“Supply ship?”
“You’ve asked exactly the right question. If you’re going to live in the family quarters, the first thing you need to remember is the supply ship’s schedule.”
Zhang Cuihua thought Shen Niao was clever. The very first question she asked went straight to the heart of things.
“The supply ship comes every five days with a batch of supplies. But the weather around here is terrible—it’s either windy or foggy—so it doesn’t always arrive on time. Still, the commissary will notify everyone beforehand. Just remember to get up early and rush over to buy vegetables.”
“If you’re late, the whole family will end up eating at the canteen.”
“Isn’t the canteen good?”
Thinking of the meals she’d had over the past two days, Shen Niao found them varied and delicious.
“How can the canteen compare to home cooking? The weather’s been pretty good lately, so the supply ship has been arriving on time, and the food looks decent enough. Otherwise, forget about radishes, potatoes, or cabbage. Every day it’d be nothing but pickled vegetables. You’d eat so much your face would turn green.”
“Really?”
Shen Niao was surprised.
“Of course. You’ve just arrived, so you don’t know what it’s like here. Conditions are genuinely tough. Honestly, those of us on the island have it pretty good. At least we can grow vegetables and raise chickens, and we can usually grab some fresh produce. If you’re stationed on a smaller island or guarding a reef, life is much harder. Sometimes there’s not even enough fresh water to drink.”
“And if a typhoon hits, all the vegetables you’ve planted get blown away, and the supply ship can’t come for ten days or half a month. At that point, even the canteen might not have anything to serve. If you can get some fried rice grains and soy sauce soup, you’re already lucky.”
Shen Niao fell silent.
Now she was grateful she’d stockpiled plenty of supplies.
Realizing she’d scared Wu Qingchuan’s future wife, Zhang Cuihua quickly slapped her own mouth.
“It’s really not that miserable. The army raises pigs, chickens, and ducks. If the supply ship can’t get through, they’ll slaughter livestock, so there’s still meat to eat.”
She herself didn’t think life was too hard. After all, she’d spent years going hungry during the difficult times. At least now everyone could fill their stomachs.
Still, Xiao Shen looked so delicate. She’d probably never suffered in her life.
“Then after I move into the family quarters, I’ll have to rely on you, Sister Cuihua, to teach me. I’ll need to grab plenty of vegetables so I can improve my husband’s meals.”
Shen Niao smiled. Seeing Zhang Cuihua’s surprised expression, she tilted her head.
“Since I’ll be living here from now on, if there isn’t enough food and even the canteen can’t provide much, I’ll have to find my own solutions.”
Cooking didn’t worry Shen Niao. She was actually a pretty good cook. When she’d lived alone in her previous life, she’d loved experimenting with recipes and inviting friends over for dinner.
Once she officially married Wu Qingchuan and moved into the family quarters, she’d be cooking anyway—for her own meals if nothing else.
Zhang Cuihua looked at her with newfound admiration.
“That’s right. That’s exactly how you should think.”
Earlier she’d assumed Shen Niao was nothing but a pampered little beauty. Now she realized the girl had plenty of ideas and wasn’t afraid of work.
Their conversation brought them closer together, and the atmosphere became much warmer.
Zhang Cuihua made an excellent guide, introducing the surroundings as they walked.
The naval garrison was located in a rather remote area, with only a few small fishing villages nearby. The villagers made their living from fishing. Their catches belonged to the collective, so most of the fish had to be handed over. However, since this was an isolated island and seafood was difficult to transport elsewhere, most of the catch could only be sold within Yacheng and a few cities across the sea. The prices were low, and the fishermen lived difficult lives.
The villagers living closest to the military base, however, fared a little better.
Since they were near the army family quarters, they’d bring seafood over to sell at the entrance.
“But I don’t think it’s worth buying,” Zhang Cuihua said. “Crabs, shellfish—they’re mostly shells. There’s hardly any meat, and you get sand in your mouth when you eat them. As for fish, they don’t have much meat either. I’d rather spend my money on pork.”
