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Chapter 88: Money Pouch, Making Money Again!
Though Commander He was ostensibly talking about Lu Zhanlin’s career path, everyone in the cafeteria knew the truth. They were all perfectly aware that Lu Zhanlin’s decision was really a way to reject He Meijiao.
Yet even so, He Meijiao had refused to give up. She had followed him all the way over, creating quite a stir in the military district.
Now that Lu Zhanlin was married, and his wife had even joined the army as a military spouse, He Meijiao had finally quieted down a bit in the past few days. At last, people no longer saw her constantly chasing after him like a shadow.
After finishing his comments to Lu Zhanlin, Commander He shifted his gaze to Xu Feng.
“You were the one talking loudly just now, weren’t you?”
Xu Feng froze—
Huh? Did he say something?
He tried to pretend like nothing happened, but Commander He wasn’t buying it.
The commander directly called him out:
“On New Year’s Eve, the unit is holding a celebration. Plenty of women comrades will be attending. Xu Feng, since you’re so eager to get a wife, you’ll be there too!”
“Commander He, I—”
“That’s an order. Your marriage situation is also part of the organization’s concern.”
With things said so bluntly, Xu Feng had no choice but to obey. No matter how reluctant he was, refusing would count as disobeying a direct order.
He had only himself to blame for running his mouth—now he could only accept his fate.
“Yes, Commander He!”
Commander He nodded in satisfaction. He’d eaten, said his piece, and now left the rest of them to finish lunch.
As soon as Commander He left, Xu Feng scratched his head in frustration. If he had known earlier, he would’ve kept his mouth shut—he absolutely hated blind dates and matchmaking events.
Xu Feng was, after all, a perfectly healthy and vigorous man. Of course he envied the idea of a warm home, a loving wife, and someone to cuddle with at night.
Back in the day, he had wanted to settle down too. Under the organization’s arrangements, he had participated in several matchmaking events.
And those very events had left him with psychological trauma.
Those girls, upon seeing his rugged appearance, didn’t care about his heroic deeds on the battlefield. Instead, they’d ask absurd questions like:
“Do you wash your feet before bed?”
“Is it true I’ll have to move into the mountains with you if we get married?”
“Do you really eat eight buns in one sitting?”
One time, he met a girl from the capital—her haughty manner was exactly like He Meijiao’s.
Xu Feng might be rough around the edges, but he was still a war hero! Who would’ve thought he’d be rejected over not washing his feet before bed?
No way he’d put up with that.
After witnessing He Meijiao shamelessly pestering Lu Zhanlin, Xu Feng became even more wary of women.
Rather than have some woman boss him around, he’d rather grow old alone and enjoy the rugged life in peace.
But now, thanks to Commander He’s words, whether he liked it or not, he’d have to go.
The only person who understood Xu Feng’s mindset was Lu Zhanlin, who remained silent beside him, enjoying the delicious pork skin jelly made by Chu Yue.
Lu Zhanlin:
Marriage is awesome. Why can’t some people see that?
Meanwhile, at noon—
Chu Yue rode the bicycle down the mountain with Lu Xiaobao, arriving quickly at the nearby market town.
It was Lu Xiaobao’s first time in such a bustling place. People were everywhere. His little cheeks had turned red from the wind as they rode, and his skin was almost numb, but his eyes still sparkled as he looked around in awe.
His small hand clung tightly to the hem of Chu Yue’s coat—there were too many people here, and he couldn’t afford to get lost.
Chu Yue had already set up a stall once before in this town, so she was now familiar with the layout.
She didn’t fuss over finding the perfect spot. As long as there was space, she parked the bicycle, had Xiaobao stand a bit behind her, then began unloading the goods she brought from home—pork skin jelly, marinated pig ears, and pig intestines—arranged neatly on display.
All the items were ready-to-eat. She didn’t sell by weight but by portion size:
Chu Yue wrote out a sign on a piece of stiff cardboard and was just figuring out how to start calling out for customers when a familiar voice called out:
“Girl, we meet again.”
She looked up and saw the same auntie who had bought five jin of pine nuts last time.
Just like before, the woman looked neat and tidy, holding a few big red lanterns—probably festive decorations for the household she worked for.
“Auntie! Hello again. Here to shop?”
Chu Yue greeted her with a smile.
Zhuang Lan beamed at the sight of Chu Yue.
“Girl, the pine nuts I bought from you last time were absolutely amazing. My employer said he’s never had any that delicious before. So fragrant! Even complimented me for once. Are you selling pine nuts again?”
“Not this time—they almost sold out last time. Today I’ve brought something else. Take a look, I made it all myself.”
“Well, I’ll take a good look then.”
Zhuang Lan looked over the stall. The marinated items were fairly standard—her employer came from a wealthy family that wouldn’t eat offal.
But then she spotted the sparkling crystal-clear pork skin jelly, and her eyes lit up.
“Did you make this too?” Zhuang Lan asked in surprise.
“Yes. Auntie, you can try a bite before you decide.”
Chu Yue had prepared samples. She took a thin bamboo skewer, stabbed a small piece of jelly, dipped it lightly in soy sauce, and handed it to Zhuang Lan.
Zhuang Lan took a bite—and was instantly stunned by the flavor.
She stared at Chu Yue, up and down in amazement.
Such a young girl—and yet her cooking skills are this good?
Even she couldn’t make pork skin jelly that perfect.
Chu Yue could tell from her reaction that this deal was practically sealed.
“Auntie, would you like to buy some?”
“How much do you have in total?”
Back and forth they went, and in the end, Zhuang Lan bought five yuan worth of pork skin jelly. She planned to plate it beautifully at home, maybe in a porcelain dish arranged like a blooming flower—perfect for entertaining guests with both flavor and class.
She also bought some pig ears and intestines for her own family to enjoy during the New Year. Based on Chu Yue’s skills, she trusted it would all be delicious.
In total, the purchase came to seven yuan and fifty cents.
“All done, Auntie. Here are your items. Out of the ten yuan you gave me, I’ll get your change.”
Chu Yue turned to Lu Xiaobao behind her.
“Xiaobao, give me two yuan fifty in change.”
Lu Xiaobao was standing behind her, wearing a little backpack around his neck. Inside was the money pouch Chu Yue had entrusted to him—he carried all the loose change.
Watching Chu Yue handle customers so smoothly—and even making this much money so quickly—he was utterly stunned. Chu Yue had to call him several times:
“Xiaobao? Xiaobao?”
Only then did he snap out of it.