When Ji Nanxi walked into the cafeteria kitchen carrying a food basket, Squad Leader Li was directing the soldiers in washing vegetables.
Seeing her enter, Squad Leader Li wiped his sweat and smiled, “Comrade Ji, coming to the cafeteria at this hour—is there something you need?”
Ji Nanxi replied, “Squad Leader Li, could we speak privately for a moment?”
Squad Leader Li nodded, “Alright.”
So, the two of them stepped aside.
“Squad Leader Li, I’ve brought some homemade food.” Ji Nanxi lifted the coarse cloth covering the basket, and a rich aroma of meat instantly filled the air. “I’d like you to taste it.”
Squad Leader Li’s eyes widened. In the bowl, the soy-colored braised chicken pieces glistened with oil, while another bowl of spicy marinated meat was still steaming.
In these times, being able to produce so much meat was even more extravagant than celebrating the New Year!
“This… this won’t do!”
Squad Leader Li waved his hands repeatedly, but his Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably.
Supplies were scarce on the island, and within the Base, opportunities to see meat throughout the year were truly few and far between.
Fish and shrimp were abundant to the point of being tiresome, but other meats were extremely precious.
On the entire island, whenever meat was available for sale, it was prioritized for the civilians, not the Base.
So, how could Squad Leader Li truly follow Ji Nanxi’s suggestion and shamelessly taste the meat she had cooked?
Yet, the next moment, Ji Nanxi handed him chopsticks and lowered her voice, “Squad Leader Li, please try it first.”
“I have a channel to source meat.”
“The other party doesn’t require ration coupons, just cash.”
“It’s all pre-cut and processed. If you buy over a hundred jin of meat, pork bones, beef bones, and lamb bones are included for free.”
Squad Leader Li picked up a piece of chicken. The meat was unbelievably tender. The spicy marinated meat, though a mix of beef and pork offal, had a surprisingly good flavor—chewy and well-seasoned.
He took several bites before stopping, then cautiously glanced around and pulled Ji Nanxi into the storage room.
“Comrade Ji, this meat…” Squad Leader Li’s voice trembled, “It couldn’t be from the black market, could it? That’s speculation and profiteering—such behavior is unacceptable!”
“Squad Leader Li, don’t worry, it’s not from the black market.”
Ji Nanxi looked him straight in the eye. “My husband is a soldier. I know better than anyone where the red line lies.”
“I can guarantee that this meat comes from legitimate sources, though the channel is special. I apologize for not being able to disclose more.”
She pulled out a certificate stamped with a red seal from the bottom of the basket.
In reality, it was a quarantine certificate from a foreign city, exchanged last night using System Credit Points. In this era, it appeared as a peculiar document printed with foreign text.
Squad Leader Li skeptically rubbed the paper, then suddenly widened his eyes. “It says here the radiation level per hundred jin is 0.01? Cleaner than the water we drink?”
“If you agree, I can deliver fifty jin of meat tomorrow for you to test the ingredients,” Ji Nanxi pressed her advantage. “If the quality isn’t good, I won’t charge a single cent. How about that?”
The alarm clock on the stove suddenly rang, signaling that it was time to start cooking for the cafeteria’s evening meal. The dinner hour was approaching.
As if waking from a dream, Squad Leader Li slapped his thigh. “Comrade Ji, here’s what we’ll do! Tomorrow, I’ll bring the quartermaster to your home to inspect the goods. If it’s really as you say…”
He lowered his voice. “The Base still has a considerable amount of this month’s food budget left. I promise you, we can take at least two hundred jin per week!”
By the time she left the cafeteria, Ji Nanxi touched the peace pendant hanging around her neck.
The moment Squad Leader Li agreed to bring the quartermaster to Ji Nanxi’s home to inspect the goods, the System triggered a notification.
[New Hidden Mission: Improve Base Garrison Rations (Incomplete).]
[Completion Reward: Credit Points +100; Complete Set of Interstellar Food Processing Equipment x1.]
[Current Host Credit Points: +1123.]
Ji Nanxi let out a breath, suddenly feeling a strong urge to tell Lu Zhiyan.
When he returned, he would find that the soldiers at the base could all eat meat.
The days the soldiers spent stationed on the island wouldn’t be so hard anymore.
…
Early the next morning.