When she’d first arrived, she’d bought seafood a few times, but prepared the local way, she hadn’t liked it. Too troublesome, and the flavor was too mild.
The moment Shen Niao heard that fishermen sold seafood outside the family compound, her eyes sparkled.
As a girl who’d grown up inland, she absolutely loved seafood. In her previous life, every year when fishing season opened, she’d spend some time at her seaside vacation home just to feast on fresh seafood.
And unlike the future, today’s oceans hadn’t yet been polluted by certain countries dumping contaminated wastewater. The seafood must be plump, delicious, and free from worries about contamination.
As they chatted, they arrived at the entrance to the family quarters.
Two military wives were selecting seafood, while the vendors were two little girls—one about seven or eight years old, the other only three or four.
Their skin was dark from the sun. They wore ragged shirts, had no shoes on their feet, and their legs were covered in wet sand. It was obvious they’d just come from the beach.
“My mama said these oysters are only three cents.”
As Shen Niao approached, she heard the older girl point at a large basin of oysters.
The basin was enormous, filled with fat oysters. In Shen Niao’s previous life, a basin like that would’ve easily sold for two or three hundred yuan.
One of the military wives picking through fish shook her head.
“They’re all shells with hardly any meat. I don’t want them.”
“I’ll take them.”
Shen Niao immediately spoke up before the woman had even finished.
Just as she reached for her money, Zhang Cuihua hurriedly stopped her.
“They’re all shells, and they don’t even taste that good. Why buy so many?”
She didn’t think they were terrible—fresh enough—but the shells were huge and the meat was tiny. She’d tried steaming them before, and they were just average.
“Sister Cuihua, I really like them. Come to your house later and I’ll make a few dishes you’ve never tasted before. I promise you’ll love them.”
“Really?”
Zhang Cuihua looked doubtful.
“Really. My recipes are absolutely delicious.”
Shen Niao spoke with complete confidence.
While they were talking, the military wife buying fish turned around.
The moment her gaze landed on Shen Niao, her expression darkened.
“Zhang Cuihua, is this your relative? Why is she dressed so… shamelessly?”
Shen Niao had only just realized the woman was talking about her when Zhang Cuihua had already planted her hands on her hips, ready for battle.
“Li Big Mouth, did you stuff your mouth with your grandmother’s foot bindings? Every time you open it, it stinks.”
“She’s young and pretty. She can dress however she likes. Even without dressing up she’d still be beautiful. What business is it of yours?”
Li Big Mouth refused to back down and pointed at Shen Niao.
“Is she your precious little princess? Am I wrong? Just look at her. Does she look like any decent woman?”
She and Zhang Cuihua had been neighbors ever since moving into the family quarters. On the very first day, they’d quarreled over building a fence. Ever since then, the two had been at each other’s throats whenever they met.
She didn’t know who Shen Niao was. Seeing how familiar she seemed with Zhang Cuihua, and remembering she’d heard Zhang Cuihua had a niece coming, she’d assumed this was that niece.
Shen Niao gently held back the furious Zhang Cuihua. The corners of her lips curved upward, but a chill entered her bright, watery eyes.
“Auntie, if you’re sick, go see a doctor. Don’t randomly have a seizure every time you see someone. You look like a respectable person on the outside, but your mouth smells like it’s full of manure.”
“You say I’m not a decent woman. Then tell me exactly what’s wrong with the way I’m dressed. Did the government ban people from wearing hats? Or jackets? Or dresses?”
“Or is it simply because you’re too ugly and jealous that I’m prettier than you, so you’re deliberately slandering me?”
She’d only come to buy some oysters and ended up getting insulted. Even someone made of clay would’ve lost their temper, let alone someone with a fiery personality like hers.
An angry beauty only became more breathtaking.
Seeing her like that made Li Big Mouth even more jealous.
She pointed accusingly at Shen Niao.
“How did an indecent woman like you even get into a place as important as the military?”
“The army’s hardworking and disciplined traditions absolutely cannot be ruined by a woman like you!”