CHAPTER 208: CHAPTER 208: CONVINCING WITH REASON

"Your method uses too much oil, and it’s not easy to find all the spices."

They hadn’t even heard of things like cardamom.

Yi Chichi didn’t deny this, "That’s true, I brought all those spices from my hometown."

As for oil, Wen Shi and the others had oil vouchers every month. They didn’t cook much, so they could afford it once or twice.

But doing it frequently is actually quite unsustainable.

"Stir-frying is also an option."

Then, she taught a few oil-saving methods other than blanching.

She also talked about raw marination. Scallions, ginger, and garlic were all planted in the yard. If not, they could ask neighbors for some. No one would refuse such a small favor.

Next, things like soy sauce and chili peppers are household essentials.

Eventually, everyone favored raw marination.

"Raw marination works, it’s less of a waste, the seasonings are common, and it’s not hard to make."

Madam Ji cheerfully announced, "I’m planning to try it tonight."

"I’ll give it a shot too."

Seeing them all eager to try, Yi Chichi reminded, "It’s okay to eat occasionally, but don’t have it often to avoid bacterial infections."

Thinking of individual differences, she reminded again, "Also, some people’s constitutions might not suit raw marination, and they could get diarrhea."

"We’ll be careful."

That would be fine then.

But then, it turned out everyone’s stomachs unexpectedly adapted well after adjusting to the new environment, growing stronger than ever.

They praised how good the raw marination tasted and surprisingly suited their palates.

The only drawback was the high consumption of white liquor.

So Yi Chichi had them use the white liquor for sterilization, and all the men’s liquor vouchers at home were swept clean.

Wen Shi was complained about.

"What did your wife teach? Of all things, she taught them to make raw marination. My liquor’s all gone now."

Lin Qiu Ping cried with a face as mournful as if he’d been stabbed in the heart.

Qi Zhiyuan and the others were not in any better shape.

Wen Shi replied calmly, "Smoking and drinking are prohibited, you guys really don’t take the rules seriously, huh."

"Stop with the nonsense, we’re not drinking on the job."

Breaking no rules at all.

"I don’t care, hand over your liquor vouchers."

"I don’t have any."

"I don’t believe you."

Lin Qiu Ping clamped his hand around Wen Shi’s neck with a threatening look, "I’m telling you, either you hand over the liquor vouchers, or we’re fighting it out."

"Even if we fight, I don’t have any."

Wen Shi wasn’t intimidated by the threat, calmly saying, "My wife is heading back the day after tomorrow, and I’ve been busy exchanging tickets for her national travel. I really don’t have extra liquor vouchers to spare."

There were still a lot of relatives and friends back home waiting for him to take his wife to visit; they couldn’t show up empty-handed.

Sending back dried seafood and fruit as gifts was fine, but his wife, being delicate, couldn’t endure any discomfort when it came to food and clothing, and he still had to care for his father.

As a husband, he couldn’t let her live any worse after marrying him than when she was single.

"Do any of you have connections to help me get some national tickets?"

While speaking, his eyes fixed straight onto Qi Zhiyuan.

Qi Zhiyuan wanted to curse him; this thick-skinned animal always came to him for national tickets. Was he indebted to him in a past life?

But he couldn’t refuse.

"I’ll sort some out for you by tomorrow."

"Great."

Wen Shi was pleased, Qi Zhiyuan and the others turned sullen, still hoping to squeeze some liquor vouchers out of it, but got nothing and ended up losing out instead.

"Why doesn’t your wife join the military?"

Could it be the days back home are better than on the island?

"She’s going home to accompany mother."

The real reason was that he wasn’t comfortable leaving his father and grandson duo unsupervised.

Unless the overall situation improved, his wife wouldn’t join the military.

"You can bear to be apart?"

"I can’t bear it, but her life back home is better here."

With Uncle Yaozi, Captain Uncle, and others’ care, she wouldn’t suffer.

In contrast, staying on the island wasn’t ideal because he couldn’t be with her for long stretches; once out to sea, he might be gone for months, no different than being away from home.

No point keeping her stuck in the family quarters then.

Lin Qiu Ping said, "You two should have a child."

With a child, she could settle down.

Wen Shi twitched his mouth, "We’ve just gotten married not long ago, no rush."

That made sense.

So, the conversation stopped there.

Then, a group of people started seeking national tickets for him everywhere.

The night before Yi Chichi left, Wen Shi returned with a bundle of national tickets to hand over to her.

She checked the dates, ranging from two months to half a year, but none for a one-month duration.

He really put effort into it.

"Was it hard to exchange these tickets?"

"Old Qi and the others helped, pooling some together from everyone."

"Did you thank them?"

Wen Shi smiled, "Your man’s not a fool; I know well how to handle social interactions."

"Then you’re truly amazing."

Yi Chichi teased as she took her overalls and began hiding the tickets.

Given the security wasn’t great, and the trip from the island to Hei Province was far, taking five to six days with all the transfers. She couldn’t guarantee her energy would remain high the whole time.

Hiding them ahead of time was a safer bet in case she fell asleep.

She didn’t want to get robbed.

Wen Shi hadn’t noticed the secret pockets in her pants before, as she wore them only when she arrived, then stored them in the closet. Not a clue how many hidden pockets were sewn inside.

The key was these secret pockets were seamlessly sewn, discreetly storing a few tickets here and there, totally undetectable.

"You’re really..."

After she finished hiding everything and flipped the pants back, Wen Shi couldn’t hide his curiosity, examining them here and there in amazement, "It’s impressive; you couldn’t tell there’s anything inside."

"That’s how I hid them when I came."

Yi Chichi smiled sweetly, "Isn’t your wife impressive?"

She understood well the concept of not flaunting her wealth.

"Very impressive."

Truly, marrying her was no mistake; her quick wit was remarkable.

"Old Lu’s wife came over last time and had her money and tickets swiped, almost couldn’t make it here."

Yi Chichi paused; if it was Old Lu’s wife, she’d indeed be an easy target for pickpockets.

That girl was gentle on the surface but acted very flamboyantly. Naturally, her disposition wasn’t very likable, didn’t have many friends in the family quarters, and wasn’t good at conversation.

She had a knack for riling up others, making them want to fight with her at the drop of a hat.

"Couldn’t you pick someone better to talk about, and you chose her?"

Yi Chichi looked disdainfully, Wen Shi squinted, "Did you two quarrel?"

"No."

Wen Shi relaxed, relieved he thought his wife might have suffered.

But then she added, "She badmouthed me behind my back, and I caught her."

"What did she say?"

"She said you were blind, wondering how you chose a girl like me, who shuts herself in and doesn’t socialize, and that I wasn’t good enough for you."

With a grin, she added playfully, "I didn’t even need to retort; Madam Ji and the others ripped into her like a machine gun until she cried and ran off."

Wen Shi, "...So you won without doing anything?"

That didn’t sit right with Yi Chichi’s ears; she looked at him skeptically, "What, did you want me to fight her?"

"You sure wouldn’t take a loss."

In other words, it wasn’t about what he wanted, but whether she’d throw the first punch.

Yi Chichi found reason in that, "I don’t fight, I just ’win with reason.’"