When the Quartermaster and Squad Leader Li arrived at the small courtyard, treading on the morning dew, Ji Nanxi was in the backyard by the stove, simmering a pot of congee with preserved egg and lean pork.
The smoke from the cooking fire, mingled with the aroma of meat, drifted over the low wall. Squad Leader Li couldn’t help but swallow his saliva the moment he knocked on the door knocker.
“Comrade Ji, we’re here!”
Squad Leader Li’s voice held an excitement he couldn’t quite suppress.
Ji Nanxi came out to greet them, wiping her hands. The morning light cast fine, golden shadows on her eyelashes. “Squad Leader Li, Quartermaster, good morning. Please, come in.”
She led the two through the front courtyard. The Quartermaster’s gaze swept over the neatly arranged farming tools in the corner and the newly turned vegetable patch, then suddenly stopped on the clothesline, where a complete animal hide was hanging. The hide was thick, tough, and had a glossy sheen.
“Is this… cowhide?”
The Quartermaster’s pupils contracted slightly.
“Yes, the other party skinned it when processing the meat. I washed it clean and hung it to dry.” Ji Nanxi lifted the curtain to the kitchen. “The goods you requested are all here.”
On the earthen floor of the kitchen, four large wooden basins were neatly arranged, piled high with bright red chunks of meat. The Quartermaster crouched down, pressing a fingertip against the grain of the beef. To his shock, he found the texture even more tender than the marbled beef specially supplied by the logistics department.
Squad Leader Li picked up a piece of pork with bone and hefted it. The substantial weight made his arm sink.
“This cutting technique for the ribs… it’s truly impressive.” Squad Leader Li suddenly looked up. “Comrade Ji, does the person you know… did they used to be a butcher?”
Ji Nanxi smiled without answering, instead lifting the lid of the steamer on the stove.
White steam billowed up, carrying with it the rich, savory aroma of braised meat. Glossy, soy-sauce-colored chunks of meat wobbled enticingly.
She deftly sliced a plate of cold beef. The bright red chili oil coated paper-thin slices of meat, sprinkled with vibrant green scallions.
“Please, have a taste first.”
The Quartermaster picked up a slice of beef. The moment the numbing spiciness and savory fragrance exploded on his tongue, his eyes widened in astonishment.
The muscle fibers were distinct yet not at all tough or stringy. The meaty flavor even carried a hint of a strange, refreshing sweetness, more stunning than their specially supplied yak meat.
“This quality…” The Quartermaster’s voice trembled. “Can you really supply our base with this long-term?”
Ji Nanxi pulled a quarantine certificate stamped with a red seal from her pocket. “At least three hundred catties per month for the base. No ration coupons needed, cash transaction.”
“To avoid trouble, all meat will be pre-cut into pieces. Bones are included free of charge.”
Squad Leader Li suddenly tugged on the Quartermaster’s sleeve, pointing to a corner where over a dozen bulging sacks were piled, faintly revealing strips of air-dried meat inside.
Understanding his meaning, Ji Nanxi explained, “If you find fresh meat inconvenient to store, I can also provide cured meat and smoked meat.”
The Quartermaster took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat. “Comrade Ji, I need to make a special report to the logistics department about this.”
He stared at the mountain of meat in the wooden basins, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “How about… for today, we send fifty catties of pork and fifty catties of beef to the cafeteria for a trial run?”
“Don’t worry. Regardless of the final decision, we will pay for today’s hundred catties of meat.”
“Great!” Ji Nanxi turned and retrieved the bamboo basket she had prepared earlier. “I’ve separately packed the pork bones and beef shanks. These are complimentary—they’re perfect for the canteen to use in making soup.”
As the quartermaster and Squad Leader Li lifted the heavy meat basket and prepared to leave, the quartermaster suddenly turned back. “Does Regimental Commander Lu know you have this skill?”
The morning breeze brushed past the stray hairs by Ji Nanxi’s ears. She blinked. “Once Zhiyan returns from his mission, I’ll be counting on both of you to cover for me.”
Squad Leader Li: “…”
The quartermaster: “…”
So she’s keeping it from Regimental Commander Lu!
Regimental Commander Lu, you’ll have to figure out your own wife yourself.
For the sake of letting the soldiers eat meat, from their perspective, as long as it doesn’t cross any red lines, they would only agree to Ji Nanxi’s request.