Chapter 36: The Day Before Joining the Army

Su Ruanruan was not angry. She smiled and looked at Liu Xiue with slight curiosity. “So, Sister-in-law likes eating flowers? What kind of flowers do you like? Loofah flowers or cucumber flowers? Eggplant flowers or chili flowers? How about mixing them all together? I can stir-fry a plate for you at noon!”

As soon as Su Ruanruan finished speaking, a muffled chuckle sounded from the dining table.

With so many people around, the laughter came and went quickly, making it impossible to tell who had laughed.

Liu Xiue glanced around but could not find the culprit. In the end, she glared fiercely at Su Ruanruan.

Su Ruanruan looked at Liu Xiue in confusion. “Why is Sister-in-law looking at me like that? Weren’t you the one who complained that the dish lacked flowers?”

“Seventh’s Wife, I have to say, as women, we shouldn’t be so sharp-tongued.”

“Then how should we women be? Even the leaders have said that women hold up half the sky and should not be constrained by feudal thoughts. Why does Sister-in-law still think women should act a certain way?

I have to say, Sister-in-law, this mindset is not right. The whole production team looks up to our family. Our family members should have higher ideological awareness. But with this attitude, Sister-in-law, you are holding us back!”

As soon as Su Ruanruan finished speaking, Fu Laosan’s wife, Chen Chunlan, clapped her hands in agreement.

“Seventh’s Wife is young, but her ideological awareness is truly high. Sister-in-law, you really should learn from her. With your mindset, you won’t qualify as an advanced worker.”

Liu Xiue was already speechless from Su Ruanruan’s words. Now, with Chen Chunlan adding fuel to the fire, she was so angry that she rolled her eyes and refused to say another word.

Seeing that Liu Xiue had fallen silent, Su Ruanruan quickly called out to the others. “Everyone, hurry and eat. Try the food I cooked.”

Since they had to go work in the fields after eating, no one wasted time. They all lowered their heads and focused on their meal.

The food was neither exceptionally good nor bad—just ordinary.

As Su Ruanruan ate, she felt rather satisfied.

Given the limited seasonings and the fact that she was cooking in a large pot for the first time, it was already a decent result.

After the meal, the others headed to the fields, leaving the table full of dishes and bowls behind.

Su Ruanruan and Fu Wenjing cleaned up together. As they worked, they chatted, making the task feel less tiring.

Without realizing it, they had tidied up the kitchen completely.

Even though everything was cleaned up, they could not rest yet.

Breakfast could be simple, but lunch had to be more substantial. Since the cooking process was complicated, they needed to start preparations early.

After consulting Wang Maoni, Su Ruanruan finalized the lunch menu.

Braised rabbit meat stewed with wild chicken.

With some versatile side vegetables added, everything could be cooked together in one pot.

By then, even the vegetarian dishes would be infused with the rich meat broth, making them just as flavorful.

This dish had just been eaten a few days ago.  

However, even with the same dish, when different people cooked it, the final taste would always be different.  

Su Ruanruan did not buy seasoning packets from Taobao. Although they were really cheap and she truly wanted to buy them, she still resisted the temptation.  

She had only recently married into the Fu Family. Everyone else in the Fu Family knew what seasonings were available in the kitchen better than she did. If she suddenly used something that no one had seen before, it would be no different from courting disaster.  

Having a treasure trove but being unable to use it—this feeling was undoubtedly painful.  

But fortunately, if she endured for just one more day, she and Fu Wenjing would be able to return to the Military Unit together.  

Fu Wenjing had only ten days of leave. One day had already been spent on the train ride home.  

Now, they needed to leave early to take the train back as well.  

That meant they could only stay at home for a total of eight days.  

And today was the eighth day.  

Although there weren’t enough seasonings for the stewed meat, the heat and cooking time were just right, making the flavor very good.  

With only one day left of being able to eat meat every day, even the usually nitpicking Liu Xiue and Li Laidi said nothing. They focused entirely on eating, afraid they would get one piece less than others.  

By the time everyone put down their bowls and chopsticks, the plates were spotless.  

Earlier, Su Ruanruan had worried that without dish detergent, washing these bowls and chopsticks would be troublesome. But now, she had no such concerns.  

They were so clean that a quick rinse with water was enough.  

Even so, Su Ruanruan still used the hot water she had boiled in advance to soak all the bowls and chopsticks.  

Hot water removed grease better, ensuring that the dishes would be thoroughly cleaned.  

Just as Su Ruanruan and Fu Wenjing finished tidying up the kitchen and stepped out, they saw Wang Maoni standing at the entrance of the main hall.  

