As soon as he stepped outside, Zhao Qinghuai realized why Lin Ying was so angry. It wasn't because he hadn't gotten to the point, but because she had worked so hard for so long only to find that she thought these things were useless and felt that she had been presumptuous.

Thinking of this, Zhao Qinghuai couldn't help but smile.

As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Wang Shan coming out of the house with a worried look on his face. Clearly, his communication with his family had not gone well.

That's true. These days, everyone is struggling to make ends meet, and no one has much wealth.

The initial agreement was to appease each family and try to bring back as much stuff as possible.

Wang Shan also saw Zhao Qinghuai and gave him a not-so-pleasant smile: "How's it going on your end?"

Zhao Qinghuai nodded: "My wife said it's no problem. I'll have someone come to my house to move things later."

Wang Shan gritted his teeth: "I'll go and talk to them again."

Zhao Qinghuai stopped him, saying, "Don't make things too difficult. If you can't get anything else, ask if you can get some cabbage or radishes. If you have seaweed, talk to your sister-in-law about it. That should be enough. We'll find some more cabbage and radishes from other places later and give them to each family as compensation."

Zhao Qinghuai didn't offer money because he knew these things would be impossible to buy even with money during winter. However, there might be other places that could provide them. Zhao Qinghuai had made a wide network of acquaintances from his previous missions, so he would try asking around to see if they could arrange something.

Wang Shan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, at least he could talk to his wife about it.

"Okay, I'll go ask right away."

Zhao Qinghuai carried the sack to the army base. About forty minutes later, a truck stopped in front of Lin Ying's house.

Because Lin Ying kept many of her belongings in the basement, Zhao Qinghuai brought burlap sacks with him.

It took seven or eight soldiers, along with Zhao Qinghuai, four or five trips to empty Lin Ying's warehouse.

When Lin Ying came out, she saw that everyone was looking at her awkwardly, and Zhao Qinghuai even touched his nose guiltily.

Lin Yingchao couldn't help but roll her eyes at him again: "There are still some cabbages and radishes that were distributed back then in the kitchen outside. There's no room in the cellar, so I've covered them with straw mats. You guys can take those away too."

Zhao Qinghuai was a little embarrassed: "Um, honey, if we take them all away, what will we eat in the future?"

Lin Ying said irritably, "Are we going to starve? It's just a matter of asking for money!" Then she added, "There's still some left at home. In a few days, when I go to town, I'll run into Uncle Wu and the others and ask if I can get some back from them."

Zhao Qinghuai knew that the Uncle Wu she was talking about was the village head who sold straw mats to Lin Ying. Because Lin Ying set up a shed, other families started to follow suit, and for a while, Uncle Wu's straw mats sold exceptionally well in the village.

He was also very enthusiastic towards Lin Ying.

"Hehe, that's settled then!" After saying that, he said to the soldier behind him, "What are you all standing there for? Go to that shed outside and load the cabbages and radishes onto the truck!"

The soldier immediately saluted: "Yes, sir!"

After saying that, he saluted Lin Ying again: "Thank you, sister-in-law!"

Watching the soldiers leave, Lin Ying handed the sack in her hand to Zhao Qinghuai again: "There's still this. It should last your regiment about three days. Those with mild symptoms will be fine afterward."

Lin Ying is strong, and her family's pot is big, so she can stir-fry a whole pot at once. Even so, it took Lin Ying three times to finish stir-frying all of it.

Looking at the sack in his hand, which was even heavier than last time, Zhao Qinghuai finally couldn't help but hug Lin Ying: "Wife, how can you be so good to me?"

Lin Ying quickly pushed Zhao Qinghuai away. Although they were at the back door, what if the soldiers came over later?

"Stop being so sentimental. You have to protect the border. Only when you are safe can we be safe. I understand that."

Because Lin Ying had treated many Red Army soldiers since she was a child, thanks to her grandfather's connections, even when she fell on hard times and her grandfather was sent to the countryside, she never hoped that the country would become worse.

As Zhao Qinghuai was about to leave after being moved, he suddenly turned around and said, "Wife, in the six months you've been here, you don't even sound like someone from Haishi anymore."

Lin Ying's speech was never as soft and gentle as other girls in Haishi, after all, she spent most of her time either with her grandfather on the mountain or in other places.

Grandpa spoke fluent Beijing dialect, and she had picked it up with a Beijing accent. Now that she's here, she speaks a more rugged version, like Li Yue'e.

......

The fact that Commander Zhao brought half a truckload of supplies from home completely shocked the entire unit.

The officers from other regiments also gathered around curiously to watch them unload the goods.

Each regiment has its own canteen, because there are too many people; it's unrealistic for thousands of good people to eat together from a communal pot.

At this moment, they were all gathered at the entrance of the Third Regiment's canteen, watching everyone carry things inside.

"You guys better watch out, don't break those jars, I still need to return them to my wife."

The men carrying the goods shouted in unison, "Yes, Commander!"

You could tell from their voices that they were very excited.

Regiment Commander Feng Jianguo walked up to Zhao Qinghuai and said, "Goodness, how much stuff did your wife get her hands on?"

Zhao Qinghuai knew his wife had been teased by a group of women quite a bit, so seeing this man approaching, he naturally wanted to vent his anger for his wife.

"They're all cheap things I picked up from the mountains. My wife doesn't like chatting with people all day long, so she goes up the mountain to collect food whenever she has time."

This was her first year here, and she didn't know the army would issue cabbages and radishes. She bought some herself, but now that she knows the army is having difficulties, she brought everything except some leftovers and a bowl of pickled vegetables from home.

These words silenced Feng Jianguo. The last time the whistleblower letter was mentioned, their group was the one that made the most noise. Logically speaking, he and Zhang Shanlin were at the same level, but he was scolded by Zhang Shanlin. Although it was in private, it was still quite embarrassing.

Now, the contrast is clear: his wife is skilled at building houses and managing the household. She's also incredibly capable in crucial moments. Putting everything else aside, this alone has earned Zhao Qinghuai's wife the respect of everyone in the army.

They used to laugh at him for risking his future by marrying such a woman. Now it seems that a virtuous wife has nothing to do with social class! Indeed, it's always better to marry someone educated.

That evening, in addition to mixed flour steamed buns, the Third Regiment's canteen had an extra dish of cabbage and kelp stew. Half of the people also received half a boiled carrot each. However, everyone had to use their own drinking water cup to queue up at the front to get a brown water.

Furthermore, it is required that the steam from this cup of water be used to irritate the eyes.

Because it was an order from the regimental commander, everyone had to obey.

Zhao Qinghuai didn't return that night because too many people in the troupe had night blindness, and he had to go on guard duty. The next day, he led his team up the mountain again, carrying down several wild boars and more than a dozen wolves.

That day, the entire unit ate meat. The meat wasn't anything special; it was game that had to be distributed to the other two regiments after the hunt. However, Zhao Qinghuai kept the liver and other parts for himself. The meat could be shared, but the liver couldn't.