Director Zhang is a thin middle-aged man. He is working with many staff members to prepare and take inventory of goods in the material warehouse area which consists of more than a dozen warehouses connected together.
After Si Nan went in, he saw that the warehouse was so wide that it stretched as far as one could see the end. There were rows of shelves filled with all kinds of goods, and against the walls were piled bags of rice, flour, potatoes, sweet potatoes and the like. There were many incandescent lamps installed on the roof of the warehouse, and the lights were on inside. Countless staff were busy working there, and there were also many soldiers standing by with guns to watch. It was a very lively scene.
Si Nan smacked his lips and whispered to Cheng Su Ming, "It is indeed a military-controlled base. The supplies are really sufficient. Look at the food stored inside. If there is no particularly big disaster, it will be no problem to support it for three to five years."
Cheng Suming said: "As long as the order of natural disasters is inconvenient, our points can be temporarily reserved and we don't have to redeem them all to use."
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly turned his head to look at Sinan. They both saw some uneasiness in each other's eyes. Natural disasters have always occurred earlier than expected, and no one can guarantee that the order of natural disasters will change.
The store staff brought them both to Director Zhang and said, "Director Zhang, Dr. Cheng and Mrs. Cheng are looking for you."
Director Zhang stopped what he was doing and was startled when he saw Cheng Suming and the other man. Then he stood up and walked to Sinan. He said very embarrassedly, "It's Doctor Cheng and Mrs. Cheng. Mrs. Cheng, are you feeling well? I'm really sorry for what happened last time. It was my fault. What do you want to talk to me about?"
"It's okay, it's all over." Si Nan waved his hand generously and got straight to the point: "We came to you today to ask you to help us exchange some New Year's meat and send it to our home. We were in a hurry to go out today and didn't ride a tricycle. We need a lot of New Year's goods, and it's not convenient to take them back by ourselves."
"No problem." Director Zhang said cheerfully, "If you two want to exchange anything, just tell me. I'll write you a list and have it delivered to your home when we're done."
Most people may not be able to buy the supplies they want even if they queue for a long time, let alone have the logistics department deliver the goods to their door. However, Director Zhang felt that Si Nan was robbed because of his negligence at work. If Si Nan deliberately made things difficult for him and reported him for not doing his job well, he would most likely be squeezed out of his current position.
But Si Nan did nothing and didn't blame him at all. Director Zhang was extremely grateful and thought there was nothing wrong with giving them a favor.
Si Nan was not polite and read out the names one by one: "I want to exchange for fifty kilograms of pork, ten of each of chicken, duck and rabbit. I also want to exchange for internal organs such as pig liver and large intestine, or pig heads, pig feet, pig tails, etc. I also want five fish, and some firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea, various condiments, melon seeds, peanuts, candies and other New Year goods."
Director Zhang listened to her report so many supplies in one breath. While recording, he said in embarrassment: "Mrs. Cheng, you know that although we raise poultry and livestock in Shishan, due to the cold weather, many chickens, ducks and piglets froze to death half a year ago. The poultry and pigs killed now cannot meet the supply and demand of millions of people in the base, so they are sold in fixed quantities. One person can buy a maximum of one pound of pork. Other meats, seasonings, snacks and the like are all in limited supply and are on a first-come, first-served basis."
Si Nan: "Speak to the point."
Director Zhang laughed dryly, "Although the meat supply is insufficient, since the severe cold, many people have gone out hunting to take advantage of the clumsy movements of animals in winter. In addition to keeping the prey for themselves, many of them are brought to the logistics department to exchange for points. The prey is frozen in the ice and snow in an open square in the warehouse area. It is guaranteed not to go bad. After thawing, it will be very fresh. I think you can try to exchange wild animals. The price is cheaper than livestock."
"What do you think?" Si Nan looked at Cheng Suming.
Cheng Suming said, "It's not impossible to exchange wild animals, but many wild animals carry germs. If they are not cooked, it is easy to be infected with germs, and symptoms such as fever and diarrhea will appear. How about this, Director Zhang, we want half of the meat to be wild and half to be domestic. Don't tell me about purchase restrictions. I am a doctor and have benefits. I will exchange all the benefits that the base should give me this year for what my wife wants."