It was clear that Wang Maoni had been waiting for them. When she saw them, she waved them over.  

Without hesitation, Su Ruanruan and Fu Wenjing quickly walked over and followed Wang Maoni into the east room.  

The moment they entered, Su Ruanruan’s eyes were immediately drawn to the kang bed, which was piled high with items.  

Fu Wenjing looked at the heap on the bed and was a bit surprised. “Mother, what is all this?”  

Wang Maoni walked over and sat down at the edge of the kang. “You’re leaving early tomorrow morning. These are the things I’ve prepared for you.”

The moment Su Ruanruan saw the items, she already had a guess in her heart, and as expected, reality matched her speculation.  

Wang Maoni pointed to the pile on the kang bed. “These are the clothes I made for you. Winters over there are cold, and you have to wear your military uniform outside, so I made these inner jackets for you. They’re warm and lightweight when worn underneath.”  

“I originally wanted to make a new quilt for you, but cotton is hard to come by. Don’t send money back home anymore—keep it for yourselves. Pay attention and buy some fabric and cotton, so you can make a quilt before winter sets in.”  

“And these, they’re homemade fermented bean paste and pickled vegetables. They’re nothing fancy, but you can’t buy these homemade flavors anywhere else. If you ever feel homesick, you can have a taste of home.”  

“These are dried vegetables I sun-dried myself, along with some mushrooms from the mountains. They keep well for a long time. If you cook for yourselves, you can use them—it’ll definitely be cheaper than buying from outside…”  

As Wang Maoni went on with her instructions, even Su Ruanruan felt a sour ache in her heart, let alone Fu Wenjing.  

It was true what they said—when a son traveled far, a mother would always worry.  

In Wang Maoni’s heart, what she cared about most was not how successful Fu Wenjing would become or how much allowance he earned.  

What she truly wished for was for Fu Wenjing to eat well, sleep well, stay safe, and remain healthy.  

There were indeed many things, but every single one of them carried Wang Maoni’s love and concern. Fu Wenjing did not refuse a single item.  

Even though carrying so much luggage on the train would be a hassle, he still promised to take everything with him.  

Since Fu Wenjing had agreed to take them, Su Ruanruan naturally had no objections.  

At the same time, she was already planning in her heart—once they settled down, she could start buying things from Taobao and send them back home.  

As long as the items weren’t too conspicuous, no one would suspect anything. Others would simply think that Fu Wenjing was capable and cared about his family.  

The entire afternoon was spent packing their luggage. It took great effort to organize everything properly.  

Even with careful packing, there were still so many things.

Fu Chunshan looked at the large pile of belongings and immediately said: “Tomorrow morning, get up early. I’ll take you to the station with the ox cart. Once you arrive there, find an ox cart or something similar.”  

Fu Wenjing nodded. “I know, Father. Don’t worry.”  

But there was no way they could truly be at ease. Even though Fu Wenjing was now an officer and already twenty-five years old, Fu Chunshan and Wang Maoni still couldn’t fully stop worrying about him.  

As it was almost time for dinner, Su Ruanruan asked Fu Wenjing to stay in the room and spend more time talking with Wang Maoni and Fu Chunshan. Meanwhile, she went to the kitchen alone to prepare the meal.  

With the experience from cooking breakfast and lunch, making dinner now was effortless for Su Ruanruan.  

Just as she finished cooking and was about to carry the dishes out, she suddenly heard Mother Su’s wailing.  

The sound traveled from far to near, abrupt and piercing, startling Su Ruanruan.  

She frowned and looked outside, feeling puzzled.  

Mother Su had been quiet for the past few days, so why was she causing a scene now?  

With doubt in her heart, Su Ruanruan stepped out of the kitchen and walked toward the courtyard.  

As soon as she reached the middle of the courtyard, she saw Mother Su rushing in at the front, followed closely by Father Su and Su Chengtai.  

The whole family had come together!  

Mother Su ran straight to Su Ruanruan, raising her arms, trying to pull Su Ruanruan into her embrace.  

Fortunately, Su Ruanruan reacted quickly and dodged in advance.  

Mother Su grabbed at nothing and simply plopped down onto the ground. She started pounding her chest while wailing loudly.  

“Oh, my poor daughter! Now that you’re married, you don’t care about your own mother anymore! I raised you with so much hardship, and now that you’ve grown wings, you don’t even acknowledge your own mother!  

You’re leaving tomorrow, and you didn’t even think to come home to see us! You didn’t even tell us! All these years of effort, all wasted!”