Chen Lina nearly laughed herself to death. “No matter how capable Sun Dabao is, he’s just a ragtag group of misfits. Besides, he himself is guilty of trafficking, which is why he’s nervous.

As for Qin Sheng, in order to take down that smuggling operation once and for all, he even brought all the temporary combat unit members along. You’re trying to win my sympathy on purpose, thinking, ‘Hmm, what a noble image.’

You know, nowadays, girls like soldiers, and when you come back, that balloon will serve its purpose.”

“Comrade Chen, we’re legally married and certified. What I’m asking for is a duty you, as my wife, must fulfill. Even if I have to force you right here, I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Yes, you haven’t done anything wrong, but if it were the you from a past life, you would never have forced me, because in a past life, you proposed to me eight times.”

“I’ll shoot that guy dead eventually. What was his name again? Apricot Tree Branch?”

“He’s surnamed Nie, his name is Nie Bozhao.”

“He’s just like an apricot tree branch. Don’t sully my name.”

As they reached the door, he added, “Does this mean that when a hero goes off to battle, you won’t even give me a chance to kiss you?”

This man was tall, with slightly tanned skin, and when he was young, he was truly handsome and charismatic.

Alright, just to get back to those youthful days and see his good looks, Chen Lina felt like the wind on the desert wasn’t a waste, and the sand wasn’t wasted either.

She could hardly resist jumping up to kiss him, but after glancing at the sewing machine in the corner, she coldly refused: “When you propose to me and I agree, I’ll give you a kiss.”

Nie Bozhao put on his military coat, which was lined with soft lamb wool, and said, “You’re not just a crescent moon, you’re a true princess.”

Even if she was a princess, she didn’t have the elegance she did when she was standing up like this.

After seeing Nie Bozhao off, Chen Lina didn’t dare sleep.

Although Sun Dabo had only brought a small gang with him, most of them were just lazy and useless men from the Mulan Farm, wandering troublemakers.

If things went wrong, the base had a temporary combat command post and the legal right to use firearms, so they weren’t afraid of military repercussions.

But she was worried that if a stray bullet hit someone, they’d be in pain for days.

The sewing machine was set up in the master bedroom, and she had been meaning to make a coat for Nie Weimin from the fabric she had.

She’d been asking around for suitable cloth, but a few days ago, Nie Bozhao sent over two large work suits made of windproof fabric from the oil fields.

The fabric for the engineers was different from that of the oil workers—white fabric.

As soon as her scissors cut, Nie Weimin woke up.

This guy had incredibly shallow sleep and seemed to wake up very easily.

“Dog Dan’s clothes are green and really beautiful, but I told him my Aunt Xiao Chen has a sewing machine and can make even better clothes than he’s wearing,” he said.

Chen Lina had seen it—a military green uniform that was based on the 65-style military uniform.

Although there would be more beautiful military uniforms in the future, the 65-style uniforms were really popular at the time.

Any kid with one of those uniforms was the height of prestige.

“Do you want one?” Chen Lina asked Nie Weimin.

The child was lying on the big stove, wearing a little sweater she had altered from her own underwear.

His little cotton underwear was made from his father’s old underwear, and he wore a t-shirt and two pairs of small pants.

Nie Weimin and Er Dan each had one, while San Dan was still running around with his little bare bottom.

In the morning, his little bottom was always bright red and warm.

“I made a bet with Dog Dan, saying the military uniform you make will be better than his mom’s. After all, our family has a sewing machine,” Nie Weimin said.

“You don’t want a white uniform, just the green military one? Is that green uniform really that nice?”

“It’s really nice,” he said.

“Do you want it?”

“Yes.”

“There’s no green fabric at home. Dog Dan’s green uniform is his dad’s military uniform from when he retired. It’s a very precious item, and they won’t exchange it. But if you really want it, you’ll have to call me ‘mom,’ and I’ll go next door to ask Dog Dan’s mom to trade it.”

“I’ll never betray the people!” With a swish, Nie Weimin dove under the covers.

Well, at least he was firm in his stance and had some backbone.

Chen Lina cut a large white work suit into pieces, and the sewing machine clicked away.

Little Nie Weimin fell asleep to the familiar sound of the machine.

In the middle of the night, Nie Bozhao returned.

