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"Let's team up and swindle some money from a few of the old men in our family," Lou Quan said with a smile, but his words didn't sound like those of a good person.

Tao Qiu became interested. "How do you lie?"

Lou Quan explained his plan in detail.

Yesterday, our family contacted some informants, asking them to find out Tao Qiu's identity and whether the improved situation in the Yong'an Base planting area and the appearance of the delicious rice and noodles they mentioned were related to him.

Lou Quan understood that since the higher-ups had raised suspicions, if he didn't provide a reasonable explanation, they would think his informants were incompetent and would probably send new people down to investigate, making it even harder to cover it up.

Therefore, Lou Quan planned to report Tao Qiu's disguised identity, namely the title of "planting expert," claiming that he had cultivated new seeds, which solved the problem of reduced grain production at the Yong'an Base, and that the emergence of delicious rice and noodles was also due to his efforts.

Based on this, they delivered a processed rice and noodles dish. This dish contained very little supernatural active energy, but it still tasted good.

This whole setup should be able to temporarily stabilize the situation for the old guard within the family.

Moreover, the high-yield and delicious grain will definitely tempt the old folks. Once they're tempted, they'll come to Lou Quan for better seeds, and then they'll have to ask Lou Quan for terms.

Whether it's money or weapons, Yong'an Base needs them.

Tao Qiu raised an eyebrow after hearing this, "What if they think you're being unreasonable and don't want the seeds anymore? After all, the Central Base doesn't seem to lack food."

Lou Quan smiled, a hint of mockery in his smile.

"They don't lack food, but they lack delicious and unique food. The higher their position, the more they want to prove that they are superior to ordinary people. For them, luxury and rarity are the most important things."

"Now I strictly control the base's import and export. The research institute has developed a detection machine. Not a single grain of rice or flour from the base can be taken out without my permission."

"Things are valued for their scarcity. Once they've eaten the rice and flour I send them, they'll definitely ask me for seeds, because they not only want to eat them themselves, but also want to grow them to sell to other people of the same social class."

Tao Qiu understood: they wanted to do business with the Lou Family's main branch, and the Lou Family's main branch also wanted to do business with other wealthy and powerful people.

They will go to great lengths to obtain anything that can generate profit.

Seeing Tao Qiu's expression of sudden realization, Lou Yu continued, "Because this plan essentially puts you in the spotlight, that's why I'm asking for your opinion. If you disagree, I can think of other ways. If you agree, you can get half of the profits from selling the seeds."

Tao Qiu said, "I have no objection. They've all noticed me. Even if I don't step forward voluntarily, they'll still trace it back to me."

Lou Quan admired Tao Qiu's intelligence and pragmatism.

"Then I wish our cooperation will proceed and conclude smoothly."

"Certainly."

Tao Qiu continued, "If you don't want to make a one-off deal, the seeds you sell to the Central Base will definitely grow into good grains. Aren't you afraid that the active energy in the seeds will be exposed?"

"I've considered that as well," Lou Quan said. "Just like the rice and flour we're about to send them to lure them in, we'll reduce the active energy in the seeds we send, making them, like the test seeds we planted, worse with each generation. The treated seeds, at most, will only be planted once; the second generation will revert to ordinary crops."

Lou Quan provided a very detailed answer.

"Research institute staff discovered that when the active energy in special crops is weak to a certain extent, if tested using conventional methods, the characteristics exhibited by these special crops are similar to those of ordinary improved varieties, but they are slightly superior."

"Conventional testing methods can only detect crops with abundant bioactive energy. For crops with low bioactive energy, a special method is required. This method was devised by our institute's researchers based on the knowledge that crops contain bioactive energy. Most people wouldn't think of this approach."

"Please rest assured, Mr. Tao, I'm even more reluctant than you to let the higher-ups discover the existence of this special crop."

Hearing Lou Yu's professional explanation, Tao Qiu sighed in admiration.

Trickery

While meticulously planning, I was also astonished that his research on his own "superpower" and special crops had reached this stage.

As expected of Lou Quan, Tao Qiu knew he wouldn't only use special crops for awakening experiments.

That evening, when Lou Yu returned, Tao Qiu said to him, "Luckily, the person I saved back then was... you, not Lou Quan. That guy is too cunning; dating him would be exhausting."

Lou Yu a pitiful puppy-dog face, asked, "Qiuqiu, are you saying I'm stupid?"

"I didn't mean that. Our Little Fishy is smart too." Tao Qiu patted his head and coaxed him gently, "It's just that your intelligence is different from his. I like you more, so you can't belittle yourself."

Lou Yu clutched his chest. "But... I still feel a little sad, unless Qiuqiu can... kiss me."

"What's so difficult about that? I guarantee I'll kiss you until your lips are swollen." Tao Qiu finished speaking and then pounced on Lou Yu.

Lou Quan's plan was progressing smoothly. After the false information was sent up through his informants, the old men of the Lou Family believed it and even asked the informants to send them a portion of rice and flour.

Their informants told them that the Yong'an Base was now strictly controlling rice and flour deliveries, and even if they wanted to deliver, they could only deliver very small quantities, otherwise they would easily be caught by Lou Quan.

The old men hadn't yet realized how delicious this so-called "delicious" rice and noodles could possibly be, and they didn't seem to care much when their informant said that.

Anyway, they just wanted to see if what their informants were saying was true, and it didn't matter how much.

In the end, three jin each of rice and flour were sent out.

Once the rice and flour arrived at the Central Base, a light, pleasant aroma of grains wafted out as soon as the packaging was opened.

The scent is irresistible; the eyeliners were right.

But the old men didn't even touch the packaging before sending it for testing. Even though the test report said the rice and flour were non-toxic and quite nutritious, they didn't let their guard down. They dug out some rice and flour, cooked it, and had the people who were testing it eat it.

Rice and wheat were two different test subjects. At first, they were a little scared, but when the fragrant steamed buns and white rice were placed in front of them, their appetite immediately overcame their fear.

Even without any side dishes, the two of them still finished off the two steamed buns and a bowl of rice in the shortest possible time, leaving not a single crumb.

They even proactively asked at the end if they could have another serving.

To be honest, since they've come to test the food, their status must be quite low; they've never eaten such delicious food since birth.

They didn't know the source of the food and assumed that this was what the powerful and wealthy ate every day. On the surface, they still appeared honest and unassuming, but in their hearts, boundless envy had already arisen.

Is the gap between the upper class and the lower class really that large?

There was no extra food, but neither of them died after 24 hours. Medical examinations also showed they were not poisoned. The Lou Family still gave them a reward before letting them leave.

The two had no idea who had hired them, and the only place they had been in for over a day was a hotel near the city center.

Standing in the sunlight, the two touched the money in the bag and suddenly felt a sense of disorientation.

Could the meager reward they received, risking their lives, even buy half a pound of the food they used to test for poison?

Their home was in a working-class area, sandwiched between slums and the city center belonging to the upper class. This job of testing drugs was something they had to pull a lot of strings to get.

Many days after I got home, the food from that day tasted increasingly delicious in my memory, especially compared to the poor-quality food I usually ate.

They reminisced about it even in their dreams; their longing was so intense that it eventually became an obsession.

If only I could eat that kind of food every day! How could I achieve that goal?

Sometime later, both of them learned about the opposition's banner through different channels and resolutely joined them.

Back at the Lou Family's old man's place, after scientific and human tests confirmed that the rice and flour were non-toxic, they were finally completely relieved.

That day, several people gathered together, intending to taste the rice and noodles together.

They had previously heard from their subordinates that the aroma of rice and flour becomes even stronger after cooking.

Sure enough, as soon as the cooked rice and flour dishes were served, even the old men who prided themselves on having tasted countless top-notch delicacies of this era couldn't help but swallow hard.

In particular, after tasting the first bite, they immediately realized that what the informants at the Yong'an Base had said was true.

For these few people, three catties of rice and flour wasn't enough for a treat, and with some already used for testing and toxicity checks, the rest was gone in one meal.

The old men's mouths were whetted, and they were still not satisfied, so they quickly ordered their spies to send over even more rice and flour.

But the eyeliner's response was a huge blow to them.

The informant said the smuggling of rice and flour out of the base had been discovered. Although they couldn't pinpoint exactly who did it, Lou Quan strengthened surveillance and reportedly even used some kind of detection equipment. No matter how well you hide it, they can detect even a single grain of rice.

Therefore, smuggling rice and flour out of the country is impossible in the short term.

The old men were furious. Why was Lou Quan so old? Was he ruining their plans?!

Upon receiving this news, they did not hesitate and immediately contacted Lou Quan in person to inquire whether the rice and flour were grown by Lou Yu's girlfriend, Tao Qiu.

Lou Quan initially pretended to be clueless, saying he didn't understand what they were talking about.

The impatient old men cut to the chase. "We've already found out. Tao Qiu is an expert in crop cultivation. The new crop you planted this season is a superior variety he cultivated, which is why the yield has increased and the taste is superior to ordinary crops. You don't need to pretend you don't know anymore."

Lou Quan: "... I've been searching for days who smuggled the rice and flour out. It turns out it was one of your people."