Huang Youqing finished smoking the tobacco in his pipe, patted his chest, and said...

"Alright, you don't need to worry about this. Chicken feed is easy to get."

If we loot these villages, it shouldn't be a problem. Our village doesn't have much else, but we still have wheat bran and some leftover grain in the warehouse.

Just ask, and we can definitely do it.

I'll go and discuss it with the captains of the other teams.

If they're put together, there shouldn't be any problems.

"Captain Huang, don't worry, I can give you an IOU. Once our chicken farm makes a profit at the end of the year, I will immediately pay off the debt."

Ouyang Zhenyu knew it could be resolved, but he didn't expect it to be resolved so smoothly.

Logically speaking, Huang Youqing's relationship with him shouldn't be that deep, but to his surprise, Huang Youqing agreed very readily this time and even promised to discuss it with the other team leaders, which saved him the trouble.

"What are you saying? Do you think I don't know who you are?"

"Don't worry, I guarantee you this. You'll send someone over to pick up the feed in a couple of days."

Huang Youqing still felt guilty about Chen Ruixue's matter, so he naturally complied with Ouyang Zhenyu's request.

His quick agreement meant he already knew through his connections.

Ouyang Zhenyu is the candidate for the future director of the military region hospital.

They met when they were both nobody, and if they wanted to get close to Ouyang Zhenyu, they had to do something. They couldn't just take advantage of each other without giving anything back.

That's why Huang Youqing patted his chest and made such a guarantee.

Ouyang Zhenyu nodded.

"Captain, then I'll leave it to you. I'll head back now and leave after dark, when no one's looking."

He's staying here today to take care of Chen Ruixue, so he needs to let the team leader know in advance.

Without Huang Youqing's cooperation, things are likely to go wrong.

"Okay, I understand. Tonight I'll use the loudspeaker to call them to come to the brigade headquarters for study."

Remember to be careful when you leave, and don't let anyone see you.

Huang Youqing bears a responsibility, so he must protect Ouyang Zhenyu.

Ouyang Zhenyu agreed and hurriedly left with his things.

Captain Huang's wife insisted on giving him half a basket of eggs and a piece of cured meat.

"These eggs are from home, and this cured meat is left over from the Chinese New Year."

Captain Huang's wife actually felt guilty, since those things could have been left in their home.

However, very little of it actually ended up in the mouths of the Chen family members; eight or nine out of ten ended up in the mouths of their own children.

It's not that I'm greedy and can't give away the stuff; if I keep it, the kids will inevitably crave it.

These days, no one is well-off.

That's when I started thinking about giving it to the children.

Ouyang Zhenyu never asked about these things from beginning to end, just from this point of view.

Captain Huang and his wife felt ashamed.

"Sister-in-law, thank you. I'll take this."

Sister-in-law, if it's convenient for you, please bring me another five jin of flour.

Take half a pound of oil.

I'll bring it to you when I come to pick up the feed in a couple of days.

Ouyang Zhenyu had just checked Chen Ruixue's belongings.

They don't even have cornmeal; they only have some sorghum rice, so they must be cooking sorghum porridge every day.

The oil, salt, and other seasonings were completely gone.

"Oh, why are you being so polite with your sister-in-law? I haven't been able to give Xiao Chen any of the things you brought back these days."

If you keep saying that, your sister-in-law will be utterly ashamed.

He hurriedly grabbed 20 jin of flour, a bottle of oil, and some salt from the kitchen.

Ouyang Zhenyu thanked him, took the things, and quietly slipped away.

Back in the dugout, they locked the door from the inside.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Ouyang Zhenyu started a fire and boiled a large bowl of water with brown sugar and ginger.

There were also five poached eggs in the brown sugar water.

They forced Chen Ruixue to eat the whole bowl of brown sugar and egg water.

Watching her complexion gradually regain its rosy hue.

He then pressed her back into the blankets and covered her up.

"Get a good night's sleep, and you'll feel better when you wake up."

Chen Ruixue was in a lot of pain, so she had no choice but to lie down in bed and fall asleep.

Ouyang Zhenyu combined the things he had taken and actually managed to make a meal of dumplings.

He had brought a piece of meat and some fresh chives with him. These chives came from the greenhouse, and he could only get them because of his relationship with Lao Xu.

I made 300 pork and scallion dumplings.

He and Chen Ruixue each ate a large bowl of the cooked food.

Chen Ruixue sat there feeling a little embarrassed. She had clearly said she wouldn't be a burden to Ouyang Zhenyu, but now she was a burden even if she didn't want to.

"After you finish eating the dumplings, you should leave quietly. Look at the time, they'll be back from work to eat soon."

They'll be back at work around 1:00 PM after they finish eating. Leave quietly around 2 or 3:00 PM.

Don't come again next time.

I thought about it, and I realized we can't continue like this. The situation outside is getting increasingly dire, and if things continue like this, it won't be good for anyone."

Chen Ruixue had already thought it through these past two days, regardless of whether it was due to what others said or her own thoughts.

In any case, given the current situation, it's not appropriate for Ouyang Zhenyu and I to have too close a relationship.

As people say, loving someone isn't just about being together; it's about considering what's best for that person.

"What nonsense are you spouting now? Have you forgotten what I told you last time?"

Ouyang Zhenyu reached out and gave her a hard flick on the forehead.

This girl seems to have forgotten how I disciplined her last time.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!