Chapter 25.1

He Dongchuan quickly found the answer to the question about ordering milk by asking around.

The milk was sold in half-jin quantities per household, and the price wasn’t expensive—two mao eight fen per jin. However, because Pingchuan Island was too far from the city, the milk station was unwilling to deliver. So, if they wanted to order, they had to either pay for round-trip transportation costs or gather enough people to make the order worthwhile.

Su Ting asked: “How many is ‘enough’?”

He Dongchuan held up two fingers. “At least twenty jin per day.”

“Twenty jin?”

Twenty jin was not a small amount. Although drinking milk could help with growth and strengthening the body, no matter how good a drink was, it couldn’t replace water.

For their family of three, they could order at most one jin of milk a day, and even then, it would be more than enough. He Dongchuan left for work around 6 a.m., and by the time the milk station staff arrived, he wouldn’t be there. In the summer, with the high temperatures, milk couldn’t sit out for long. By the time he returned in the evening, the milk would have gone bad. Drinking it would not strengthen the body; it would be a miracle if they didn’t get food poisoning.

The main drinkers of milk were Su Ting and He Yan. Su Ting had a small appetite, and one bowl of two liang of milk per meal was enough. By this calculation, ordering half a jin would be enough for them.

For her to gather twenty jin, she would need to find at least thirty or forty people willing to order milk. Even if every household agreed to order one jin, she would still need to recruit another nineteen.

Although the men who came with the army were all at least of vice battalion rank, with a monthly salary over one hundred, Su Ting was often criticized when she went to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy food. Ordering milk monthly would be even harder to justify.

Two mao eight fen might not seem expensive, but if calculated over a month with thirty days, one jin per day would cost eight yuan forty, which was enough for one person’s monthly food expenses.

Su Ting was someone who knew how to adapt, so when she realized this approach wouldn’t work, she began doing the math.

According to the milk station staff, their delivery people had tricycles, and the trip from the milk station to the dock didn’t require any transportation fees. The only fee they needed to pay was the boat fare.

The boat ride wasn’t cheap—two mao one-way. For thirty days of round trips, that would add up to twelve yuan. However, there were monthly passes available for the dock, priced at three yuan each.

If she ordered half a jin of milk every day, the cost would be four yuan two, plus the transportation cost of three yuan, making a total of seven yuan two per month, which seemed acceptable.

But there was still a problem. If they only ordered one portion of milk, the delivery person wouldn’t make a special trip just for them. They would only deliver when passing by the streets near the Rong City dock.

In that case, the milk delivery worker wouldn’t arrive too early. They were expected to take the 7 a.m. ferry, arriving at the family compound around 7:30 a.m., while the primary school started at 7:20 a.m.

The solution was simple: once Su Ting got the milk, she would take it directly to the school and use it as a drink. As long as the milk hadn’t spoiled, it didn’t matter when it was consumed, so this wasn’t really a big issue.

After considering this, Su Ting asked: “If we pay the transportation fee and order the milk ourselves, it should be fine, right?”

“It’s not a big problem.”

Hearing the deeper implication in He Dongchuan’s words, Su Ting asked: “So, it still has some impact?”

He Dongchuan said: “It might be criticized as living extravagantly.”

Su Ting replied: “…You call that ‘no big deal’?”

In those times, being criticized for living extravagantly was no small matter. Many people had fallen out of favor and been sent for re-education because of it. But He Dongchuan, on the other hand, was saying it wasn’t a big problem.

Living without a refrigerator or air conditioning was already hard enough for Su Ting. If she were sent away for labor reform, she might as well die and get it over with.

Su Ting cleared her throat and said: “I’ve thought about it seriously, and actually, milk isn’t that great. What if someone’s allergic to it? Drinking it wouldn’t help with growth, and might even send them to the hospital.”

He Dongchuan replied: “When Xiao Yan was in the capital, my mom also ordered milk regularly. He didn’t have an allergy.” He had asked He Yan about this after hearing about the milk.

