"It's nothing, just the baby's kicks are too strong."
Li Mei rubbed her belly. "Last night, he kicked me twice, and my ribs still hurt."
"That's normal." Old Lady Xiang smiled. "This child is just like his father—restless. When I was pregnant with Chunsheng, he kicked me the same way."
Li Mei had something weighing on her mind and had no patience for the old woman's rambling.
But she noticed that whenever this topic came up, Old Lady Xiang would chatter endlessly.
So she played along for a while.
Once she had set the stage, Li Mei finally said, "Mom, don’t worry. The typhoon isn’t coming for another three days. I’ll go to town tomorrow morning and stock up on supplies."
"No, no!" Old Lady Xiang immediately waved her hand. "Chunsheng is a deputy battalion commander now. If you get caught going there, it’ll cause trouble for him."
"Mom, it’s fine. The rules aren’t that strict here, and the other military wives go too."
Li Mei insisted, "If we don’t buy now, once the typhoon hits, we won’t be able to get anything even if we have money."
Old Lady Xiang thought for a moment. "Then I’ll go with them tomorrow."
"Mom, let me go."
Li Mei explained, "You’re unfamiliar to the sellers. They might overcharge you or refuse to sell to you at all."
"Fine, but be careful tomorrow."
"I will."
Li Mei then held out her hand. "Mom, give me some money."
There was no way around it—she didn’t control the household finances.
Her husband was away on a mission and wouldn’t be back anytime soon.
The money was all in the old woman’s tight grip.
"Here."
This time, Old Lady Xiang was surprisingly quick, pulling out a faded handkerchief from her pocket.
She counted out 20 yuan. "Buy more fine grain and some eggs tomorrow—"
Before she could finish, Li Mei interrupted.
"Mom, this isn’t enough."
"How is it not enough?" An egg cost only five fen, and fine grain was just over ten fen per jin. What more did she need?
Li Mei explained, "The news about the typhoon has already spread. Prices will be much higher than usual, and with five or six people in the house, we need enough supplies for at least twenty days..."
After much pleading, the old woman only gave her 30 yuan, adding,
"You’ve been living with the army for almost a year now. Chunsheng gives you 20 yuan a month for household expenses—you must have saved up quite a bit."
"Use that money, and it should be enough for whatever you need to buy."
Li Mei couldn’t admit it. "Mom, I don’t have any..."
"How can you not?"
Old Lady Xiang had been managing the household for decades—she knew all the tricks.
"The vegetables we eat are from your own garden, so that costs nothing."
"You also raise chickens, so eggs are free."
"Normally, you eat the army’s rationed grain, which costs just over ten fen per jin."
"Chunsheng often eats at the canteen too. By my calculations, you shouldn’t need more than ten yuan a month."
Her eyes narrowed. "So tell me, where did the rest of the money go?"
Li Mei stayed silent, but her desire to strangle the old woman had never been stronger.
Over the past few months, she had indeed saved some private funds—about 80 yuan in total.
Combined with what she’d saved in previous years, it amounted to just over a hundred yuan.
But all of it had been spent on bribes.
Fortunately, the old woman only glared at her and didn’t demand she hand over the money.
Still, without securing the funds she needed, Li Mei was restless.
So while Old Lady Xiang was busy cooking lunch, she slipped out of the house.
Among the military wives, few were close enough to her to lend money—let alone such a large sum.
The first woman she asked outright refused.
"Three or five yuan, maybe. But 300 yuan? That’s nearly half a year’s salary for my husband. Who would dare lend that?"
The second woman also hesitated, about to decline, when Li Mei quickly said,
"I’ll pay you back as soon as my husband returns! I’ll even add interest!"
At this point, Li Mei couldn’t care about the consequences.
She only knew that if she didn’t do this, she’d have no place left in this household.
"It’s not about the interest. I really don’t have that much money."
The woman was puzzled. "What do you need so much for?"
She had just been to the commissary—even stocking up hadn’t cost more than 20 yuan.
Li Mei put on a sorrowful face, claiming her family back home was in trouble and needed money.
"Look, I have 20 yuan here. Take it."
The woman offered. "I’ll see if I can help you figure something out, or you could ask the other wives."
Li Mei shook her head. "I’ve already asked everyone. They all said no..."
"Well, 300 yuan is no small amount."
The woman sighed. "You know how it is in the compound—most of us don’t have control over the household money."
The words struck a chord in Li Mei’s mind.
And just then, a name flashed in her thoughts.
---
Meanwhile, Jiang Si had just returned from the commissary after stocking up on supplies.
She had also hurried to reserve some coal briquettes and picked up the month’s grain ration from the logistics office.
Just as she was about to rest, a knock came at the door.
Opening it, she was surprised to see the visitor.
What was this woman doing at her house?
As far as she remembered, they had no connection at all.
Before she could ask, "What do you need?"
Li Mei spoke first. "Comrade Jiang, hello. I’m Li Mei. We met last month during the medical checkup at the military hospital."
If she hadn’t mentioned it, Jiang Si would have forgotten entirely.
"I remember you."
"Really?"
Jiang Si nodded. "You glared at me when you walked out. It left quite an impression."
Li Mei: "..."
Could this woman not hold a normal conversation?
She forced an awkward laugh. "Comrade Jiang, you must be joking."
Then she quickly added, "I didn’t glare at you."
Whether she had or not, Jiang Si didn’t care.
Her tone was indifferent. "Do you need something?"
Li Mei glanced at the courtyard. "Could we talk inside?"
"Sorry, the house is a mess. Not suitable for guests."
Jiang Si’s refusal was clear, her tone growing colder. "If there’s nothing else, I have things to do."
She started to close the door.
"Wait—"
Li Mei pressed a hand against the door, her voice pleading as she repeated the same story she’d told the other wives.
Finally, she swore, "The moment my husband returns from his mission, I’ll pay you back immediately."
Jiang Si had no idea what Li Mei was scheming, but her instincts told her she didn’t like this person.
Three hundred yuan was nothing more than a drop in the bucket for her, yet she simply didn’t want to lend it.
If she didn’t want to, she wouldn’t—she had every right to refuse now.
"Sorry, I don’t make a habit of lending money. You’ll have to ask someone else."
With that, she slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
Li Mei trembled with rage.
Just then, Hu Meili stepped outside for some fresh air and spotted Li Mei lingering near her best friend’s door.
Instinctively, she frowned. "Comrade Li, what business do you have with Regiment Commander Huo’s wife?"
"N-nothing much."
Borrowing money was embarrassing enough—Li Mei didn’t want to stir up more trouble.
After forcing out a few awkward laughs, she slunk away.
"What a strange woman."
Hu Meili was about to head over to her friend’s place to ask, but the moment she took a step, a sudden rush of warmth surged between her legs.
"Weidong—!"
Hearing her cry, the two brothers rushed out from inside the house. They found Hu Meili frozen in place, a puddle forming at her feet.
The younger brother blurted out, "Mom, how did you—"
Sensing nothing good would come from his little brother’s mouth, the elder brother cut him off.
"Go get Dad—tell him the baby’s coming!"
