Chapter 63.1

“From practice to completion, and then to trial voyages, it would take at least three to five years. Even if the trial voyage succeeds, that is only the end of this phase, or perhaps it could be said that it has just begun.”

At this point, Elder Hua’s eyes sparkled with bright enthusiasm: “The strength of a nation’s development is always built upon its defense. And us old fellows, since the day we returned to the country, we have already prepared ourselves to dedicate our entire lives to the defense of our nation.”

“So.” Elder Hua smiled gently at Cui Yan, his gaze warm and kind: “We, these old guys, have decided that we will settle here from now on. As long as you are willing, and can tolerate this kind of life, you can stay here for as many years as you want. I can give you my word on that.”

With those words, Cui Yan found herself once again unable to control her tears, which began to fall.

But this time, the tears were no longer from fear or unease, but from a sense of peace and ease.

“Willing? How could I not be willing? As long as you two elders, and your Research Team comrades, don’t mind us, our family will stay here from now on. We will also—”

She paused, imitating Elder Hua’s words: “We will also dedicate our entire lives to the cause of national defense.”

“Yes! We will all stay here, stay here and contribute our lives to the cause of national defense!”

Moved by their words, Liu Chang was the first to stand up. He slapped his chest with his hand, his eyes filled with excitement and enthusiasm.

But Elder Hua did not seem to be touched by their statement.

He exchanged a glance with Engineer Ning, and both elders’ eyes revealed a trace of bitterness.

Engineer Ning shook his head: “There are many ways to contribute to the cause of national defense. It is not necessarily about staying here for life. We are old, and we’ve seen and experienced everything there is to see. We don’t want to wander anymore. You are still young, and there will be more important endeavors and a better future waiting for you.”

At this point, the old man’s gaze swept across the faces of everyone at the table, and he sighed softly: “Whether it’s Liu Chang, Qingyun, or Qi Feng, we don’t want you to stay here for too long. Your paths ahead are long… Consider this place as just a station on the road of life.”

The old man didn’t continue, but everyone present understood the unspoken words in his eyes.

No matter how good the island was, it was still an isolated island. A day, two days, even a year or two as a paradise might be fine, but to stay for a lifetime…

Even if they stayed, what about the children?

Were they destined to be trapped on this small island for their entire lives from such a young age?

When asked honestly, no one would truly be content with such a fate.

For a moment, the room fell silent again.

Shen Qingyun looked at everyone, furrowing his brow. He shot a glare at Liu Chang first: “What are you all thinking? We’re soldiers, and our duty is to obey orders. Wherever the higher-ups tell us to go, that’s where we go. Can we just change it because we want to?

What will happen in the future, whether we stay or leave, isn’t something we should be worrying about. What we need to do now is obey orders, follow the command, and accomplish the tasks that the country and the people have entrusted us with!

If we stay on the island, we’ll ensure the safety of the Researchers and focus on the island’s development. Even if we have to leave in the future, we need to stay on the island until the very last day. When we hand over, we should make sure that the people who take over can see that our work has been completed with quality and efficiency, and that we haven’t disgraced the Garrison Unit!”

His words struck everyone like a sudden revelation, and they understood it instantly.

Indeed, whether to leave or stay was not a personal decision, so why waste time thinking about it?

As Shen Qingyun had said, as long as they stayed another day, they needed to do their best and improve the island. That was the most important thing they should focus on now.

“Yes, yes, Qingyun is right!” 

Elder Hua clapped his hands and laughed heartily.

“It’s our fault. We old folks have been cooped up in the research rooms for so long that we’ve lost our spirits. Don’t let us lead you astray. Like Qingyun said, just do your own jobs well, and the future will definitely get better.”

At this point, he turned his head to look at Shen Qingyun again: “By the way, Qingyun, have you all considered planting some food on the island?”

Food was always the most important topic of this era.

When Elder Hua asked, everyone’s expressions turned serious.

Shen Qingyun paused for a moment before answering: “We’ve thought about it before. I even discussed it with some of the veterans from the base who had experience stationed on the island. In the end, everyone thought it would be too difficult.

First, there are a lot of typhoons here, and no matter what you plant, a single storm can destroy it all. Then.” 

He helplessly pointed outside: “This rocky mountain has no flat land at all. Where would we plant anything?”

“You’re wrong to say that.” Elder Hua shook his head.

“No matter how troublesome it is, there’s always a solution. If we thought like you, our task force would all be on vacation right now, heading home. Did anything we’ve done not involve difficulties? We find the problems and solve them.

No land? Then find every possible space! Using your words, if a storm comes and wipes everything out, have you thought about what would happen if a big storm causes the supply ships to be delayed for months? Wouldn’t the people on this island be in trouble too? Do we have enough food reserves on the island?”

The moment Elder Hua finished speaking, Shen Qingyun’s face changed.

No matter how talented or capable he was in military matters, Shen Qingyun was not someone who had grown up by the sea. He hadn’t even spent much time in the Vanguard Camp before.

Shen Qingyun had no experience with island life at all.

Although he had studied various theoretical knowledge and understood basic skills, there was a significant difference between theoretical learning and real-life experience.

He had been on the island for a year, and had never experienced a major storm. The supply ships arrived on time every month, delivering provisions without fail. 

No matter what, food was always guaranteed. So, the tension he once felt gradually loosened.

Now, Elder Hua’s words struck him like a heavy hammer, hitting him hard on the head and awakening him all at once.

