What? Meat?

Zhang Hongping was taken aback.

She quickly steadied the lunchbox, but her hands were still shaking.

This guy!

He didn’t even give a heads-up about the meat.

What if she hadn’t held it steady?

“They’re serving meat in the cafeteria today?” Zhang Hongping thought her grandson was sharp; he knew there’d be meat, so he went to the cafeteria.

Commander Qin replied, “This leftover meat is for Grandpa.”

Before Qin Ming could respond, Zhang Hongping interjected, “What are you eating it for? Warm it up in the evening and leave it for our little Ming to eat.”

Qin Ming replied, “Let Grandpa have it. I’m not eating at home tonight; I’ll go to the cafeteria. This was from Lu Haici’s mom. She asked me to bring it back. It’s what I didn’t finish at lunch.”

Zhang Hongping opened the lunchbox, and a fragrant smell wafted out—a braised aroma mixed with onions.

Since the weather was hot, the food had cooled slowly, so it was still warm.

But that wasn’t the point.

Zhang Hongping, a seasoned cook for decades, immediately recognized this wasn’t meat.

Her face darkened. “Xiao Ming, are you sure you had meat for lunch? This isn’t meat at all; it’s pork intestines. Could it be that Lu Cheng’s wife tricked my grandson?”

Qin Ming, unaware of his grandmother’s thoughts, responded, “Yes, this is the meat!” To him, pork intestines or pork belly—it was all just meat.

Hearing her grandson’s confident reply, Zhang Hongping looked unhappy.

She showed the lunchbox to Commander Qin. “Old Qin, taste this. This is clearly pork intestines. That Lu Cheng’s wife actually passed off pork intestines as meat for our grandson. That’s too much.”

“Is that so?” Commander Qin took a bite, his eyes lighting up. “Oh, this stuff is really tasty.” Then he took a second bite.

“Tasty, right?” Qin Ming, hearing his grandfather’s reaction, felt pleased. “I brought this back myself. Lu Haici’s mom said I only ate four pieces, and this bowl has more than four pieces, so she let me bring it back. I wanted to eat it all, but she said kids shouldn’t eat too much—four pieces are enough.”

Commander Qin didn’t know that children shouldn’t eat too many pork intestines, but hearing Qin Ming’s story, he felt Lu Cheng’s wife was pretty thoughtful.

He said, “Your friend’s mom is right; kids should only eat four pieces. Eating too much isn’t good. It should be brought back for the family to enjoy.”

Now, that woman knows how to teach kids!

One word from her, and his grandson obediently listened.

His own grandson was spoiled by his wife.

But then again, he was busy and didn’t know how to teach children.

Listening to her grandson, Zhang Hongping couldn’t resist asking, “So what else did you eat?”

Qin Ming replied, “I also had green vegetables and tomatoes with sugar. Grandma, the tomatoes were sliced and mixed with sugar—it’s so delicious.”

“What? My grandson ate vegetables?” Zhang Hongping couldn’t believe it.

Her grandson usually only liked meat and eggs.

How come he ate vegetables today?

And even tomatoes! He hadn’t liked tomatoes before either.

Was it because they had sugar on them?

She thought to herself, maybe she’d try that next time.

“It’s because Lu Haici’s mom makes the vegetables taste good, Grandma! Yours just don’t taste as good. Oh, and I also had tomato and egg soup; it was really tasty. I drank half a bowl all at once! Lu Haici’s mom is amazing—everything she makes is delicious. Lu Haici said his mom works in the cafeteria.”

“I made a promise with Lu Haici. From now on, I’ll go with him to the cafeteria every day to eat,” Qin Ming announced happily, sharing the decision he and his two little friends had made during lunch.

Zhang Hongping didn’t object.

She was actually curious about how Lu Haici’s mother made her vegetables taste so good that her grandson would eat them.

“Oh… if only Lu Haici’s mom were my mom,” Qin Ming sighed.

“You’d better not let your mother hear that,” Zhang Hongping said, amused and slightly exasperated.

“She’s not home, so she won’t hear,” Qin Ming replied, unconcerned.

Qin Ming’s mother, Qian Yuelan, didn’t live in the family quarters.

The courtyard at the home of Qin’s grandfather only had two rooms, and although Qin San worked in the cafeteria, he wasn’t eligible to apply for family quarters, so he stayed with Qin’s grandfather.

But Qian Yuelan didn’t want to live with her mother-in-law, so she rented a place in town.

As a result, after work, Qin San would go to town, and Qin Ming, who lived with his grandparents, rarely saw his parents.

He’d see his father occasionally, since he worked in the cafeteria, but seeing his mother once a week was already pretty good.

Zhang Hongping didn’t mind her daughter-in-law living in town.

With her gone, her grandson was close to her, and she didn’t need her daughter-in-law around anyway.

Having her grandson was all she needed—even more so than her son, let alone her daughter-in-law.

If only they could have another grandson, she thought.

“All right, enough talk about your mother. Go to bed; you still have kindergarten in the afternoon.” Zhang Hongping noticed that Chief Qin was nearly finished with the braised pork intestines in the lunch box.

She had wanted to ask Lu Cheng’s wife why she’d given her grandson braised pork intestines, but now she couldn’t.

Thinking it over, she realized that Lu Cheng’s wife probably wouldn’t do something like that.

Lu Cheng’s wife was a smart woman; if she really had substituted pork intestines for meat, she wouldn’t have let her grandson bring it home.

So the “meat” her grandson had talked about was likely pork intestines, but he hadn’t realized it since he’d never had them before.

Once she figured it out, Zhang Hongping picked up her chopsticks and tried a bite herself.

Being from the countryside, she wouldn’t turn her nose up at pork intestines, unlike some others.

In times when meat was scarce, pork intestines were considered a treat, though they had a strong odor that many people disliked.

However… her eyes widened.

The braised pork intestines her grandson had brought back were just too delicious!

Commander Qin noticed her reaction and chuckled, “Tasty, right? Lu Cheng’s wife really knows her way around the kitchen. No wonder Xiao Ming loves eating her food.”

Zhang Hongping snorted, “He likes it, and I can’t exactly stop him from eating it, can I? I’m not that foolish. My grandson uses his cafeteria ration coupons there; she’s not going to deny him good food. Only someone like Yang Mailian would do that sort of thing.”

Just like in the Qin family, the braised pork intestines Ji Yang brought home ended up in Ji Changfeng’s stomach.

However, unlike Zhang Hongping, Xu Huijuan didn’t suspect Lin Qingqing of substituting intestines for meat.

After all, her family lived next door to the Lu family, and her son had eaten Lin Qingqing’s cooking a few times.

She herself had tried her pumpkin pancakes, baked potatoes, and tofu pancakes, so she trusted Lin Qingqing’s cooking skills.

But when she thought of Lin Qingqing working in the cafeteria while she was still jobless, she felt a bit down.

“Old Ji, what do you think of my cooking skills?” Xu Huijuan asked.

Ji Changfeng, thoroughly enjoying the braised pork intestines, immediately responded, “Very good.” He meant it.

Although she couldn’t quite match Comrade Lin, his wife was still a great cook.

After all, before she came along, he and his son mostly ate either cafeteria food or his mother’s cooking—neither could compare to his wife’s cooking.

And, after all, his wife was introduced by his mother.

His previous wife had passed away due to illness while living in the family quarters.

After her sudden passing, he had no choice but to bring his mother to stay with him.

His mother lived there for two years until the beginning of last year, when Ji Yang, who had turned four and could start kindergarten, returned to his hometown with her.

Only two months later, she called to say she had found a young woman for him—Xu Huijuan.

His mother brought Xu Huijuan to the military unit to meet him.

After the meeting, he thought she was quite suitable.

They got to know each other for six months, and by the end of last year, they were married.

It had been three years since his previous wife’s passing, so he had done his duty of mourning.

In fact, he hadn’t been wrong; Xu Huijuan was genuinely a good person.

She treated him well and was even kinder to Ji Yang.

Ji Changfeng felt that being able to marry Xu Huijuan was like a stroke of luck for him.

Xu Huijuan said, “So, what do you think about me working at the cafeteria too?”

“Well…”

Ji Changfeng wasn’t opposed.

Vice Commander Lu made more money than he did, and he hadn’t objected to his wife working.

Ji Changfeng wasn’t a stubborn man, so naturally, he wouldn’t oppose it either. “Let’s see if the cafeteria is hiring. I need to go and ask.”

Xu Huijuan responded, “Could you help me find out? I’m thinking of going to earn some money too—whatever I can save up will be good. I’ll save it for our son Ji Yang’s future, for his wedding expenses.”

Ji Changfeng burst out laughing. “He’s still a little rascal! It’s way too early to worry about getting him married. How about we work harder tonight, and you give me a couple more kids?”

Hearing this, Xu Huijuan felt a pang of discomfort—not towards Ji Changfeng, but because it reminded her of two ungrateful people from her past.

But she couldn’t outright reject Ji Changfeng, as she knew he loved having lots of children.

So she smiled and said, “Let’s wait a bit. Ji Yang is still young, and I’ve only been married to you for half a year. If I get pregnant now, he might feel uneasy. Let’s wait a few years until Ji Yang grows up. Besides, Ji Yang is like my own son now—even if I don’t have another, he’s still my son.”

Ji Changfeng didn’t object.

He thought Xu Huijuan was looking out for Ji Yang, so he had no reason to disagree.

What he didn’t know was that Xu Huijuan was waiting for the ‘ten-year hardship period’ to arrive.

When that time came, she would say that the situation was too unstable to have more children and suggest waiting again.

And by the time they’d waited, the family planning policy would be in place, and she wouldn’t need to have more children at all.

