Chapter 71.2

After Gu Qinghan left his office, General Xu dialed a phone number in Beijing, and General Lu quickly answered.

“General, the arrangements have been made,” General Xu said, still feeling somewhat anxious. He asked, “Are we really responsible for this matter?”

General Lu inquired: “What did Wen Nuan and that kid Gu Qinghan say?”

General Xu replied, “I have assigned Comrade Wen Nuan to arrange the supplies and Comrade Gu Qinghan to transport them. They both agreed.”

General Lu asked again, “Did you inform them about the confidentiality agreement?”

“I did. They had no objections,” General Xu responded.

General Lu smiled with satisfaction, saying, “Then that’s settled. My granddaughter and grandson-in-law would never betray the organization; I trust them.”

His words rang with conviction. They not only represented a senior’s trust in their juniors but also an acknowledgment from a superior to their subordinates.

Gu Qinghan had always been one of the most valued pilots in the Air Force and one of the organization’s outstanding soldiers. Even without this familial connection, Lu Mingfei had faith in Gu Qinghan’s character.

A soldier who spills their blood on the front lines to protect those in the rear should not be doubted.

General Xu naturally favored his subordinates, especially the outstanding Gu Qinghan. However, it wasn’t appropriate for him to say this. Now, hearing General Lu express the same sentiment, he felt reassured.

“General, please rest assured. We will handle this matter well and will not let you down.”

“Good, thank you for your hard work.”

—o—o—o—

On the other side, after Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan left General Xu’s office, they slowly made their way to the Kitchen Team.

Gu Qinghan gazed at his wife’s slightly smiling profile and couldn’t help but ask, “This matter is a bit urgent. Can your Kitchen Team handle it?”

It would require a lot of effort if they were to finish preparing three months’ worth of supplies within half a month before heavy snow sealed off the mountains. There were more than thirty people at the research institute, so the items needed wouldn’t be few, but it wasn’t an overwhelming amount either.

However, the Kitchen Team was indeed short-staffed, and if they were to push everyone to work overtime, it would likely lead to complaints.

Wen Nuan also felt it would be challenging, but she had to give it her all to ensure that the comrades at the research institute could have a well-supplied winter.

Wen Nuan said, “I plan to go back and discuss it with Quartermaster Luo first. I need to make a list of supplies and choose a few trustworthy people to arrange the food for this operation.”

Although it was a small processing factory, she could not hire a few people casually. They needed to have some culinary skills and, more importantly, be trustworthy.

If she could select a few people from the Kitchen Team, that would be the best; those comrades were reliable.

Fortunately, it was winter now, so she did not have to worry about food storage for the time being. The snow-covered ground in North City served as the best refrigerator; she had already gotten some ideas.

Gu Qinghan nodded and then said, “If you need people, I can ask if the regiment can arrange a few for you.”

In confusion, Wen Nuan looked at him and asked, “Isn’t that a bit too much?”

Gu Qinghan smiled, tidied up Wen Nuan’s hair that the cold wind had blown, and then stood in front of her to block the wind, saying, “It’s fine. It’s cold in North City during winter, and everyone’s training intensity will be adjusted, so there will be more free time. Even our Flight Crew’s training is not as heavy now.”

Wen Nuan looked at the tall figure in front of her and smiled, saying, “If I can pick people from the army, I’ll feel even more at ease.”

Wen Nuan: “By the way, are you in a hurry to go back and select the first batch of pilots today? If you are, you can go back to the Flight Crew first. You don’t need to escort me back to the Kitchen Team.”

Wen Nuan glanced at the time; it was exactly 11 o’clock—not too early, not too late. Gu Qinghan surely needed to return to the Flight Crew.

He had been in Shenyang for over a month, and even if there was no training today, he still needed to check in with the team.

Gu Qinghan had originally planned to escort his wife back, but since it had stopped snowing, he thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll head back to the team first. If there’s anything, we can talk about it tonight. Be careful on your way back to the Kitchen Team.”

Wen Nuan smiled and replied, “Got it, don’t worry.”

—o—o—o—

After Gu Qinghan returned to the Flight Crew, the first batch of applicants for the pilot positions had already arrived, standing in three neat lines.