There were more and more people on the island now, and in the future, there would be even more. What if there really came a day when the island was forced to close off? How long would their food reserves last?

As the commander of the first battalion, the highest-ranking officer on the island, what could he do to ensure the survival of the entire military and civilian population on the island?

Seeing that Shen Qingyun was taking this seriously, Elder Hua continued: “My suggestion is not only to plant food, but also to develop all the side industries that can be done. For example, little Cui is about to start the beekeeping work. You’ve managed to get that, right? That’s great! So why not aim for a bit more?”

He continued: “Like planting some peanuts or beans, and eventually making your own oil or tofu.”

At this point, Elder Hua sighed: “I know you don’t have enough manpower to handle it all. Like with tofu—only Xiaoman knows how to make it, but many of the soldiers in the Kitchen Unit have also learned in advance. But because of a lack of hands, it can’t be done. So, why not recruit more Military Workers to come work on the island?”

“Don’t talk to me about confidentiality.”

Elder Hua waved his hand dismissively: “Don’t try to use those words from Lu Ping to brush me off. He has plenty of ways to find the right people! Besides, we’re already on this island—what’s left to keep confidential?”

After speaking, the old man clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

It was rare to see the elder acting so childishly, and everyone couldn’t help but laugh. They understood Elder Hua’s reasoning and agreed with it wholeheartedly.

Zhongshan Island was an isolated island in the sea, surrounded by water with no land nearby. It was easy to get in, but difficult to leave.

Without the military sending someone to pick them up, it was impossible for ordinary people—or even soldiers like Shen Qingyun and Qi Feng—to leave the island.

What’s more, for ordinary soldiers or Military Workers, even if they were on the island, without permission, they couldn’t even approach the Research Team’s living area. 

Even if they knew some insider information, it would still be very difficult to send anything out.

And what Elder Hua said was also the reality.

After the first time the supply ship failed to deliver meat and soy products due to the heat, Yin Xiaoman had suggested to Ren Ping’an that they bring a stone mill, and if that wasn’t possible, they could grind soybeans on the island and make tofu.

But Ren Ping’an had immediately shot down the idea with a single sentence.

Ren Ping’an asked: “Sister-in-law, who will do it? How much should be made each time? Is it only for the Research Team, or will everyone get some?”

The biggest difference between Zhongshan Island and other places was that here, resources were shared.

Except for the milk powder, eggs, meat, and fine grains specially approved for the Researchers by the government—these, no matter what they said, no one would ever take even a little—everything else, such as the fish they caught and the vegetables they grew, was shared for everyone to eat.

It wasn’t hard to set up a small grinder to grind some tofu for the Researchers every few days. However, they would absolutely not accept this kind of special treatment.

But with so many people in the whole camp, who would take the responsibility of making tofu for everyone, even if it was just one meal?

The people in the Kitchen Unit couldn’t keep up with it.

And now, Yin Xiaoman was in charge of the three meals and two snacks, including one late-night snack, for eleven Researchers.

This job might not be as physically demanding as what the soldiers moving stones did, but it was enough to keep her and Dami running around like spinning tops all day long.

Therefore, to improve the quality of life for both the military and the civilians, it was impossible without enough manpower.

But even knowing that, who dared to take up Elder Hua’s words? Everyone silently turned their gaze toward Shen Qingyun.

Shen Qingyun gave a bitter smile and said: “Commander Lu is not unaware of this situation. The team is also working on it. If you don’t believe me, ask Sister Cui. Isn’t the team also training the newly recruited military workers right now?”

“Yes.” Cui Yan quickly nodded.

“I rushed over, so I didn’t come with the big group. Actually, it won’t be long before many more people arrive on the island.”

Hearing this, Elder Hua’s expression softened a lot. He exchanged a glance with Engineer Ning, then took out a densely written piece of paper from his pocket…

Yin Xiaoman and Cui Yan led a few men to another room to discuss matters, and the two women swiftly cleared the table and chairs.

When they entered the kitchen, Dami had already thoughtfully sent the late-night snack for the Research Team ahead and cleaned up the kitchen, letting out a relieved sigh.

She had Cui Yan take the two children home first, and urged the three little ones, who had finished their homework, to go to bed.

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After a lot of busywork, Shen Qingyun finally returned from the other house.

Seeing that she was still awake, he was a bit surprised. “It’s already ten o’clock, why aren’t you asleep yet? You have to wake up early tomorrow!”

Yin Xiaoman yawned, then turned to walk out the door. “I’m going to clean it up.”

But the man grabbed her by the arm.

“I already cleaned it. Liu Chang and I did it.”

After saying that, he reached out and ruffled Yin Xiaoman’s hair. “Go to bed early, get some rest. In a while, you might have to work even harder.”

“What do you mean?” Yin Xiaoman turned her head to look at him.

Shen Qingyun tidied her messy hair and then said: “Elder Hua wants me to accompany him to Jingcheng. He has some work to report, and also, we might need to pick up some people.”

“Pick up people? Who?” The question immediately woke Yin Xiaoman up from her drowsiness.

“Some of the Research Team members’ family members.”

Yin Xiaoman paused for a moment, and in an instant, she understood what was going on.

She didn’t continue to ask but instead changed the topic. “So, no celebrating the New Year at home?”

“Looks like we won’t be able to.” Shen Qingyun smiled slightly.

A trace of disappointment flashed across Yin Xiaoman’s face, but she quickly hid it and nodded. “Alright, who’s going? I’ll prepare some food for you all.”