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

"You must have had a long journey."

Li Qingqiu greeted Han Caiju and Wu Xiaoyue with a smile, and of course, he didn't forget the expressionless Han Guodong, giving him a big hug. Han Guodong wanted to push Li Qingqiu away and jump far away, but this guy was so strong.

"Guodong, welcome to our Lijia'ao."

"what?"

"Does Li Qingqiu know the projectionist?"

"They seem to have a good relationship."

"What's going on?"

Not only were the ordinary commune members watching the spectacle astonished, but even Li Fuyuan and several other brigade cadres looked on with surprise. "Could it be that the projectionist came specifically for Li Qingqiu?"

For a moment, everyone was amazed and confused, never expecting that Li Qingqiu, who usually seemed so unreliable, could recognize the film.

"Orchid, what's going on?"

"It's nothing, these are all the third brother's classmates." Shi Lanhua was somewhat proud, after all, the third brother had made a name for himself.

Classmate, no wonder you hugged as soon as you met. Actually, Han Guodong didn't want to hug Li Qingqiu at all. Just kidding, this guy is his love rival. He wished Li Qingqiu would fall down and eat poop right away.

"Li Qingqiu, let me go!"

"I'm so sorry, old classmate, I'm just so happy to see you, I couldn't help myself, I couldn't help myself."

Han Guodong rolled his eyes. "You did this on purpose, you bad guy," Li Qingqiu chuckled.

"Li Qingqiu, what's wrong? Only Han Guodong is your classmate, not Caiju?"

"That's not a good idea, there are differences between men and women."

Li Qingqiu made a hugging gesture, and Wu Xiaoyue spat in annoyance. "Whether you want to or not depends on whether Caiju is willing."

"Don't talk nonsense, Xiaoyue."

Han Caiju patted Wu Xiaoyue, and the group chatted enthusiastically, which made the club members sigh. They never expected that Li Qingqiu, that rascal, would have such a good relationship with the classmate who is a painter. No wonder he is so picky about blind dates.

Look at these two girls, how beautiful they are! One of them is like she stepped out of a painting, even more beautiful than a movie actress. When have we ever seen such a beautiful girl in the countryside?

"Let's go inside and have a proper talk; it's too cold outside for this guy."

"You bet it is! It's colder here than in the county."

Wu Xiaoyue tugged at her scarf and breathed on it.

"You know, it's true. The temperature difference is greater in the mountains, and this place is windy, like an icebox," Li Qingqiu said to Uncle Fuyuan. "Uncle Fuyuan, I'll take my classmates to the brigade headquarters to warm up by the fire; it's too cold in this weather."

"Alright, alright, hurry up and go, the team needs to prepare fire buckets."

"Fire bucket, I know that."

Wu Xiaoyue said to Han Caiju with a particularly smug look, "Isn't it just a big wooden tub with a brazier inside, and a wooden frame on which you can squat or sit?"

"You know quite a lot."

"That's right, my grandma's house is in the countryside."

He seemed quite pleased with himself, but Li Qingqiu really didn't know what was so great about it. "Let's go, let's go, hurry up, if you keep jumping around like that, you might freeze into an icicle."

"Let's go then."

Han Caiju pulled back Wu Xiaoyue, who seemed to be getting a little out of control, feeling both amused and exasperated. She had never seen Wu Xiaoyue so lively before; how had this country girl turned into a tomboy? As for Han Guodong, he told Li Fuyuan and the others that he needed to keep an eye on the projector and other equipment on the vehicle.

This is our livelihood, we can't afford to have any problems with it. He could only watch helplessly as Wu Xiaoyue chatted and laughed with Han Caiju and Li Qingqiu. "It's that guy again..." He gritted his teeth in anger.

"Third brother."

"what?"

"mom."

Shi Lanhua blocked Li Qingqiu's path. "Where are you going? Have you forgotten why you came here?"

"What are you doing?"

"A partner".

"Oh, Mom, maybe we should forget about it. Look, my classmate is coming over, and I should at least entertain her." Li Qingqiu had really forgotten all about it. He was having a great time chatting with Wu Xiaoyue, and he had completely forgotten about his date.

