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

"The first priority is to report on the learning outcomes of the conference quotes."

Ma Mingliang's slightly chubby cheeks twitched with excitement as he patted Li Qingqiu's shoulder. "Comrade Qingqiu, you've really brought honor to our commune! First place!"

"Third Brother won first place in the county's quote contest?"

Li Qingmei's mind went blank for a moment, her eyes widening in disbelief. The number one in the whole county!

"Third Uncle, Third Uncle is number one?"

Li Xianjing, Li Xianan, and the others were equally shocked, their mouths agape. The number one in the entire county! In the past, that would have been at least a scholar! Their third uncle was too capable. They couldn't believe it. The third uncle that their parents used to talk about was so unreliable was now so capable.

"Tie for first place, not bad, is there any reward?"

Seeing Ma Mingliang staring blankly, Li Qingqiu grew anxious. "No way, is the county so stingy that there's no reward at all?"

"Oh, you can't be this joking, can you? If I'd known, I wouldn't have come."

"Comrade Xiao Li, don't get excited, there's a reward, there's a reward."

Gangma Mingliang was simply surprised that Li Qingqiu didn't ask about honors but went straight for the reward, which was somewhat unbelievable.

You should know that winning a quote contest might lead to a job in a certain department and becoming a permanent employee; that's the benefit of such an honor.

Li Qingqiu's direct question about the actual reward was somewhat unexpected by Ma Mingliang.

"That's good. I knew the county shouldn't let people make a wasted trip."

"Li Qingqiu, why are you only thinking about rewards? Being number one in the whole county is such a great honor."

"I didn't say the honor was insignificant, but the appropriate rewards should still be given."

Li Qingqiu's words drove Ma Xiaoli a little crazy. Why was this guy's mind so different from others? He cared too much about material rewards.

"I was just about to give you the reward."

Ma Mingliang pulled out some money and a stack of coupons. The money wasn't much, just five yuan. That was the maximum reward available now. You have to understand, back when the atomic bomb was detonated, the reward was only five yuan per person. He did get some coupons, though—couples for groceries, oil, and tobacco and alcohol. Quite a few, and most importantly, a few yards of cloth coupons.

Li Qingqiu counted them again, thinking to himself that it was alright, the reward wasn't bad. "Thank you, Director Ma, could you please take these?"

"This is no trouble at all."

Ma Mingliang was overjoyed. Although he was tied for first place, he was still first. When the other commune cadres saw him go to receive the award, they were all envious and their eyes turned red. The county leaders also praised him a few times. The Lishan Commune's practical application of the quotations is worthy of learning by other communes.

At the time, Ma Mingliang was so proud of himself that other commune cadres wanted nothing more than to replace him. If it weren't for the leaders being there, a group of familiar cadres would have gone up to pull him away. This guy was just too proud of himself, and even his daughter, Ma Xiaoli, was a little embarrassed.

"Dad, it's getting late, we should go back."

Ma Xiaoli felt that her father's excessive enthusiasm was a bit beneath him. "Yes, yes, it's getting late, Comrade Qingqiu, let's get in the car first, and we can chat properly on the way."

The group boarded the truck and sat down. Only then did Li Xianjing and the others realize what was happening. They gathered around, chattering excitedly about Li Qingqiu winning first place in the competition and the rewards. It's no wonder they weren't proud; Li Qingqiu was just too capable, the best in the entire county!

This guy would be someone an ordinary farmer could brag about for a lifetime, but Li Qingqiu remained calm, which shows he's no ordinary person.

"This Director Ma is quite the talker."

Li Qingqiu was somewhat helpless. He would never ride in the car with Director Ma again; his ears suffered too much. Fortunately, he finally returned to the commune.

"Third Brother."

Li Qingshi had just finished lunch when Director Guo called him to his office and told him some good news: his third brother had tied for first place at the county-level study report conference. Li Qingshi was stunned for a long time. His third brother, Li Qingqiu, had won first place in the county for quotations.

Is that even possible? But Director Guo said it, and Director Ma confirmed it himself, so it must be true. Li Qingshi was stunned for a long time, incredulous that his third brother could actually win first place, even though it was just a quote competition.

For a long time, the first thought kept echoing in his mind. Now that his third brother was back, Li Qingshi came over early to greet him.

"Keiji".

"Fourth Uncle, did you know that Third Uncle got first place?"

"I see."

Li Qingshi looked at Li Qingqiu. "Third Brother, congratulations."

"It's nothing."

Li Qingqiu waved his hand dismissively. "It's alright, the questions weren't too difficult."

Ma Xiaoli, Chen Jiansong, Wang Hongyi, and the others who had just gotten off the bus silently lowered their heads. "No problem, what a joke! I don't even know the average score; I heard even sixty isn't much. Forget it, this guy's quotations are too incredible; we can't compare, we can't compare."

This guy was too arrogant. Listening to him talk made her so angry that she wanted to grind her teeth. Ma Xiaoli didn't want to see him and quickly tried to escape from Li Qingqiu's words. But unexpectedly, Li Qingqiu called her back.

What do you need?

"You forgot about the bet? Remember to go home and get the ticket. I have to go back to the team later. You're not planning to renege on the bet, are you?" Li Qingqiu saw Ma Xiaoli's puzzled expression and thought to himself that this girl had a bad memory.

"Ah, the tickets, is that all you're after?"

"Yeah, do you think I'd treat you to a meal? Don't even dream about it."

"You, who asked you to treat me to dinner? Humph, you wait, I'll get it for you right now." Ma Xiaoli snorted and turned to leave.

"Pay back your debts, what a terrible temper."