The radio was saying that the temperature in Umai had already dropped to minus 30 degrees Celsius.

When he entered, the door was frozen shut. He had to push it several times before it opened.

It was like a wall—inside and outside, two completely different worlds.

“You’re still not asleep?” Nie Bozhao asked, surprised to see Chen Lina sitting in the master bedroom.

The woolen coat he was wearing was covered in a layer of ice, and it made a loud rustling sound as he took it off.

The small stove in the study was built from the living room.

He placed his feet against the wall and closed his eyes.

Chen Lina was adjusting the stove, and a little bit of ash rose into the air.

Nie Bozhao didn’t open his eyes. When the coal ran low, she went outside to bring more in. Though she only opened the door a crack, a gust of cold air rushed in.

Nie Bozhao had intended to remind her to put on the military coat before going outside, but maybe because he was cold or in a bad mood, he didn’t speak.

Suddenly, a familiar fragrance wafted in, and it drew Nie Bozhao’s attention.

He opened his eyes.

“Roast potatoes? You actually made these?”

“The potatoes from the red desert soil in Damo are different from those from the mainland. They should be roasted like this, with the center hollowed out and two layers of skin on each side. But if you wrap them in the red desert soil and roast them, it prevents the moisture from escaping. When they’re done, they’ll smell like roasted chestnuts.”

Chen Lina was quite pleased with herself as she carefully peeled off the red earth.

Inside was a layer of newspaper, and beneath that, the special red-skinned potatoes from the desert.

As she broke them open, the scent of roasted chestnuts grew even stronger.

There are hundreds of varieties of potatoes in the frontier, but the best ones for roasting are the Kexin No. 18.

When wrapped in the red mud unique to the Gobi Desert and roasted, they really taste like chestnuts.

“Isn’t this something your old Nie told you again?”

“Of course!”

“I only know how to eat, not how to cook. Comrade Xiao Chen, don’t tell me you’re going to say it tastes better with sauerkraut, right?”

Sure enough, Chen Lina brought over a porcelain jar of sour sauerkraut that had been stir-fried with oil, and picked up her chopsticks: “You also said that eggs should be wrapped in red mud for roasting to make them fragrant. I didn’t listen to you and just roasted them as they were. Look, it’s just an empty shell.”

With a snap, she cracked open two charred eggs, and sure enough, they were nothing but empty shells.

“That apricot tree branch of yours is just a liar. Comrade Xiao Chen, you need to believe me. Not only will I never roast potatoes in this lifetime, but if it comes to wrapping them in red mud, that’s definitely just him boasting to you.”

Nie Bozhao didn’t care at all about ruining his image in Chen Lina’s mind with such words.

He shoveled a few big mouthfuls of hot sauerkraut and took two bites of the potato, exhaling white steam.

“It’s impossible. All my experience with desert life comes from him. Guess why our home is so warm? Even though others burn the same coal, our home is warmer.”

“Why?”

“He also told me that thick blankets don’t work; we need to use the big plastic sheets made by our plastics factory. You see, the big plastic covering outside our windows, that’s all from the oil factory I got it from.”

Plastic is extracted from oil.

At present, the Republic hasn’t imported a single pound of oil or a single grain of rice, so in the future, the plastic that will be everywhere is still a rare commodity, mostly used to make sandals.

Chen Lina, with foresight, had already started using plastic sheets to cover her windows.

Nie Bozhao sighed: “Comrade Chen, I really begin to believe you came from the future. So tell me, how will I end up in the future? Will our country be able to become self-sufficient in oil?”

“The North will be self-sufficient, while the South will still need imports,” Chen Lina said.

It seemed that Nie Bozhao was satisfied with this answer.

Of course, he believed it was all thanks to his own and the oil workers’ hard work.

“Then, I will make achievements in my own field, right?”

“No, in 1985 you will go into business, doing internet entrepreneurship. And your Zhao Real Estate will be one of the first companies listed on NASDAQ.”

Nie Bozhao, being at the forefront of the Republic’s technology, naturally knew about NASDAQ and stocks and finance.

However, ever since arriving at the frontier, his lifelong ambition had been oil and his research field.

How could he go into business?

“Alright, you’re rambling again. Go to bed early,” Chen Lina said, clearly not believing him.

