I Only Wanted to Be a Low-Level Government Official - Chapter 6

The entire library was so quiet you could hear the dust settling on the ground—if dust really does make a sound.

Qin Feng sighed and turned on his computer.

The Party School’s intranet features various theoretical articles and messages conveying its spirit on its homepage.

He opened the personnel system and looked at his information panel:

Name: Qin Feng

Position: Library Director

Rank: Deputy Section Chief

Start date: November 7, 2023

Deputy section chief.

A 30-year-old deputy section chief.

In other organizations, he might be considered young and promising.

Here?

He’s just a warehouse keeper.

Qin Feng closed the webpage and stood up.

Now that we’re here, we should do something.

He planned to first find out the situation of the library.

In the reading room on the first floor, Old Wang was wiping the tables and chairs.

Seeing Qin Feng come down, he straightened up: “Director, what are your instructions?”

“Don’t use those formal terms, just call me Xiao Qin.” Qin Feng waved his hand. “Master Wang, how’s things at our bookstore right now? Are there many readers?”

Old Wang grinned, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow by smoking: “Readers? Five or six a month would be good. Students are all in classrooms, and instructors have a resource room, who would come here?”

“So what do we usually do?”

“Let’s organize the books and clean up the place.” Old Wang picked up a feather duster. “And we also need to take stock of the collection of books once a year, so that nothing gets lost. But to be honest, no thieves come here—the books are too heavy, even selling them as scrap paper is too much work.”

Qin Feng was both amused and exasperated.

“What about the second-floor bookstore?”

“Xiao Chen is organizing things.” Old Wang lowered his voice. “Director, Xiao Chen is a bit stubborn. He was transferred from the city library two years ago, and he’s always felt that his talents are being wasted. He keeps talking about wanting to be transferred. Please bear with him.”

Qin Feng nodded and went upstairs.

In the library, Chen Zhiyuan was standing on a ladder, putting a stack of old books onto the shelf.

Upon seeing Qin Feng, he nodded as a greeting and continued working.

“Brother Chen, do you need any help?” Qin Feng asked.

“No need.” Chen Zhiyuan said without turning his head. “Just put these books according to their numbers. Curator, you go about your business.”

Qin Feng could hear the distance in her tone.

He didn’t say anything more and walked around the library.

As Old Wang said, he did have a lot of books, but they were all very old.

The latest publications are from five years ago, covering political theory, party history research, agricultural technology—and so on. Agricultural technology?

Qin Feng pulled out a book titled “Modern Agricultural Planting Technology,” published in 2015.

Opening it up, it talks about greenhouse cultivation and drip irrigation technology. Although it’s outdated, the basic principles should still be the same.

He thought of his parents farming in their hometown, still relying on the weather for their livelihood.

If only I could see these books…

never mind.

My father only has a junior high school education, and my mother only graduated from junior high school, so it’s pointless for them to study here.

After touring the second floor, Qin Feng went up to the third floor.

Besides his office, there was also a rare book library, but the door was locked.

Old Wang said the key was in his office drawer, which contained some old versions of Marxist-Leninist works and Party history materials, and he wouldn’t easily open it to the public.

Back in his office, Qin Feng sat in his chair and looked out at the sky.

Since we’re here, let’s make the best of it.

He said this to himself three times.

He was at least a deputy section chief, at least a leader—even though he only had two subordinates.

At least he’s in charge here, so no one’s giving him a hard time or making him take the blame.

If it’s a quiet time, then so be it.

Salary will be paid as usual, social insurance and housing fund will be paid as usual, you can leave work on time, and you have weekends off.

Many people would love to have it but can’t.

You need to have the right mindset.

Qin Feng cheered himself up, thinking, “Life goes on, doesn’t it?”

He picked up the thermos on the table, intending to get some water.

I had just stood up when my vision suddenly blurred for a moment.

What’s going on?

Low blood sugar?

Qin Feng shook his head, took a closer look, and froze.

He saw… a space?

It’s a bit like the penguin farm game I played many years ago.

Yes, that’s the kind of place—a small wooden cabin, a warehouse, a spring, eight neat plots of land, and a doghouse.

It was surrounded by a wooden fence, and outside the fence was a thick white fog.

Qin Feng squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again.

It’s still there.

Hallucination?

Do you experience workplace hallucinations on your first day of work?