Li Qingqiu muttered to himself and followed Li Qingshi to the commune compound, where Director Guo wanted to see him. "Fourth brother, did the commune say anything about rewards again?"

"Director Guo hasn't mentioned this yet."

Li Qingshi said softly, "I didn't feel comfortable asking."

"But Director Guo was quite happy."

"The reward will probably be quite substantial," Li Qingqiu said with a smile.

The two arrived at the director's office, only to find the old Party Secretary there as well, along with Ma Mingliang. Good heavens, all the leading cadres of the commune were present.

"Comrade Qingqiu, you've worked hard, please have a seat."

Guo Feng stood up with a smile and greeted Li Qingqiu. He was the director who knew Li Qingqiu best, having met him several times. "Last time you got full marks twice in the production team's quotations competition, I said you were capable, and sure enough, you won first place in the county competition this time."

"Yes, our Lishan Commune has become quite famous this time. This old man feels very proud to hear it." The old Party Secretary chuckled. Although he doesn't usually get involved in affairs, he still has a high level of prestige.

"Secretary, Director, I only did what I was supposed to do; it's nothing to mention."

"You're being modest."

Director Guo said with a smile, "We just had a meeting at the commune and came up with some regulations. The cash reward isn't much, just five yuan, that's the maximum. But we'll give you some compensation in other ways. I heard you're short of a bicycle, and luckily the commune has one bicycle voucher left. We've discussed it and decided to give it to you."

"There are also some non-staple food coupons, grain and oil coupons, and some candy, tobacco and alcohol coupons. It's almost Chinese New Year, and you'll need them too."

"Director Guo, how can I accept this reward? Thank you, Secretary Ma, and Director Ma. I'm truly flattered." Li Qingqiu thought to himself, "Great! Now I don't need to save up industrial vouchers or bicycle tickets anymore."

Li Qingqiu thought to himself, "Director Guo, this guy is really generous. He said he'd give a reward, and he actually did, and quite a lot of it." Li Qingqiu looked at the receipts and saw that besides the bicycle ticket, he also received a pound of candy ticket, a pound of oil ticket, twenty feet of cloth ticket, and a considerable amount of other food ration coupons.

To be honest, Li Qingqiu was a little surprised by this guy. But considering that he was number one in the county, the compensation must have been discussed by Director Guo and the others. It seemed that the commune would get more benefits from the county.

"Fourth brother, take this bicycle."

"No, Third Brother, this is too valuable, I can't accept it."

"I told you, take it if I give it to you."

Li Qingqiu shoved the money into Li Qingshi's hand. "Here's what we'll do: if you can't get over it, give me the industrial vouchers you've saved up. I was just thinking of buying a stove to boil water."

"Then, I'll take it to you now."

"No rush. Take this bicycle ticket first. As for the money, I'll ask Mom for it. Let's try to buy the bicycle before the New Year so it'll be convenient for you to go home from the countryside." Li Qingqiu wasn't in a hurry to get the bicycle.

Normally, I sign in at the production team. Once the public community domain is unlocked, I might need bicycles, and it won't be difficult to sign in and get some industrial vouchers then.

"Third Brother, I'll go back and tell Mom."

"Who says it's the same? You still have work to do here. Alright, I should go back too, my little sister and the others are waiting for me."

Li Qingqiu waved his hand, and Li Qingshi, holding the bicycle ticket, looked at his third brother with a slight itch in his eyes. His third brother was really different.

……

"Li Qingqiu is gone?"

Han Caiju had just finished her work and was thinking of going out to chat with Li Qingqiu for a bit, but in the blink of an eye, he was gone. "Oh well, never mind."

Han Guodong was also present when we were discussing the results of the second round of Kung Fu learning in the morning. At that time, Han Guodong said that Li Qingqiu's early submission of the paper was probably just random writing. In fact, she also had some doubts, as the questions in the second round were not simple.

Unexpectedly, the slap in the face came quickly. First, although they were tied, Li Qingqiu handed in his paper earlier and his name was written first. At that time, Han Guodong's face was extremely ugly. After all, he was once again overshadowed by Li Qingqiu and left more than 20 people behind.

Han Guodong was devastated. He hated Li Qingqiu so much for embarrassing him several times that morning. In the end, he left without even receiving an award certificate—it was too shameful. Han Caiju, quite surprisingly, tied for first place.

She really didn't expect that Li Qingqiu would leave so quickly. She had planned to wait for Li Qingqiu to come back and chat for a bit.

"Chrysanthemums".

"Xiaoyue's here?" Han Caiju, who was tidying up her documents, looked up and smiled at Wu Xiaoyue. "Xiaoyue, wait for me a moment, I'll leave work as soon as I'm done."

"Let me help you."

As Wu Xiaoyue tidied up, she whispered, "Caiju, you have no idea who I saw at the agricultural technology station today. You would never guess. I was quite surprised."

"Who?"

"Li Qingqiu, your classmate, we had dinner together last time."

Wu Xiaoyue's words startled Han Caiju. "Who are you talking about?"

"You said it's Li Qingqiu, when?"

The document fell from Han Caiju's hand. She quickly picked it up and put it away, her hands trembling slightly.

"This afternoon, I was organizing documents when I looked up and saw Li Qingqiu standing at the door. I was a little confused at first, and then I realized what Li Qingqiu was here for," Wu Xiaoyue said, sounding quite incredulous. "Caiju, you can't believe Li Qingqiu came to the agricultural technology station for anything?"

Han Caiju thought to herself, "Yes, why did Li Qingqiu go to the agricultural technology station?" "What's the matter with him?"

"Accepting the award..."

"To receive an award?"