There were also food coupons, grain coupons, industrial vouchers, and cloth tickets… Most of the ones used by the military were nationally unified vouchers.
Su Xiaoqi put them away and stored them in a box.
Seeing Zhou Ye lying on the bed with his arms under his head, staring blankly, she naturally slipped the money, passbook, and vouchers into her space.
“Move a bit further inside.”
But Zhou Ye didn’t move. Instead, he pulled her into his arms and placed her deeper on the bed.
Su Xiaoqi lowered her voice.
“Can I move with the military?”
“Yes. When we get there, we’ll first rent a place, then I’ll apply for housing in the military family compound.” Zhou Ye’s left hand brushed through her scattered hair.
“Do you want to visit your parents-in-law sometime?”
“It’s a bit far.”
“I can get a letter of introduction to visit them. With my status, it might make their life a little easier.” His tone softened. “Don’t be angry with your father.”
Only then did Su Xiaoqi remember she had left home on bad terms during the time she went down to the countryside.
The Su family had three daughters—an eldest married sister and a second unmarried sister.
Most of them had gone down to rural areas.
And all were assigned to remote, poor places. Su Xiaoqi was the last to go.
Many people like Su’s father in similar situations ended up hanging themselves, drowning themselves, or drinking poison.
The novel did not describe it in detail, only that her parents died in the countryside.
She hadn’t expected Zhou Ye to think this far.
The original owner had cut ties with her family from the bottom of her heart.
She had gone through something traumatic at a young age.
Her mentality had become somewhat distorted.
After all, she was only a middle school student six years ago.
Understandable, but not necessarily acceptable.
“Then go get the letter of introduction. Let’s try to visit this month.”
It was harvest season, and Su Xiaoqi was worried about her father’s health.
“Leave it to me.”
Zhou Ye stood up. “Should we sell the rabbit?”
“I want meat,” Su Xiaoqi said pitifully, looking at him. Pork was better than rabbit.
“I’ll sell the rabbit and buy pork for you.”
“Okay. I’ll give you meat tickets.”
“No need. I’ll take you to the commune tomorrow morning.”
Zhou Ye pushed open the door and walked out under the moonlight toward the back mountain.
Su Xiaoqi yawned.
She, usually a night owl, surprisingly felt sleepy and soon drifted into sleep.
In her dream, someone covered her lips, making it hard to breathe.
“Mm…”
“It’s me.” Zhou Ye held her. “I sold the wild boar and came back.”
Hearing the word “money,” Su Xiaoqi instantly became alert.
She opened her eyes.
“How much?”
Zhou Ye leaned close to her ear and whispered.
“The wild boar sold for 58 yuan, plus a little over 2 yuan for the rabbit.
Prices are low in the countryside. If we sold it in the county, we could get more.”
“You have connections?”
“I once saved someone. He runs the black market.”
Zhou Ye didn’t think the black market was anything bad—some people needed money, others needed food. Someone just had to connect both sides.
“Go to sleep.”
Su Xiaoqi turned over, facing away from him.
Yawning, she said,
“Give me the money tomorrow. I’ll give you monthly pocket money, okay?”
Zhou Ye smiled.
“Okay.”
He didn’t spend much as a man anyway.
But his wife was a little money-obsessed wild cat.
He wanted to say more, but noticed she had already fallen asleep.
He sighed softly and reached out to hold her—but she suddenly turned over and clung to him like an octopus.
Her long legs tightly locked around his.
It was… extremely distracting.
He closed his eyes, trying hard to suppress the burning heat within him.
Su Xiaoqi woke up to the noise of chaos in the Xu household.
Outside came Yang Huaihua’s scolding, Zhou Cao’s weak explanations, Xu Meizhen’s mocking laughter, and children crying and shouting.
A very lively rural morning.
She opened her eyes.
Reaching under her pillow, she found the money.
Over sixty yuan in total.
She neatly put it away.
After washing up, she poured the water from the basin right at Xu Meizhen’s feet.
“Ah! Are you blind?”
Su Xiaoqi lifted the basin mockingly.
“You keep rolling your eyes. I thought you’d taken rat poison.”
“You’re the one poisoned! You’re nothing compared to Shen Xiaofang!”
“People lack whatever they crave. You don’t have a face, so of course you want one.”
She returned the basin and went to the kitchen.
Inside the pot was only thin corn porridge that could almost reflect a face.
“Old Yang, where are the eggs?”
Yang Huaihua’s face twitched.
“There are none. None!”
“If I can’t have eggs, I’ll eat the hen that lays them.”
She glanced meaningfully at the chicken coop.
Even five-year-old Xu Xiaocui looked up and said eagerly,
“Auntie, I want to eat the egg-laying hen too.”
“Eat, eat, eat—useless mouths!” Yang Huaihua snapped.
But fearing Su Xiaoqi, she still went and brought out an egg.
“The Xu family marrying you is the worst misfortune in eight lifetimes.”
Su Xiaoqi took the egg and smiled.
“You’re a woman too—another ‘useless mouth.’ I married Zhou Ye, not your Xu family.
And you treat that old man like treasure—do you like his smelly feet or his old-man odor?”
Yang Huaihua clutched her head in frustration.
What kind of woman was this? Why was her tongue so sharp?
“Give me the 300 yuan today. I’m going to the commune.”
“You young people just spend money recklessly. Let me keep it for you.”
“If I don’t spend my own money, I’m a turtle.”
She snorted.
“My money is not for you to keep. That 300 yuan is what Zhou Ye sent you over the years.”
“You should be grateful for that mother-son relationship.”
Yang Huaihua shrieked.
“He’ll never repay it! You should give me 3000 yuan!”
Su Xiaoqi calmly replied,
“If you don’t give me the money, I’ll start breaking your kids for fun.
Break a bowl today, smash a pot tomorrow, and the day after I’ll see if I can burn your house down.”
Then she casually threw a bowl outside.
“Ouch, hand slipped.”
Everyone froze.
Yang Huaihua finally gave in.
“I’ll give it! You’ll be struck by lightning one day!”
“You’re still alive after lightning didn’t strike you, so why should I be afraid?”
She was completely fearless.
“Hand over the money before noon, or I’ll charge interest.”
In the end, Yang Huaihua brought out thirty big notes in frustration.
And in front of everyone, Su Xiaoqi began counting them loudly.
One.
Two.
…Ten.
“Oh no, I lost count halfway. Too many notes.”
She shook the bills dramatically and started over.
All eyes followed her counting—like watching a monkey show.
They didn’t even want to watch.
But none of them had ever seen so much money in their lives, and their eyes naturally followed every note as she counted them again and again.