Tang Jin searched according to her memory and found the only ten yuan left in the drawer.
The Reform and Opening-up had been underway for several years already, and in many big cities shopping no longer required various ration coupons.
She put on the only outfit she had left—a red top with green pants. It was incredibly tacky, but she had no other choice.
Then she took the shuttle bus into the city. Since the military compound was located in the suburbs, the army provided buses every day so that the military wives in the family quarters could go shopping.
Everyone on the bus knew each other. The wives chatted noisily and enthusiastically, while Tang Jin seemed like an outsider. No one spoke to her, and she didn’t say anything either.
These people would have to be won over one by one, she thought. There are too many people today. Forget it. The fact that the original owner isn’t causing trouble is already a big improvement in their eyes.
Tang Jin turned her head toward the window. The lively chatter in the bus seemed to have nothing to do with her as she quietly admired the scenery outside.
“Ah! Sister-in-law, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me!” Chen Lili suddenly screamed.
Her shout alarmed everyone on the bus, and they all looked toward the woman who had suddenly collapsed onto the floor.
It was Guo Suna, the wife of Division Commander Lu. She was plump and fair-skinned. Just a moment ago she had been chatting happily with Chen Lili, but now she had suddenly slipped off her seat.
She was already unconscious.
“Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law! Wake up!”
“Hurry, take her to the hospital!”
Everyone started talking at once, and the atmosphere in the bus suddenly became tense.
Tang Jin hurriedly stood up from her seat, squeezed through the crowd, and walked toward the commander’s wife lying on the floor.
“Everyone, please move back a little and keep the air flowing. Open the windows quickly!”
As she spoke, she crouched down and knelt on both knees. She felt for the woman’s breathing.
There was none.
Cardiac arrest.
This kind of situation was likely caused by a heart attack, so CPR had to be performed immediately.
Tang Jin placed both hands over Guo Suna’s chest and began rapid compressions.
Everyone on the bus was stunned when they saw what Tang Jin was doing.
Chen Lili quickly reacted and shouted,“Tang Jin, are you crazy? What are you doing messing around like that?!”
“Yeah, Tang Jin! This is someone’s life at stake. This isn’t the time for your nonsense!”
“Captain Mu’s wife, let go! If you kill someone, you’ll go to jail!”
The whole bus began criticizing her.
Tang Jin had no time to respond. She continued pressing down again and again.
Sweat ran down her forehead into her large eyes, slid across her fair cheeks, and down her slender neck, soaking into her bright red floral shirt.
She didn’t care at all.
She didn’t even have time to wipe the sweat from her eyes. She could only blink her long eyelashes repeatedly to push it away.
Her compressions never stopped.
She also performed several rounds of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
After a few minutes, Guo Suna finally began to regain consciousness.
When she saw that Tang Jin had saved her, her face was filled with gratitude.
The others stopped scolding Tang Jin. Instead, they looked at her in shock.
Is this really that troublemaker Tang Jin?When did she learn medicine?
Seeing Guo Suna wake up, Tang Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the floor.
“Phew… I’m exhausted.”
After wiping the sweat from her forehead, she hurriedly said to the driver,
“Driver, please take the bus to the People’s Hospital. Sister-in-law may have had a heart attack. She still needs to be checked by a doctor.”
“O-Okay,” the driver replied, now seeing Tang Jin in a completely new light. If the division commander’s wife had died on his bus, he might have been held responsible.
Tang Jin and a few other wives escorted Guo Suna to the hospital. They busied themselves helping until Division Commander Lu arrived.
Only then did everyone relax.
When Lu Wensheng learned that it was Mu Heng’s wife who had saved his own wife, he was quite surprised.
Just a few days earlier, Mu Heng had submitted a divorce application.
Two days ago, Tang Jin had even jumped from a building, making a huge scene.
Later he heard she had lost her memory.
And now after losing her memory, she even knew medical skills?
“Comrade Xiao Tang, did you study medicine before?” Lu Wensheng asked.
