Using the same method, she bought up all the beef as well, including beef shanks and assorted beef offal.
Altogether, she had bought seven or eight hundred jin of meat—enough to last them for a very long time.
With their meat supply more than sufficient, Jiang Ni moved on to staple foods.
The grain coupons she had could only get her two jin of flour, which wouldn’t last long. There was plenty of flour on the black market, so Jiang Ni bought another five hundred jin of flour in one go, along with five hundred jin of sweet potatoes and potatoes.
Next came barley, corn seeds, and various vegetable seeds.
By the time she finished shopping, her wallet had noticeably thinned.
She counted her money.
She had spent 250 yuan today.
Once everything had been purchased, Jiang Ni followed the older woman back to the storage room.
Looking at the room packed to the brim, the woman asked curiously, “Girl, how are you planning to get all this stuff home?”
“Someone will come and help me move it later.”
Jiang Ni slipped five yuan into the woman’s hand.
“Auntie, let me borrow this storage room for a day. Once I’ve moved everything out, I’ll return it to you.”
“It’s fine. Use it as long as you need!”
The woman muttered to herself. With this much stuff, it would probably take several people an entire day to move it all.
But although she was curious, she had no intention of prying into someone else’s affairs.
She happily accepted the money.
“If you need anything else, come find me. I live behind that row of houses over there.”
Jiang Ni nodded.
“All right.”
Once the woman’s figure had completely disappeared, Jiang Ni walked into the storage room and bolted the door.
She silently gave a command.
In an instant, everything in the room disappeared, all of it transferred into her spatial dimension.
Looking at the piles of supplies filling one corner of her space, Jiang Ni finally let out a satisfied sigh.
Her preparations were complete.
Meanwhile, Zhang Zhiqi had put the things they had bought into the jeep. When he returned to the supply cooperative, he looked around but couldn’t find Jiang Ni anywhere.
He immediately panicked.
If he lost Sister-in-law, Commander Fu would tear him apart!
The supply cooperative wasn’t a particularly large place. Zhang Zhiqi searched around several times, sweat breaking out on his forehead.
He was just about to drive back and report the situation to Commander Fu when Jiang Ni suddenly appeared walking toward him.
Zhang Zhiqi was extremely relieved.
“Sister-in-law! Where did you go?”
“I got lost and ended up walking somewhere else. You must have been looking for me for a long time, right?”
“Of course!”
Zhang Zhiqi felt as though his heart was about to jump out of his chest.
“You scared me half to death.”
Jiang Ni smiled apologetically.
“I’m sorry.”
Zhang Zhiqi scratched his head.
“Don’t say that, Sister-in-law. As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”
“I don’t have anything else to buy. Let’s go back.”
When they arrived at the entrance of the family compound, Zhang Zhiqi got out and began unloading the goods.
Jiang Ni stood beside the vehicle and helped him.
Just then, a woman’s voice came from nearby.
“You’re Commander Fu’s wife, aren’t you?”
Jiang Ni turned toward the voice.
Standing before her was a woman around thirty years old. She was slender, with slightly yellowish skin. She wore a short-sleeved dacron shirt and trousers, her hair tied neatly at the back of her head. Her features looked energetic and capable.
“My name is Fang Zhiying. I live in the political commissar’s courtyard. Everyone calls me Aunt Ying. You can call me that too.”
Jiang Ni remembered that Fu Ruichen had mentioned her that morning.
She nodded politely, neither overly enthusiastic nor distant.
“Aunt Ying, my name is Jiang Ni.”
“I heard yesterday that Commander Fu’s wife was coming, so I was curious to see you.”
Fang Zhiying smiled as she looked her over.
“You’re really beautiful. Commander Fu is a lucky man.”
Jiang Ni responded with a faint smile.
Fang Zhiying glanced at the bags being carried down from the vehicle.
“You bought so much stuff! Come on, I’ll help you carry it inside.”
Before Jiang Ni could react, Fang Zhiying picked up a bag from the ground and headed into the courtyard.
