“Gratitude?” Gu Jianing was momentarily taken aback.
To be honest, she had never expected gratitude for doing these things.
She simply knew the truth of the matter and, having the ability to help, couldn’t bring herself to stand by and do nothing.
But faced with Wang Weiqi’s sparkling, eager eyes, brimming with gratitude, Gu Jianing thought for a moment and finally said, “Then study hard and contribute to our country and society.”
Wang Weiqi hadn’t anticipated this response.
Before being rescued, Wang Weiqi had felt nothing but despair toward society.
She had even harbored thoughts of revenge at one point.
Though those thoughts had vanished after her rescue, she knew exactly whom she should truly be grateful to.
But…
“If this is what Dr. Gu wants to see, then I’m willing to do it.”
If Dr. Gu wanted her to contribute to the country and society, then she would do exactly as Dr. Gu wished.
And that was indeed what Gu Jianing had in mind.
In this lifetime, her mindset had generally been one of peace.
So, she also hoped the world would grow better and better, and that everyone would thrive.
….
During this time, a call came from her hometown, Huaihua Village.
As soon as Gu Jianing picked up, her second brother’s cheerful voice rang out: “Little sis, the rice paddy fish farming worked—it worked!”
Gu Jianing’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Really!”
Gu Jianing’s calls with her hometown had become frequent over the past two months.
The reason was simple: two months ago, the entire village had finally been connected to electricity.
After the village was electrified, the Gu family installed a telephone at home.
Though it was expensive, with so many children now living away from home, phone communication had become essential.
So, having a telephone at home was incredibly important.
Even if it was costly, they went ahead and got one.
The Gu family became the first household in Huaihua Village to have a telephone.
After the installation, Yao Chunhua and the others immediately called Gu Jianing to let her know.
Gu Jianing’s courtyard house had long since had a telephone installed, so now it was much more convenient for both sides to call—no more trips to the village committee office.
Even Xingxing and Yueyue would call their grandparents whenever they missed them.
Grandma Sang, who lived in the courtyard house with Tuantuan, would often call to chat with the in-laws too.
Lately, though, Gu Jianing had been in touch most frequently with her second brother, Gu Yunnan.
During her last visit home, she happened to run into him while he was wrestling with the household contract responsibility system and the idea of land contracting.
Gu Jianing’s arrival settled the matter decisively.
Gu Yunnan became the first person in Huaihua Village to contract land—a mountain and ten acres of rice paddies.
As for the paddies, since Gu Jianing had suggested rice-fish farming, Gu Yunnan naturally trusted his little sister’s idea and went ahead with it.
He became the first person in Huaihua Village—and even the surrounding area—to practice rice-fish farming.
Since he was inexperienced, Gu Yunnan had spent the past few months consulting Gu Jianing over the phone.
Drawing on her past life’s knowledge and books she’d found in the library, Gu Jianing explained everything to him—how to farm fish in rice paddies, what to watch out for—and Gu Yunnan followed her instructions step by step.
Now, at last, their efforts had borne fruit.
At this moment, Gu Yunnan stood by his contracted rice paddies, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers.
The villagers’ gazes were fixed on the ten-acre field before them, their eyes filled with admiration and astonishment.
The field stretched out in golden splendor, the rice stalks heavy with grain, nearly bending under their own weight.
From a distance, it looked like a vast golden carpet.
The air was thick with the rich fragrance of rice.
Upon closer inspection, the paddies were still filled with water—and in that water, fish could be seen darting about.
“Look, that’s a blackfish, isn’t it? My, it’s huge—must be at least two catties!”
“Hey, another one just swam past!”
“There are so many fish!”
“Who would’ve thought Gu Yunnan could actually pull this off? To be honest, I’ve never even heard of raising fish in rice paddies before.”
“Didn’t Gu Yunnan say it was Dr. Gu’s idea? If Dr. Gu suggested it, how could it possibly go wrong?”
“Right, right. If Dr. Gu said it, then it must be good.”
When it came to Gu Jianing, the people of Huaihua Village had nothing but trust in her—no doubts whatsoever.
Gu Jianing’s reputation now was completely different from what it had been before her marriage.
Of course, the heights she had reached also filled some families with regret.
After all, back then, their sons had also taken a liking to Gu Jianing.
But they had thought her too beautiful, too spoiled by her doting family, and too sharp-tongued.
They hadn’t wanted to bring a “little ancestor” into their households.
If they had known Gu Jianing would achieve so much, they would’ve gladly treated her like an ancestor.
If Gu Yunnan could hear their thoughts, he’d scoff.
You think just because you wanted to marry her, my little sister would’ve agreed?
She’s much better off with Sheng Zexi.
Though Gu Jianing didn’t return home often or stay long when she did, every time she visited, Gu Yunnan could see how well Sheng Zexi treated her.
Now, as he surveyed the thriving rice paddies and the fish within, Gu Yunnan couldn’t help but feel pleased.
When he had first started this venture, many in the village had doubted him.
They’d assumed those ten acres would be wasted in his hands.
But now?
Look who’s laughing.
Just then, Old Man Gu and Yao Chunhua arrived.
“Second Son, are you planning to harvest the fish today?” Old Man Gu asked.
“Yes. A week ago, I started slowly draining the paddies. There’s not much water left now.”
“We’ll catch the fish first, then harvest the rice. Otherwise, if we cut the rice first, we might step on the fish or scare them off.”
This, of course, was something Gu Yunnan had confirmed with Gu Jianing beforehand.
“Right, right, that makes sense. I’ll go get the fishing nets, and we’ll get started.”
“Alright.”
Soon, the fish harvest began.
With ten acres of fish to catch, the Gu family alone couldn’t handle it.
So, Gu Yunnan hired some villagers—those he was on good terms with or families in need—to help.
In return, they’d be paid either in cash or fish.
Those he asked were more than happy to oblige.
They’d been itching to see the results of this rice-fish farming experiment anyway.
If it worked out, maybe they’d try it themselves later.
Soon, the hired helpers arrived at the field with their fishing tools.
“Hey, Yunnan, with so many fish, how are you going to eat them all?” one of the village women asked curiously.
Even if he sold them, how could he possibly offload so many at once?
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