Grandpa Lin had not expected things to develop this way. “This child always liked to eat, but I never thought it would lead to her having a job.”

He couldn’t help but laugh, but also had to admit that after getting married, his granddaughter had grown up and become more sensible.

After a few more words, Grandpa Lin ended the call.

Even though they could afford the phone bills, there were other people waiting to use the phone, and Lu Cheng was a military officer, so he probably had other matters to attend to.

Grandpa Lin didn’t want to hold up the line.

When Grandpa and Grandma Lin left the post office, they both let out a sigh of relief.

It was true that Qingqing had become a female soldier, and according to Lu Cheng, she had already reported for duty, though the process was still ongoing.

“I never thought we’d have someone in the family joining the army.” Grandma Lin tugged at Grandpa Lin. “Do you think we’re now a military family?”

Grandpa Lin hadn’t thought of that. “You’re quick to think of things.”

Grandma Lin replied, “Well, someone has to be quick.”

By the time they returned to the village, it was noon, just as everyone was finishing their work.

The villagers saw Grandpa and Grandma Lin and couldn’t help but ask, “Doctor Lin, is it true that Qingqing really became a female soldier?”

“Doctor Lin, how did Qingqing become a soldier? Is the military still recruiting female soldiers?”

“Doctor Lin…”

“Everyone, this matter is not yet confirmed,” Grandpa Lin said. “It’s still under investigation. Once the results come back and Qingqing writes to us, I’ll let everyone know.”

Grandma Lin watched him speak so seriously and couldn’t help but laugh inside.

Clearly, her son-in-law had already told them that the matter had been decided and the political background review was fine.

Yet, Grandpa Lin was still telling everyone this story.

But it was probably for the best.

Since Qingqing had only reported in but the process was still ongoing, it was better to wait for everything to be finalized before talking about it.

Even with their own family, they kept it low-key to avoid letting something slip.

At the military base

By noon, Lin Qingqing had already learned about the call from her grandparents.

She felt moved and more determined to do well in her work.

After her emotions settled, Lin Qingqing worked even harder.

Lin Qingqing had to handle not only her investigation and writing the plan, but also her job duties.

This month, she wasn’t responsible for the food arrangements in the cafeteria, but starting next month, she would be in charge.

However, she needed to plan the meals for next month ahead of time.

Since she didn’t know the price of each dish, she decided to plan a monthly menu for each mess hall.

As someone who had been a food broadcaster, she had a good sense of the portion sizes for each dish.

Even though there were 45 mess halls, it wasn’t much different from planning for just one, as each mess hall had the same menu.

So, she planned the menu for just one mess hall for the month.

Afterward, she calculated the quantities of each dish needed for the month, added a little extra, and then handed it over to Wang Lele. Wang Lele was responsible for calculating the costs.

If the costs exceeded the budget allocated by the finance department, Wang Lele would return the menu for revision.

If the costs were within budget or there was a surplus, Lin Qingqing could add more food, such as the green bean soup and soy milk that other teams wanted.

For Wang Lele, this job was much easier than before.

Previously, each mess hall would submit their monthly menu, and since each one handled their own purchases, the dishes were all different.

Wang Lele would then have to calculate the costs for each mess hall, which meant she had to tally the expenses for all 45 mess halls.

But now, she only needed to do it for one.

If Lin Qingqing were to speak, she would say that Wang Lele isn’t smart enough.

As the person in charge of the canteen in the logistics department, she could easily arrange the food supply for the cooking team, making her work more efficient.

After all, she had worked with Qi Shao and the others before and knew how much they struggled with monthly procurement.

If someone could take care of the supplies for them, they would be more than happy.

This is probably why, historically, male comrades have never liked to deal with kitchen matters.

“Here, this is the menu for the cooking team for September, and below is the total amount of each item,” Lin Qingqing handed Wang Lele the list.

Wang Lele took it and looked at it. “Is this just one copy? Only the cooking team’s supplies?”

Lin Qingqing pointed to the last page. “One copy, multiplied by 45, because each cooking team’s menu is the same. So once the supplies are calculated, just multiply by 45.”

Wang Lele’s eyes lit up. “It can be done like this? So I only need to calculate the cost for one set of supplies, then multiply by 45 at the end. Oh my god, Lin Comrade, why didn’t you come sooner? I used to have to calculate it for all 45, and it would give me a headache!”

Lin Qingqing smiled.

Hong Jun, who was listening to their conversation, nodded in satisfaction. Lin Comrade is clever.

“Ah, there are a lot of eggs, fish, shrimp, pig intestines, and pig bones here. Why isn’t there any pork?” Wang Lele asked.

Lin Qingqing replied, “Pig intestines are cheap and can provide the same nutrients as pork. The pig bones can be used to make soup. For comrades who train regularly, bone broth is good for supplementing calcium, which is very beneficial for their health.

As for the vegetables, I’ve focused on ordering ones that are beneficial to them, like spinach. And, by saving money on pork, we can buy more eggs. One pound of eggs is far more satisfying than one pound of meat.”

“Of course, we should buy pork occasionally, but it’s not urgent; we can arrange it next time.”

Wang Lele laughed. “You know all this, just go ahead and make the arrangements. I don’t understand this stuff. This is called… specialized expertise.”

