Qiao Baozhu looked at Shen Xiao holding the bowl and laughing foolishly, and felt more and more guilty.
Shen Xiao is also a young man in his twenties, at the age when he can and loves to eat. A bowl of milk powder made him so happy that he went silly, which meant that she usually treated him badly in terms of food.
Qiao Baozhu guiltily slipped into the kitchen, cooked a pound of noodles, beat four poached eggs, and put a large spoonful of meat sauce at the bottom of Shen Xiao's large bowl.
When she entered the house carrying the large bowl, Qiao Baozhu saw Shen Xiao still holding her bowl with a silly smile on his face.
The guilt in her heart became even deeper. If only she was more careful and cared more about Shen Xiao. Nor would he have to stare at the empty bowl pitifully and savor the taste.
It was all her fault. In this era, supplies were scarce and everyone had little food in their stomachs. Shen Xiao didn't like to eat because he was reluctant to spend money.
I have to make more delicious food for Shen Xiao in the future, otherwise my ears will turn red with excitement just by eating a bowl of biscuits and milk powder.
Qiao Baozhu made up her mind to make more delicious food for him in the future.
Shen Xiao didn't know what Qiao Baozhu was thinking. The empty bowl in his hand was taken away, and then a large bowl of hot soup noodles with three eggs in it appeared in front of him.
His eyes were curved with smile, these were the noodles made by his wife for him.
"I have a small appetite, so one egg is enough for me. There are noodles in the pot, so you can eat more."
Qiao Baozhu used the empty bowl that Shen Xiao had used and filled half a bowl of noodles and an egg.
After eating a bowl of noodles, Qiao Baozhu felt much better. Shen Xiao lowered his head to eat noodles on the surface, but he was actually observing Qiao Baozhu. Seeing that she felt much more relaxed after eating, I finally felt relieved.
While stirring the noodles, he talked to Qiao Baozhu about things in the Corps.
The more Qiao Baozhu listened, the gloomier she felt and the tighter her brows furrowed. The matter was more serious than she had imagined.
In fact, since the early 1970s, military corps in various places have suffered losses. Theoretically, the Great Northern Wilderness has a vast area, a sparse population, fertile soil, and a sound and complete agricultural reclamation system, so it should not suffer losses.
But in fact, the Heilongjiang Province Corps, which was highly expected, suffered heavy losses, just like other local corps. The capital invested in the construction of the Great Northern Wilderness was exhausted, and the economy of the Corps hit rock bottom.
The Corps is in financial deficit, and the people under it are living even more miserably.
"I was a battalion commander before I was transferred here, and my allowances and benefits were the same as in my original unit. But people like Jiang Sen and the second company commander Qian Ming, although they are company commanders, still get the same salary as platoon leaders."
Qiao Baozhu nodded and sighed, "I know this. People in the family compound call this 'promotion without wealth'."
Even though they all live in the staff quarters and seemingly enjoy the same resources, in reality, there is a big difference.
Jiang Sen is in a more miserable situation. Not only does he have to feed five children, but he also has to help relatives from time to time.
Qian Ming next door is much better off than him. Although he also has four children, his wife Chen Jinhua works as a ticket inspector at the bus station, which provides her with an extra income.
"Most families in the compound have one person earning money to support the whole family. They are happy to have enough food and clothing, and are reluctant to buy snacks for their children. This is why you have not been charged with speculation and profiteering."
Qiao Baozhu raised the corner of her mouth and curled her lips in disdain.
"The wages and benefits in the Corps are getting worse year by year, and the negative emotions of the people below are definitely getting stronger. The leaders know that all conflicts come from poverty, so as long as they can increase income, even if the income is not much but stable and long-term, it can play a role in calming the people."
"So, even if some people don't like my special treatment and say I'm opportunistic, no matter how they report me, the leaders will ignore it, right?"
Shen Xiao nodded and looked at Qiao Baozhu approvingly, his face full of pride and satisfaction.