"Thinking about finding a partner?"

Wu Xiaoyue stared wide-eyed, and Han Caiju also looked somewhat surprised. Han Guodong, who was not far away, almost burst out laughing when he heard that Li Qingqiu was thinking about a girlfriend today. "Oh, old classmate, I didn't expect today to be your special day. Here's what I'll do: I'll show you an extra movie later, a new one, just arrived, it looks really good."

Li Qingqiu was speechless. He glanced back at Han Guodong, who was gloating. Han Guodong was so happy that he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"Thank you so much, old classmate."

"Don't mention it, we're old classmates, it's only right that you celebrate your big day."

Don't get too excited, okay? Li Qingqiu was speechless. This guy really doesn't deserve to be a villain; he's too emotional.

"How about this, old classmate, you go on your blind date first, and we can go over and warm ourselves by the fire. Don't let this important life event get in the way, Caiju, what do you say?"

Han Guodong felt incredibly happy. He had been unable to sleep or eat properly these past few days because of Li Qingqiu's quotes, but now that Li Qingqiu was going to find a girlfriend, that guy had suddenly gone from being a rival to a good classmate.

"I haven't even seen what my date looks like yet."

Wu Xiaoyue nudged Han Caiju. "Why don't we go take a look?"

"That's not a good idea."

What are you talking about? They're looking for a partner, what were you doing there? That's a bit inappropriate.

You guys really love making a scene. But Li Qingqiu's eyes lit up. Although it's a bit disrespectful to bring two pretty girls along to find a partner, Li Qingqiu himself doesn't plan to find one. So he'll definitely bring them along.

At most, he'll get a few scoldings, or even worse reputation if word gets out. What kind of reputation does Li Qingqiu have? Is he afraid of that? Don't make a fuss.

Of course, it wouldn't be appropriate to just bring Han Caiju and Wu Xiaoyue; we also need to bring our old classmate Han Guodong along, otherwise it's not just the girls who are easily labeled as having illicit relationships.

Shilan was urging them urgently, saying that they had already arrived at the intersection and would be coming over soon.

"Mom, this whole thing has gotten so complicated, it all happened at once."

Li Qingqiu sighed. "Old classmates, why don't you take a rest? I'll be right there in a bit."

"Stone Orchid".

Before Li Qingqiu could even think of ways to recruit Han Caiju and Wu Xiaoyue, the matchmaker, Wang, had already brought over her blind date. Li Qingqiu glanced at him and saw that he was quite heavy, a little over 1.5 meters tall and weighing about 180 kilograms.

She was incredibly robust. Li Qingqiu stared wide-eyed in astonishment. "Mom, where did you find her? In this day and age, it's extremely rare to see someone with this kind of physique. She's naturally beautiful!"

Wu Xiaoyue and Han Caiju were also stunned. The two of them weighed about the same as each other. Han Guodong couldn't help but smile. He couldn't help but laugh. He couldn't be so rude. He was a cultural worker in the county. He was about to become a full-fledged cultural worker. He absolutely couldn't laugh unless he couldn't help it.

"Hey, Li Qingqiu, why don't you go ahead and get back to work?"

Han Guodong couldn't hold back any longer; his voice trembled, and a smile practically spilled out. Wu Xiaoyue nudged Han Caiju beside him. "Caiju, your old classmate has quite a peculiar hobby."

"Stop fooling around."

Looking at Li Qingqiu's miserable face, Han Caiju sighed, "No wonder this old classmate is so resistant."

"Hey, how about we go sit at the brigade headquarters? There's a fire pit over there to warm ourselves up."

Li Qingqiu was about to explode. "Mom, I really can't take it anymore. Although I'm in better shape recently, I only weigh about 110 pounds, and I'm quite thin. This lady is much heavier. My little mud-brick bed in my cave won't be able to support me."

"Brigade headquarters?"