That’s incredibly weak mental fortitude!

Qin Feng walked to the window, looked at the real sky outside, and then at the illusory space.

The two overlap, like wearing AR glasses.

“System?” Qin Feng asked tentatively in his mind.

No response.

“Golden finger?”

No response.

“Grandpa?”

Still no response.

Qin Feng scratched his head.

How do you use this thing?

He focused his mind, thinking, “Go in.”

brush.

His vision blurred, and when he opened his eyes again, he was standing on that land.

The feeling of having your feet firmly on the ground.

The soil was soft and damp.

The air smelled of grass, and there was a… indescribable freshness, like a mountain forest after the rain.

Qin Feng looked down at himself; he was still wearing the same clothes.

He pinched his arm—it hurt.

It’s not a dream.

He looked around.

The door to the cabin was closed; I tried to push it, but it wouldn’t budge.

The warehouse door was ajar, and he went inside.

The interior space was much larger than it appeared from the outside; it was quite empty.

There was a wooden shelf near the door with several small paper packages on it.

Qin Feng picked up a bag with three words written crookedly on it: Tomato.

Real tomato seeds.

He looked at the other bags as well; they were all tomatoes.

Well, the variety is limited, but it’s better than nothing.

After leaving the warehouse, Qin Feng arrived at the eight plots of land.

The soil was brown and looked fertile.

He opened a packet of seeds and, mimicking how he watched his parents farm when he was a child, evenly scattered them on a patch of land.

Just after it was sprinkled, a line of semi-transparent words suddenly appeared on the ground:

[Needs watering]

Qin Feng was startled and took two steps back.

The words are still there; it’s not an illusion.

Is this really like a game?

He walked to the spring.

Spring water gushed out from a blue stone, forming a small pool, crystal clear to the bottom.

A wooden ladle was placed by the pond.

Qin Feng scooped up a ladle of water, returned to the field, and carefully poured it on.

Water seeped into the soil, and that line of text disappeared, replaced by another:

Tomatoes – Growing

[Remaining time: 29 minutes and 58 seconds]

There will also be a countdown.

Qin Feng was delighted; this was much faster than actually farming.

In reality, tomatoes take at least two to three months to grow from planting to harvest, but here it only takes half an hour?

Since he had nothing better to do, he planted tomatoes on the remaining seven plots of land and watered them one by one.

The eight plots of land were neatly arranged, each displaying a countdown timer.

After finishing these tasks, Qin Feng walked to the spring.

Don’t novels always say that the spring water in such spaces is either a spiritual spring or holy water, and that drinking it will strengthen the body and cleanse the marrow?

He squatted down, scooped up a handful of the mixture, and tasted it.

Hmm… it’s just ordinary water, a little sweet, but it’s probably just psychological.

I took another big gulp, but still felt nothing.

He was neither covered in black mud nor suddenly possessed superhuman strength.

“It’s all a lie,” Qin Feng muttered. “Novels are all lies.”

He wandered around the space a few times, but there was really nothing to explore.

The cabin was inaccessible, the kennel was empty, and the fence was shrouded in thick fog, making it impossible to cross.

Bored, he remembered he should go out.

How long have you been here?

Will someone outside be looking for him?

“Get out,” Qin Feng thought to himself.

brush.

He returned to his office, still standing.

The sky outside the window remained unchanged, and the time on the computer screen showed: 3:21 PM.

He remembered that it was 3:15 when he entered the space.

Six minutes.

Six minutes in reality felt like at least twenty minutes in the virtual space.

Are the flow rates of time different?

Qin Feng sat down, his heart pounding.

It wasn’t fear, it was excitement.

Although the space looks rather shabby—there are no system prompts, no smart assistants, no amazing functions, it’s just a vegetable garden where you can grow tomatoes.

But this is his.

One of a kind.

And… tomatoes that can be harvested in half an hour?

What does that mean?

They can collect dozens of rounds a day.

Although there are only eight plots of land, the yield is…

Qin Feng’s mind raced with calculations.

How much can be harvested from a single plot of land at once?

I don’t know. But even if each plot yields one jin, eight plots yield eight jin, and you harvest twenty rounds a day, that’s 160 jin.

How much do tomatoes cost per pound in the market now?

Three pieces? Four pieces?

Earning several hundred yuan a day.

While it may not make you rich, it’s more than enough to improve your life.

