Chapter 345 Pregnant women still need to eat pickled vegetables?

Looking at her meticulous and calculating housekeeper-like demeanor, Gu Beichen felt a strange softening in his heart.

He reached out and wiped away a bit of icing from her lips.

"Whatever you say. Is there enough money?"

"That's enough." Su Yue closed the notebook. "We're a big spender now, we don't need this little bit."

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open with a loud bang.

Huo Wenxuan burst in like a rooster with its feathers ruffled, waving a telegram in his hand.

"Su Yue! She's struck it rich! She's struck it rich!"

As soon as he entered the room, he grabbed the teapot on the table and took a big gulp, water dripping down his chin.

"An urgent telegram from the provincial capital's supply and marketing cooperative! Our batch of 'pearl cream' sold out in just half a day after it hit the shelves! The ladies at the counters are going crazy; they almost overturned the cooperative manager's desk, all urging us to deliver more!"

Su Yue calmly took the telegram and glanced at it.

As expected.

In this era of scarcity, skincare products were even scarcer. As long as they were effective, there was no worry about them selling.

"Don't get excited." Su Yue slammed the telegram on the table. "It's nothing. Notify the factory to implement three shifts, so that the machines don't stop even when people are resting. Also, have Gu Beixiao go and buy as much aloe vera as possible."

Huo Wenxuan put down the teapot and rubbed his hands together: "There's something else. The director of the provincial capital's department store wants to sign an exclusive agency agreement with us, and he's asking for this price."

He held up five fingers.

"Fifty thousand?" Gu Beichen asked.

"Five hundred thousand!" Huo Wenxuan shouted, his voice cracking. "Advance payment!"

Zhang Huilan dropped the rag in her hand in shock. Five hundred thousand? That's a fortune! Enough to fill this whole house!

Su Yue shook her head.

"I won't sign."

"What?" Huo Wenxuan thought he had misheard. "That's five hundred thousand!"

“Exclusive agency is like sticking your neck out to be strangled.” Su Yue stood up and straightened her clothes. “Our products sell well, so why should we be controlled by others? Tell that director that if you want the goods, you can line up, cash on delivery, no credit.”

Huo Wenxuan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh.

"Awesome! I love your ruthlessness! Alright, I'll go reply to the telegram now and teach those bastards a lesson!"

After seeing Huo Wenxuan off, Su Yue was preparing to go to the laboratory to check on the cultivation of the new batch of bacterial strains.

Suddenly, a commotion arose outside the courtyard.

"Dr. Su! Is Dr. Su home?"

Zhao Hongmei's loud voice has a very strong penetrating power.

Su Yue pushed open the door and saw Zhao Hongmei with a big belly, carrying a bamboo basket in her hand, followed by five or six military wives.

They were all heavily pregnant, the least pregnant of them being four or five months along.

"Everyone's here?" Su Yue greeted her with a smile. "Why aren't you resting at home during the New Year? What are you doing here?"

"Happy New Year to you!" Zhao Hongmei shoved the heavy bamboo basket into Su Yue's hands. "This is a basket of red eggs that we sisters pooled together. If it weren't for your skill, how could any of us have gotten pregnant? You're a benefactor to our whole family."

The basket was full of freshly boiled red eggs, still steaming, their bright red color giving them a festive look.

The other military wives also chimed in with their thanks, their faces beaming with the joy of soon-to-be mothers.

Su Yue didn't refuse and took the basket, handing it to Zhang Huilan.

"Alright, I'll accept this gift. Come inside and sit down, don't stay out in the wind."

A group of people entered the house, and the room immediately became lively.

Su Yue took the pulses of each of them and confirmed that the fetuses were all in good condition.

When it was the last military wife huddled in the corner, Su Yue's brows furrowed the moment her fingers touched her wrist.

This woman was named Liu Guifen. She was the wife of the deputy battalion commander of the third battalion and a simple, honest rural woman.

She was seven months pregnant, but her belly looked like she was only five months along. She was so thin she was practically skin and bones, and her face was sallow and bloodless.

The pulse is as thin as a thread, indicating extreme weakness.

"What have you been eating lately?" Su Yue withdrew her hand and stared at Liu Guifen's thin face.

Liu Guifen felt a little uneasy under Su Yue's gaze and tucked her hands into her sleeves.

"It's...just like usual."

"What do you mean by 'same'?" Su Yue pressed. "What did you have for breakfast?"

"I...I drank a bowl of porridge." Liu Guifen's voice was so soft it was like a mosquito's hum.

"Just porridge?" Su Yue's voice turned cold. "What about lunch? What about dinner?"

Liu Guifen stammered and couldn't speak for a long time.

Zhao Hongmei, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore and slapped her thigh: "Hey Guifen! What are you hiding from Dr. Su! I saw it all. At lunchtime, you only got two cornbread buns at the cafeteria and didn't even get any vegetables. You ate them with the pickled vegetables you brought with you!"

"Pickled vegetables?" Su Yue stood up, the oppressive feeling making the air in the room freeze.

"You're pregnant, eating for two, and you're feeding the baby in your belly pickled vegetables?"

Liu Guifen's eyes immediately reddened, and tears streamed down her face.

“Dr. Su… I didn’t want to either. But… but a letter came from my hometown saying my father is sick and needs money for treatment. My husband has sent most of his allowance back home… I thought I should save every penny I could…”

"Saving money isn't done like this!" Su Yue was so angry she almost laughed. "You save the money you'd spend on meat, but if your child is born weak and sickly, the hospital and medication costs will be ten times what you saved! Can't you even do the math?"

Liu Guifen cried even harder, her shoulders trembling.

"Then... what can we do... I don't have any other ideas..."

The other military wives in the room also fell silent.

These days, nobody's rich.

Especially for soldiers from rural areas, the burden on their families is heavy. Most of their allowances are sent back home, and the little money left behind really means they have to live frugally.

Looking at Liu Guifen's pitiful state, Su Yue had nowhere to vent her anger.

This is not just Liu Guifen's problem.

In the military compound, there must be other pregnant women like her who mistreat themselves to save money.

Soldiers bleed and sweat on the front lines, while their wives and children at home can't even get a hot meal. What kind of situation is this?

She turned and went into the inner room, took out a can of malted milk powder and a packet of brown sugar from the cabinet, and stuffed them into Liu Guifen's arms.

"Take it home and drink it."

“This…I can’t take this…” Liu Guifen waved her hands in fright.

"Take this!" Su Yue commanded without room for argument. "This is the doctor's order. If you want your child to be born lifeless like a little mouse, then don't drink it."

Liu Guifen hugged the jar, crying and hiccuping.

After seeing off the group of military wives, Su Yue sat in a chair and remained silent for a long time.

Gu Beichen poured her a cup of hot water and placed it beside her.

What are you thinking about?

Su Yue tapped her fingers lightly on the table.

“I was thinking, could we set up a ‘compassionate kitchen’ within the military dependents’ committee?”

"A charity stove?" Gu Beichen raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.” Su Yue sat up straight, her thoughts becoming clearer. “We’ll create a special meal for pregnant women and military wives in their postpartum period. It doesn’t need to be fancy delicacies, but it has to include an egg, meat, and bone broth every day. We can use a mutual aid model for the cost: the families contribute a little, the military subsidizes a little, and the remaining amount…”