At this moment, Wang the matchmaker's eyes were sizing up Wu Xiaoyue and Han Caiju beside Li Qingqiu. Wu Xiaoyue was pretty and dressed neatly, but Han Caiju stunned Wang the matchmaker. Over the years, she had introduced at least eight hundred or a thousand blind dates, but she had never seen such a beautiful girl, like a painting.

"She's too beautiful! Where did Shi Lanhua's son find such a pretty girl? Is this a proper matchmaking meeting? Who goes out of their way to find several pretty girls for a matchmaking meeting? Isn't this just ridiculous?" Matchmaker Wang's face darkened as she looked at Shi Lanhua, asking, "What's wrong?"

Shi Lanhua was quite helpless. What a coincidence! She had encountered all of these things. She glanced at her capable future daughter-in-law, who was quite strong. No wonder she said she could carry a load of over 300 jin without any problem. However, she was a bit too strong. She looked at her son, who was as skinny as a chicken. Could he carry it?

Oh dear, she was so focused on working that she became quite robust. She didn't expect Wang the matchmaker to be so exaggerated, a bit overweight. Just look at that physique, how much does she have to eat every day? Shi Lanhua thought for a moment and wondered if the person Wang the matchmaker was introducing was an unsold product.

"Everyone, don't stand there, go sit down in the main hall."

Li Qingqiu absolutely refused to go home. He would take her to the brigade first. "This girl is really not worth it," Shi Lanhua glared at Li Qingqiu. The boy was unhappy. However, compared to Han Caiju, Shi Lanhua had to admit that Li Qingqiu's reluctance was understandable.

This girl is so beautiful, the most beautiful I've ever seen in my life. I've seen quite a few boys secretly following her and stealing glances. Sigh, how could an ordinary family afford to raise a girl like that? She's just too beautiful.

"I won't sit then."

The sturdy girl tossed her braid, took two steps forward, and sized Li Qingqiu up and down, then looked him over like a piglet. She shook her head slightly. "Too skinny, hardly any meat on his bones. This guy won't do. My man needs to be stronger."

"no……."

Li Qingqiu felt somewhat insulted. "You're selecting breeding pigs, so why are you saying anyone isn't good enough?"

"Aunt Wang, I don't like it."

No, that's a bit much. Saying it to my face isn't appropriate.

"That's perfect, I also think we're not a good match."

Li Qingqiu thought to himself, although it's a little humiliating not being chosen, at least the unreliable blind date doesn't need to continue.

"I'm going back now, Aunt Wang."

She turned and left as soon as she spoke, quite decisively. Li Qingqiu was a little surprised; this chubby girl had quite a personality.

"Why...why are we leaving?"

"Shilanhua, what's wrong with you? Thinking about finding a partner? Your son brought two pretty girls with him. Aren't you just putting me down?"

"What a coincidence."

Shi Lanhua explained, but Matchmaker Wang snorted. "This isn't my fault. I'm telling you, the introduction fee is non-refundable. And don't come to me again if your third son is looking for a partner."

With that, Matchmaker Wang turned and left, leaving Shi Lanhua sighing. She couldn't help but want to slap Li Qingqiu a couple of times. But seeing Wu Xiaoyue and Han Caiju there, she finally held back and glared at Li Qingqiu.

I'll deal with you tonight.

"Why aren't you taking your classmate to the brigade headquarters to warm up by the fire?"

"Yes, yes, Guodong, Caiju, Xiaoyue, let's go."

Wu Xiaoyue glanced at him, thinking, "That's it? Finding a partner? Is it that simple?" "Li Qingqiu, don't be sad..."

No, I'm not sad.

"What a joke! Just because she didn't like me doesn't mean I have to be sad. I didn't like her either. We just don't like each other." Wu Xiaoyue didn't need any comforting words. She called the group to the brigade headquarters, where a fire pit was already burning on the meadow, making it very warm.

Several people sat on a fire bucket, and it was really warm. This wasn't the first time Li Qingqiu had sat on a fire bucket. Compared to squatting, which was a bit too inappropriate, sitting on a chair with his legs tucked into the fire bucket looked much more elegant.

"It's quite comfortable."

"Yeah, let's get a fire bucket later."

