Chapter 40.2

After taking two quick sips, he stuffed a piece of pastry into his mouth.

“Mm! Mm!” He nodded enthusiastically, giving Grandpa Wei a big thumbs-up—delicious!

People raved about his wife’s duck dish, but eating the same thing for months on end could become tiresome. He, more than anyone, had grown weary of it.

A sip of the fish head soup, however, was like tasting paradise itself.

Grandpa Wei beamed with pride as if he had made the dish himself.

They had been old neighbors since the couple moved in, and back then, Grandpa Wei had looked out for them. As their business grew, bringing in more guests, they invited him to help out—serving tea and handling small tasks for twenty yuan a month. It wasn’t a daily job, just a few hours in the afternoon and evening.

Since he ate both lunch and dinner there, he got along well with the couple, and they had never once quarreled.

Just then, the beautiful wife emerged from the kitchen, lifting the curtain as she walked in. Her features were well-defined—elegant without being seductive, graceful without seeming distant. The two had moved here years ago from another province, and because of their unusual pairing—a striking woman married to a mute man—rumors had circulated.

Some speculated that she had “retired” from a less-than-honorable profession and settled down, for how else could such a beauty end up with a mute?

But when the mute husband overheard such talk, he flew into a rare but furious rage.

Despite being unable to speak, he was a towering figure, his build far larger than the average man. His arms were as thick as a woman’s thigh, and with one punch, he could send a person flying. No one wanted to test their luck with him.

Besides, their marriage was a loving one. The man followed his wife wherever she went, always close by her side. If anyone dared to mistreat her, he was ready to fight to the death. Over time, the gossip faded away.

However, the couple had remained childless, and new whispers emerged—claims that the woman’s past had ruined her body, rendering her infertile. Otherwise, how could a man so strong and healthy fail to father a child?

She carried out a small plate of duck liver and placed it on the table. Her outfit was a repurposed dress, neatly sewn and fitted to her figure. With a warm smile, she greeted Grandpa Wei, “Wei Ye, this fish head soup smells amazing. Your niece made it, didn’t she?”

“That’s right. She got up before five this morning to make it for us, saying it’s nutritious and good for the body. She wanted me to drink more since I work hard outside. The fish heads are from yesterday—she cooked them up for us. Such a filial girl!”

Hearing this, the mute man eagerly pulled his wife down to sit beside him. “Mm! Mm!” He gestured excitedly and poured her a bowl of soup.

The beautiful woman smiled. “She really is a grateful child. In that case, I won’t be shy. Let’s eat together.”

She scooped a spoonful of the creamy broth, inhaled its delicate aroma, and took a small sip. Then another. And another. She savored it slowly, letting the flavor linger until her bowl was empty.

Dabbing the corner of her lips with a handkerchief, she mused for a moment before saying, “This is truly excellent, Wei Ye. Your niece has a real talent for cooking.”

She pondered the idea—ducks were cheap here, and fish was even cheaper. Fish heads were often discarded, but this soup was not only nutritious but also irresistibly delicious. Once tasted, it left a lingering craving, impossible to forget.

“Why not have your niece come over every day and make a pot of fish head soup? I’ll pay her two yuan per pot.”

A single pot could fill ten large bowls, each sold at six mao. That meant ten bowls would bring in six yuan—subtracting the two-yuan labor cost, it was still a profitable deal. Besides, this soup was incredibly delicious, a rare delicacy. That’s why she suddenly had this idea.

“That sounds like a great plan! I’ll ask the girl when I get home. I don’t think there’ll be a problem,” Old Wei responded cheerfully.

Over the past few days, Wen Xin had been exploring Longzhou, taking different bus routes and visiting post offices, schools, department stores, and grocery shops. At a department store, she bought a piece of blue fabric for the old lady to sew into a top and a gray one for Old Wei, which could be made into a jacket. Then, she noticed the counter had yarn for sale.

“Comrade, how much is the pink yarn?” She was surprised to see pink yarn available and asked the shop assistant without hesitation.

“Two yuan and seven mao per tael.” The shop assistant, unlike many others, had a relatively good attitude.

Wen Xin consulted an experienced-looking elderly woman nearby, who kindly looked her up and down and said, “With your petite frame, five taels should be enough.”

She immediately paid for the yarn but ended up buying seven taels—since that was all that was left. It was pure luck that she arrived just in time; if she had waited any longer, it would have been sold out. But the price was indeed steep—twenty-seven yuan per jin. The thousand yuan she had brought with her had dwindled to just over eight hundred after staying at the Wei household and buying various things.

Still, the Wei family had helped her register her household status and provided her with a place to live. Spending some money was the least she could do. Later, when she had more money, buying them a house and a bicycle would be easy. The old lady was even saving up to help the younger son find a wife.

Holding the soft, fluffy pink yarn, Wen Xin felt a surge of excitement. She didn’t know how to knit a sweater, but she could learn! The weather was expected to turn cold in a few days, just in time for her to knit a light pink sweater for herself. Any leftover yarn could be used for a long scarf.

She also bought suitable yarn for the elderly couple—one sweater each.

