Time Travel: Volume 1! Starting from a Small Mountain Village

"Here, this is what I've seen before, I've written it all down!"

"That's great!"

Long Lifan handed the written text to Wang Hongtao, who carefully accepted it as if it were a priceless treasure. He then began to read it intently.

Seeing this, Long Lifan stopped paying attention. Researchers often have this problem; once they're engrossed in something, they often forget to eat. Realizing she'd taken too long, she prepared to say goodbye to Station Chief Wu and leave.

"What? You're leaving already? No way!"

Hearing Long Lifan preparing to leave, Wang Hongtao stopped what he was doing and quickly came over to stop her, saying, "Long Zhiqing, you've helped me so much this time, you should at least have a meal before you leave. Ayuan, go tell the kitchen to prepare a good meal and wine, and tell them I'm treating."

"Yes!" the young man replied, turning and walking out of the office.

Long Lifan glanced at Party Secretary Miao, then at Xu Tiansheng, her meaning clear. Party Secretary Miao thought to himself, "Why are you looking at me like that? They're here for you." As for Xu Tiansheng, he had only one thought at that moment: "Sure enough, capable people always get treated to meals, no matter where they go."

He had planned to accompany Long, the educated youth, to buy chicks and then invite her to a restaurant, but Professor Wang beat him to it.

"Long Zhiqing, just agree. It's rare for Professor Wang to treat us, don't let him down," Wu Tianmu advised from the side.

If he still harbored a sliver of doubt after hearing Xu Tiansheng's words, that last sliver of doubt had now completely vanished. Long Zhiqing's move just now was truly eye-opening—like pulling a knife to the buttocks. Professor Wang, who had been researching day and night, was now seeking advice from a mere educated youth.

There aren't many people who can convince a stubborn old man like Wang Hongtao. Many people from higher up had tried to get on his good side before, but Wang Hongtao never gave them a warm welcome. Now, they're clamoring to treat him to a meal, which Wang Hongtao finds utterly absurd. In front of Long Zhiqing, Wang Hongtao hardly seems like a professor; he's clearly a student asking for advice.

Seeing that she couldn't refuse, Long Lifan had no choice but to agree. The group went to the canteen of the farmers' market and casually found a long table to sit down. At the table, Wang Hongtao frequently asked Long Lifan some questions, and Long Lifan didn't hold back, answering all the questions she knew.

During the conversation, the kitchen staff brought out several plates one after another. Long Lifan glanced at them and saw that there were three meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, a soup, and a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor). At that time, it could no longer be called luxurious; it should be called extravagant, which also showed Professor Wang's sincerity in inviting her.

The brief conversation was a revelation for Wang Hongtao, not only providing new ideas for his future research but also opening a new door for him. That's how research works; once you understand one thing, you can achieve everything. He believed his experiment would soon be successful. Seeing that all the dishes were served, he, in high spirits, invited everyone to start eating.

As soon as Wang Hongtao opened the bottle of baijiu, a pungent smell assaulted Long Lifan's nostrils. Perhaps it was because the original owner of this body had been a frequent sufferer of medicine since childhood, but the smell of baijiu made her feel nauseous and vomit. She hadn't experienced this in her previous life, so the problem must lie with the original owner.

"Then we won't drink the wine!" The others clearly noticed this as well, and Wang Hongtao quickly covered the bottle with the cap.

"Long Zhiqing, you said you came to buy chicks. So, have you chosen yet? Do you need my help?"

Through their conversation, Wang Hongtao learned of her purpose. Although he specialized in white pigs, he also had some knowledge of chicks and knew the tricks of the trade in selecting chicks. He seemed worried that she might be taken advantage of. Turning to Wang Tianmu beside him, he said, "Little Wu, Long Zhiqing has been a great help to me. You'd better give this old man a hand in return."

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Wang. I've already selected the chicks! Station Chief Wu has also helped us a lot." Long Lifan quickly expressed her gratitude. She already had Director Xu's help, so she didn't need it anymore. At least he had the kind thought.

