After a busy day, Cheng Su returned home to darkness and silence; Qi Taiguo wasn’t there."Is he working the night shift?" she muttered to herself.She glanced at the small clock, it was nearly seven. He should have had dinner in the canteen by now, right?The weather was getting hotter, and Cheng Su didn’t feel like eating. Since Qi Taiguo wasn’t there, she decided not to cook. Besides, she was tired from the day’s work. She just wanted to lie down and sleep since she had to go to Sister Wang’s place to grade pineapples tomorrow.After eating a washed apple, Cheng Su went to wash up and then to bed.However, Qi Taiguo wasn’t on duty as Cheng Su thought; instead, he was sitting in his office, flipping through a book. But an hour passed, and he was still on the same page."Report, company commander, it’s almost eight o’clock. Do you want me to get another portion of dinner for you?" Xiao Zheng, the radio operator, knocked and came in to ask.Qi Taiguo looked at the clock on his desk, i

Cheng Su expended the strength of "nine bulls and two tigers" just to drag those peeled pineapples back to the restaurant. Together with Qiulan, she took care of them one by one, removing the "pineapple eyes" until all the pineapples were processed and hanging in the well to stay cool and fresh. Her back was almost too stiff to straighten up.By the time she got home, Qi Taiguo was already home, doing push-ups on the living room floor."You’re back? I’ll cook right now," Cheng Su said as she put down her canvas bag, took out the rice cooker insert, and started washing rice to cook.Qi Taiguo watched her walk out of the room, hammering her waist with her hand, and couldn’t help but pause.It’s quite exhausting, isn’t it?Though tired, Cheng Su moved swiftly and soon had two dishes and a soup ready on the table."How’s it going with making that jam," Qi Taiguo asked casually."Almost all the preparations are done, planning to cook the jam tomorrow," Cheng Su replied, her exhaustion maki

Cheng Su and Qi Taiguo worked hand in hand, and feet tangled, before finally managing to turn half of the pineapples into jam, which they then left to cool in a basin of water. By this time, Qiulan had already arrived early on, and Cheng Su was rushed off to prepare the noon meals. Since Taiguo had come and seen them bustling about incessantly, he simply took over the task of cooling the pineapple jam.The group was busy until dusk, when Cheng Su told Qiulan to head home first, leaving the mess for her and Taiguo to clean up."This is more tiring than training," Taiguo grumbled, collapsing in the courtyard."You’ve worked hard," Cheng Su walked over and planted a sweet kiss on his face, saying, "Once we’ve made some money, I’ll share some with you."Taiguo was caught off guard by her kiss, his breath halted for a split second, and he touched his face, looking at her as if stupefied.She, she was actually so frivolous!"You, you..." he jumped up, pointing at Cheng Su incessantly."What

The president of Huaiji Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Li Anhong, was a middle-aged man nearing fifty, with a potbelly and a bald head, bearing the typical look of a leader, but he was kind and easy to talk to. Rumor had it that he was also Mu Yan’s distant uncle, and with Mu Yan vouching for him, he quickly started addressing Xiao Cheng with great warmth and familiarity.Since it was jam made with a new recipe, it naturally had to be taste-tested. It wasn’t that Cheng Su was arrogant, but if a product received her own seal of approval, how bad could it be, really?And so, when Cheng Su brought out the jam for everyone to try, they were all in agreement, praising it. Some even said they wanted to buy a bottle to take home to try, and Chairman Li himself kept complimenting it."Xiao Cheng, I had already tried the jam you made before when little Mu brought some for me to taste, but I think this batch is even better than the last, in terms of flavor. It seems your craftsmanship has im

Cheng Su filled a basin with water, submerged the large watermelon in it, and hummed a tune as she brought out her small money chest to put away the money she had earned today.The small money chest was a mahogany box, also part of her dowry, secured with a small lock. It was already brimming with neatly bundled banknotes of various colors, nearly full."Looks like, I’ll need to go to the credit union and open an account to save this money," she muttered to herself while feeling the banknotes.In those days, people treated money like a precious lifeline. Even if they had money, they wouldn’t deposit it in a bank, but would keep it at home by their side to feel secure. Plus, the banking system wasn’t mature yet and hadn’t earned people’s trust.But Cheng Su thought differently. Keeping money by one’s side may invite envy and theft if the household is not stable. Since banknotes are made of paper and don’t withstand the elements well, they could be ruined by dampness during a flood.She