This was a tricky question.

If she said he had given specific instructions, then Hong Jun might leave it at that.

If not, it would mean Hong Jun could assign her duties at will.

But Lin Qingqing chose to speak the truth. “No, he didn’t mention anything. I’ll follow the leadership’s arrangements.”

Though she said this, her voice trembled slightly.

Director Hong smiled reassuringly, “Comrade Lin, don’t be nervous. Since Commissar Qu hasn’t given specific instructions, let me explain your role.

Our unit has 46 cafeterias in total, including one large cafeteria and 45 company-level cafeterias.

Since your cooking skills are excellent and you’re good at planning meals, I’ve assigned you the responsibility of overseeing the menus for all 46 cafeterias.

However, the menu planning affects the cost of meals, and the finance department only allocates a limited budget for the cafeterias.

So, the meal plans cannot exceed the budget. You’ll only need to plan the menu, while purchasing and transportation will be handled by the large cafeteria and the cooking teams.

Of course, there may be issues like some ingredients running out during the planning process, and those are things you’ll need to manage. Do you think you’re up for this task?”

Lin Qingqing responded firmly and confidently, “I can do it.”

Her voice was strong and resolute.

She had to be able to do it.

To her, this was a sacred responsibility, far more meaningful than being a broadcaster. She wouldn’t allow herself to fail, nor could she allow herself to be incapable.

“Good.” Hong Jun’s smile deepened. Compared to her polite smile earlier, this one was more genuine. “We female soldiers must have the same courage and determination to fight as the male soldiers. We cannot fall behind, so we must be able.”

“Yes, you’re right. The leadership says that women can support half of the sky, and we must not disappoint our leaders. We firmly believe in what our leaders say and will not let them down.” Lin Qingqing, being from a modern era, fully agreed with gender equality.

Furthermore, from Hong Jun’s words, she sensed the ambition in her, a determination no less than that of men. Hong Jun was a strong-willed person.

“Well said.” Hong Jun really appreciated Lin Qingqing’s words.

When she was younger and followed the army, female soldiers were allowed to form teams to fight, but because they were women, they faced many restrictions.

After the liberation, she entered the logistics department due to her merits and was in charge of the mess hall section.

However, she still longed for life on the battlefield.

The mess hall section was very monotonous, and the repetitive nature of it had almost drained Hong Jun’s vitality over the years.

Hearing Lin Qingqing speak with such passion revived her spirit.

These days, it was rare for female soldiers to have their own ideas; most of them relied on male soldiers.

In other words, there was a generation gap between them. “So, do you have any thoughts about your position? Any suggestions?”

Lin Qingqing naturally had her own ideas and suggestions.

Now that she had this opportunity, she directly brought them up. “I think we shouldn’t waste resources. Instead of waiting for supplies to fall short, why not have our mess hall self-supply?”

Seeing Lin Qingqing’s real thoughts, Hong Jun was even more delighted. “Let’s hear it.”

Lu Cheng noticed the situation and said, “You two take your time talking. I’ll step out for a moment.” It wasn’t that he had something to do, but he wanted to give them space.

Hong Jun nodded. “Xiao Wang, please see off Deputy Regiment Commander Lu.”

Lin Qingqing nodded and continued speaking to Hong Jun, “Director, look, the area around our unit has plenty of idle land and wasteland. These could be resources for us. We could plant crops and use the land. If we make use of these, it would reduce the mess hall’s costs and save a lot of money for the unit. Also, we could raise poultry on a farm at home. With these meat supplies, comrades will get better nutrition, and their health will improve. Then, they will be stronger and healthier to fight. Wouldn’t that be great?”

She continued, “What does our country need most? Food and supplies.”

“Yesterday afternoon, at the Third Company mess hall, we encountered an issue where the comrades there drank green bean soup and soy milk every day…” Lin Qingqing recounted the issue the other squad leaders raised.

“So, when our farm is established, who would still care about green bean soup and soy milk? By then, eggs and pork would be freely available. Wouldn’t that be much better?”

Hong Jun was a bit stunned.

She hadn’t expected Lin Qingqing to have such ideas.

She had underestimated the young girl.

Before Lin Qingqing expressed her thoughts, Hong Jun hadn’t considered that she might have such bold ideas.

Lin Qingqing was only 19, making her a young girl in Hong Jun’s eyes.

Her own daughter was older than Lin Qingqing, and if Hong Jun were a few years older, she could almost be Lin Qingqing’s grandmother.

Having lived half her life, Hong Jun was surprised to find someone like Lin Qingqing who shared her ambitions.

She had always felt that her ideas were different from others, even her daughter couldn’t understand her.

Now, meeting Lin Qingqing, she felt like someone could truly understand her.

“Good, it’s great that you have such thoughts. Here’s what we’ll do: Write a plan for me. If we’re going to use the surrounding land and wasteland, it won’t be that simple. We’ll need to talk to the unit and the county government, so your plan will be very important.” Hong Jun became curious about Lin Qingqing’s plan.

