Chapter 186 Tractor
Even so, Yang PeiMin couldn’t help but feel heartache for Shen Yiguang. He was training during the day and still went through the trouble of preparing all these things at night, oblivious to how tired he must be, although he always appeared full of energy and in high spirits.
Regardless of whether it was a hassle or a waste, she had decided on her school and would likely live there in the future, so Yang PeiMin joined the other neighbors in the rush, taking the ox cart to the market to buy firewood, rice, soy sauce, and vinegar. She wanted to cook something nutritious for Shen Yiguang to replenish his body. Previously, her own mental barriers prevented her, as she had been avoiding the trouble out of laziness and neglecting her husband’s diet and nutrition. Yang PeiMin couldn’t help but reflect deeply on herself, realizing she had not been fulfilling her duties as a wife.
Once a month, the neighboring village had a few days when an ox cart would take people to the town’s Cooperative Society to shop. The Military Wives had also figured out this pattern, catching the cart to town at certain times, and would pay a small fee for the ride back.
Yang PeiMin also walked the five miles to Shitou Village with Luo Dahua, Mrs. Cui, and the other three Red Army wives, along with a few children.
They chatted merrily en route, sharing household gossip and discussing what to buy in town. There were those who boasted and those who avoided revealing too much, but at least the journey wasn’t dull.
Yang PeiMin discussed with Luo Dahua the quantity and quality of the items to purchase.
The one thousand yuan Shen Yiguang had left her with at his parents’ house was almost untouched, and the salary he sent back every month had been saved. The money she used to buy meat and clothing to help her parents came from her own earnings. This sum was already significant for life in the village, but it was quickly diminishing with her lavish spending on meals of meat and eggs every day. Chen Guizhi had tactfully reminded her that there was no need to eat so extravagantly, but Yang PeiMin had laughingly brushed off the advice. Zhang Minghua even pointed out that it was precisely because of her generous feeding habits that Shen Yidong didn’t want to leave.
Yang PeiMin then persuaded her, saying that she also partook in the food and she couldn’t just hide and eat without letting them see. Eating well was also conducive to faster recovery, so Zhang Minghua dropped the subject—the health of her daughter was what mattered most.