Chapter 76

Liu Minghua and Shen Bairong almost simultaneously heard someone coming to look for them and ran outside.

As he walked, Liu Minghua whispered to his assistant, “That’s our new test pilot for the fighter jet, Gu Qinghan. Why didn’t they invite him in?”

The assistant carefully replied, “There aren’t many people here, and when a big vehicle suddenly shows up, the guards outside stopped him and didn’t let him in.”

Liu Minghua, knowing the regulations of the research institute and feeling anxious, said, “Fine, I’ll go out and bring him in.”

Then he turned back to the assistant and said, “Xiao Fang, hurry up and help Old Zhao make some meat soup to send over. Don’t delay any longer.”

Upon hearing this, the assistant paused. Although he wasn’t skilled at cooking, Old Zhao was unwell and urgently needed it.

“Understood, Chief Engineer Liu. I’ll get on it right away.”

Liu Minghua was in no mood to continue the conversation, so he quickened his pace.

They had been at the research institute for so many years, and no one had ever shown up out of the blue. If someone wanted to come here, they had to submit a report in advance, and the institute would receive a notification ahead of time. Usually, the guards outside would directly check the pass and let them through.

Now, hearing that Gu Qinghan had come over so suddenly, Liu Minghua’s first thought was whether something had gone wrong with the new fighter jet.

But why hadn’t he been notified directly if there was a problem with the jet?

Liu Minghua also recalled that the institute’s phone often had poor reception. This matter was likely very urgent, which was why Gu Qinghan had come over unexpectedly.

With a complex and anxious heart, Liu Minghua walked toward the main gate of the research institute. The main gate, however, was just a long path leading to a mud brick house where people took turns guarding.

The research institute was disguised as a small village; from the outside, it looked no different from a rural area. After leaving Old Zhao’s residence, Liu Minghua saw an ordinary large truck parked at the village entrance.

At this moment, it was snowing, and the truck’s tarpaulin had risen high, already accumulating a thick layer of white snow.

This truck clearly belonged to the military, indicating that Gu Qinghan had indeed come from the Air Force base in the North.

The research institute was situated at the foot of the mountains, and with the snow falling, the temperature was even lower. The icy snow whipped against Liu Minghua’s face like knives, leaving him feeling numb.

Several times, he attempted to speak to let people pass, but before he could open his mouth, his lips had already frozen stiff.

He could only move forward through the wind and snow.

Liu Minghua glanced at his wife, Shen Bairong, who was beside him and said: “Xiaorong, it’s cold. You should go back inside and wait. I’ll go out and bring him in.”

Shen Bairong shared Liu Minghua’s concern about whether something had gone wrong with the new fighter jet. Since they had already come out, she had no intention of going back.

She replied, “Let’s go take a look. I don’t know if something’s happened; I feel anxious.”

Liu Minghua had no choice but to quicken his pace. Before he reached the village entrance, a tall and straight figure descended from the truck.

The first thing to appear was a pair of feet with yellow mud on the shoes. He did not look like the meticulous Gu Qinghan they were accustomed to; it seemed he had hurried over. Moreover, he wasn’t wearing a military uniform, looking more like an ordinary person.

The only difference was that Gu Qinghan had a distinctly military spirit about him. His sharp gaze revealed a different essence, indicating that he had made a slight disguise while coming from the military.

Liu Minghua jogged a short distance while holding Shen Bairong’s hand, slowing down only as they approached the entrance.

When they clearly saw Gu Qinghan’s handsome face, they shouted, “Comrade Gu!”

At the same time, Gu Qinghan handed his pass to the guard at the village entrance and greeted Liu Minghua and Shen Bairong, saying, “Comrade Liu, Comrade Shen.”

Gasping for breath, Liu Minghua immediately asked, “How did you come here? Is there a problem with Factory 112?”

Seeing the anxious, flushed faces of the couple, Gu Qinghan realized they had misunderstood and explained, “Factory 112 is fine. I came here this time to deliver supplies to the research institute.”

Gu Qinghan glanced back at the large truck and continued, “These in the back are the supplies. Where should they be stored?”

The couple was momentarily stunned. Looking at the truck full of goods behind Gu Qinghan, they were a bit out of sorts as they asked, “What’s going on?”

Noticing that they seemed unaware of the situation, Gu Qinghan patiently explained, “General Lu instructed our Northern Military base to take over the transportation of your supplies. I’m here to deliver them to the research institute.”

