Chapter 33

When Shen Qingyun, Engineer Ning, and Old Hua arrived at the camp office, Regiment Commander Cheng had already arrived. He was accompanied by Regiment  Deputy Commander Qiao, and Qi Feng had also returned.

Regiment Commander Cheng had taken the initiative to sit at the desk where Shen Qingyun usually sat, while the other two had moved chairs to sit opposite him.

The three of them were deep in conversation, their expressions serious, though no one knew what they were discussing.

When the others entered, the three of them immediately stood up. After a moment of polite gestures, Engineer Ning and Old Hua sat down in the chairs, while Shen Qingyun and Qi Feng quickly went outside to bring in three small stools.

Once everyone was seated, Regiment Commander Cheng first asked about Yin Xiaoman’s situation, then sighed and said: “This incident has indeed caused a shock to Xiao Shen’s family. Xiao Shen must do more to comfort them when he returns.”

Hearing this, Shen Qingyun quickly took the opportunity to ask: “Commander, do we have any idea yet about what exactly happened?”

Upon hearing this question, Colonel Cheng’s expression became even more serious. He poked the table with the pen in his hand.

He spoke: “Last night, Qi Feng received a call saying that you had returned, and immediately came to report the situation to me. Regiment Deputy Commander Qiao and I then promptly informed the investigation team in Province C, who were responsible for looking into the cause of the accident. It turned out that this was not a simple accident, but an act of sabotage—a malicious counter-revolutionary incident!”

Upon hearing these words, everyone straightened up in their chairs.

According to Regiment Commander Cheng, this was a premeditated bombing. The investigation team had already found shrapnel in the rubble.

The perpetrators had clear objectives; they didn’t just want to destroy the factory, but also the designers and engineers working there.

In this case, the most heavily damaged area was not the manufacturing workshop or the warehouse, but— the dormitory where the experts resided.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingyun was shocked.

Regiment Commander Cheng glanced at him and nodded. “That’s right. It’s the place where you used to stay. The new project design team you joined, except for you, everyone else was killed, and not even a complete body could be found.”

The news was too terrifying. Even someone like Shen Qingyun, who had been through the horrors of war, couldn’t help but feel a sense of fear at the thought. His face began to pale. 

This was because Engineer Ning and the others insisted on conducting an undercover investigation and didn’t want too many people to know.

So, before he set off, he hadn’t reported the situation to the organization. He had only mentioned to the project team leader that he was returning to his original military unit.

When he said that it was the experts’ idea, and without hesitation, the leader agreed.

He also mentioned that there was no rush with the paperwork; once Shen Qingyun was done with his tasks, he could write a work evaluation and send it back to their unit for record-keeping. There was no need to report to anyone else.

Now, it seemed that the leader probably hadn’t had the chance to write Shen Qingyun’s evaluation before the incident happened.

Upon hearing Regiment Commander Cheng’s words, Shen Qingyun immediately understood why his name appeared on the list of casualties.

Because at the Weapon factory, his name hadn’t been removed from the new project team, and the unit here hadn’t received any notification of his return.

In the absence of identifying all the bodies, the comrades in charge of logistics naturally assumed that he had perished in the accident as well.

What Shen Qingyun thought, others had also realized, especially Engineer Ning and Old Hua.

The thought of those comrades who had sacrificed their lives, the fear and anger that followed, made their breaths grow heavy.

The office fell into a brief silence.

After a long while, Regiment Commander Cheng finally broke the silence.

He glanced at the two elders and then turned his gaze to Shen Qingyun and Qi Feng.

“The explosion case has been assigned to dedicated personnel, so we don’t need to worry about it. I believe they will catch the culprits soon and avenge our fallen comrades and the experts!”

He paused for a moment before continuing: “Regiment Deputy Commander Qiao and I specifically came today, one, to check on the two elders and see if there is anything you need here. If anything is missing or if there is something the regiment should arrange, just let us know!”

“Additionally, I must inform you that we’ve received instructions from higher authorities to have our regiment take charge of ensuring the personal safety of Engineer Ning and Old Hua. After discussing with Regiment  Deputy Commander Qiao, we have decided to assign this honorable yet difficult task to your battalion. From now on, Engineer Ning and Old Hua will be staying at your Vanguard Battalion, and their safety will be your full responsibility!”

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback. Before Shen Qingyun or Qi Feng could respond, Old Hua was the first to express his disapproval.

“This won’t do! We still have a lot of work to do at the design institute. How can we stay here long-term? We came out this time just to inspect the environment, and once we’ve seen it, we’ll leave. There’s no need for such special protection. Don’t make such a big deal out of it.”

