Chapter 40.1

Wei Ling found it strange that his comrades were asking such odd questions. Was there really a question of whether his marriage was genuine or not?

He glanced indifferently at the three of them. Wei Ling didn’t want to entertain these three, and he knew very well what they had been asking Xiao Shi to investigate. Xiao Shi, after being “bribed” by Qin Qingman during a meal, had already confessed everything to him on the way back to the unit.

Du Hongyi and the others had been colleagues with Wei Ling for a year, so they were very familiar with his personality. The moment they saw the look in Wei Ling’s eyes, they knew he was contemptuous of them.

Suppressing his speechlessness, Du Hongyi and the others surrounded Wei Ling.

“Lao Wei, when are you holding the wedding banquet? We need to congratulate you and your sister-in-law properly.” Yuan Xiangyang said first, trying to be friendly.

Zuo Gaopeng, not to be outdone, quickly joined in, “Yes, Lao Wei, how do you plan to get married? Are you applying for a single room at the unit, or are you going to live at your sister-in-law’s family home? If you need any help, just let us know. Whether it’s money or effort, we’re all happy to help.”

He genuinely wanted to help Wei Ling. After all, their relationship was good, and when a good friend was getting married, it was natural to pitch in.

Seeing that Yuan Xiangyang and Zuo Gaopeng had both expressed their intentions, Du Hongyi couldn’t hold back either. He placed his hand on Wei Ling’s left shoulder and said, “Lao Wei, with the relationship between the three of us, there’s no need to be polite. If you do, it’s like you don’t see us as friends.”

Wei Ling’s gaze shifted to his shoulder.

He didn’t particularly like people being so close to him. If it weren’t for his good relationship with Du Hongyi, he would have instinctively thrown Du Hongyi over his shoulder the moment the hand landed there.

Du Hongyi, of course, was aware of Wei Ling’s habit.

He was an easy-going person, and back when he and Wei Ling weren’t as close, he had often been tossed by Wei Ling in the same way.

He liked to express his joy by “getting touchy” when he was happy, but for Wei Ling, it was just a reflexive, overly cautious response.

Seeing that Wei Ling was looking at his hand resting on his shoulder, Du Hongyi quickly withdrew his hand. He too had been thrown by Wei Ling’s reflex before.

“Hahaha, Lao Du, look at you acting all scared.” Zuo Gaopeng mocked, pointing at Du Hongyi.

Du Hongyi’s face turned red with embarrassment, and he defended himself, “Alright, you’re not scared? Then why don’t you come and do it!”

Zuo Gaopeng’s bravado immediately faded. He happily sat back down on his bed and surrendered, saying, “I’m not scared, it’s just that I know my limits.” The day before, the three of them had been unable to defeat Wei Ling, so he wasn’t about to look for trouble.

“Hehe—” Du Hongyi looked at Zuo Gaopeng, smiling in a mysterious way.

There was an inexplicable sense of irony.

Yuan Xiangyang noticed the conversation had deviated and had to steer it back. “Alright, let’s stop bickering among ourselves. We were talking about Lao Wei’s situation. You two stop hogging the spotlight.”

“Yes, yes, Lao Wei, tell us, what do you need us brothers to help you with?”

Zuo Gaopeng and Du Hongyi both looked at Wei Ling.

Wei Ling removed his jacket, flipped over, and landed on the upper bunk of Du Hongyi’s bed. He then leaned against the wall and said, “My wife is from Kaoshan Village, not far from here. She has a younger brother, only five years old, who needs someone around him. So, she’s not living with me in the unit for now. We’re planning to build a wooden house in Kaoshan Village in the spring next year.”

He wasn’t completely lacking in social etiquette. When it wasn’t possible to achieve something with money, he would, of course, use personal connections.

After all, over the past year, he had helped others quite a lot, and he didn’t feel it would be a burden to ask for help now.

Upon hearing Wei Ling’s words, Du Hongyi immediately became excited. “Kaoshan Village isn’t far from us. It’ll be more convenient for your sister-in-law to live there, after all, it’s her hometown. It’s better than her living in the unit. Plus, when you go on missions and can’t go back home, it makes more sense to set up your home in Kaoshan Village.”

“I think it’s a good idea, too. A familiar environment is definitely more reassuring than a strange one.” Zuo Gaopeng agreed.

Yuan Xiangyang even expressed a bit of longing. “Kaoshan Village is great, the scenery is beautiful, and the people are simple and honest. More importantly, the local management is good. It’s well-regulated, so there’s not much chaos. If it weren’t for my parents being reluctant to leave the land back home, I would have wanted them to move to Kaoshan Village. It would be closer to me, and it would be easier for me to take care of them.”

“Indeed, Kaoshan Village has the best community spirit in the entire Hongqi Brigade.” Du Hongyi agreed with Yuan Xiangyang.

Zuo Gaopeng also seemed to be deep in thought. “Lao Wei, when we start building your house next spring, we’ll leave some land around it. When I get married, I’ll build a house right next to yours, so we can all live close to each other and look out for one another.”

