Chapter 74 : Being praised by the leader

Division Commander Zhao Wenliang was inspecting the island when he heard that Shen He’s wife not only planted chrysanthemums but also fruit trees in the sand. He was a little surprised.

“Shen He, I didn’t realize your wife had such a skill.”

Pingzhou Island is essentially a piece of land formed by sea sand and coral reefs, making it extremely difficult to grow vegetables there.

The troops had been stationed for more than 20 years, and there had been no good solution except transporting soil.

Even though trucks were available this year, they couldn’t carry extra soil due to the poor carrying capacity of the ships.

The difficulty of growing vegetables had always been a major problem for the islanders.

“She likes to study this when she has nothing to do.” Speaking of his wife’s efforts, Shen He’s eyes softened.

Zhao Wenliang had never seen him like this, and he couldn’t help laughing.

“Not bad, not bad, your wife is great.”

Yan Yixing, who was standing by, couldn’t help but feel sour.

They were also married, so why could someone else’s wife be so capable?

Not only was she loved by everyone in the family compound, but she was also praised by the leaders.

Meanwhile, his wife not only caused him trouble daily but had also offended everyone in the family compound. If she kept this up, it would be questionable whether he would be promoted again.

Cao Zhifang didn’t think much about it and continued praising Su Ranran.

The main thing was that she was really generous, she had directly taught the recipe for braised pig intestines to everyone in the family compound.

He also got to enjoy the benefits.

His wife liked to eat it and was willing to cook, so he was also benefiting from it.

Hearing this, Zhao Wenliang nodded again, then continued speaking to Shen He “So your wife wants to apply for a piece of land?”

Pingzhou Island wasn’t large, but there were plenty of saline-alkali lands.

Su Ranran’s request shouldn’t be a big deal, but there hadn’t been such a precedent in the army.

Moreover, he was concerned that other families might object, so Yan Yixing, who received the application, had been a little hesitant. Since the division commander was there, he casually brought it up.

“Well, my wife has a certain talent for growing things, and she’s hardworking. The fruit trees at home are proof of that. Now, she wants to apply for a piece of land to grow rice.”

As soon as these words were said, the entire office fell silent.

Everyone had strange expressions on their faces.

“Shen He, does your wife know that it’s saline-alkali land?” Cao Zhifang asked cautiously.

Planting rice on saline-alkali land, wasn’t this a joke?

Yan Yixing only knew that Su Ranran wanted to apply for a piece of land but hadn’t paid attention to what she wanted to plant. Now, hearing it, he suddenly felt that the idea was too far-fetched. It was easier to grow vegetables on saline-alkali land than rice.

After a moment of silence, Zhao Wenliang laughed again in the office.

“It’s a good thing for young people to be ambitious. Since she wants to try cultivating, let her try!”

With that, the matter was settled, and the topic was no longer mentioned.

Instead, the discussion turned to the training of the troops, which was the purpose of Zhao Wenliang’s visit.

“I’ve seen the plan you provided. Isn’t the training task a bit heavy?”

But as someone who had been immersed in military work for more than 20 years, his instincts were sharp.

He could tell right away that Shen He’s plan was extraordinary.

Cao Zhifang had also seen Shen He’s plan. When he heard Zhao Wenliang’s words, he sat up straighter.

Like Zhao Wenliang, he had been in the military camp for many years and could see the differences in the training method immediately. But the intensity was still considerable, and they were concerned that the soldiers might not be able to handle it.

Yan Yixing had also heard about the new plan, but he didn’t know the specific details. When he heard the division commander mention it, he perked up his ears.

“Only when the intensity is high enough can the potential be stimulated,” Shen He said, explaining his recent training experiences in a simple and understandable way.

The more the three listened, the brighter their eyes became!

Zhao Wenliang became even more eager to start the training immediately, and when the effects became evident, it would be implemented throughout the division.

From time to time, the excited voices of the three of them could be heard coming from the office.

At that moment, Su Ranran was surrounded by a group of people, all admiring her palm-sized vegetable garden.

“It’s true! It’s really chrysanthemum!” someone said, gazing at the rows of green vegetable sprouts with eager eyes.

Although the sprouts were very thin and tender, the green color was truly pleasing!

Seeing these strong vegetable leaves, the onlookers were almost drooling.

“Sister-in-law, what else did you plant in the rows next to it?” someone asked curiously, eyeing the land beside it that hadn’t sprouted yet.

No one doubted that there were vegetable seeds in that land. After all, soil was so scarce, who would leave it unused?

“I planted some lettuce a few days ago, but it hasn’t sprouted yet,” Su Ranran replied, also admiring the vibrant and pleasing chrysanthemum rows.

When they heard she had planted lettuce, others nearly cried from envy.

“Sister-in-law Su, do you have more rapeseed? Just a few grains will do!” someone immediately asked her for rapeseed.

Exchanging rapeseed was normal in this era since it grew in the ground and wasn’t worth much. But for people on the island, good vegetable seeds were precious.

They were a bit embarrassed to ask, but the idea of having different vegetables outweighed any hesitation.

Su Ranran naturally had a lot of rapeseeds, but she couldn’t give out too many at once.

Otherwise, it might raise suspicion, as the vegetable seeds from the Shuiqiao Brigade were not as good as hers.

“I don’t have many seeds. They are all carefully selected at home, but if the sisters-in-law want them, I can still give each of you more than ten seeds.”

The army is a special place. It’s common for military families to refer to each other as “sister-in-law” for safekeeping.

Although Su Ranran was young and Shen He held a high position, they still called her “sister-in-law,” and she could return the favor and call them “sister-in-law” too.

The key was that everyone had their own way of thinking.

Though they knew Su Ranran was easy to talk to, the military wives who received the ten seeds were still very excited.

They carefully held the plump seeds in their hands, as though they were holding precious treasures.

“Sister-in-law, thank you so much. With these, our family will be able to enjoy a new taste soon.”

Vegetables were scarce here. They could only eat a limited variety, picking them by counting the leaves.

Now, finally having new vegetable seeds, how could they not be excited?

One vegetable could produce many seeds, so they wouldn’t have to worry about not having chrysanthemums next year.

Those who received the vegetable seeds happily thanked Su Ranran.

Some were envious of her lettuce seeds, though they hesitated, as hers hadn’t sprouted yet.

In the end, they only asked for a few, not daring to ask for more.

Zhong Juhua and Lin Qiulian, who had started growing vegetables with Su Ranran long ago, had already received plenty of seeds early on and were now secretly pleased.

In the distance, Liu Hong, who had just entered the Wanwan base, saw Su Ranran surrounded by people and felt very unhappy.

Because of the pig’s intestine incident, people in the family compound had stopped paying attention to her.

Now that Su Ranran was becoming more and more popular, it was no wonder Liu Hong wasn’t in a good mood.

But when she thought about the fact that Su Ranran had actually grown chrysanthemums, she suppressed her unhappiness and forced a smile onto her face.

However, that smile looked awkward.

After a pause, she raised her foot and walked toward Su Ranran.

“Everyone is so busy, what’s going on here?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the bustling Wanwan base suddenly became quiet.