Lin Qingqing nodded, “Understood.”

Hong Jun stood up. “You’ll start your job today. Your seat will be across from Xiao Wang. Xiao Wang is responsible for tracking the costs of each mess hall and coordinating with the financial department. You’ll be in charge of the menu arrangements for the mess halls, so you’ll need to set up the guidelines for each mess hall’s expenses. You’ll work closely with Xiao Wang.”

Wang Lele had returned and overheard Lin Qingqing’s words.

Unlike Hong Jun, who was impressed and pleased, Wang Lele didn’t quite agree.

She thought Lin Qingqing was troublesome—why couldn’t she just work quietly and do her job?

But that wasn’t really her concern. Hearing Hong Jun’s words now, Wang Lele responded, “You can count on me, Director.”

Lin Qingqing: “Yes.”

The desk had been left unoccupied, so although Wang Lele occasionally cleaned the office, it was still quite dirty.

Lin Qingqing couldn’t stand the thought of any dirt, so she wiped down the entire desk thoroughly, from the surface to the drawers.

She didn’t stop until the cloth came out almost completely clean.

Only then did she feel satisfied.

By the time she finished cleaning, it was already time for dinner.

The team had lunch separately; for example, Director Hong Jun ate at the large cafeteria, and Wang Lele went to meet her husband, Company Commander Chen.

As for Lin Qingqing, she decided to find Lu Cheng and Lu Haitao.

She walked out of the logistics building and immediately saw Lu Cheng standing under a tree in the shade.

“Lu Cheng…” Lin Qingqing jogged over to him. “What are you doing here?”

Before Lu Cheng could speak, people coming out of the logistics office greeted him one by one.

“Deputy Commander Lu, what brings you here?”

“Deputy Commander? Has your promotion letter arrived?”

As the deputy commander of an independent regiment, many key figures in the logistics department knew Lu Cheng.

In an independent regiment, the deputy commander holds the same position as a deputy division commander.

These important figures were all aware of his promotion, so when someone addressed him as “Deputy Commander,” they immediately guessed what had happened.

“It arrived, just yesterday,” Lu Cheng replied. “This is my wife, Lin Qingqing. She’s starting today in the logistics department’s cafeteria. It’s her first day, and she didn’t know the way, so I came to find her.”

“So it’s Comrade Lin, I’ve heard so much about you. Commander Qin said your cooking is excellent.”

“Hello,” Lin Qingqing quickly greeted them.

“This is the head of the finance department,” Lu Cheng introduced.

“Comrade Lin, welcome,” said Commander Qin. “From now on, you’ll be in charge of the meals at our large cafeteria.”

“Hello, and thank you for your trust,” Lin Qingqing replied.

“Deputy Commander Lu, congratulations!”

“Deputy Commander…”

“Comrade Lin…”

By the end of lunch, Lin Qingqing had met most of the heads of the 12 departments in the logistics office.

She felt overwhelmed as she followed Lu Cheng to the cafeteria, her legs feeling weak and her heart nervous.

“You were so confident when you were discussing your ideas with Director Hong earlier. Why are you so nervous now?” Lu Cheng asked, bemused by her change in demeanor.

Lin Qingqing replied, “It’s different. Director Hong is a woman, and you were with me, so I felt more confident. I thought, if things don’t work out, I could just leave. But now I’m actually here. I won’t be working directly with these leaders, but I will have to interact with them in the future, so I’m a little nervous.”

Lu Cheng comforted her, “There’s no need to be nervous. Like you said, you won’t be working with them directly, so you should relax.”

“But I can’t relax. Today I found out just how famous you are, they all know you. If I don’t do this job well, I’ll embarrass you, and that’s not something I can allow.” Lin Qingqing shook her head, but she was still full of determination.

She had confidence in herself.

This was her job, and in her eyes, it was simpler than being a broadcaster.

“Confidence is a good thing,” Lu Cheng said, understanding her determination.

He knew she was a confident and brave young woman.

As they arrived at the cafeteria of the third company’s cooking team, they saw a little figure crouching outside.

It was none other than Lu Haici! In the midst of their busy work, they had forgotten about him.

As usual, Lu Haici had come to the cafeteria for lunch, but since his mom wasn’t there, he had to wait outside.

When he saw his parents, he ran over, looking upset. “Mom, where did you go?”

Lin Qingqing gently wiped his face, which was still sweaty. “Sorry, Haici. I changed jobs today, and I didn’t get a chance to tell you. From now on, I’ll make sure to tell you whenever I’m going somewhere.”

“Huh? So you’re not working at the cafeteria anymore?” Lu Haici, who thought of work only in terms of money, didn’t understand all the details.

“Yes, Mom will be earning more money now. I’ll be able to buy you two comic books every month,” Lin Qingqing explained.

Lu Haici had two comic books now, one that she bought in June and the other with her July salary.

He loved them and read them over and over again.