At Zuo Gaopeng’s words, not only did Wei Ling look at him, but Du Hongyi and Yuan Xiangyang also turned their attention toward Zuo Gaopeng.

Wei Ling had begun to form a suspicion in his mind, while the other two were surprised and shocked.

Du Hongyi asked directly, “Lao Zuo, you don’t want to transfer back, do you?” The four of them were all stationed at the frontier, but each had their own reasons for being there, and all of them had initially dreamed of returning home one day.

They weren’t strangers in the dormitory. Although Zuo Gaopeng hadn’t explicitly mentioned it, he had hinted at it.

“My parents wrote to me. Life in our hometown isn’t that good at the moment. They hope I don’t go back. If I can settle down here, that would be best. Anyway, our unit is expanding, from brigade to military district. If I settle here for ten or eight years, it should be no problem. Ten or eight years, I can’t be single forever, right?”

Zuo Gaopeng laughed heartily as he finished.

He was quite open-minded and adapted to the development of the times.

Du Hongyi and Yuan Xiangyang fell silent. They were both confused, uncertain about the future. Their families were not doing well locally, and they were the only ones who had not been directly affected by the situation here.

Wei Ling noticed the shift in his comrades’ mood and the low spirits that seemed to hang over them. He tapped his fingers against the bed frame and said, “Actually, our unit is quite good. It has a lot of potential for development. Rather than rushing back, it might be better to stay and work here steadily.”

“Lao Wei, have you heard something?”

Du Hongyi, Zuo Gaopeng, and Yuan Xiangyang all looked at Wei Ling eagerly.

Wei Ling shook his head. “I don’t often communicate with my family. And when we do, it’s usually just about trivial things, so I don’t know much about what’s going on. But we can always observe. If you look around, you’ll see that a lot of educated people are being sent to the countryside. These are talents the country has nurtured, and they need to go and gain experience. So, why rush to go back? I think we should take our time and wait for the right moment.”

Although he didn’t know exactly what direction the country would take in the future, he had once been someone who sought power.

Power, he knew, was something that either advanced or retreated—one side would overwhelm the other.

At that moment, no matter their status or power, the four of them were all small players. As small players, it was better to keep a low profile and look after themselves.

Wei Ling believed that, one day, they would have a chance to soar to greater heights.

“I think Wei Ling is right. We should follow the party and the military’s arrangements and not worry too much about anything else.” Du Hongyi said, and the three of them exchanged glances, in agreement with Wei Ling. It calmed their minds.

With their minds settled, they began to think more deeply.

“Lao Zuo, you’re thinking ahead. You’ve already planned your house. That’s good. We shouldn’t wait until we’re about to get married to start building. In the spring, when we build Lao Wei’s house, we can also build ours. By then, Kaoshan Village might become the family area for our unit.”

Du Hongyi spoke seriously, clearly having considered the situation thoroughly.

Their unit had only been stationed here for a few years, and there weren’t many families accompanying the soldiers yet. But once the unit expanded, and the surrounding area became stable, there would definitely be a large number of military families coming together. Once that happened, there would surely be a need for a family area.

“Lao Du’s right. We should plan ahead.” Yuan Xiangyang agreed, turning his gaze toward Kaoshan Village.

“Let’s make some time to visit the area near Kaoshan Village and pick out the spot for our homes.” Du Hongyi said, practically salivating at the thought.

If they really became neighbors with Wei Ling, wouldn’t it be easy to pop over for a meal every now and then?

Wei Ling, being as perceptive as he was, could see right through their plans. But it was a mutually beneficial arrangement, and there was no reason for him to oppose it.

With a few more young families around, his wife would also have someone to talk to.

Not a bad deal.

“Lao Zuo.” Wei Ling, who had been missing Qin Qingman, suddenly remembered something.

“What’s up, Lao Wei?” Zuo Gaopeng and the others had been chatting animatedly about how to build the houses, already fully engrossed in the conversation, when they heard Wei Ling’s call and looked over in confusion.

Wei Ling sat cross-legged on the bed, seriously looking at Zuo Gaopeng.

“Lao Zuo, don’t you have a relative at the provincial Supply and Marketing Cooperative? Can they get a bicycle? The ones at the county’s Supply and Marketing Cooperative are all sold out, and I couldn’t get one today.” Wei Ling was still thinking about how he hadn’t been able to buy a bicycle at the county Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

Qin Qingman might be taking up the position of Women’s Director at Hongqi Brigade next year, and it would be very inconvenient for her without a bicycle.

Besides, Kaoshan Village was several miles away from Hongqi Brigade, and he didn’t want his wife to have to walk that far to get to work every day.

Zuo Gaopeng and the others fell silent when they heard Wei Ling’s question.

They had already arranged for a bicycle to be brought in from the provincial capital. Now that Wei Ling was asking, should they tell him, or should they keep it a secret?

Wei Ling was taken aback as the once lively dormitory fell quiet. He was quite surprised by the sudden change.

It wasn’t the reaction he had expected.