"That's it!"

Wang Hongtao realized he had no use for his skills, but he genuinely wanted to thank Long Zhiqing. "How are you going to transport those chicks back?"

“Professor Wang, the educated youth Long are also my guests. I will drive them back,” Xu Tiansheng quickly said from the side.

"This..." Wang Hongtao was dumbfounded. Usually, everyone would try to curry favor with him, but he would ignore them all. He never expected that one day he would be at a loss when he wanted to show goodwill. He glanced at Xu Tiansheng, wondering why Long Zhiqing had become his guest again.

He had been deeply engrossed in his research on Changbai pigs, and the lack of understanding and skepticism from those around him had made his personality increasingly eccentric. He finally met a knowledgeable young woman who offered him new ideas and assistance. He felt she also had great potential as a researcher, but she had just rejected him.

But he genuinely liked this young girl; if the occasion weren't inappropriate, he would have wanted Long Zhiqing to be his granddaughter. He turned his gaze to Wang Yuan beside him, then back to Long Zhiqing. His eyes darted back and forth between the two, feeling that pairing them up would definitely be a good idea.

After a moment's thought, he said, "Long Zhiqing helped me a lot just now. How about I give you two piglets from Dongwan Brigade?"

A piglet would cost at least tens of yuan on the market now, but Wang Hongtao felt that Long Zhiqing had not only helped the sow give birth to eight piglets but also saved her life. Compared to that, giving away two piglets was nothing.

"This...this isn't a good idea!" Long Lifan really wanted to raise Changbai pigs, but the team's finances didn't support it, so they could only choose to raise chickens. Hearing Wang Hongtao's polite words, she was somewhat tempted.

"Hey, it's not a bad thing!" Wang Hongtao waved his hand casually, then looked at Xu Tiansheng and said, "I remember you drive a sedan, right, Director Xu? It's not very convenient to transport chicks and piglets like that."

“Okay, I’ll have A-Yuan drive the truck from the farmers’ market to take you back later. Don’t worry, Long Zhiqing, although A-Yuan is doing research with me, his driving skills are excellent, so you don’t need to worry about that at all.” After a moment, he continued.

"A-Yuan, go to the pigsty later and pick out two piglets to take to the truck so we can send Long Zhiqing and the others back." Wang Hongtao specifically asked Wang Yuan to take them back, just to create an opportunity for them. They're all young people, they're bound to have things to talk about, and they'll probably get to know each other better over time.

"Yes"

Wang Yuan responded and got up to make arrangements, not giving anyone time to react.

In the end, Long Lifan accepted Wang Hongtao's suggestion. Indeed, as he said, Director Xu's car was fine for carrying people, but it was not convenient for transporting chicks, not to mention two piglets.

Xu Tiansheng was still bewildered on his way back to the machinery factory. He had intended to express his gratitude to Long Zhiqing, but somehow he had ended up getting a free meal as well. It seemed he would have to find another way to repay Long Zhiqing; one meal was definitely not enough.

Wang Yuan focused on driving the whole way, and the others didn't exchange more than a few words.

When they returned to Hongxing Commune, it was already around three o'clock in the afternoon. Long Lifan was still a little worried that the brigade leader and Old Man Chen had driven the oxcart back. If that was the case, they really wouldn't be able to transport the chicks and piglets back.

Fortunately, as they approached the station, they spotted the captain in the distance, who was holding a pipe and looking around anxiously. Lin Guodong assumed they would return by bus, so he didn't notice when the truck stopped in front of him.

"Captain!"

Long Lifan, sitting in the car, shouted. Only then did Lin Guodong come to his senses and glance at the cargo. There, sitting, were Miao Dashan and Long Zhiqing.

"boarding!"

Long Lifan gave a soft exclamation, opened the car door and let Lin Guodong get in. After driving for a few more minutes, the truck finally stopped at the intersection of the main road, where Old Man Chen was waiting by the roadside with his oxcart.