Wu Xiaoyue looked at Li Qingqiu as she spoke. "Li Qingqiu, do you know how much a fire bucket costs?"

"I'm not sure."

Li Qingqiu said with a smile, "Most of them are made at home."

"Could you find someone to make one for you?"

"It shouldn't be a big problem. Wait a minute, I'll ask around for you." After warming up for a while, Wu Xiaoyue wanted to go for a walk, and Han Caiju was pulled along. Han Guodong carried the equipment to the brigade headquarters, gave some instructions, and then followed.

"Where do you want to go?"

"Wander around and take a look."

Wu Xiaoyue left the brigade headquarters and looked around at the snow-covered surroundings.

"This place is different from the city; there are no department stores or shops, so I don't know where it is for a while."

"Yeah, there's not much to see in the countryside."

Han Guodong often went to the countryside to show movies. What could you find in the countryside? You could hardly find a radio, and bicycles were a rarity.

"Alright, let's go to the educated youth settlement first. I'll take you into the mountains with those tools."

"Going into the mountains?"

"Don't worry, even though it's called going into the mountains, it's really just a few small hills near the brigade. We'll get you some local dishes," Li Qingqiu explained.

"Local food?"

Vegetables grown in the soil.

"What is this?"

Wu Xiaoyue looked at Han Caiju with some confusion, and Han Caiju shook her head slightly. "I don't understand either."

"Li Qingqiu, stop keeping me in suspense."

"Winter bamboo shoots".

"Can we still find winter bamboo shoots now?"

Wu Xiaoyue immediately perked up. "With such thick snow, can we find it?"

"Don't worry, come with me, I guarantee you'll have food and supplies."

Upon arriving at the educated youth settlement, Wu Xiaoyue and Han Caiju were immediately drawn to the tall, snow-covered slide at the entrance.

"Is this a slide?"

"Who made this? It's so big."

"I just piled them up randomly."

Li Qingqiu said with a smile, "Want to play for a bit? It's possible."

Han Caiju and Wu Xiaoyue exchanged a glance and nodded in unison. As for Han Guodong, he looked calm and collected. This guy was quite pretentious, acting as if it was nothing more than a snow-covered slide and he was making a fuss over nothing.

Wu Xiaoyue and Han Caiju played for a while before returning to the courtyard entrance, feeling embarrassed.

"I've taken everything, let's go."

"Is this all you brought?"

"Yes, a shovel, a machete, a basket, and two wooden paddles are enough."

Li Qingqiu said with a smile, "The soil in the mountains is frozen, so we can't dig properly. Otherwise, I would have brought an extra hoe so you could experience the fun of digging for winter bamboo shoots."

"oh."

The group of four followed the path to the edge of the hillside. "We're almost there. Let's go, follow me."

"This place is a vast expanse of white, and rarely visited by humans."

"It's not that exaggerated."

"There's a road here."

Following the snow-covered path, they arrived at a place with winter bamboo shoots. Li Qingqiu first led the four of them to clear the snow.

"The ground here is frozen solid, can you even dig it up?"

Wu Xiaoyue touched the frozen ground, and Li Qingqiu smiled. "No problem, step aside."

As he spoke, Li Qingqiu swung his shovel and pulled out a winter bamboo shoot. Wu Xiaoyue cheered, "There really is a winter bamboo shoot!"

"Of course it's fake."

They dug for a short while and dug more than twenty. At first, Wu Xiaoyue and the others were a little reserved, but after digging more, they got the hang of it and started shouting and yelling. Of course, they inevitably messed up some of the digs.

"We'll eat the bad ones at noon, and you can bring the better ones back to the city for your families to try."

"Li Qingqiu, I can't accept this. Winter bamboo shoots are quite expensive, aren't they?"

"It's alright. A few days ago it sold for five or six cents a pound, but now it might be a bit more expensive."

"Pork prices are outrageous! Wait, how much have we dug up right now?"

"It must weigh at least ten pounds."

"Ten pounds, that's not just five or six yuan, goodness, that's equivalent to three or four days' wages for me."