Chapter 78 - 47: 47

Chapter 78: Chapter 47: 47

Although Zhu Yun only mentioned Lin Jin’s due date in passing, Old Mrs. Wang’s reaction was extreme. She would surely go home and mull it over. The more she thought about it, the more she’d realize she couldn’t possibly care for Lin Jin by herself during childbirth. Wouldn’t she have to summon help from her hometown?

This was a perfect, justifiable opportunity for the old woman to bring in reinforcements to fight her two-faced daughter-in-law. Besides, she had already intended to call her relatives over to take advantage of the cafeteria.

When they got home, Zhu Yun shoved two sets of data into Chu Shenyu’s arms. "Comrade Chu Shenyu, you’re the one with the brains. How about helping me with a couple of math problems?"

Chu Shenyu shot her a helpless glance. On the way home, she had told him all about her worries without holding anything back.

The reason was simple: she had grown up in hardship and had a keen sense for potential future troubles. You could call it a field mouse’s instinct to hoard for the winter.

She explained hesitantly, "Comrade Chu Shenyu, can you imagine a field mouse falling into a granary, surrounded on all sides by its own kind? To slow down how fast the grain disappears, wouldn’t it have to pull out all the stops?"

"Back in the countryside, Old Mrs. Wang would control the serving spoon at every meal, rationing out food for the entire family. You can’t have order without rules. If we don’t control the portions, it’ll quickly lead to unnecessary waste."

"Two steamed buns are enough to fill you up, but to get their money’s worth, people will eat three and take two to go. But they can just eat at the cafeteria again for their next meal, so what happens to the leftover buns at home?"

Chu Shenyu didn’t usually pay much attention to the details of daily life. He’d hear about things and promptly forget them, pouring all his energy and focus into the laboratory. He was a straight-laced, slightly germaphobic STEM type.

But he wasn’t stupid. After hearing Zhu Yun’s concerns, he could easily imagine what would happen if the cafeteria let everyone take as much as they wanted.

"Food is the staff of life," as they say, which shows just how crucial grain is. Although Xiahua Country was developing rapidly, its grain production was still in its early stages. It certainly hadn’t reached the point where people could afford to eat their fill and waste food wantonly.

He had noticed the difference himself over his three meals today, he just hadn’t given it much thought. Now, a chill ran down his spine.

After a shower and a change of clothes, Chu Shenyu took the data and began his calculations.

Zhu Yun stood beside him, watching for a moment. She had only just started studying middle school material herself; seeing the strings of data made her head spin. Medians, modes, means, degrees of dispersion...

’For a big shot from the Space-Time Administration Bureau to be constantly reminded of her own ignorance... it’s humiliating!’

She patted his shoulder and said in a leader-like tone, "Little Chu, whether our entire factory and all the teachers and students at Kyoto First Middle School can respond to the organization’s call in an orderly fashion is all up to that pen of yours."

Chu Shenyu shot her an exasperated look, but he was smiling as he replied, "As you wish, little piggy. This humble servant will get it done. You can rest easy."

Zhu Yun furrowed her brow. ’Why does his reply feel a bit off?’

But then again, she knew her husband was a straightforward man, so she just smiled and nodded. "Good, good."

Chu Shenyu couldn’t hold back a muffled laugh as he hugged her. "So you like that nickname, huh? I’ll have to use it more often. But wait, if you’re a piggy, does that make me a pig herder?"

Zhu Yun froze, still not getting it. She looked at him with wide, innocent eyes, her expression a mixture of seriousness and confusion.

Chu Shenyu rubbed his nose, feeling a little guilty and embarrassed. His body, however, reacted much more honestly, and a wave of heat washed over him. He couldn’t resist pulling her into a kiss. After a moment, he pulled back, panting heavily and trying to restrain himself. "Be good," he said, his voice thick. "Go have some watermelon. I’ll come tuck you in after I finish these calculations."

Zhu Yun couldn’t resist giving him a playful bite. ’Am I a child who needs to be tucked in?’ "You’d better finish those calculations, then!" she warned. "Otherwise, you can sleep on the sofa."

Chu Shenyu was a brilliant calculator. With just a few simple figures, combined with the data Zhu Yun had provided from her experience serving meals, he could deduce numerous conclusions.

Under the dim yellow light, he sat bolt upright, his brow slightly furrowed. The pen in his hand flew across the paper with a soft SCRATCH, SCRATCH.

In truth, his mind had been racing ever since they got home. Chu Shenyu normally never spared a thought for things unrelated to his work. Now, however, he was thinking even more deeply about the issue than Zhu Yun was.

’Nothing has ever been absolute,’ he thought. ’Throughout the long river of history, all powers have vied for supremacy in a constant cycle of waxing and waning. How could anyone make a definitive judgment so quickly?’

This new push for steelmaking and communal pot meals seemed like a great leap toward egalitarianism, but it lacked support in both theory and practice. The people’s general character hadn’t reached the necessary level; they wouldn’t necessarily adapt well to such a drastic change.

He had grown up in the city. While others saw him as someone completely absorbed in his studies and research, he had actually experienced a great deal. Thanks to his wide circle of friends, he was very familiar with the darker side of human nature.