…

Lin Qingqing returned from the cafeteria after a busy shift and saw Ji Changfeng standing in the courtyard.

He had come out to stretch after a full meal and noticed Lin Qingqing.

This reminded him of Xu Huijuan’s interest in working at the cafeteria, so he went back into the house.

“Wife, I saw Comrade Lin has returned.”

Xu Huijuan looked puzzled. “And seeing Comrade Lin means…?”

Ji Changfeng explained, “You can ask Comrade Lin about the cafeteria job. After all, she’s our neighbor, and Ji Yang and Lu Haici are good friends, so asking her shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll also ask around when I go to the base. With both of us asking, we should get more detailed information.”

Xu Huijuan was somewhat reluctant to approach Lin Qingqing. She didn’t dislike Lin Qingqing, but it reminded her of her past life—seeing Lin Qingqing was like looking into a mirror that reflected her previous life, and it made her uneasy.

However, compared to the importance of getting a job, this was a minor issue. She hesitated only briefly before saying, “Alright, I’ll go and ask.”

After tidying up the house and washing her hands, Xu Huijuan mentally prepared herself and headed next door.

Lin Qingqing was planning to use her lunch break to sew another set of homewear. Yesterday, she had made a gray set, and today she planned to make a white one. She had just taken out the fabric and started cutting it when she heard Xu Huijuan’s voice from the courtyard: “Is Comrade Lin here?”

Cheng and Lu Haici were both taking their afternoon naps, especially Lu Cheng, who had gotten up early the day before and was now fast asleep. Lin Qingqing didn’t want him to be disturbed, so she quickly stepped outside, carefully closing the door behind her.

“I’m here. Hello, Ji Yang’s mom,” Lin Qingqing greeted politely.

Despite being neighbors, they had never really interacted outside of casual encounters.

In fact, Lin Qingqing felt she knew the recently acquainted Liu Honghua better than Xu Huijuan.

Xu Huijuan also responded politely, “Thank you for looking after Ji Yang today. I hope he didn’t cause you any trouble.”

Lin Qingqing replied, “Not at all. Ji Yang and Haici are great friends, and he’s such a well-behaved, considerate child.” Truly, he hadn’t been any trouble.

Xu Huijuan wanted to ask about the cafeteria job, but as she looked at Lin Qingqing in her nautical-striped shirt and beige pants, looking so youthful and beautiful, she suddenly felt hesitant.

This Lin Qingqing was so different from the Lin Qingqing she’d known in her previous life.

Her style was fresh, almost like that of a young girl.

By contrast, although they were about the same age, Lin Qingqing looked like a young woman while she herself felt every bit the housewife.

“Ji Yang’s mom?” Lin Qingqing called out gently, noticing Xu Huijuan’s gaze lingering on her.

Lin Qingqing didn’t think she was overly sensitive, but Xu Huijuan’s eyes held a subtle curiosity that she couldn’t quite place.

There was no malice in her expression, though, which was a relief.

Snapping back to reality, Xu Huijuan said, a bit embarrassed, “Actually, I came to see Comrade Lin for something else as well. I’d like to ask you about something.” After hesitating for a moment, she decided to speak up.

Lin Qingqing was curious about what she wanted to ask, though she kept a calm expression. “What would you like to know, Ji Yang’s mom?”

Xu Huijuan took a breath. “I heard from Ji Yang that you’ve started working in the cafeteria, is that right?”

Lin Qingqing nodded, “Yes, I work in the Third Company’s mess hall, not the main army cafeteria.”

Xu Huijuan knew the difference between the main cafeteria and the mess halls for individual companies.

She already thought getting a job at the company cafeteria was quite an achievement. “Comrade Lin, are they still hiring in the company cafeteria?”

“The Third Company’s mess hall isn’t hiring anymore. I’m not sure about the others,” Lin Qingqing answered honestly.

“Then… what are the requirements to work there?” Xu Huijuan asked, a little nervously. “I know a few characters, but I never really went to school. I’m not sure if that would work.”

The truth was, she’d learned to read mostly through experience in her previous life.

But she knew Lin Qingqing had a middle school education.

In these times, even an elementary school graduate would be considered qualified.

Meanwhile, Ji Changfeng happened to run into Lu Cheng and didn’t want to miss the opportunity to ask, “I heard from my wife that Comrade Lin is working in the cafeteria. She’s interested in a cafeteria job, so I wanted to see if there were any openings elsewhere.”

“A few days ago, there were some openings, though I’m not sure about the current status. You might want to check,” Lu Cheng shared the information he’d gathered with Ji Changfeng.

“That’s fantastic. Thank you, Deputy Commander Lu.” Ji Changfeng jotted down the names of a few companies and planned to inquire about them later.

“No problem,” Lu Cheng replied.

---

At the Kindergarten

The kindergarten was fairly relaxed, usually allowing the children to play freely.

Today, however, Lu Haici was feeling particularly lively.

As soon as he arrived, he asked his friends, “What do you all want to be when you grow up?”