The two of them left the logistics warehouse area. Cheng Suming still held Si Nan's arm and walked back home. Seeing Si Nan staring at him with a strange smile, he lowered his eyes and asked her, "Are you so happy after getting what you wanted?"
Si Nan shook his head: "I'm not happy about exchanging things, but I'm laughing at you. You just said confidently that you are a doctor and asked Director Zhang to exchange benefits for you. It feels like a primary school student playing with his parents' mobile phone before the end of the world. He saw something good on the Internet and confidently said that he was a primary school student and asked others to give it to him. It's as funny."
Cheng Suming also laughed: "If you don't use the benefits, it will be a waste. If I don't speak up, it will seem that I am too easy to talk to and easy to be manipulated."
"Yes, yes, you are the best."
Snowflakes were floating in the sky, the cold wind was howling, and the ground was white everywhere. The two of them hugged each other and walked carefully on the slippery road, creating a somewhat romantic atmosphere in winter.
After returning home, Sinan went straight to the room upstairs that had some space.
When they went out, they deliberately added a lot of firewood to the stove downstairs. The whole house was warm, but Sinan still felt cold.
She thought that she might have been too cold during those few days in Changji, and she became very afraid of cold both physically and mentally.
She urgently needed extra warmth, warming her from head to toe, so that she would feel comfortable and safe.
She climbed to the room on the second floor, turned on the air conditioner to 30 degrees, plugged in the electric blanket, took off her shoes, socks and coat, and got into the bed that was made up of two duck down quilts and a cotton quilt weighing nearly 20 kilograms, with only her head sticking out while the rest of her body was covered tightly. Only then did she not feel cold anymore.
Cheng Suming followed behind her and saw her series of actions. He felt distressed and amused at the same time: "Don't you think the quilt is too thick today and it's suffocating you?"
"It's too cold outside, it's already about -57 degrees Celsius. The thickness of the quilt is not a problem, as long as it can keep me warm." Si Nan said, and then joked between husband and wife: "Besides, no matter how thick the quilt is, can it be as heavy as you pressing on me?"
Cheng Suming's eyes darkened and his voice became low: "You think I'm too heavy? I didn't eat or drink for several days to find you some time ago. I should have lost a lot of weight. Try to see if I have become lighter."
Si Nan felt something was wrong when she heard this. She was about to resist, but the man had already pressed on her. She could only struggle helplessly: "I was just joking. Don't get excited. You are not heavy. You really are not heavy."
But she could not control the man's emotions. Her voice was suppressed in his throat. After being tortured for more than two hours, she could not bear it anymore and begged for mercy. Only then did the man let her go.
Fortunately, today is the year-end sale redemption day of the points store, and the neighbors have all lined up to redeem items or have gone to work, otherwise she and Cheng Su Ming would make indescribable noises in broad daylight, and if Cheng Wei, Sheng Youqing and others heard them, she would be so ashamed that she would die.
Cheng Suming boiled a pot of hot water and told her to take a bath, but she refused to do so. "I don't want to take a bath. It's too cold. The water will soon turn into ice. I will freeze to death!"
Cheng Suming wrapped her in a thick blanket and carried her sideways downstairs. "Don't worry, you won't feel cold when you take a shower today. Trust me."
Si Nan struggled for a while, but was soon carried into the spacious bathroom that they had renovated. There was a large iron pot with steaming hot water on it, and below it was an earthen brick stove built by Cheng Suming, burning firewood.
Simon:......
Are you going to stew yourself in an iron pot?
Cheng Suming put her into the iron pot and felt the right water temperature. In the extremely cold weather outside, the water would not get cold no matter how long she washed. Si Nan smelled really good.
She scrubbed her body while humming a song and playing with water in the steamy bathroom. She washed for nearly an hour and her skin was burned red, but she was still reluctant to get up.
Cheng Suming could no longer bear it, so he forcibly took her out of the iron pot, wiped the water off her body, wrapped her in a thick blanket, carried her into the room upstairs, and dried her hair with a hair dryer. Then he went downstairs, boiled a pot of hot water for her to take a bath, and then made lunch.
Si Nan had nothing to do, so she put on clean clothes and went downstairs to wash the dirty clothes she and Cheng Suming had taken off, but Cheng Suming stopped her: "Leave it there, I'll wash it when I have time. Don't touch cold water, it will make your frostbite worse."
