Shuzhen, lacking energy, was helpless, even though she was being well taken care of by her second aunt and Lianshan. She started to gain a little weight from eating and sleeping well, officially joining the slightly chubby group, didn’t she? Moreover, while she was in her postpartum period, she had to consider little Lian Xi, who was still nursing. Otherwise, she would have planned to start dieting! Of course, life did become genuinely more convenient and enriched once electricity was connected, and they had a washing machine and TV. At least one family of seven no longer had to wash one set of clothes for half an hour when changing out of it. As soon as the village officially had electricity, Lianshan quickly bought a small electric water pump. With a slight modification to the well they already had inside the house, their family was years ahead of others in having running water. Now, placing the washing machine in the bathroom, attaching the water pipe to the inlet, connecting the drainage pipe to the sewer, and using a twin-tub washing machine as good as an automatic one certainly saved them a lot of time from washing clothes and pumping water. Lian En went to school with Chenchen and Xinzhi, and it wasn’t like Xinyue and Lian Xi were troublesome kids. Since they couldn’t find a suitable person, Shuzhen decided not to hire anyone and took care of them herself. After all, there wasn’t much to do at home. The cultivation and optimization at the seed trial farm were all just for show; it mainly relied on her abilities. And now, after years of hard training, her abilities had become quite advanced and precise. Even without leaving the house, she could effortlessly control the seedlings in the test fields less than two kilometers away in a straight line. With this foundation, she could completely balance taking care of the children and working without either being affected. Since the village was full of her people, no one would care if she didn’t dedicate herself to the test fields around the clock. As long as the newly cultivated seeds had higher yields and stronger disease resistance, who would care what time she started or finished her work? "This isn’t good! Doing laundry, cooking, taking care of the kids, doing housework, and still having to go to the fields a few times a day for a quick look; wouldn’t my wife be exhausted in the long run? No, no, just thinking about it makes my heart ache. We should just offer a higher salary and look for a suitable person again!" Lianshan frowned, shaking his head like a rattle. Shuzhen glared at him: Don’t you know better than anyone how capable I am? Cleaning windows and sweeping the floor can be easily done by nurturing a plant, ensuring it’s spotless in no time. With the Plant Ability in hand, even if we both lie at home snoring, we’ll still have a bountiful harvest without any issues! Yet, building this house, buying a washing machine and a TV already seems like showing off. If we hire a maid to take care of the children and do housework, wouldn’t we quickly be accused of bourgeoisie hedonism? It’s already late spring, early summer of ’75. Endure for another year and change will come entirely. When reforms occur, and the country opens up, enabling some people to get rich first, hiring a maid will no longer be indulgent; with the means, no one would envy you for hiring dozens of helpers! It’s frustrating to wait, but it’s only the last half year, so bear with it a little longer! Of course, Shuzhen would never voice this last reason, not even if beaten or killed. She just emphasized that having a washing machine had made housework much easier. The kids were sensible and could look after each other, so there was no need to spend money on someone else, avoiding waste and gossip alike. The debt incurred to buy the washing machine and TV had already caused Lian En considerable worry. Listening to his ’spendthrift’ dad talking about hiring help again, he quickly chimed in: "No need, no need to hire anyone, Dad. In the future, I’ll lead Chenchen and Zhi Zhi in helping mom more. We can sweep the floor and feed the chickens. I’ll also speak with Grandpa Wu to see if Xinyue can come with us to school. Our Xinyue is so well-behaved, she certainly won’t cause any trouble at school." Having attended fifth grade with his eight-year-old prodigy brother since he was three, he hadn’t developed a diligent and eager-to-learn quality yet. As Xinzhi put it: born a learning buffoon, no human effort can save them. Learning buffoon Xinyue clenched their fists: So what if I’m not good at studying? Mom said, in life, as long as you can find even one advantage of yours and maximize it, your life won’t be a failure. Don’t mind me being a learning buffoon; I can employ a group of prodigies to assist in advancing my career! The eldest son is filial and understanding, never just talking without acting. Seeing him lead the twins in cleaning up their room and doing a thorough job of feeding the chickens and geese, and successfully convincing Uncle Wu to let three-year-old Xinyue start school, Lianshan praised them all heavily and abandoned the thought of hiring more help. Instead, he worked faster and more efficiently, taking on all the responsibilities of the test fields himself. He rushed home after finishing the fieldwork as quickly as possible, helping Shuzhen with the remaining chores to the best of his ability. The father and sons worked eagerly and efficiently, almost taking care of all household chores. All Shuzhen had to do was keeping little Lian Xi entertained and cooking meals. Without hiring help, it wasn’t more tiring than when her second aunt was at home. quietly came to an end amidst their family’s atmosphere of mutual care and support. Just as everyone in the village was happily preparing for the New Year and getting ready to celebrate, great news came from Beijing: Wu Liguo, Grandpa Wu, had been vindicated and would be reinstated! Wu Liguo thought he’d lead a peaceful life teaching and nurturing students in the Liu village as Principal Wu. Yet unexpectedly, a playful taunt from an old friend turned into reality! Oh my, this was just like when he was bold enough to speak up in the past and then face consequences – it felt so dreamlike, not quite real! Though never one to cling to power, returning to a high position meant opportunities to pave the way for his daughter, precious grandchildren, and little disciple, Lian En. Wu Liguo warmly accepted with not a hint of refusal. "Cadre? Grandpa Wu was actually a really powerful cadre? My gosh, does this mean I have a powerful backer now?" Lian En’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as he looked at Wu Liguo. With such a strong backing, even if his troublesome biological father tried to take him away as dreamt, he would have no fear, right? After all, cadre against cadre, they wouldn’t be at a disadvantage at all! The naïve and candid manner of the little guy made Wu Liguo laugh heartily: "Yes, from now on, Grandpa Wu will be your backer, Lian En. If anyone dares to boss you around or act like a big shot, just send a telegraph or write to Grandpa Wu. When I get settled, I’ll give you all the addresses, so you’ll always have Grandpa Wu to turn to!"