Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Chapter 42...

Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Chapter 42...

Chapter 42

Jiang Lai had always known the power of the state apparatus, but this was the first time she had faced it so directly.

For example, the problems that were previously very difficult for her were quickly resolved after Jiang Lai threw them out. While Jiang Lai was still wondering how they would solve the problem, she saw everyone arrive at the cafeteria, and everyone was beaming with joy and full of anticipation. At this moment, Jiang Lai realized that her motherland was even stronger than she had imagined.

When Jiang Lai came out with the crowd, she pretended to be just as surprised as everyone else. Anyway, she would definitely keep this disguise to herself and deny it to the death, even if she accidentally revealed it later.

"What just happened? It felt like a dream."

"It was such a beautiful dream, so wonderful that I didn't want to wake up," an old woman said wistfully.

"That's right, I just dreamt that my second son got into university and later became a university teacher."

"That's a dream. Universities have been closed for a long time. Many teachers were labeled as intellectuals and sent to the countryside."

…Jiang Laigou remained silent in the crowd, just sitting there quietly, listening intently.

Jiang Lai didn't specifically inquire about the follow-up developments of this matter, but even without specifically inquiring, these news would still reach her ears.

After that, Ye Anguo was busy, busy, busy, but no matter how busy he was, he never forgot about Jiang Lai's health. He had brought Jiang Lai and his parents here to help them improve their health, so how could he forget about that?

Since Ye Anguo didn't have time himself, he arranged for a soldier to take Jiang Lai to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. They got a large bag of Chinese medicine, and then You Maidong cooked delicious meals for her every day. The things Ye Anguo brought out eventually ended up in Jiang Lai's stomach after going through a roundabout route.

And so I stayed here for another half month.

For the past two weeks, Ye Anguo has been so busy that he hasn't even been able to see Jiang Lai and the others. Time doesn't stop moving forward just because they can't see each other. After the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, Jiang Lai, You Maidong, and the other two set off for home.

However, Ye Anguo did not forget to propose to Jiang Lai in the midst of his busy schedule. He then took the time to submit a marriage application, which was approved quickly by the higher-ups. So, after Jiang Lai and her husband returned, they had to prepare the wedding items.

No special incidents occurred on the train back, and the three of them returned smoothly. After that, various preparations were made, and the two families went their separate ways.

You should know that preparing a dowry in those days was much more troublesome than in later generations. Other things were relatively easy to handle, but the most difficult thing was cotton. Since cotton was not grown at that time, it was all purchased with ration coupons, and a lot of cotton was needed for a wedding.

In particular, Liu Aihua planned to make eight large cotton quilts for Jiang Lai, four thick and four thin. The winters in the north where Ye Anguo lived were extremely cold, so the quilts had to weigh at least ten or twelve pounds, otherwise they wouldn't be able to get through the winter.

This suddenly made cotton a big problem, which worried Liu Aihua a lot. Every day she was either looking for someone to exchange for cotton coupons or asking around where she could buy cotton. She even kept saying that if she had a lot of cotton, she would make several cotton quilts.

Actually, it wasn't just Liu Aihua who was worried about this; You Maidong was even more worried. She had been to Ye Anguo's place and knew better than Liu Aihua how cold it was there, so she was also constantly arranging cotton matters.

Both sets of parents were very anxious, so Jiang Lai, who wasn't in a hurry at first, had no choice but to get the cotton out earlier. She had originally planned to get it out when she got there, but with Liu Aihua and You Maidong like this, she had no choice but to get the cotton out earlier.

"Mom, don't worry. The reason we can't find cotton here is because the weather isn't as cold, so there are fewer cotton growers. I'll send a telegram to Ye Anguo later to ask if he has any ideas. The weather is so cold in the north, so there are probably more cotton growers there," Jiang Lai quickly reassured Liu Aihua.

Jiang Lai's plan was easy to guess. If Liu Aihua and You Maidong couldn't find cotton, then let Ye Anguo and the others grow it in her space. Her space was so big that she could grow as much cotton as she wanted. It didn't make sense; her space was so big, yet she herself lacked resources.

"Then hurry up and ask. Don't bother sending a telegram, just call them directly," Liu Aihua said anxiously.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming over now. Don't worry or get anxious. I'll ask my classmate later and make sure I can get you 12 jin of cotton."

Jiang Lai could certainly take out the cotton, but she didn't want to attract attention. However, 12 jin was still acceptable; she could claim it was from a classmate or bought on the black market.

Jiang Lai never expected that this cotton would cause Ye Anguo to have a moment of suspicion.

Upon receiving Jiang Lai's call, Ye Anguo was momentarily at a loss for words. The reason was that she needed far too much cotton. Liu Aihua wanted eight quilts, four thick and four thin, plus You Maidong, which would amount to at least a hundred kilograms. Where was he supposed to get so much cotton?

No sooner had he agreed to take care of this matter for Jiang Lai than Ye Anguo approached the logistics director of the army, intending to squeeze some cotton out of him.

"Ye Anguo, it's no use you coming to me. Do you know how many soldiers there are in our military region? And how many family members? If you get married and your wife wants to come with you, won't other military families also want to? If you set this precedent, I'll be blocked from leaving my house by military families..." The logistics director also looked at Ye Anguo with a bitter and resentful expression.

"Really not?"

"No, there really isn't!"

"You know, for the past few years, the division commander has been urging me to settle my personal life every other day. It's only recently, after I got engaged, that they stopped trying to talk me out of it. If my marriage falls through because of cotton... will you cover for me?"

"Ye Anguo, have you no shame? You're even resorting to threats?"

"Tell me, is this trick any good or not? Does it work?" Ye Anguo was now calm and composed.

The logistics director jumped up and down: "30 jin, that's all we have. If you can scrape together some more from home, it'll be enough to make you several quilts."

"Not enough. My future wife is in poor health. She can't stand a quilt that isn't thick enough. It needs to be at least 50 pounds."

"Let me tell you, Ye Anguo, don't go too far. Do you think this cotton is like a leaf that you can just pick off with your hand?"

"Then 40 jin..."

"No, no, just 30 jin, take it or leave it."

"Those 36 jin can be used to make three 12-jin cotton quilts."

In the end, Ye Anguo shamelessly begged the logistics director for 36 jin of cotton.

However, after arguing with the logistics director for a long time, it was all in vain. Cotton was started growing in the space, and the logistics department no longer needed to provide the 36 jin of cotton. Ye Anguo brought out enough cotton from the space, which made Liu Aihua and You Maidong extremely happy.

However, because of this incident, Jiang Lai became famous in the military region. Everyone knew that Ye Anguo, who was usually unassuming and never fought for anything, had gone to the logistics department to argue over getting cotton. Some people said that Ye Anguo had an old house on fire, some said that his little wife Jiang Lai was too demanding, and most people felt that Ye Anguo cared about Jiang Lai and that they should be on good terms with her after she joined the army.

Jiang Lai also made a good friend because of this incident.