Outside the counter, an overbearing old woman slammed a tattered food coupon onto the wood with loud, rhythmic thuds, sending her spittle flying in all directions.
“Lin Wanshuang, don’t you try to use a power outage as an excuse! You’re redeeming this flour coupon for me today, or I’m lying right down here and never leaving!”
Lin Wanshuang didn’t budge. Her right hand rested on the frame of the abacus, her fingertips lightly flicking an abacus bead carved from rosewood.
“Auntie, take a close look at the date on this.”
Lin Wanshuang picked up the food coupon between two fingers and held it up right before the old woman’s eyes.
“It expired in October 1977. It’s now December—it’s two months past due.”
The old woman stiffened her neck and bellowed at the top of her lungs, “So what if it’s expired? Does being expired mean it wasn’t issued by the state? How can a youngster like you be so heartless toward us ordinary folks? I don’t care—you must exchange it for me today!”
Villagers who had come to buy holiday supplies packed the space around the counter, craning their necks to watch the drama unfold.
Normally, the Lin family’s eldest daughter was a quiet creature who wouldn’t utter a word even if you beat her three times with a stick. Why did she seem somewhat different today?
The old woman was secretly feeling uneasy, too. This girl used to be very easy to push around. Why did her gaze feel so icy cold today—cold enough to make a person’s bones shiver?
“It can’t be exchanged.”
Lin Wanshuang let go of the food coupon, letting it flutter onto the counter.
“Not only can it not be exchanged, but your behavior also constitutes disturbing the public order of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.”
Hearing this, the old woman instantly slapped her thighs and began to wail at the top of her lungs.
“Everyone, come look! The Supply and Marketing Cooperative is bullying people! I worked so hard to save up this food coupon, and she won’t let me redeem it! She wants to starve my whole family to death!”
The onlookers began to whisper and point.
“Yeah, Technician Lin, it’s not easy on anyone in this freezing weather. Why not just redeem it for her?”
“Exactly. A tiny leak through the Cooperative’s fingers would be enough for us to eat a meal.”
Lin Wanshuang raised her right hand, causing the abacus beads to collide with a crisp, sharp clack.
“All of you, quiet.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, yet the crowd in front of the counter fell instantly silent.
Lin Wanshuang looked at the old woman and spoke unhurriedly:
“According to Article 7 of the Decree on the Implementation of Planned Purchase and Planned Supply of Grain issued by the State Council in 1953, anyone who forges, alters, resells, or uses invalid food coupons to fraudulently obtain state grain shall be issued a warning or have their coupons confiscated, depending on the severity of the case. In serious cases, they shall be handed over to the public security organs to be charged with damaging the socialist economic order.”
The old woman’s wailing came to an abrupt halt.
Lin Wanshuang leaned half a step forward, fixing her gaze on the woman’s face.
“Auntie, this flour coupon is for ten catties—that’s no small amount. If I accept it right now, I would be colluding with a counter-revolutionary. Are you sure you want to keep making a scene?”
The old woman’s face turned instantly pale. She pulled her neck back, stammering out her words, “Y-You… don’t try to crush me with those huge labels! It’s just an expired ticket, isn’t it? How did it suddenly make me a counter-revolutionary?”
“Why don’t we go to the police station and ask? Then we’ll know.”
Lin Wanshuang feigned reaching for the red telephone kept under the counter.
“Hey! Don’t, don’t, don’t!”
Panicking, the old woman snatched the food coupon off the counter and stuffed it into her pocket. As she backed away, she cursed with a show of bluster, “If you won’t exchange it, fine! What are you acting so high and mighty for? Sooner or later, someone’s going to teach you a lesson!”
With that, she shoved her way through the crowd and fled out the main door of the Cooperative in disgrace.
The surrounding villagers exchanged glances with one another. When they looked back at Lin Wanshuang, their eyes were filled with a bit more apprehension.
This girl can even recite State Council regulations from memory. She is definitely not someone to be messed with.
At that moment, outside the main entrance of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative:
The wind and snow were howling. Director Wang pulled his neck deep into his collar, exhaling clouds of white vapor as he closely followed behind Zhou Jiting.
“Regimental Commander Zhou, this is our Red Star Commune’s Supply and Marketing Cooperative. Our usual supplies are distributed from right here.”
Zhou Jiting lifted his foot and stepped over the high wooden threshold of the Cooperative, his heavy coat dusted with fallen snow.
The moment he walked in, he caught the sound of Lin Wanshuang reciting the regulations in her clear, incisive voice.