Su Ting continued making excuses. “There’s no need for it. You’re tall, and your mom isn’t short either. Xiao Yan didn’t drink milk and still grew to 1.8 meters. Whether you drink milk or not, it doesn’t matter.”

“That’s true.”

“See.” Su Ting immediately straightened up: “I told you. Actually, drinking malt milk powder is enough. It’s nutritious and tastes good. I make a cup for Xiao Yan every morning, and he loves it!”

He Dongchuan nodded seriously, but then his tone shifted. “But I already told our Colonel about how drinking milk helps with growth.”

“Is the Colonel planning to order milk too?” Su Ting thought for a moment. “But just us two families ordering won’t be enough, will it?”

Between the two families, there was no way they could reach twenty jin, and they’d still have to pay for transportation. People would still talk behind their backs.

He Dongchuan continued: “Our Colonel’s wife works at the Women’s Federation. She thinks ordering milk is a good idea and plans to bring it up with her superiors.”

It was only then that Su Ting began to understand what He Dongchuan meant. “She plans to organize the military wives to order milk?”

“Yeah, the Women’s Federation is a government agency, and it holds more influence among the military wives. With her talking to them, getting twenty jin shouldn’t be too hard.” He Dongchuan nodded. “If it works out, the kids will drink the milk and their health will improve. It will be considered an accomplishment for her.”

Su Ting asked: “So, the Colonel’s wife will definitely push for this, and we just lie back and wait for the result?”

“Exactly.”

“You’ve already planned everything, so why keep it from me?” Su Ting turned the corner and began doing the math.

He Dongchuan said: “I wanted to surprise you.” In reality, he just wanted to tease her, but that wasn’t something he could say aloud.

Even though he didn’t say it, Su Ting could tell, and she huffed lightly. “Since you’ve done so much, I’ll let you off this time.”

“Is there a reward?” He Dongchuan mischievously pinched her waist and asked.

Su Ting slapped his hand away. “No.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, He Dongchuan grabbed her and kissed her several times, leading to another wild night.

…

He Dongchuan’s Colonel’s wife was named Jiang Aihong, and she was a very decisive person.

Last night, He Dongchuan had just told Su Ting that she planned to organize the military wives to order milk, and by this morning, she was already at the He family house asking Su Ting to register.

During the registration, Su Ting noticed that only three names were listed on the form, one of which was Jiang Aihong’s, and she couldn’t help asking: “Are there many military wives willing to order milk?”

Jiang Aihong said: “I haven’t asked yet.”

“Then what about these two…” Su Ting pointed at the names on the form.

“Oh, these two are my colleagues. As soon as I mentioned it to them, they agreed.” Jiang Aihong laughed. “I figured, since this idea came from Xiao He and our Old Yang, and he’s the one who contacted the milk station, I knew you’d be willing to order. So, I came to you first. The more names I have on the form, the easier it will be for me to convince others.”

“That makes sense.” Su Ting smiled as she quickly filled out the form with her name and the quantity she wanted to order. Considering that He Dongchuan left early in the morning, she only registered for half a jin.

Jiang Aihong saw and didn’t say anything. After all, the He family had fewer children!

If her family had only one child, she certainly wouldn’t have ordered that much milk. Now, having spent a large sum, she was hoping that the children would grow taller, just as He Dongchuan had said—at least taller than their father.

Thinking of this, Jiang Aihong asked: “Comrade Su, does drinking milk really work? Can it make them taller?”

When Jiang Aihong asked this, Su Ting realized that she still had some doubts, so she replied: “Drinking milk definitely helps with growth, but how tall they grow depends on the individual. If you want your kids to grow taller, you should let them exercise more…”

She had originally wanted to say something about playing basketball, but when the words were on the tip of her tongue, she thought about the family compound, where there was not even a basketball hoop. She changed her words and said: “Exercise more, plus drink milk to supplement nutrition. Oh, and if possible, try to make sure they eat a boiled egg every day. If not, just have them eat more fish and meat. As long as their nutrition is up to par, they won’t be short, like Xiao Yan. Before coming to Pingchuan Island, he never missed drinking milk.”