Si Nan muttered, "I put it in the washing machine and don't wash it by hand, so it won't come into contact with cold water."
"That won't work either. When your hands get cold, you can't help scratching them. The more you scratch, the more uncomfortable you will feel. You have to keep them covered to feel better." Cheng Suming coaxed her kindly, "Just listen to me. Go upstairs and put on some gloves to watch TV on your phone. I'll bring you up when the meal is ready."
Si Nan went upstairs helplessly. She always felt that after Chang Ji's incident, Cheng Su Ming loved her even more and kept a closer eye on her.
A few days ago, he even told her that he didn't want to go to work in the hospital anymore, and he wanted to stay at home with her and grow fruits and vegetables in the greenhouse with her.
She really couldn't stand his clinging to her, so she persuaded him to go to work for the time being and earn more points so that he could exchange them for supplies to store in the space later.
With the position of doctor, it would be much easier for them to do other things. She also promised him that she would report to him whenever she went out and take Dahei with her at all times.
He then reluctantly agreed to let her take a break for a while, and go back to work after the New Year when she was fully recovered.
Cheng Su Ming quickly prepared the meal and brought it upstairs. Si Nan thought it would be the same as before, all very light porridge and vegetables, and he had no desire to eat at all.
But when she saw that the dishes he served included her favorite stir-fried pork with green peppers, boiled prawns, stir-fried corn with green peppers, tomato egg drop soup, and a plate of tiger skin chili peppers, she immediately opened her eyes wide with excitement: "Have you figured it out today? Improve my food."
"You were weak before, so you shouldn't eat oily and heavy-tasting food. Now that you are almost healthy, of course I have to replenish your body."
"You're still the best to me." Si Nan happily picked up the green pepper and pork shreds with chopsticks, but when he put them in his mouth, the peppers were not spicy at all, and the tiger skin chili peppers were not spicy either. He immediately frowned: "Why are they not spicy at all?"
She grows several varieties of peppers in her greenhouse, such as the common screw pepper, erjingtiao pepper, chili pepper, large green pepper, sweet pepper and so on.
We planted half of the non-spicy peppers and half of the spicy peppers to meet the needs of buyers with different tolerance levels for spiciness. Of course, we also left a lot of them in the greenhouse for our own consumption.
Cheng Suming is meticulous in his work and is constantly improving his knife skills. The green pepper shreds he cuts are really one centimeter long and 0.5 centimeters wide. The length and width of each shred are almost the same, and you can't tell what kind of pepper he is cutting.
Si Nan didn't smell the pungent smell of the chili and thought it was her illusion. It turned out that the chili Cheng Suming cooked for her was not spicy. She instantly felt her appetite dropped by half.
"You have just recovered. If you want to eat spicy food, you have to wait a few days." Cheng Suming dipped the boiled shrimp he had peeled into a sauce made of soy sauce and chili peppers and put it in her bowl: "Food without spiciness is also delicious. Try it. I guarantee it will suit your taste."
Sinan picked up the peeled shrimp and stuffed it into his mouth. The shrimp meat was originally tender and slightly sweet, and dipped in the slightly spicy sauce, it had another flavor.
Although the peppers in the shredded pork with green pepper and the tiger skin chili pepper are not spicy, they at least have the unique fragrance of peppers. The shredded pork is also fried very tender and tastes very good with rice.
The most important dish was fried corn with green peppers. It was made from the tender corn she grew herself. Cheng Suming peeled them one by one with her hands, added some green peppers and corn kernels and stir-fried them over high heat. She quickly added salt and MSG and served. The dish tasted sweet, fresh and slightly spicy with the salt and pepper, and was also very delicious with rice.
After the meal, drink a bowl of sour tomato fried egg soup, which is perfect for removing the greasiness and making the meal a complete delight.
Si Nan said that non-spicy dishes were not tasty, but she ended up eating two large bowls of rice. She ate most of the dishes on the table and kept burping while sitting at the table.
"Get up and move around to digest the food. Don't sit down to avoid indigestion." Cheng Suming cleaned up the dishes and took Si Nan to climb the stairs in the house. When it was almost time, they went to the greenhouse to weed, fertilize and water the plants. Occasionally, he would play with the Dabai couple and Dahei and the others. Time passed quickly and soon it was afternoon.
