Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

The ordinary jerky instantly transformed into an enticing honey-colored sheen, its texture becoming more defined, and the meat becoming tender yet chewy. She couldn't resist trying a piece—a perfect balance of salty and savory with a touch of sweetness, intensifying with each chew, easily rivaling even the finest snacks of later generations. Nodding in satisfaction, she decisively chose the "tenfold return" option, ready to enjoy it as a snack.

She didn't need to do anything else. She took five or six cans of freshly made fruit preserves, a few cans of luncheon meat from her space, and before leaving, she packed several large tin boxes of fried rice from her space, along with dozens of large meat buns and meatballs—whoever wanted to eat them could have them.

Bring two military water bottles; one will be filled with honey water, and the other with watermelon juice.

I think three days on the train should be enough to eat, right?

Su Wanqing completely disregarded the other passengers on the train; she had no idea how hungry they would be.

In short, when Zhou Yanshen returned, he smelled an enticing aroma as soon as he entered the courtyard. Stepping into the kitchen, he saw a winnowing basket covered with glistening, oily dried meat, which shimmered temptingly in the sunlight.

Su Wanqing picked up a piece of still-warm pork jerky and held it to his lips: "Try it, it's pork jerky I made. Take it on the train as a snack, or you can eat it if you get hungry. By the way, you don't need to worry about the chickens and pigs at home. I've already entrusted them to Captain Tian and Erzhuzi, and they'll take care of them."

Zhou Yanshen didn't rush to eat; first, he took her hand—her palm was dry and warm, which reassured him. His young wife hadn't always been careful when cooking, and her hands had been ice-cold several times. "Thank you for your hard work, Wanqing. You're so thoughtful; you've even arranged the livestock. I was going to ask Captain Zhang for help, but Erzhuzi is right next door, so it's definitely more convenient." He then lowered his head to eat the dried meat, his eyes lighting up. "Delicious!"

"Oh, right," he swallowed the dried meat and said seriously, "I came back to get money for tickets. There's a train tomorrow night, and I asked an old comrade from the military region to get me a letter of introduction for a business trip. With your status as an 'external technician' at the Geological Bureau, I managed to get two sleeper tickets. Here's what I was thinking—you and your uncle should sleep in the sleeper berths. You're pregnant, and your uncle's legs have only just recovered, so they both need to rest. I'm young; I can fall asleep standing up when I'm on a mission. I can manage in a hard seat for three days without any problem, and I can sit in your carriage during the day too."

He said so much in one breath, afraid that his wife would be unhappy, and every word he said was meant to express that "it's really okay for me to sit in a hard seat".

Su Wanqing chuckled: "It's already great that we were able to buy two sleeper berths! Actually, I was just about to tell you that no matter if there are sleeper berths or not, I have to go this time." She recounted Chen Xiuer's family situation, "So Xiuer has to go too. Her mother lives on the outskirts of Bincheng, so we'll go see her first and take care of Aunt Wang's matter. She's critically ill, and we don't know what's going on."

Zhou Yanshen nodded: "Okay, whatever you say. I've already asked Secretary Liu for leave, and we'll leave tomorrow at noon. Since Xiuer is bringing a child, it's even more inconvenient—you and Xiuer will sleep in sleeper berths, and my uncle and I will sit in hard seats. That's settled."

Su Wanqing nodded, wiped her hands, went into the inner room, and took out money from the bottom of the box: "We'll cover Xiuer's ticket expenses first. I've already discussed it with her, and it will be deducted from her advance salary."

Zhou Yanshen took the money without saying anything. Even if his wife didn't explain, he wouldn't have any thoughts. He never worried about the family's money. For example, if he needed to buy a ticket, he would go home and ask his wife for the money.

He tucked the money away and hurriedly went out to buy a ticket.

Su Wanqing took dinner out of her spatial storage, put it in a pot, covered it, and then went to tidy up.

Su Wanqing took dinner out of her spatial storage, heated it in a pot, covered it, and began packing her luggage. This trip would last for more than ten days, so she needed to bring a first-aid kit, a change of clothes, and money. Uncle Ding was skilled with his hands, and the few baskets he had woven would come in handy—they could be used to carry things, and later they could be used to carry Xiu'er's dolls. Bringing baskets also had another advantage: when she returned, carrying Uncle Ding's "family fortune" wouldn't be conspicuous.

There was no need to worry about food, as she had already prepared plenty of it.

·

Zhou Yanshen hadn't returned by dinner time. Zhou's mother was starving, so Su Wanqing brought the food to the table: salt-baked eggs, meatballs, fried rice with eggs, braised eggplant, egg drop soup, and freshly made pork jerky.

Zhou's mother ate with great satisfaction. Sometimes she couldn't understand whether she had been out of her mind before, thinking that meat was unpalatable and only eating a small half bowl at each meal. After coming to the countryside, she got up and went to bed on time every day and had to "laboriously" help people register tools, which resulted in a huge appetite. Now she can eat two large bowls of rice in one meal, and meat is a must.

"I wonder how Tingting is doing at the military dependents' home. We haven't even heard from her," Zhou's mother said, chewing on some dried meat. "Why hasn't Yanshen come back yet?"

"He went to buy the tickets," Su Wanqing interjected. "By the way, Uncle, please pack your things. We're leaving tomorrow at noon, taking the train tonight. I'll come along too."

Uncle Ding shoveled the rice into his mouth and nodded repeatedly—no wonder his sister had gained so much weight since coming here; with food like this, anyone would get rounder.

"What? You're going too?!" Zhou's mother put down her chopsticks and raised her voice, "You're pregnant, why would you go and suffer like that? The journey will be so uncomfortable!" Suddenly, she felt that the food in her mouth didn't taste good anymore.

Su Wanqing: "..." silently rolled her eyes.

Her tone remained calm. "Mom, I have to go. Xiuer's mother is critically ill, and I have to go see her. Besides, Yanshen bought me a sleeper ticket, so I won't get tired."

"No way! You can't go!" Zhou's mother slammed her chopsticks on the table. "You're all gone, Tingting's not here, Yanshen's not here, and my eldest brother's not here—who's going to cook for me?!"

Before, at least Ding Xiaomei cooked for her every day, and if all else failed, Lin Tingting could take her to restaurants in the county town. Now that they're all gone, what will she do?

Uncle Ding sternly said, "If the child wants to go, let her go! The tickets have already been bought, how can she not go? You can eat at the regimental canteen, it only costs a few cents per meal."

"I'm not going!" Zhou's mother said, feeling aggrieved. "The cafeteria food is so bland and watery, there's not even a drop of oil in it. I can't eat it! If you all leave and don't care about me, no one will cook for me... I might as well just starve to death!" As she spoke, her eyes actually reddened. "You only care about yourselves and don't care whether I live or die."

Su Wanqing: "..." Headache. This wicked mother-in-law was relatively quiet when Lin Tingting was around, but now that there's no one to compare her to, she's started causing trouble again.

"Is Mom coming along too?" Su Wanqing asked casually. "I made a lot of food today, so we can eat it on the way."

Zhou's mother snorted, "I'm not taking a hard seat! I'd rather die than! Besides, I eat and live well in the countryside, what would I do there? What if someone takes my position as warehouse registrar? I comfortably lie on the kang (heated brick bed) reading comic books every day, and I can even lie on a chair in the warehouse to read—why would I go and suffer like that?"

Su Wanqing silently ate her food and drank her soup, without saying a word. She knew someone would deal with her.

Sure enough, Uncle Ding put down his bowl and said in a deep voice: