On Sunday morning, Su Yu and Secretary Song went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy groceries, planning to have a nice meal at Old Su's house.

Previously, Su Yu had been eating at Old Song's house during her holidays. Song's father felt it was only right to reciprocate and have his son visit them more often. He also wanted to bring some good food to treat his brother-in-law and sister-in-law.

To buy fresh ingredients, Secretary Song rode his bicycle with Su Yu to the outskirts of the city, found a farmhouse, and secretly bought a large rooster. Su Yu was utterly dazzled by its appearance.

"You're really something. You managed to buy this. And they even dared to sell it to you?"

Secretary Song hung the rooster on the front handlebars of the car. "Why don't they dare to sell it? It's their own stuff, what's wrong with selling it to me?"

Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "Don't I remember that farmers aren't allowed to keep poultry?"

“These weren’t raised by their family; they were raised by the commune’s breeding farm. They had borrowed money from farmers before, and after the animals survived, they paid them back as payment.”

Su Yu found the words somewhat familiar.

Secretary Song smiled and said, "Does it look familiar?"

Su Yu nodded.

Secretary Song smiled proudly, "This is something I copied from when the textile factory was building its houses. Comrade Su, I'm a quick learner, aren't I?"

"Look at how smug you are." Su Yu pinched him.

After taking the rooster, Secretary Song went to buy some vegetables from the villagers. These villagers all had their own plots of land where they grew melons and fruits, and although they didn't grow much, it was still fresher than what they got from the supply and marketing cooperative.

After the clandestine transaction was completed, the two happily headed into the city. Su Yu was still sitting in the back seat, munching on a cucumber, taking a bite herself and occasionally offering one to Secretary Song.

Secretary Song thought the cucumbers tasted exceptionally good today, even sweeter than watermelons.

As the two passed through the military area, Su Yu saw some soldiers in uniform walking out. She couldn't help but take another look.

"Comrade Dongzheng, do you know anything about what's happening in the military region?"

"I don't know much about the separation of military and political affairs. My dad, on the other hand, knows quite a lot; many of his old comrades-in-arms are involved."

Su Yu then remembered that her Uncle Song was a veteran of the Red Army. If he hadn't been injured later, he would definitely be of a very high rank now.

That's a real veteran.

Secretary Song said, "Why are you asking about military matters?"

"It's nothing. Zhi is going to join the army, so I was just asking. Besides, there's a classmate in our dorm named Li whose family is also from a military compound. I reckon his family has a pretty high status."

"Someone surnamed Li?"

Secretary Song thought for a moment. He didn't handle military affairs, but he was someone who usually paid attention to cultivating relationships, so naturally he needed to study things from multiple perspectives. Hearing that Su Yu shared the surname Li, he went through the names of people he knew, "Regimental Commander Li, Commander Li, Political Commissar Li? Or perhaps Minister Li from the Logistics Department?"

"...Aren't you saying you're not familiar with it?"

“I’m not familiar with the situation, but I know the people. When my dad first came here, he took me to visit them. You know, I have a photographic memory for everyone I meet.”

Just as he finished bragging, the rooster in front started flapping its wings and making a ruckus.

Su Yu chuckled. "Alright, stop bragging. I was just asking."

Secretary Song glared at the rooster in front of him and asked as he rode his bicycle, "Zhi Dangbing, where are you planning to send him?"

"It's up to fate. He can go wherever he's assigned if he's capable. I won't pull strings for him when it comes to joining the army."

She has her principles. She might be shrewd in other areas, but soldiers these days endure a very tough life. The border is constantly unstable, and it's thanks to these soldiers that things are so tough. If Zhi were to get in through connections, it would be a huge disservice to those who shed blood and sacrificed their lives.

However, if someone has ambition, no one should try to deprive them of their right to fairness.

Therefore, having connections is still important in the military.

Although she could get things done through Uncle Song, she was even less willing to use the Song family's network of connections because of her relationship with Comrade Dongzheng.

She wants to rely on her own abilities to forge her own path. When she's with Comrade Dongzheng in the future, she won't look down on him, but at the very least, she can't be inferior to him.

When the two returned to Old Su's house, the whole family was dazzled by what they brought back.

A big rooster.

Finally, I can drink chicken soup.

Just as Su Lin was about to roll up her sleeves and get to work, Secretary Song stopped her. "I'll do it. I'll cook today."

He had noticed long ago that Comrade Su didn't like cooking; he figured it was probably because she had cooked too much in the past and was tired of it. Therefore, he felt it necessary to show off his cooking skills in front of Comrade Su, giving her something to look forward to in their future married life.

The entire Su family stared blankly at him.

Secretary Song: "..."

Su Yu waved her hand, "What's so strange about it? These days, men and women are equal. If a man can't cook, he won't be able to get a girlfriend."

Su Dazhi said, "But sister, I don't know how to cook."

"That's probably because Liu Mei looked for it with her eyes closed."

Su Dazhi and Liu Mei: "..."

After lunch, Su Yu and Secretary Song didn't go out. They stayed inside reading books, and the door was open, so it didn't cause any disturbance.

As he looked around, Secretary Song kept staring at Su Yu.

"What are you looking at?" Su Yu asked without looking up.

Secretary Song put the book in her hand aside and said seriously, "Last week, Secretary Qiu mentioned to me that I should prepare to go down to the grassroots level for training next year."

Su Yu raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, then put her book aside. "Next year..." She silently calculated in her mind that although next year would also be a famine year, the situation would improve. Therefore, the work after Comrade Dongzheng went down should not be too difficult.

Seeing Su Yu's hesitant expression, Secretary Song felt both nervous and happy.

Your partner is reluctant to part with him.

"Next year would be a suitable time," Su Yu said earnestly.

Secretary Song: "..."

"Don't you miss me?" he asked, somewhat disappointed.

Seeing his aggrieved look, Su Yu sighed and said, "If two people are truly in love, what does it matter if they are together every day?"

Secretary Song felt a surge of warmth in his heart; he knew that Comrade Su felt the same way about him.

After dropping Su Yu off at school in the afternoon, Secretary Song watched her retreating figure and felt a little reluctant to part with her. But then he remembered the love poem Su Yu had recited to him, and he was suddenly filled with energy.

If love between two people is meant to last, why should they be together every day and night?

Just as Secretary Song left, a bus pulled up in front of the building. Li Ping got off with her head down.

Upon seeing the school gate, she was unexpectedly filled with a sense of belonging and happiness.

This place feels more like her home than her actual home.