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Bai Yan never questioned the ruthlessness and barbarity of the high-ranking members of these powerful families.

Bai Yan sometimes really wanted to contact Lou Yu and ask if they knew anything about the special properties of these seeds. If they did, how could they dare sell them to the Central Base?

But in the end, Bai Yan held back. Lou Yu had been away from the Central Base for several years, and the mother and son had never contacted each other. This was because Bai Yan was under the surveillance of the Lou Family. If the Lou Yu members discovered that she had contacted Lou Yu, they would definitely try to use her to trick Lou Yu into coming back.

Bai Yan didn't want to become a threat to the children.

"Dad, look, this is a little bird snowball I made."

The Third Cub, dressed in thick clothes, presented Tao Qiu with a plump, bird-shaped snowball.

Tao Qiu was nestled on the sofa reading a book when he saw this, so he put down his book and began to observe carefully.

"She looks a lot like you when you were little, chubby and cute." Tao Qiu said with a smile after reading it.

"Really?" Third Cub smiled shyly, mainly because of Tao Qiu's cute comment.

"Really? Dad doesn't lie."

"Hehe, then I'll give this little bird snowball to Daddy. Whenever Daddy sees the snowball, he'll think of me."

Third Cub thought his idea was particularly good.

Tao Qiu's face lit up with surprise. "This? You've been making Yuanyuan little bird for a long time, haven't you? You're really willing to give it to your dad?"

"You're so generous! You're giving all of Baby's good things to Daddy!" The Third Cub's words were as sweet as honey.

"Oh my, so sweet! Daddy loves you so much!" Tao Qiu kissed the Third Cub on the forehead and ruffled her hair, which was covered by a hat.

The Third Cub' eyes narrowed as they laughed.

She came happily, and then happily went back outside to find her Second Cub Eldest Cub wanted to play in the snow together.

So a few minutes later, the Second Cub Eldest Cub came over, each carrying a snowball, to get a kiss from their father.

When Lou Yu came home from work, he saw the three little birds on the table and immediately guessed. "These were a gift from your darlings."

"Hmm." Tao Qiu raised an eyebrow. "Envious, aren't you?"

Lou Yu sat down beside him and chuckled, "I'm envious. By the way, Lou Quan built an ice rink in the Northwest District, it's free to the public, but there's a limit on the number of people each day. I have the day off the day after tomorrow, how about we take the kids there?"

Having made a fortune selling grain and seeds twice, Lou Quan thought of adding an entertainment venue. Coincidentally, the people felt that everything had gone smoothly this year, and they were in high spirits and in the mood to play.

Tao Qiu's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Great! That's perfect! Winters are so boring. Before, when we spent the winter outdoors, the kids and I would ski in the valleys."

Lou Yu imagined the terrain of the valley and asked, "Slide down the mountain?"

"Yes, there's a low mountain with a gentle slope, perfect for skiing. The snow piles up thick at the bottom of the valley, so even if you fall, it won't hurt. The kids aren't afraid to ski on their own."

Even a gentle slope is still a slope, Lou Yu thought, his wife and children are really brave.

He exclaimed, "My Qiuqiu and her babies are so brave!"

Tao Qiu snorted, "Of course."

On the day of their trip, the family of five, fully equipped with protective gear, headed to the ice rink.

Today, Huo Lan and Chen Lin also went with them. When they arrived at the place, the two of them, who were already good at ice skating, took the three kids to practice. Tao Qiu had skated a few times in his previous life, so his skills had become rusty. Lou Yu then led him to slowly skate along the edge of the ice rink.

The three kids are quick learners; Huo Lan and Chen Lin only taught them for half an hour before they learned it.

The three of them strolled around hand in hand, moving very nimbly, and didn't bump into anyone along the way. Even when someone accidentally tripped, they were able to avoid them in time.

"Dad, Lou Yu's Dad, we've already learned it? Oh."

When the kids arrived in front of Lou Yu and Tao Qiu, the Second Cub's tone was full of pride.

Lou Yu glanced at Chen Lin and Huo Lan not far away and said with a smile, "You two skated over here yourselves? That's really impressive."

The Eldest Cub smiled shyly, "It's mainly because Auntie and Uncle taught me so well."

Still clinging tightly to Lou Yu as if afraid of falling if she let go, Tao Qiu sighed, "They teach well, but you all need to be smart and able to understand. Unlike me, your Lou Yu's father has been teaching me for so long, and I still don't dare to skate on my own."

Third Cub quickly comforted Tao Qiu, "I believe in Dad. Dad will get it with a little more practice."

The Second Cub also said, "Dad is the smartest, he'll definitely be able to learn it."

The Eldest Cub glanced at his two fathers but remained silent.

"Thank you, my darlings. You go play now, don't waste your time staying here with me. I'll have your dad, Lou Yu, teach me a bit more."

Finally, he didn't forget to add, "Be careful."

