No sooner had Gu Huai'an left than Shen Yu opened the iron box.
If she hadn't looked, it wouldn't have mattered—but what she saw took her breath away.
The box was packed full of Big Unity bills, along with a pile of coupons she rarely ever laid eyes on.
There were nationally valid grain coupons, meat coupons, and even a few hard-to-come-by industrial coupons and overseas remittance certificates.
Shen Yu clicked her tongue in amazement.
This Gu Huai'an was truly straightforward—he'd laid out his entire family fortune right here. Wasn't he afraid she'd run off with the money?
But then again, as the thought crossed her mind, Shen Yu's lips curved into a smile.
She had always lived by one principle:
When a man earns money, it's for his wife to spend. If you don't spend it, are you letting it grow mold or saving it for some other woman?
Shen Yu washed up briskly, pulled out a few commonly used coupons from the pile, stuffed the iron box back deep into the cabinet, and strode out the door with her head held high.
It was well past breakfast time, but the canteen was still quite crowded.
As soon as Shen Yu entered, the buzzing chatter noticeably quieted down.
After last night's "drunken face-touching" incident, coupled with Gu Huai'an's grim-faced departure for drills this morning, rumors had already spawned eight hundred different versions.
Some said she was a heroine reincarnated from the Liangshan heroes; others called her an unruly country bumpkin.
There were even those who claimed Commander Gu had married a fox spirit from the mountains.
Shen Yu pretended not to hear any of it. She got herself two liang of porridge and a vegetable bun, found an empty seat, and sat down.
She had just taken a bite of the bun when the light across from her dimmed.
"Hey, sister, is this seat taken?"
Shen Yu looked up.
Before her was a young sister-in-law with a neat ear-length bob, holding a large bowl filled with mixed-grain porridge.
"Go ahead."
The sister-in-law plopped down and leaned in to chat. "I'm Wang Guiying, from the first battalion commander's family. Sister, you really showed those military wives what's what last night!"
Shen Yu replied, "I was just drunk. I'm afraid I made a fool of myself in front of you."
"What fool? That's skill! If we military wives don't have some guts, we'd get bullied by those roughnecks even at the New Year's party."
Wang Guiying hesitated for a moment but couldn't hold back. "But everyone's given you a nickname."
"What nickname? 'The Drunkard'?"
"Shen One-Cup."
Shen Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Alright then.
Shen One-Cup it is—still better than something like "Shen the Coward," at least it sounds more impressive.
The two chatted idly over some pickled vegetables. Wang Guiying was warm-hearted, and after a few words, they were already on familiar terms.
After the meal, Shen Yu casually asked for directions to the service cooperative.
"What a coincidence, I need to buy a bottle of soy sauce too." Wang Guiying gathered her bowl and said cheerfully, "Come on, I'll show you the way."
The two left the canteen and headed toward the service cooperative at the east end of the family quarters.
Along the way, they encountered quite a few people, their eyes darting toward Shen Yu.
Some were curious, some were admiring, and there were also those from Sun Caiyun's group yesterday, pursing their lips and waiting to see her make a fool of herself.
Shen Yu carried herself with confidence, letting people look.
A glance wouldn't cost her a piece of flesh—they might as well admire how pretty she was.
The service cooperative was smaller than the supply and marketing cooperative in town, but it was well-stocked.
It was exclusively for military personnel, so no industrial coupons were needed. Some hard-to-find items could be purchased with just an officer's ID.
As soon as Shen Yu entered, she headed straight for the fabric counter.
Gu Huai'an's dormitory was like a monk's temple—nothing but green and white, lacking any warmth of daily life.
"Sister, what do you think of this floral print?" Shen Yu pointed to a piece of sky-blue cotton cloth with delicate white floral patterns. "I could make curtains and a tablecloth out of it. It might brighten up the room a bit."
Wang Guiying took one look at the fabric and sucked in a sharp breath.
"This is fine cotton cloth! Five chi costs over a yuan! Curtains can be made from any coarse cloth, this is just wasteful."
Shen Yu patted her pocket.
Wasteful?
Did Gu Huai'an give her the money so she could suffer?
She wasn't here for some hardship makeover show.
"It's fine. Huai'an said I should decorate according to my own taste."
