingqiu arrived at the steamed bun shop, having already practiced the Lazy Eater Technique for an hour.

"Check in, check in quickly."

Li Qingqiu was quite looking forward to it, wondering how many points the steamed bun shop would give, and also what happened to the last sign-in. Did it not count, or was it because of the system binding update that no points were awarded?

[Sign-in successful! First sign-in at the Agar-agar Nutmeg Shop, received 8 Agar-agar Nutmeg Pills, +10 points]

"Great! Ten points added! This is fantastic!" Li Qingqiu exclaimed with delight. "It's just a coincidence. This is the first time I've gotten 10 points. Even if the second sign-in reduces the points by half, I still get 5. The steamed bun shop and the agar-agar and nutmeg shop are truly worthy of being my starting point. They're amazing!"

Eight agar nutmeg pills came out at once. I took out four and put them on four storage shelves. As for buying steamed buns, forget it, there are none left to sell now. I bought two steamed buns and happily ran towards the commune, looking much gentler despite the snowy weather.

The commune was bustling with people; the quotation contest was essentially a fertilizer distribution event, with more than ten production brigades, a hundred or so people, and more than ten oxcarts and donkey carts. Among them, several brigades closer to the commune even had large flatbed carts with rubber wheels and shock absorbers parked in the most conspicuous positions.

As for Lijia'ao, the wooden-wheeled carts and several other production teams using wooden-wheeled oxcarts were parked together. Li Qingqiu jogged over. "Here, one for each of you, still warm."

"Third Uncle, why did you buy so much?"

Four meat buns and two steamed buns would require at least six liang of grain coupons, plus fifty cents. Li Xianjing and Li Qingmei couldn't help but be surprised. They thought that Li Qingqiu only had two liang of grain coupons and that buying two buns for two or three cents would be quite an achievement.

Unexpectedly, they bought four meat buns and two white steamed buns at once; they were really generous.

"Now that we're at the commune, we definitely have to see your fourth uncle. Count him in for this steamed bun," Li Qingqiu said matter-of-factly. "What? I haven't seen your fourth uncle?"

"Fourth Brother seems to be busy counting the number of participants. It should be our turn soon."

Li Qingmei took the hot meat bun, still a little dazed. When did her third brother become so generous? Usually, he would always sneak around eating it all by himself.

"What are you looking at? Eat it while it's hot."

As he spoke, he casually stuffed a steamed bun and two mantou into his chest, started gnawing on the large meat bun in his hand, and invited Li Qingmei and Li Xianjing to eat.

"Huh?"

"These meat buns taste even better today."

Li Qingmei took a small bite and found it very juicy. It even tasted better than the meat her older sister bought last year. It was strange; could it be because she hadn't eaten it for a long time?

"Auntie, you think it's delicious too? I thought I was the only one who thought it was delicious."

Li Xianjing nodded in full agreement. These meat buns were tastier than last year's. Could it be that Uncle San could even choose the quality of the meat buns?

"Is that so?"

Li Qingqiu didn't seem to notice; it was just like any other flavor. She muttered to herself, then suddenly her eyes widened. "Why is she here too?"

"Who?"

"there."

Li Qingqiu pointed to a tall girl with double braids not far away, Zhang Qingya, the girl who came to help her sister break off the engagement but wouldn't back down. "That's her, she's also here for the quote competition, right?"

"That's quite an unexpected encounter."

Li Qingqiu took a big bite of the steamed bun. "Little brat, I'll teach you a lesson this time. Consider it revenge for last time."

Zhang Qingya was registering and didn't notice this side. She only noticed Li Qingqiu after she finished registering. She was a little surprised, then a little disdainful. She had investigated Li Qingqiu. He hadn't even finished elementary school. She heard that he often wrote his name. She was surprised that he had come to participate in the competition. She was afraid that there was no one else like him in Lijia'ao.

"That little brat is quite arrogant," Li Qingqiu muttered to himself. Li Qingshi finished registering and walked towards Li Qingmei and the others.

"I just spotted you and Xianjing. I didn't expect you two to come and participate in the competition." Li Qingshi was wearing a cadre's hat and dressed very neatly, with very few patches, only a few in some places. Moreover, his clothes were not tarnished, and his cotton shoes were new, probably because they were especially warm.

Li Qingqiu muttered to himself, "Fourth brother is really something; even his clothes are on a completely different level from theirs." "Fourth brother, why are you only seeing little sister and Xianjing? Can't you see me, a grown man?"

