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

The cabbages grew quickly, and Qiaoqiao transplanted them into the last patch of empty land. There were still many seedlings left. She pulled them out, washed them clean, and found them to be a vibrant green, which was very pleasing to the eye.

The two of them ate one bowl at noon and one bowl at night, until Zhou Wenhui felt like vomiting at the sight of cabbage.

We can't waste it, let's give it away.

The logistics department does need green vegetables, but the canteen needs a lot of cabbage. Her little bit isn't even enough to fill a tooth gap.

If I give it to my neighbor, I don't know them on the left or right. What if they don't want it if I just show up at their door?

After thinking about it, Qiaoqiao decided to send some to Lin Jie's family.

Delivering the vegetables was secondary; what I really wanted to do was get to know Han Dan, who had a similar experience to mine.

Before going, Qiaoqiao consulted Zhou Wenhui, who said, "You must be quite lonely in the military compound. It would be good to have a friend. Lin Jie is also a good man. You both live in the same compound, but you don't know each other."

Qiaoqiao felt a little lonely listening to Zhou Wenhui's casual remark. In fact, she wasn't the only one without friends and a social life; Zhou Wenhui was the same.

"I am Zhou Wenhui. I have some pickled fish tails, pork belly, and tofu at home. How about we invite Mr. and Mrs. Lin Jie for dinner?"

Qiaoqiao stole a glance at Zhou Wenhui. Inviting someone to dinner was a big deal. Every household had a limited amount of meat coupons, and one meal would consume a week's worth. Qiaoqiao dared not make the decision on her own.

"Will he come?" Zhou Wenhui never worried about food and drink at home, but he was worried that Lin Jie would refuse.

"Probably, right? You're all comrades-in-arms from the same battlefield. Why don't you get together for a drink and a chat?" Qiaoqiao countered.

"Well, you can give it a try," Zhou Wenhui thought to himself. He wouldn't go to dinner if someone invited him.

"Okay, I'll go right now. Do you need to use the restroom?"

"No need, just go and come back quickly."

"OK."

Carrying a basket of bok choy, Qiaoqiao went out.

Military family compounds have separate courtyards as well as multi-story buildings.

Houses with separate courtyards were for officers at the regimental level and above, while apartment buildings housed officers below the regimental level.

Ordinary soldiers lived in tenement buildings, where each floor shared a single toilet.

The house was quiet; I wondered if anyone was home.

I knocked on the door once, then twice, but there was no response. Maybe they'd gone to work.

Qiaoqiao was a little disappointed and was about to turn around when the door opened, revealing a thin woman.

"Hello, I'm Yang Qiao from the courtyard in front, oh, Zhou Wenhui's family. You must be Han Dan?"

Qiaoqiao introduced herself in a flustered manner. She should have been Zhou Wenhui's wife, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. She and Zhou Wenhui were as polite as brothers.

"Zhou Wenhui's house? Is there something you need?" It's clear that Han Dan isn't familiar with the people in the compound either.

"My family grows a lot of cabbages, we can't eat them all, so I'll give you some, you..."

Qiaoqiao smiled sheepishly, feeling a little awkward about delivering cabbages to someone's door.

Han Dan glanced into the room, unsure whether she should accept the gift.

A man in military uniform came out of the inner room, looked at Qiaoqiao, and asked, "Are you Zhou Wenhui's wife?"

Qiaoqiao blushed and nodded.

"Come in quickly, come in quickly, Han Dan, what's wrong with you? We have a guest, why aren't you welcoming him in?"

Han Dan hurriedly took the basket of cabbages and said, "Please come in, please come in."

The room was clean and tidy.

"How is Zhou Wenhui?" Lin Jie sat down on a small stool at the coffee table. He was completely different from Zhou Wenhui; he was tall and imposing with a dark complexion, clearly a soldier.

However, his left hand was empty.

"I heard from Wenhui that Lin Yingxiong went to the front line three years earlier than him."

"Yes, batches of soldiers have been going to support the front lines one after another. It's been five years, and the war is still not over," Lin Jie sighed with a smile.

Han Dan brewed some tea and brought it over, then stood behind Lin Jie, appearing very cautious.