Su Ting was a post-90s generation, and people her age generally had average height. For girls, being 1.6 meters tall was considered tall, and for boys, being over 1.7 meters was something to be grateful for.

Well, she was from the south.

But when she started working, she noticed that the children of her colleagues were much taller. Every time she passed by an elementary school, many of the fifth- and sixth-grade girls were already over 1.6 meters, and the “Male Gods” were quite tall as well.

As for the reason, it was simply because people’s living standards had improved, and meat, eggs, and milk were no longer scarce. The nutrition the children consumed every day was guaranteed.

Jiang Aihong’s heart was indeed pounding, but listening to Su Ting speak so convincingly and noticing that He Yan’s height was indeed much taller than other children of his age, she believed what she said. “Looks like we really need to order the milk.”

“Yes.” Su Ting replied.

After Su Ting registered the information and completed the payment, Jiang Aihong didn’t stay long. She took the notebook and went to the next house, the Jiang family’s.

But Wang Lixia was used to being frugal. She was so tight with money that she even pinched pennies when buying groceries. There was no way she would agree to subscribe to milk for her child. Besides, she and Su Ting had never gotten along, and seeing that Su Ting had already registered, she became even more reluctant to order.

Despite all Jiang Aihong’s efforts to persuade her, she couldn’t convince Wang Lixia and had to give up and go to the next house.

That day, Jiang Aihong was busy with the milk subscription, without resting during lunch or dinner. After eating, she would go out again to continue registering.

There was no choice. There were still many working military wives in the family compound. Although their workplaces were just outside the compound, they had to keep their work and private lives separate and couldn’t let personal matters affect their jobs.

By the time she reached Building 65, Wang Lixia was talking to Chen Lin and Duan Xiaoying about the matter. In Wang Lixia’s words, subscribing to milk was of no use at all. She made it sound as if it was a complete waste of money.

Listening to Wang Lixia’s exaggerated talk, Jiang Aihong’s face darkened.

Duan Xiaoying quickly noticed and winked at Wang Lixia, then stood up and greeted: “Comrade Jiang, you’re here?”

Only then did Wang Lixia realize, turned around, and looked at Jiang Aihong. Her expression was somewhat awkward, not because she felt guilty for speaking ill behind her back, but because she was worried she had offended her.

Although Jiang Aihong’s husband was in the Marine Corps and didn’t have any direct influence over her husband, Yang Dong was still a Colonel, and Jiang Aihong was also a cadre in the Women’s Federation. Offending her would not be beneficial to her.

Jiang Aihong was indeed not pleased, but she wasn’t petty enough to hold a grudge over a few words. However, seeing that Chen Lin and Duan Xiaoying were close with Wang Lixia, she didn’t feel the need to waste her breath trying to convince them to order milk. She said in a neutral tone: “Since Comrade Wang has already told you, I won’t say more. If you want to subscribe, then register. If not, it’s fine.”

Chen Lin and Duan Xiaoying hesitated a little. Wang Lixia didn’t see any benefit in drinking milk, but they knew better. The only issue was that if they agreed to subscribe to the milk right after Wang Lixia had spoken so negatively about it, it would feel like they were slapping their friend in the face.

Seeing their hesitation, Jiang Aihong didn’t press the issue further.

After all, there were plenty of military wives in the family compound willing to subscribe to the milk. The number she had gathered had already exceeded twenty kilograms, so whether or not these two joined didn’t make much of a difference.

Jiang Aihong said: “Since you don’t want to subscribe, that’s fine. If you change your mind later, you can come to the Women’s Federation to find me.” She said this and then turned to leave.

As soon as Jiang Aihong left, Wang Lixia started complaining. “Did you see the way she looked at us just now? Acting all high and mighty just because she’s a Women’s Federation cadre. What’s so great about that?”

Chen Lin rubbed her forehead and said: “Alright, can you just stop talking for once?”

Duan Xiaoying gently advised: “Let’s not talk badly about her. We’re all neighbors after all.”

Wang Lixia curled her lip. “Fine, fine, I’ll listen to you.”

