Night fell again, and the military compound gradually quieted down.
Only scattered lights and the sweeping beams of the patrol soldiers’ flashlights remained.
Su Hongxia calculated the time carefully. After telling Lu Huaizhou she was going to Aunt Li’s house to return something, she skillfully climbed over the back wall of the courtyard.
Her movements were even more agile than before, landing silently on the ground.
Instead of heading straight to the abandoned factory outside the city, she circled toward the small grove behind the military compound where they had agreed to meet.
Tonight was the day she was supposed to deliver the mung bean cakes and Sachima to Old Li—the guard of the mysterious “chief’s wife.”
Moving through the dim forest, Su Hongxia carefully observed her surroundings.
After the last experience, she was even more cautious this time.
Black-market dealings were like dancing on a tightrope—one wrong step and everything could be ruined.
Soon she arrived beneath the large locust tree marked with a special sign.
But to her surprise, the place was silent tonight.
The familiar tall figure wasn’t there.
Old Li hadn’t come?
Su Hongxia’s heart sank with a thud, and a bad feeling rose inside her.
Had something happened? Or had the other side changed their mind?
The ten-yuan deposit she’d received wasn’t much, but losing such a stable “big customer” would be a serious blow to her newly started “business.”
She hugged the cloth bundle of pastries in her arms and waited patiently for more than ten minutes.
Just as she was about to give up and head to the black market instead, a faint engine sound drifted closer along the small road outside the woods.
Su Hongxia immediately tensed and slipped behind a thick tree.
Cars were rare in this era—especially out in the middle of nowhere late at night. Why would a car appear here?
In the sparse moonlight, she saw a black sedan slowly stop on the dirt road beside the woods.
The model… the imposing four round headlights… and the small red flag fluttering on the hood…
It was a Hongqi sedan.
Su Hongxia’s heartbeat sped up instantly.
Only provincial-level officials or higher were allowed to ride in those!
What was it doing here?
The car door opened. A middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit stepped out from the driver’s seat. His posture was straight and alert. After scanning the surroundings carefully, he respectfully opened the rear door.
A familiar figure stepped out of the car.
When Su Hongxia saw his face clearly, her pupils shrank and her whole body froze.
The man had graying hair and a shining general’s star on his shoulder. His face carried both authority and kindness.
It was none other than the highest leader of the military district—the same Chief Chen who had stood up to applaud her at the party and personally tasted her Wensi Tofu Soup.
Why was he here?
Su Hongxia’s mind raced. A bold idea—so unbelievable it shocked even her—suddenly flashed through her head.
Could it be… that the generous “chief’s wife” who bought her pastries at the black market was actually…
At that moment, Chief Chen spoke.
“Come out, young comrade. I know you’re here.”
His calm, steady voice echoed clearly through the quiet night.
Su Hongxia’s heart nearly jumped out of her throat.
She had been discovered.
Run? Where could she run? In front of the military district commander, escape was impossible.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
At this point, she could only take things one step at a time.
Clutching the cloth bundle in her arms, she walked out from behind the tree, lowering her head like a guilty child caught doing something wrong.
“H-Hello, Chief,” she greeted quietly.
Chief Chen looked at her, but there was none of the anger or sternness she had expected. Instead, there was a hint of amused curiosity in his eyes.
His gaze fell on the bundle in her arms.
“So,” he said with a chuckle, “surprised to see me?”
“N-No…” Su Hongxia lowered her head even further.
“You’re quite bold, young lady,” Chief Chen said, clasping his hands behind his back and slowly circling her as if examining an interesting treasure.
“Selling pastries on the black market—and even managing to sell them to my old lady. And now you’ve come to the military compound and started a little private kitchen, doing ‘custom cooking.’”
He smiled slightly.
“Tell me, how should I deal with you?”
His tone sounded reproachful, but the teasing in it was obvious.
Su Hongxia’s heart pounded faster.
He knew everything—from the black market to the beggar’s chicken.
Her mind spun wildly, searching for a solution.
Beg for mercy? Useless.
Play dumb? In front of someone as sharp as him, that would only make things worse.
In a flash, she made her decision.
She lifted her head and met Chief Chen’s gaze. The timid expression disappeared, replaced by determined honesty.
“Reporting to the Chief!” she said loudly, straightening her back.
“I’m not speculating or profiteering! I just want to use my cooking skills to give my husband a better life!
I want him to have enough to eat—meat on the table!
I don’t want to see him suffer like that anymore! I want him to know that the woman he married isn’t some useless fool who only eats and does nothing.
I’m someone who can support this family—someone who can give him a good life!”
The words were half truth, half exaggeration.
But her desire for Lu Huaizhou to live well—that part was real.
The smile slowly faded from Chief Chen’s face, replaced by a complicated expression tinged with admiration and emotion.
Looking at the thin young woman before him—with her stubborn, bright eyes—he was suddenly reminded of his own wife when she was young.
“What a statement—‘support this family,’” he murmured after a moment of silence.
“You’re impressive. Even more impressive than I imagined.”
He turned to the driver standing nearby—Old Li, whom Su Hongxia recognized.
“Old Li, give Comrade Xiao Su the things.”
“Yes, Chief.”
Old Li took out a bulging army-green canvas bag from the car and handed it to Su Hongxia.
When she took it, it felt heavy in her hands.
Chief Chen looked at her again, his tone much gentler.
“My wife—your ‘mother-in-law’ customer—has poor health. She loves the pastries you make. From now on, you don’t have to sneak around here anymore.”
He pulled a special pass from his pocket stamped with the logistics department’s official seal and handed it to her.
“From now on, every week Old Li will drive to your house to pick them up. If you need any special ingredients that are hard to buy, write them on a list and give it to him.
This is your pass. Even after lights-out in the compound, you can come and go freely with it.”
Holding the heavy pass in her hand, Su Hongxia was completely stunned.
So… she had been legitimized?
Not only was she not arrested for speculation, she had actually become a special supplier for the chief’s family—and even received a special pass?
The reversal came so suddenly it felt like a tornado.
“And one more thing,” Chief Chen said, pointing to the canvas bag.
“Inside is the payment for this batch of pastries, plus some gifts my wife prepared for you. Fabric for you and Lu Huaizhou, two packs of special-supply cigarettes, and two bottles of Maotai. That boy Lu Huaizhou likes those.”
Special-supply cigarettes.
Maotai liquor.
Su Hongxia felt like her heart couldn’t handle the string of surprises anymore.
“Girl, keep working hard,” Chief Chen said, patting her shoulder earnestly.
“And take good care of Huaizhou. He’s a good soldier. The country will never mistreat its heroes—or their families.”
With that, he turned and got back into the car.
The Hongqi sedan quietly turned around and soon disappeared into the night.
Su Hongxia stood there, holding the heavy canvas bag and clutching the pass, feeling like she was dreaming.
The biggest crisis had suddenly turned into her greatest opportunity—and backing.
She nearly jumped in excitement.
With Chief Chen supporting her, wouldn’t she be able to walk around the military compound without fear from now on?
Humming a little tune, she happily headed home.
She couldn’t wait to tell Lu Huaizhou the good news—and see the shocked look on his face when he saw the special cigarettes and Maotai.
But when she quietly climbed back over the wall into her courtyard and landed, she looked up—
—and met a pair of eyes shining frighteningly bright in the darkness.
Lu Huaizhou stood in the middle of the yard, leaning on his crutch, wearing only a thin shirt. No one knew how long he had been standing in the cold night wind.
His face was darker than the night itself.
Looking at her, he asked slowly, word by word:
“Where did you go?”