New Grain Sells Like Hotcakes (continued)

Tao Qiu actually stopped transmitting his supernatural power two hours ago and is still here waiting for Lou Yu to come and pick them up.

This batch of vegetables isn't urgent, and he doesn't need to exhaust his supernatural abilities every day; that would only make him feel tired and bored.

After several hours of his work, the cabbages on this half-acre plot had grown from small seedlings into large ones, thanks to the nutrients coming from Tao Qiu's supernatural energy, which he distributed fairly and impartially.

So all these seedlings grew to be about the same size, crowding together like those big clusters of flowers.

Tao Qiu led his three children out of the yard. One of the leaders from the planting area he had met that morning was standing outside waiting for him. Upon seeing him, he quickly came over to greet him.

"Mr. Tao, how was your work today? Was there anything that needed to be changed or improved?"

Tao Qiu shook his head. "Not yet? But the seedlings inside are bursting at the seams. I suggest you divide them and transplant them to make harvesting easier later. Don't worry about the seedlings dying after transplanting; I'll come back tomorrow to use my special ability to stabilize them."

The leader readily agreed.

Tao Qiu added, "Inside, regarding the remaining land, whether you intend to plant cabbage or other crops, it's best to sow the seeds first. Just let me know what crop it is and the planting area when I come over."

"Okay, I'll arrange for someone to take care of it right away."

"Okay, well then? We'll be going now, goodbye."

Goodbye, Mr. Tao.

As soon as Tao Qiu left, the leader rushed into the courtyard, and the two soldiers at the gate curiously stuck their heads in as well.

Tao Qiu had already instructed them to sow the seeds ahead of time, which meant they were allowed to freely enter and leave the yard after work. This leader had been itching to go and see for himself all day; how could he resist the urge to stay and go check on things?

When the leader heard Tao Qiu say that the seedlings had sprouted profusely, he was somewhat prepared, but clearly, he was still underprepared.

The land, covering more than half an acre, was covered with densely packed vegetable seedlings on every ridge. Each seedling was about the same size and had a bright green color, looking very healthy.

The leader has lived for decades and has been involved in agriculture for nearly twenty years, and this is the first time he has ever seen such beautiful cabbages; it's like a dream.

The two soldiers stared wide-eyed. Even from a distance, when the gate was still closed, they had smelled a faint, fresh aroma of vegetables.

The aroma of vegetables is not as strong as that of flowers and fruits. Ordinary vegetables are basically tasteless to humans, and this was the first time they had ever smelled such a distinct vegetable fragrance.

They had long wanted to see what vegetables that could emit such a fragrance looked like, and now that they saw it, they had a feeling that they knew it was true.

The vegetable seedlings, which looked even more perfect than the pictures in textbooks, actually appeared in reality.

The thought that these cabbages would become the army's food made both soldiers swallow hard.

They were once again grateful that they had passed the test and joined the army. Not only would they get to eat mutated monster meat, but now, they were even given priority access to vegetables that were said to have special properties.

The two men were overflowing with gratitude towards Lou Quan. Lou Quan's efforts had not been in vain; they had all been transformed into the loyalty and admiration of his soldiers.

Tao Qiu and the children returned along the route they had taken that morning. There was no need to worry about getting lost, as the road had no forks and led directly from the courtyard to the gate. There were also several guard checkpoints along the way, like road signs, so even someone with a terrible sense of direction wouldn't get lost.

At the end of the workday, the main gate was bustling with staff coming and going. As soon as Tao Qiu stepped out, she saw Lou Yu standing by the car.

"Lou Yu's father!"

Tao Qiu let go of the children's hands and let them run towards Lou Yu.

Lou Yu squatted down and ruffled the hair of his three kids. "How was your day? Did you have fun?"

He didn't ask if the children had behaved well or made their father angry, because he knew their temperaments well. The chances of Niba being rebellious and making Tao Qiu unhappy were greater than the chances of the children making mistakes and causing trouble for Tao Qiu.

"Happy!" Erzai said sincerely, "As long as we're with Daddy, we're happy no matter where we go."

Lou Yu's heartstrings were touched, and he smiled, saying, "They're all Daddy's good babies."

Tao Qiu walked over slowly, Lou Yu stood up and gave him a hug.

Lou Yu said, "Qiuqiu, you've worked hard. I'll cook you a nice meal to help you recover."

The meal Lou Yu cooked in the valley last time was quite good. The ingredients were of high quality, and with Tao Qiu watching over things, at least he wouldn't make a culinary disaster or blow up the kitchen.

"Okay, can I make braised pork?"

"Sure, I learned this dish from Chen Lin before, so I should be able to make it."

The Eldest Cub asked, "Dad Lou Yu, can we order food too?"

"Of course! What would you like to eat?"

Eldest Cub: "I want to eat stir-fried potatoes."

