Chapter 28: The Supply and Marketing Cooperative at the Dock – A Grand Purchase!

That day.

Jiang Rou was inside the house, holding a needle and thread, mending a piece of clothing that Zhou Xiaohua had worn out.

Suddenly, a loud voice echoed from the courtyard.

“Sister Rou! Sister Rou! Come quickly! Hurry out to the dock! The Supply and Marketing Cooperative is opening!”

The one calling out was Zhao Guifen.

Zhao Guifen’s voice was both excited and clear.

Jiang Rou, who was inside the house, heard it immediately.

Moreover—it was the Supply and Marketing Cooperative!

Zhou Chongshan had mentioned before that there was indeed a Supply and Marketing Cooperative on the island.

However, due to the scarcity of goods, the cooperative did not open regularly. It only operated on specific days.

And today, as the transport ship had arrived, it was one of those rare days when the Supply and Marketing Cooperative would open its doors.

Jiang Rou immediately threw down what she was holding.

She grabbed a headscarf, picked up a basket, took her money and ration tickets, and rushed out in a hurry.

For an opportunity like this, she had to act fast!

As soon as she opened the door, Jiang Rou saw the people waiting outside.

It wasn’t just Zhao Guifen—Lin Yulan was there as well.

“Sister Guifen, Sister Yulan, hello.” Jiang Rou greeted them with a smile.

Zhao Guifen and Lin Yulan looked Jiang Rou up and down as soon as they saw her. Then, they hurriedly spoke.

“Sister Rou, your outfit is good. The sun on the island is harsh. With your delicate skin, you must be careful not to get tanned.”

The other one also asked urgently.

“Sister Rou, did you bring your ration tickets? Did you bring money? The Supply and Marketing Cooperative is only open for one day this time. You must seize the opportunity and buy as much as you can.”

Jiang Rou immediately nodded.

“I brought them, I brought everything.”

Hearing this, Zhao Guifen and Lin Yulan finally felt at ease.

Then, they hooked their arms around Jiang Rou’s and pulled her along without hesitation.

As they walked, they kept talking.

“Hurry up, walk faster. I heard that today’s transport ship brought pork! If we’re late, we won’t be able to buy any.”

“Sister Rou, this transport ship usually only comes once every ten days or half a month. You’re lucky—you just arrived a few days ago and already ran into it!”

“Regiment Commander Zhou gave you money and ration tickets, so does that mean he has already let you manage the household? Your marriage report may not be approved yet, but I think Regiment Commander Zhou has already treated you as his wife. Just a couple of days ago, he even came to my house, saying that you’re new here and unfamiliar with everything, and asked me to look after you.”

“He also came to my house and even invited my husband, Old Liang, for a drink. Regiment Commander Zhou really puts his heart into caring for our Sister Rou.”

“I think Sister Rou is so smart that she doesn’t even need our help…”

Jiang Rou was pulled along the entire way, listening to all sorts of things.

Especially the part about Zhou Chongshan.

That rough man was surprisingly so thoughtful in private.

No wonder Zhao Guifen and Lin Yulan had been taking such good care of her.

Being teased by the two sister-in-laws the whole way, Jiang Rou couldn’t help but blush.

Fortunately, the journey was short.

Before long, the three of them arrived near the dock.

On a small slope, Jiang Rou saw two small houses with five large characters painted in red oil paint on the front: “Supply and Marketing Cooperative.”

In front of the houses, a long queue had already formed.

The people in the line were all women from the military family compound.

Everyone knew each other, so they greeted one another warmly. They were especially friendly toward Zhao Guifen and Lin Yulan, with some even offering to let them cut in line.

The two of them refused and instead took Jiang Rou to the back of the queue.

As time passed, more and more people arrived.

It wasn’t just the military families—villagers from the island, educated youth from the production team… As long as they had ration tickets in their pockets, they all showed up.

Even those without money or tickets came just to watch the excitement.

Jiang Rou had never seen such a grand scene before.

Looking around, she found it quite festive.

Among the crowd, there were always some people who hadn’t met Jiang Rou yet.

The moment they saw such a bright and graceful young woman, curiosity sparked in their eyes. Some, bolder than others, asked directly.

“Sister-in-law Zhao, who is this? She’s really quite stunning.”

“Stop staring! This is Regiment Commander Zhou’s wife. No matter how stunning she is, she has nothing to do with you.”

Zhao Guifen was straightforward and protective of Jiang Rou, loudly shutting down the conversation.

The moment the crowd heard “Regiment Commander Zhou’s wife.” even more people turned to look.

This included many bystanders who had only been watching the scene unfold.

Jiang Rou found herself the focus of numerous gazes.

Yet, she remained unbothered, letting them look as they pleased.

