Su Banxia was truly hungry. She sat down and began eating the steamed buns in big mouthfuls.

Considering how well he had taken care of her, she decided she wouldn’t cause him any trouble when they eventually divorced.

She finished all the food in the lunchbox. Despite being hungry for so long, she still ate slowly and chewed thoroughly, without gulping it down hastily.

After eating, she had just finished washing the lunchbox and hadn’t even stepped out of the kitchen when there was a knock at the door.

Could it be him coming back again?

Su Banxia opened the door and found Zhang Xiaolan standing there.

Zhang Xiaolan chuckled.

“Hey, have you finished breakfast? I’m here to take you to town to buy vegetable seeds.”

Su Banxia had been cooped up at home all day yesterday and had almost forgotten about this.

“Sis, come in first. Wait for me to wash my hands, and we’ll go together.”

After all, the land had already been tilled. It was better to plant something rather than leave it empty and become the butt of jokes.

Su Banxia went into the bathroom to wash her hands. When she came out, she brought a cloth bag with her and headed toward the gate with Zhang Xiaolan.

They ran into other women from the compound downstairs, and Zhang Xiaolan greeted them.

The two then boarded a bus at the gate and headed to the county town.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative.

Zhang Xiaolan asked, “What kind of vegetables are you planning to grow at home?”

To be honest, Su Banxia had no idea. She said, “Sis, I’m not sure either.”

“Then just follow what I buy. We’ll grow some beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, and scallions.

Let me tell you, if you have too many beans to eat, you can blanch them in water and dry them for winter.

Cucumbers and peppers can be used to make pickles or salted vegetables.

When the peppers turn red, you can hang them up to dry. They can be ground into chili powder or used for cooking.”

Su Banxia had to admit that Zhang Xiaolan was a true expert at everyday life.

She, on the other hand, was not. Before her rebirth, all she knew was gardening.

When it came to growing vegetables, she had zero knowledge.

But it couldn’t be too different from growing flowers, right?

Su Banxia thought Zhang Xiaolan’s advice made sense and said, “Thank you, Sis. I’ll buy whatever you recommend.”

As they talked, the two entered the supply and marketing cooperative.

They bought seeds for beans, cucumbers, and scallions directly, while for peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants, they bought seedlings.

Zhang Xiaolan asked the salesperson, “Comrade, how much are these seedlings?”

The salesperson replied, “Twenty cents a bundle. You can pick any.”

Zhang Xiaolan sifted through the seedlings and said, “Comrade, how about fifty cents for three bundles?”

The salesperson laughed. “How could that work? The price is the same for everyone.”

Noticing the seedlings looked somewhat wilted, Su Banxia chimed in, “Comrade, look, these seedlings are a bit wilted. This big sister and I both want to buy some. How about fifty cents for three bundles? We’ll buy more that way.”

The salesperson glanced at Su Banxia with a smile.

“You two comrades are quite the smooth talkers.

Alright, alright, fifty cents for three bundles it is.”

The two exchanged smiles and each bought fifty cents’ worth of seedlings.

Su Banxia also bought two boxes of Wan Zi Qian Hong face cream at the nearby counter.

Her face had felt dry for days without any moisturizer. Tonight, she would go back and apply a facial mask, followed by the face cream, to salvage her skin in time.

Su Banxia asked curiously, “Sis, can you actually bargain at the supply and marketing cooperative?”

Zhang Xiaolan smiled. “Technically, no, but it depends on the situation.

These seedlings may look wilted, but they’ll perk up again if you soak them in water. Still, the sellers find them hard to sell, so we can bargain.

If it were grain, though, bargaining would definitely be out of the question.”

Su Banxia realized just how sharp Zhang Xiaolan was.

“Sis, you’re really amazing.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.

Do you need to buy anything else?”

Su Banxia shook her head. “Not for now.”

There was no point in buying anything else—sooner or later, she would be leaving anyway.

Zhang Xiaolan said, “I don’t need to buy anything else either. Come on, let’s go. I’ll treat you to some red oil rice noodles—they’re delicious.

Last time, when you helped me get back the grain ration book, I never properly thanked you.”

“Please don’t stand on ceremony, Sis. Back when I borrowed money from you, you didn’t hesitate to trust me and lend it to me.

Helping you was just instinctive. Everyone’s money is hard-earned, and having it stolen would make anyone feel awful.”

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaolan liked her even more.

How did this girl become so good with words now?

Zhang Xiaolan said, “I’ve realized something—you really know how to talk.

But I’ll say it again: you’re good in every way, except for that one bad habit.

I’m not afraid of offending anyone, so I’ll speak my mind.

Stop gambling from now on and build a good life with Battalion Commander Jiang.

In the army, he’s known as a rare good man.”

Su Banxia smiled awkwardly. “I know, Sis. Let’s go, let’s go enjoy those red oil rice noodles.”

She didn’t want to dwell on the topic, afraid that if people found out about their impending divorce, it would only make her a laughingstock again.

They arrived at a rice noodle stall run by a middle-aged woman.

Su Banxia observed the setup: a single table with several bowls containing chili oil, chopped scallions, shredded kelp, seasonings, and nothing else.

Su Banxia said, “Miss, we’ll have two bowls of rice noodles and one tea egg each.”

The woman at the stall smiled. “Coming right up!”

Su Banxia watched as she grabbed a handful of rice noodles, twisted them to a certain portion, placed them in a bamboo strainer, dipped it briefly into the pot, then fished them out into bowls. She ladled broth over the noodles, drizzled red oil, and sprinkled scallions and shredded kelp before serving them.

Su Banxia took a bite. Though she had been looking forward to it, having tasted delicacies from around the world in her past life, she found the noodles rather ordinary.

She glanced at Zhang Xiaolan, who was drizzling vinegar into her bowl, mixing it, and slurping the noodles eagerly.

Noticing Su Banxia eating slowly, Zhang Xiaolan said, “Eat up! Why aren’t you digging in?”

Su Banxia smiled and finally started eating.

Each bowl of noodles cost fifteen cents, so two bowls totaled thirty cents.

Each tea egg was also fifteen cents, so two eggs came to thirty cents.

For just sixty cents, the two of them ate their fill.

Halfway through her meal, Su Banxia quietly settled the bill.

Zhang Xiaolan said, “What are you doing? I said I’d treat you.”

“Sis, don’t be polite with me. You can treat me next time.”

Zhang Xiaolan felt a bit embarrassed since she had intended to pay but ended up being treated by Su Banxia.

“Alright, it’s settled then—next time, it’s on me.”

After finishing their noodles, they took the bus back to the compound.

Meanwhile, during break time at the training ground, Jiang Guo’an was sprawled on the gravel, a dry blade of grass between his lips, his eyes gazing into the distance.

Li Jianguo walked over and said, “Hey, Old Jiang, have you heard? People are saying your wife has been improving a lot lately.”

Jiang Guo’an’s first thought was, What trouble has she gotten into now?

He spat out the blade of grass and shot Li Jianguo a resentful glare.

Li Jianguo knew exactly what he was thinking and chuckled, sitting down beside him and nudging him lightly with an elbow.

“I’m not joking—I’m serious.

Hear me out properly.

Last night, my wife told me that your wife was out tilling the land the day before yesterday. Did you know about that?”