“Is it something that can be arranged, or is there no bicycle?” Wei Ling started to wonder if he had misremembered. Did Zuo Gaopeng not have a cousin at the provincial Supply and Marketing Cooperative?

“There is!”

Zuo Gaopeng sighed and, in a resigned tone, revealed the surprise that they had been planning for Wei Ling’s wedding. “Lao Wei, I do have a cousin at the provincial Supply and Marketing Cooperative. We three thought we should get you something nice for your wedding, so we all chipped in and bought a bicycle as a wedding gift. The gift hasn’t arrived yet, and now you’ve already asked about it.”

Wei Ling froze for a moment, then felt warmth spread through his chest.

He had expected his three comrades to give him a wedding gift, but he hadn’t imagined they would get him a bicycle. This was the early 1970s, and bicycles were a valuable item, especially since they had to be bought with ration tickets. Even if someone could afford one, they might hesitate to give it away.

The scarcity of bicycles, where it was far from common for every person to have one, made them particularly hard to come by.

“Lao Wei, don’t get too emotional.” Du Hongyi quickly added, noticing Wei Ling had remained silent for a while. “We didn’t give you this gift because of you, it’s for sister-in-law.”

The friendship between men didn’t need to be expressed in words; actions spoke louder.

Wei Ling appreciated the kindness of his comrades and responded sincerely, “My wife and I plan to have our wedding after the house is finished in the spring. Then, we’ll celebrate properly—no one leaves sober.” He was a traditional person and cared deeply about his wedding night taking place in his own home, believing that Qin Qingman would feel the same.

Du Hongyi and the others burst into laughter as soon as they heard “no one leaves sober.”

Yuan Xiangyang teased, “Lao Wei, are you really going to stick to that ‘no one leaves sober’ thing on your wedding night? Aren’t you afraid sister-in-law will make you kneel on the washboard?”

“Hahaha!” Du Hongyi and Zuo Gaopeng burst out laughing even louder.

Wei Ling gave Yuan Xiangyang a silent look, then swung off the bed and started rolling up his sleeves.

“Lao Wei, what are you doing? We were just joking! You’re not really going to get back at us, are you?” Yuan Xiangyang felt a chill down his spine as soon as he saw Wei Ling rolling up his sleeves, sensing something bad was about to happen.

“Am I the type to get revenge just because of a joke?” Wei Ling’s look was calm, almost too calm, and yet it seemed utterly sincere.

Yuan Xiangyang didn’t think so. The less expression Wei Ling had on his face, the worse he knew it could be. He had been on the receiving end of Wei Ling’s “less is more” approach before. Reflecting on Wei Ling’s strength, he couldn’t help but feel nervous, quickly glancing at Du Hongyi and Zuo Gaopeng for help.

However, both of them had already adopted a “nose to the ground, eyes closed” strategy, pretending to be invisible.

So, Yuan Xiangyang was on his own. But he wasn’t about to take all the blame. His mind quickly turned, and he pulled the others into his mischief, “Lao Wei, just now Lao Du and Lao Zuo made fun of you. Don’t you think you should teach them a lesson?”

“Damn, Lao Yuan, you’re so devious! Shameless!” Du Hongyi immediately jumped off his bed and rushed toward Yuan Xiangyang.

Zuo Gaopeng was also quick to follow suit, eager to shut down Yuan Xiangyang’s mouth. He thought, *This guy’s really asking for it; talking like that—what a pain.*

Yuan Xiangyang had been eyeing both Du Hongyi and Zuo Gaopeng, and as soon as he saw them rushing toward him, he dashed for the door.

He would rather face two people than deal with Wei Ling.

Though Wei Ling might not be as bulky as Du Hongyi, his strength was deceptive, and he had a knack for using skill and leverage. A punch from him could leave someone feeling sore for a long time. It was far better to spar with Du Hongyi or Zuo Gaopeng than face Wei Ling.

The noise from the scuffle outside the door didn’t change Wei Ling’s expression at all. He continued rolling up his sleeves with the same calm, unwavering pace.

Wei Ling, having rolled up his sleeves, bent down to retrieve his basin from under the bed, then walked past the three wrestling figures. With a calm expression, he remarked, “Don’t make too much noise; the political commissar will want to talk to you soon.” After leaving those words, he went into the water room at the end of the dormitory to wash up.

Yuan Xiangyang and the others froze, caught in the awkward positions they had found themselves in. Some of them had hands around their comrade’s neck, others were engaged in hand-to-hand struggles, while a few were tangled in odd ways, with hands and feet in places they shouldn’t be.

Yuan Xiangyang sighed, realizing that they had been outsmarted. “Lost the bet.” he muttered, releasing his grip.

Du Hongyi and Zuo Gaopeng followed suit, letting go as well.

The three stood in silence, looking at the bruises on their faces. They knew they’d be getting a stern talking-to from the political commissar tomorrow. This was clearly Wei Ling’s strategy all along, and they had fallen right into it.

Their faces downcast and looking defeated, the three reluctantly grabbed their basins and went off to wash up.