“Old Hua, this matter cannot go as you wish. We are soldiers, and we must obey orders!” Regiment Commander Cheng said firmly, refusing, and stood up from his chair.

Perhaps sensing the tension in the atmosphere, he paused for a moment before continuing, addressing Old Hua again: “Please don’t be upset. In fact, even if you return now, you and Engineer Ning won’t be able to go back to the design institute.”

“The design institute has been closed, and all personnel have been reassigned. Not just you, but the other experts from the institute have also been moved to other classified units.”

“This explosion has already drawn the attention of the highest leaders. The leaders have stated that no matter how important the work is, the personal safety of you experts comes first. They have ordered us to protect you at all costs.”

“Until we fully understand the cause of the incident and catch the perpetrators, all of your work is suspended! Protecting your safety is the top priority!”

After hearing Regiment Commander Cheng’s words, everyone felt the weight of the situation even more.

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By the time the meeting ended and they left the camp office, it was already close to midnight, and the cafeteria had finished serving dinner.

Having eaten nothing in the morning, Shen Qingyun now felt his hunger growing unbearable, and his steps quickened as he walked.

But before he could get very far, Qi Feng caught up with him from behind. “I heard Xiao Yin is ill. What will you do for lunch? Why don’t we all go to my place and have something together?”

This made Shen Qingyun stop in his tracks. It was only then that he remembered his wife, Xiao Yin, had just come out of the health clinic this morning.

Shen Qingyun immediately felt a pang of regret. After thinking for a moment, he still declined Qi Feng’s kind offer.

“Never mind, I didn’t mention it in advance, and Sister-in-law probably hasn’t prepared anything. I’ll just cook something myself when I get home. I saw a few steamed buns in the basket this morning, and there should still be some pickled vegetables that Xiaoman made.”

As he spoke, a scene of the kitchen at home suddenly appeared in Shen Qingyun’s mind.

He realized that there was actually a lot of food at home. He even thought that, even if Xiaoman didn’t cook for a few meals, he and the child wouldn’t go hungry.

This thought alone was enough to show how much his wife cared for their home.

Feeling this, Shen Qingyun felt even more eager to return home. A strong sense of responsibility surged within him, thinking that he needed to hurry and make Xiaoman something hot to eat.

However, before he even reached the gate of the yard, the familiar aroma from the kitchen reached his nose.

He couldn’t help but feel a tightness in his chest.

Shen Qingyun pushed the door open and entered. Before he had even fully stepped in, his complaints came out: “You’re still not resting properly even though you have a fever? Couldn’t you have waited for me to come back and cook?”

His tone was a bit harsh, and the three people in the room, who were waiting for him to eat, paused with their chopsticks in mid-air.

Da Bao and Erniu both turned their gaze toward Yin Xiaoman.

Yin Xiaoman looked up, and the first thing she saw was the worried expression in her husband’s eyes. After a brief silence, she said: “I’m already better. Besides, I kept today’s meal simple.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingyun looked at the table. Indeed, today’s meal wasn’t like the usual spread of multiple dishes and bowls. Today, his wife had only made a simple bowl of clear soup noodles.

The noodles were made from sorghum flour, and the soup only had a few pieces of greens. It was light and simple, not at all time-consuming to prepare.

His expression softened at the sight.

Shen Qingyun, already starving, found his appetite growing even more at the sight of the warm noodles in front of him.

He had expected it to be the most ordinary kind of noodles, and had thought the delicious aroma was just a result of his wife’s excellent cooking. But when he took a bite, he immediately noticed something different!

He quickly looked up at Yin Xiaoman but saw that she had already buried her head in her food, not looking at him anymore.

He turned his gaze to the two children, who were happily eating with their faces full of joy, completely uninterested in meeting his gaze.

Shen Qingyun opened his mouth, but ultimately closed it again, lowering his head to eat.

He picked up another bite of noodles and placed it in his mouth. This time, however, he didn’t devour it like before. Instead, he chewed carefully, savoring the taste.

The noodles, as expected, were hand-pulled by his wife. They looked like the most ordinary sorghum noodles, dark in color, but once bitten, the true craft of it became apparent.

The noodles had a layer around them, and the outer layer was made of sorghum flour, but inside, it was filled with white flour. This combination made the rough, coarse texture of the sorghum noodles suddenly smooth and tender.

Shen Qingyun chewed a few more times and then discovered something even more intriguing.

It seemed that the noodles weren’t only mixed with white flour—upon further chewing, he could also detect a slight meaty taste.

This added a layer of depth to the noodles’ flavor, and with each bite, there was a bit more richness.

Unable to hold it in any longer, he asked: “What did you put in these noodles?”

“Fish!” Yin Xiaoman answered, looking up briefly. “Mom added fish!”

