Wei Ling sighed, looking at Lin Shu’s photo, and said, “She’s such a thoughtful and insightful woman. What a pity.”

Wei Lan asked, “Why is it a pity that she’s a military wife?”

Wei Ling replied, “Her husband… was killed in action.”

“Ah?” Wei Lan’s mouth dropped open in surprise, not knowing what to say.

He remembered how Lin Shu’s eyes had dimmed when she mentioned having two children, realizing that their father would never return.

He felt a pang of sadness again.

But there was a flicker of hope that made him feel uneasy.

Military wives are still human, and after the mourning period, maybe they can… remarry?

Ah, it felt wrong to think that way. But he couldn’t help his feelings of infatuation.

To him, Lin Shu seemed like a figure from his ideal dreams, someone who would captivate him at first sight.

Especially since she had bravely saved his nephew. If something had happened to the boy, he would have felt he owed his life.

Wei Ling watched him stand there like a fool, first closing his eyes and pursing his lips, then smiling, looking quite strange.

She gave him a punch and asked, “Are you crazy?”

Wei Lan explained how Lin Shu had saved his nephew, saying, “I really owe her. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know how to explain to my brother and sister-in-law and our parents.”

Wei Ling responded, “Don’t scare yourself. The hospital is nearby; without Lin Shu, your nephew wouldn’t have died, just suffered a bit.”

However, Wei Ling thought it was indeed fate that Lin Shu saved her nephew, and she felt even more fond of her.

She planned to give Lin Shu some magazines and books as a thank you.

The next morning, she received a call from work about an urgent interview.

She asked Wei Lan to deliver the books and photos to Lin Shu for her.

“Go deliver them early. If you’re late, they might have gone back to the countryside.”

Wei Lan, containing his excitement, agreed, “Sure.”

He had spent the whole night berating himself, feeling it was wrong to have said what he did when Lin Shu was mourning her husband.

He wondered if she thought he was foolish or if she disliked him.

He promised himself not to think about her, but as soon as he received Wei Ling’s request, he quickly changed his clothes and set off.

Today, as soon as the laboratory doctor started work, Lin Shu went to ask if the blood test results for the elderly women were out.

Upon receiving the test results, she saw that Lin Mother’s anemia was quite severe.

Although Fang Dihua’s results weren’t at the anemia level, they were still low, likely due to the daily intake of egg soup for nutrition.

Lin Shu then went to consult with the outpatient doctor to get some iron supplements, vitamins, and calcium tablets.

Everyone in the family was lacking in nutrients.

Both the children and adults suffered from leg cramps, primarily due to deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D. Supplementing these would make a significant difference.

Unfortunately, there was no concept of trace element supplements at the time, and the hospital lacked the specific medications Lin Shu needed.

The doctor provided two types of supplements with similar effects, each in a bottle of a hundred tablets.

The shortage of medications was severe, with the capital and major provincial cities faring better, while smaller cities and counties faced significant shortages.

The doctor, understanding Lin Shu’s intention to nourish the elderly, suggested, “I’ll give you two diagnoses for malnutrition. Take them to the market and buy two pounds of pork liver. You should also be able to get two bottles of malt extract.”

Milk powder was still out of reach.

The city had no milk powder factory, and imported supplies were quickly allocated to high-ranking officials, leaving ordinary people with little chance of obtaining any.

“Thank you, Doctor,” Lin Shu said gratefully.

She told the elderly women to stay in the hospital with the baby, follow the doctor’s instructions, get their injections, take their medicine, and walk around if needed.

She then took the doctor’s diagnosis to a nearby market.

After buying the pork liver, she went to the hospital cafeteria to spend a little money to have it cooked by the chef.

As she exited the hospital, she ran into Wei Lan, who was carrying a bag of books.

He was dressed in a polyester shirt, his hair neatly styled, freshly shaved, and looking quite handsome.

“Hello, Comrade Lin Shu. I’m here to deliver the books.”

Lin Shu immediately understood, “You must be Wei Ling’s…”

“I’m her younger brother!”

Lin Shu extended her hand, “Hello, Wei Lan.”

The young deputy section chief had a bright future ahead.

