Qin Yao also had a dream, though not exactly a pleasant one. She dreamed she was a crab basking in the sun on a bright and sandy beach. Strutting sideways in her domineering crab walk, someone tried to catch her, only for her pincers to clamp tightly onto the man’s hand.

When she saw his cold, stern face, the little crab clamped down even harder, feeling a wave of satisfaction… until she woke up.

The window had been left slightly ajar last night. The breeze blew the curtains aside, letting sunlight stream in. Zhang Yufei had woken early. By the time Qin Yao opened her eyes, she realized Zhang Yufei was no longer in bed.

One perk of working in the 1970s was the short commute. The family compound was directly connected to the hospital. At 8:00 AM, the bells rang loudly to signal the start of work, their sound audible everywhere.

Aside from the bells, there were bugle calls starting at 6:00 AM. Soldiers with military ranks would gather at the hospital for morning drills and flag-raising ceremonies.

After washing up, Qin Yao and Zhang Yufei left their room. Standing on the third floor, they could see a group of young soldiers running outside the hospital. Nearby, children wearing red scarves mischievously weaved in and out of the ranks.

It was a lively and spirited scene. Every face beamed with energy.

“Qin Yao.”

When they arrived at the staff canteen, Li Fangfang called out to Qin Yao and invited her to have a bowl of pickled rice noodles. It cost twelve cents, requiring food coupons, with an extra serving of meat topping for three cents, totaling fifteen cents altogether.

The canteen’s steamed buns and flower rolls required two ounces of grain coupons and cost five cents each. A small dish of pickles cost one cent.

With such low prices, it was evident how significant the fifty yuan that Li Fangfang nearly lost yesterday was. It equaled several months’ wages for them.

Purchasing staple foods at the canteen required grain coupons, but supplementary foods did not.

Currently, Qin Yao received twenty-six pounds of grain coupons per month. Her salary, as an apprentice, was just fourteen yuan. After three months, it would increase to twenty-five yuan, with allowances bringing her total to no more than thirty yuan.

Regular clerks earned forty-five yuan monthly, while mid-level cadres earned over seventy. High-ranking officials like Chen Baozhen and her husband, Gao Jianguo, lived comfortably on their combined income. She, a teacher, earned thirty yuan, while he earned over one hundred. With no children, they could easily save a significant amount each month.

During this era, having money wasn’t always enough. Food coupons were essential.

Grain coupons were scarce. Women’s portions were typically sufficient. Breakfast consisted of two ounces, while lunch and dinner required three ounces each. A woman could get by on twenty-four pounds per month. With a smaller appetite, eating only two ounces per meal left her with extra coupons at the end of the month.

Women often had surplus coupons, but men barely had enough. Girls could make do with a large steamed bun and some pickles for breakfast, while men needed several.

Some people saved their grain coupons to trade for other goods at the end of the month.

Qin Yao carried her bowl of pickled rice noodles to a seat by the window. Zhang Yufei, trying to save money to send home, opted for a five-cent steamed bun and one-cent pickles. Qin Yao shared some of her meat topping with her.

The meat topping was shredded lean pork. Despite adding an extra portion, there were only a few slivers. The noodles also included two small shrimp.

Pork cost seventy-eight cents per pound and required meat coupons. Shrimp, less than ten cents per pound, didn’t require any.

“This is plenty, thank you,” Zhang Yufei said softly, dipping her steamed bun into the sauce from the meat topping. The bun absorbed the salty, savory flavor of the meat, which she ate with contentment.

Pork was, undoubtedly, the most delicious food in the world.

Qin Yao stirred her rice noodles with wooden chopsticks, letting the smooth, flat noodles soak up the flavorful broth. Regardless of the era, rice noodles remained an affordable, delicious, and filling food for the people. Two ounces of noodles with a few pieces of meat were enough to satisfy hunger.

For those not picky about taste, breakfast with a steamed bun, boiled shrimp, and seasonal fruit provided a cheap yet protein-rich meal, as long as they could eat it all.

“Xiao Li, why are your eyes so swollen?”

“Have you been crying? What’s wrong?”

…

Yuan Li, her eyes red and swollen, sat down with her bowl of noodles. The theft incident from the day before hadn’t spread far. Only a few people knew about it, and no one dared to gossip openly since it was a serious matter.

Yuan Li stared resentfully at Qin Yao’s back. If Qin Yao hadn’t meddled yesterday, she wouldn’t have ended up in such a humiliating situation, nor would she have lost the fifty yuan she had almost secured.

“Nothing.” Amid the comforting voices of those around her, Yuan Li wiped away her tears. She noticed Li Fangfang was looking at her, and the next moment, she burst into tears.

“Xiao Li, have you been bullied?”

“If someone bullies you, you have to speak up.”

While crying, Yuan Li finished her soup noodles, her eyes red as she went to find her aunt, Xu Yun. Xu Yun was also a nurse at the military hospital. It was she who had recommended Yuan Li for the job, even preparing a separate set of study materials for her to ensure she passed the exam.

Xu Yun was a gentle-looking woman with a round face, soft facial features, and understated, plain beauty. While her appearance might not be striking, she had a charm that attracted men.

Before she married, Xu Yun already exuded the traits of a good wife and mother, radiating a maternal glow that captivated men. Among her sisters, Xu Yun had married the best. Her other sisters married farmers and still worked in the fields back in their hometown. Yuan Li’s mother had married a factory worker from a small town, and they lived a modest life, stuck between having enough and not having enough.

