Chapter 8

“You’re still not fully healed, and you’re going on another mission?” Su Wan asked.

“I can’t say exactly what it is, but it’s not dangerous.”

Su Wan nodded. “Here, take this fifty-four yuan. I have enough money on hand, and being home alone, I don’t spend much. It’ll be more convenient for you to have some cash on you.”

Chen Yuan was briefly stunned, but didn’t refuse. “I still have over eight yuan left from the grocery shopping the other day. I’ll just take four yuan from this, you keep the fifty.”

He handed her five ten-yuan bills. Su Wan took them but pulled out only three and stuffed the remaining two back into his hand.

“Thirty is enough. Don’t worry, I won’t spend money recklessly anymore.”

Su Wan said it so firmly that Chen Yuan half-believed her. Since he was in a hurry, he didn’t argue and left quickly after that.

Just as she stood at the door for a bit, she heard someone behind her call out, “Sister-in-law, heading out?”

It was Wang Bin, which surprised Su Wan. “Why are you going out so late for procurement today?”

“We go out several times a day—it doesn’t always have to be early. We adjust based on everyone’s schedule. Are you heading out, Sister-in-law?”

Su Wan thought for a moment, then asked, “Comrade Wang Bin, when you go out for procurement, do you know where to get pork offal?”

“You’re looking for pork offal, Sister-in-law?” Wang Bin smiled. “That’s easy enough to get. Your pork offal dishes taste great—if you want some, I can bring a batch back for you.”

“I’d like a whole set of offal. Is that possible?”

Wang Bin nodded. “A full set? No problem—even a few sets wouldn’t be an issue. But Sister-in-law, what do you need so much pork offal for?”

Su Wan smiled sheepishly. “I’ve got time on my hands at home, and now that the economic reforms have started, I want to try selling pork offal.”

At this time, the army didn’t strictly prohibit side hustles—as long as it wasn’t illegal.

“Alright. Do you need anything else?”

“I also want a large stainless steel pot—one that can hold around a hundred catties. Can I get one of those?”

“Of course. I’ll be back around eleven. I’ll bring it over then.”

Su Wan smiled and thanked him, handing over three ten-yuan bills.

“If it’s not enough, I’ll give you more.”

Wang Bin only took one bill and explained, “A full set of pork offal goes for eight or nine yuan. I can probably get it cheaper—seven or eight yuan. As for the stainless steel pot with a lid, I can get it at wholesale price, maybe just a little over a yuan. If it’s not enough, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks a lot,” Su Wan said gratefully.

After Wang Bin left, Su Wan looked at the pile of coal balls in front of the house. Normally, that would last a few months, but if this business worked out, she might need to buy more.

After watering the vegetables that morning, Su Wan found herself with some free time.

At around eleven thirty, Wang Bin returned with the pork offal and the stainless steel pot, even giving her back thirty cents.

“Sister-in-law, this set of offal weighed seventy-three catties, cost eight yuan fifty. The pot was one yuan twenty. Here’s your thirty cents change.”

“Thanks for your help, Wang Bin. I might need to ride with you all tomorrow morning.”

“No problem, I’ll come by with Brother Xu in the morning to help you load everything onto the truck.”

Su Wan felt embarrassed and tried to give him the thirty cents as a tip, but he just smiled and slipped away.

People in this era were still very genuine—happy to lend a hand. Unlike in the future, where even helping an elderly person could get you falsely accused.

At noon, she reheated the buns from Sister Wei and made a pot of egg soup. She had a simple meal, rested for a bit, and when the heat had died down around two o’clock, she went to wash the pork offal.

Cleaning pork offal was truly a chore. Back in the modern days, she always bought it pre-cleaned. But now, she had to bear the nasty smell, scrubbing it over and over, peeling off the attached fat.

It took her from just past two all the way until eight in the evening to get it completely clean—no odor at all.

After she finished prepping the offal, she brought it back inside the house.

It was already past eight when she finished. She quickly went to wash some rice and start the rice cooker, then hurried to take a bath.

After her bath, she washed her clothes as well.

She hung the laundry outside, and by then the rice was ready.

She ate the leftover egg soup from lunch, mixing it with rice.

After dinner, she washed the dishes—by now, it was already nine thirty.

She washed the stainless steel pot thoroughly, added the spice mix she had prepared herself, threw in some rock sugar, and began braising the offal.

By eleven thirty, the aroma of the braised meat was filling the entire area—enough to make anyone hungry.

Someone nearby mumbled, “The company commander’s wife sure knows how to cook. She’s still making delicious food this late at night.”

Su Wan ignored it. At exactly midnight, she turned off the fire and let the pot sit with the lid on.

The offal steeped in the flavorful braising liquid all night, soaking up every bit of flavor. At around five in the morning, Su Wan lit the fire again and simmered it for another half hour. Then she scooped everything out and cut it into pieces before returning it to the pot.

She filled a big soup bowl to the brim with the braised offal and, before most people were awake, went next door to Sister Wei’s house.

Sister Wei lived in the next building over—just a few minutes’ walk. When Su Wan arrived, she saw Sister Wei washing up.

“Sister, I made some braised pork offal and brought some over for you.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t have!”

Sister Wei accepted the bowl and said, “You haven’t had breakfast yet, right? Our men are both out—why not have breakfast here?”

“No need, Sister. But I wanted to ask—do you have a weighing scale?”

“Wait a sec, I’ll get it.” Sister Wei quickly brought over a scale. “I haven’t been using it lately. You can borrow it for now. If I need it later, I’ll just come get it.”

“Thanks so much, Sister!”

Su Wan was in a hurry to head out, and Sister Wei didn’t insist she stay for breakfast. She just looked at the big bowl of braised offal and couldn’t help but sigh.

People really are hard to judge. That Su Wan who initially seemed so unlikable turned out to be such a pleasant person.

Back home, Su Wan quickly filled a large bowl to place on the table and covered the rest.

Wang Bin and Xu Weiguo had already arrived and helped her load everything onto the truck.

This time, Su Wan rode in the back.

The truck drove a long way, and once they entered the county town, Su Wan bought ten meat buns from a breakfast stall. She asked around for where she could buy feed sacks and ended up buying ten packs of plastic bags from a nearby store.

Wang Bin dropped her off in front of a large factory, telling her he would be gone for about four to five hours and to wait for him there later.

Su Wan thanked him, then looked at the braised pork offal she’d brought and at the sparse number of people around—her heart was pounding with nerves.

It was her first time setting up a street stall. Mustering her courage, she shouted, “Come and take a look! Freshly braised meat, just out of the pot! Only eighty cents per catty! Buy braised meat and get free sauce!”

After shouting five times, a woman in her thirties came over and asked, “Young lady, what kind of braised meat are you selling?”

“Braised pork intestines, heart, liver, stomach, lungs, and kidneys. Ma’am, you can taste a small piece first—no charge.”