"Yingying, why did you answer the phone so quickly..."
Upon hearing that something important had happened, Zhou Qiqi immediately went to the nurses' station and dialed the military region's telephone room.
Thinking that it would take about ten minutes for the soldier on duty to call Yingying over.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the receiver was put back in its place, the phone started ringing, and Zhu Yingying's soft voice came from the other end.
"Of course there's an urgent matter. I was afraid of interfering with your important business, so I've been staying in the phone booth."
Qin Lei just said that she had just gone out when the phone rang, and it took her more than half an hour to call back and forth.
Yingying had been waiting in the phone booth the whole time. Zhou Qiqi felt a surge of emotion and tightened her grip on the receiver. She quickly asked what was wrong.
It turned out that Zhang Guoqiang, the deputy director of the First Garment Factory, was calling Zhou Qiqi.
It was said that the approval process submitted to the Light Industry Bureau had been completed, and they agreed that Zhou Qiqi could cooperate with the First Garment Factory to handle the backlog of inventory under the guise of technical guidance.
Zhang Guoqiang has already drafted the contract and asked Zhou Qiqi to confirm it as soon as possible. After both parties sign it, the cooperation can begin.
This is indeed a big deal, but there's no rush to do it here. Seeing that it was getting late, Zhou Qiqi went to make lunch first.
Today at noon, I made braised beef shank with tomatoes. There was so much beef that we couldn't finish it all, so Zhou Qiqi also brought a bowl to Qin Su'e and her husband from the art troupe.
Qin Su'e also sliced a plate of homemade pork skin jelly for him, and served him a pot of freshly brewed plum juice.
Zhou Qiqi blanched some chrysanthemum greens and mixed some radishes, arranging a table full of green, red, and other vegetables, making it look exceptionally plentiful.
She pushed the mixed radish towards Shen Huaichuan, her fingertips tinged with the aroma of sesame paste and oil.
"These garland chrysanthemums and radishes are the first batch harvested from our backyard vegetable garden. They're so fresh and juicy, you should try them."
Qin Lei looked at the lush green vegetable leaves and gave a thumbs up.
"I saw it when I picked up my sister-in-law this morning, and she prepared the vegetables really well!"
"Right?"
Zhou Qiqi shook her head smugly.
Although the original owner of this body came from a rural area, her parents never made her do anything while they were still alive, and they spoiled her like a rich young lady.
But after her parents passed away, she became a child bride in the Xu family and was forced to do all kinds of farm work.
They are adept at everything from growing vegetables and working in the fields to cooking, except for raising chickens.
Xu's mother was afraid that she would steal eggs, so she never let her near the chicken coop, which is why she didn't have this skill.
Shen Huaichuan picked up a slice of radish, making a "crunch" sound as he bit into it. When he looked up, his eyes were gentle. "It's really fresh."
"And this, why don't you try it?"
Zhou Qiqi's eyes curved into crescents as she received the praise. She picked up a piece of stewed beef shank that was cooked until tender with her chopsticks and held it to his mouth.
The beef shank, soaked in tomato sauce, was tender yet chewy. Shen Huaichuan licked his lips, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and then picked up a piece for Zhou Qiqi and fed it to her.
"Mmm, it's delicious. You should have some too."
Qin Lei stared at the two chopsticks intertwined, and felt a soreness in his back teeth. He hurriedly got up.
"There's still plum juice here. I'll go get the glasses from the sterilizer."
Zhou Qiqi is particular about hygiene. While cooking, she noticed a special sterilizer in the military hospital canteen and asked Qin Lei to take the bowls, chopsticks, and glasses from their ward to sterilize them.
The glass hasn't been retrieved yet.
Zhou Qiqi was taken aback for a moment, then immediately pressed for an answer.
"Why are you bringing a glass? Don't we have enamel mugs here?"
Before she arrived, Qin Lei bought two enamel mugs, and on the day she arrived, he bought one for himself. That's enough for his drinking needs.
Speaking of this, Qin Lei scratched his head, his ear tips turning slightly red.
"I forgot to bring it back when I went to the water dispenser yesterday, and I lost it..."
"Yeah?"
Zhou Qiqi frowned slightly, feeling a bit strange. How could something be stolen from the hot water room of a VIP ward in a military hospital?
But seeing the young man's awkward appearance, she didn't ask any more questions, and just pointed to Chen Huaichuan's bedside table.
"If it's lost, it's lost. Let's eat first and then get it. You can use your commander's drink for now. Anyway, he doesn't like plum juice. He just said he doesn't drink it."
Qin Lei scratched his head and looked at Shen Huaichuan with a blank expression.
"Huh? Commander, you don't like plum juice? You're saying you don't want it anymore?"
He remembered that when the regimental commander and other leaders ate together, they didn't drink alcohol, but instead ordered sour plum juice, which was sweet and sour, and the regimental commander seemed to really like it.
Zhou Qiqi's tomato stewed beef smelled incredibly delicious. Shen Huaichuan was starving and was eating with great relish when he suddenly heard Qin Lei call him. He was a little confused and almost bit his tongue as he asked in bewilderment.
"I don't want to drink...?"
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Zhou Qiqi's sharp gaze shooting over, her eyes filled with reproach.
My wife was perfectly fine just now, why is she suddenly angry?
Shen Huaichuan was completely baffled, but with lightning speed, he immediately changed his tune.
"Yes, I don't like to drink it, I said I won't drink it."
Upon hearing this, Qin Lei naturally nodded in agreement, since the regimental commander had said so.
"Okay, I'll listen to my sister-in-law and go get it later."
Zhou Qiqi said that, but in reality, she didn't drink the plum juice herself. Instead, she poured some warm water into her enamel mug and placed it between herself and Shen Huaichuan so that she could drink it with him.
After taking a big gulp of water, Zhou Qiqi quickly picked up her chopsticks.
This was the first time she had ever eaten vegetables she had grown herself.
I have to say, these pollution-free, all-natural vegetables taste really good.
Unlike later generations, garland chrysanthemum is not as robust and uniform, but its leaves are so tender that you can squeeze water out of them, and it tastes naturally sweet with a slight bitterness.
Water radishes are the same; they are small in size, with a bumpy surface, but they are crisp, tender, and juicy. They make a "rustling" sound when you bite into them, making them especially refreshing.
As a foodie, as long as I'm happy eating, all my anger disappears.
After finishing her meal, she started talking to Shen Huaichuan about the First Garment Factory.
This is a big deal, and as a family member, she definitely needs to inform Shen Huaichuan.
At first, Shen Huaichuan had a furrowed brow, but when he heard that Deputy Factory Director Zhang Guoqiang was already thirty-five years old and had two children, his brow immediately relaxed.
As Zhou Qiqi spoke with great enthusiasm about her understanding of fashion design and her future plans, a smile crept onto his face as he gazed at her with rapt attention.
After Zhou Qiqi finished speaking with great interest, she naturally sat on the edge of Shen Huaichuan's bed and asked a question.
What do you think?
Zhou Qiqi hadn't been this close since the two kissed yesterday.
Shen Huaichuan's lips curled up, and after pondering for a long time, he frowned and said.
"This is your own business, and I certainly won't object. However, the contract stipulates that if sales are poor, you'll have to pay 30% of the inventory costs. Regarding this part..."
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