…

Jiang Aihong worked quickly. She completed the registration and payment that day, and the next day, she went directly to the city’s dairy station to discuss the milk subscription.

Although the orders weren’t large, with most people ordering half a kilogram and only a few families with more children or wealthier parents ordering a full kilogram, the total still added up to more than thirty kilograms of milk per day.

What Jiang Aihong needed to discuss with the dairy station was the delivery time. The earliest ferry from the city to Pingchuan Island departed at 6:00 AM, and she hoped the delivery workers could take that ferry and have the milk delivered to the family compound around 6:30 AM.

This way, the children in the subscribing families could drink milk with breakfast instead of waiting until noon, by which time the milk wouldn’t be as fresh after sitting for half a day.

However, this arrangement meant that the dairy station would either need to assign someone specifically for Pingchuan Island, or the delivery workers would need to start earlier, delivering to the docks and then taking the ferry to Pingchuan Island. The former would increase labor costs, while the latter would require adjusting employees’ work schedules or offering extra pay, which meant additional expenses.

The salesperson who was receiving Jiang Aihong at the dairy station didn’t have the authority to make such decisions and said they would need to consult with their supervisor. This added a few more hours to the delay. To speed things up, Jiang Aihong skipped going home for lunch and ate at the dairy station’s canteen.

After lunch, the person now handling her case was the head of the dairy station.

This time, the negotiations went smoothly. When they learned that the milk subscription was for military families, they immediately expressed support. While they couldn’t offer any discounts, they agreed to all the other conditions without hesitation.

After the agreement was finalized, the contract was signed and the payment was made. Jiang Aihong had successfully completed her task. When she returned to the family compound, she was smiling, just in time to see Su Ting and the others sitting at the playground. She walked over and shared the news about the milk subscription: “Starting tomorrow, the milk will be delivered at 6:30 AM to the family compound entrance. I’ll go pick it up. If you’ve subscribed, just come to the Women’s Federation to pick it up after 6:30.”

Su Ting was stunned. Although she had already felt Jiang Aihong’s efficiency yesterday, she didn’t expect her to be this quick! 

She had thought about the milk subscription the day before, started the registration process yesterday, and by today, everything was already settled… Su Ting couldn’t help but admire her: “Comrade Jiang, you’re amazing! We’ll be able to drink milk tomorrow?”

Jiang Aihong felt deeply satisfied. She wasn’t just doing this for recognition or promotion; she genuinely wanted to do something for the military wives. Su Ting’s appreciation was the highest form of praise for her.

Jiang Aihong felt that all her hard work today had been worth it!

“Yes, everyone will be able to drink milk tomorrow.” Jiang Aihong replied with a smile, then remembered something. “By the way, the milk is ordered on a monthly basis. The payment covers from tomorrow until the end of the month. Don’t forget to stop by the Women’s Federation later to register, and I’ll refund any extra money to you.”

Su Ting nodded: “Okay.”

As soon as Jiang Aihong left, Chen Shaomei pulled Su Ting aside and asked: “Did you subscribe to the milk?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Isn’t it expensive?”

Su Ting answered: “I ordered half a kilogram, and it’s 4.2 yuan a month. It’s not cheap, but it’s not too expensive either. I can squeeze it into the regular expenses.”

“You’ve got a lot of kids, so half a kilogram should be enough. But I’ve got four kids at home—half a kilogram means only one sip for each.” Chen Shaomei said, thinking for a moment. “Does drinking milk really help with growing taller?”

“It’s true. Milk is rich in nutrients. Drinking it helps children’s health, and they’ll naturally grow taller. But you can’t rely solely on milk—fish, meat, eggs, and vegetables are all important. Plus, lots of exercise and activity are essential for growth.”

Chen Shaomei thought to herself that drinking milk, along with eating fish and meat, would add up to quite a bit of expense. She mumbled: “I’ll think about it. If I see that your kids grow taller after drinking the milk, then I’ll consider it.”

Su Ting, not one to meddle, noticed that Chen Shaomei was hesitant about the cost and didn’t try to push further. She smiled and said: “It’s fine to think it over.”

…