Chapter 56

There were no seasons on Zhongshan Island—it was always consistently hot. So much so, that people often lost track of the date while going about their lives.

One day, when Yin Xiaoman suddenly had a whim to flip through the calendar, she was startled to realize that an entire year had passed, and it was only a few days away from the Spring Festival!

In that moment, she felt a surge of emotion. Thinking back to the days when she had just arrived here, it all seemed like a very long time ago. It was like a dream.

If she hadn’t noticed, it wouldn’t have mattered. But now that she knew, she naturally couldn’t let such an important day slip by quietly and unnoticed.

She wanted to cook a good meal for the Researchers, to help them celebrate.

There were now eleven Researchers on the island. Even though a few more had joined, the workload hadn’t decreased at all—they were still as busy as ever.

More than half a year had passed, and even though she was their designated chef, Yin Xiaoman still hadn’t memorized all their faces.

They left early and returned late, spending all day and night in the lab, tirelessly working around the clock.

But the busier they were, the more Yin Xiaoman wanted to do something—anything—for these admirable people. 

She couldn’t help with their work, but for a holiday, making a good meal was the least she could do, wasn’t it?

So when Ren Ping’an came by to deliver food to her house, she shared her thoughts with him. She hoped he could pass on the message when the supply ship arrived, and see what could be bought—anything useful, and preferably in larger quantities.

What she hadn’t expected, was that as soon as she voiced her idea, not only did Ren Ping’an raise both hands in agreement, but he also sincerely proposed whether they could combine the Researchers’ celebration banquet with the base’s gathering.

Ren Ping’an replied to her: “Sister-in-law, everyone in our battalion agrees that your cooking is the best. Even though not many people at the base have tasted your food, word has spread far and wide. They say no matter what it is, once it passes through your hands, it becomes a rare delicacy!

Usually, you’re responsible for preparing three meals a day for the Researchers, so I wouldn’t dare bring this up. But now that you’ve said you want to make a banquet, then I’ll shamelessly beg you—can we do it at the Kitchen Unit? Let us have a chance to learn from you too?

Honestly, since we came to the island, the base hasn’t given the troops any kind of benefit. With the new year coming, having a shared meal—I don’t think the Battalion Commander would say no.

Sister-in-law, you don’t know, but our soldiers have it tough too. They do the most exhausting work every single day.”

How could Yin Xiaoman not know the things Ren Ping’an was saying?

Even though the battalion was officially called a Garrison Unit, their duties went far beyond patrolling and basic security tasks.

Now, a new warehouse was being dug, and two engineering platoons had been sent over by the regiment.

But even that wasn’t nearly enough manpower.

At the base now, all personnel—officers and soldiers alike—except those on duty, had to go to the construction site to help.

They were doing physically demanding labor that the average person couldn’t even imagine.

They were doing all of that in such a harsh environment.

Previously, because of the intense heat, eggs and meat couldn’t be transported to the island. Yin Xiaoman had once discussed with Ren Ping’an whether there might be a way to bring some chickens or ducks from the mainland to raise.

If they could get a pig or a few goats, that would be even better.

On Zhongshan Island, there were no rebel factions to worry about, and no one cared what kind of livestock they raised—they could be entirely self-sufficient.

But Ren Ping’an had smiled bitterly and told her there simply weren’t enough people. Even the staff from the Kitchen Unit had to carry stones up the mountain during their breaks.

He had also said: “They blast the mountains every other day. Humans can get used to it, sure, but pigs and chickens? If they weren’t scared to death in three days, they’d be so terrified they wouldn’t even eat. Keeping them would such a waste.”

Hearing that, Yin Xiaoman had immediately given up on the idea.

Now that Ren Ping’an had come up with the idea of having a shared banquet, Yin Xiaoman naturally didn’t object.

Over the next few days, the two of them stayed together whenever they were free, researching recipes and brainstorming how to make the most out of the limited ingredients they had to work with.

After all, everyone had been eating seafood every single day—no one had much of an appetite for it anymore.

Their planning didn’t go unnoticed by Shen Qingyun—of course he was aware. He gave his approval, but also emphasized one thing: the construction site was now in its most critical stage. They could organize the event, but shouldn’t take too many people away from work.

Yin Xiaoman had no objections to that; it was exactly what she had been thinking.

She watched her man working every day, saw how his skin had grown rougher, how he had clearly lost weight compared to when he first arrived. His hands and body were constantly bruised from bumps and scrapes.

How could her heart not ache for him? She just had no way to show it.

Her husband was the highest-ranking officer on Zhongshan Island. If he didn’t lead by example, how could he expect to command his troops?

So Yin Xiaoman filled her schedule completely. Any task she could do alone, or with the help of the children, she took on herself. She didn’t want to drain the energy of the Kitchen Unit’s soldiers.

She kept thinking: if she did a little more, maybe the soldiers could rest a little more. If one of them could be freed up to help at the construction site, her husband’s burden might ease just a bit.

