“Beihan, I only need two buns. The weather is hot, and they’ll spoil easily. After we finish shopping, you should take the rest home. Don’t buy so many next time.”
Although Ye Qinglan was wealthy, she had never wasted food.
In this era, labor productivity was low, and grain production was limited. No one wasted food.
“Qinglan, I have a big appetite. I can eat a lot. This still isn’t enough for me.”
Zhou Beihan said a little embarrassedly.
“Really? Then eat as much as you want in the future. Just don’t overeat until you’re stuffed. That’s not good for your stomach.”
Ye Qinglan had more than enough food supplies. It was perfectly normal for a soldier to have a large appetite.
“I’ve never been full my entire life. When I was little, even if we had money, we couldn’t buy grain. Later, I went into the mountains to hunt wild game. I met an old man there, became his disciple, and learned martial arts from him for several years. Afterward, he left because of some personal matters and never came back.”
Zhou Beihan didn’t want to hide anything from Ye Qinglan. He told her all of his secrets.
“Beihan, from now on, you have me. I’ll stay by your side and never let you be lonely.”
As soon as Ye Qinglan finished speaking, their beef noodles arrived.
Zhou Beihan hurried over to carry the bowls back. He picked all the beef out of his bowl and placed it into Qinglan’s before grabbing a meat bun and taking a bite.
Looking at the huge bowl of noodles, Ye Qinglan used her chopsticks to divide half of them into Zhou Beihan’s bowl.
As she happily ate the fragrant beef, her eyes narrowed in satisfaction.
Zhou Beihan happened to witness the scene.
Her expression reminded him of a content little kitten. Her cheeks puffed out as she chewed the beef, and the happiness on her face couldn’t have been more obvious.
Ye Qinglan ate half a bowl of noodles along with the beef.
Meanwhile, Zhou Beihan finished all the noodles along with six large meat buns.
The buns were so big that most people would be full after eating just two, yet he didn’t look stuffed at all.
“Beihan, are you full?”
Ye Qinglan asked curiously.
“I’m alright. At least I’m not overly full.”
Zhou Beihan replied shyly.
“Then eat these last two buns before we leave.”
After speaking, Ye Qinglan couldn’t help glancing at his stomach.
“No need. We can eat while we walk.”
For Zhou Beihan, it only took three bites to finish one large meat bun.
In the end, he handed the last two buns to Ye Qinglan.
After leaving the state-owned restaurant, they finished eating the buns while walking.
Only then did Ye Qinglan truly understand how much the man could eat.
No wonder he had never been full growing up.
With an appetite like his, very few families could afford to feed him.
Fortunately, she possessed enough supplies to feed him for a lifetime.
The two of them went to the supply and marketing cooperative first.
Zhou Beihan took out all the money and ration coupons he had brought and stuffed them into Ye Qinglan’s hands, telling her to spend them however she liked.
“There’s a watch coupon in there. Buy the watch first, and we’ll get everything else afterward.”
He had just handed her five hundred yuan, along with cloth coupons, soap coupons, pastry coupons, sugar coupons, and grain coupons.
The two walked over to the watch counter.
Ye Qinglan picked out a Shanghai-brand mechanical watch with a genuine leather strap and diamond accents.
It looked especially beautiful on her wrist.
“This watch suits you perfectly.”
The sales clerk said enviously.
“It looks beautiful on you. Shall we buy this one?”
Zhou Beihan asked carefully.
“Alright. It is quite pretty.”
Ye Qinglan didn’t really care.
There were already countless watches stored inside her space.
To her, a watch was simply something that told the time.
But everyone else looked at it with envy.
In this era of scarce supplies, owning a wristwatch alone was enough to help a man find a wife.
Even a watch coupon by itself could sell for dozens of yuan.
Although this world existed inside a novel, everyone here felt completely real.
They were living, breathing people—not the flat paper characters she had once imagined.
Since she had already arrived in this world, she intended to enjoy life.
She had worked herself to exhaustion in her previous life.
From now on, she wanted to live like a carefree slacker.
With such enormous supplies at her disposal, there was no reason to live in poverty.
As for the heroine, Ye Bailian…
As long as she didn’t provoke her, everything would be fine.
After all, Ye Bailian was the heroine.
She absolutely couldn’t die.
If the novel somehow collapsed because of that, who knew what might happen?
It was better to let her continue following her own path.
Besides, ever since Ye Qinglan had transmigrated into the novel, the original storyline had already begun to change.
She believed that people could shape their own destiny.
As long as the world wasn’t destroyed, Ye Bailian could do whatever she wanted.
Afterward, the two of them used up all their coupons.
They also asked whether there were any coal stoves available.
The sales clerk told them they wouldn’t be restocked until the following month.
With no other choice, they left for the black market.
“Come on. I’ll introduce you to my comrade. He manages the black market now.”
Zhou Beihan lowered his voice as he spoke.
“Really? Can I look around the black market?”
Ye Qinglan was especially interested in it.
“Of course. After we finish buying what we need, I’ll take you around for a while.”
Today, Zhou Beihan had deliberately chosen not to wear his military uniform.
“Beihan, you’re so good to me.”
Ye Qinglan looked just like a young girl experiencing her first love.
She had never had time to date in her previous life.
Many men had tried to pursue her, but every single one of them had been after her family’s fortune.
Although she was fair-skinned, beautiful, and had long legs, she had almost no experience interacting with men.
As for that cheating scumbag…
They had only met a few times.
They had never even held hands.
He had only wanted a share of her family’s wealth.
The two of them arrived near the hospital.
The black market was hidden inside an alley nearby.
Zhou Beihan pointed toward the entrance before leading her into the neighboring courtyard.
He knocked on the courtyard gate several times in a distinct rhythm.
It sounded like a secret password.
Soon, the gate opened from the inside.
The moment the man saw Zhou Beihan, he smiled.
“Brother Han, your timing couldn’t be better. The boss just got back with a new shipment.”
After speaking, he opened the gate wider and let them inside.
“Brother Chao, I’m here to buy some things.”
Zhou Beihan said as he entered the main hall.
“Well, well… What brings you here today? Don’t tell me this is your girlfriend.”
Huang Chao asked with obvious envy.
“That’s right. This is my girlfriend, Ye Qinglan.”
Then Zhou Beihan turned toward her.
“Qinglan, this is my comrade, Huang Chao.”
“Hello, Brother Chao. I’ll probably be bothering you often in the future.”
Ye Qinglan greeted him with a bright smile.
“Sister-in-law, thank you for supporting my business.”
Huang Chao reached out, intending to shake her hand.
Before he could, Zhou Beihan grabbed Huang Chao’s hand instead.
Zhou Beihan couldn’t help feeling jealous.
Only he was allowed to touch his girlfriend’s hand.
No other man was getting that opportunity.
The two of them bought a coal stove and several coal briquettes.
They arranged for someone to deliver everything to the village that afternoon.
They also bought pots, bowls, ladles, cooking utensils, and various seasonings.
Starting today, Ye Qinglan would finally be able to cook her own meals.
Zhou Beihan also picked up two tins of malted milk, several cans of fruit, and a few pieces of beautiful fabric, stuffing everything into the cloth bag he had brought.
“Sister-in-law, Beihan is absolutely sincere about you.”
A man understood another man best.
His eyes couldn’t lie.
“I’m sincere about him too. To be honest, I’m not short of money either. I’ll come see you whenever I have time.”
Ye Qinglan was already thinking about selling a batch of watches.
Having money in hand would make life much easier.
“Oh? Then I’ll gladly welcome you back anytime, Sister-in-law.”
Huang Chao replied thoughtfully.
“Qinglan, someone will deliver everything this afternoon. I’ll take you around the black market now.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Beihan grabbed her hand and quickly led her away.
“Beihan, we haven’t paid yet.”
Ye Qinglan reminded him.
“It’s fine. I’ll pay next time I come.”
Earlier, he had watched the two of them chatting happily, and jealousy had been bubbling up inside him the entire time.
Hearing that, Ye Qinglan said nothing more.
Looking at the expression on his face, she finally realized what was wrong.
“Beihan, you’re the only one in my heart.”
She spoke with complete sincerity.
“I know.”
“But I’m still unhappy.”
Zhou Beihan knew he was being unreasonable.