Wen Yan looked at Bai Shanshan suspiciously.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re a little scared?”
Bai Shanshan tilted her chin up, choosing to brazen it out so she wouldn’t lose face.
She scoffed, feigning nonchalance.
“Nonsense!
Why would I be scared of you?”
Since Bai Shanshan said so, Wen Yan took her at her word.
‘My professor always said not to get to the bottom of things unless it was for scientific research, and it just so happened I didn’t care anyway.’
“That’s great.
Comrade Bai, why don’t you apply for some funds for medicinal herbs?”
Bai Shanshan frowned.
“Medicinal herbs?
You know how to treat illnesses?”
Wen Yan shook her head honestly.
“Nope!”
Bai Shanshan: “…”
‘You can’t, but you said it with such an air of pride?’
Wen Yan briefly explained her plan to make a medicinal soak for frostbite, adding that they would have to go to the city to buy the large quantity of herbs required.
Large-scale purchases couldn’t be made by private individuals.
They had to go through their work unit’s letter of introduction and make the purchase under the banner of a collective procurement.
And procurement required money.
‘However, based on my experience applying for funding in my past life, they’ll certainly refuse at first.’
Wen Yan decided to give it a shot.
‘What if it actually works?’
Without waiting for Bai Shanshan’s reply, she started walking ahead.
“Let’s go apply right now.”
Bai Shanshan had been about to mock Wen Yan for messing with medicine she didn’t understand.
But on second thought, if Wen Yan made a fool of herself…
that wouldn’t be so bad.
Harboring this ulterior motive, Bai Shanshan kept her mouth shut.
She even started running, now more eager than Wen Yan.
The two of them first went to the logistics department, where Captain Zhu and several young soldiers were already hard at work, tools clanging.
Wen Yan did a quick circuit, correcting a few mistakes.
“Captain Zhu, you all get familiar with the Type One plow first.
I have to go run an errand.”
Captain Zhu looked up from his work.
“Sure.
Where are you headed?”
Wen Yan didn’t hide it.
“I’m going to ask Li Tuan for some money.”
With that, she was already gone.
Captain Zhu muttered, “Asking Li Tuan for money?
That’s like trying to get blood from a stone.”
It was common knowledge that their team would split a single cent eight ways if they could.
If Bai Shanshan hadn’t thrown a massive tantrum and cried a whole mugful of tears yesterday, it was uncertain if Wen Yan would have gotten her salary at all.
Wen Yan and Bai Shanshan managed to corner Li Tuan.
The moment Li Tuan saw Bai Shanshan, his head and eyes started to ache.
And with Wen Yan, the root of the problem, standing right there, he executed a silky-smooth turn and tried to bolt.
“Li Tuan!”
Wen Yan ran over to block his path with Bai Shanshan right behind her.
Li Tuan did his best to look stern and imposing.
“No way!
The salary isn’t going any higher!”
Wen Yan: “Huh?”
Bai Shanshan flinched, terrified that Li Tuan would recount the embarrassing story of how she’d begged for the money yesterday.
She dashed over with all the speed she could muster, placing herself as a shield between Wen Yan and Li Tuan.
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing!
Li Tuan, Comrade Wen has something else to discuss with you.”
Hearing it was about something else, Li Tuan breathed a sigh of relief.
‘As long as it’s not about money, anything is fine.’
He even managed a small smile, casually pushing Bai Shanshan aside to ask amiably, “Comrade Wen, what can I do for you?”
Wen Yan keenly sensed that Li Tuan and Bai Shanshan were hiding something, but she had always been someone who only cared about the results.
The process was unimportant.
“Li Tuan, I’d like to apply for funding for a batch of medicinal herbs.”
The amiable smile on Li Tuan’s face instantly shattered.
‘Damn it, this is still about money!’
‘Funding?’
‘That sounds expensive!’
“Ouch…
My stomach suddenly hurts.
You two, just wait here.”
Li Tuan made a run for it, faking a stomachache.
But his steps were incredibly smooth and fluid.
Bai Shanshan snickered, enjoying the sight of Wen Yan getting shut down.
But before her smile could even fully form, Wen Yan grabbed her, pulling her off balance.
“Whoa, Wen Yan, what are you doing?!”
“We’re going after him!
To get money, you have to be shameless and persistent!”
Clearly, Wen Yan was very experienced in this.
Li Group Leader, fleeing up ahead, soon discovered that Wen Yan was dragging Bai Shanshan along as she chased him down.