Wei Lan, feeling nervous and his hand slightly trembling, quickly shook hers. “Sorry, I’m not a section chief; I’m a deputy…”

He had been dazed the other day, and mistakenly inflated his status.

Lin Shu smiled and didn’t take offense.

He wanted to help Lin Shu carry her bag and chat a bit more.

Lin Shu, holding the diagnosis, indicated she was in a hurry to leave and asked him to deliver it upstairs to Fang Dihua.

Wei Lan, noticing the anemia diagnosis, said: “Let me help”

Lin Shu was surprised and said, “Really? It won’t affect your work?”

Wei Lan shook his head vigorously, “No trouble at all. It won’t affect me.”

He planned to use the milk powder quota from his parents, which was no problem for him.

His job allowed for flexible hours, so he didn’t need to go to the office every day.

Lin Shu was pleased to hear this.

She initially thought Wei Lan might be exploiting his position for personal gain, but since he was the brother of Wei Ling, who was known for her integrity as a journalist, her impression of him improved.

She told Fang Dihua and Lin Mother that Wei Lan’s brother could help buy milk powder and went with him to check it out.

Lin Mother immediately handed her some money, and Lin Shu accepted it, figuring her own money might not be enough.

Lin Shu went downstairs with Wei Lan to buy the milk powder.

In Rongcheng, there was a department store with two floors and a couple of supply and marketing cooperatives.

The department store offered some high-end items not available at the cooperatives, like expensive candies, cigarettes, alcohol, leather shoes, coats, and milk powder.

However, some of the high-end items, like chocolate, Chinese cigarettes, and Maotai liquor, were often out of stock.

The department store was a couple of stops away, and they walked there instead of taking a bus.

At the entrance, Lin Shu didn’t go inside but handed her backpack to Wei Lan, volunteering to keep watch.

After a while, Wei Lan came out with the backpack, which contained two large bags of milk powder!

Lin Shu was thrilled.

She had learned at the hospital that high-grade milk powder cost three yuan for a small bag and seven yuan for a large bag.

The large bags were clearly the better choice!

On the way back, she whispered, “Wei Lan, the large bags are seven yuan each. How much are you selling them for? Is ten yuan enough?”

Wei Lan wanted to say that she didn’t need to pay, but fearing she might suspect him of having ulterior motives, he quickly replied, “Seven yuan each. No need to pay extra.”

Lin Shu was a bit puzzled.

If he was selling the milk powder at cost price, wouldn’t he be losing money? Maybe he could be getting it directly from the factory?

Her heart skipped a beat, and she was excited about the possibility of getting factory-direct goods.

Of course, it’s cheap.

Buying at five yuan and selling at seven, making two yuan per bag.

The more you sell, the more you earn!

Although she didn’t plan to get involved directly, she wanted to buy some herself and possibly get a little extra by helping reliable people out.

She quietly asked, “Comrade Wei Lan, do you get access to milk powder every month?”

Wei Lan felt a bit flustered being addressed as “Comrade Wei Lan” so frequently, his whole body feeling a bit soft and light, “Yes, I do.”

Lin Shu wanted to discuss this further with him.

Just then, they passed by a state-run restaurant.

Lin Shu thought it would be a good opportunity to invite him for a meal and talk about the milk powder purchase.

Her interest was evident as she smiled brightly and said softly, “Comrade Wei Lan, let me treat you to a meal.”

Wei Lan, feeling disoriented, said, “No, I’ll treat you. I’ll take you to have some great braised noodles.”

His heart was pounding uncontrollably.

Lin Shu’s increasing warmth toward him compared to the polite but distant demeanor she had shown when they first met made him feel elated.

Even though he had scolded himself last night, all his doubts were forgotten now.

Her smile was so beautiful and sweet—could it be that she liked him too?

As long as she liked him, he would brave any danger for her!

With newfound courage, he felt a surge of excitement, imagining the future with her.

They went to the state-run restaurant. It wasn’t mealtime yet, so there weren’t many people there.

The waiter was sitting, munching on melon seeds, eyes half-closed, not even looking up, “We’re not serving food yet, please come back later.”

Wei Lan said, “We’re here! I’d like a serving of braised noodles and one more…” He turned to Lin Shu, “The braised noodles here are great, but there are also other options like shredded pork noodles and egg noodles. What would you like?”