Qiaoqiao felt a lump in her throat. Just like when she first entered the Zhou family, Han Dan was facing the cold and aloof Zhou Wenhui, but she didn't know what to do or say.

"Han Dan, come, sit down," Qiao Qiao called out enthusiastically, patting the empty space on the sofa.

Han Dan sat timidly next to Qiao Qiao.

"My name is Yang Qiao, my family calls me Qiaoqiao, I'm twenty years old, how old are you?"

"I'm twenty-two."

"Then I have to call you 'sister,' Sister Han," Qiaoqiao said with a sweet smile.

Han Dan rubbed his hands together and smiled, looking very awkward.

"Lin Yingxiong, my son Zhou Wenhui has barely left the house since he was injured, and he's been very depressed. I'd like to invite you to our home for dinner, and I'd also like to ask Lin Yingxiong to give him some advice," Qiaoqiao said sincerely.

Lin Jie agreed without hesitation: "Sure, what a fine young man. Losing both legs must be hard to accept. Don't laugh at me, but when I first found out I'd lost a hand, I went crazy and even contemplated suicide."

Only those who have had similar experiences can truly empathize.

"Then it's settled. Lin Yingxiong and Sister Han will be coming to my house for dinner tonight. I need to go back and tell Zhou Wenhui the good news, so I won't bother you any longer."

Qiaoqiao stood up happily, and Han Dan quickly went to the kitchen to get a shopping basket: "Qiaoqiao, thank you."

"Hey, what are you thanking me for a little cabbage? I also have green beans, eggplants, and peppers in my yard. My parents aren't home, it's just the two of us, we can't possibly finish them all. I'll bring you more in the future, so don't complain."

Qiaoqiao's lively personality made Han Dan laugh as well.

As Qiaoqiao stepped out of room 101, she breathed a sigh of relief. The first meeting had been quite pleasant.

But why is Han Dan so thin?

Her family of two had a total of six jin of meat coupons, and they also had many more vegetable coupons than ordinary workers, so they weren't going hungry.

I remembered what the logistics soldier said: Lin Jie was stingy and would even hit people, but when I saw Han Dan today, there were no injuries on her face.

Like herself, she was in a marriage of convenience, and only she knew the bitterness within it.

Back home, Zhou Wenhui asked unhurriedly, "Did Lin Jie agree?"

"I agreed, you'll come over for dinner tonight. Besides fish tail, braised pork, and fried tofu, you also need to stir-fry some cabbage. Oh, and make an egg drop soup too. Five dishes, is that enough?" Qiaoqiao asked tentatively.

"Is that enough? If not, go to the cafeteria and get two more dishes."

"The cafeteria food is just ordinary, and it's not as good as what I cook. I've calculated it, and if I cook at home, I can save more than half a month's worth of coal."

Two meat dishes and one vegetable dish at the cafeteria cost one yuan, plus ten cents for rice. One meal costs one yuan and one jiao, two meals cost two yuan and two jiao, plus fifty cents for breakfast, that's two yuan and seven jiao a day, and eighty-one yuan a month. On the 31st of the month, it costs an extra two yuan and two jiao. Eating at home costs less than forty yuan.

Qiaoqiao was smugly calculating how much money she was saving each month.

Zhou Wenhui frowned and asked, "The company provides 50 yuan worth of free meal tickets every month. Even if it's 81 yuan, you only spend 31 yuan. Isn't it a waste to save the meal tickets?"

"What did you say? Your company distributes meal tickets?"

"Yes, according to the hierarchy, the two of us get 50 yuan for meal tickets, but my parents probably get more. I haven't asked them."

"You guys are being treated too well, aren't you?" Qiaoqiao was a little deflated.

Zhou Wenhui's face darkened as he said, "Soldiers defending the country, should they go hungry?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was being too narrow-minded, that's not what I meant."

"Those living in military dependents' compounds are either high-ranking leaders or soldiers with military merits. In addition to meal tickets, they also receive much higher rates of various other benefits than ordinary workers. Only when their families are stable can they fight with peace of mind."

No wonder Sister Liu's family only gets half a jin of meat coupons per person per month, while her family gets three jin per person.

"I...I'm so sorry..." Qiaoqiao was overwhelmed with shame. She saw only the mundane details of daily life, but in the eyes of a soldier, it was about national righteousness.