Acting Is the Cubs' Specialty

By late autumn, Tao Qiu's crops had yielded a bountiful harvest, and he had prepared firewood and other necessities for the winter.

News of reduced grain production in the second half of the year has also spread to the human base.

The Lou Quan regulated grain prices and limited the amount each person could buy, preventing those at the front from hoarding too much and causing those at the back to be unable to buy it.

But food is the lifeblood of survival, especially since the food shortage in the first half of the year is different from the one in the second half. They have to endure such a long period of food shortage. Leaving aside whether they can even survive, what if there's another reduction in production next year? Wouldn't that be suicidal?

Therefore, there are many ordinary people protesting and clamoring for the relaxation of purchase restrictions.

Some were genuinely worried about their own situation, while others were stirring up trouble.

Lou Quan naturally disagreed, and as expected, he was scolded. However, considering Lou Quan's contributions over the years, a large portion of the people were also clear-headed and rational.

So aside from being scolded, it didn't cause any more serious harm to Lou Quan.

Unexpectedly, just a few days after the uproar, rumors began circulating at the base that a relative working at the research institute had personally told them that the base's grain seeds were in serious trouble, and that next year's yield would likely be very poor.

I also heard that a batch of grain arrived at the base's black market. It's all new grain from this season, and apart from being a bit pricey, it has no other drawbacks.

If you don't want to go hungry, go to the black market and buy some food to stock up. I heard the quantity is limited, and you won't be able to buy any if you go too late.

After the first person succeeds, there's a second, a third, and then a whole group.

The authorities have issued a statement denying the rumors about a problem with the seeds, saying it's completely unfounded. Everyone, please don't give your hard-earned money to unscrupulous black market dealers; the price of that grain on the black market is four times the normal price!

Some people believed it, but the majority did not.

So, it's said that a small quantity of black market grain was sold for a whole week.

The person behind it all made a fortune.

Lou Quan had tried sending people to arrest them, but the grain sellers and buyers were very united; often, before Lou Quan even arrived, the grain dealers would get wind of it and run away.

They didn't even touch the hem of his clothes.

Lou Quan knew this was something those people in the base had done, their purpose being to retaliate against and ridicule him. The price was exactly four times higher—a blatant provocation.

However, no one caught them red-handed buying grain, and since Lou Yu's identity as a superhuman was exposed, those people have been keeping a low profile, making it difficult for Lou Quan to find a fault to exploit.

Lou Quan was so angry, his face turned green, that he felt betrayed.

Winter is almost here, and Xiao Cong came to Lou Yu's house to play again that day. He looked listless and seemed to be in a bad mood.

Lou Yu asked why, Xiao Cong seemed to remember something unpleasant; his expression immediately changed from resentful to indignant.

"My mother works in the agricultural area. Before, some neighbors came to ask her about this season's grain yield. The higher-ups had instructed them not to talk about it outside; if they were found out, they would lose their jobs. So my mother didn't tell the neighbors. After the news of the lower yield came out, the neighbors felt they hadn't hoarded enough grain, and they called my mother selfish, saying that if she had told the truth earlier, they could have stockpiled grain and wouldn't be having to buy expensive grain on the black market now."

"They're the biggest blabbermouths. If I tell them the truth, it'll spread in less than an hour. My mom will lose her job, but they won't have to take any responsibility. And now they're pointing fingers at me and my parents. They're all bad people."

Xiao Cong's cheeks puffed up with anger. "The leaders forbade us to say anything, and limiting everyone's purchases was for everyone's good, so why are they all blaming my mom?"

After saying that, Xiao Cong's tears fell, showing that he must have suffered a lot of grievances these past few days.

Lou Yu hugged him tightly, wiping away his tears while comforting him, "Your mother did nothing wrong. Those people just want to reap without sowing. Don't listen to them; treat their words like bullshit."

Kids have strange senses of humor. I don't know what the word "fart" made Xiao Cong think of, but as soon as Lou Yu finished speaking, he burst into laughter.

Lou Yu also smiled.

Since he smiled, it means Xiao Cong is feeling much better.

Seeing Lou Yu turn tears into smiles with just a few words amazed his teammates nearby.

Huo Lan: "Is this what it means to be a husband? I really want to see what it's like for the captain to take care of his own kid."

John: "Who knows when that will be."

Liu Qi'an: "Yeah, the captain is still single, and we don't even know who that person he's flirting with is."

Amidst the regretful gazes of the three, Chen Lin suddenly said, "It might be sometime in the future."

Chapter 73 Acting, the kid is a professional

"Um?"

The three teammates' gazes shot towards Chen Lin like laser pointers.

Huo Lan asked, "Do you know something?"

"I don't know, just saying." Chen Lin smiled mysteriously, "Maybe... the captain will have a girlfriend and a child next year... who knows?"

Liu Qi'an made a choking gesture. "If you keep being a riddle teller, I'll strangle you, believe it or not?"