Hong Jun shook his head.

Not understanding is fine, but this comrade doesn’t seem to have the drive to learn.

Lin Qingqing said, “Well, when it comes to prices, I can’t compare to you.”

Wang Lele said, “I didn’t understand it before either, but after doing it for a while, I remembered. Prices change throughout the year. By the way, apples are in season. I’m going to buy some this week. Do you want to come?”

Because of her long-term work in this position, Wang Lele had developed connections with many suppliers and knew where to find good items.

“Yes, please. We don’t get apples often where I am. Usually, when apples arrive, they’re all snapped up by people near the supply and marketing cooperative. We rarely get a chance,” Lin Qingqing said, excited at the thought.

In this era, snacks were few, and even eating ice cream didn’t bring as much joy anymore.

“Alright, then it’s settled. I’ll come find you this weekend.” Those of them who worked in the office had weekends off.

“Okay.” Lin Qingqing thought for a moment. Should she ask Hong Jun?

Logically, she should, but since Wang Lele had brought it up, it would seem rude if she asked.

After thinking it over, Lin Qingqing wrote a note and handed it to Wang Lele: “Wang Comrade, could you check if the quantities of these dishes are correct?”

Wang Lele took the note and read it: “We were talking about buying apples in the office, and Director Hong overheard. Should we ask her about it?”

Wang Lele was no fool.

As she wrote, she said, “There’s no problem with the quantities, it’s just fine.”

The note read: “I’ve asked Director Hong before, and she said she doesn’t like apples. I asked a few times, but didn’t press it. She’s the leader, and if we ask too much, it’ll cause gossip.”

Seeing Wang Lele’s reply, Lin Qingqing decided not to bring up the topic again.

Having completed the September menu, Lin Qingqing also finalized the last part of the wasteland utilization plan.

After finishing it, she got up to find Hong Jun.

Hong Jun finished reading Lin Qingqing’s plan and was so surprised that his mouth hung open. “This is detailed enough.”

From the ownership of the barren mountains and fields to what could be grown there, and how to plant it—all of it was meticulously written out.

What was even more impressive was that Lin Qingqing didn’t just write it from her own thoughts; she had consulted the local farmers and based the plan on their advice.

When it comes to planting, farmers are the experts.

The problem with barren mountains is that if they are used for growing food, what happens to the trees?

Should they be cut down?

Lin Qingqing’s plan was to leave the trees standing but use the empty spaces between the trees for planting sweet potatoes, potatoes, and other crops.

This wouldn’t affect the crops’ growth, nor would it harm the trees of the barren mountains.

Lin Qingqing smiled but didn’t say anything.

Hong Jun said, “I’ll take another careful look at this plan and then discuss it with Comrade Qu.”

Lin Qingqing replied, “I’ll follow the leadership’s arrangements.”

In order to finish this plan, she hadn’t taken a proper rest for a whole week.

She hadn’t worked with such determination in a long time.

It reminded her of when she first started as a broadcaster and worked tirelessly.

However, because of this plan, she had neglected Lu Haici for a long time.

Lu Haici, being understanding, knew his mother was busy and never complained.

Lin Qingqing thought that now that she had some free time, she should make some snacks for him, or she would feel guilty.

Meanwhile, Lu Haici was at home.

“Lu Haici… Lu Haici…” Ji Yang shouted from next door, “Lu Haici, it’s time for lunch.”

“Got it!” Lu Haici ran out of the house in response, then rushed back inside.

He first grabbed his little backpack, then picked up a cloth bag that contained the lunchboxes for the three of them.

Now that all three of them ate in the cafeteria, Lu Haici was responsible for carrying the bowls.

After gathering everything, Lu Haici and Ji Yang walked to the cafeteria together.

However, halfway there, they parted ways.

Lu Haici was accustomed to going to the mess hall of the third company, while Ji Yang went to the large cafeteria where Xu Huijuan worked.

“Lu Haici, come get your lunch.” When Qi Shao saw Lu Haici, the little kid looked a bit lonely, but the smile on his face was bright.

“Hello, Uncle. I’m here to queue up and get food for my mom and dad.” Lu Haici lined up at the counter, standing on tiptoe to see the dishes.

Unfortunately, even on tiptoe, he couldn’t see clearly.

Qi Shao smiled, “Come inside and take a look, pick out the dishes first. When it’s your turn, I’ll serve you.”

“Okay.” Lu Haici, familiar with the routine, entered the serving area. “Wow, there’s tofu today.”

After spending a lot of time here, he had picked up some of the soldiers’ way of speaking.

“Stir-fried cabbage with tofu. Your mom arranged this. Do you want it? The recipe was taught by your mom too,” Qi Shao said.

“Yes, I want it!” As soon as Lu Haici heard that his mom had arranged it, he eagerly nodded. “I… Uncle, what’s this?” He pointed at a dish of cucumber.

“This is cold cucumber strips, also arranged by your mom. After chilling the cucumbers, they’re cut into strips, and they’re a little sour, really tasty,” Qi Shao explained.

When he heard that it was arranged by his mom, Lu Haici definitely wanted it.

Both of Lin Qingqing’s family members could now eat in the cafeteria, so each of them got two servings of the stir-fried cabbage with tofu and cucumber.