He was thinking that if Mu Heng’s wife really knew medicine, he could arrange a job for her at the military clinic.
That way she wouldn’t cause trouble in the compound anymore. Mu Heng was a promising young officer personally trained by him, and his deputy battalion commander position would soon become permanent. It would be a shame if his future were ruined by family problems.
“Reporting to the leader, I never studied medicine. I just read some first-aid knowledge in books before,” Tang Jin replied calmly.
“You’re quite talented then. Would you like to continue studying? I can arrange for you to work at the military clinic and learn from Doctor Pang.”
Lu Wensheng wanted to give the young woman a chance. It would both thank her for saving his wife and give her a stable job.
The other wives were extremely envious when they heard this.
It was a great job—eighty yuan a month and an official position.
It was indeed a good opportunity.
But what Tang Jin wanted could never be satisfied by a few dozen yuan a month.
Besides, she had no interest in studying medicine.
“Thank you, leader, but I have other plans for the future. For now, I don’t want to study medicine,” Tang Jin said politely with a smile.
The other wives thought she was crazy for refusing such a good opportunity.
But then again, it did match her personality—lazy and unwilling to work hard. The clinic required night shifts, which could be tiring.
Lu Wensheng hadn’t expected Tang Jin to refuse.
But since she said she had her own plans, he couldn’t force her. In the end, he simply told her to think it over and come find him if she changed her mind.
Tang Jin thanked him, confirmed that Sister-in-law Suna was no longer in danger, and then hurriedly left.
The People’s Hospital was located in the city center, a very bustling area.
Tang Jin soon found a private barbershop and told the owner what she wanted.
In the end, not only did she get the haircut for free, she even sold her braid for twenty yuan.
As soon as the hair was cut, Tang Jin instantly felt her head become much lighter.
Standing in front of the mirror, she admired her shoulder-length hair with satisfaction.
Since it was very hot, she casually tied it into a high ponytail.
Instantly she looked like a youthful teenage girl again.
Well, she was only nineteen—any hairstyle suited her.
The middle-aged lady in the barbershop kept staring at Tang Jin.
This girl is so pretty, she thought. She just cut her hair casually and it looks this good? She’s amazing!
After leaving the barbershop, Tang Jin wandered into the department store.
Compared with the prosperous malls of her previous life, the department store of this era was much simpler. The clothes and fabrics didn’t have many styles or colors.
After browsing for a long time, Tang Jin chose several fabrics: white, a gradient color, and light green with small floral patterns.
These were enough to make more than ten outfits.
She also bought two sets of underwear, as well as pencils, drawing paper, a ruler, and scissors.
Finally, she bought rice, flour, oil, seasonings, and vegetables.
By the time she returned, Tang Jin was carrying two large bags full of things, and she only had two yuan left.
When she got home, Mu Heng hadn’t returned yet, so she quickly washed her hands and started cooking.
She took out the ingredients she had just bought, made a pot of millet porridge, and began kneading dough.
She planned to make scallion pancakes.
Half the dough was mixed with hot water, half with cold water. Soon she finished kneading it, divided it into small portions, rolled them flat, brushed them with oil, sprinkled salt and chopped scallions, and twisted them back together.
While the dough rested, she also prepared a cold cucumber salad.
As Mu Heng approached the house, he smelled a delicious aroma.
He thought it must be coming from Old Shen’s house across the hall—Shen Jianjun’s wife was famous for being an excellent cook.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have that kind of luck.
The wife he married was nothing but trouble, completely unfit for family life.
But when he opened the door, the smell became even stronger.
Two bowls of millet porridge and a plate of cucumber salad were already placed on the coffee table.
Just then, Tang Jin walked out of the kitchen carrying a plate of scallion pancakes.
When she saw Mu Heng, she immediately smiled.
“You’re back. The pancakes were just finished. Go wash your hands and eat while they’re hot.”
Mu Heng once again felt like he had walked into the wrong house.
This strange feeling left him standing there in a daze for quite a while.
This woman… actually knew how to cook.