"I want pumpkin pancakes." This was the Third Cub.

Second child. "I want cold shredded radish salad."

The family chatted as they walked towards their car, a heartwarming and happy scene that attracted the attention of many.

After the car drove away, the onlookers gathered in twos and threes in one spot and started gossiping.

"The commander has already gone back, everyone can speak freely now."

"We won't spread rumors, we'll only talk about what we know."

"Yes, yes, we don't make up rumors, we're just disseminators of information."

"Well? I'll go first. This morning, some people were speculating that Lou Yu was trying to use connections to get Tao Qiu a job in the planting area. Then they found out that the commander's adjutant was very respectful to Tao Qiu, and everyone was guessing why. Later, I asked my team leader, and guess what he said?"

Stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me already.

"My team leader has some family ties with a high-ranking leader. According to what he's heard, several leaders at the top value Tao Qiu highly. It seems Tao Qiu is a planting expert that the commander hired at great expense."

"Hmm, that makes a lot of sense. Look at Tao Qiu and his three children, they're all so fair-skinned. They clearly haven't experienced hardship. Their status at the Yongkang Base must be extremely high. If he really is an expert in planting, it's normal for him to be respected and treated well."

"Our base has experienced several consecutive seasons of reduced production. It's understandable that the commander would spend money to hire experts."

"So, Tao Qiu came to our Yong'an Base not just because of her relationship with Lou Yu, huh?"

"Definitely. Is it worth it? The expert that the Commander respects so much is definitely not someone who seeks fame and fortune. The Commander probably paid a considerable price for Yongkang Base to let him leave with Lou Yu."

"So, do you think Tao Qiu can solve the predicament of the planting area?"

"As a member of the Yong'an Base, I hope he can do it."

"Me too, I don't want anyone to go hungry anymore."

Back home, Tao Qiu first took a shower and changed into her pajamas before coming downstairs to instruct Lou Yu on how to cook.

Since it was agreed that Lou Yu would cook, Tao Qiu wouldn't lift a finger. At most, she would give him some verbal guidance, reminding him about the heat and how to add the seasonings.

Fortunately, Lou Yu was an obedient and quick-witted student. He could understand almost anything Tao Qiu said. The two of them, one teaching and the other learning, successfully made dinner.

After the meal, the kids cleared the table, while Tao Qiu and Lou Yu washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen.

In the evening, the family snuggled up on the sofa, chatting about what they had seen and heard during the day, and listened to Tao Qiu tell bedtime stories.

The kids have very precise biological clocks; when it's time, they can't help but yawn and fall asleep in their two dads' arms.

They carried the three sleeping, chubby babies to their respective rooms and settled them in before returning hand in hand to their own bedroom.

The next day, as usual, Lou Yu picked up and dropped off Tao Qiu and the children at work.

When Tao Qiu arrived, the vegetable seedlings in the yard had already been transplanted, occupying a much larger area of land.

The leader told Tao Qiu that Lou Quan had instructed that this time, only cabbages should be planted.

Tao Qiu listened and simply said that he understood; he was only responsible for facilitating the birth, and he wouldn't interfere with what they wanted to plant.

Thanks to Tao Qiu's special energy, the transplanted seedlings truly did survive, just as he had said.

In the following days, Tao Qiu temporarily set the seedlings aside to encourage the growth of new seeds. Once the seedlings had grown sufficiently, she would have other staff transplant them.

Not wanting the staff to work overtime, Tao Qiu had them transplant the seedlings during their work hours. At this time, he would not use his supernatural abilities but would sit down and rest.

The three kids can't stay still; they'll occasionally run off to help move vegetable seedlings or something.

Initially, the staff were hesitant to let them do any work, thinking that as Tao Qiu's children, they were considered VIPs and were too young to handle such rough work.

The staff only felt relieved after Tao Qiu told them not to be polite and to consider running errands as exercise.

The three children have been following Tao Qiu to the fields since they could walk, and they do their work quite well, without any of the accidents or deliberate mischief that the staff had worried about.

Moreover, they were good-looking, charming, and had sweet talk; in just half a day, they had the staff working alongside them beaming with joy, making them adore them.

And then? Later, they even brought homemade snacks for the kids.

Tao Qiu and her three children were relatively unfamiliar and mysterious to the people at the base. Now that some staff members had come into contact with the real them, they naturally couldn't help but gossip about them to others.

The information they spread wasn't about Tao Qiu's special abilities or the growth of the seedlings; it was just praising the children. So neither Tao Qiu nor the leaders stopped them from talking about the details of their interactions with the kids in the yard.

Within days, half the planting area knew that the three little ones were small, sweet-talking, and especially lovable.

Once the yard is full of cabbages, these staff members won't be needed anymore. But every time we meet them on their way to or from get off work, they always greet the three kids.