The delivery person from the logistics department brought the goods to them in a military truck when it was almost time for lunch. The delivery person said, "We are really too busy today. Our logistics staff have been busy until now and only have time to come and deliver the goods to you. Please understand."
Cheng Suming said while carrying the goods: "It's okay. We are very grateful that you can deliver it to us. Come in and have a seat and a cup of hot tea."
The delivery workers refused, saying they had to go home for dinner, so Sinan took out some fresh corns from home and gave two to each of them as a thank you gift.
"Xiaonan, you bought so much meat." Mother Sheng heard the noise, stuck her head out to look, and was surprised to see several boxes of meat piled up at the gate of their yard.
"Aunt Sheng, I plan to make more sausages, bacon, and other cured meats such as cured chicken and rabbit. You came just in time. Can you help me pickle the cured meat? I'll give you some when the time comes."
"Why are you being so polite to me? You've taken care of our family all the time, so it's only natural that I help you with some work." Mother Sheng helped them move the meat boxes to the yard. "Don't even mention giving me some. I don't want any. Youbin and I went to the points store today and exchanged for three pounds of meat, which is enough for the three of us to eat during the New Year."
Si Nan smiled: "That won't work. This year, everyone will spend the New Year at my house. I'm a wealthy woman now. If I don't treat you to a New Year's Eve dinner, you'll think I'm stingy."
Because there are a lot of preserved foods to be made this year, it would probably take Si Nan and the other two to finish them all until very late, so Sheng's mother took the time to call all of Si Nan's close relatives and friends to help.
After dinner in the evening, Sister Wang and her husband, Liu Dalin with Mao Pingzhen and her daughter, Si Yufang's family, and Cheng Wei and others came to help.
There were several braziers burning in the main room on the first floor, and the air conditioner was turned to 30 degrees, making the room warm.
Everyone gathered in the living room, some were cutting meat, some were seasoning, some were stuffing sausages, and some were salting the meat. It was quite lively.
Mao Pingzhen sighed: "I was wondering before, how come Si Nan had so much food to share with us? It turns out that she has a space. It turns out that having a new space thing makes life better than others."
"Why did you mention the space again?" Liu Dalin kicked Mao Pingzhen under the table. "Can't you shut up? Don't you think about who we rely on to have a house to live in, a job to do, food to drink, and a good life in the base? If you can't control your mouth and let others know about the existence of the space, and bring Xiaonan a fatal disaster, you will see how I will deal with you!"
Mao Pingzhen pulled her legs back, bared her teeth and whispered, "I'm not a fool. I know what to say and what not to say. There are no outsiders in the house. I just sighed a few times, but I don't mean anything else."
Sister Wang, who was standing nearby, heard Sinan say that during the Chinese New Year, she would invite everyone to her home for a New Year's Eve dinner. Sister Wang held the fried spiced coarse salt in her hand, rubbed the salt on the fresh pork and said, "Mrs. Cheng, we won't be here during the Chinese New Year. My daughter will bring her son-in-law and his family to celebrate with us, so we can't come and disturb you."
Si Nan did not force it, "Okay, when my bacon and sausages are ready, I'll send some to you so you can have a good New Year."
She had seen the character of Sister Wang and her husband. They were honest people. When they worked with her, they were diligent and conscientious. They had never stolen, been late, or been lazy.
On the contrary, she had been taking shifts with Sheng's mother and had done a good job in the greenhouse planting work, so when she was in the hospital, she didn't mind them knowing about the existence of her space.
She believes that no matter what the circumstances, there are always more good people than bad people.
Cheng Wei saw that the sausages that everyone had stuffed were very tempting in their bright red color. They were very appetizing even before they were dried and smoked. She swallowed her saliva and whispered to Yang Wentao, "Wentao, how about we also stuff the two kilograms of meat we exchanged today into sausages?"
"Sure." Yang Wentao said as he cut the thin slices of meat that were 30% fat and 70% lean for sausage: "If you like sausage, I'll take two days off and go hunting with the hunting team. I'll hunt wild boars, deer, pheasants, rabbits, etc., and come back to cook for you."
