Chapter 150: Female Educated Youth – 20

Book Spirit Number One had already been released from its restriction. It couldn’t help but ask in its usual meddlesome tone, “Host, working with such meticulous detail doesn’t seem like you. You’re the type of person who wouldn’t even clean up the scene after a murder.”

Ren Xin accepted the compliment and said indifferently, “Because I used a temperature-regulating talisman on myself, I’m currently in a ‘slacking off’ state. It doesn’t matter where I spend my time.”

Meanwhile, the members of the Disabled Persons’ Federation were sweating buckets in the wind and rain.

Finally, through trial and error, she discovered that after three repeated drying cycles with carefully controlled temperatures, the mangoes and pineapples would curl slightly. When eaten, they had a bit of a chewy texture. The mangoes were very sour and needed a coating of powdered sugar to be palatable, but the pineapples were quite good on their own due to their natural sweetness.

Could this be considered a success using the “brute force” method?

The results of this experiment received high praise from the aunties. Everyone chimed in at once: “This dried mango has a completely different flavor; it’s nothing like eating the fresh fruit.”

“The dried pineapple is delicious, really delicious, so sweet…”

“Our Comrade Little Ren is truly outstanding to think of such a method. We’ve spent our whole lives cooking, staring at the pots day in and day out, yet we never thought of doing this!”

“It pays to be educated. See, in the eyes of a cultured person, anything can be a way to strike it rich!”

Ren Xin’s confidence surged from the flattery. She grabbed Fan Zhili, who was happily snacking, intending to experiment with all the other fruits to find the most suitable ones.

Coconuts could be used for coconut oil, and the flesh could be canned. They were truly wonderful things—much better than a certain Book Spirit who could only think of making Huhu poop.

Book Spirit Number One: “…” Who are you being so sarcastic toward!

Ren Xin’s successful experiment gave Chen Aiguo a shock of pleasant surprise. He looked at the dried pineapple before him; the color was enticing, and he could see a faint honey-like glisten on the surface. He picked up a slice and tasted it.

This was far too delicious.

“Ren Xin, you’ve done a great job. You’re going to bring even greater changes to our Qiong Province.”

Ren Xin didn’t see it that way. “There’s not much technical skill involved. Anyone can learn it.”

Chen Aiguo explained with a smile, “But we have a natural advantage: an endless supply of fruit. Dried fruit like this is easy to preserve, has a long shelf life, and takes up little space. It can be shipped all over the country.”

That was true!

How was she so amazing?

Once Chen Aiguo took over the matter, the dried fruit production was no longer handled by the Disabled Persons’ Federation. The reason given was that the matter was too important and required people with nimble hands and feet.

The aunties were furious. Since they couldn’t discipline those young rascals at the workplace, they would just settle the score at home. With their natural status as elders¹, they could thrash those boys, and the boys wouldn’t dare utter a word of protest.

The most miserable one was Chen Aiguo. He took the worst beating, and more importantly, his mother really let him have it with her tongue.

“Our Leader Little Ren said we should retire after our success. Although we’re a bit reluctant, we’re letting go because it’s the best way to see things through. But is this how you people handle things? When it was time to plant the trees, not a single one of you showed up. Now that the fruit is ripe, you all come swarming in. You’re ungrateful!

Did you see us when we were enduring the high temperatures, trying again and again? No, you didn’t. We spent day after day slicing fruit and peeling skins; what were you doing? It had to be our Leader Little Ren—she responds to every word and follows through on every task. She even discovered such a great way to make money, and you think you can just take it over without a word?”

Just what had Comrade Ren Xin said to these old ancestors?

They didn’t mention a single word about the rewards he had given

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Translator’s Notes

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1. natural status as elders: Refers to the Confucian value of filial piety (xiao), where elders hold absolute authority within the family hierarchy, making it socially impossible for children to retaliate against parental discipline. ↩