Most of them were young army soldiers, each with eager faces that reflected their dreams of flying fighter jets.

They had all passed the physical examinations and had been selected, but this was only the first round of selection, so it was clear that there was still much work ahead.

Liang Guoan saw Gu Qinghan had finally returned and couldn’t help but say: “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you all morning! I’m getting dizzy just looking at all these candidates.”

Although Liang Guoan was the Captain, he relied heavily on Gu Qinghan for many things, especially when it came to assessing candidates. Often, Gu Qinghan could determine in just a few minutes whether someone was suitable to be a pilot.

Now that their regiment had so few pilots, the standards for pilots were high, and Gu Qinghan’s expectations were even higher.

Gu Qinghan glanced over the line of candidates and said, “It’s only the first round; just a physical test for now. You don’t need to wait for me.”

Liang Guoan chuckled, “Isn’t it because I’m afraid of making a mistake? I feel much more at ease with you here.”

Not wanting to waste time, Gu Qinghan focused on the queue. He noticed Ding Guoli standing at the front, with a bit of bruising on his face—likely from the beating Wen Nuan had mentioned involving Qinglan and Yang Xiaomei.

Gu Qinghan glanced at Ding Guoli’s profile and then directly called out, “Ding Guoli.” He said, “You’re not suitable; go back.”

Ding Guoli initially thought Gu Qinghan was calling him for some reason. Who would have thought he would be eliminated before the test even started?

Gritting his teeth, Ding Guoli defiantly asked, “Vice Captain Gu, we haven’t even begun the testing yet. Why do I have to go back?”

Gu Qinghan coldly looked at him and asked, “Why?”

He looked at Li Daxiang in the line and said, “Li Daxiang, step forward.”

Li Daxiang took a step forward and replied, “Yes.”

With a blank expression, Gu Qinghan said, “One hundred push-ups.”

Then he added, “Alternate with one hand.”

Everyone gasped slightly and turned their attention to Li Daxiang. However, Li Daxiang did not hesitate at all; he immediately got into position and began doing push-ups on one hand.

Gu Qinghan then turned to Ding Guoli and said, “You do it too.”

Ding Guoli’s face turned bright red. But seeing that Li Daxiang was already doing it, he had no excuse to back down. Gritting his teeth, he positioned himself to do push-ups on one hand. However, before he could even begin, his arm started to shake uncontrollably, making it impossible for him to exert any strength.

Gu Qinghan coldly observed him, and his thin lips parted slightly: “If you can’t do it with one hand, then switch to two.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone burst into laughter. Even Liang Guoan found Gu Qinghan’s comment to be not particularly harmful but extremely insulting.

No man would want to hear the words “can’t do it.”

But it was clear that Ding Guoli indeed couldn’t do it.

Gu Qinghan glanced at the candidates in line, and everyone immediately stopped laughing, holding their breaths as they stifled their laughter.

However, everyone was still very curious about Ding Guoli’s performance, fearing they might miss out on the spectacle.

Ding Guoli looked like he was about to bleed from his face, but he gritted his teeth and started doing push-ups.

Liang Guoan watched Ding Guoli’s backside arched high in the air and reached to press down on his waist, saying, “Comrade Ding, your push-ups aren’t standard enough. You need to lower your body; your arms need to bend more!”

On the other side, Li Daxiang was already drenched in sweat, but Ding Guoli was still struggling. Liang Guoan’s hand pressed down, forcing him flat against the ground.

“…”

This time, no one dared to laugh. Watching Ding Guoli, who looked like a beginner, they finally understood why Vice Captain Gu had told him to leave.

How could this guy have the nerve to sign up?

Ding Guoli lay on the floor, wishing he could just disappear. He believed his physical fitness was decent, so why couldn’t he even do twenty push-ups?

Gu Qinghan didn’t give him any opportunity to redeem himself; he said, “Ding Guoli is eliminated. Next!”

Ding Guoli immediately scrambled to his feet and pleaded with Gu Qinghan, “Vice Captain Gu, I didn’t perform well just now. Please, give me another chance.”

Gu Qinghan glanced at Liang Guoan.

