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

The two sat down at the dining table, and Zhou Zhonghai said seriously, "Jin Tao, Xia Lei is about to be promoted to Minister of Agriculture."

"Ah, you've been promoted to vice governor?" Zhao Jintao was overjoyed.

"You're Xia Lei's apprentice, so you'll have to help him a lot with the Ministry of Agriculture's affairs in the future. For example, you've been to Shanghai and Guangdong once, so you should go with him when you deliver goods and build a good relationship with the purchasing department."

"yes!"

"This sales channel absolutely cannot be cut off. This year it's potatoes and soybeans, and next year there will be countless agricultural products. Growing crops isn't the hardest part; the hard part is selling them and turning them into money. Xia Lei is a rigid person who only knows how to get things done; you need to pay more attention to sales."

"Yes, Uncle Zhou, don't worry, I will do my best to help Director Xia whenever he needs me."

"Thanks a lot."

"It's not hard work. You're doing this to train me. Many people want this opportunity but don't get it."

"I am very gratified to see you and Fenglin gradually overcome your difficulties."

Thank you, I'm sorry to have worried you.

As they were talking, Fenglin returned carrying a bag of groceries. Upon seeing Zhou Zhonghai, she put down the groceries and hurriedly said, "Uncle Zhou, please eat at home. I went to buy groceries."

Zhou Zhonghai smiled kindly: "Didn't you buy groceries?"

"No, I'll go buy some more, Uncle Zhou, you must stay for dinner."

"Okay, stay for dinner."

Zhou Zhonghai readily agreed, and Feng Lin quickly went to buy more groceries.

"Fenglin is an honest person. He may seem carefree, but he is actually very thoughtful."

"It's my fault for not protecting her properly, causing her so much suffering."

"Fate always likes to torment people."

Fenglin rushed to the vegetable store, but it was almost closing time and there was no meat left to buy.

Uncle Zhou is here, but we can't buy any meat, only some vegetables and eggs. What should we do?

"Comrade, is there no meat left?"

Feng Lin confirmed several times, but the sales clerk said impatiently, "We're about to close, where would we find any meat? Come back first thing tomorrow morning."

"There's no meat left, what should we do? Comrade, do you see if there's any meat left?"

Feng Lin held the meat coupons and money, tears streaming down his face.

"Hey comrade, meat is rationed. If we're out today, we'll come back tomorrow. What are you crying about?"

The sales clerk was so angry she almost laughed. It was the first time she'd ever seen someone cry because they couldn't buy meat.

"Uncle Zhou is my savior. I need to buy meat, but Uncle Zhou might not come tomorrow."

Feng Lin's incoherent explanation didn't care whether the sales clerk understood Uncle Zhou's importance.

"You must have an important guest suddenly arriving at your home?" the sales clerk asked, frowning.

"He's not an important guest, he's my savior. If it weren't for Uncle Zhou, I would have died long ago. Comrade, do you see if there's any meat left?"

Feng Lin burst into tears. If Uncle Zhou couldn't get any meat, she would feel so guilty that she couldn't sleep all night.

"Well... comrade, seeing how sincere you are, how about this, I kept a pound of braised pork for myself to take home and eat, but I'll give it to you."

The sales clerk was moved by Feng Lin.

"Okay, comrade, thank you. I have a ticket for sex and money."

Feng Lin burst into tears of joy and took out the meat ration coupons and money.

"Half a pound of meat coupons, seven cents. Come earlier next time you want to buy meat; you're lucky today."

"Yes, thank you, comrade, thank you."

Fenglin paid the money, picked up the fine pork belly, and bowed to the salesperson.

Uncle Zhou was Fenglin's benefactor. She had limited ability and could not offer anything better in return, but this pound of braised pork was all she could manage.

Wiping away her tears, she rushed home. She wanted to make stir-fried pork belly with chili peppers and stewed pork belly with vermicelli, so that Uncle Zhou would eat his fill and have a good meal.

Zhou Zhonghai ate his fill and was very satisfied, praising repeatedly: "Besides Qiaoqiao, Fenglin's cooking is the best."

When it comes to cooking skills, Fenglin is much better than Qiaoqiao, but that's because Commander Zhou is so protective of his own.

"Uncle Zhou, I'll make it for you again next time you come."

Fenglin didn't eat a single piece of meat, but she smiled even more happily than if she had eaten a bowl of meat.

"Fenglin, thank you. Uncle Zhou is going to stay in Huailin for a while. You and Jintao take good care of yourselves. When you have time off, go to Huailin for a few days. I'll have Xiao Gu pick you up and drop you off."

"Okay, Uncle Zhou, once I learn how to sew, I'll go see Qiaoqiao and Aunt Luo."

"Okay, I'm going back now."

Zhao Jintao escorted Zhou Zhonghai downstairs, and the two talked for a while before going home.

Back home, Fenglin hummed a little tune as she cleaned and set the table.

"What's making you so happy?" Zhao Jintao asked with a smile.

"I was lucky. There was no meat left to buy, but the saleswoman kindly gave me hers. Uncle Zhou said my pork belly was delicious, so I was happy," Fenglin said excitedly.

"Fenglin, you're so kind."

Zhao Jintao was somewhat moved. Feng Lin was repaying Uncle Zhou's life-saving grace in his own simple way.

"Jin Tao, let me tell you, today in the workshop I saw a lot of loose fabric scraps being sold by weight to the scrap collector. I'm thinking of buying them and piecing them together to make handkerchiefs and towels. The colors are all mixed up and not very nice, but they're all pure cotton."

Zhao Jintao was very supportive: "Sure, you can make mops and rags too."

"Such good fabric, used for a mop? Isn't that a waste?"

"Then make me some underwear, so I can wear it underneath and nobody can see it. It'll be comfortable made of pure cotton."

Feng Lin couldn't help but burst into laughter: "You don't mind that your underwear is all red and green?"

"I don't mind, I like everything you make."

"I'll really go buy some. It's five cents a pound, I'll buy three pounds. We have a sewing machine at home, so I can practice my skills."

"Buy a few more pounds, three pounds is too little."

"Then I'll buy five jin."

"Okay, I'll buy five jin."

"Jin Tao, do you know what? I feel so happy, so very happy."

"Fenglin, I feel so happy too."

Two young people who had endured many hardships found solace in each other, their steadfast love weathering all storms as they lived a happy life together.

The next day, Fenglin approached the squad leader: "Squad leader, I want to buy some scraps of cloth."

The class monitor's name is Hao Jianying, and she is a straightforward and outgoing person.

"Make mops? Take a pound home, they're not worth much anyway."

"No, no, class monitor, I'll buy it, I want to buy five jin."

"Why do you need so many?"

"I... I'm not very good at it yet, so I want to buy some scraps of fabric to practice with."

Do you have a sewing machine at home?

These days, not many families have a sewing machine at home.

"Yes, my husband brought me one when he went to Shanghai on a business trip. I've been learning for over a month, but I'm still not very proficient. I'm far behind my master. I'll practice more at home."

Feng Lin lowered her head shyly, feeling incredibly proud.

Jin Tao was thinking of her; he brought her a sewing machine from so far away.

"Your husband is so good, and you're ambitious too. Let me pick out some for you, five pounds of fabric, a larger and prettier one. Come pick it up after get off work tonight, give the money to the workshop accountant, and you can only leave the factory after you get the receipt."

"Yes, thank you, class monitor."

"What's there to thank for some scraps of cloth?"

Actually, these scraps of cloth are quite nice. The workers would occasionally take some back to sew a cloth bag, insole, or handkerchief. It's just that they don't have sewing machines at home, so the stitches are not nice and are very rough.