Chapter 13 : 40 Jin National Food Coupons

“I still have 400 yuan in my passbook. I’ll give it to you when I withdraw it.”  

“I don’t want it.”  

Lu Fangfang shook her head. She didn’t want to take too much money from Zhuang Mingcheng.  

The fifty yuan in her hand was enough for her to raise quails.  

Then she could buy two hens, and in half a year, she would be able to make money.  

“Fangfang, don’t overthink it. You know about Li Dajun’s situation. I’ll be very busy these days and won’t have time to take care of the family compound. Once the housing application is approved, everything will still depend on you to arrange. You can’t do it without money.”  

Lu Fangfang still shook her head and said, “I’ll tell you when I need the money.”  

Hearing this, Zhuang Mingcheng didn’t say anything more.  

He put the passbook back into the drawer and went out to exchange food coupons.  

Left alone in the room, Lu Fangfang looked around curiously.  

Seeing paper and a pen on the table, she simply sat down and started writing a letter. She had been away from home for more than a month, and her family must be worried. She didn’t write much, just that she had arrived at the army, settled in well, and reassured them. She also mentioned the matter of money.  

Before long, the paper was already filled, and Lu Fangfang finally stopped writing.  

With nothing else to do, she tidied up the house again.  

Noticing some unwashed clothes nearby, she tossed them into the enamel basin, planning to wash them along with her own clothes later.  

Just as she finished, someone outside called out, “Captain Zhuang? Captain Zhuang?”  

A man in a military uniform and glasses walked into the room.  

Seeing Lu Fangfang, he was momentarily stunned, then suddenly said excitedly, “You’re Zhuang Mingcheng’s wife, right? That’s great, that’s great! Hello, sister-in-law, my last name is Xu, Xu Jinbu. I’m a friend of Captain Zhuang.”  

“Hello, Comrade Xu.”  

Looking at the excited Xu Jinbu, Lu Fangfang felt a little embarrassed.  

She was confused by his reaction, but she didn’t overthink it and simply assumed he was happy for Zhuang Mingcheng.  

“Comrade Xu, please sit down. Mingcheng went out and should be back soon.”  

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”  

Xu Jinbu’s face was flushed. He paced back and forth twice, then suddenly thought of something.  

No, he had to tell Doctor this good news.  

“Sister-in-law, since Captain Zhuang isn’t here, I’ll leave first. Goodbye, sister-in-law!”  

“Bye… bye.”  

As soon as Lu Fangfang finished speaking, she saw the man already walking out of the house.  

She quickly went to the door, ready to see him off.  

“Captain Xu! Captain Xu! The political commissar is looking for you!”  

Lu Fangfang looked over curiously and saw the soldier named Liu, who had followed Aiguo yesterday, running toward them.  

“Xiao Liu, what does the political commissar want me for?”  

“Good news, very good news! Captain Xu, you’re still single, right? The political commissar wants to introduce you to someone.”  

—

Lu Fangfang perked up her ears and listened curiously.  

She subconsciously thought of Zhu Haimei.  

The person Political Commissar wanted to introduce to Battalion Commander Xu was probably her.  

Watching Xu Jinbu follow the soldier named Liu, Lu Fangfang shook her head, feeling somewhat pessimistic about them.  

‘Xu Jinbu, Xu Jinbu… He even has ‘progress’ in his name, but he may not accept a capitalist’s daughter.’  

“Fangfang, what are you looking at?”  

As soon as Zhuang Mingcheng returned, he saw Lu Fangfang stretching her neck to look at something.  

He followed her gaze, but there was no one there.  

Lu Fangfang came back to her senses.  

She mentioned Xu Jinbu but didn’t bring up the blind date.  

Zhuang Mingcheng didn’t mind either.  

He took out the food coupons he had just exchanged from his pocket and handed them to Lu Fangfang. “There aren’t many food coupons in the regiment or even in the whole country, so I managed to exchange for 40 kilograms. I thought I’d send them over first. It should be enough.”  

“That’s enough. That’s more than enough.”  

Lu Fangfang held the food coupons tightly, reluctant to let go.  

Forty kilograms of food coupons could buy forty kilograms of flour. Just imagine how many steamed buns that could make!  

Moreover, these were national food coupons. With them, she could buy food anywhere, making them incredibly valuable.  

For Zhuang Mingcheng to exchange for these food coupons, he must have owed quite a few favors.  

Sighing, Lu Fangfang felt like she owed him even more and didn’t know when she’d be able to repay him.  

After some thought, she silently encouraged herself.  

It’s just 40 kilograms of food coupons, she’d pay him back with 40 kilograms of quail eggs in the future. She was determined to make Zhuang Mingcheng fat and well-fed!  

Thinking of this, Lu Fangfang felt much better. “Mingcheng, can I send a letter to the regiment?”  

Zhuang Mingcheng looked at her and almost burst out laughing.  

After coughing to suppress his amusement, he quickly nodded. “Give it to me. I’ll send it for you.”  

There happened to be some unused envelopes and stamps in the drawer.  

Zhuang Mingcheng handed them to Lu Fangfang. After she finished writing the address, he slipped the money and bill between the folded letter paper before sealing the envelope.  

After double-checking, Zhuang Mingcheng strode out with the letter. He needed to send it as soon as possible.  

Right now was the most difficult time for the Lu family. If the money arrived earlier, they would suffer less. There was no time to waste.  

Once again, Lu Fangfang was alone and free.  

Looking around the house, she spotted a bar of laundry soap.  

She went outside and asked a soldier where she could wash clothes, then returned to the guesthouse, carrying the enamel basin.  

After traveling for a month, Lu Fangfang’s clothes had become dirty and stiff.  

She rummaged through her belongings, gathered all her laundry, and tossed it into the enamel basin.  

Carrying the basin full of dirty clothes, Lu Fangfang walked a few dozen meters east of the family compound, following the soldier’s directions, and soon spotted a small river.  

At this time, several other military wives were already washing clothes by the river.  

Lu Fangfang walked over with her basin, found a spot, and squatted down.  

The stream water was freezing cold. The moment her hands touched it, she felt uncomfortable.  

After scrubbing for a while, Lu Fangfang’s hands were already numb from the cold. She quickly lifted them to her mouth and blew warm air over them.  

A nearby sister-in-law saw her actions and smiled.  

“Comrade, this river flows down from the snow-capped mountains. The water stays icy cold all year round. If you find it too cold, you can fetch some water, let it sit in the sun to warm up, and then use it to wash your clothes.”  

“Thank you, sister-in-law. It’s okay. I’m just not used to it yet.”  

Lu Fangfang glanced at the woman who had spoken. She had short hair, a round face, and seemed easy to get along with.  

After thinking about it, she realized she had seen this sister-in-law just yesterday afternoon.  

“Sister, aren’t you from Political Commissar’s family? Why are you washing clothes right after arriving?”  

Lu Fangfang shook her head. “No, I am… Comrade Zhuang Mingcheng’s fiancée.”  

“What? Captain Zhuang’s fiancée?”  

The other wives who were washing clothes nearby had already perked up their ears.  

As soon as they heard Lu Fangfang’s words, they started whispering excitedly.  

“Huh! Since when did Captain Zhuang have a fiancée? Isn’t this too sudden?”  

“Well, someone’s definitely going to be heartbroken…”