Upon hearing Gu Qinghan’s words, Liu Minghua and Shen Bairong breathed a sigh of relief and a wave of joy. “We were just worried about when the supplies would arrive. We didn’t expect you to be the one delivering them.”

No wonder the truck’s back was so high; it appeared to be filled with supplies.

Gu Qinghan had not driven a military truck, probably to avoid drawing attention and to protect their movements from being disclosed.

After a moment, Liu Minghua realized that having Gu Qinghan deliver the supplies was the most appropriate choice. As a test pilot, Gu Qinghan was more familiar with the data of the new fighter jet than anyone else. He wouldn’t have felt secure letting them in if someone else had suddenly taken over.

Noticing that the snowfall was becoming heavier, Liu Minghua said, “The research institute is inside; you can drive the truck inside directly.”

Gu Qinghan glanced at the mud brick house and noted that, from this view, it did not look much different from a typical village.

As he made his way over, he had been worried about finding the right place. After all, the area was sparsely populated, and few villages were nearby. The route was mostly mountainous, and without the truck’s robust capabilities, he probably wouldn’t have been able to make it in.

Shen Bairong pointed to the only narrow path and said, “The road is a bit narrow, so you all need to be careful while driving.”

Gu Qinghan looked at the couple’s thin clothing and then said, “Comrades Liu and Shen, you should get in the truck. We’ll go in together.”

The monkey had already gotten out of the truck and, seeing the two experts greeted them politely before motioning for them to get in.

The couple felt a bit embarrassed, but since Gu Qinghan insisted they join him, they didn’t decline any further.

Liu Minghua helped Shen Bairong hold onto his arm and said, “Come on, Comrade Shen, you go first.”

“Okay, I’ll pull you up too.”

The rumbling sound of the large truck attracted the attention of many people in the research institute. Perhaps because the noise was somewhat unfamiliar, everyone began to come out of their houses to see what was happening.

To their surprise, they saw Shen Bairong and Liu Minghua stepping down from the truck, their faces relaxed and smiling, indicating that it was likely not a bad situation.

It wasn’t until Gu Qinghan got out of the truck that they slightly changed their expressions.

They all recognized Gu Qinghan, as his selection as a test pilot had been a topic of discussion among nearly half the research institute, and they had reviewed some of his basic information.

Liu Minghua, concerned that his colleagues at the institute might misunderstand, took the lead in introducing him. “Comrades, this is Vice-Captain Gu from the Northern Military Base. He’s here to deliver supplies for us.”

Everyone was anxious about when the new batch of supplies would arrive, especially after the incident with Old Zhao’s sudden fainting.

While they weren’t at the point of being unable to cook, they had been living on the same steamed buns and sauerkraut for quite a while, and there were only four or five cabbages left. No one knew how long they could hold out.

This timing was just perfect.

Gu Qinghan nodded to the colleagues at the institute as a greeting and then asked, “Where’s the root cellar? There are a lot of vegetables that need to be quickly stored to prevent freezing.”

One of the comrades pointed to a central building and said, “You can put them in that room; there’s a root cellar inside.”

“Vice-Captain Gu, we can handle this; you should take a break,” someone suggested.

“Everyone, come help! The supplies are here!”

Upon hearing that the supplies had arrived, everyone rushed over to assist. Liu Minghua and Gu Qinghan focused on untying the tarpaulin from the truck bed, revealing a neatly organized load of goods.

They had received countless supplies before, but never had there been so much at once and certainly not so orderly.

Gu Qinghan took out a checklist and handed it to Shen Bairong. “Comrade Shen, please help us count the supplies. The male comrades will handle moving the items.”

Shen Bairong looked at the long list and, without time to be surprised, nodded her head, saying, “Alright.”

There were not many people in the research institute, but hardly anyone could do manual labor. Gu Qinghan watched several frail, pitiful-looking senior colleagues come forward to offer help, and she instructed them to go back inside and wait.

Everyone stared at the bags of apples and pears, the boxes of dumplings that had already been wrapped for them, and the packages of frozen noodles, all of which left them stunned.

These were all semi-finished products; they could prepare a meal just by boiling a pot of water without lifting a finger. How could it be like this?

What shocked them even more was that the pigs and sheep, which had originally been whole, were now all butchered and sliced into pieces.

When Shen Bairong saw the seasoning packets on the list, her eyebrows couldn’t help but rise. Since eating this stuff at Factory 112, she had been unable to forget it; even cooking noodles could turn out extremely delicious.