“How’s Sun Dabao?” Chen Lina asked, taking the initiative to bring water for Nie Bozhao to wash his feet.

“They originally planned to send him to the Urumqi police, but since it involved people from our base, I thought about it and intercepted him. The security chief at his Magnolia farm will definitely be removed. As for the idea of sending him back to his hometown, I don’t agree. He’s too familiar with so-called struggles. If we send him back, it’s like releasing a tiger back into the mountains, sending revolutionaries to the mainland. So, I decided to categorize him as a Soviet revisionist and send him for labor reform.”

Soviet revisionist could mean either a spy or ideological Sovietization.

Nie Bozhao found some Russian propaganda materials about capitalism and, even though he knew his brother-in-law couldn’t understand them, still decided to label him.

If his late wife had a soul, she would probably hate him for this!

“Liu Han, has he been locked up too? What about Sun Xiaoi?”

“Liu Han was arrested, but as for Sun Xiaoi, I think we need to observe him further.” Though most Soviet revisionists were easily alarmed, Sun Xiaoi’s background was indeed a bit suspicious.

Nie Bozhao suddenly smiled meaningfully: “My old mother-in-law will probably not let it go. Comrade Chen, what will you do if she comes after me?”

“What should I do? Let her stew in it. I haven’t forgotten, we still have 5,000 yuan with her. Right now, a border guard martyr’s compensation is only 500 yuan, but Sun Gong’s compensation is calculated based on engineers from Beijing, because there were foreign experts involved, so it’s higher.

You, Nie Bozhao, treat money like dirt, but I can’t do that. I’m a delicate person who wants the best domestic cosmetics, and a mink fur-lined coat, though I don’t mind a big floral coat outside, I must look beautiful inside.

And the money I’ve spent on raising your child and taking care of your logistics should be mine to spend, I’m going to get it back from her.”

“Why, you think if I don’t go, you’ll say I’m heartless? After all, that money is the pay for your family’s Sun Gong’s life.”

Nie Bozhao smiled helplessly: “If you really have a way, go ahead, just remember not to say anything outrageous outside. If you’re going to fight with that old lady, I really worry about you.”

Alright, she had reported Sun Dabao to get him arrested. Wouldn’t the old lady come after her too?

Chen Lina hissed softly, her young face glowing with vitality and charm: “Don’t worry, no old lady in this world can outsmart me. Besides, if she doesn’t come after me, I’m thinking of visiting the farm. My sister’s been there for over a month, and I should start thinking about my own career too.”

“You’re not thinking of becoming the director of the Magnolia Farm, are you?”

“Of course.”

“Comrade Xiao Chen, looks like I really have to see you in a new light. Alright, from now on, I’ll be your spouse, Director.”

This was a joke on Nie Bozhao’s part.

The director of the Magnolia Farm was the only position in the entire mining area with no threshold—equal in rank to the factory heads and base leaders.

It was considered a leap to the top without any formal qualifications.

So, everyone joked about it: “You’ll take up the post of Director tomorrow and be on equal footing with the chief engineer.”

But who would have guessed that Chen Lina actually thought that way?

He made a joke but then was about to head to the small bedroom.

Unexpectedly, Chen Lina stopped him: “I’ve put out the fire in the fire wall. Are you planning to freeze to death in the small bedroom?”

“Wasn’t it you who didn’t let me into the big bedroom?”

“Yes, but you’ve been behaving well lately, so you can go in now.”

“Does this mean our relationship has taken a step forward? I need to check if the balloons in the small storage room have been used up by the kids.”

“No, they haven’t. It’s impossible. You didn’t call me Comrade Xiao Chen in your past life, did you? It sounds terrible. When you remember the unique way you called me in your past life, then maybe it will happen.”

Finally, after eight proposals, what was this unique name all about?

“Is there really a unique name?”

“Of course. The first time you called me, you conquered me.” Chen Lina thought back to the past life, feeling content.

Of course, under such harsh conditions, she could only persevere by thinking about her late husband—wealthy, handsome, and always trying to please her.

“I guess it was really cheesy,” Nie Bozhao said, his teeth aching.

After washing his feet and going outside to pour water, he saw that the water splashed into the air and froze, bouncing like silver beans on the ground.

It was really cold that day.