Chapter 76: Third Update

After a rather chaotic night, more than a dozen people were caught. Miao Cuiye had the foresight; two of them were indeed children of farm workers who had been seduced by the seductive outside world, betraying their country and attempting to burn down the rubber forest.

"We've prevented a major disaster."

They managed to catch all the perpetrators before the arson, avoiding significant economic damage. Currently, the price of rubber is quite high, and domestic rubber production cannot meet the nation's demand, requiring expensive imports of foreign rubber, often subject to unfair pricing.

Rubber trees take several years to mature before they can be tapped for latex, involving substantial costs. Even damaging a few precious trees would cause substantial economic harm to the farm.

"Comrade Qin, thank you so much. We are truly grateful," the farm director said gratefully upon learning that Qin Yao was the first to notice something was amiss.

Qin Yao smiled. "It was my duty."

Following this incident, she and Miao Cuiye would receive commendations for preventing significant property loss and helping capture numerous ill-intentioned individuals.

Qin Yao discovered that her X-ray vision skill could also be used to catch spies and investigate cases, as various hiding methods could not escape her sight. However, she had no desire to become like Conan, getting involved in everything. She only dealt with what came into her view and left the rest to fate.

Miao Cuiye enjoyed the limelight. For her, last night was a major achievement. After years of calm, encountering such an event was rare. With so many people in the country, a few bad elements were scarce, like rare and dangerous snakes in the mountains—a rare find.

"Yaoyao, your luck is really good. I didn't sleep all night, and look what I got this morning—I caught five snakes," Miao Cuiye said excitedly. After capturing the evil-doers, she went snake hunting early in the morning.

There were many skilled snake catchers on the farm, with keen eyes that could spot dangerous snakes hidden in the woods, a skill only the experienced possessed.

Qin Yao initially wondered if catching so many snakes would affect the ecosystem, but then realized that the human-inhabited areas on the island were still quite small, with large undeveloped regions remaining in their natural state.

Catching snakes near the farm served two purposes: ensuring personnel safety and possibly protecting the rodents, which, ironically, also ended up in human mouths. After rice harvesting, many people enjoyed catching rats on the dikes, or even sparrows. As they say, even a mosquito is still meat.

At this time, minimal pesticides and fertilizers were used in the rice fields, resulting in an abundance of loaches. Unlike future farmlands, where only high-yield rice survived, other life forms were eliminated.

Miao Cuiye was full of energy, having washed her hands and changed clothes. She still remembered her promise to accompany Qin Yao to buy "condoms." As a major contributor to the farm, the cadres decided to gift her some as a token of gratitude for saving the rubber trees.

"Which size do you need?"

Qin Yao was quite speechless. She really didn't need the free gift. Knowing this would happen, she almost regretted coming to buy them. After all, free things often come at a hidden cost. She wondered if a rumor would spread across the farm about her—how she helped catch enemy agents and was rewarded with a pile of condoms.

At that time, people were innocent, but married couples were quite passionate and unrestrained, living in a raw, unrestrained way.

There were many young couples on the farm, leading to high usage of condoms, with many workers receiving free supplies annually.

When it came to naming these products, there were many tactics. Basically, small sizes were not available because no one would admit to needing them. Thus, most were medium-sized.

At that time, there was no deceptive naming as seen later, where the smallest size was called "large" for face-saving.

"I'll take the largest size," Qin Yao said matter-of-factly, without blushing or hesitation. Since everyone was so unrestrained, she saw no reason to be shy.

"The largest?"

The person asked Qin Yao several times to confirm, and she insisted on the largest size, while Miao Cuiye scratched her head, excitedly.

"There are many of the largest size." Understanding Qin Yao might be too embarrassed to request more, the person, being considerate, gave her an additional slightly smaller size, giving her a generous amount.

Miao Cuiye helped her get a cloth bag, filling it with a large supply of condoms, enough for a long time, and even some to give away. However, Qin Yao was too embarrassed to distribute them and planned to hand them over to Comrade Gu when she returned home.

"This large bag of items must be quite valuable."

Qin Yao nodded coldly. As long as she remained unflustered, there was nothing to be ashamed of. After spending so much time with Captain Gu, she had also learned to face any situation with a cold demeanor.

Qin Yao, carrying so many condoms, asked her third brother if he wanted them. Third Brother Qin, upon understanding what they were, turned beet red and stammered a refusal: "No, no, no, we don't need them. Hong and I aren't married yet."

Oh no!

Xie Hongni, on the other hand, remained calm, keeping a few of the largest ones. Qin Yao glanced over, curious, but decided to pass on the rest.

Due to the events of the previous night, Qin Yao stayed another night at the farm. Luckily, she had brought extra clothes. On the island, people changed and washed their clothes daily. Even if she had only one set of clothes, it wouldn’t be a problem—wash them in the evening, and they’d be dry by morning.

