I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

That's all for this morning. Time to go back to the guesthouse and be with my wife.

Luo Meiyun cleaned the room spotlessly; it had a stove and heating pipes, making it warmer than the small villa.

Early in the morning, the guesthouse staff delivered hot water and breakfast, which was even more convenient than being at home.

"Miyun, I'm back."

"Don't you have a key? Just open it yourself," Luo Meiyun said, opening the door and scolding.

"When an old woman is home, why should she open the door herself?" Zhou Zhonghai said with a grin, taking off his military-style short cotton-padded jacket.

"Did you get the money?" Luo Meiyun poured Zhou Zhonghai a cup of hot tea.

"Feng Shiguang agreed, but the Ministry of Finance still needs to approve. They're all old foxes, but don't worry, 100,000 yuan is no problem." Zhou Zhonghai took a sip of water and comfortably lay down on the sofa in the living room.

"Trying to cheat even with 100,000 yuan?"

"We're poor. The country is emphasizing education and agricultural reform these days, but there haven't been any official documents issued. They're just dragging their feet. Xiao Gu said that last year, even getting 10,000 yuan was difficult for the Minister of Agriculture. The old leader put me in this position because it's not a good job. Do you really think he's letting me enjoy a life of luxury?"

"It seems that agriculture is really about to undergo a major transformation. Do you think I don't know Commander Pu? If we want to make sweeping changes, we must put our own people in key positions."

"Oh, my Meiyun is a politician too. She sees things more clearly than I do." Zhou Zhonghai looked at Luo Meiyun with a grin.

"How old are you? Still being so cheeky. Work is work, and health is health. Don't overwork yourself. I'll come see you whenever I have time," Luo Meiyun said reproachfully.

"I'm good at fighting wars, and I'm good at construction. Just wait, Meiyun, when we go back to Dashui Village for the New Year this year, it will definitely have a completely new look."

Dashui Village is considered pretty good; ten work points are worth 35 cents. I've heard that in some villages, ten work points are worth less than 10 cents. Tell me, how do farmers survive?

Today Qiu Zhongyou told me that some local team leaders have taken action and secretly distributed land to households. When I go down to inspect, all these team leaders who dare to act and take responsibility will be given important positions. Those who wrote complaint letters, they've all been withdrawn.”

Zhou Zhonghai grew angrier as he spoke, and Luo Meiyun quickly said, "Look at you, still with the same temper. The rear is not a battlefield, it's much more complicated. You have to proceed step by step, you can't get fat in one bite. Your body is already damaged, don't make it worse by developing high blood pressure."

"Yes, old woman is right. I'm so angry! The farmers are suffering so much, and they're not even given a way to make a living. I'll go to the provincial agricultural university tomorrow."

"Where are you going? School hasn't started yet."

"I've heard that the Agricultural University Research Institute has some good stuff. Since I promised Fu Sanjun, I have to get all the superior wheat, corn, and potato seeds, as well as Angora rabbits and pigs, to Tonggang County."

"Go ahead and ransack their homes. Agricultural universities and research institutes need to eat too. You need to get the money first."

"I'll go take a look around first."

"You love everything about Qiaoqiao, you want to send all the good things to her house," Luo Meiyun laughed.

"Of course, I'm not a god. Who doesn't have selfish motives? I have to make sure my in-laws walk around the village with their noses in the air."

"Can you walk with your nostrils pointing upwards? Aren't you afraid of falling?"

"Even if they fall, they'll be on their feet. Qiaoqiao has suffered so much. Wenhui has matured too. It should be a happy thing, so why do I feel a little sad? If I hadn't woken up, would they still have been bullied?"

"Wenhui writes books and gives speeches everywhere to make money, and Qiaoqiao got into university. I think they're doing just fine without us two old folks. Qiaoqiao said they've saved almost 10,000 yuan. She wanted to give me some to send to Wenjing to pay off his debts, but I refused. How could I use my child's money to pay off debts?" Luo Meiyun said with eyes full of relief.