Before Yin Xiaoman could respond, the two children shouted in unison: “Fish!” They exchanged glances and grinned mischievously.

Seeing this, Shen Qingyun understood immediately. These two had probably been holding back for a while, just waiting for him to figure it out!

He paused with his chopsticks, giving Yin Xiaoman a mock reproachful look. “What are you messing around with, still being sick? A little food is enough; why go to all this trouble?”

The chopping, the filleting, even the fish cleaning… How much effort must that have taken?

The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt, and a hint of reproach slipped into his gaze as he looked at Yin Xiaoman.

Yin Xiaoman knew he was just saying things out of habit, so she didn’t argue. She simply replied calmly: “Hurry up and eat. There’s more in the pot. Don’t leave any leftovers.”

Shen Qingyun, with a sigh, slammed his fist into the soft cotton cushion. It was as if he had strength but couldn’t use it. Forced to feign sternness, he glanced at his wife and said: “Don’t cook tonight, wait for me to come back.”

But Yin Xiaoman didn’t take the bait and didn’t respond to him. Left with no choice, Shen Qingyun just resumed eating.

The noodles with fish—how could they compare to ordinary coarse noodles? The taste was so wonderful that Shen Qingyun felt like his head might just fall off from the pleasure.

He ate quickly, his forehead soon covered with sweat. In no time, the bowl was empty.

As he reached to scoop up the last bite of noodles, he was surprised to find two small, round bird eggs nestled at the bottom of the bowl.

The eggs weren’t big, but they were white and tender, looking exceptionally appealing.

He raised his head again.

“Da Bao and Erniu found these seabird eggs. Hurry up and eat, everyone gets one.” Yin Xiaoman said, tilting her own bowl toward him.

Indeed, there was one in her bowl as well.

Shen Qingyun turned to look at the children. They hadn’t even finished half of their noodles, but as soon as they saw him looking, they began rummaging through their bowls, and sure enough, each of them found one.

He glanced at his own bowl, then at everyone else’s. The thought of sharing the bird eggs evaporated from his mind.

He knew his wife had given him an extra egg out of care, and he didn’t want to waste this thoughtful gesture.

But as he looked at the two round bird eggs, his heart remained unsettled.

After a moment of thought, Shen Qingyun spoke again. “I brought back some food rations. If the Kitchen Unit is going to the county tomorrow, ask them to bring back some finer grains. Are you planning to go to the Kitchen Unit later? If you want anything, just tell them.”

When Yin Xiaoman heard that Shen Qingyun was talking about going to the county, her eyes brightened. She stopped eating, and quickly asked: “Can I go with their vehicle?”

Shen Qingyun raised an eyebrow, surprised. “You want to go to the county?”

“Yes, I want to go. I want to see if I can buy some other things.”

Shen Qingyun was about to respond, but then he hesitated. “But the Kitchen Unit’s vehicle is a small three-wheeler, it’s a long and bumpy ride. If you’re not in a hurry, I can take you the next time I go to the regiment for work.”

“I’m in a hurry.” Yin Xiaoman rarely interrupted him directly. “We’re out of seasonings, and even the salt jar is almost empty.”

Shen Qingyun’s words faltered.

Before Xiaoman arrived, he had never thought about cooking at home, so he hadn’t prepared any seasonings. The ones they had been using until now were probably what she had brought from her family.

“Then just tell the Kitchen Unit. Do you have enough money and rations? Ask them to bring more…” he said.

Yin Xiaoman casually agreed, but inside, she felt a rare excitement.

This would be her first time going to the county since coming here!

Before, Sister-in-law Cui had mentioned several times that she would take her to the county to shop for some things, but each time, something had delayed the plan.

Although the family wasn’t short of grain or vegetables, if she didn’t go soon, she wouldn’t be able to hide it any longer.

The package she had brought from home was already running low, and they had been eating from it for three months. Everything would be used up soon!

Even if her husband, this fool, didn’t realize it, there were too many eyes in the camp!

Even Sister-in-law Cui had asked several times if they had enough salt and oil, and whether she needed to take some from her house.

So, this trip was essential.

Moreover, Yin Xiaoman had long heard that there was a place in the county that specialized in fresh goods, mostly sold by the local fishermen.

It was said that, because the supply was small and the government didn’t crack down too hard on it—fearing that the fishermen would starve to death—so long as it wasn’t excessive, no one paid much attention to it.

Many fishermen would secretly bring their catch there to sell, and in Sister-in-law Cui’s words: “They’ll definitely suit your taste. Once those things pass through your hands, who knows how much better they’ll taste!”

Yin Xiaoman had wanted to go for a long time.