Chapter 11

Chen Yuan said, “We don’t have any debts at home. If your parents’ side does, you can send more money back.”

“My family doesn’t have debts either. If you think it’s too much, then just send 500 to each family and save the rest for ourselves, okay?”

“Okay.” Looking into Su Wan’s bright, sparkling eyes, Chen Yuan really couldn’t bring himself to say no.

All he could do now was work harder and strive for a promotion as soon as possible.

After dinner, Chen Yuan and Su Wan started washing the pig offal and pig head. The nearby wives were all extremely curious—only Sister Wei knew that Su Wan was running a small business.

She just couldn’t stand the smell of raw pig offal—it really got to her. Even though she had a good relationship with Su Wan, she still didn’t want to get too close when it came to that.

With Chen Yuan helping, Su Wan was still worried that he wouldn’t clean things thoroughly, so she kept an eye on him as they worked. It turned out he was actually being very meticulous.

The two of them washed until nearly six o’clock.

They dumped everything into a big bucket, blanched it, added spices, cooking wine, rock sugar, and soy sauce, poured in a huge pot of water, and then finally started braising it.

Chen Yuan cooked the rice while Su Wan stir-fried some greens and made a dish of pig head meat with green peppers—it turned out very tasty.

After dinner, Chen Yuan voluntarily took over dishwashing duty while Su Wan unplugged the water heater, planning to take a bath later.

Guangdong Province was hotter than many other places, and since it was already July, even the evenings were sweltering.

There was only one fan at home, creaking as it oscillated. Su Wan got so sweaty from her daily work that her clothes were drenched and could literally be wrung out.

She felt like she had lost a lot of weight in just over twenty days. With all the physical labor, her body had become more toned, and the two rings of belly fat she once had had shrunk to one.

She planned to weigh herself later—right now, all she wanted was to make money.

Chen Yuan had just finished bathing when an urgent voice rang out from outside.
“Company Commander Chen, the political commissar and regiment commander need to see you urgently. They asked you to come right away!”

“Understood.”

Just as he was putting on his clothes, Chen Yuan ran off without even drying his wet hair.

“Report!”

He stood at the entrance of the office and called out loudly.

“Come in.”

As the political commissar responded, Chen Yuan stepped inside.

Regiment Commander Zhao glanced at Chen Yuan, then at the commissar, without saying a word—but his expression was full of helplessness.

Chen Yuan stood before them and gave a formal salute.

“Chen Yuan, have a seat,” the commissar said.

Chen Yuan nodded and sat on a nearby chair. “Commissar, Commander, what’s the matter?”

“Chen Yuan, you just got married, and your injury only recently healed. Technically, the organization shouldn’t be sending you on this mission. But this is a major operation. After much discussion, the leadership still hopes that you and Comrade Zhou Guoqiang can lead the team to carry out the mission in Zhejiang Province.”

“Commissar, how long will it take?”

“If things go well, you might be back before the New Year. But if it drags on, we can’t say for sure. This smuggling group is getting out of hand, and they need reinforcement from unfamiliar faces. You and Comrade Zhou Guoqiang are both top candidates for promotion to deputy battalion commander. We hope the two of you can complete this mission.”

“Understood. I’ll start preparing right away.”

Chen Yuan stood up, saluted again, and left the commissar’s office.

Commander Zhao looked at the commissar and sighed. “This time the deputy battalion commander position is going to Zhou Guoqiang. Saying it like that might make Chen Yuan feel disappointed.”

The commissar took a sip from his ceramic cup and said with a helpless tone, “There’s no way around it. Zhou Guoqiang’s wife’s family pressured the higher-ups. He’s also four years older than Chen Yuan and has been stuck at company commander for nearly five years. It’s time for him to move up.”

“It’s really unfair to Chen Yuan. His age is the only thing working against him. Has he ever performed poorly? With one more successful mission, he deserves to be promoted. The state is actively selecting excellent young cadres—Chen Yuan fits the bill perfectly.”

The commissar looked troubled. “Let’s see how he performs on this mission. If it’s good, I’ll fight to get him promoted.”

But this wasn’t entirely up to him.

Besides, Zhou Guoqiang had already been designated by higher authorities to be promoted. What could they do?

Commander Zhao shook his head and said with a sigh, “Chen Yuan is only at a disadvantage because of his family background and education. If he had at least a high school diploma, his promotion would have come much sooner.”

The commissar suddenly recalled something. “Don’t we have a continuing education slot available next year? It includes both academic coursework and practical training. If Chen Yuan doesn’t get promoted this time, let’s give it to him. He really needs to work on his academic credentials.”

“Good idea. I think that’s a great plan.”

They discussed it a bit more and agreed it was something worth pursuing.

Chen Yuan, the subject of their conversation, obviously had no idea. For many, making it to company commander was already a ceiling. He wanted to seize this opportunity.

Back home, Chen Yuan immediately told Su Wan about the mission.

Su Wan looked at him in surprise. “Didn’t you just get back? Why are you going on another mission already?”

“It’s an urgent situation. If I do well this time, I might get promoted. Even if not now, it’ll boost my chances next time.”

Chen Yuan was serious, and Su Wan spaced out for a moment.

To be fair, the original host really had a good eye for men. With a man this capable, even she might not have found someone this good.

Suppressing her thoughts, Su Wan nodded. “Then go and focus on the mission. I’ll wait for you to come back.”

“This mission might take a while—up to six months. If I’m not back before the New Year, you can either go home or stay here and wait. Once it’s over, I’ll return.”

“I’ll wait here. My parents are all at home anyway. It’s just a pity that the village doesn’t have phone service yet, otherwise I could call them.”

“I already sent a telegram home last time to let them know I’m safe—don’t worry.”

Chen Yuan still wanted to say more, but people were already urging him outside.

He quickly packed a set of clothes. Su Wan handed him 200 yuan. “Take this money with you. Half a year is a long time—keep it just in case something comes up.”

Chen Yuan took ten ten-yuan bills and pushed the rest back to her. “I still have over 30 yuan on me—this will be enough.”

“Hurry and go. I’ll be here waiting.”

“Okay.”

The two of them still weren’t very affectionate. Standing at the door, Chen Yuan said, “I’m off. You should rest early.”

He slung on his military backpack and hurried out again.

Su Wan couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated. Good thing their relationship wasn’t deep yet—if they were truly in love, wouldn’t she be stuck sleeping alone every night?

Thinking about her braised meat business cheered her up again. With Chen Yuan on a mission, it was back to solo hustle mode.