"Except for a few villains with bad intentions, my comrades-in-arms always speak highly of you."
It's more than just praise, the way they look at me is full of envy and jealousy.
"Oh, what did they praise me for?"
Qiao Baozhu stared at Chen Xiao with a sly smile, asking him to say those compliments to her.
Shen Xiao saw through Qiao Baozhu's little thoughts and thought she was very cute when she acted coquettishly.
I couldn't help but reach out my hand and rub her head lovingly: "Little guy, just like a child."
Qiao Baozhu was so flustered by the sudden pat on the head that she didn't know what to do. Listening to Shen Xiao making fun of her for being like a child, she couldn't help but blushing.
She is now an 18-year-old in body but an old lady in soul.
Shen Xiao's doting made Qiao Baozhu a little flustered. She could feel that Shen Xiao liked her.
Shen Xiao's care, tolerance, and accommodation, as well as the admiring look in his eyes when he looked at her, made Qiao Baozhu understand that she was loved.
But, is she really worthy of Shen Xiao's love?
If Shen Xiao knew that she couldn't give birth to a healthy child, would he still like her?
"What’s wrong with you?"
Qiao Baozhu tried her best to hide her emotions, but Shen Xiao still caught that slight emotional fluctuation.
"Nothing, I just thought of something else."
Qiao Baozhu pretended to be relaxed and pulled the corner of her mouth. Seeing that Shen Xiao didn't believe her, she decisively raised the question she had been thinking about.
"Can you tell me what you are investigating after being transferred here from the ace unit?"
Qiao Baozhu's change of topic was too abrupt, and Shen Xiao was stunned for a few seconds before he reacted.
The atmosphere has clearly been set, so why is it bringing up the Corps again?
Shen Xiao felt somewhat frustrated. He had never pursued a woman before, but today he had witnessed how fickle a woman's temper could be.
I knew Qiao Baozhu was smart, but I didn't expect that she even guessed that he would come to the Corps for investigation. Fortunately, she had a clean background and simple experience, otherwise Shen Xiao would have suspected that she was sent by an enemy agent.
Shen Xiao suppressed his smile and looked at Qiao Baozhu with a serious expression.
"What makes you think that?"
Qiao Baozhu accepted Shen Xiao's gaze with a responsible look on her face, and replied confidently: "It's so obvious, how can I not see it?"
Shen Xiao was stunned: "Obvious?"
"Um!"
Qiao Baozhu nodded: "I don't know what the real army is like, but I know it is definitely different from the current Corps. Excuse me, the atmosphere in the family compound is not good, which shows that the internal management of the Corps is not good either."
"We are a state-owned farm. We have unified management and unified accounting. This has created the biggest advantage of state-owned farms, and our production coordination capabilities are extremely strong."
At this point, Qiao Baozhu sneered: "The impression that the officers in the army gave me is that they are of high quality, strong ability, strong cohesion and indestructible combat power. But the soldiers wandering outside, how can they have the spirit of fighting on the battlefield to defend their country."
"You are the battalion commander. They must pay attention to their spirit in front of you, but when there is no leader to supervise them, they look sloppy..."
Shen Xiao was silent, Qiao Baozhu's words made his face hot.
Compared with real troops, the Qingyanshan Corps is lax in discipline and lazy in ideology. Some officers do not think about how to increase production, but only about getting promoted and making money.
"Even you have discovered it, how could the leaders of the Corps not know about it? The chief is worried that if they let it go, the capital they saved from the early agricultural reclamation will be used up, and the Corps may not be able to survive."
The most important thing is the chaos in the management system. The Corps used the supply system of the army to manage enterprises, which led to the phenomenon of no requirements for labor, no cost accounting, and no quotas for losses.
"The management of the Corps is so chaotic that its abolition and disbanding is the general trend. Even a small educated youth like me can see it. I don't believe that the organization can't see it."
"You are already a piece of rotten meat. Why did they pull you out of the ace unit?"
"No one can save the Corps from being disbanded, so you must have a secret mission."
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