Chapter 28: Where Did You Get So Much Money?

The next morning, Su Jinyan woke up late, around ten o’clock.

Beside her pillow was a note.

“My dear wife, I was very satisfied with yesterday’s rewards. To earn more rewards, I’m off to make some money.”

“Dogs let themselves in, and they’re back home!”

Su Jinyan felt a bit irritated as she crumpled the note, only to inadvertently pull a muscle in her arm, causing her to wince in pain.

Her entire body felt like it was falling apart!

Goodness, this man who had just cast off his shackles was terrifying. With a single ‘brother,’ he had seemingly opened a new world. She had been compelled to call him ‘brother’ all night long.

Cough—

Well, she could consider it a little couple’s game, something she could accept.

She threw on some clothes and entered her space, drank some water from the well in the courtyard, which finally eased her sore muscles.

Sitting at the Eight Immortals table, she willed a bowl of light shrimp and meat porridge, a box of crystal dumplings, and a bamboo steamer of beef-filled soup dumplings to appear on the table.

After filling her stomach and leaving the space, it was already past ten.
To her surprise, Mrs. Sun had already stewed an old hen for soup!

“Yanyan, hurry, wash your face! I made you chicken noodle soup; it’s good for your body.”

Mrs. Sun was all smiles. The couple’s relationship had finally improved, and she wanted Su Jinyan to nourish herself. Maybe next year, she could have a big, healthy grandson.

“Um, Mom, I’m not really hungry. I have some things to take care of later, and I’m heading over to my parents’ place. Yuan Yi has been really tired these past few days, so cook for him when he comes back.”

Mrs. Sun paused, then smiled and nodded, “Alright, but will you come back tonight?”

Thinking about living at her mother’s house every day made it even more frustrating when she wanted a grandchild. Besides, it wasn’t common for a married daughter to return to her mother’s home every day.

Mrs. Sun’s old-fashioned thinking made it hard for her to wrap her head around Su Jinyan staying at her parents’ house so frequently; in her heart, she was not pleased at all.

She was only thinking about how to spoil her grandchildren and had completely neglected to consider that Su Jinyan was about to start university, and being pregnant would be very inconvenient.

Su Jinyan looked at Mrs. Sun and smiled gently. “Not necessarily. Just tell Yuan Yi not to wait for me.”

After that, she played with the two kids for a while before heading out.

It seemed she had to think of a way to buy a bicycle; things were just too inconvenient.

After wandering around the neighborhood for a few laps and not spotting anyone following her, she called home.
The phone rang for a long time before Xin Huimin finally picked it up.

She informed Xin Huimin that her package had arrived, and there were so many items that she needed to find a car to pick them up at the post office near the courtyard.

By the time Xiao Li arrived, Su Jinyan was already waiting on the side of the road.

Three full sacks of items and a plastic oil bucket containing twenty pounds of sesame oil made Xiao Li curious about what was packed in so much.

The last sack of items and the sesame oil had been added at the last minute, but it contained some frozen seafood and meats.

The Su family was just too kind to her! And even more so this time, as her aunt had learned that her younger daughter was still drinking milk powder and had sent her three cans!

Her little grandson was also drinking milk powder—how hard was it to get milk powder in this era?

Her aunt had bought her two complete outfits, not to mention the tight availability of fabric coupons as the New Year approached.

Even after she had insisted that she didn’t need it, they still bought her the items.

Once back at the Su family’s home, Su Jinyan packed three pieces of ribbonfish, a yellow croaker, about two pounds of large shrimp, two pounds of beef, and two pounds of lamb.

“Li brother, this is a small token of appreciation. Thank you for your help during this time.”

Xiao Li was surprised to hear Su Jinyan refer to him as ‘Li brother’ for the first time. Stepping back slightly, he replied gently, “Miss Yan, you’re too polite; it’s only right.”
Su Jinyan smiled and handed the items to Xiao Li. “Take it. The New Year is approaching; share it with your family.”

There was no need to be overly formal—this person was running back and forth for them from the military, responding to a phone call in a hurry.

She didn’t want to feel entitled.

After asking Su Chengguo about Xiao Li, she found out he was married, and his family was also with him at the military camp.

At that moment, Xin Huimin spoke with a smile beside them, “Xiao Li, just take it. It’s not often that Yanyan is so considerate.”

Xiao Li nodded smilingly, “Okay, thank you, Miss Yan.”

“Li brother, you’re too polite. Just call me Xiao Yan or Yanyan; calling me ‘Miss Yan’ feels awkward.”

“Okay, that works.”

Xin Huimin laughed lightly. “Alright, Xiao Li, hurry back to the unit.”

Once Xiao Li left, Su Jinyan unloaded the frozen meats and started portioning them out.

“Mom, let’s save some of this, share some with Grandma, Uncle, and Aunt, and leave some for Grandma and Grandpa. I’ll go out and buy some small plastic containers for the sesame oil.”

“You can cook this?” Xin Huimin asked, frowning as she took a small oyster in her hand.

“I should be able to. It’s quite delicious; I had it at the state-run restaurant in Yan’an once, just steamed. It looks simple.”

Xin Huimin pursed her lips in a smile. “How about we invite your grandparents, Uncle’s family, and Aunt’s family over for dinner tonight? They can take the food back with them.”

Su Jinyan thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, although it would take a bit of time and test her cooking skills.

She wasn’t particularly good in the kitchen.

“Then I’ll call your grandma and have her come over early, and she can bring Aunt Yang along.”

Hearing that dinner was being made, Su Jinyan became happy. “Alright, Aunt Yang’s cooking is delicious. I won’t risk embarrassing myself.”

“Mom, come look at the clothes I bought for you! I had Zhao Yuan Yi have someone bring them back from Shanghai; the quality is great, the style is new, and the colors are vibrant.”

Su Jinyan took out two large sacks full of clothes and shoes, spilling them onto the carpet, which quickly filled up.

“Look, this floral shirt has a bit of puff sleeve, perfect for your age. This long down jacket is filled with white goose down; it’s warm, light, and very nice to wear. You should try it on!”

“And these flat ankle boots are perfect for you to wear in the lab, comfortable for your feet. This pair of flat sports shoes matches well too—you can wear them with the down jacket, and they make you look younger.”

As Mrs. Sun sifted through the pile of supplies, her brow furrowed deeper.

Su Jinyan spoke for a while but didn’t hear any response from Mrs. Sun, so she looked up in confusion. “What’s wrong, Mom? Don’t you like them?”

Mrs. Sun looked at her and asked softly, “From Shanghai? These are great things; where did you get so much money?”