Lu Ze handed the aluminum lunchbox to Yu Yao, "The cafeteria has a seafood dumpling platter today. I bought some. You can have something to eat first, and I'll steam the canned food."
Yu Yao was overjoyed when she heard there was a seafood dumpling platter: "There's no rush for these canned goods. We can steam them after we finish eating. I've already made some meatball soup and steamed some rice on the stove. I'll open another can of food later, and with these dumplings, that'll be enough for us."
Lu Ze hummed in agreement, walked to the cupboard, and was about to get some bowls and chopsticks.
Yu Yao quickly ran over, pressed her hand against the cupboard door, and forced a smile, saying, "Let me get the bowls and chopsticks. You take the dumplings out first, and wipe the table while you're at it."
Noticing her odd behavior, Lu Ze's gaze fell on the cupboard.
What's inside? Why is she so flustered?
However, Yu Yao didn't give him time. She stuffed the aluminum lunchbox into his hand and urged him to walk into the main room.
"What are you standing there for? The dumplings won't taste good if they get cold."
Lu Ze glanced down at her, said nothing, and took the aluminum lunchbox and rag to the main room.
Seeing that he had left, Yu Yao opened the cupboard door and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the two bottles of medicinal wine inside.
It wouldn't be good if Lu Ze saw the medicinal wine. I'll put it in my pocket first, and then put it in my own five-drawer cabinet when I get back to my room.
After preparing the medicinal wine, Yu Yao took out bowls and chopsticks, served the meatball soup and rice, and asked Lu Ze to come in and take them.
"Why is the cafeteria making a seafood platter today? Is it some special occasion?"
It's no wonder Yu Yao was puzzled.
It should be noted that the army's meals are usually quick and easy, focusing on large quantities and fast preparation. They rarely make such refined food, especially with so many different flavors this time.
"The patrol boats we were on today happened to encounter a school of fish, so we scooped up a net and added some vegetables to the canteen."
So that's how it is. She then wondered why the cafeteria had made so many different flavors of dumplings today.
Yu Yao first ladled a bowl of cucumber meatball soup for herself and Lu Ze. As they were drinking, she suddenly heard Lu Ze say, "Why did you decide to make cucumber meatball soup today? Aren't you planning to drink?"
When Yu Yao heard him mention alcohol, she choked on her drink. "Cough cough, why did you suddenly ask about that?"
Lu Ze glanced at her indifferently, as if he were talking about something very ordinary, "Today I went to Qin Ye's place to get the documents. Sister-in-law Sun Yu asked me to tell you that it's best to drink a small cup of the medicinal wine she gave you every day, as it's good for replenishing qi and nourishing the body."
"Didn't Sister-in-law Sun Yu say anything else?" Yu Yao asked tentatively, unsure if he knew about the medicinal wine.
Lu Ze glanced at her. "Nothing else. Are you feeling unwell? Should we go to the military hospital?"
Upon hearing his answer, Yu Yao finally felt relieved and waved her hand dismissively.
"It's nothing serious, it's just that my period isn't very regular. My sister-in-law Sun Yu gave me some nourishing and blood-tonifying medicinal wine, and told me to drink a little bit every day."
"Aunt Flo?" Lu Ze asked, his eyes filled with confusion.
Yu Yao then realized that there was no such thing as "Aunt Flo" in this era, and immediately explained, "It's menstruation, the thing that women have every month."
There are also female soldiers in the military who perform arts. They can ask for leave when they come here, so it's called menstruation.
Therefore, Lu Ze was not unfamiliar with the situation. After realizing that it was just an irregular period and not a big problem, he did not ask any further questions.
Yu Yao temporarily brushed off the matter of the medicinal wine.
The next morning, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and soon it began to drizzle.
Yu Yao originally planned to go to the dock to buy mackerel to dry, but now that it's raining, she has to give up.
Since she had nothing better to do, she decided to clean the house. At the appointed time in the afternoon, she used a trailer to deliver the braised fish canned food she had made to Aunt Liu and the others.
I successfully earned an extra 3.6 yuan.
After a rain, the temperature on the island dropped day by day.
Time flew by, and it was already mid-January 1972. With the Lunar New Year just around the corner, Yu Yao's research and development of canned food had all been submitted and was awaiting final evaluation.
That noon, Fang Qiaoqiao came to the sugar water workshop looking for her, her face full of gossip.
"Yu Yao, Wan Xiaozhen has taken three days off. Do you know what she's doing?"
Yu Yao hadn't heard this name in a long time, and was a little surprised when she heard it: "I don't know. As you know, I cut off all ties with Yu Defu's family after that incident."
Fang Qiaoqiao said, "She got married. I heard he's a fitter at a machinery factory on the island, and a minor manager at that, though he's ten years older than her. Now I can finally rest easy; she definitely won't dare to covet Commander Lu anymore."
Yu Yao wasn't actually surprised that Wan Xiaozhen married someone else.
Given how much Wang Xiahe values Wan Xiaozhen, it's impossible for her to marry her off to Wang Dajiao, that abusive widower.
Wang Dajiao is such a tough nut to crack; Wang Xiahe won't be able to shut him up until she's completely ripped off.
This is all their own fault; they have no one to blame but themselves.
However, that's their business. The two families have severed ties, so it's none of her concern who Wan Xiaozhen marries.
After telling her about Wan Xiaozhen, Fang Qiaoqiao suddenly blushed and handed her three movie tickets.
"The island cinema recently showed an Albanian film called 'Footprints.' I'd like you, Commander Lu, and Comrade Wu to go see the movie."
When she spoke of Comrade Wu, her tone became noticeably gentler.
Yu Yao knew exactly what she was thinking.
Wu Huaiqing is single, and Fang Qiaoqiao is also single. In her opinion, their personalities complement each other quite well.
She would be happy if they could get together.
So when faced with Fang Qiaoqiao's request, Yu Yao did not refuse. Instead, she teased, "Are you sure you want to invite me and Lu Ze to see it, and not just the Comrade Wu you mentioned?"
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