Near the Agricultural Bureau, a row of storefronts faces the street, all owned by the bureau and leased to merchants for various shops. Most of these businesses deal in materials related to agricultural production, such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, small machinery, and plastic film.

"Fu Nong Seed Store" is owned by Zhou Guodong, the father of Liu Rui's high school desk mate, Zhou Yi. In recent years, the seeds for Liu's family's farming have been mostly purchased here.

"Uncle Zhou, are you busy?" Liu Rui walked into the store and saw Zhou Guodong weighing seeds for a farmer, with two other people selecting seeds nearby.

Zhou Guodong is a descendant of a soldier from the Southern Expeditionary Force, with the robust stature typical of someone from the north, a stark contrast to the slender build of southerners.

"Is that Xiao Rui?" Zhou Guodong looked up and saw Liu Rui, his hands still moving as he spoke, "Have a seat over there and wait for a moment."

"No problem, Uncle Zhou, you go ahead with your work," Liu Rui said politely, strolling around the store to pick out seeds.

The "Fu Nong Seed Store" is not large, only about thirty-some square meters. The exterior features open shelving, with a glass display case and an office desk in the middle separating it from a temporary warehouse in the back. Despite its small size, the store is well-stocked, offering virtually all the common crop varieties found in Qingzhou's rural areas, and even some more obscure seeds can be seen.

Zhou Guodong was once an employee of the Agricultural Bureau, but in his thirties, he was still just a regular clerk with no prospects for promotion. Seeing little hope for advancement, he quickly turned his sights to making money. He took a leave of absence without pay and, leveraging the connections he had accumulated over many years at the Agricultural Bureau, opened the "Fu Nong Seed Store."

He operated his business with integrity and served customers with enthusiasm. Coupled with his sufficient professional knowledge, he had made a fortune over the years. "Xiao Rui, did you come today to get some corn seeds?" After dispatching several farmers, Zhou Guodong poured Liu Rui a glass of water. It was the season for planting autumn corn, and the farmers who had just left were also there to buy corn seeds, hence Zhou Guodong's question. As for Liu Rui, Zhou Guodong felt quite sorry for him. A prospective college student, he had to return home to farm due to his family's misfortune. When he first heard about this from his son Zhou Yi, he was filled with emotion and sighed deeply. "Mhm!" Taking a sip of the water, Liu Rui nodded and said, "There's a lot of empty space in front of and behind the house. It would be a waste not to plant anything. This time, I not only need corn but also some cabbage, radishes, and chili peppers." Then, Liu Rui began to tell Zhou Guodong the types and quantities of seeds he needed, asking him to help pack them up. "Wait a moment, I'll call that lazy kid down. He's always holed up at home playing computer games, it's outrageous!" Picking up the phone, Zhou Guodong called Zhou Yi down to the store. "Ah Rui, when did you get here?" The chubby Zhou Yi rushed over as soon as he saw Liu Rui, putting his arm around Liu Rui's shoulder and said, "Come upstairs and play computer games with me, I've got a new Three Kingdoms game!" "No, I still have things to do at home, I need to head back soon," Liu Rui shook his head. "Liu Rui is now the head of the household, unlike you, still so carefree?"

Seeing his son's playful demeanor, Zhou Guodong's face tightened. Upon hearing his father's words, Zhou Yi suddenly remembered that his desk mate had already gone home to farm, embarking on a path completely different from his own. Having been desk mates with Liu Rui for over two years, Zhou Yi was well aware of Liu Rui's family situation and no longer spoke of 'letting Liu Rui return to school.' The atmosphere in the store suddenly became a bit subtle, with both Zhou Yi and his father carefully changing the subject, afraid of upsetting Liu Rui. However, Liu Rui had already come to terms with it in his heart and asked with a smile when Zhou Pangzi would go to school to register. Zhou Yi had been admitted to the Provincial Agricultural College, his father's alma mater, making them alumni and creating a fine story in Qingshan. After some small talk, Liu Rui, carrying a large bag of common crop seeds and a type of forage grass seed that was being promoted, rode his bicycle home. 'What a pity! If Ah Rui could have taken the college entrance examination, he definitely would have been admitted to a key school!' Watching Liu Rui's figure disappear at the street corner, Zhou Pangzi sighed deeply. 'Don't think that just because you got into college, everything is set! All you know is playing around; if you can catch up with Liu Rui in the future, it will be thanks to my ancestors' good deeds!' Zhou Guodong had high hopes for his son, but unfortunately, his performance was always so-so, which was a bit frustrating. Seeing the slightly defiant look on his son's face, Zhou Guodong didn't know what to say and just shook his head, getting back to work. Having muddled through various government departments for over a decade, although without any significant achievements, Zhou Guodong had long become a shrewd person, with a sharp eye.

Having had quite a few encounters with Liu Rui over the past few years, he knew that Liu Rui was steady in character and quick-witted. Even though he was now returning home to farm, his future achievements were still uncertain. ... After leaving the seed store, Liu Rui pedaled his bicycle fiercely, racing along the road for a while, before the suffocating feeling in his chest finally eased a bit. In front of the Zhou father and son, Liu Rui was cheerful and witty, but only he knew how miserable he really felt?

As he watched his best friend about to leave the small county town to attend university in the provincial capital, while he himself was destined to toil with his face to the yellow earth and back to the sky, how could Liu Rui not feelFeeling emotional？ usually，Liu Rui's face showed no signs of his inner thoughts，Just encountering this situation，Even if the Zhou family and his son have no ill intentions，He still feels overwhelmed in his heart。 However, Liu Rui was also open-minded. After feeling depressed for a while, his mind became active again, and he began to calculate how to maximize the use of the Shennong space to become rich? Just as Liu Rui was riding his bike back, he suddenly found that the road ahead was blocked by a crowd, and he didn't know what had happened. To get home, this road was the most convenient, and the other roads would have toMake a big circle around it，Liu Rui thinks that there's nothing going on at home，Just be patient and wait a moment，I don't think it will be blocked for too long，Because the police cars have already arrived at the scene。 go around a large circle. Liu Rui thought there was nothing urgent at home, so he decided to wait patiently. It probably wouldn't take too long, as the police cars had already arrived at the scene. Standing outside the crowd, Liu Rui learned about the ins and outs of the incident from the discussions of the onlookers. An old man was carrying a small dog to the county town to sell, but unexpectedly, he was hit by a car here. The man himself was not seriously injured, but the little dog was pinned under the wheel, barely alive. It was just after eleven in the morning, the time when there were the most pedestrians on the road, and the out-of-town car couldn't possibly play the trick of hitting and running, so it had to stop obediently.

However, during the negotiation process, there was a huge disagreement between the two parties over the amount of compensation, and the argument escalated, attracting an increasing number of onlookers! After waiting for a while, under the mediation of the police, the two sides finally reached an agreement, and the crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed. Seeing that the road ahead was clear, Liu Rui immediately hopped on his bike and squeezed through the crowd. With this delay, it was already half-past eleven, and if he didn't head home soon, it would get unbearably hot! After walking on the road for a while, Liu Rui saw the Passat that had caused the accident slow down suddenly after overtaking him, then the rear door opened, and a shabby cage was thrown out, followed by the car speeding away with a trail of black smoke! As Liu Rui approached to take a closer look, he saw a small dog the size of a palm in the cage, and it seemed to be in a rather bad state!