"Is it dangerous to go hunting?" Cheng Wei looked worried. "It's so cold outside. People will be frozen if they stay outside for a long time. Many wild animals have been frozen to death. It's not easy to find surviving wild animals now. I heard that there are still many large beasts such as wolves, tigers and leopards wandering outside the base, eating those hunters. You'd better not go. I just said it casually. My sister-in-law will definitely give me some when she finishes smoking bacon and sausages."
"Don't worry, we will form a group and follow the military hunting team, nothing will go wrong."
Sheng Youqing heard their conversation nearby and quickly said, "Captain Yang, take me with you too. I haven't taken my leave this month yet. I'll take two days off tomorrow and go hunting with you."
"Okay," Yang Wentao nodded, "When the time comes, prepare your equipment and weapons adequately, just in case."
"Brother Yang, I'm going too." Si Yufang's second son Zheng Jian also signed up: "I also want to hunt some prey, not to mention eating it myself, but also to exchange it for some points."
"Xiao Jian, you'd better not go." Si Yufang, who had finally recovered from the grief of losing her eldest son, immediately objected: "Your father hasn't fully recovered yet, and he has trouble walking. There are three little ones at home. Your sister-in-law and your wife have both caught a cold recently and can't muster the energy to work. You are the only pillar of our family. If something happens to you when you go out, how will we live?"
"You also know that I am the pillar of the family. Xiaoyu and I are the only ones who earn a salary to support the whole family. If I don't go out to earn more, how can I support you!" Zheng Jian still resented that Si Yufang was responsible for his eldest brother's death. He spoke in a sarcastic and aggressive tone.
Si Yufang's eyes suddenly turned red. She held the sausages in her hands, which she was about to tie into pieces with thin thread, and didn't know what to say.
Si Nan couldn't bear it and said to Zheng Jian, "Second cousin, why are you so aggressive? Aunt said those things to you out of concern. If you are short of supplies, I will bring you some rice and flour tomorrow. We are all family. If you encounter difficulties, please tell me and I will help you in any way I can."
Ever since the Zheng family father and son got into trouble, she would send some food and daily necessities to the Zheng family every now and then. At the beginning, it was fine, and the Zheng family's eldest sister-in-law would accept it.
Later one day, when she was delivering rice and flour, Zheng Jian saw her. He went crazy for some reason and threw away all the rice and flour she had sent, and told her not to go to the Zheng family again.
To be honest, Sinan was a little surprised to see him coming to help today.
"Who needs your help!" Zheng Jian's face suddenly turned black. "If it weren't for your father, would my eldest brother have died?! Stop pretending to sympathize with us. We don't need your pity!"
The lively atmosphere suddenly cooled down. Zheng Jian's wife Ruan Xiaoyu saw that something was wrong and hurriedly pulled him back and said, "Didn't we agree not to mention that person? Xiaonan had nothing to do with Big Brother's death. Don't blame the next generation for the mistakes made by adults. If you want to go hunting, go ahead. I won't stop you. Just be careful."
Zheng Jian snorted, took off the scarf he was wearing and threw it on the ground, then left without washing his hands.
"Xiaonan, your second cousin is like that. He has a bad temper and is very straightforward, but he actually has a good heart. He will be fine after he gets angry. Don't take it to heart. We can't thank you enough." Ruan Xiaoyu apologized to Sinan and chased after him.
Everyone looked at each other, tacitly agreed not to say anything, finished the work one by one, talked to Sinan for a while, and then left.
Si Nan watched Cheng Su Ming hanging the sausages, bacon and other cured goods on long wooden sticks near the stove in the kitchen for air drying. She couldn't help but say, "Just now they said they were going out hunting. My eyelids were twitching so much and I had a bad feeling. Su Ming, I think..."
"Don't even think about it." Cheng Suming hung up the preserved meat and jumped down from the high stool. "If you are worried about them, I will go hunting with them tomorrow and you just wait at home."
Si Nan scooped two scoops of hot water from the small pot on the earthen stove into the basin and washed his hands: "Some time ago you said you would never leave me no matter what happened, but today you want me to stay home alone. Aren't you afraid that someone will kill me while you're not home?"
Cheng Suming, who was washing his hands, paused and said helplessly: "You can go if you want, but you must listen to me after you go out, don't act rashly, don't disregard your own life, and I will let you go."
"Yes, sir!"
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