"It seems that being in a coma for a year was a good thing after all."

"What good news? Don't talk nonsense. You have to feel sorry for me. You sleep soundly and feel so healthy, while I can't sleep at all."

"Meiyun, thank you for your hard work."

Two hands clasped together signify husband and wife, comrades, and fellow soldiers.

With nothing to do in the afternoon, Zhou Zhonghai and Luo Meiyun went to the supply and marketing cooperative.

The supply and marketing cooperative in the provincial capital is huge, and it has a wide variety of daily necessities, including a pressure cooker.

"Comrade, how much does a pressure cooker cost?"

"22 centimeters, fifty yuan each, and you need a receipt." The sales clerk in the provincial capital was much more professional, answering with a smile.

"Tickets? Where can I get tickets?"

I regretted asking as soon as I did; supplies were so scarce, and tickets were hard to come by.

The salesperson replied sincerely, "The provincial capital distributes one thousand tickets a year. You need to contact the labor union; if you meet the requirements, you can get one ticket."

Luo Meiyun reluctantly withdrew her gaze. A thousand votes, distributed among so many units, the Ministry of Agriculture would be lucky to get one or two.

Zhou Zhonghai was just transferred here. Even if there were any, they should be given to the older comrades first, right?

Never mind, never mind, let's talk about it later.

"You want it?" Zhou Zhonghai asked.

"No, don't bribe someone for a pressure cooker."

"Why bribe me? I'll go ask Feng Shiguang for it. A provincial governor like you, surely you don't even have a pressure cooker voucher?"

"You've just arrived; it's not good to ask for these now, it will create a bad impression."

Zhou Zhonghai stopped talking, having already made up his mind to go to Feng Shiguang tomorrow to ask for it.

Luo Meiyun went to the clothing section, where there were so many spring coats that it was dazzling.

"Qiaoqiao will be starting school soon, so I'll buy her two coats, and Wenhui will need two too."

Looking at Zhou Zhonghai, she said, "Wenhui, let's not buy any more. I'll buy two for you and two for Qiaoqiao."

"I don't want it, buy it for Wenhui."

"What do you know? You're a minister, you can't dress so shabbily. You're no longer a soldier, it's inappropriate for you to wear a military uniform anymore."

"Then...then I'm not going to wear this nice military-style cotton-padded coat anymore?"

"You don't need to wear it anymore. Give it to the neighbors in Dashui Village. I'll buy you a wool coat, which is as good as a cotton-padded jacket."

Luo Meiyun made up her mind that she could dress more simply, but the minister couldn't dress too simply.

"How about this, wear a woolen overcoat for important occasions, and wear a military cotton-padded jacket for everyday wear. I'm used to it, and the military cotton-padded jacket is comfortable to wear."

"you……"

"In two months, I'll be going to work at the grassroots level. What would I look like wearing a woolen overcoat? A tattered cotton-padded jacket would be more comfortable and approachable."

"You, whatever you want..."

"Buy it for Qiaoqiao. Look at that floral cotton-padded jacket, it's so pretty. Qiaoqiao is a young girl, and a college student, so she should dress presentably. Hey, Meiyun, that blue one looks good on you. There aren't any clothes this nice in Huailin City, you should buy one."

"I'm not buying any more. Where would I get so many cloth coupons? The cotton-padded coat won't last long. Let's buy Qiaoqiao two floral jackets instead."

"Okay, whatever you say, hehe..."

Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice; even if you have money, you can't buy anything without cloth coupons.

I picked out a black woolen coat for Zhou Zhonghai, bought two coats for Qiaoqiao, and with the remaining fabric coupons, I could only buy Xiaowei a pure cotton drool towel.

I spent it all at once. I'll wait until next year when I have cloth coupons to buy more.

Cloth coupons were issued once a year. Luo Meiyun's family was considered lucky. For ordinary families, each person received six feet of cloth coupons and one jin of cotton coupons per year. Six feet of cloth could only make one adult shirt.