"Third Brother, what brings you here?"

Li Qingqiu was genuinely startled; he hadn't expected Li Qingqiu to come. Wasn't this a quotation contest? Li Qingqiu looked at Li Qingmei; compared to his third brother, his younger sister was much more reliable.

"Third Brother is here to participate in the quote contest."

"what?"

Li Qingqiu was stunned. Was he kidding? Third Brother was participating in a quote competition? This was even funnier than a joke. Third Brother, he didn't finish elementary school and often misspells his own name. He was participating in a quote competition. Wasn't this like an illiterate person going to university?

This is too ridiculous! How could Uncle Fuyuan allow this? What a joke! Aren't you ashamed? Li Qingshi's expression was twisted; he couldn't understand it at all. This joke had gone too far.

"Hey fourth brother, you should look at me in a new light after just three days. Your third brother was chosen through a selection process."

Li Qingshi didn't believe Li Qingqiu's words at all. He looked at Li Qingmei and Li Xianjing, who nodded with wry smiles. "Third Brother wasn't lying. He was selected, but there were six people in total, and five were chosen."

It took Li Qingshi a long time to accept this reality. Sigh, what I feared most has come to pass. With Third Brother's abilities, it will be hard for him not to become famous. Just thinking about the commune cadres laughing at him made Li Qingshi smile bitterly.

"Okay, let's register first."

Li Qingshi sighed helplessly. He couldn't very well say, "Third Brother, why don't you just not participate in the competition? I'll embarrass you." He couldn't say that no matter what. After registering, Li Qingshi didn't stay long. He had originally wanted to chat with Uncle Fuyuan and Uncle Fugui for a bit, but he just wasn't in the mood.

"Fourth brother, don't go yet, have a steamed bun."

Seeing Li Qingshi about to leave, Li Qingqiu remembered the steamed buns she had been carrying in her bosom, still warm, and took them out to hand to Li Qingshi. "Where are they from?"

"I bought it, eat it while it's hot."

"Give it to Xianjing."

"Fourth Uncle, we've already eaten. Third Uncle bought a lot."

"Did you buy a lot?"

Li Qingshi was surprised again. He hadn't expected his fourth brother to be so generous this time. Could it be that Mom had specially given him the tickets and money? "Alright then, I'll try it. It's been a while since I've had this. Hmm, this tastes better than what I ate before."

"Fourth Uncle, you think it's delicious too? We think so too. It feels like it has a lot more flavor."

Li Qingqiu muttered to himself, "Could it be that the buns produced by the system are different from those sold elsewhere? Agar and nutmeg pills? I knew it! I'm bound to a cultivation system, so they must be different." Indeed, Li Qingqiu felt a surge of surprise and pride.

He still followed Han Li's path. Sigh, little sister, I can't send you off to your wedding. Don't blame your third brother. We are different between immortals and mortals. Li Qingqiu looked at Li Qingmei, and Li Qingmei got goosebumps all over. What's wrong with third brother now? Does he know that he brought five cents?

It must be true. Third Brother's meat buns were definitely not free. Li Qingmei made up her mind to firmly guard her own pockets and absolutely not take any of her own money.

"Little sister, oh, third brother..."

"Hey, you guy with the split head, what are you doing here?"

"What an impolite little brat!" Li Qingqiu was about to say something sentimental to his younger sister about the difference between immortals and mortals when a somewhat annoying voice rang in his ear.

[Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, never underestimate the potential of the young. Side quest: Immortal Alliance Grand Competition - Defeat the direct descendant of the family that broke off the engagement, reward points +10]

"So many points! This voice suddenly sounds so nice again!" Li Qingqiu exclaimed. "It's true what they say, people change a lot as they grow up. The voice is different one second ago and the next. It's true that the voice is different before and after."

"You're here to participate in the competition? What, are you here to cheer them on?"

Li Qingqiu said calmly, "That's a pity. I'm here for this competition, I'll witness it, I'll conquer it. You have no hope. Why don't you cheer for me? That way you'll save face."

"What nonsense are you spouting? You, a kid who didn't even finish elementary school and always misspells his name, you think you can conquer? That's hilarious!" Zhang Qingya was amused. He had never seen anyone so shameless. He really had a thick skin.

"You're not convinced? Fine, let's make a bet."

Li Qingqiu got excited and gained points. This was a system task, but the girl opposite him had such a big temper, so he could try something else. He had no psychological burden at all about winning against Zhang Qingya; he could just treat it as interest.