The key question is, what is the quality of these tomatoes?

Is it safe to eat something that’s ripened in half an hour?

Just then, my phone rang.

Qin Feng looked and saw that it was his mother calling.

“Fengwa, how was work today?”

“That’s good, Mom.” Qin Feng’s voice unconsciously became lighter. “The work is easy, and my colleagues are easy to get along with.”

“That’s good, that’s good.” The mother paused. “By the way, your father’s old back pain has flared up again, and he hasn’t been able to get out of bed for the past two days.”

I told him to go to the town hospital, but he absolutely refused, saying it was a waste of money.

Qin Feng’s heart tightened: “Is it serious?”

“It’s an old problem, I’m just tired. I’ll be fine after a couple of days of rest.” The mother changed the subject. “You focus on your work in the city and don’t worry about home. Do you have enough money? If not, Mom will send you some.”

“Enough, enough.” Qin Feng’s nose felt a little sore. “Mom, I’ll send you my salary when I get paid. Take Dad to see a doctor.”

After hanging up the phone, Qin Feng looked out the window and remained silent for a long time.

My father’s back pain is a chronic condition he developed when he was young, from carrying sacks.

My mother’s hands were covered in calluses; she worked in the fields all year round but didn’t earn much money.

He passed the civil service exam, and his parents could finally hold their heads high in the village, but life was still just as hard.

Now……

Qin Feng glanced at the time in the lower right corner of the computer screen.

3:47.

The tomatoes in the room should be ripe by now, right?

He locked the office door, drew the blinds, and made sure no one would come.

Then concentrate—

brush.

I entered the space again.

The tomato vines in the eight plots have grown to half a person’s height and are laden with bright red fruit.

The countdown shows two minutes left.

Qin Feng squatted down in front of a plant and examined it carefully.

The tomatoes were all plump and round, bright red, with smooth skin and no blemishes.

He picked one off, wiped it on his clothes, and took a bite.

The juice splattered instantly.

sweet.

It’s not overly sweet; it’s a refreshing sweetness with a hint of sourness, just right.

The flesh is creamy and the seeds are plump.

Qin Feng finished one in a few bites, still wanting more.

This was better than any tomato he had ever eaten.

The countdown has reached zero.

All the tomato vines flashed at the same time, as if to indicate that they were ready to be harvested.

Qin Feng quickly took action.

He carefully picked the tomatoes one by one and piled them on the open ground next to him.

After picking one seedling, it quickly withered and turned to ashes, revealing the softened soil.

After picking all eight plants, a small mountain of tomatoes was piled up in front of him.

Each one was big and red, a delightful sight to behold.

Qin Feng tried to think to himself, “Put it in the warehouse.”

The tomatoes on the ground vanished instantly.

He ran into the warehouse and saw that, sure enough, they were piled up neatly in the corner.

Looking at the eight plots of land again, they have returned to a state where they can be planted.

He estimated that each plant had produced at least seven or eight fruits in the previous harvest, with each fruit weighing about half a pound, so eight plants would have produced more than thirty pounds.

Over thirty kilograms in half an hour, that’s some output…

Qin Feng grinned.

A promotion in name only, a demotion in reality?

Exiled to the frontier?

Screw it.

With this space, where can’t he live?

Qin Feng hummed a song and planted a second batch of tomatoes.

After watering, the countdown began, and he happily left the space.

The office is still the same office, and the sky outside the window is still the same sky.

But Qin Feng’s perspective on the world has changed.

He stood up and walked to the window.

Downstairs, Old Wang was watering the green belt with a watering can, his movements slow and leisurely.

In the distance, on the playground, several students were taking a walk.

Everything is slow, everything is quiet.

Good.

Qin Feng returned to his desk, opened his work notebook, and solemnly wrote down:

“November 7th, my first day on the job. Familiarizing myself with the environment and learning about the collection. Next steps: organize the book catalog and create electronic archives.”

After finishing writing, he thought for a moment and added another sentence:

“Since we’re here, let’s make the best of it. Let’s do our jobs well and live our lives to the fullest.”

Qin Feng closed the notebook and stretched.

Outside the window, the setting sun began to dip westward, and golden light streamed through the blinds, casting zebra stripes on the table.

He suddenly realized that the position of library director was really good.

Leisurely, carefree, and no one bothers you.

There’s also a little secret.

Cool.