Yuan Li had always admired her aunt, wishing she could be like her.

Her mother was jealous of her sister Xu Yun and often spoke behind her back, claiming she acted soft and pitiful when, in reality, she was ruthless and not a kind woman. Yuan Li didn’t agree, believing that her aunt was the smartest woman in the world.

Weakness and pity were a woman’s best weapons.

“Aunt, do you know Qin Yao?” Yuan Li whispered, as others in the hospital didn’t know she was Xu Yun’s niece.

Xu Yun was surprised. “Did Qin Yao ask you to find me?”

Head Head Nurse Ge had spoken to Xu Yun, advising her to teach Qin Yao how to attract men, as she was trying to win over Commander Gu.

Yuan Li was stunned. “Find you? Why would she come to you?”

“You don’t know? Qin Yao is something else. I heard she’s seeing Commander Gu.”

Yuan Li’s heart skipped a beat. Commander Gu, Gu Cheng? He was the chief instructor at the time—the cold and handsome man! He had visited once during training, and Yuan Li had been deeply impressed.

A man like him, with such an excellent family background, career, and appearance, surely had a discerning eye for women. Yet, he was dating “Qin Yao”? Yes, Qin Yao was from the city, but her father was just a cook, raising such a “plump girl.”

Had Qin Yao lost weight since joining the training? Could Gu Cheng have fallen for her three months ago if he’d seen her then?

Qin Yao had ruined her plans and was now dating Commander Gu. How could this be?

Yuan Li’s anger grew as she thought about it. She couldn’t even eat lunch.

After lunch, she devised a plan.

Soon, news spread that the new nurse, Qin Yao, was beautiful but had a bad temper and liked to bully others. She even flaunted her relationship with Commander Gu, using it to oppress people.

In the women’s restroom, with a row of squat toilets separated by half-height cement walls, the toilets were connected by a gutter. The last faucet was left running, making a faint sound of flowing water. A bucket hung underneath, which filled with water, and when it was full, the bucket flipped over, and the water flowed down the gutter.

This newly built public restroom was far from perfect, but many people preferred it, as it was much cleaner than the old-style latrines.

Even though it was clean, there was still a smell. However, since ancient times, toilets had always been a place for secretive whispers.

A woman in a nurse’s uniform walked out of a stall and went to the back. The water wasn’t full yet, so she manually flipped the bucket, letting the water wash away the smell.

She stood there, waiting for the others who had come with her. “I didn’t expect Qin Yao to be that kind of person. I never thought she had a bad temper.”

“She’s climbed her way up with Commander Gu. Now that she’s got power, who cares about anyone else? Xiao Li was crying like that this morning. I heard it was because Qin Yao bullied her.”

“Now every time she hears Qin Yao’s name, she cries. But when you ask her what happened, she’s too scared to say anything. That submissive look just makes me angry!”

“She probably won’t say anything… after all, she’s dating Commander Gu now.”

“Has she lost her dignity? Shouldn’t we let her get away with bullying people?”

“Xiao Hong, do you think her results were due to cheating?”

“Maybe…”

Before they could finish their conversation, a woman standing behind them saw Qin Yao walk out suddenly. Her face froze. No matter how righteous they had sounded earlier, it was all behind Qin Yao’s back, and now she had walked in on them.

Qin Yao ignored them and turned on the faucet, washing her hands.

In just a day, rumors had spread throughout the entire military hospital, including Qin Yao’s name, echoing in every department. Even the patients in the wards had heard about it.

Gu Cheng was a well-known figure, so anyone he dated would be big news. Moreover, the rumors about Qin Yao painted her as having a bad temper, arrogant, and bullying little nurses. Hearing such things made people want to take action.

Qin Yao never expected to become famous in such a way.

Head Nurse Ge hesitated before finding her. “Xiao Qin, how did this happen?”

“Don’t worry, Head Nurse Ge, I didn’t do anything wrong. I just helped catch a thief.”

The next afternoon, Qin Yao found Yuan Li. They stood at the entrance of the cafeteria. Yuan Li nervously looked at her, and Qin Yao stepped forward, grabbing her wrist.

【Her opinion of you -80 (She is filled with hostility towards you)】

Qin Yao said, “Yuan Li, why put on such a face? Am I bullying you, or are you eager to tell everyone the truth?”

Yuan Li looked at her with teary eyes and silently cried.

To the onlookers, it seemed like Qin Yao was arrogantly bullying Yuan Li.

“Qin Yao, Xiao Li is like this already. Don’t go too far!”

“Yeah, Qin Yao, you’ve gone too far.”

…

A few people who knew the truth stood in the crowd, biting their lips. Some things were better left unsaid. If this escalated, it wouldn’t be a small matter. It was best to let things die down.

Since Qin Yao was already dating Commander Gu, a rumor like this didn’t matter much. They could just explain it privately. But seeing Yuan Li cry so pitifully made it hard to bear.

Others might have tolerated it, but when Tian Shuyun saw the scene, she couldn’t hold back. She walked over and pulled Yuan Li’s hat off, then slapped her twice in front of everyone.

Everyone was stunned.

Yuan Li was also frozen. She knew that Tian Shuyun didn’t get along with Qin Yao and had spoken badly of her before, so why did she step in now?

She had also heard a rumor from Xu Yun that Tian Shuyun was involved with a male officer, and things were getting serious. She shouldn’t dare cause any trouble at this point.

Tian Shuyun was known for speaking without thinking. She shouted, “I’m going to write a report! You’re so shameless! Turning things upside down!”