Chapter 88 Stealing Beef

Leilei and Yaoyao tugged at her clothes, their eyes constantly glancing at the snack counter.

The glass jar contained candied fruit, and the roasted fruit wrapped in oil paper still emitted a faint wheat aroma.

"Comrade, give me two ounces of candied fruit and two packs of peach shortbread."

Lu Mingyue handed over the money and the ticket.

The sales clerk quickly weighed the items and handed her the peach shortbread and candied fruit.

Lu Mingyue gave the two children a piece of food, saying, "Here, have something to eat to tide you over."

Leilei stood on tiptoe to hold the cloth bag in his hands, and took out a piece of peach shortbread and put it to her mouth: "Mom, eat first, this one is the crispiest!"

Not to be outdone, Yao Yao broke off half a piece of candied fruit from her brother's hand, raised her little arm and shouted, "Mommy, eat mine, it's sweet!"

The military wives around them laughed, and Zhu Xiaofang nudged Lu Mingyue's arm.

"You've raised your two kids so well, you're so thoughtful."

Lu Mingyue smiled and took a bite of the peach shortbread. The sweet aroma mingled with the children's chatter, filling her heart with warmth.

After buying the kids' favorite snacks, the group moved on to the fabric section.

Lu Mingyue picked out a piece of fine cotton cloth to make autumn clothes for the children, and also chose a piece of dark blue coarse cloth to mend Huo Zheng's worn-out old military uniform.

Just as I was calculating the dimensions, I heard the butcher shouting from the street corner: "Fresh beef! Freshly processed from a cow that was hit by a car, no ticket needed, 85 cents a pound!"

These words made the military wives' eyes light up.

These days, beef is precious and usually you need special ration coupons to buy it. But this cow that was killed without a coupon is two cents cheaper than pork, so it's a rare opportunity.

Lu Mingyue hurriedly carried the fabric to the street corner. The beef on the cutting board was still fresh and moist, with distinct marbling.

"Comrade, weigh me ten jin!" As soon as she finished speaking, the stall owner deftly wielded his knife to cut the meat, and the weight on the iron scale made the scale beam tilt up.

"Exactly ten pounds, eight yuan and fifty-five cents."

Lu Mingyue handed over the money and took the thickly wrapped beef.

Leilei looked at the beef and asked, "Mom, are we going to make dumplings?"

Whenever there was meat at home, Mom would always make dumplings, so he thought it would be dumplings this time too.

Because he was craving dumplings, Lu Mingyue readily agreed, "Okay, I'll make the filling when we get back."

Lu Mingyue rubbed her son's head, then turned around and saw Xia Xiaofang from the same courtyard also squeezed to the meat stall, staring at the large piece of beef in her hand with a wide, speechless expression.

"Mingyue, you bought way too much. How can the whole family eat it all?"

Lu Mingyue smiled and waved the beef in her hand: "You don't understand, there are many ways to cook it."

She explained what she wanted to do.

First, cut it in half and dry it to make beef jerky, which the children can eat as a snack.

Keep another piece, chop it into a sauce, and it tastes delicious with steamed buns.

Tonight, let's make some beef dumplings to satisfy our cravings. Tomorrow, we'll use the rest to make beef and vermicelli soup, which will be perfect for Huo Zheng when he gets back from his night shift.

Upon hearing this, the military wives nearby all nodded in agreement: "You really know how to manage a household! You can cook this beef in different ways and it will last for almost half a month."

The military wives around him were all astonished when he said this.

"Can it be dried into jerky and eaten as a snack?"

"Beef sauce with cornbread would definitely be delicious!"

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions and crowded around the meat stall.

"Comrade, weigh out two jin for me!"

"I'll have a pound too!"

The stall owner, who was initially worried about not being able to sell all the beef, was soon surrounded by a crowd, and the beef on the cutting board was quickly gone.

After collecting the last payment, the stall owner looked at the empty counter and couldn't stop smiling.

He turned his head and caught sight of Lu Mingyue carrying beef. He quickly scooped out two large bones with marrow still attached from the bucket next to him and handed them over.

"Comrade, thanks to your idea, the meat sold so quickly! Take these two big bones, go back and make soup for your child to nourish him!"

Lu Mingyue was stunned for a moment, then quickly thanked her and took the bone.

The group carried beef and bones toward the purchasing vehicle. The military wives were still surrounding Lu Mingyue, asking her about the details of drying beef jerky. The journey was lively and filled with the joy of a harvest.

When Luo Shuixian came out of the health center, she was clutching the examination report that read "Three months pregnant, fetal heartbeat normal" in her hand, and she couldn't suppress the smile on her face.

She didn't rush to get into the shopping vehicle; instead, she stood under the shade of a tree next to it and waited, subtly sticking out her belly.

She would straighten her clothes every now and then, hoping that everyone would notice her difference when they returned.

Before long, Lu Mingyue and her group came over carrying beef and cloth.

The military wives surrounded Lu Mingyue, asking her questions one after another:

"Mingyue, should we blanch the beef first before drying it?"

Do you put chili peppers in the beef sauce?

Even Xia Xiaofang chimed in, "My husband also loves to eat meat, I'd like to learn your method too."

No one noticed Luo Shuixian standing to the side, and no one asked her about going to the health center.

The smile on her face froze instantly, and the little bit of anticipation she felt for receiving congratulations sank to the bottom.

Seeing Lu Mingyue surrounded by people and patiently answering their questions, Luo Shuixian's anger flared up.

She deliberately stepped forward and interrupted, raising her voice: "Lu Mingyue, you know so many ways to cook beef, you must have been hoping to buy this cheap beef for a long time, right? Unlike me, I'm pregnant now, I have to be careful about what I eat, how could I dare to hoard so much like you?"

As soon as he said that, the surrounding noise instantly quieted down.

Lu Mingyue stopped talking, turned to look at her, her eyes calm: "Beef doesn't require coupons and it's fresh, so buy more to eat in rotation. It has nothing to do with whether you're looking forward to it or not. You just came back from the health center? How were the test results?"

She didn't respond to Luo Shuixian's words, but instead inquired about the examination.

Luo Shuixian didn't appreciate it at all, and snorted coldly: "It's good to have a check-up, unlike some people who only think about how to buy things and don't understand how precious pregnancy is."

As she spoke, she deliberately covered her lower abdomen with her hand, her eyes full of provocation.

As soon as Luo Shuixian said this, the military wives surrounding Lu Mingyue fell silent instantly, their eyes all falling on her hands protecting her lower abdomen, filled with surprise.

"Narcissus, you're... pregnant?" Zhu Xiaofang was the first to react, her tone filled with disbelief.

You should know that Luo Shuixian had been married for five years, and her mother-in-law had urged her to have a child several times, and she had tried a lot of folk remedies.

This was no secret in the family compound, so the sudden announcement of her pregnancy came as a surprise to everyone.

"That's right, I just had a check-up at the health center, it's been three months already."

Luo Shuixian immediately straightened her back, raised her chin slightly, and waited for everyone to gather around to offer their congratulations.

Sure enough, the military wives all crowded around.

"This is wonderful news! We've been waiting for this for so long!"

"Three months is just right for you to be stable. You'll need to rest well after that."

Hearing the congratulatory voices around her, Luo Shuixian finally felt some relief from her frustration.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Lu Mingyue talking to Lei Lei with her head down, while she was examining the piece of beef she had just bought, not even glancing in her direction.

Her anger flared up again, and she deliberately raised her voice to the military wife next to her, saying, "Being pregnant is different. You have to be careful about what you eat and wear. Unlike some people, all they think about is hoarding meat. Aren't they afraid of ruining their health?"