On the third day, Qin Yao left with "many things" in a car. The journey took her all the way to the family apartment, a bountiful return.

Third Brother Qin and Xie Hongni saw her off, mentioning that they planned to get married within the next month or two. They had already submitted their report and were preparing to get their marriage certificate first.

Third Brother Qin said honestly, "The guy next door advised me not to get the certificate with Hong, but I think we should go ahead. Hong agrees as well."

Xie Hongni nodded, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

Many youths in the countryside got married without obtaining a certificate. They lived together, mainly because they feared that being certified as married would prevent them from returning to the city in the future.

Some people had children who were six or seven years old, yet the couple still hadn’t obtained a marriage certificate. When many youths returned to the city, these children were often abandoned in the village, either taken in by the village or by other kind-hearted people. Their parents, having left their past behind, returned to the city and became part of the unmarried population once again.

"Whether we return to the city in the future, we'll see," Qin Yao said with a faint smile. "There may be plenty of opportunities to return to the city in the future."

In just four years, the college entrance exams would be restored. The following year, reforms would allow for free movement of personnel. Even if one had a rural household registration, they could still develop in the city, no longer confined to the village or farm.

When Qin Yao arrived at the family apartment, she got two young soldiers to help carry the things into her house. Besides the large bag of condoms, there were also four large mulberry trees, dug up with soil and roots intact. Although the soil was heavy, the fruits had already been harvested. With proper care, they would easily bear fruit again. Once home, she planned to immediately dig and plant them.

*

There were also many pineapples, mangoes, two fresh coconuts, and a green papaya.

The mulberries were piled in the yard, while Qin Yao carried the large bag of condoms upstairs. Though it took up a lot of space, the weight wasn’t insignificant when accumulated. The fruits were spread on the living room floor, cushioned by old newspapers.

Qin Yao gave some fruits to her neighbors and friends and planned to take some to the hospital the next day. After all that, she returned home, drenched in sweat. She wiped her sweat and drank some warm water just as Gu Cheng came back.

Qin Yao immediately took off his outer clothes, enlisting him to dig holes in the yard. Gu Cheng, also tired, went out and grabbed two young men to help with the digging and transplanting, planting them in the corner of the yard.

"Is it necessary to plant them at the front door? There are plenty outside. Just pick them when you want."

Qin Yao said, "It's more convenient to have them at the front door."

Having them near the front door was mainly for the sake of freshness. You could pick a little at a time. If you went out to pick them, you’d have to pick more, or it wouldn’t be worth the trip. Bringing them home and not finishing them would be a waste.

After Gu Cheng finished bathing, he asked in surprise, "Did you rob somewhere to bring back so many things?"

Captain Gu squinted. His wife was so beautiful—could it be that someone gave her all this fruit because of her appearance?

Thinking of this, he picked up a prickly pineapple, realizing that it wouldn’t hold up well under a throw. Throwing a few would be considered assault. This kind of fruit-throwing scenario would likely involve longan, lychee, bananas, and small mangoes.

"I’ve done something significant," Qin Yao said, walking up to Gu Cheng and telling him about what had happened at the farm. "These can be considered my rewards. You know, as a hero, there are always flowers, applause, and fruit."

Gu Cheng’s face showed no smile, only lingering concern. He embraced the woman in front of him, whispering into her ear, "Be very careful in the future. Protecting yourself is the most important."

Instructor Gu realized that besides wilderness survival, there were many more skills he needed to teach Comrade Qin.

"My luck has always been good. This trip was quite beneficial. After this trip, I feel that the routine of commuting between the family area and the hospital is quite pleasant. At most, I’ll go to a few familiar places. In this period, there are many hidden dangers."

At least she didn’t have Comrade Miao Cuiye’s snake-catching ability.

"Don't even think of getting lucky."

"I know, it's just this once. I cherish my life and I wouldn't risk my life."

Qin Yao went to take a shower and, wearing a cotton nightgown, went up to the bedroom. Gu Cheng was already in the bedroom. He pointed at the package and asked incredulously, "Did you bring this back for someone? I think Comrade Qin is trying to 'resell' these. Your attitude is not right. I need to educate you ideologically!"

Qin Yao said calmly, "These are all for us. They're for you to use, as a token of appreciation for being the husband of a female hero."

Gu Cheng: "..."

"Are you sure?"

All for him?

Gu Cheng reached out and flipped through the package, trying to casually count how many there were. After a quick estimate, Gu Cheng's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. So many? This will last forever.

Both Little Gu and Captain Gu were honest: "I don't want them."

He didn't want them; he wanted Little Tiger Girl!

"So many, and the sizes are all wrong. Just give them away," Gu Cheng said after taking a closer look, amused.

Qin Yao added, "Don't worry, there are mainly two types, plus a few others. They were worried you might not be... big enough."

Gu Cheng: "..." Damn it.

"If you're going to give them away, you do it."