Liang Guoan chuckled and then said to Ding Guoli, “Comrade Ding, please go back. You’re not suitable.”

It would have been even worse if Vice Captain Gu had lost his temper later if he hadn’t left now!

Besides, Ding Guoli really wasn’t cut out for this. Not to mention being a pilot; he wouldn’t even qualify for the land army!

For goodness’ sake! With Ding Guoli’s level of upper body strength, he could barely pull the cockpit lever!

Ding Guoli still wanted to argue, but Li Daxiang had already completed his one hundred push-ups. After dusting off his hands, he stood up and reported, “Sir, the one hundred push-ups task is complete!”

Soon after, other candidates began doing push-ups, and everyone completed the task with ease—everyone except Ding Guoli.

He couldn’t even manage the basic requirements.

Feeling out of place, Ding Guoli decided to leave the Flight Crew.

—o—o—o—

When Wen Nuan returned to the Kitchen Team, she held a small meeting with Quartermaster Luo.

A few colleagues from the kitchen overheard the rumors and knew Wen Nuan planned to start a small factory. Now, she was discussing with Quartermaster Luo about where to set up the site in the office.

Building a new factory would take too long and cost too much, especially since it was winter now, making it nearly impossible.

Wen Nuan did not want to waste this money either; it would be better to use it to provide some meat for her comrades at the research institute. After discussing with Quartermaster Luo, they decided to clean up the abandoned woodshed next to the chicken coop and turn it into a small factory.

The place was not large, but it was conveniently located right next to the aircrew Kitchen Team. It would not confuse the meals with those of their military Kitchen Team, and Wen Nuan would not have to run too far.

The woodshed had been idle for quite some time, and it felt like a waste. Now, they had finally found a use for it.

In addition to selecting the location, they also needed to choose personnel. If they rashly hired people from outside, would Wen Nuan be uneasy, and Quartermaster Luo would be on edge.

After agreeing on the site, Wen Nuan quickly contacted Xiao Zhang to ask when the supplies would arrive. Xiao Zhang had already arranged for them that morning.

It was estimated that a truck would come from Beijing in the evening, carrying part of the supplies they had prepared this time.

So, at the end of the afternoon shift, Quartermaster Luo called in several people from the aircrew and asked them, “We need to prepare supplies for the research institute, and we must have them ready before the first heavy snowfall. Who among you is willing to help?”

Before Quartermaster Luo mentioned payment, Old Zhong and Xiao Zhu were the first to step forward. “After all, we’re soldiers, even if we wield spatulas. Now that we are needed, we will definitely step up immediately!”

Old Zhong scratched his ear and added, “Nonsense! The Kitchen Team needs me at any time, and I will give it my all. Isn’t it just preparing some supplies? If I shrink back at this, I would feel unworthy of my name.”

Soon, three other people stepped forward and said, “Anyway, we need to prepare midnight snacks for the Flight Crew in the summer. Now that they’re not flying at night in the winter, I can also contribute.”

Seeing everyone so eager to volunteer, Wen Nuan smiled with satisfaction. “On behalf of all the comrades at the research institute, thank you.”

Several pairs of eyes focused intently on Wen Nuan, and then Old Zhong said with a smile, “Our Air Force and the research institute are like one family. If it’s inconvenient for them, how about I go over and cook for them?”

Speaking of this, Wen Nuan planned to write a small booklet about cooking. Although there was a Kitchen Team at the research institute, Gu Qinghan mentioned that they were always pressed for time and had no specific requirements for food; they just needed it to be cooked.

As Old Zhong said, if it was inconvenient for the research institute, going over to cook for them was not out of the question.

“In the future, everyone will have to do two jobs. For the next two weeks, I will need your full cooperation. But if anyone can’t handle it physically, you must stop and rest immediately. Understood?”

“Understood!”

“So what are we going to do tonight?”

Wen Nuan had already had someone deliver the flour, and she said, “Knead the dough and make dumplings.”

“What? Make dumplings?”

Wen Nuan nodded, “That’s right. Although Northerners can make dumplings, it’s time-consuming and labor-intensive. The comrades at the research institute don’t have the time to knead dough and roll skins every day, so I plan to make some frozen dumplings and frozen braised beef noodles to take over.”