The aloof military doctor arrives at the unit, and the tough guy can't sit still.

"Comrade, do you have any fresh cinnamon and bay leaves?" Xia Qiuran asked.

"No, that's all," the sales clerk at the counter said without even lifting her eyelids.

Xia Qiuran wasn't angry. After all, being a sales clerk at that time was a secure job, an unofficial position, and in an era of scarcity, they held the power to allocate resources.

"But these are all damp and unusable," Xia Qiuran continued kindly.

The sales clerk just rolled her eyes at Xia Qiuran. "What do you mean it got damp? Spices are supposed to be like that. Don't talk nonsense if you don't know."

Xia Qiuran looked at the spices again, but this time she didn't say anything. "Okay, give me two catties of each, and this too, I want this one as well."

These things are usually sold by the ounce, and seeing Xia Qiuran buying so much, the sales clerk at the next counter couldn't help but ask, "Young man, are you going to use all this?"

"Of course we use it. I'm buying it for the group; thousands of people are waiting for their meals."

"Comrade, you said it was nothing, everyone heard that. If there is food poisoning, I will not be responsible." Xia Qiuran said, deliberately raising her voice.

"Are you referring to it for military use?"

Upon hearing that it was for military use, the spice seller immediately changed his expression. "I remember now, a new batch just arrived. Let me pack this for you."

Even if her position is extremely secure, it can't be more secure than the military. If something goes wrong with her food, and she's accused of treason, she can't bear that responsibility.

"That's fine. I'm only buying enough for one or two days. My comrade might come back in a couple of days. He's not used to talking much when he's shopping. Let me make it clear that if he buys back the damp stuff, it's still your responsibility." Xia Qiuran said deliberately, afraid that the sales clerk would continue to sell the damp spices to other people.

"Don't worry, it won't happen again." The sales clerk believed her and threw the damp spices aside.

Xia Qiuran smiled contentedly, carrying the spices and about to leave when she turned her head and suddenly saw an apricot-colored shirt hanging on another counter, with a pair of small floral cloth shoes with multi-layered soles next to it.

In her previous life, she had never worn such beautiful clothes.

"Comrade, how much are these two items?" Remembering that Chen Xiu had given her a cloth coupon before, Xia Qiuran walked over and asked.

The sales clerk, sitting lazily in her chair, glanced at Xia Qiuran and said, "That shirt is made of Dacron, it's 12 yuan, and the shoes are 4 yuan."

After hearing this, Xia Qiuran patted her pockets and thought, "That's too expensive." "Then what about this shirt?" she asked, pointing to another plain-looking white shirt.

"8 yuan."

It's still so expensive.

I still have a little over 7 yuan left from the bet I made with the class monitor last time. I haven't received the money I earned from basket weaving yet, and I'm also thinking of buying something for Han Yu later to thank him for helping me find a part-time job.

Xia Qiuran looked down at her cloth shoes, which were patched in several layers. She thought to herself, "Never mind, I'll just go back and mend them some more."

"If you can't afford it, don't ask questions and waste my time, you country bumpkin." The saleswoman noticed Xia Qiuran's embarrassment and glared at her.

How could you swear at someone?

Xia Qiuran retorted, but the saleswoman didn't seem to think anything was wrong. She snorted coldly, "Hmph, aren't you a country bumpkin? You're dressed worse than a beggar, yet you dare to shop in a state-run department store."

Xia Qiuran's face flushed red with anger, but looking at her own clothes, she seemed unable to refute anything.

Snobbish, pshaw.

She cursed inwardly and turned to leave, but just as she turned around, she bumped into a firm and warm chest. Her nose tingled slightly, and when she looked up, she saw that it was Lu Zhenghan.

Xia Qiuran rubbed the tip of her nose; it was truly embarrassing to have been seen in such a shameful scene.

"Commander Lu, I've finished buying the spices, let's go quickly."

After Xia Qiuran finished speaking, Lu Zhenghan showed no intention of turning back. Dressed in a green military uniform, his straight back stood out like a pine tree. He walked steadily to the counter with a tense jaw and sharp eyes.

"Pack up those items she pointed to," he said coldly to the sales clerk.

The sales clerk immediately stood up from her chair, glanced at the two bars and three stars on Lu Zhenghan's shoulder, and her attitude changed completely. "Do you want them all? That lady just asked about two shirts and a pair of shoes."

"Yes, we want them all," Lu Zhenghan affirmed again.

"Commander Lu, let's go quickly. I asked about those clothes, and they're too expensive for me to afford." Xia Qiuran tugged at Lu Zhenghan's sleeve. Although she was also angry about the sales clerk's attitude, she was still rational and wouldn't risk more than a month's salary just for a moment's pleasure. Besides, she really didn't have any money on her right now.

"It's wrapped up, that'll be 24 yuan in total." The salesperson quickly wrapped it in kraft paper and handed it over.

"The money and cloth coupons are all here, please count them." Lu Zhenghan took out two 100-yuan bills, four 1-yuan bills, and two cloth coupons from his pocket and placed them on the counter.

"No need to order, no need to order. You're a military officer, how could you cheat us ordinary people?" The saleswoman put away the money and looked at Xia Qiuran with a smile. "Comrade, I misjudged you just now, please don't mind. Your military officer boyfriend is so good to you, buying you so many clothes all at once. He's obviously a doting husband. You're going to be very lucky in the future."

"You've misunderstood, he's not my boyfriend." Xia Qiuran glanced at Lu Zhenghan, feeling very puzzled. Why would he buy all of them and spend so much money? It couldn't possibly be for her.

"Oh, so that's the husband. You're newly married, aren't you? You seem a little shy looking at each other," the saleswoman said with a smile.

"No, this officer is our regimental commander, we have no other relationship." Xia Qiuran quickly explained, "This person is getting more and more outrageous."

"Okay, okay, I understand. Don't be shy. You can live together for a year or two after you get married. That's how it was for my older sister before she got married."

"Our commander is focused on his career and has never thought about getting married. Please don't say anything more, sister." Xia Qiuran was anxious. She was already embarrassed enough at Zhou Guangming's house last time, and she didn't want Lu Zhenghan to misunderstand anything else.

"Let's go, it's getting late." This time, Lu Zhenghan didn't explain anything. After calling Xia Qiuran, he walked towards the door.

The more she tried to explain, the worse it got, so Xia Qiuran simply followed along.

"Hmph, trying to fool me? You don't have normal eyesight," the sales clerk muttered as she counted the money Lu Zhenghan had just given her after the two walked away.

After getting out, Lu Zhenghan first put all his things in the trunk, and then sat in the driver's seat.

"Commander Lu, there's one more thing I haven't bought yet. Please wait a little longer, I'll be right back."

Xia Qiuran did not get into the car. After saying a sentence to Lu Zhenghan through the car window, she ran into the surrounding alley.

I just went to the state-run market, but the things there either required ration coupons or were extremely expensive, so I couldn't buy anything. I could only go to the alley to find the vendors who were secretly selling goods and see if they had anything to buy for Han Yu.

It turned out that there was only one stall selling walnuts and another selling sweet potatoes. The army had a mess hall, so sweet potatoes probably wouldn't be of much use to Han Yu.

"Auntie, how much are your walnuts?" Xia Qiuran asked, thinking of buying some walnuts for Han Yu to eat as snacks.

They quickly finished buying the walnuts and were about to leave with a large cloth bag full of them.

But as soon as he turned around, he froze on the spot.

"Why is it you?"