Chapter 112

Shi Tingyu sat nearby, watching Lu Weiguo meticulously fit the padded muzzle onto Lijian, her eyes filled with admiration.

She thought her husband was truly amazing, able to do just about anything.

Due to the limitations of the era and the current national conditions, many modern tools had not yet been invented. Most people were capable of repairing electrical appliances, plumbing, building houses, basic carpentry, and even some fine handiwork.

What impressed her the most was her husband, Lu Weiguo, who seemed to have a knack for everything.

For instance, if the stove went out, she wouldn’t know how to start the fire again. At most, she would go to a neighbor’s house to borrow a lit briquette and bring it back to her own stove.

But she couldn’t start a fire with wood and straw.

There was also the kitchen stool, which had been chewed up by Lijian. Lu Weiguo had repaired it himself with a piece of wood.

And now, seeing him make a muzzle for Lijian based on her drawing, she was once again amazed. She had only drawn a picture, and in no time, he had made it a reality.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t do these things, which made her feel weak. She could manage just fine living on her own. However, life inevitably came with little mishaps. If no one was around to fix things, she could just replace them. If the stove was really unusable, she could pay the neighbors to borrow fire every day.

But being able to handle everything on your own, without needing to ask for help, was a great feeling.

In the future, many women wouldn’t want to get married because being single was more enjoyable than the added workload of marriage. Working, raising kids, and not getting any appreciation left them exhausted.

Anyone would feel hopeless in such a situation.

But if the result of combining two lives was happiness and mutual satisfaction, that would be the ideal state. Even occasional arguments would just be minor interruptions.

Feeling the intense gaze from his wife, Lu Weiguo turned to her and asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Shi Tingyu smiled and said, “I just think my husband is amazing, able to do everything.”

Lu Weiguo’s mouth couldn’t help but turn up into a smile, and he leaned closer to her.

Shi Tingyu chuckled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Lu Weiguo was satisfied.

Lijian, now wearing the muzzle, shook his head slightly in discomfort. Lu Weiguo patted him reassuringly, “We’ll put this on when we get to the train station. You’ll have to bear with it for two days.”

Lijian wagged his tail, whined a couple of times, and nuzzled Lu Weiguo’s hand.

Lu Weiguo’s expression softened.

To a soldier, a military dog is a silent comrade. Even though Lijian wasn’t officially enlisted, it didn’t change Lu Weiguo’s affection for him.

And Shi Tingyu’s affection for Lijian was even greater.

They didn’t mind the extra expenses to bring Lijian along; they never took it out on him.

Since it was already late, Lu Weiguo didn’t rush to buy the tickets. By the time he got to the station, the ticket office would likely be closed.

Early the next morning, Shi Tingyu gave Lu Weiguo money to buy the tickets.

She stayed home to prepare food for the train journey.

She baked a tray of European-style bread and made a jar of spicy beef sauce.

She also made fried small yellow croaker and fried tofu balls.

These were all dry foods that could be eaten cold.

She also made some cornmeal cakes, using a mix of cornmeal and wheat flour. The cakes had a crispy, golden crust and a soft, tasty interior. Even cold, they would be delicious with the spicy beef sauce or fried items.

She packed a bag of milk powder to make milk to go with the bread.

She roasted some wild chestnuts from her space.

Maybe it was because of the space, but the chestnut trees always bore fruit abundantly. Outside, chestnuts were mostly out of season, but her chestnut trees were still full of fruit.

She also packed some apples and mandarins she had claimed to have bought but had actually picked from her space.

These fruits kept well, so there were still plenty left, and she packed them all.

By the time she finished, Lu Weiguo was back.

“All set?” Shi Tingyu asked.

Lu Weiguo handed the tickets and the leftover money from the ticket purchase to Shi Tingyu. “Everything’s done. Thanks to Sister Qin, when I mentioned bringing a large dog, they were already informed.”

Shi Tingyu felt relieved and then looked at the vegetable garden with some concern. “Weiguo, what should we do with the vegetables in the garden?”

Lu Weiguo glanced at the garden. They had quite a variety of vegetables: napa cabbage, radishes, cilantro, lettuce, bell peppers, garlic, spinach, and celery, all thriving.

The vegetables were all well-tended by his wife, growing robustly and tasting great. They were of better quality than anything bought from the market.

“How about we give the ripe ones to our neighbors and friends, and the smaller ones can stay in the ground for another twenty or thirty days without a problem?”

It would be a shame to leave the vegetables in the ground unused.

Shi Tingyu thought for a moment. “The amount is quite large. Even our close neighbors and friends won’t be able to take that much.”

Her vegetables were much better than usual, so there weren’t many smaller ones. Most were far better than the store-bought ones.

She considered their close acquaintances: the families of Captain Zhang next door, Instructor Feng, Captain Han, and soon-to-be-promoted Deputy Captain of the Third Battalion.

“How about, besides giving some to our neighbors and friends, we give the rest to the mess hall? It can be a New Year’s treat for everyone,” suggested Shi Tingyu.

Lu Weiguo agreed. The military camp was like his second home, and sharing the vegetables was a good idea.

With the decision made, Lu Weiguo pulled out some vegetables for their neighbors and friends first.

He then went to the camp and informed Captain Han about the vegetables.

Captain Han, having tasted their vegetables before, knew how good they were and didn’t hesitate. “Alright, you can skip giving to us, but I’ll arrange for the logistics department to give you some compensation for the ones you give to the mess hall.”

By compensation, he meant paying for the vegetables. The logistics department had to spend money on procurement anyway, and their quality wasn’t as good as Lu Weiguo’s. Why not buy from him directly? Also, it wasn’t fair for officers to suffer losses.

Lu Weiguo was taken aback. “Captain, there’s really no need.”

“Just listen to me,” Captain Han said. “I’ll send some soldiers from the mess hall to your place to collect them.”

He had his considerations. Lu Weiguo’s military achievements were enough for a promotion, and with the recent capture of a spy, he might get a promotion slot next year. If word got out that he had given free vegetables to the camp, it could cause unnecessary gossip. It was better to provide some compensation from logistics.

Even if the promotion didn’t happen next year, it wouldn’t hurt.

Finally, Captain Han sent Lu Weiguo home, telling him to wait for two soldiers from the mess hall who would come to collect the vegetables.