Looking back, this was a slap in his own face, and the words were so harsh. In Li Qingqiu's mind, he would have torn this brat to pieces and thrown her into a ditch to feed the wild dogs.

"bet?"

"What's wrong, you're from Zhangjia Village, you don't even have the guts to make a bet? Fine, actually I don't want to bully a little kid like you." Li Qingqiu said with disdain. "Otherwise, people will say I won unfairly."

"You're quite something, so let's make a bet. What do you want to bet on?" After saying that, Zhang Qingya seemed to realize something. "It's impossible for my sister to be your matchmaker."

"Your sister's looking for someone? Hahaha, don't make me laugh. I already said last time, let alone your sister, neither you nor I would be interested. Let's bet something else." Li Qingqiu pulled out a dollar. "How about this, a small bet of one dollar?"

"If you win, I'll give you a piece of paper; if you lose, you give me a piece of paper."

Li Qingqiu didn't notice the rather surprised expressions on the faces of Li Qingmei and Li Xianjing. Who gave Li Qingqiu a whole dollar?

"What, you don't have money or you're too scared? Fine, then forget it."

"I'll bet with you."

Zhang Qingya gritted her teeth. One yuan was a lot of money; she had saved up for a long time to earn just over one yuan, and she had brought it all with her to the commune this time, though it was all small change, mostly just a few cents in paper bills. "Then it's settled. A gentleman's word is as good as his bond."

"A high five to seal the oath."

Li Qingqiu reached out his hand, and Zhang Qingya hesitated for a moment before finally reaching out as well. "Then we'll see how you lose."

"That's going to be tough. You'd better not be too bad, or you won't even be able to find me."

Li Qingqiu thought to himself, "I have a system. My spiritual talisman contains almost all the quotes, poems, articles, and some important document summaries. It's practically invincible!"

"Third Brother, why did you make such a big bet with her? What if you lose?"

"I never thought I'd lose. Don't worry, I definitely won't lose." Li Qingqiu said confidently, but Li Qingmei and Li Xianjing had no confidence at all. They even stumbled during the selection process, let alone knowing that the competition would be quite difficult, given that so many people were participating.

Seeing that the two didn't believe him, Li Qingqiu didn't say much more. "Let's watch the competition." Soon, the competition was arranged, and the largest auditorium in the commune was packed with about a hundred people. "Printed test papers, the commune is really going all out this time."

"It's all because of the fertilizer. All the production team leaders came to make a fuss, arguing endlessly. There was no other way but to spend a lot of money to print out quotations and test questions to determine the allocation plan."

"No wonder, but our Director Guo does have some ideas."

"That's right, he's a young director."

Director Guo Zhentao of the commune's Revolutionary Committee was relatively young and had a lot of ideas; otherwise, he wouldn't have come up with the plan to distribute fertilizer through a quotation contest.

"Time: one hour."

"Start answering questions."

Li Qingqiu hadn't expected that transmigrating would involve an exam, but he was well-prepared and didn't feel much pressure. At first, he didn't activate his mental telepathy talisman, but instead tried to do what he knew on his own. "I'm familiar with everything, but I can't remember it all."

"Activate the Spiritual Connection Talisman."

Half an hour later, Li Qingqiu decisively activated his cheat code, and then wrote with great enthusiasm. He finally finished the exam two minutes before it ended, which was a bit of a waste of time. He couldn't be foolish enough to rely on his own abilities for the re-examination; he didn't have that ability.

"Third Brother, why are you out so late?"

"It's late, you guys came too early. How come you left ten minutes early? Did you already finish the questions?"

"I wrote down everything I knew, but I didn't dare to write anything I didn't know."

This is a safe approach: write down everything you know, and leave aside anything you're unsure about, so as not to give others a chance to label you.

"Third Uncle, what about you?"

"I wrote it all down."

Li Qingshi said matter-of-factly, which startled Li Qingmei and Li Xianjing. "You wrote it all down, you know it all, Third Brother, you can't just write it down carelessly, or there will be mistakes."

"It's the plenary session, why can't we write it all down?"

Li Qingqiu took it for granted; as a cultivator, participating in this trivial quotation contest was a piece of cake. He had no idea how Li Qingmei and Li Xianjing were internally collapsing, and instead glanced around, searching for Zhang Qingya.

That's a dollar! Li Qingqiu desperately needed it. He was short of money; even if he won cloth coupons, he wouldn't have the money to buy them.