In the end, Li Tuan actually hid in the latrine.
But Wen Yan stubbornly refused to leave and instead started her report right outside the door.
“Li Tuan, you didn’t hear the reasons for my request earlier.
I’ll state them for you now, and Bai Shanshan will submit a written report to you later.”
As she spoke, Wen Yan shoved a notebook and pen into Bai Shanshan’s hands.
“Take good notes.
Organize them into a formal document afterward.”
Bai Shanshan was completely dumbfounded.
‘I thought crying my eyes out for my salary yesterday was the most humiliating thing ever,’ she thought.
‘But I guess there’s always someone who can top you.’
‘Who corners someone in the latrine and forces them to listen to a report?!’
She wanted to cover her face, but at the same time, she was afraid Wen Yan would look down on her.
‘If Wen Yan dares to do this, what do I have to be afraid of???’
“Excuse me, excuse me, I thought this was the men’s…
oh, it *is* the men’s latrine?”
A soldier walked over, and his arrival scared away all the mental fortitude Bai Shanshan had just mustered.
She covered her face with her notebook, once again regretting that she’d boarded Wen Yan’s pirate ship.
As for Wen Yan?
Completely unaffected, she moved aside, taking a few polite steps back.
“We’re waiting for Li Tuan to give him our report.”
Hearing this, the young soldier said enthusiastically, “It must be very important work!
I’ll give him a shout for you.”
The young soldier went inside, and a roar quickly erupted from the latrine: “Get the hell out!
Go on and contribute your fertilizer!”
Li Tuan emerged, his face as black as thunder.
「A few minutes later, in Li Tuan’s office.」
Wen Yan finished explaining her reasons for applying for the funds.
“Absolutely not!
I can’t spend that much money just for you to run an experiment.
What if it doesn’t work?
Then we’ll have wasted money on all those herbs!”
Li Tuan wanted to cure the soldiers’ frostbite as much as anyone—he had it himself.
But they had already tried plenty of folk remedies, and not a single one had ever worked.
The root cause was the extreme cold, which was impossible to guard against.
Wen Yan didn’t get angry at the rejection.
Instead, she seized on the loophole in his argument.
“Does that mean if I can prove my formula is effective, you’ll approve the funding for the herbs, Li Tuan?”
Li Tuan wanted to say no, but he was afraid Wen Yan would corner him at the latrine again.
He had a sinking feeling she was perfectly capable of it.
“That’s right!”
A small, triumphant smile appeared on Wen Yan’s face, the look of someone whose plan had succeeded.
“In that case, could I trouble you to write a letter of introduction for Bai Shanshan and me, Li Tuan?
We need to go to the city to purchase medicinal herbs.
I’ll use my own money to buy a small batch and show you the results when we get back.”
「Half an hour later.」
Bai Shanshan sat on the sled, frozen to the bone.
She stared up at the sky.
‘What on earth did I get myself into?’
The person driving the sled was none other than Xiao Zhao.
In the Reclamation Team, he was in charge of driving the sled and relaying messages.
Wen Yan, also sitting on the sled, had once again bundled herself up tightly.
‘You have to treat yourself well.’ This was a lesson she’d learned after working herself to death in her previous life.
Xiao Zhao cracked the whip, but his smile was a little strained.
‘He used to firmly be in the “hate Wen Yan” camp, but now he wasn’t so sure.’
‘Not only was he unsure, but he was also plagued by a nagging curiosity: What on earth was the conflict between Jiang Yingzhang and Comrade Wen?
Why did Comrade Wen send so many telegrams demanding a divorce?
What kind of bizarre, dramatic story had unfolded between them?’
‘He didn’t have many hobbies in life, other than “listening to stories.” He wanted to ask, but he was afraid Jiang Yingzhang would beat him up.
Maybe he should ask Comrade Wen?’
“Is the sled working all right?”
“It’s great!
Works great!
Really easy to drive!”
Wen Yan nodded.
“Good.”
She was relieved.
Xiao Zhao’s worried expression had nothing to do with the sled; he must have something else on his mind.
「Over three hours later, they finally arrived in the city.」
Xiao Zhao stopped the sled.
“I can’t take the sled any further in.
I’ll wait for you two here.”
Wen Yan agreed and got off.
Bai Shanshan, so cold she was questioning all her life choices, shakily climbed down, her teeth chattering.
Seeing her state, Wen Yan offered some comfort.
“Don’t worry, I have the medicinal soak.
You’ll be the first one to use it.
I definitely won’t let you get frostbite.”