Chapter 51: The Base

After getting their marriage certificate, Fu Zhengtou took Su Taotao on a major shopping spree—for daily necessities, grains, and Chenchen’s food: milk candies, formula, malted milk, and more.

Fu Zhengtou let Su Taotao take charge of what to buy; he just carried the bags. The only things he specifically asked to buy were wedding candies and wedding cakes. Though they wouldn’t be holding a banquet at the base, the candies and cakes still needed to be handed out.

This was probably the most socially savvy moment in Engineer Fu’s life.

The most important purchase, of course, was the electric fan that Su Taotao had been dreaming of!

People often said money didn’t stretch far in this era. It was true—100 yuan could buy loads of grain. In Qinglian Commune, even a family of eight to ten wouldn’t spend more than 100 yuan a year on food.

But on the flip side, money could also vanish quickly. A small electric fan, coupled with an industrial coupon, cost them 70–80 yuan.

Su Taotao’s heart ached terribly.

Before she left the state-run restaurant, Chef Xu had given her a thick envelope with 100 yuan inside. She had thought that was a lot, but half of it was now gone—just for a fan.

Adding on all the other odds and ends, they ended up spending nearly 200 yuan.

As the saying goes, you don’t know how expensive everyday essentials are until you’re running a household. In this era, if you didn’t do black market trading, finding ways to increase income was hard. The only choice was to cut back on expenses.

It was clear to Su Taotao—she needed to find a job. Otherwise, even buying something simple would feel like walking on eggshells.

“How much do we have in our passbook again?” Su Taotao suddenly asked Fu Zhengtou.

He told her the amount.

Su Taotao let out a surprised “Wow!” “That much?”

Had she just latched onto a golden thigh?

Fu Zhengtou gave her a strange look. Hadn’t she already seen it? She forgot?

Su Taotao scratched her nose—truth was, she hadn’t looked at all that day, and she’d forgotten to check afterward.

With their savings secure, Su Taotao relaxed and started buying more freely. She even generously let Chenchen and Fu Yuanhang each pick out a gift.

Fu Yuanhang shook his head—he didn’t want anything. He knew raising a wife and kids wasn’t easy for his big brother. It cost a lot.

Chenchen, however, immediately set his sights on a colorful little slingshot. His little uncle had once made him a black one by hand, but it was too big and hard to pull. He liked this one better.

With a wave of her hand, Su Taotao bought it.

The little guy beamed with joy as he held his new toy.

Then Su Taotao pulled out one yuan and handed it to Fu Yuanhang. “Since you don’t want a gift, here’s cash instead. From now on, I’ll give you one yuan of pocket money every month. If you want something, you’ll have to save up.”

“I—I don’t want it!”

Fu Yuanhang was shocked and shook his head wildly.

The most money he’d ever saved was just over a dime. He’d never even touched a whole yuan before—it felt like it was burning his hands. He shoved it back toward her.

But Su Taotao didn’t say a word. She stuffed it right into his backpack.

Fu Yuanhang gave his big brother a pleading look.

Fu Zhengtou nodded—he had to listen to Su Taotao.

And just like that, Student Fu Yuanhang received the first “fortune” of his life.

Back in the truck, Chenchen stroked his little slingshot, while Fu Yuanhang quietly pulled the one yuan from his bag and slipped it into his pants pocket, holding it tight. He kept touching it again and again.

The truck drove along the coastline for a full hour before Su Taotao finally laid eyes on the legendary base.

Fu Zhengtou had said the base was surrounded by the sea on three sides. Su Taotao thought it must be far from the mainland—maybe only accessible by boat.

Turned out that wasn’t the case.

Technically, the island where the base sat was completely surrounded by water. But there was a 200- to 300-meter-long cross-sea bridge connecting it to the mainland.

Unlike the towering bridges of modern times, this one was simple—just a very ordinary reinforced concrete bridge.

You had to understand, industry in this era wasn’t advanced. Machines like cranes and bulldozers were non-existent. This kind of bridge was built entirely by the hands of humble soldiers. They carved roads into mountains, dove into the sea for reef stones, carried sacks of cement on their backs, pushed blocks of stone, risking their lives to build it bit by bit.

Looking at the plain-looking bridge, Su Taotao was filled with respect for the heroes who built it.

As a military-controlled zone, the base had a checkpoint at the bridge’s entrance. Only base vehicles were allowed in and out. Outsiders—whether vehicles or people—were strictly forbidden, giving off a powerful “one man guards the pass, ten thousand cannot pass” vibe.

Fu Zhengtou’s identity was mysterious. Even the original novel’s author didn’t go into much detail. To this day, Su Taotao still didn’t know exactly what his work entailed. All she knew was that it was highly confidential and that he was a nationally protected and cultivated researcher. Not even the person sharing his bed could be told anything.

In the past, he didn’t even have a fixed work location. Forget about bringing family along—he himself never knew where his next project would be.

In her previous life, Su Taotao had seen interviews and reports. Scientists involved in national security or nuclear weapons might not even contact their families for decades. They truly devoted their entire lives to scientific research.

This base had clearly just been completed. It must’ve taken an immense amount of manpower and resources to build a base that spanned an entire island—and one under military control, no less. It was clear that this stop wouldn’t be a short one.

Well, since they were here, she’d just settle in.

No matter what Fu Zhengtou’s work involved, she wouldn’t pry. After all, it wouldn’t affect her day-to-day life. She’d just live as she always did.

Once they were home, he was simply her husband—officially, with a certificate.