Chapter 103: The Pretty Military Wife of the Seventies 26

Sister-in-law Zhan was a woman of action; once she said she would do it, she truly quit her job.

She also started in the catering industry, selling steamed buns. She asked Su Huandan for the recipe because, after inspecting the entire capital, she found that no one’s buns were as delicious as those made by Su Huandan.

“Use your recipe as an investment stake. That way, you’ll have plenty saved up to find a wife for your son later, right?” Sister-in-law Zhan had no intention of taking advantage of her. She offered Su Huandan ten percent of the net profits. Su Huandan didn’t have to worry about a thing, yet she earned a significant amount.

As an individual business owner, Sister-in-law Zhan only worked hard for the first year alongside her retired mother. Starting from the second year, she leased a storefront and hired staff to do the work.

After five consecutive years, she had a solid grasp of the business. she left the bun shop directly to her own family, ensuring they continued to send Su Huandan her share of the profits every year. Once that was settled, she truly used Su Huandan’s cooking recipes to open a full restaurant.

Later, the scale grew larger and larger, expanding into grand hotels and restaurant chains, truly transforming herself into a queen of the catering industry.

However, it was exhausting work. Because she worried too much, she aged very quickly. Even though Su Huandan gave her plenty of Spiritual Spring Water, she still looked quite aged.

She had poured too much of her heart and soul into her career.

Meanwhile, Su Huandan had a relaxed life working in an office. She eventually reached the military rank of Colonel before retiring.

When Su Huandan retired, the two Zhan brothers were still in active service.

Both of them carried stars on their shoulders.

However, since Zhan Hongjun was always with the Special Forces, the couple didn’t see each other often.

As Sister-in-law Zhan’s business grew, Su Huandan earned more and more. She had long suggested stopping the dividends, but Sister-in-law Zhan refused.

“Do you think these dividends are for you two? Don’t flatter yourselves. This is all being saved for that boy Zhan Hao to get married. It’s just that the brat is already thirty and still hasn’t found a partner. When will the next generation of the Zhan family ever arrive?” Sister-in-law Zhan was still waiting to hold a grandchild.

There were only two children in the family: Zhan Qi, born to Sister-in-law Zhan, and Zhan Hao, born to Su Huandan. Zhan Qi was already thirty-three and had never even been in a relationship.

When this girl took the Gaokao, she had promised her mother faithfully that she would get into a good university and major in business management so she could take over the business later.

In the end, Zhan Qi pulled a clever deception. The family only found out she had applied to the Air Force Academy when they received the military academy admission notice.

“I just want to fly fighter jets!” Zhan Qi had shouted this even as her mother was chasing her out of the house.

Ultimately, she didn’t get to fly fighter jets; she went off to fly helicopters instead…

Good heavens, when she was cut from the jet program, the girl cried so pitifully it felt as if the sky were falling.

Her dream had been broken, which was understandable. Let her cry; once she cried it out, she had to get back to the unit and do what needed to be done.

Now she was still flying helicopters in the military, shouting that unless the military didn’t want her anymore, she would stay there for the rest of her life.

She frustrated her mother to no end, but she made her father incredibly happy.

Sister-in-law Zhan was dumbfounded. Was no one going to inherit her massive business empire?

She turned her attention toward Zhan Hao.

Zhan Hao, however, didn’t join the military. He had a clear plan for himself since childhood. At thirty, he was already a County Magistrate.

“Auntie, I just like being an official. As for your business, you should wait for my sister to retire and take over. Or if that doesn’t work, why don’t you let my sister find you a son-in-law who suits your fancy?” Don’t look at me; I like politics, not business.

Yes, Zhan Hao had entered politics.

When his grandfather was still alive and learned of his grandson’s ambition, he was so happy he nearly jumped for joy.

The old man had shouted, “Good, that’s wonderful! Your grandfather only knew how to fight wars; I only learned to read and write in the army. Others called your grandfather a crude fellow, and I never argued because I was just a peasant at heart. Later I joined the army, had good luck, and survived the battlefield to reach my current position. I’ll wait for you to become a high official so I can go out and brag. People can say the grandfather is a peasant, but this peasant grandfather has a grandson who is a government official!”

Su Huandan had not lived through her father-in-law’s youth, so she couldn’t entirely understand the old man’s mindset, but she could feel his excitement.

Later, she asked her son if he wanted to be an official because his grandfather hoped for it.

Zhan Hao nodded, saying that was part of the reason, but more importantly, he truly enjoyed politics.

Su Huandan only asked out of curiosity. Toward her high-achieving son, she had always maintained a hands-off attitude.

Whatever you think is good to do, go ahead and do it.

After retiring, Su Huandan picked up the calligraphy and painting skills she had used to pass the time when she was Princess Consort Chen in her previous life.

In her old age, she actually became an artist. Her calligraphy was worth its weight in gold, and her paintings were highly sought after.

Su Huandan’s retirement life could be described in two words, as Sister-in-law Zhan put it: carefree!

When Sister-in-law Zhan got up early in the morning to rush to the company for meetings, Su Huandan was in the courtyard practicing Tai Chi^[1] for her health.

When Sister-in-law Zhan was entertaining clients in the evening, Su Huandan was at home either practicing calligraphy, painting, or watching television dramas and giggling.

Sister-in-law Zhan felt she never had a moment of leisure, while Su Huandan could still wander the world and go traveling.

Comparing them like this, Sister-in-law Zhan felt her happiness index wasn’t as high as Su Huandan’s.

Even though she was clearly wealthier.

If asked whether she regretted starting the business back then?

Comparing herself to Su Huandan’s retirement routine, she regretted it a hundred percent.

But comparing herself to the Xu Chunxia she had seen a few days ago, she felt she didn’t regret it after all.

Xu Chunxia had also made a fortune selling breakfast in the early years, but later, for some reason, she remarried Liu Zhanyuan. In business, Liu Zhanyuan was just like he was as a person; he loved taking risks.

The business had failed miserably. The whole family was now renting a house and living off odd jobs.

Speaking of which, the two families had started from the same background, yet their ultimate fates were vastly different.

Su Huandan’s death in this life was somewhat sudden. During a trip, her plane crashed. She was sixty-five years old…

Returning to the Underworld and hearing the notification sound, Su Huandan instantly snapped back to her senses. She looked around at the environment of the Underworld; it was still the same, looking familiar and dear.

This was where she belonged. She was a ghost to begin with.

After collecting her rewards from the Feedback Department, she hurried back to her small courtyard, eager to see what she had earned.

Pioneer Reward: Traditional Chinese Medicine Mastery!

This was an incredibly practical skill.

The reward from her high-status son was a cultivation method called the “Body Tempering Technique.”

Don’t let the unassuming name fool you; this technique was actually extraordinary. In an ordinary world, one could use it to become a peak-level martial arts master. In worlds with spiritual qi or other forms of energy, the Body Tempering Technique could be cultivated to a level comparable to the Nascent Soul^[2] stage.

This didn’t mean your cultivation base would reach the Nascent Soul stage. Since the Body Tempering Technique followed the path of physical arts, it meant your combat power after cultivation would be strong enough to clash with a Nascent Soul powerhouse. Was that impressive or what?

If she had relied solely on her own performance, she might not have been rewarded with a cultivation method even after a hundred reincarnations. Truly, if one wanted to strike it rich, being a mother to the big shots was the way to go!

Unfortunately, she was currently in a ghost state and couldn’t practice it. Su Huandan was burning with anticipation, so she rushed off to reincarnate once again!

When she opened her eyes and regained consciousness, the first thing she heard was someone nearby calling out, “Fujin^[3]!”