Chen Lin shrugged. "I was really just guessing, I didn't say it was definitely accurate, don't get so worked up."

The three shouted, "Get out! Get out!"

Chen Lin smiled and dodged away, his gaze towards Lou Yu filled with inquiry.

After the snowfall, winter officially began, and the base gates were closed.

A warm meal is perfect for winter, so I made radish and pork rib soup for dinner.

The radishes were grown at the base, so their taste was definitely not as good as the crops grown by Tao Qiu. Lou Yu got distracted while eating them.

I wonder what Qiuqiu and the children had for dinner tonight?

"Hehe, the chicken soup is here!"

Tao Qiu placed a pot of stewed chicken, which was now very tender, on the table. Next to it were candied sweet potatoes, cold shredded radish salad, and a bowl of vegetable soup.

The staple food is rice.

The children said in unison, "Thank you for your hard work, Dad."

Tao Qiu said, "Thank you, my darlings."

The Second Cub's mouth watered, and he said, "Daddy, it smells so good, I want some."

As Tao Qiu ladled some soup for her, she joked, "Daddy, does it smell good? Can't you eat it? Tonight we're having chicken."

Actually, what he said wasn't funny at all, but the three kids still covered their mouths and giggled.

Tao Qiu also laughed, "Alright, this time the chicken legs go to the Second Cub and Third Cub kids, and the chicken wings and feet go to me and the Eldest Cub."

These three parts are among their favorite foods, so they eat them in rotation.

After serving the three of them, Tao Qiu also sat down.

"Let's eat," Tao Qiu said, and only then did the children pick up their small bowls and begin to eat.

These small bowls are specially designed for children, and they also come with small spoons and chopsticks. They were the supplies that Lou Yu delivered last time.

The kids are all very used to using it.

After the meal, the family of four cleaned up the table and washed the dishes together. Since they couldn't go outside, they took a walk in the cave to digest their food.

The children were wearing thick clothes and cotton shoes. They were supposed to have hats, but Tao Qiu thought the cave was warm enough that their ears wouldn't get cold and that it would obstruct their vision, so she didn't put them on.

The three kids were already chubby, and with all that thick clothing, they looked just like little snowballs.

They held onto the back of each other's clothes, pacing back and forth. In Tao Qiu's eyes, they looked like little penguins, clumsy yet adorable.

Did Tao Qiu manage to suppress a laugh?

The Second Cub caught his father's movement precisely, looked up at him, his big eyes full of curiosity. "Dad's there? What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing at myself for having three little penguins at home, they're so cute!"

The kids know about penguins. Dad said that you can only see penguins in a place very, very far away from here, a place where it's covered in ice and snow all year round.

There used to be penguins in zoos, but they all seem to have died out.

Upon hearing the word "cute, "Second Cub's face immediately turned rosy with excitement.

"I'm cuter than a little penguin." The Second Cub didn't know how to write the word "modest."

"Of course!" Tao Qiu cupped her face and smiled, "My three Xiao Xue snowbirds are the cutest creatures in the world!"

Second Cub let go of his brother's clothes, ran over, climbed onto Tao Qiu's lap, and kissed him on the cheek.

Tao Qiu reached out to support her, afraid she would fall. Second Cub's eyes sparkled as she said, "Daddy praised you, this is a reward for Daddy."

"Dad really likes this reward." Tao Qiu also kissed him back.

Now even the Eldest Cub Third Cub sons couldn't sit still, and they ran over to grab Tao Qiu's hand, wanting a kiss.

Tao Qiu showed no favoritism and kissed them all.

After washing up and lying in bed at night, Tao Qiu noticed that the children weren't very sleepy after he finished telling them a bedtime story. Remembering something that had been on his mind, he picked up his phone from beside him.

He said cautiously, "How about Dad shows you a picture of someone?"

The Eldest Cub was the first to respond, "Okay."

Forget about photos, even if Tao Qiu wanted to take them out to see the snow right now, the kids would agree without hesitation.

The three children snuggled into Tao Qiu's arms. Tao Qiu opened the photo album and flipped through a few pictures.

This photo was taken by him for Lou Yu during their meeting after autumn.

He didn't tell Lou Yu that it was for the children; he only said that they were tired of the previous photos and wanted his solo picture.

Lou Yu cooperated well; in the photos, he was either smiling or calm, looking out the window or staring directly at the camera.

He was already handsome, and with Tao Qiu's superb photography skills, this amplified disaster, if posted online, would have garnered at least tens of thousands of likes.

"Well? Did you figure anything out?" Tao Qiu looked at the kids expectantly, her heart pounding.

Looking at the familiar face on the screen, the three kids awkwardly pursed their lips, pretending they didn't recognize him at all.

The Eldest Cub feigned ignorance. "Who is this?"

Tao Qiu said, "He's the one who traded crops with me, and he's also Lou Yu who gave you gifts."