One morning, as she was discussing with Dami and Da Bao about heading to the beach to see if they could find any bird eggs or turtle eggs—currently their best source of eggs—Shen Qingyun suddenly walked over.

Without saying a word, he reached out and ruffled each child’s forehead one by one.

Only then did Shen Qingyun turn to look at Yin Xiaoman and smile, saying: “Don’t go anywhere today. Everyone should stay home. Nobody leaves. I’ll send someone to call you all later. When the time comes, come with me to the shore to meet the supply ship.”

There really was a severe manpower shortage on the island. Shen Qingyun was practically calculating every person he could possibly put to use.

Having the boys at home go help him with tasks wasn’t a first-time occurrence. Hearing what he said, everyone just assumed he was once again grabbing a couple of kids to help with manual labor. No one paid it any mind.

Only Yin Xiaoman sensed something different. She felt that her man’s mood was unusually good today—there was an excitement he was trying hard to hide, as though something great was about to happen.

But on this island, a day and a month, even a year, felt no different from one another.

They saw the same people, did the same things.

Yin Xiaoman thought long and hard, but still couldn’t figure out what special event could possibly be happening. Eventually, she got busy and put the matter aside.

Then, just after nine o’clock, Shi Lei came running to call them. He specifically said the whole family was to go—even she and the kids should come along.

Could it be they were delivering some fresh delicacies this time?

At that thought, Yin Xiaoman perked right up. She didn’t even care that the sun outside could cook someone’s brain—she ran out in a hurry, forgetting even to grab her sunhat.

But the moment they arrived at the port, Yin Xiaoman immediately spotted her man standing at the very front, and it took her by complete surprise.

Wasn’t this man usually so busy he barely had time to touch the ground? How did he have time to personally come and greet the supply ship?

Unless… there was something more important than food on this ship?

But if that were the case, why did he bring them here?

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. Before she could even voice her question, Shen Qingyun had already taken off the straw hat on his head and plopped it right down onto hers.

“How can you come out without a hat? You’re going to get heatstroke at this rate!”

The sun on the island was simply too intense.

To prevent heatstroke, the soldiers no longer wore their military caps while working. Instead, they all wore wide-brimmed straw hats like the kind farmers wore.

Whether it looked good or not didn’t matter—at least it stopped the sun from scorching their scalps.

Yin Xiaoman had one of her own too, but she had modified hers. She’d added an extra layer of gauze around the brim. It was a bit stuffy to wear, but it blocked most of the sunlight.

She adjusted the straw hat on her head with one hand, didn’t bother to explain herself, and instead asked directly: “Why are you here? Is something important being delivered today?”

“It’s not something important.” Shen Qingyun smiled meaningfully at her: “it’s someone important. You’ll know in a bit.”

For someone to make her man this excited, the person arriving must have a deep connection with him.

But he hadn’t just come alone—he brought the whole family along.

Did that mean she might know the person too?

Aside from the people from Vanguard Camp, Yin Xiaoman couldn’t think of anyone else she was particularly familiar with.

Vanguard Camp…

Her heart skipped a beat. She suddenly looked up, unable to believe it, staring at her husband in shock.

Shen Qingyun smiled and gave her a small, knowing nod.

“Really? Sister Cui and her family are coming?”

Yin Xiaoman’s voice trembled. She didn’t care that others were around—she walked straight up to him and grabbed his arm tightly. “You’re not lying to me?!”

“Why would I lie to you?”

Shen Qingyun gently patted the hand she had wrapped around his arm, his face also full of emotion. “I wasn’t sure before and didn’t know if it would actually work out, so I didn’t dare tell you. I didn’t want you to get your hopes up only to be disappointed if something went wrong.

It was only this morning during drills that I got the call from Commander Lu. He said he kept his promise, and they would be arriving today on the supply ship. So of course I told you right away.”

“Commander Lu helped with this?” Yin Xiaoman was so overjoyed her thoughts were a mess. She didn’t wait for her husband’s explanation, quickly asking.

“Mhm.” Shen Qingyun nodded.

“When Commander Lu visited last time, I mentioned it to him. Our Garrison Unit still doesn’t have a Political Instructor—the post has been vacant since the beginning. So I asked if he could bring Old Qi here to continue doing what he’s always done. Commander Lu said he’d think about it.”

And now, Commander Lu had really brought Qi Feng’s entire family over.

Although Shen Qingyun had given only a brief summary of how it all happened, Yin Xiaoman wasn’t foolish. She could imagine just how difficult it must have been behind the scenes.

Qi Feng was currently a suspended cadre under investigation. Sending someone like him to Zhongshan Island, and appointing him to such an important post…

The process must have been incredibly complicated, and the risk even greater.

This must have been Commander Lu’s way of repaying the Shen family for taking care of Dami.

“Thank Commander Lu. We must thank Commander Lu properly.” Yin Xiaoman murmured, already a little overwhelmed with joy.

As she repeated those words, her eyes remained fixed on the surface of the sea, hoping—praying—that the supply ship would appear in their sight just a little bit sooner.

---

Lucia: I’m so happy for the Qi Family T—T