Chapter 120: Those Who Endure Hardship

“So that root is called cassava?”

“The name is appropriate.”

Chen Mingchuan chuckled wryly. “It’s not that I’m lucky, it’s just that the raw stuff is really inedible.”

“The first time I dug it up, I was so hungry I took a few bites, but I couldn’t swallow them.”

“But I was so starved.”

“I thought, it looks a lot like sweet potato, maybe it’ll be tastier roasted?”

“At first, I didn’t dare eat much, just a little bit at a time.”

“Later, I found that it was fine to eat, so I used it as food.”

“But just eating that wasn’t enough, no oil or water, it was too much for a person to handle.”

“So I shamelessly learned to hunt from a hunter, and later I could often hunt pheasants and rabbits to eat.”

“One time, I went into the mountains and didn’t catch anything, but I ran into two wolves.”

“Ah?”

Li Xinyue was stunned again. “Did you get hurt?”

“Yeah. I got a little hurt, I used the herbs the hunter taught me to recognize to heal it.”

Chen Mingchuan nodded. “But I killed the wolves, wolf meat isn’t very tasty, it’s a bit sour.”

“But people in the production team rarely get meat, I couldn’t finish it, my uncle’s family kept some, and the rest I gave to the production team.”

This guy…he’s really not Chen’s son, otherwise how could his own parents treat him like this?

Li Xinyue was a little curious. “How old were you back then?”

Chen Mingchuan thought for a moment. “I was thirteen that year, I was just in the second year of junior high.”

“My uncle’s family was poor, he couldn’t afford to send me to junior high after graduation, so he found me an apprenticeship in carpentry.”

Being an apprentice, at least there was food to eat.

Li Xinyue finally understood. “No wonder you’re so close to your uncle’s family?”

Hearing this, Chen Mingchuan’s face was a complex mix of emotions. “You could say that without my uncle, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

“There are a lot of rural soldiers here, many of them are excellent.”

“But most of them are illiterate, and in the army they can only be educated to the level of literacy, so it’s very difficult to get promoted.”

“I was lucky, because I have a junior high school education.”

“Back then, the whole army was selecting special forces, and I was lucky enough to be selected.”

“Over the years, I haven’t forgotten the help of my uncle’s family, so I send them one hundred yuan every year.”

“This money isn’t my salary, it’s basically saved up from the special mission subsidies.”

Indeed, it cannot be forgotten!

Li Xinyue thought to herself: This uncle’s family is Chen Mingchuan’s first benefactor in life!

She wasn’t superstitious, but she believed in luck.

“Chen Mingchuan, have you ever heard this saying?”

“Hardship is the best school, those who endure hardship will become superior.”

“You know the sweetness after experiencing bitterness, I believe you will have a great future.”

“I also believe that your situation will get better and better in the future, when that time comes, send more money back to your uncle’s family.”

Will he have a great future?

Hopefully…

As a man, everyone hopes to have a great future.

A great future means standing tall, speaking loudly, and making greater contributions to the country.

“Yeah.”

Chen Mingchuan nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you and your son live a hard life.”

Can she live a hard life?

Li Xinyue’s face twitched…

In a few years, the country will be opening up to reform and opening up.

She has a belly full of prescriptions, and they are extremely advanced prescriptions. With these skills, can she not even achieve a comfortable life?

If she said it out loud, she would be laughed at by a large group of people.

At that time, she would find someone to cooperate with her to acquire a pharmaceutical company, and she would be guaranteed to make a fortune!

She wouldn’t dare to say she’d be the richest person in the country, but she could guarantee financial freedom and time freedom.

Li Xinyue didn’t want to say more, because if she said what would happen in the future, people would think she was a ghost!

The next morning, because they were going up the mountain, Li Xinyue woke up early.

She found that Chen Mingchuan was already up.

“I’ll go to the cafeteria and grab some breakfast. You can sleep a bit longer.”

“Liu Qiang will come to send the child later. I’ll ask him to bring two entrenching tools.”

That would be great.

There were so many things to bring, and she hadn’t even brought the small hoe from home.

This time she went up the mountain, Li Xinyue wanted to get some wild game to eat.

She didn’t know how to raise game, and she didn’t plan to raise chickens, but buying meat required tickets.

Maybe she could eat her fill of what she found on the mountain?

Soon, breakfast was brought back: porridge, steamed buns, and fried dough sticks.

“These steamed buns, they haven’t been proofed, have they?”

Chen Mingchuan: “…”

Truly a young lady!

“They’ve been proofed, maybe they just haven’t been proofed well.”

“You two eat the fried dough sticks, I’ll eat the steamed buns.”

These steamed buns had no taste at all, and they were hard as rocks!

Whose masterpiece was this?

“I can make steamed buns and dumplings. I’ll go to the military service agency to buy some flour in a couple of days.”

This month’s grain tickets had just been issued, and Chen Mingchuan agreed: “Okay, whatever you want to eat, just make it.”

But as soon as he finished speaking, someone called out “Report” at the door…

“Come in.”

“Chen Battalion Commander, this was sent by our battalion commander.”

Wang Xinlai put down the bag on his shoulder and then placed the envelope in his hand on the table.

Li Xinyue: “…”

This guy really wasn’t just talking!

“Okay, go back and tell your battalion commander that I’ve received it.”

“Yes!”

Wang Xinlai left, and Chen Mingchuan placed the envelope in Li Xinyue’s hand: “Now you can buy flour!”

“This, you keep it.”

Li Xinyue’s face twitched, and she put down the envelope: “Yier, Mommy will come back tonight and make you fresh meat dumplings!”

Chen Yiheng, upon hearing this, laughed like a little hamster.

“Mommy, wait for me to come back and help you wrap them.”

Go!

Little guy, can you even wrap dumplings?

You just want to play, right?

“Okay, today is your first day of school, you have to behave well, okay?”

“The children who behave well on the first day will behave well every day, and they will have a great future.”

Chen Yiheng had known about going to school last night.

He also knew that there would be an uncle who would send him to kindergarten today.

The little guy, with porridge in his mouth, was particularly serious: “Yeah, Mommy, I’ll be very obedient, I want to be the most successful person.”

“That’s great! When my son is successful, Mommy can enjoy the good life.”

The mother and son chatted and ate, their mood was good, and the unappetizing food seemed to become a delicacy.

As soon as they finished eating, Liu Qiang arrived.

Upon seeing him, Chen Yiheng immediately put down his bowl and put on his army green backpack.

“Mommy, Uncle Liu is here, I’m going to school.”

Li Xinyue smiled and waved to him: “Okay, be good at school.”

Chen Yiheng puffed out his little chest: “Yeah, I’ll study hard, read the best books!”

“Pfft!”

Li Xinyue burst out laughing: “You’re just starting school today, you won’t be reading yet. The teacher will teach you how to make friends first.”

“Do you remember what Mommy said just now?”

Of course he remembered!

Chen Yiheng nodded vigorously: “I remember! Mommy, I remember everything.”

Her son was just too cute!

Li Xinyue couldn’t help but stroke his little face: “So good, Xiao Liu, you’ve worked hard.”

Liu Qiang really liked Chen Yiheng, this little guy was just too cute.

He was well-behaved and adorable.

“Sister-in-law, it’s not hard, not hard at all, I like this job very much.”

“Battalion Commander, we’re leaving now.”

“Yeah.”