Lin Shu replied, “Comrade Wei Lan, your sister treated me and my sister-in-law to a meal yesterday. Today, let me treat you. If you want the braised noodles, I’ll have the same.”

Wei Lan smiled, feeling an indescribable sweetness in his heart.

She wants to have the same as him—does this mean…

He then tapped the waiter’s table, taking the plate of melon seeds, “Two servings of braised noodles.”

The waiter, recognizing him, complimented him with a smile, “Comrade Wei, we have two roasted chickens today. Would you like one?”

Wei Lan was naturally interested.

Chicken would allow him to spend more time with Lin Shu.

He asked, “Shall we get a chicken?”

Lin Shu nodded, “Sure.”

When you can get something to eat, you should definitely get it.

It would be best to wait for the roast chicken to arrive, then take the two chicken legs, wrap them up, and bring them back for the elderly and children to eat.

Wei Lan would surely understand.

Wei Lan’s heart nearly soared with joy! He was so ecstatic!

He would agree to anything she said; she must like him!

The waiter shouted towards the kitchen, “Chef Chen, two orders of braised noodles, and one roast chicken.”

…

Lu Shaotang and Chen Yanming, along with a few team members, hurried through the streets towards the state-owned restaurant.

Lu Shaotang asked, “Is it accurate?”

Chen Yanming replied, “Accurate. Chen Chaofa, a fifth-level chef at State-Owned Restaurant No. 2, is extremely skilled with a knife and has a radio station.”

The key to having a radio station is that they are specifically responsible for digging up radio stations.

Lu Shaotang observed the location of the state-owned restaurant from a distance, noting its surroundings and the potential passersby.

Chen Chaofa’s knife skills were formidable, more challenging than those they had dealt with before.

To avoid harming innocents, they needed to be absolutely certain before taking action.

It was like the situation two days ago—Lu Shaotang fired his gun because the person’s technique was mediocre; he was confident he could neutralize the threat before the person harmed the hostage.

If it had been Chen Chaofa, it wouldn’t have worked—the bullet wouldn’t have reached the hostage in time, resulting in certain death.

So their current work wasn’t about capturing, but rather investigating, understanding, and monitoring, waiting for the right moment to act, whether that be in a few days or when Chen Chaofa left alone after work.

Lu Shaotang’s habit was to make the most thorough preparations and act with precision, avoiding any mistakes.

Chen Yanming said, “Shall we go eat as well?”

Lu Shaotang nodded slightly.

Chen Yanming smiled and said, “The investigation shows that Chen Chaofa’s knife skills are excellent, and his cooking is exceptional. His braised noodles are authentic—I’m in for a treat.”

Lu Shaotang certainly couldn’t go.

He had an air of iron and blood, his demeanor too stern and unapproachable.

It was obvious he wasn’t an ordinary person and couldn’t disguise himself well. Meeting Chen Chaofa would make it easy to be identified.

Lu Shaotang held him back, “You can’t go either.”

He gestured to two unruly team members.

The two team members had a rough appearance, looking like street thugs if dropped off in an alley—one had a scar on his forehead and a rough face, while the other was missing part of an ear and had a scar on his mouth.

These were battle wounds.

As long as they put away their righteous looks and acted tough, they would perfectly fit the image of street punks.

They would match the image of people who had no work and would go to a restaurant just to eat before mealtime.

As they approached, they saw that the restaurant already had customers—a young couple sitting by the window.

The man was handsome, while the woman was strikingly beautiful.

She was smiling happily, and her sparkling eyes seemed to have an enchanting allure, as if she were a fox spirit from the mountains.

Chen Yanming clicked his tongue, “That young man is so lucky to have found such a beautiful girl for a blind date.”

He thought these two were on a blind date, not in a relationship.

Given the high cost of the state-owned restaurant, it wouldn’t be a place for dating.

A man would try to cook at his own place instead.

He noticed Lu Shaotang’s gaze was a bit off, somewhat… menacing?

Chen Yanming immediately grew cautious, “Brother Lu, do you think there’s something wrong with these two?”

Chen Chaofa must have quite a few connections if he has developed so many subordinates?