She had been thinking about awkwardly asking Wen Nuan for some, never expecting that they had prepared nearly two hundred packets for them. It seemed they could eat for many days.

Shen Bairong then said to Comrade Gao Zhenming of the research institute, “These seasoning packets can be used directly as a hot pot soup base, and if we add some meatballs, it will taste incredible.”

Gao Zhenming looked at the thin slices of lamb and already felt hungry. He excitedly said, “We can finally have lamb hot pot! God knows I haven’t had it in two years.”

Shen Bairong smiled and remarked, “They even helped us slice the meat and wrap the dumplings. This saves us a lot of effort.”

Liu Minghua, seeing the supplies being unloaded, immediately said, “Hurry and have Xiao Fang make some lamb soup for Old Zhao. Drinking a bowl or two of hot soup on such a cold day would make everyone feel better.”

Out of nowhere, Old Zhao came out, but after hearing their conversation, he said, “Stop messing around. It’s already mealtime, so let’s cook and eat together.”

Liu Minghua glanced at Gu Qinghan, who was sweating from moving the supplies, and said, “Alright, how about we have a hot pot? I’ll tell you, these meatballs make for a delicious hot pot. Don’t even think about fighting me for them!”

Previously, Liu Minghua had eaten Wen Nuan’s meatballs in Shenyang and never imagined that there would be some in this batch of supplies!

Moreover, with various types of meatballs combined, there were at least over two hundred catties. Thankfully, winter here was snowy for most of the year, so they could just leave them outside to freeze and enjoy them slowly.

Then, there were some bags of rice; this time, there were five more bags than before, along with some dried seafood. Originally, Gu Qinghan had planned to give it to Liu Minghua and his wife, as there wasn’t much of it, but the two of them hadn’t had the time to cook, so it was just piled up in the institute’s warehouse.

This batch of supplies was truly abundant and plentiful.

With the unloading nearly complete, Shen Bairong turned to the slightly sweaty but still composed Gu Qinghan and asked, “These supplies were prepared by Comrade Wen Nuan, right?”

Gu Qinghan nodded, not denying it. “Yes, she heard that the comrades at the research institute have been busy, so she suggested turning most of the supplies into semi-finished products, which would be more convenient for you.”

Gu Qinghan knew that they often had to work late, sometimes forgetting to eat. After working hard, when they finally felt hungry, they were too lazy to cook, so they would just grab a bunch of steamed buns or cornbread and nibble on them at night.

Now, with the already-wrapped dumplings and frozen noodles, they wouldn’t have to deal with the hassle of proofing dough and rolling it out. They could just make do with whatever was available.

Shen Bairong actually thought of how thoughtful Wen Nuan was, but she hadn’t expected her to help prepare the meat as well.

Feeling warm inside, Shen Bairong said to Gu Qinghan, “Please thank Comrade Wen Nuan for me; she has helped our research institute tremendously.”

Gu Qinghan thought of his wife and revealed a faint smile. “Alright, I’ll let her know.”

After everyone worked together to organize the supplies, Liu Minghua turned to Gu Qinghan and said, “Vice-Captain Gu, you’ve worked hard all the way here. Since it’s snowing now and it’s getting dark later, why don’t you stay overnight at our research institute?”

It was rare for them to gather, and aside from catching up, they also planned to discuss some changes to their plans.

Moreover, it probably hadn’t been easy for Gu Qinghan to come this time. Although the North was not far from the research institute, they avoided the usual routes to prevent exposing the institute’s address. Previously, the supply trucks coming from the capital had to take a much longer detour to arrive safely.

 So, no matter what, they had to keep Gu Qinghan for dinner before he headed back.

However, Gu Qinghan glanced at the darkening sky and replied, “Alright, but I’ll head back to the North right after dinner.”

Liu Minghua asked, “Are you in such a hurry?”

Gu Qinghan explained, “There are matters in the military that I need to attend to.”

He was concerned about the situation in the military; the longer the supply truck incident dragged on, the harder it would be to gather evidence. Therefore, he had to return to the military tonight, no matter what.

He couldn’t let Li Daxiang suffer in vain.

Hearing this, Liu Minghua didn’t plan to keep him any longer and said, “Alright, I’ll have Xiao Fang prepare dinner quickly. You can leave after you’ve eaten.”

Gu Qinghan looked at him and added, “If you need any supplies in the future, just give me a call, and we can arrange it on our end.”

Liu Minghua smiled. “This batch of supplies is so abundant; it should last our research institute for two to three months. I probably won’t need to bother you until the New Year.”

