Yue Yihan was like a child who'd just gotten candy; a single word of concern from Xie Changning could make him happy for ages.
While he went to bed, Xie Changning hurried into her personal space to check on its recent status.
Inside the space, Xie Changning took out the materials she had prepared for the workbench upgrade and placed them on it. Immediately, a line of text appeared—
Would you like to upgrade the workbench?
Below were two options: Yes and No.
At the very bottom, a line of small red text listed the upgrade requirements: Upgrade materials include 5 units of wood, 10 units of nails, 3 units of iron, and enough daily repair tools for 5 days.
Xie Changning clicked "Yes" without hesitation.
The familiar white light appeared again, but unlike last time, a one-minute countdown timer was displayed above it.
A minute can feel like an eternity when you're filled with anticipation.
Xie Changning stared intently at the timer as it ticked down from 59, 58, 57... to 10, 9, 8, 7... 0.
The white light vanished.
The rough, pockmarked wooden workbench had transformed into one with a smooth wooden surface. A notification floated above it.
[Congratulations, Host, you have successfully upgraded the workbench (so crude it's about to fall apart) to a workbench (so simple it can only produce basic agricultural machine parts).]
Xie Changning couldn't have been more delighted by this change!
She eagerly approached the workbench to explore it and saw that many new buttons had appeared.
What was once just [Start Crafting] had expanded to include [Start Crafting], [Screws (Exquisite)], [Nails (Exquisite)], [Cylinder Liners (Exquisite)], [Clutch (Exquisite)], and [Belts (Exquisite)].
It might have looked like just a few buttons, but they represented all the commonly used parts for agricultural machinery.
Moreover, everything produced by the space was of exquisite quality. The precision of these parts was certainly beyond anything this era could produce!
Elated, Xie Changning tried adding the materials needed for a belt. The familiar white light and a countdown timer appeared.
Crafting a belt required five minutes.
During those five minutes, Xie Changning turned to check on her other tasks.
Arriving at the farmland in her space, she saw several icons appear above it: Cultivate, Harvest, and Seed Shop.
Xie Changning tapped on the Seed Shop and saw that rice was on the unlockable items page.
[Rice]: A hybrid strain from the Northeast. Takes 3 days from planting to harvest. (In just three days, you can have delicious Northeast rice!).
Yield: One plot produces 110 pounds of rice.
Looking at the description, Xie Changning grew excited. 'Am I about to achieve rice self-sufficiency while everyone else is still eating from the communal pot?'
She was overjoyed.
"I can't believe it, it's just one good thing after another today!" Xie Changning said happily as she picked up her hoe and began to till the land.
She pressed the "Cultivate" button, and the farmland automatically turned into fertilized soil. Xie Changning dug a hole, planted the seed, and covered it.
Each plot only needed to be seeded once, so Xie Changning finished planting quickly.
A new countdown appeared above the farmland—Seedling Stage (Time until Growth Stage): 23:59:59.
Putting down her hoe, Xie Changning went to check if the belt on the workbench was ready.
Just then, the white light faded, and a brand-new black belt loop appeared on the workbench. Xie Changning picked it up, glanced at the size, and was pleasantly surprised.
The belt loop was the perfect size for the most common model of diesel engine currently in use!
The quality of the belt was exceptional, too. Thrilled, Xie Changning left the space, tucked the belt loop under her bed, and planned to take it to the factory in three days to see if it would fit on the diesel engine.
For the next two days, aside from sleeping and spending time with Yue Yihan, Xie Changning spent all her time in the space, crafting the new parts available on her workbench.
On the third day of Xie Changning's time off, Yue Yihan came back from outside. "Sweetheart, I submitted the application for military family housing, and the higher-ups have decided to do a background check on you."
"Can you come with me to the base today?"
Xie Changning wanted to refuse. Living on a military base wouldn't be very convenient; first, because of her space, and second, because she would be working at the Chuncheng Screw Factory in the future.
Commuting from the family quarters would be difficult for the time being.
But when she met Yue Yihan's expectant gaze, Xie Changning had no choice but to soften her tone and say, "Alright, I'll go with you and take a look."
Yue Yihan breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her agree.
The two of them arrived at Yue Yihan's military district. The moment they entered the compound, they drew a lot of attention.
It was simple, really: people rarely ever saw a woman by their Regiment Commander's side. Even when the star of the Art Troupe frequently tried to "run into" him, he would change his route to avoid her, refusing to lead her on.
For him to now appear with a woman was, for their regiment, an event on par with the crowning of a new emperor.
They arrived at the Brigade Commander's office. Xie Changning followed Yue Yihan inside. "Reporting! Yue Yihan has brought his wife for the background check!" Yue Yihan's voice was loud and clear, audible to many people nearby.
People stopped in their tracks.
'Yue Yihan actually got married?'
'Is the person with him his wife?'
Curious gazes fell upon Xie Changning. She stood at the door, composed and dignified. After receiving permission to enter, the two of them went into the Brigade Commander's office.
"Have a seat."
The Brigade Commander, who had been writing, glanced up at them but didn't give them a second look.
The two walked over to a corner and sat down.
Xie Changning could tell the Brigade Commander didn't like her. 'He probably even feels I'm not good enough for Yue Yihan and might even jeopardize his career!'
'Anyone would be resentful if their prized subordinate's career was jeopardized like this.'
Xie Changning understood his position but had no intention of quietly accepting it.
After sitting down, she leaned against Yue Yihan's shoulder, waiting for the Brigade Commander to speak.
After about half an hour, the Brigade Commander finally looked up slowly. "Oh? When did you two get here?"
Having dealt with the Brigade Commander for years, Yue Yihan knew exactly what he was up to. His expression faltered, but he maintained a pleasant tone as he replied.
"Brigade Commander, I'm here to apply for permission to hold my wedding and for family housing."
Only then did the Brigade Commander put down his fountain pen and cap it. "Ah, I remember now. Your wife's name is Xie Changning, right?"
Yue Yihan nodded.
Just as Xie Changning was about to speak, Yue Yihan preemptively took out a file and handed it to the Brigade Commander.
It contained Xie Changning's personal history.
The Brigade Commander, having been put on the spot by Yue Yihan, could only grit his teeth and say, "Well, you certainly came prepared!"
'He knows her background is problematic, yet he still insists on marrying her! Yue Yihan is going to be the death of me!'
"Of course!"
Yue Yihan had been waiting for this day for a long time. Now that he had finally reached the Brigade Commander's step, he was anxious for him to hurry up.
The Brigade Commander noticed that Xie Changning's expertise was in aviation. He couldn't help but give her a couple more glances before asking with a chuckle, "Comrade Xie Changning, were you the one who made those titanium alloy screws for the Provincial Industrial Bureau recently?"