Chapter 111 Bookkeeping
When no one was looking, she secretly slipped the brown sugar to Sister Zhang.
The other person touched their pocket, their eyes widened, and when they opened it, they found it was full of brown sugar. Their eyes immediately reddened, and their lips trembled.
"Wanyin, you are truly a bodhisattva who saves people from suffering!"
Aunt Zhang clutched the bag of brown sugar tightly, her hands trembling, her voice choked with emotion.
"Company Commander Wang has been coughing badly lately and is feeling weak. He really needs these blood-tonifying supplements... How much does it cost? I'll definitely pay you back, don't give it to me for nothing..."
"Stop talking."
Qiao Wanyin smiled and waved her hand.
"Just consider it a way to help Company Commander Wang recover; it's no big deal. Everyone has their difficulties when they're neighbors."
She didn't linger and turned to leave.
What she didn't know was that Zhang's wife stood there, watching her back, so moved that tears almost fell from her eyes.
No one knows what Sister Zhang said outside, but the news spread quickly throughout the military dependents' compound in just two or three days.
"Have you heard? Qiao Wanyin can get her hands on brown sugar!"
"That's right, she even has top-quality Ganoderma lucidum, she must have some connections!"
"Sigh, her husband is a wounded soldier, and she's very capable herself. She's got guts..."
Some people embellished the story, making it sound incredibly vivid.
Some people say she has wide connections and can get things done in various organizations.
Some people say she has powerful connections and can solve problems with just one phone call.
Some people even spread rumors that her family members were retired cadres.
Anyway, no matter what's rare or scarce, if others can't get it, you can't go wrong with her.
Gradually, many people began to secretly come to him for help.
At first, the neighbors inquired about it in hushed tones.
Later, he simply knocked on the door, looking distressed.
Instructor Zhang's child had a persistent high fever at night, and the clinic had already run out of fever reducers. He was extremely anxious and finally managed to find Qiao Wanyin through connections.
Battalion Commander Chen's wife had just given birth and urgently needed eggs to replenish her body during her postpartum confinement period.
The rationed supply was far from enough, but he still had to bite the bullet and ask.
Deputy Factory Director Lian Qiu's chronic leg pain flared up, causing him to be unable to sleep at night.
His wife also secretly came to inquire, asking if Qiao Wanyin had any folk remedies or special medicines that could cure her.
Qiao Wanyin would help those she could, and would never refuse to help those she could find a way to help, but she never agreed immediately or made a fuss about it.
Each time she succeeded, she would casually give a different reason.
Although Fu Li'an had some doubts, he felt that these reasons were too coincidental, and that the arrival of supplies was always too coincidental.
But seeing that she was genuinely trying to help people and there was no ulterior motive in her eyes, he didn't ask any more questions.
But the good days didn't last long.
It was a rainy afternoon; the sky was overcast, and the rain was falling in slanting lines.
Qiao Wanyin had just come out of the black market, carrying an old cloth bag in her hand, which contained several packets of medicine and some miscellaneous goods that she had exchanged for cloth coupons.
She held up an oil-paper umbrella, her head down, and walked quickly through the damp alley.
She hadn't walked far when she suddenly realized something was wrong.
She deliberately slowed her pace, and the man slowed down as well.
She sped up, and the man sped up to keep up.
Her heart tightened, and her palms sweated slightly, but she dared not turn back. She could only suppress her racing heart and quicken her pace toward home.
After returning home, Qiao Wanyin was restless, pale, and her fingers trembled slightly.
She mechanically began preparing dinner, almost cutting her hand while chopping vegetables, and didn't even notice the water boiling.
When Fu Lian pushed the door open and came in, she was staring blankly at the boiling water in the pot.
"Qingqing".
Fu Lian tiptoed up behind her.
He suddenly hugged her from behind, his voice low and full of concern.
"What's wrong? You look terrible."
Qiao Wanyin stiffened, then forced a smile, her voice sounding weak.
"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired today, maybe... from being in the wind for too long."
She turned around and asked in a light tone, "What would you like to eat tonight? Should I cook you some noodles, or heat up some soup?"
Fu Li'an didn't answer immediately, but instead cupped her face in his hands.
His brows furrowed slightly, and his eyes were serious.
"What's wrong? You're acting strange, like you've been out of your mind all day."
Qiao Wanyin opened her mouth, her throat moved, but in the end she swallowed her words back.
She shook her head and forced a smile, saying, "It's really nothing. I'm just a little stressed because I've been busy lately."
She really didn't want Fu Lian to worry.
He dared not mention that he had secretly gone to the black market several times recently and started a business of buying and selling.
She wanted to earn more money, even if it was just a penny.
Although my older brothers separated from the family in their early years and each lived their own lives.
But my parents are getting old, and their health is deteriorating year by year, so I have to help them out from time to time.
She and Fu Lian lived together, and their relationship was stable.
Neither of them mentioned marriage, but everyone knew they would settle down sooner or later.
Who knows, she might get pregnant someday.
When the time comes, the baby will need formula, diapers, clothes, and doctor's visits...
There are countless places to spend money.
So, before that, she had to find a way to secretly save up some money.
Even a small amount can be used in emergencies in the future.
In the middle of the night, all was quiet, and the rain outside the window had long since stopped.
The moonlight quietly climbed onto the windowsill and spilled into the room.
Once Fu Lian was fast asleep, Qiao Wanyin gently lifted the covers and quietly got out of bed.
She tiptoed to the cabinet and pulled open the innermost drawer.
He pulled out a small notebook wrapped tightly in cloth from under a pile of old clothes.
She sat on the edge of the bed, using the cool moonlight streaming in from the window, and turned the pages of her notebook one by one, writing down her recent transactions.
"On March 12, I got two boxes of fever reducers from Lao Zhang and resold them to Instructor Zhang's family, making three yuan in profit."
"March 15th, twelve eggs, exchanged on the black market, Battalion Commander Chen's wife took them, five yuan each."
"The source of the goods: the medicine was obtained through connections from hospital staff; the eggs were smuggled into the city by people from the countryside..."
She wrote it down carefully, stroke by stroke, with neat handwriting.
Just then, a deep voice suddenly came from behind.
"Still not asleep?"
It was Fu Li'an's voice.
Qiao Wanyin trembled violently, her hand shook, and the pencil fell to the ground with a "thud".
She was so startled she almost screamed. Her heart pounded wildly. When she turned around, she saw Fu Lian leaning against the door frame, his eyes still sleepy, but his gaze clear as he looked at her.
She quickly closed the notebook and hurriedly stuffed it into the drawer.
"I... I just wanted to keep track of the mutual aid group's accounts. There are so many people and so many things going on lately, I'm afraid I might mix them up."
Fu Lian didn't turn on the lights; only the faint moonlight streamed into the room through the window.
He remained silent for a long while.
Finally, she let out a soft sigh.
"No matter what you do, you must stay safe, understand? Just because I don't ask doesn't mean I don't care."
He had actually noticed a while ago that his wife had been acting strangely lately.
He came home late, his eyes held a hint of worry, and sometimes he seemed absent-minded when he spoke.
But he didn't expose it or ask any further questions.
In a marriage, trust is essential, but so is maintaining appropriate boundaries.
He knew she wasn't the type to act recklessly, so he chose to remain silent and watch over her quietly.
Besides, there are many new recruits in the army recently, and the training tasks are heavy.
As the class monitor, he had to be on the front line, leaving home before dawn and returning under the stars, so tired that he would fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, with no time to think about things at home.
Qiao Wanyin felt relieved, as if a weight had been lifted from her heart.
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