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Qin Yunfeng immediately blocked the door. “Alright, alright, I won’t bring up the past. Let’s talk about the present.”
“Su Yi, I know I’ve wronged you, and I understand why you don’t want to leave, but sticking to this stance is useless. There’s no future for us.”
Su Yi, unable to tolerate any more, snapped, “Qin Yunfeng, I gave you a chance to speak, and yet you still spew nonsense and act like an idiot?”
“Do you even have a mirror? Take a good look at yourself—what is there about you that I should hold on to?”
“If you don’t clarify your intentions now, I’ll call for help!”
Qin Yunfeng’s face darkened, and he sneered. “Fine, fine! Return the cloth tickets to me; I promised them to Ruolin. Also, pack up your things now and come with me to the station!”
Su Yi realized he was indeed trying to take advantage of the situation and sneered in return. “I might give her the person, but my things are non-negotiable! Besides, I’ve already spent those cloth tickets. They’re at the supply and marketing cooperative, so you can go get them there!”
“Also, don’t forget that the annulment document is proof of your and Ruolin’s misconduct. If you push me too far, I won’t hesitate to make sure we all end up in a terrible mess!”
“Have you considered this? My parents are not exactly kind-hearted. If they find out about the annulment, it’s not just about a beating—who knows, they might come after you. By then, both of you might end up kicked out of the military.”
Qin Yunfeng, realizing the gravity of the situation, broke into a cold sweat.
Indeed, it was absolutely essential to keep the family in the dark!
If they were to find out, it would be best if he was the one to break the news during the Spring Festival when he returns home. This way, the situation could be managed more safely.
With that in mind, he decided not to press her to leave any further.
“Alright, since you don’t want to go back, you can stay here. We’ll go back together during the Spring Festival. However, it’s not appropriate for you to stay at another man’s house, so I’m looking out for you.”
Su Yi snorted coldly, “Fine. Then find me a place to stay and give me thirty yuan a month for living expenses!”
Qin Yunfeng gasped, “Thirty? My allowance is only thirty yuan a month! And besides, I don’t have a place for you to stay.”
“No money, no house? And you’re still pretending to be concerned about my well-being? If you’re so incompetent, just get lost. The farther you go, the better for me!”
Qin Yunfeng, stunned by her words, was left at a loss for words. He could only leave in frustration.
When he returned and discussed the situation with Bai Ruolin, she couldn’t help but lose her temper. “Stay until the Spring Festival? That’s too long!”
“I don’t want this either, but for our future, we have to endure this for now.”
“And what about my fabric tickets?”
“……”
“Ruolin, I remember you used to not care so much about material things. Besides, you already have enough clothes.”
Bai Ruolin almost spat out blood in frustration and secretly ground her teeth.
“Su Yi, just wait and see! These next few months, I won’t let you have it easy!”
…
After being chased away last time, Qin Yunfeng indeed kept a low profile for a couple of days.
During these days, Su Yi was busy making clothes with Aunt Zheng, otherwise, she would have to wash the same set of clothes every night.
Working with Aunt Zheng, Su Yi learned a few skills and helped make clothes for the two children. Given that the original Su Yi already knew needlework, she picked it up quickly.
In addition to sewing, Su Yi also started selling tea eggs.
However, fearing getting caught and worried that cooking too many at once might lead to unsold stock, Su Yi decided to cook only twenty to thirty eggs each time.
After cooking, she would pack the eggs in a small pot with the broth and carry them in a basket.
She bought the eggs at six cents each, and after adding her seasoning, she sold them for fifteen cents each.
At first, some people complained about the price, but the delicious flavor soon won them over. With Ye Nuannuan eating happily beside her, many parents traveling with their children decided to buy them out of curiosity.
“No matter how tough things get, I can’t let the children suffer!”
Su Yi came every morning to sell her tea eggs and usually sold out within one or two hours.
Determined that no one would be watching, Su Yi decided to take a bold step over the weekend.
Since Xiao Wu would be home to take care of Nuannuan, she saw it as a perfect opportunity to make a big move.
She arranged for the egg vendor to help collect eggs and bought a lot of dried tofu to mix with the tea eggs for sale.
But before that, Su Yi wanted to fulfill her plan of treating Aunt Zheng and Aunt Yao to a meal.
The egg vendor, grateful for Su Yi’s help with her business, gave her some shepherd’s purse as a token of thanks. She explained that the herb was freshly dug from a shady area in the mountains, making it particularly tender and juicy.
Su Yi happily accepted the gift and, in return, handed a handful of sunflower seeds to the vendor.
Seeing such fresh shepherd’s purse was rare, so Su Yi decided to make dumplings and invite everyone for a meal.
However, she didn’t have any meat tickets.
She had planned to borrow some from Aunt Yao and Aunt Zheng, but they secretly took her to the black market instead.
“There’s never enough meat tickets nowadays. When we’re craving meat, we come here to buy it,” they explained.
Su Yi, who was visiting the black market for the first time, was a bit nervous. “Won’t we get caught?”
“No, not at all! It’s much better now; they don’t enforce the rules as strictly as before.”
After considering the time, Su Yi took a deep breath and followed them into the black market.
And thus, a new world opened up!
Su Yi selected three pounds of pork with a good mix of fat and lean meat, spending three yuan!
Although it was slightly more expensive than at the supply store, not needing a ticket was absolutely wonderful!
Since they were there, Aunt Yao and Aunt Zheng also bought some meat.
As they were leaving, they tried to persuade Su Yi to buy a skirt.
“I think since you’re from the big city, it would look great on you!”
Su Yi took a quick look and decisively declined!
Given her current situation, having enough clothes was enough; eating a good meal was more important!
The three of them left the black market and went back to Su Yi’s place to make dumplings. They called the two kids over as well.
Since the room wasn’t spacious enough, Su Yi moved the work table outside. Aunt Zheng rolled out the dough, and Aunt Yao prepared and washed the vegetables.
Su Yi was in charge of chopping the meat and seasoning it.
The kids played and made a lot of noise in the yard, making the atmosphere lively.
—
Meanwhile, outside the compound.
Xie Xiaojun was driving towards the compound with Zhou Jinchuan. “Commander Zhou, should I drop you off directly at your house later?”
As soon as the words were out, Lu Changzheng, sitting in the back row, leaned forward and joked,
“Old Zhou, I noticed you seemed a bit restless this time. On the way back, you looked like you were eager to return. Is there a woman waiting for you at home?”
Xie Xiaojun couldn’t help but chime in, “Commander Lu, you really have a sharp sense of observation!”
Zhou Jinchuan frowned, “Xie Xiaojun, stop talking nonsense!”
Note: There was a change in address from Sister to Auntie