Shen Yu waved to the sales assistant: "Comrade, I'll take ten chi of this cloth. Also, two of those pink towels, and that pair of red pillowcases."
Seeing Shen Yu spend so lavishly, the sales assistant's eyes lit up.
"Right away! Ten chi of fine cotton cloth, two towels, one pair of pillowcases—that'll be three yuan and eight mao, plus three chi worth of cloth coupons."
As Shen Yu counted out the money and coupons, several family members nearby who were picking through flawed fabric clicked their tongues in astonishment.
"Commander Gu's new wife really dares to spend, doesn't she? Such a loose hand with money."
"Keep it down. Commander Gu's subsidy allowance is high, and he's happy to spoil her. No use being jealous—just bad luck on our part."
Just then, the wind chime at the door jingled, and a sweet, delicate voice came from behind.
"Hey, you're Commander Gu's new wife, right?"
Shen Yu turned to look.
Two female soldiers in the green uniforms of the cultural troupe had entered.
The one in front was tall and slender, with fair skin and two glossy braids, looking noticeably more stylish than the average family member.
Her features were quite delicate, but she held her chin too high, looking down her nose at everyone.
Wang Guiying tugged at Shen Yu's sleeve and whispered in her ear: "That's Zhao Xueli, from the cultural troupe. The political commissar tried to set her up with Commander Gu before, but Commander Gu didn't pay her any attention."
Ah, a rival in love.
Zhao Xueli walked up, her gaze lingering on Shen Yu as she sized her up from head to toe.
She really was pretty—a fox-like beauty.
Heard she was an orphan from the countryside, no wonder she spent money so recklessly. Aside from that face, all she had left was this vulgarity.
"I'm Zhao Xueli from the cultural troupe, an old comrade of Commander Gu's."
Zhao Xueli extended her hand toward Shen Yu: "I heard you're from Xiangyang Brigade? I've performed there before—it's a tough place. Must be hard for you. Just arrived, so everything seems new and exciting, right?"
Shen Yu didn't take the bait, nor did she shake her hand.
She hugged the newly bought cloth to her chest and nodded: "It is tough, but it's better now. Huai'an was afraid I'd suffer, so he gave me his entire subsidy allowance booklet. I'm actually worried I won't be able to spend it all."
Zhao Xueli's expression changed.
He handed over his entire subsidy allowance booklet?
Was Gu Huai'an that henpecked?
"Brother Huai'an is certainly generous."
Zhao Xueli changed her tone: "But little sister, that's money he earned with his life. As women, we need to learn how to manage a household, to make things last. Using fine cotton cloth for curtains… isn't that a bit too…"
"Too what?" Shen Yu cut her off, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Too careless with his hard-earned money."
Zhao Xueli sighed: "Even though I get a subsidy allowance in the cultural troupe, I usually can't bring myself to buy even a jar of vanishing cream. You've just arrived and you're already spending so lavishly. If Brother Huai'an finds out, I'm afraid he won't be happy."
The family members nearby nodded in agreement.
Indeed, in these times, who didn't try to stretch every penny as far as it could go?
Shen Yu found it amusing.
"I really don't care for what you're saying. When Huai'an gives me money, it's meant for me to spend. If I scrimp and save, dressing in rags, that would be a slap to his face—making it seem like Gu Huai'an can't even afford to support his own wife."
Her words could be heard across half the service center.
"Besides, what's the point of him working himself to the bone? Isn't it for his wife and children, for a warm home, to give his family a good life? If I don't buy this or that, what's the point of him working so hard?"
"Since you're so good at managing money and care so much about it, why don't you save this advice for your future partner? My Huai'an loves seeing me spend money—he says it makes him happy."
Zhao Xueli was taken aback, not expecting this country girl to be so sharp-tongued and bold enough to repeat Gu Huai'an's private words in public.
Utterly shameless!
"How can you talk like that? I was just trying to be helpful."
"I appreciate the thought, but you should keep your hands to yourself."
Shen Yu smiled sweetly, shutting down the conversation. "After all, this is our family matter. As an outsider, meddling too much might lead to misunderstandings."
Her gaze swept over Zhao Xueli, and she added lightly, delivering the final blow:
"Otherwise, people might think you're eyeing another woman's husband's money, trying to manage another woman's household."