The Cabbage Ripened

Consequently, their attitude towards Tao Qiu, the father of the child, also became much warmer.

Tao Qiu thought, if the three children hadn't been confined to the yard, they probably would have gotten to know everyone in the entire planting area these past few days.

As expected of three social butterflies, their social skills are terrifying.

That noon, the staff brought in steamed buns as the main dish for lunch. The plump, white buns emitted a fragrant aroma, were soft like cotton when squeezed, and became more and more delicious with each chew.

The moment Tao Qiu saw the steamed buns, he understood: the batch of flour mixed with the wheat he grew had been put on the market.

However, to confirm, Tao Qiu still asked, "Are these steamed buns made with fresh flour?"

This staff member was unaware of the details regarding the wheat. Upon hearing Tao Qiu's question, her previously composed demeanor instantly brightened, and she excitedly exclaimed, "Yes, today all the major supermarkets suddenly stocked new flour. There was also a notice saying that the base has enough grain to last until the next harvest, so everyone can eat their fill and won't have to go hungry anymore to save food."

Tao Qiu said, "Really? That's good news."

The staff member smiled and said, "Yes, when the announcement first came out, everyone was skeptical and even scrambled for flour for a while. Later, they found that the supermarket was constantly restocking, and they couldn't possibly grab all the flour they wanted, so everyone gradually calmed down."

Erzai, biting into a steamed bun, asked expectantly, "Is everyone happy today?"

"Yeah, yeah, everyone's going to be laughing! I'm going crazy with joy. Everyone I met today was smiling."

Tao Qiu asked, "What do you think of the taste of this batch of noodles?"

The staff member seemed a little embarrassed, saying, "I don't know if it's just psychological, but I feel like things are even better because they're hard-earned. Today the cafeteria used fresh flour to steam these big buns, and I ate four by myself!"

The Third Cub said, "This steamed bun is so delicious! I like it too!"

"My colleagues all say the same thing. Maybe the flour this time is really high quality. I wonder where the higher-ups bought the grain from?"

It's a well-known fact that the base's grain production has decreased this season, but the people don't seem to realize it? This batch of flour is from their own base; it's probably bought from or borrowed from other bases.

Initially, people had doubts and were worried that the grain was borrowed from the Central Base. However, an insider revealed that the origin of this batch of new grain had nothing to do with the Central Base, and everyone could eat it without worry.

The public believed that the higher-ups wouldn't lie to them about this matter, so they abandoned the Central Base option and started speculating about other possibilities.

After the staff left, the Eldest Cub happily grabbed the steamed bun and said to Tao Qiu, "Dad, there's flour made from the wheat you grew in here! It's super, super delicious!"

The second child proudly puffed out his chest. "Our dad is the best!"

The Third Cub suggested, "Dad, let's make egg pancakes with the new flour tonight."

Tao Qiu smiled and agreed, "Okay, I'm in a good mood today, let's splurge a little, three eggs in one pancake."

The Third Cub exclaimed excitedly, "We want the biggest eggs!"

"Okay, then Dad will let you choose. Just knock on whichever one you like and put it in."

"Yay!"

Today, the Yong'an Base was like a New Year's celebration. After work, Lou Yu drove Tao Qiu and their three children home. On the way, they saw many people carrying flour on their backs.

It was as if an invisible seal had been broken; the number of people in the shops had increased significantly. Children were running and playing happily, and adults had smiles on their faces. The atmosphere of the entire base was becoming increasingly lively.

That night, a similar aroma wafted from most of the homes in the base.

Whether it's steamed buns, mantou, noodles, or dumplings, flour, no matter what food it's made into, it carries a subtle yet undeniable wheat aroma. The elders in my family always exclaim, "I've lived for over sixty years, and this is the best quality flour I've ever seen!"

Lou Yu and Chen Lin's neighbors were among the happiest people today, aside from those who were about to go hungry, for having bought new flour.

God knows how Tao Qiu and the three children have been getting through this period since they arrived at the base.

At times, they even suspected that these two families might have added some kind of dragon liver and phoenix marrow to their cooking, otherwise it wouldn't smell so good!

To put it bluntly, the aroma of food wafting from both houses was enough to make them eat two extra bowls of rice.

The more you hear, the emptier you feel inside; eating too much of your own food won't help.

They often dreamed that they were eating food from these two restaurants, then woke up laughing, only to feel even more desperate after realizing it was a dream.

If they didn't have any shame, they really would have gone to other people's homes to freeload.

Because they had been longing for the food from those two restaurants, they weren't as excited as others when they received news of the new noodles being available today. They felt that no food could compare to those two restaurants.

But after buying the noodles, they noticed a faint aroma of food from those two families emanating from them.

They tentatively cooked the flour into a dish, and then... the whole family ate until they were stuffed.

If they weren't so full, they would definitely have ate a few more bites.

This noodle dish only had about three-tenths the aroma of the food from those two restaurants, but they were already quite satisfied with just that. Combined with the aroma wafting from the other two restaurants, they felt as if they were already sitting at the same table eating the same food as them.

"Mom and Dad, let's buy two more bags of flour tomorrow. We want to eat this with every meal from now on."

"No, no, no! Three bags? Five bags? Who knows if we'll even have this quality flour anymore?"

Similar conversations occurred in the homes of every neighbor who shared the same predicament.

The next morning, supermarkets saw another wave of large-scale flour purchases.

The shopkeeper, unaware of the situation, tried to persuade the customers, "Hey, the higher-ups aren't lying, the food reserves this time are really plentiful. Don't hoard too much, it'll just go bad and be a waste of money!"

A customer, despite being busy, took a moment to answer the shop owner, "We didn't buy extra because we're worried about running out of food. It's just that the quality of this flour is so good; my whole family loves it, so I thought I'd buy another bag."

The other people who responded also meant the same thing.

The boss is a bachelor, and it takes him two meals to finish one meal. He was busy all day yesterday, and after getting home he just ate a few bites of leftovers and rested. He hasn't had breakfast yet today.

He did know that the flour was of good quality; his superiors had mentioned it when they went to deliver it, but he hadn't expected it to sell so well.

After things calmed down, he went to a nearby breakfast stall and bought some steamed buns for breakfast. The stall owner said the buns were made with flour that had just come into season yesterday.

The boss took a bite, chewed quickly, and then his eyes lit up instantly.

Ignoring the heat, he devoured the bun in his hand, bite after bite, still feeling unsatisfied. He then turned and ran back to the breakfast stall.

As it turns out, those customers weren't exaggerating!

Central Base, Lou Family Research Institute.

After Bai Yan finished writing the report and checked it for errors, she clicked "save".

She shut down the computer, rubbed her neck and wrists, and let out a long, relaxed sigh.

It was already past closing time, but most offices and labs were still full; only a minority wanted to, or were able to, leave on time.

Bai Yan herself had been working overtime for three consecutive days, and today she finally finished her work. Not wanting to stay any longer, she locked the office door and left when it was time to go.

From the third floor to the underground parking lot, everyone we met greeted Bai Yan with a smile.

Bai Yan and her team successfully completed several projects, achieving remarkable results and receiving numerous awards from higher authorities. In addition, Bai Yan herself has a gentle and easy-going personality, making her extremely popular within the research institute. Even her competitors admire her more than they envy her.

After driving back to her residential area and parking the car, Bai Yan felt a surge of joy, thinking that she could finally go to bed early tonight.

But upon seeing that figure at the door, her good mood vanished instantly.

Bai Yan didn't stop walking, constantly hypnotizing herself to ignore the man's presence.

Having fought against him for so many years, Bai Yan knew that the more she paid attention to this person, the more he would take advantage of her.

Bai Yan unlocked the door and was about to go in when she heard a deep voice behind her. "Don't you want to hear the latest news about Lou Yu?"

Bai Yan ignored him, strode into the house, and turned to close the door.

Unexpectedly, the man spoke again, "He's with another man, and they have three children. That man gave birth to them. I have their photos. Do you want to see them?"

Bai Yan's hand, which was closing the door, suddenly stopped.

For a moment, she wondered if Lou Qing, that old bastard, had gone mad and was spouting nonsense.

Chapter 98 The Cabbage Ripens

After many years of marriage, Lou Qing was the one who loved Bai Yan. Bai Yan understood him, and he understood Bai Yan even better. Seeing Bai Yan's slightly widened eyes, Lou Qing guessed what she was thinking.

"I didn't make this up. Can I show you the evidence?"

Lou Qing stepped forward from the shadows, his tall figure exuding a strong sense of oppression, but Bai Yan was not afraid of him in the slightest.

Back then, Bai Yan almost stabbed Lou Qing to death; Lou Qing still has a very obvious scar on his chest.

Bai Yan remained silent, but extended her hand, indicating that she should receive the evidence.

Lou Qing didn't move, only saying, "May I come inside to talk?"

Bai Yan was about to close the door immediately.

"No!" Lou Qing quickly handed over the photo from his pocket.

Bai Yan grabbed the inside doorknob with one hand and pulled the photo over with the other.

There are three photos in total. Each photo shows Lou Yu, a man with long white hair, and three children of similar age.

The white-haired man was extremely handsome and a perfect match for Lou Yu. The three children were also round and adorable. Bai Yan found a resemblance to Lou Yu when he was a child in their faces, proving that they were indeed Lou Yu's children without a doubt.