Her fair and radiant face held a calm and gentle smile.

After all, she was going to spend her life with Zhou Chongshan.

On the island, Zhou Chongshan was a regiment commander, and once he left, he would be promoted again.

Ten years later, he would even rise to the position of a high-ranking military leader in the capital.

His career path was practically that of a protagonist with an unstoppable rise.

As the wife of such a future military powerhouse, Jiang Rou would one day have to attend all kinds of major events.

What was happening now was nothing in comparison.

The one who seemed more nervous, however, was Lin Yulan.

Due to her past illness, Lin Yulan had a gentle and reserved personality.

Looking at Jiang Rou, who stood gracefully and confidently under the crowd’s scrutiny, Lin Yulan couldn’t help but feel a little envious.

She asked softly: “Sister Rou, with so many people staring at you, don’t you feel even a little nervous?”

“Let them look if they want. It’s not like I’ll lose a piece of flesh from it. What I’m really nervous about is whether I can buy pork from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative today. There are so many people ahead of us in line.” Jiang Rou replied in a relaxed, natural tone.

At the end of her words, she even furrowed her brows in frustration.

She spoke in a playful manner, immediately making Zhao Guifen and Lin Yulan burst into laughter.  

“Hahahaha… Sister Rou, you are so funny when you talk. I like it.”  

Just like that, twenty minutes passed.  

Amidst everyone’s anticipation, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative finally opened for business!  

The crowd erupted into a lively commotion.  

Everyone waved their ration tickets in hand, pushing forward with all their might, eager to buy more and better goods as soon as possible.  

The queue started moving forward slowly.  

When Jiang Rou was about to reach the front, she stood on her tiptoes to take a look at the goods inside the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.  

There was wheat flour, corn flour, sorghum flour… and even rice.  

It was crystal-clear, glistening rice—grain by grain!  

Jiang Rou was from the south, where rice was the staple food.  

These past days, she had been eating steamed buns. While they filled her stomach, something always felt missing.  

Now, things were different. She could buy rice.  

There was also soy sauce, cooking wine, aged vinegar, and sesame oil… but unfortunately, there was no white sugar or brown sugar.  

Sugar was a scarce commodity in this era. The supply was limited, and those who queued before her had already bought it all.  

However, the pork that Jiang Rou had been longing for was still available—half a slab remained. By the time it was her turn, there would definitely still be some left.  

As for other goods…  

A woman ahead asked: “What about floral fabric? Do you have any floral fabric this time?”  

“No, there wasn’t any when we loaded the ship. You’ll have to wait until next time.”  

Hearing this, Jiang Rou couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.  

Zhou Xiaochuan and Zhou Xiaohua were wearing old clothes discarded by others. She had wanted to buy some fabric to sew them new outfits.  

What a pity.

In the blink of an eye, it was finally their turn.  

Zhao Guifen and Lin Yulan stepped aside, giving the front position to Jiang Rou.  

Jiang Rou looked up and spoke to the staff at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.  

“Comrade, I want ten jin of flour, five jin of corn flour, five jin of sorghum flour, ten jin of rice… also, a bottle of soy sauce, a bottle of sesame oil… that red thermos, I’ll take one as well. And that set of glass teacups, I’ll take those too… For the pork, I want pork belly, just three jin will do. Here are my ration tickets and money, please check them.”  

She listed everything in one breath, her words clear and orderly.  

The staff at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative was momentarily stunned, listening in a daze before finally snapping back to reality.  

“…Alright.”  

The staff took the money and ration tickets from Jiang Rou, glancing at her a few more times before starting to prepare the goods.  

The surrounding crowd was also filled with shock.  

Living on an island, everyone had the habit of stockpiling supplies. They had seen people buy in large quantities before, but never this much at once.  

And she could actually produce that many ration tickets!  

Lin Yulan, being sharp-eyed, chuckled and said: “Looks like Regiment Commander Zhou has saved up quite a bit for his wife.”  

Jiang Rou pressed her lips together and smiled charmingly.  

This scene happened to be witnessed by Xu Chunxiang, who had caught wind of the commotion and came over to watch.  

Naturally, she also heard everything Jiang Rou had just said and saw all the things she was buying.  

Her teeth clenched in resentment!  

Xu Chunxiang was convinced that Jiang Rou had no money of her own, which meant that all the money used for these purchases came from Zhou Chongshan!  

She could even afford to buy three jin of pork in one go!  

That was pork!  

In her household, they could barely eat a few liang of pork in an entire month.  

Yet this woman, who had only been here for a few days, had bought three jin in one breath.  

The money, the privilege, the one eating pork…  

It should have been her!  

It was supposed to be her!