“By the way, since you won’t be staying overnight, I’ll have someone help you settle the payment for this batch of supplies.”

Gu Qinghan looked over, and Liu Minghua realized he didn’t yet know about the supply transportation model. He explained, “It works like this: although Basethe Main Air Force Military approves the supplies, the handover still goes through public channels.”

In fact, their research institute wasn’t short on money. On the contrary, they had decent salaries and were willing to spend some to improve their meals. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the conditions to resolve the issue with their food supply.

Now that the Northern Military Base took over the supplies, it was a good thing; at least it was closer, and since Wen Nuan was handling it, he felt very reassured.

During winter, they could stockpile supplies in large quantities, but Gu Qinghan would probably have to make several trips in the summer. So they definitely needed to handle the money and goods issue properly and not take advantage of others.

After listening to Liu Minghua, Gu Qinghan said, “You can just have someone calculate it for me.”

Liu Minghua looked at him in surprise. “Aren’t you going to check the accounts?”

Gu Qinghan smiled and replied, “No need. Can’t I trust your calculations?”

Everyone in the research institute was an expert in mathematics and physics, and when it came to calculations, their minds worked faster than anyone else’s.

Liu Minghua felt a bit proud of what Gu Qinghan said and laughed, “Alright, I’ll have Xiao Fang tally everything up and hand it to you later.”

While they were talking, Xiao Fang and Gao Zhenming had already prepared the hot pot broth.

“This is too simple! I used those seasoning packets and just threw them into the water to make the broth,” Xiao Fang exclaimed.

“If anyone wants spicy, come over here!” someone called out.

To their surprise, there was also a soup base oil, a square-shaped piece that, once placed in hot water, turned the entire pot of broth into a vibrant red chili oil hot pot base. It was so convenient that it made them want to eat hot pot every day.

Xiao Fang came over with a large plate of meatballs and asked Gu Qinghan, “Vice-Captain Gu, are these glutinous rice balls? Why are they this color?”

Gu Qinghan glanced at the meatballs, which had been pounded out countless times, and replied, “These are pork balls, shiitake mushroom balls, and fish balls. Just toss them into the hot pot broth, and you can eat them in a few minutes.”

Xiao Fang looked at the meatball, which was slightly larger than a tangyuan but smaller than a ping pong ball, and said, “Ah? So these are all meatballs? I can’t believe meat can be made like this! It’s amazing!”

Gu Qinghan smiled and replied, “Yes, this was thought up by my wife.”

Xiao Fang responded, “I had heard from Chief Engineer Liu and Engineer Shen that Comrade Wen Nuan is great at cooking. It seems to be true. I want to go learn how to cook from Comrade Wen Nuan so that our predecessors in the research institute can eat better.”

Shen Bairong recalled the delicious food made by Wen Nuan that she had eaten in the Northern Military Base and then bluntly shot down Xiao Fang’s enthusiasm. “It’s not that easy. You’d probably need to study for a long time just to learn how to make braised pig trotters.”

Shen Bairong continued to talk about the delectable dishes she had enjoyed in the Northern Military Base, causing everyone present to nearly drool.

Someone then suggested, “It would be great if we could invite Comrade Wen Nuan to be our chef!”

“Oh, we shouldn’t be so greedy. Comrade Wen Nuan has already done a great job preparing our supplies. Now, we want to pull her over here?”

“Exactly! I think we should just send two people over to learn a bit of cooking.”

“Alright, alright. It’s already great as it is. We don’t really lack people who can cook; we’re just too lazy to do it ourselves. This setup works just fine.”

Everyone joked and chatted, looking toward Gu Qinghan, who remained quietly eating his meal without saying a word.

Gu Qinghan had naturally heard what they said, but at that moment, anything he might say would be inappropriate, so he could only smile and let it go.

The comrades at the research institute were all people who had left their hometowns. Many of them hadn’t been in contact with their families for years, dedicating themselves to the aerospace projects deep in the mountains.

They were heroes who sacrificed their small families for the greater good and deserved better support.

However, upon hearing how much everyone liked his wife, Gu Qinghan felt an inexplicable sense of pride deep down.

After the meal, Gu Qinghan handed Shen Bairong two jars of preserved fruits that Wen Nuan had made. “Comrade Shen, these are for you from Wen Nuan. You can have them yourself.”

Since there were only two jars, which wasn’t much, Wen Nuan had instructed him to give them only to Shen Bairong.

