“Buy Jiang Li a bicycle. It’ll make it easier for her to commute.”
As Si Nanchén spoke, he touched the tip of his nose, fully expecting to be teased.
“Not bad, Commander—finally know how to take care of your wife.”
“No problem. How much do you need…”
The two of them were chatting as they walked toward the entrance of the compound.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Ya, who happened to be passing by, overheard everything.
The moment she heard that Si Nanchén was going out of his way to buy Jiang Li a bicycle, the anger she had been suppressing could no longer be contained.
After Chen Jidong left, she immediately stepped forward and blocked Si Nanchén.
“Brother Nanchén, y-you’re really going to buy Sister Jiang Li a bicycle? Are you really going to live like this with her? You were never this good to me before…”
“I know you two are married now, but you used to treat me so well. How can you just change your heart like that…”
She tugged at her sleeve, her voice choked with emotion.
“Comrade Xiao Ya, please mind your words.”
Knowing what she was about to say, Si Nanchén frowned and cut her off directly.
“Between you and me, there has only ever been a normal comrade relationship. There has never been, and will never be, anything beyond that.”
“Since you know Jiang Li is my wife, then everything I do for her is perfectly justified.”
“Weren’t you instructed recently to reflect on yourself and improve your awareness? Then stop saying such inappropriate things.”
With that, he didn’t spare her another glance and walked past her decisively.
Only after a few seconds did Xiao Ya come back to her senses.
She turned to look at his quickly disappearing figure, feeling a chill spread through her entire body, as if she had fallen into an icy abyss.
Ever since Jiang Li arrived, why had he become so cold toward her?
It was all that woman’s fault!!
Meanwhile, Jiang Li had already arrived at the Agricultural Bureau and successfully completed her registration.
Liu Defa was busy with the project, so he arranged for a colleague to handle her onboarding.
After asking about her situation, the colleague led Jiang Li into an office and introduced the people present.
Inside the office, aside from several senior technicians, there was also an intern who had joined at the same time as Jiang Li.
The young girl immediately rushed up to her, her small face with dimples full of liveliness and charm.
“You must be Comrade Jiang Li, right? My name is Zhou Xiaoyun!”
“I’ve heard about what you did finding water in Li Family Village—you’re a big hero! I never thought I’d get to work with you. I feel so honored!”
As she spoke, Zhou Xiaoyun grabbed Jiang Li’s hand, chattering excitedly.
Her personality was cheerful and lively. Jiang Li felt a bit embarrassed by the praise but still responded gracefully.
“Thank you.”
But at that moment, she suddenly heard a cold snort from across the room.
She instinctively looked up and saw a middle-aged woman glaring at her sideways, speaking in a sarcastic tone to someone beside her.
“These days, there’s really no fairness left. Just anyone can get into our bureau now.”
“Just because someone got lucky and made a temporary contribution, they think they’re something special? Meanwhile, properly trained agricultural graduates don’t even get a chance.”
Hearing this, Jiang Li frowned slightly but didn’t respond.
Zhou Xiaoyun placed a cup of water on Jiang Li’s desk and whispered,
“Sister Jiang Li, don’t mind her.”
“That woman is Liu Yanfén. She’s been in the bureau for quite a long time.”
“But her niece also wanted this internship position and didn’t get it. She can’t compete directly, so she’s taking it out on you.”
Hearing this, Jiang Li nodded in understanding and thanked Zhou Xiaoyun.
She really didn’t want to bother with such matters.
Her goal was clear—to establish herself here.
Now that she had secured the internship, she needed to focus all her energy on it and achieve real results.
To live a life different from her previous one!
Jiang Li picked up the draft paper and pen, her mind working rapidly.
Her first task was to organize her ideas on seed improvement into a formal report.
With the report from her previous life as a reference, combined with her current ability to sense plants, once reorganized, improved seed techniques could be introduced.
But she had to prepare thoroughly.
After all, if she suddenly stood out, she would definitely be questioned—and she had no intention of revealing her rebirth.
Within the morning, she had already outlined several improvement plans for common local crops.
Such as wheat and corn, focusing on disease resistance and drought tolerance.
During this time, she went to the archive room to look up some data.
But when she returned, she noticed that the position of her draft papers had slightly changed.
Her heart stirred. Jiang Li looked around.
Everyone seemed busy with their own work.
She tapped her fingers lightly on the desk.
Without saying anything, she calmly sat down and continued working.
At lunchtime, Jiang Li went to the cafeteria with Zhou Xiaoyun.
They had just gotten their food and sat down when Liu Yanfén walked over with her meal and sat beside them.
She placed her aluminum tray heavily on the table with a loud clang.
“Oh my, isn’t this our bureau’s new ‘scholar’? Writing away all morning, never even stopping your pen. You’re quite fast at writing reports.”
“Just don’t end up making things up behind closed doors—writing useless, empty theories that’ll make people laugh.”
Her commotion drew the attention of many colleagues in the cafeteria.
Zhou Xiaoyun instinctively wanted to argue back, but just as she was about to stand, Jiang Li gently pressed her arm down.
Jiang Li turned to Liu Yanfén, her tone calm.
“Comrade Liu, as a senior, you should know that research work requires both field experiments and theoretical summaries.”
“My report addresses real production issues. Whether it’s empty talk or not will be judged by leadership and practice.”
Seeing Jiang Li remain seated, Liu Yanfén sneered.
She tapped her chopsticks against the table, her mockery undisguised.
“You speak so nicely. A first-day intern already acting like some big expert?”
“What real insight could you possibly have? You’re still just an intern—what a waste of resources!”
Jiang Li didn’t want to cause trouble on her first day, but she also knew that being too passive would invite more bullying.
That would affect every step of her future work and relationships.
With that in mind, she slowly stood up.
Her expression remained calm, but her tone grew firmer.
“Comrade Liu, seniority does not determine everything. When it comes to solving real problems, both ability and ideas matter.”
“If you have any objections to my work, you can report them through proper channels to leadership.”
“But questioning me here in the cafeteria without any evidence won’t resolve your doubts.”
“And it’s also disrupting everyone’s meal. It’s not very appropriate.”
Jiang Li’s words were reasonable and composed, neither humble nor arrogant.
The colleagues who had been watching now showed a hint of admiration.
Liu Yanfén, on the other hand, was left speechless, her face flushed red. Just as she was about to raise her voice—
A stern voice suddenly came from the doorway.
“Comrade Liu Yanfén, what are you doing?”