Zhou Jiting paused, standing in the shadows just inside the doorway. His gaze cut through the dim light and fell squarely on Lin Wanshuang behind the counter.
The woman was wearing a washed-out blue padded cotton jacket. Her hair was neatly tied back, and her expression was calm. Her fingers moved across the abacus at an incredible speed, turning almost into a blur.
Director Wang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and muttered under his breath, “This Lin Wanshuang usually seems so quiet and honest. Why is she acting so sharp today?”
Zhou Jiting didn’t speak; he swept his eyes across the counter.
The commune’s power was out, leaving only a few hurricane lanterns lit inside the Cooperative. Though the light was dim, the woman showed not a moment’s hesitation as she recorded accounts and retrieved goods—she clearly knew every inch of this place like the back of her hand.
Would a person like this truly be willing to hand her job over to a good-for-nothing slacker who doesn’t even know how to flick an abacus?
Zhou Jiting kept his left hand shoved deep in his coat pocket. When his fingers brushed against the White Rabbit cream candy that was more than half-melted, his gaze darkened.
“Lin Wanshuang, how much is this cotton batting?”
An old man carrying a shoulder pole walked up, pointing to the raw cotton behind the counter.
Without even lifting her head, Lin Wanshuang kept her pen flying across the ledger.
“Two yuan and ten cents per catty. Requires a cotton coupon. If you don’t have a coupon, go over there to exchange for synthetic fibers.”
The old man let out a sigh.
“I don’t have a coupon… In this freezing winter, the kids at home are shivering from the cold. Technician Lin, can’t you think of a way to help us out?”
Lin Wanshuang stopped her pen and looked up at the old man.
“Uncle, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative belongs to the state, not to me, Lin Wanshuang. Without a coupon, not even an ounce of cotton leaves this building. That’s discipline.”
Sighing, the old man stepped back.
Watching from behind, Director Wang couldn’t help but say to Zhou Jiting, “Regimental Commander Zhou, you see? This Lin Wanshuang has a strong sense of principle. If she leaves and Lin Baozong takes over, there’s no telling what kind of mess this Cooperative will turn into.”
Zhou Jiting still offered no opinion. He lengthened his stride and walked straight toward the counter.
Hearing the footsteps, Lin Wanshuang glanced up.
The moment she recognized the newcomer, the fountain pen in her hand paused briefly.
It’s that soldier.
Zhou Jiting arrived in front of the counter, his tall, imposing figure blocking out nearly all the light coming from the outside.
“Auditing the books,” Zhou Jiting uttered two words, his voice exceptionally concise.
Lin Wanshuang closed the ledger and slid it over to him.
“These are the Cooperative’s detailed incoming and outgoing supply records for the past six months. Everything is here.”
Zhou Jiting reached out, took the ledger, and flipped to the first page.
The handwriting was neat and elegant. Every single transaction was clearly documented without a single trace of erasure or correction.
He flipped through the pages rapidly, scanning ten lines at a glance.
Director Wang and Secretary Li stood behind him, holding their breath, not even daring to exhale loudly.
This living terror was notoriously meticulous when auditing accounts. If he found any discrepancies, both of them would have their skins flayed off.
For a moment, the only sound left in the Cooperative was the crisp rustling of turning paper.
Standing behind the counter, Lin Wanshuang looked at Zhou Jiting with a composed, unbothered expression.
She knew there was nothing wrong with those accounts. In her past life, she had worked in this position for two years, and there had never been a single error in her books.
After scanning several pages, Zhou Jiting suddenly snapped the ledger shut and looked up at her.
“Good handwriting.”
Lin Wanshuang’s expression remained calm. “Thank you for the compliment, Chief.”
Seeing the mood lighten, Director Wang hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over. “Regimental Commander Zhou, didn’t I tell you? Our girl Wanshuang is the most reliable when it comes to doing her job.”
Right at that moment, the main door of the Cooperative was suddenly slammed open violently from the outside!
BANG!
The wooden door smashed hard against the wall with a deafening crash.
A rush of wind and snow instantly flooded inside, carrying with it a sharp, pungent stench of sour sweat.
Zhao Cuifeng burst in, gasping for air as she dragged Lin Baozong behind her.
Zhao Cuifeng’s face was covered in a mix of sweat and melted snow. Her hair was a messy bird’s nest, and her padded coat was wildly lopsided.
Lin Baozong followed right behind her, his nose running from the cold, yet his face was practically bursting with smug satisfaction.
The second Zhao Cuifeng crossed the threshold, she rasped at the top of her lungs:
“Out of the way, everyone! Out of the way! My son is here to take over her job today!”