Shen Bairong took the two jars with gratitude, feeling touched. She hadn’t expected Comrade Wen Nuan to remember her fondness for preserved fruits. “I didn’t know Comrade Wen Nuan still remembered that I like them. Please thank her for me.”

Shen Bairong also wanted to bring something for Wen Nuan, but the research institute lacked everything. She could only keep this goodwill in mind and hoped to return the favor someday when she had the chance.

Gu Qinghan glanced around and thought of their child, then asked, “By the way, where is Huaqing? Isn’t he here right now?”

When the topic of the child came up, Shen Bairong shifted her thoughts back and replied, “Old Liu and I have been busy and can’t take care of the child, so we decided to send him to the capital to let Old Liu’s younger brother Mingfei help look after him.”

Gu Qinghan remembered Liu Mingfei; when he came to the North, he was the one who had taken Liu Huaqing north alone.

Shen Bairong chuckled. “It’s good to send the child to the capital; it’s much better than staying here.”

“By the way, I heard Old Liu is preparing to do the test flight with you, right?”

Gu Qinghan didn’t want to hide anything when it came to the test flight, so he said, “Comrade Liu mentioned that before, but the flight doctor checked his health, and he’s not suitable for flying.”

Shen Bairong naturally didn’t want her husband to fly, but there were still many issues to resolve with the new fighter jet. If he didn’t accompany them for a few trips, it would be difficult to pinpoint the problems.

Shen Bairong nodded and said, “Alright, I will supervise him to get his health in order so that he can fly a few times with you in the spring.”

Liu Minghua originally planned to keep his flying a secret from his wife but was caught out like this. So, he decided it was better not to go and continued to enjoy his lamb soup.

After chatting for a while, Gu Qinghan and the monkey prepared to leave.

Xiao Fang had already settled the accounts for this supply run. Since the research institute didn’t have enough cash on hand, they had agreed to have the headquarters transfer the funds a week later.

Gu Qinghan intended to have the Kitchen Crew coordinate with Xiao Fang, so he left his contact information so they could get in touch when the time came.

Liu Minghua and Shen Bairong accompanied them outside to see them off. Liu Minghua said to Gu Qinghan, “Comrade Gu, please send my regards to Comrade Wen Nuan.”

“Alright, you two take care on your way back. It’s cold at night.”

“Thank you. Safe travels.”

—o—o—o—

In the North.

After Wen Nuan finished her phone call with General Lu , she returned to the Kitchen Crew.

She had looked over the house where Li Daxiang stayed last night. Aside from the tire tracks from the supply truck, there were many footprints around, most of which belonged to the Kitchen Crew and Gu Qinghan’s group, who were moving supplies at the same time.

What was most peculiar were the footprints by the window. She recalled what her grandfather had said: if someone had tampered with the supply truck, that person must have first knocked Li Daxiang unconscious.

From this, it seemed that the individual might have sealed the window to prevent ventilation in the room, waited for Li Daxiang to pass out, and then tampered with the supply truck.

She also thought of Ding Guoli, whom she had seen outside the hospital, and the mud stains on his shoes, which matched the color of the mud outside their Kitchen Crew’s area.

Since Gu Qinghan knew that someone had interfered with the supply truck but didn’t immediately confront the individual, he must have already realized that the other party’s methods were crude. So he wasn’t in a rush to expose them and instead prioritized delivering the supplies to the research institute.

General Lu had just said that he didn’t intend to intervene in this matter. He remarked that if Gu Qinghan couldn’t handle such a minor issue, then he wasn’t fit to hold his position as a company-level officer.

Her grandfather hadn’t initially planned to tell her about this matter, as it involved the military, but since she was the person in charge of this batch of supplies, he decided to share the information with her.

Upon hearing her grandfather’s words, Wen Nuan felt a sense of relief. This meant that Qinghan was indeed aware of what had happened.

However, he still hadn’t had the time to deal with it.

Later, General Lu said to her, “I have confidence in both of you. You can handle this after he returns, but if you have evidence, you can directly confront the person responsible.”

After stopping by the Kitchen Crew, Wen Nuan headed to the chief’s office.

General Xu had just finished a phone call when he heard a knock on the door, and to his surprise, it was Wen Nuan.

General Xu looked at her and asked, “Comrade Wen Nuan, what brings you here?”

Wen Nuan met General Xu’s sharp gaze and, without beating around the bush, replied, “General Xu, I suspect someone is trying to harm our military comrades. I request an investigation into Li Daxiang’s carbon monoxide situation.”

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