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

"However, for the same amount of money, the food at home is more varied and tastes better than in the cafeteria. I don't want to eat the cafeteria's mass-produced food anymore," Zhou Wenhui changed the subject.

"You like my cooking?" A hint of surprise appeared in Qiaoqiao's eyes as she looked ashamed.

"Of course! For the same price, the braised pork in the cafeteria has potatoes, but at home, you can have a bowl full of braised pork with lots of meat." Zhou Wenhui laughed.

"But what about the meal tickets?"

"Meal tickets are valid nationwide. You can exchange them for meat tickets or egg tickets. Xiao Liu used to handle these, but I don't know the specifics of how to do it."

"You can do it like that?"

"Before Mom went to the military headquarters, she exchanged a hundred eggs. Otherwise, how could she eat eggs every day?"

"I'll have to ask Mom for advice next time she comes home."

I didn't expect there to be so many twists and turns. I wish meal tickets could be exchanged for money.

Every month, a soldier from the logistics department would deliver Zhou Wenhui's salary and various vouchers to his home. Qiaoqiao never asked about it, assuming it was arranged by her parents. It turned out that those vouchers were extra perks.

I wonder if my brother also gets free meal tickets at the factory, and whether he gets enough to eat or eats well.

Lin Jie and Han Dan arrived early.

Lin Jie carried two bottles of Erwotou (a type of Chinese liquor), while Han Dan brought a bowl of steamed pork with rice flour.

Qiaoqiao warmly welcomed them into the house, scolding them, "You brought wine and dishes when you came to eat, making us, the hosts, feel embarrassed."

Lin Jie laughed heartily, "Soldiers are all one family, why distinguish between your family and my family?"

"Then I'll gladly accept your offer, Brother Lin. You talk to Wenhui, and Sister Han will be mine."

Men have their own way of speaking, and women have their own way of speaking.

Lin Jie extended his right hand, and the two heroes shook hands, their unspoken words conveyed in the gesture.

"Have some tea, Lin Jie." Zhou Wenhui was gentle and refined, while Lin Jie was rough and forthright.

"Does your leg hurt on a rainy day?" Lin Jie asked, swinging his empty left hand.

"It hurts. How about you?"

"Yes, it will, faintly, like ants crawling."

"My mom will bring back some painkillers from the military. One patch will make you feel much better. Take some with you."

"good!"

Two tough men from the battlefield, though meeting for the first time, felt like old friends and cherished each other.

"What do you do for a living?" Zhou Wenhui asked, taking a sip of tea.

"Guarding the warehouse at the military supplies department. It's quite easy, only 58 yuan a month, with various subsidies, it's pretty good."

"Guard...the warehouse?"

"I'm not like you. I'm a roughneck, uneducated, and guarding the warehouse is easy for me. If I hadn't lost a hand, I really would have liked to guard the border. I have so much strength to spare," Lin Jie said, his voice choked with emotion.

A soldier who used to train in the army every day is now like a frail old man, sleeping soundly at the entrance of the warehouse.

But what can we do? We can't do heavy work, but we need a cultured office environment.

"Are you still on sick leave?" Lin Jie asked.

"I was assigned to the propaganda department as deputy director, but I haven't reported for duty yet," Zhou Wenhui said with a bitter smile.

"The publicity department is great, that's a job that requires a lot of writing skills."

"The company is good, but for me, it's not as good as guarding the warehouse."

"Sigh, brother, it's good enough that we survived." The two fell into a long silence.

In the kitchen, Qiaoqiao is frying tofu, slice by slice, until they are golden brown.

Han Dan washed the salted fish clean, drained the water, and set it aside for later use.

Then I washed the bok choy thoroughly and put it in the vegetable basket.

"Sister Han, stop what you're doing, sit down, let's talk."

Han Dan smoothed her hair, smiled, and sat by the coal stove, watching Qiaoqiao fry tofu.

"Where are you from? I'm from Tonggang County."

"My family is also from Tonggang County," Han Dan said with great surprise.

"Really? We're from the same hometown! My home is Dashui Village, Liushan Commune."

"I'm from Hanjiacun Village, Gaodong Commune. It's still thirty or forty li away."

"You know about Liushan Commune? I've never heard of Gaodong."

Due to limited access to information, Qiaoqiao had never even left the commune. Had she not married Zhou Wenhui, she probably would never have been able to visit the city more than a few times in her entire life.

"I know, I saw people from Liushan Commune at the county meeting that year."

Qiaoqiao's smile froze. Her grandfather often went to the county to be criticized and reprimanded, and Han Dan must have seen him.

"You, you're the leader?" A strange sense of distance arose.

Han Dan smiled slightly: "My family was also dragged along to be criticized. My father was sick, but the commune wouldn't let him off the hook either, so I went in his place. But it was a good thing, because after that, whenever there was a big meeting, I would go in my father's place. My father is too old to handle all that."

"Your house, your house too?"

"Yes."

"My grandfather was a private tutor, a rich farmer."

"My father bought some herbal medicine from Lao San in the next village in order to treat my mother's illness, and that made him a speculator."

The two looked at each other and smiled, a smile tinged with sadness. Yes, if they were from wealthy families, who would marry a disabled man?

"Hey, quick, quick, the tofu's burnt!"

Han Dan frantically stretched out her hand, pointed at the tofu, and shouted.

Qiaoqiao hurriedly turned the page over and saw the scars on Han Dan's arm.

"You, he hit you?" Qiaoqiao grabbed Han Dan's hand and lifted her sleeve, revealing her arm covered in injuries.

Han Dan hurriedly pulled her arm back, stammering, "It's okay, it's okay, it doesn't hurt."

"How could he hit you? He's a soldier, what kind of person hits a woman?" Qiaoqiao said angrily.

Han Dan quickly covered Qiaoqiao's mouth and said anxiously, "Don't be so loud. Actually, he's usually fine, he just loses control occasionally."

"Why didn't you report this to the organization? Are you going to let him beat you for the rest of your life?"

There's no such thing as hitting someone once or countless times. Han Dan is so thin and small, how could she withstand Lin Jie's punches?

Han Dan shook her head: "He is a hero. How can I report a hero? He has his own suffering. He escaped death and lost his hands. He tortures me to vent his pain."

A tear fell from Han Dan's eye. She quickly wiped it away and whispered, "Qiaoqiao, if you consider me a friend, please don't mention this to anyone else. Not even your man."

"After I married Lin Jie, my mother had money for medical treatment, my father no longer had to be criticized and struggled against, and I have a younger brother in school. Who knows, maybe the commune will recommend him for university someday."

Yes, it's all a marriage of convenience. If Zhou Wenhui also hit me, would I report him?

For my brother's sake, for my family's sake, I definitely wouldn't.

Qiaoqiao got up, filled a bowl with water, and poured it into the pot. The golden tofu bubbled and simmered.

"I won't say anything, and I won't tell anyone." Qiaoqiao turned her head, grabbed a handful of chopped scallions and threw them into the pot, then added some salt and soy sauce, and the tofu was ready.

She dared not look at Han Dan, afraid that she would not be able to hold back her tears, for she and Han Dan shared the same fate.

The only fortunate thing is that Zhou Wenhui is indifferent, but he won't take action.

Moreover, her in-laws treated her very well. Just as Aunt Fang said, this marriage was a gamble.

Did you win the bet? Nobody won.