After packing her purchases into her bag, she headed to a nearby high school and found a few students to help her collect a complete set of high school textbooks. She paid them for their trouble. With only seven months until the college entrance exam, she planned to review the high school curriculum from this era and take the exam next year.

There wasn’t much else she could do. She had scouted the city multiple times, looking for business opportunities, but state-owned enterprises dominated the market. In this era, private businesses were a risky venture. Although the government showed signs of loosening restrictions, no one dared to be the first to take the leap. The black market still existed, though enforcement had become more lenient.

After careful consideration, Wen Xin decided that now wasn’t the right time. It was better to focus on getting into university first. From what she had read in books, it wouldn’t be until the mid-to-late 1980s and the 1990s that China’s rapid economic development would truly take off. By then, she could buy land in any major city for dirt cheap and wait for its value to soar.

“Hey, little comrade, can you come over for a second? I need to discuss something with you.” Wen Xin spoke gently to a clever-looking boy nearby. For ten yuan, she managed to get a full set of high school textbooks and handwritten notes from these high school kids. They claimed they belonged to their older sister. She smiled, handed the boy the money, and thought to herself—money really does make things easier.

Packing everything into her bag, Wen Xin hopped onto Bus No. 2. When she got off, she skipped happily down the alley, heading back to the Wei household.

…

On the day Commander Yan was discharged from the hospital, several platoon leaders, company commanders, and squad leaders from the 146th Regiment—those closest to the regiment commander—drove over with the political commissar to pick up their feared and respected “Yan Demon” leader.

Inside the hospital ward, Commander Yan’s face was as cold as ice. He glared at them and barked, “Who told you to come? Who gave you the authority to leave the regiment without permission?”

The platoon leaders, company commanders, and squad leaders looked at each other, frozen in place. They had only wanted to give their regiment commander a surprise welcome home… but instead, they’d scared themselves stiff.

Political Commissar Ye, standing beside them, understood the situation perfectly. Yan Zeyang had been stuck in this hospital bed for over twenty days. On top of that, he hadn’t found the person he was looking for. The frustration had been building up inside him like a raging fire. Even Ye himself had nearly been caught in the crossfire, let alone these poor soldiers.

“These are your men. They came all the way here to pick you up. The vehicle is parked outside—just let it go.” He then turned to the soldiers and warned, “This better not happen again. Understood?”

“Understood!” The soldiers shouted in unison.

Yan Zeyang fastened the buttons on his uniform with a grim expression. His leg injury hadn’t completely healed yet and still needed more time to recover, but as long as he didn’t walk too fast, he could move normally.

Seeing that their commander was fine and hadn’t continued scolding them, the soldiers quickly livened up again.

“Commander Yan was absolutely fearless that day! He slammed the gas pedal and charged forward. I swear, my heart nearly jumped out of my throat!”

These were the same soldiers who had tried to stop Yan Zeyang from driving himself into danger. They had volunteered to take the wheel and risk their lives instead. After all, like leader, like soldier—they had inherited their commander’s fearless streak.

Many of them had been personally promoted by Commander Yan, so their bond was different from the usual superior-subordinate relationship.

“Look at you! Wei Youshun, I have to say, when you rushed up back then, you yelled, ‘Commander, let me drive! I’m not afraid to die!’ But the moment he pushed you aside, you fell flat on your butt and didn’t get up for a while. Be honest, weren’t you actually scared he’d really let you drive?”

“No! That’s not true! I wasn’t scared! I was just… worried about the commander! Yeah, I was worried, not afraid! Stop making things up!” The youngest of the group, nicknamed “Shunzi,” protested with a slightly aggrieved tone.

“Hahaha…!” The soldiers burst into laughter.

One of them, still laughing, turned to Political Commissar Ye and said, “Sir, I have a funny story for you! A while back, Shunzi escorted his parents to the train station. When they got home, they wrote him a letter saying they’d met a girl on the train—a really pitiful one. So, they decided to take her in as their goddaughter and even transferred her household registration onto their family record. But get this! They wrote, ‘It’s not that we don’t want her to be your wife… it’s just that she’s too beautiful, and you’re not worthy!’”

“Hahaha…” Another burst of laughter erupted.

“You tell me, aren’t my parents biased? There’s a beautiful girl, and instead of introducing her to their son, they made her family! Are they even my real parents?” Shunzi was even more aggrieved. He desperately needed a wife!

“They even said they’d find a match for her and asked Shunzi if there was a better man in the unit to introduce her to. The key point—they insisted he had to be better than Shunzi! Commissar, isn’t that hilarious?”

The soldiers laughed again. “Hahahaha…”

Even Political Commissar Ye chuckled. “Shunzi’s a fine young man. I think he’s a good match. Next time, I’ll have a word with your parents. How could they say you’re not worthy of the girl? They should have more confidence in their own son.”

“Hahahahaha!”

“It’s too late, Commissar. The girl’s already on his family’s household register. The letter even said she took their surname—her name is Wei Xin. Isn’t that funny?”

“Wei… Xin?”

The group of soldiers were still laughing, but their regiment commander, who had been fastening the buttons on his military coat with a cold, expressionless face, suddenly froze. Just as he was about to put on his cap, his entire body went rigid at the sound of that name.