Sergeant Shen was a straightforward man. He pointed at the couplet pasted on the courtyard wall.
"Comrade Jiang Si, did you write this couplet?"
"Yes, I did."
As she answered, Jiang Si already had a rough idea of why he had come.
Sure enough, the moment her words fell, Sergeant Shen continued,
"Comrade Jiang Si, could I trouble you to write a couplet for our canteen?"
He chuckled sheepishly and explained,
"I usually write them myself, but a while ago, I accidentally injured my hand. Holding a brush still feels awkward."
Writing a couplet was no trouble for Jiang Si.
She agreed readily.
But then Sergeant Shen presented her with another challenge.
"Comrade Jiang Si, the canteen gates are quite tall. Could the couplet be a bit longer?"
He then recited the couplets used in previous years.
Jiang Si listened and thought—goodness—all the lines she had in mind had already been used.
Sergeant Shen knew his request was a tall order.
"If nothing better comes to mind, you can just pick one from the previous years."
Jiang Si pondered for a moment. This year was special—just last week, the nation had issued its highest combat readiness alert.
The couplet needed to blend everyday life with the spirit of wartime preparedness.
After thinking for over ten minutes, she finally picked up her brush.
The first line read:
"Red rice, pumpkin soup, officers and soldiers share the meal, upholding the tradition of hard work and perseverance."
The second line followed:
"Wild herbs fragrant, bonfire bright, morale high, rifles in hand, defiance against the enemy unyielding."
The horizontal scroll simply stated:
"Self-reliance brings prosperity."
"Sergeant Shen, what do you think? Will this do?"
"Will it do? Of course it will! It’s absolutely perfect!"
Not only was the calligraphy excellent, but the couplet seemed tailor-made for their canteen.
Sergeant Shen immediately stood up. "I’ll have someone put this up right away."
Before leaving, he turned back and added, "Comrade Jiang Si, I’ll have someone bring you some dumplings later—a little extra for your meal."
"Sergeant Shen, there’s no need—"
Jiang Si was about to explain that, as a southerner, she didn’t eat dumplings during the New Year.
But Sergeant Shen was already gone in a flash, too quick to catch.
"What’s gotten into Sergeant Shen? Why’s he so thrilled?"
Hu Meili, hearing the commotion, walked over from her own yard.
Jiang Si explained the situation.
"No wonder he’s sending you dumplings," Hu Meili said with a laugh. "If he offers, just take them. Let me tell you, Sergeant Shen’s from Liaoning—his dumpling-making skills are unmatched."
Just then, Eldest Boy and Little Second Son arrived, baskets in hand.
Both brothers looked listless, clearly still feeling the effects of their parents’ "care" from the previous day.
Jiang Si felt a little guilty—after all, she was the one who had given them the durian.
But given the mood, she decided not to bring it up.
Instead, she changed the subject. "Sister-in-law, what does the army usually distribute for the New Year?"
Hu Meili brightened at the question. "It varies every year, mostly depending on the harvest from the army’s self-sufficient farms."
"Last year, they built a new cannery on the farm, so the profits should be higher than before."
"More profits mean better New Year bonuses."
She then added with a grin, "Bring a bigger basket, or you won’t be able to carry everything."
Jiang Si took the advice and swapped hers for a larger one.
"How about this?"
"That’ll do." Hu Meili nodded, then leaned in conspiratorially. "Mingjuan mentioned there might even be dividends this year."
"Dividends?" Jiang Si was surprised. "But it’s an army-run factory. How can there be dividends?"
As they walked, Hu Meili explained, "When they were building the factory, a typhoon hit. The half-built workshop collapsed."
"The army couldn’t scrape together enough funds right away, so all the officers’ families pooled their money to finish it."
"Even the equipment was bought with our contributions."
"We signed an agreement—once the factory turned a profit, we’d get annual dividends based on how much each family invested."
Hu Meili couldn’t hide her excitement. Between her and her husband, their combined salaries exceeded 180 yuan a month.
With the army’s benefits for dependents, they saved quite a bit every year.
So when the investment opportunity came, they put in 1,500 yuan.
Soon, they arrived at the logistics office.
Two long lines had already formed outside.
Jiang Si had only recently learned that the residential area was divided into East and West Zones.
The East Zone housed families from the aviation regiment, radar regiment, and patrol boat regiment.
The West Zone was home to the infantry, armored, and anti-aircraft artillery regiments.
Having lived in the East Zone for some time now, Jiang Si had grown accustomed to the attention her beauty once drew. Over time, the others had too.
On the other hand, the residents of the western district's family quarters rarely came over, so when they caught sight of Jiang Si, they couldn’t help but turn their heads to look.
"That must be Regiment Commander Huo’s wife from the aviation regiment, right?"
"It has to be. I’ve heard people from the eastern district say that Regiment Commander Huo’s wife is even prettier than the movie stars on those posters."
Pretty was one thing, but what really caught everyone’s attention was her dazzlingly fair skin—it was downright enviable.
Several of the wives were practically staring in awe.
"How come she doesn’t get tanned, even though she’s here for military accompaniment like the rest of us?"
"Not only does she not tan, but look at her tiny waist—and then look up a bit higher…"
The group of wives fell silent at that.
Just then, Colonel Shi from the division’s cultural troupe arrived, and a few familiar wives jokingly called out to her.
"Colonel Shi, isn’t your troupe still recruiting?"
"Don’t let such a promising candidate slip away!"
Following their pointed fingers, Colonel Shi casually glanced over—and froze after just one look.
The cultural troupe was never short of beauties, but this woman was unlike any she’d seen before.
Her appearance, her poise, her proportions—everything about her was exceptional.
With a little training, she could easily become the star performer of their division’s troupe.
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than Colonel Shi found her feet moving toward Jiang Si of their own accord.
At that moment, the logistics staff in charge of distributing supplies stepped out.
"Line up now to draw lots. Those who get a number can head to the back courtyard to buy pork first."
"If you’re not in a hurry for meat, go to the supply office next door to collect your New Year’s rations."
"And here’s some good news—after more than a year of hard work, our cannery has finally turned a profit!"
"After collecting your supplies, everyone can head to the finance office to receive your dividends."
"What? There are dividends too?"
"That’s right!"
At this, the military families burst into cheers, overjoyed.
Everyone was curious—just how much would the dividends be this time?
Hu Meili was just as eager. "Come on, let’s go line up for the draw."
This was Jiang Si’s first time here, so she didn’t know the ropes and simply followed Hu Meili’s lead.
Half an hour later, Jiang Si drew the number marked "1."
"Sister-in-law, what does this '1' mean?"
"You got number one?"
Hu Meili gasped, then grinned. "You’ve got such luck! 'One' means first-grade meat—thick, fatty cuts. It’s 80 cents per jin, no coupons needed, limited to two and a half jin per household."
Then she checked her own slip.
When she saw the number "4," her vision nearly darkened.
"Mine’s fourth-grade meat—basically just bones and scraps."
"It’s cheaper, at about 40 cents for five jin."
"Sister-in-law, let’s swap, okay?" Jiang Si immediately offered.
She had no interest in fatty meat—she’d much rather gnaw on bones and scraps.
"This is the best cut—why would you swap?"
Hu Meili wasn’t the type to take advantage, but Jiang Si kept insisting, and eventually, she had no choice but to agree.
"Let’s go to the supply office first to collect the rations."
Jiang Si was about to nod when an unfamiliar woman’s voice called from behind.
"Comrade Jiang, hello."
"Who are you?" Jiang Si asked, puzzled.
Colonel Shi opened her mouth to introduce herself, but before she could, another group hurried over.
"Comrade Jiang—"