She was certainly enthusiastic.
“Thank you, Aunt Ying. Sorry to trouble you.”
Fang Zhiying was walking ahead of her when she heard Jiang Ni’s words. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.
She turned around with a smile.
“It’s nothing. We’re all part of the same family compound. There’s no need to be so polite.”
It took several trips before the three of them managed to carry everything inside.
Jiang Ni looked at the living room, now packed to the brim with supplies, and felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
Zhang Zhiqi was sweating heavily from all the carrying.
Jiang Ni poured a glass of water for him and another for Fang Zhiying.
“I’ve really troubled both of you today. Why don’t you stay here for lunch?”
“Sure!”
Zhang Zhiqi took a sip of water, set the glass down, and grinned, revealing two neat rows of white teeth.
“But, Sister-in-law, Aunt Ying, I still have to head back to the unit. I’ll be going now.”
Jiang Ni nodded.
“All right. Go ahead.”
Fang Zhiying also took a drink to quench her thirst.
“Jiang Ni, I heard you’re from Haishi?”
“Yes.”
“That’s in the south, isn’t it? Is this your first time coming here? Are you getting used to it?”
Jiang Ni answered honestly.
“Aside from the wind and sand, everything else is great. I especially love the courtyard outside.”
Fang Zhiying remembered seeing the courtyard earlier.
The weeds had all been cleared, and the soil had already been turned over.
She felt relieved.
“That’s wonderful. Jiang Ni, you probably don’t know this, but Commander Fu used to sleep at the military barracks most of the time. He’d only come back here once in a while. The courtyard was always overgrown with weeds and completely lifeless. Now it finally looks like someone actually lives here.”
So Fu Ruichen rarely came home.
No wonder there had been practically nothing inside the house.
Speaking of the courtyard, Jiang Ni casually mentioned, “Aunt Ying, Ruichen said you’re good at growing vegetables. I bought some vegetable seeds, but I’ve never planted anything before. I’ll have to trouble you to teach me when the time comes.”
Fang Zhiying laughed heartily.
“What is there to teach? We’re from the countryside. We’ve been working with the land our whole lives. Jiang Ni, just call me when you’re ready to plant. I live only one courtyard away.”
“All right. Thank you in advance, Aunt Ying.”
Fang Zhiying looked at Jiang Ni’s beautiful face and silently wondered.
How was this different from what Old Yao had told her?
Commander Fu’s wife seemed polite and kind.
She didn’t look anything like the fierce, unreasonable woman he’d described.
After chatting for a while, Fang Zhiying stood up.
“It’s getting late. Jiang Ni, I need to go home and cook. I’ll come over and chat with you again when I have some free time.”
“Aunt Ying, why don’t you stay and eat here?”
Fang Zhiying waved her hand.
“I still have two children at home. I need to go back and cook for them. Maybe next time I’ll get a chance to taste your cooking.”
Jiang Ni stood up to see her out.
“Then I’ll make some flatbreads and bring them over as a thank-you for helping me.”
Fang Zhiying stepped outside.
“Oh, you’re too kind!”
There was no time to organize all the things piled up in the living room, so Jiang Ni went straight to the kitchen and began preparing lunch.
First, she took some spiritual spring water from her spatial dimension.
Then she took out a jar containing the dough starter she had bought.
There was no yeast available in this era. Dough had to be fermented using an old-fashioned starter.
She poured in the spiritual spring water and soaked the starter until it dissolved.
Then she added flour, mixing it with her hands until it gradually came together into a shaggy dough.
Jiang Ni began kneading it.
Once the surface of the dough became smooth, she covered it with a cloth and left it to rise.
While waiting for the dough to ferment, Jiang Ni kept herself busy.
She washed the pork spine and pork belly she had bought and prepared to make a soup and braised pork with potatoes.
First, she cut the pork belly into pieces about two finger-widths across.
Then she put the pork belly and pork spine into the pot together and blanched them in boiling water.