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

Su Wanqing looked at the broad and reliable figure in front of her, and her eyes instantly brightened.

The woman who had been exuding confidence and ready to fight just moments before instantly transformed into a weak and helpless little white flower. She reached out and gently grasped Zhou Yanshen's strong forearm, her voice trembling with a hint of grievance:

"Comrade Yanshen, you're finally back... I was so scared. They've all been bullying me, forcing us to give up our house..."

In that instant, his wife, as obedient as a little white rabbit, melted his heart.

Zhou Yanshen's protective instincts surged instantly. He grabbed Su Wanqing's cold little hand tightly with his other hand, pulling her even closer behind him, shielding her with half his body. His voice was steady and full of strength:

"Don't be afraid, I'm here. Anyone who dares to lay a finger on you today will have to ask for my permission first!"

As he spoke, his arm muscles bulged, and his cold gaze swept over everyone present. The powerful aura honed by years of battle made everyone hold their breath! What a powerful aura!

Looking at Su Wanqing's dependence on Zhou Yanshen, and then at Zhou Yanshen's protective posture, Chen Weidong was so jealous that his eyes almost turned red.

He forced a cold laugh: "You won't allow it? Fine! Just wait until your backs break during the autumn harvest! My uncle is in charge of material allocation in the county. Not just diesel generators, but any scarce materials that come down from above, diesel fuel, fertilizers, pesticides, new farm tools... your 65th Regiment won't get a thing! You'll just have to wait to come begging me!"

He made a show of bravado but was actually quite cowardly, ultimately not daring to confront the obviously formidable Zhou Yanshen head-on. He turned and slunk away, more like fleeing in disgrace.

Chen Weidong decided to let things escalate further, and then these people would realize the gravity of the situation and come begging to him.

After he left, the educated youth sighed and lamented:

"Comrade Zhou, we know you're strong and can protect your wife, but without the diesel generator, how will we harvest the autumn crop?"

"Yes, this year's severe drought has already made harvests difficult, and without machinery, life is even harder..."

"How about... you consider giving up one of your housing slots? The bigger picture is more important..."

Zhou Yanshen frowned. "I won't give up the housing quota. As for the generator, I'll figure something out."

He considered that if all else failed, he would have to swallow his pride and beg his old leader to see if he could get a special allocation from the military. However, this would be extremely difficult, would incur a greater debt of gratitude, and would likely be too late.

But no matter what, he absolutely could not let his wife suffer this injustice.

Tian Dahua waved her hand impatiently: "Alright, alright! Everyone, disperse! Are you still going to dig the irrigation ditch and thin the seedlings after you've eaten? It's almost dark!"

Her mind was in turmoil. Su Wanqing was clearly more valuable than her, and in order to quell Chen Weidong's farce, the higher-ups might actually give up her house quota...

The crowd gradually dispersed. Zhou Yanshen then turned around, looking at his wife who had instantly dropped her pitiful act and whose eyes were now bright and alert. The gloom on his face dissipated, replaced by a barely perceptible hint of indulgence and a smile. He whispered:

"Actually, you weren't scared at all just now, were you?"

He had caught a glimpse of his wife's fierce, rooster-like demeanor just now.

Su Wanqing smiled and waited until everyone was completely alone before skillfully starting a fire to prepare a simple dinner. She frankly admitted, "I'm really not afraid because I have the confidence."

Zhou Yanshen cast an inquiring glance at him.

Su Wanqing lowered her voice, "Because I can get my hands on a few diesel generators."

Zhou Yanshen's eyes flashed with surprise: "You can really get them? And several?"

These devices are used by townships on a rotating basis each year. A city is only equipped with a few hundred units, while there are thousands of counties and townships to supply them, which is simply not enough.

"Of course!" Su Wanqing nodded.

Nonsense! As long as she gets her hands on a generator, she can use her spatial ability to give it back tenfold! She can just create ten of them!

At this moment, her ability to return ten times the amount of resources was no longer simply a matter of returning ten times the amount of materials. Instead, it meant that when New China was facing resource shortages and its technology was being held back by foreign countries, she could return ten times the amount of some of the most core technologies.

Perhaps she could do something for the village, the township, or even the country—but for now, with more than a year to go, she could continue to improve her status and reputation, paving the way for the future.

"However," Su Wanqing said as a precaution, "I need to see in person what model of generator the group will be using before I can be sure if my 'friend' has the same model."

Zhou Yan gave her a deep look, not pressing her to reveal where she got such a powerful "friend," but after a moment of silence, he replied in a deep voice:

"Okay, I'll take care of it."

Whatever secrets she might have, he chose to believe her and pave the way for her.

The two continued talking while their hands remained on the ground.

Su Wanqing was busy at the makeshift stove, while Zhou Yanshen was nearby, clanging and banging as he built a cabinet with the wood he had found that day.

Su Wanqing made a simple fried rice: she heated oil in a wok, cracked five eggs and scrambled them, added chopped braised beef and pickled cabbage, and even splurged on a can of luncheon meat that she had diced. Finally, she poured in a bowl of rice that had been steamed at noon.

The distinct grains of rice are coated in golden egg yolk, interspersed with dark minced beef and pink luncheon meat, and the aroma wafts out powerfully.

She then took out some dried wild mushrooms that she had obtained through legitimate channels but were actually from the black market and made a soup that was so delicious it was breathtaking.

As Zhou Yanshen planed the wood, he couldn't help but glance towards the stove. He always found it amazing that Su Wanqing could always conjure up a huge pot of food when she didn't put in much, with generous portions and an exceptionally delicious taste.

Zhou Yanshen's hands didn't stop moving, but he asked:

"Comrade Wanqing, we have enough timber now. I plan to completely partition off about one-third of the room from the kang (heated brick bed). The outer room will be for Mother, and we'll live in the inner room. We'll eat in the outer room."

Su Wanqing sprinkled the last seasoning into the mushroom soup: "This is pretty good." It's better than the curtain.

"Now there's a problem: should we use wood for the partition or wait a couple of days and use bricks? If we use wood, I can work overtime tonight and finish it in half a day—it's fast and convenient. As for bricks, we'll have to wait until the well is dug in a couple of days. I've already talked to the transport team, and they can bring over a batch of bricks. We can use wood to open the door then. It's just that using bricks is more time-consuming and labor-intensive."

He paused, then added, "Wood certainly doesn't insulate well, but it's fast. Brick, on the other hand, would essentially divide this 15-square-meter room into two separate rooms, one large and one small."