The Eldest Cub led his two younger sisters away. They skated for almost another hour. When they turned around, Tao Qiu was still clinging to Lou Yu.

The Second Cub asked innocently, "Is Daddy not good at ice skating?"

Third Cub tried to defend Tao Qiu: "It should be, it's perfectly normal. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses."

The Eldest Cub said meaningfully, "Then, do you think it's possible that Dad did it on purpose?"

The three kids looked over at the same time and saw that Tao Qiu had "accidentally" pulled Lou Yu to the ground again, then snuggled into his arms and whispered something to him. Lou Yu patted his head with a gentle expression, as if comforting him.

Second Cub and Third Cub:... I get it?

What? You can't teach it or learn it? It's just a couple's little fun.

This winter, the residents of Yong'an Base had a very pleasant time; the cold air couldn't dampen the lively and cheerful atmosphere.

After the start of spring, another wave of mutated monsters will attack.

However, the Lou Family's spies have been taken care of, so there's no need to worry about base secrets being leaked anymore. They can use any means necessary.

Lou Yu's superpowers need no further explanation. According to information Lou Quan inquired about, Lou Yu's current strength is comparable to that of the earliest batch of superpowered individuals in the Shen Family.

Moreover, Lou Yu possesses special abilities; it's not impossible to say he's even better than them.

Zhao Tao's superpower leans more towards support, but his destructive power after transforming into a beast is comparable to most firearms.

The most important one is the poison dough. It has high lethality and a wide range of applications. It's incredibly effective against low-level mutated monsters.

Even ordinary soldiers, after eating special crops for almost two years, experienced significant improvements in their physical condition. They became stronger, had greater endurance, and even seemed to have become much smarter.

Coupled with a large arsenal, the army's overall strength has clearly increased by several levels.

Several factors combined mean that the mutated monster invasion, which once filled everyone in the base with despair, no longer seems as terrifying as they remember.

If the victory in the spring base defense battle brought excitement and reassurance to the base's inhabitants, then the arrival of the new season's rice, flour, fruits, and vegetables a few months later would be the most celebratory event of the first half of the year.

They've been waiting for this for almost a year, and today they can finally eat the fruits and vegetables they've been looking forward to.

The active energy in rice, flour, fruits, and vegetables available to the public has been significantly reduced, yet they remain very popular.

With the new crops nearing market, several supermarkets have opened in the base, mainly selling these two items.

Otherwise, judging from the public's eagerness to try it out, the few supermarkets that were originally located in the base will probably be packed with customers.

Crowded Lou Quan can easily lead to accidents, and since the building management didn't want everyone to wait too long, they opened a few more shops to share the burden.

And indeed, he wasn't wrong. On the day the crops were harvested, all the supermarkets at the base were packed with customers, and even with staggered entry, it was still incredibly crowded.

The owner and staff only get a chance to relax after working until closing time at night.

It's dinnertime tonight. Everyone who's been to work or school has gone home. Every household is cooking with fresh ingredients, and the aroma wafts everywhere, making the stomachs of passersby who haven't yet arrived home rumble, and causing them to quicken their pace.

Tao Qiu and Lou Yu's neighbors were as happy as if it were New Year's Day. The table was full of all kinds of dishes, but the first things to be eaten were not meat dishes, but rice, steamed buns and vegetables.

They patted their full bellies, moved to tears.

They're liberated?! No more having to eat steamed buns while smelling the aroma of other people's cooking?!

While the Yong'an Base was jubilant, the Central Base was equally excited.

Lou Family premium rice and noodles are back on the market? And as usual, they sell out in seconds.

The old men of the Lou Family were beaming with joy, while the customers buying rice and flour were both happy and distressed.

They were happy because the rice and noodles sold by the Lou Family had genuinely improved their health; they were also distressed because they had been eagerly giving away money and opportunities just to buy more food, and they were so jealous of the Lou Family that their eyes were practically red with envy.

Especially the Shen Family, who, despite believing themselves to be superior to all other families in the base due to the Awakening Reagent, spent a great deal of time and money, yet still could not cultivate the unique superior breed of the Lou Family.

The head of the Shen Family lost his temper! The supervisor and staff in charge of this project were all criticized and had their salaries reduced; they were in a terrible state.

The old men in the Lou Family aren't stupid; people their age surely understand the saying "the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow against it."

Back then, they used every means possible to obtain the Shen Family's reagent technology. Now that the other companies are extremely envious, they will surely take measures as well.

Rather than suffering even greater losses due to being schemed against by others, it's better to share some of the profits with everyone. Even if it's just a small portion, it can at least curb the desires of some individuals.

So they announced that they would be selling rice and wheat seeds, in limited quantities, on a first-come, first-served basis.

To avoid being targeted, the Lou Family informed customers in advance that they were selling second-generation seeds. He explained that planting second-generation seeds would result in a decrease in the taste and nutritional value of the mature crop due to the erosion caused by mutated energy.