"Splash!"
Lu Fangfang took the bamboo cage for catching fish and threw it into the stream.
Mingcheng's comrades-in-arms arrived so suddenly that her family hadn't prepared anything, so she could only make do with fried small fish.
"I should have gone to the county to buy some meat."
Lu Fangfang felt a little regretful.
However, by the time she got back it was already afternoon, and the meat in the market would definitely have been sold out long ago, so it would be unlikely she could buy any.
Fortunately, she had bought some salted fish beforehand, so she could make a meat dish later.
Seeing the small fish in the river swimming towards the bamboo cage, she felt relieved and picked up her basket, heading to the field.
"It's still quite young."
The eggplants and peppers in the wasteland have just started to form and look very small.
Lu Fangfang couldn't wait any longer and started picking them.
The eggplant was perfect for stewing with salted fish, so she picked a small half-basketful. She also picked quite a few small chili peppers, cucumbers, and green beans.
The cauliflower in the field had grown quite large, and Lu Fangfang broke off two cauliflower heads.
She went to the riverbank halfway through, pulled out a bamboo cage, and caught a small bowl of fish.
She threw the cage back into the river and then went to the field to dig up small potatoes.
These small potatoes are smaller than her fist; they're perfect for frying after being cut in half.
After working for a while, Lu Fangfang carried a full basket of vegetables home.
...
Inside the house, Gao Dajiang and a few others were gathered around the little flower, looking at it curiously.
A domesticated snow leopard cub is truly a rare find; it's the only one of its kind in the entire country, not even found in the provincial capital's zoo.
Little Flower licked her fur, too busy to pay any attention to the others.
"Comrade Xiao Lu, don't bother. You're a newcomer today. We'll head back in a bit."
Seeing Lu Fangfang busy in the yard, Gao Dajiang called out to her.
"It's alright, Commander. Since everyone's here today, why don't you have a meal before you leave? It'll be a good opportunity for you and Mingcheng to get together."
After saying that, Lu Fangfang scooped a large spoonful of butter into the pot.
After the oil was hot, she poured in the peanuts she had bought in the provincial capital.
"Sizzle."
After stir-frying for a couple of seconds, a rich aroma wafted from the pan, even more tempting than meat. Lu Fangfang swallowed hard at the smell; these peanuts were incredibly fragrant.
She was busy working when Wang Shufen arrived carrying a large piece of pork.
"Here you go, girl."
"Sister Shufen, what are you doing?"
Lu Fangfang felt very embarrassed; such a large piece of pork was extremely precious.
"Alright, I heard it all from home. There must be quite a few guests here. It's their first time here, so we can't let them complain."
Wang Shufen peered closer into the room and found that there were quite a few people there, including several cadres from the regiment.
She rolled up her sleeves and joined the girl in the work.
"Sister Shufen, how much does this piece of meat weigh? Consider it a loan from your family. I'll buy it and pay you back when the meat ration coupons come through."
Lu Fangfang took a kitchen knife and chopped the pork.
She is now married to Mingcheng. Once her household registration is completed, she will be eligible for government-subsidized grain rations, receiving a monthly allowance of seven ounces of pork.
Together with Mingcheng, she weighs exactly one jin and four liang a month.
"Girl, what are you saying? What do you mean by lending? Consider it a congratulatory gift for you and Battalion Commander Zhuang."
Lu Fangfang smiled and said nothing more.
She secretly planned that once she had saved up enough meat coupons, she would buy a piece of meat and send it to Sister Shufen's family.
Next, the two got busy outside.
A few days ago, Lu Fangfang made a stove out of yellow clay, which, together with the coal stove in the house, made exactly two, making cooking much faster.
She started stewing the salted fish and eggplant, then prepared to go to the small vegetable garden outside to cut some chives.
There was a bowl of quail eggs left at home, which she planned to stir-fry with chives to make a meat dish.
Salted fish, quail, small miscellaneous fish, peanuts, and three kinds of green vegetables stir-fried with pork—that makes a total of seven main dishes.
Then we can make a cucumber salad, making a total of eight dishes, and no one will be able to find fault with that.
Lu Fangfang thought to herself that she was getting hungry, so she took the sickle and went outside.
Zhuang Mingcheng came out of the house.
He glanced at them, picked up a bowl of small potatoes, went back inside, and started peeling the potatoes.
“This little snow leopard is the army, the quail is the air force, and this duck is the navy. Look at my wife, she’s so busy, she’s practically the commander-in-chief of the three armed forces.”
Zhuang Mingcheng chatted and laughed with everyone while rubbing potatoes.
He sighed, feeling a pang of heartache.
In just over two months, his wife had built up a huge business for him, encompassing land, sea, and air. He wouldn't believe it if she hadn't exhausted herself.
In the courtyard, Wang Shufen was overjoyed to hear this and immediately shouted, "Battalion Commander Zhuang, my sister even has a donkey! She even has cavalry now!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Aiguo smiled.
Seeing Zhuang Mingcheng's puzzled expression, he quickly nodded and said, "Yes, the girl also raises a donkey. It's a wild donkey that she caught. Tell me, in our regiment, who is so skilled that they've caught a wild donkey?"
"Mingcheng, you've never seen a girl hunting before, have you?"
Zhuang Mingcheng rubbed two small potatoes in his hands and shook his head blankly.
hunt?
When did his wife learn to hunt? How much does he still not know?
Seeing this, Xiao Aiguo picked up his cup, took a sip of tea, and then began to boast.
"Xiao Lu carries a gun on his left, a knife in his right, and a slingshot at his waist. At a distance of twenty or thirty meters, he can hit exactly where he wants with his aim. He's incredibly accurate."
"By the way, your 'Lu Jun' is still with Xiao Lu."
Xiao Aiguo pointed at the little flower licking its fur, feeling quite envious.
"When it gets bigger, it will be incredible. Your little Lu will be in charge of the entire Qilian Mountains. He can fight whatever he wants."
Zhuang Mingcheng: "???"
What? You don't believe me?
Xiao Aiguo looked around and pointed to the leather hanging on the shed outside, saying:
"Look, these squirrel pelts were made by the girl. A few days ago, she even used a slingshot to shoot a rabbit, and your sister-in-law and I even got to enjoy them."
Zhuang Mingcheng immediately stood up.
He looked outside and sure enough, he saw several gray fur coats on the shed.
His lips twitched; the image of his beloved, so thin and quiet, crumbled in his mind.
"By the way, look at this air rifle. Xiao Lu has been using it to practice his marksmanship. There are over a hundred pikas that have died from her gun. Look at Xiao Hua, she's gotten so fat from raising pikas with her."
Xiao Aiguo took the air gun hanging on the wall and threw it to Zhuang Mingcheng, then bent down and touched Xiao Hua.
"Meow~"
Xiao Hua shook her head, displeased, and got up to go to the inner room.
"Brother Zhuang, I've seen your wife too. She's a great shot at shooting rabbits and mice."
"By the way, Brother Zhuang, a couple of months ago, your wife treated everyone in our compound to beef bone soup. She's such a kind person. I heard she even used beef bones to make a big pot of beef tallow. It's amazing."
The people around started talking.
Even Gao Dajiang couldn't help but nod in agreement. He had not only drunk beef bone soup, but also eaten a bowl of fried small fish from Comrade Xiao Lu.
"Xiao Zhuang, you've married a good wife, you must treat her well."
...
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