Nie Bozhao thought for a moment and said, “If this really involves a coordinated plan, then it’s likely not just a few people from one farm. It makes sense why there were so many people on the bus with reactionary views.

Here’s the plan: You go to the farm and report this to the farm leader, Guo Chang, at Loulan Farm. Have him stabilize the situation there.

I’ll catch a ride to the mine and report it to the armed forces.

We need to deal with this without involving the border guards. If they get out of the mining area, it could turn into a major incident.”

“What if we catch the people trying to escape?”

“Execute them on the spot.”

Oh my, although she knew Liu Xiaohong would eventually end up in Hongyan Province, it was because of her appearance that Liu Xiaohong had ended up with a stepmother like Sun Xiaohai.

Her father had been arrested, and now, because of her, would that child face execution for this?

“Do you think the farm leader at Loulan will be turned?” Chen Lina asked.

“No, Guo Yangfan is the descendant of a martyr. I can guarantee he won’t have reactionary thoughts,” Nie Bozhao said firmly.

It was the children’s turn now, and problems were starting to emerge.

Chen Lina wanted Ne Bozhao to take the children away, at least for their safety.

But just as she was about to suggest they split up, San Dan threw himself onto her, Er Dan clung to her leg, and Ne Weimin gave her a look that clearly said, “Don’t play games with me, I’m not leaving you.”

Well, it looked like the four of them would have to go to Loulan together.

On the way back to the Loulan farm in the bouncing car, Chen Lina decided to tell the three children what was going on.

Although they were still young, the place they were heading to wasn’t just any friendly farm.

In fact, it was a hub for defectors to meet and exchange information.

At least the two older boys could one day help her with some things, given their potential future involvement with underground groups.

“Mulan Farm’s Awar Guli is actually young and pretty,” said Guo Yangfan, the manager of Loulan Farm.

He was 30 years old, muscular, and looked like a skilled laborer.

“Hello, Captain Guo. Our farms should communicate and interact more. Otherwise, if we each just focus on our own production, we’ll just be isolated, don’t you think?”

After shaking his hand, Chen Lina added, “I need to stay here tonight with my sons. I also have some matters to discuss with you. Can you arrange for us to stay somewhere?”

“We’re recruiting for our second team right now. We have some mud huts. They’re warm in winter and cool in summer. But since you’re here, I can’t have you staying in those huts. How about you stay at our place?” Guo Yangfan offered.

With such a sincere host, and since she had something important to report, staying with him was far better than staying in an unfamiliar mud hut.

Chen Lina was ready to agree immediately.

However, before she could respond, Nie Weimin shook her hand and softly called, “Mom.”

This little brat, always boasting about how great his mom was in front of others, had never actually called her “Mom” like this before.

For a moment, she felt a little touched.

Finally, the kid was showing some understanding.

He drew a circle in her palm with his finger, then drew a short line in it, indicating the 2 o’clock position.

Chen Lina followed his gaze and saw a shoe sticking out from behind a half-open door, with something hanging from it, swaying back and forth.

That meant someone was sitting behind the door, with their feet stretched out on the chair.

“Never mind, we won’t trouble you. Isn’t there someone named Gou Ercai from Team 2? We met him on the road, and he insisted we come to his house. We can’t refuse his hospitality,” Chen Lina said.

As they left, Chen Lina and the children were given half a jin (500 grams) of millet flour, which would be their food for the night.

Nie Weimin, holding tightly to Chen Lina’s hand, whispered, “The person sitting behind the cabinet is my uncle.”

“Sun Dabao? Isn’t he in a labor camp? How could he be sitting in the farm manager’s office? And it was just a shoe—how did you recognize him?”

“He likes to tie a rabbit tail on the shoe laces, so I knew it was him.”

“A former convict sitting in the farm manager’s office? This is a big problem,” Chen Lina muttered. “Alright, let’s go to Gou Ercai’s house.”

It turned out the person they had met on the big truck was named Gou Dacai, and his younger brother, Gou Ercai, was the one living at Loulan.

When Chen Lina and the children entered, the whole family was having dinner.

There were a few gray, lumpy cornmeal buns, surrounded by slices of a large white steamed bun.

This was a gift from Gou Dacai, who had come to visit his brother.

“Ah, comrade, you really came! Where’s the official comrade? Why didn’t they come with you?” Gou Dacai smiled and ushered the family inside.

“He had some business and went back to the mine,” Chen Lina explained.

Inside the mud hut, a few children were guarding their food.

When they saw well-dressed strangers entering, they were afraid their hard-earned white buns would be taken, and naturally, they weren’t pleased.

“Brother, you said you’d come alone. Why did you bring so many people? This is really harming us. Don’t you understand?” One of the women, Gou’s second sister-in-law, stood up with a stern face and slammed her hand down.

“We only have this small hut. How can so many people sleep here? Besides, we only have a few cornmeal buns—how can we all eat?”

Gou Dacai and his brother were visibly embarrassed. “Well, since we have guests, let’s serve them, Silver Silver’s mom. Guests from afar should be treated well.”

Gou’s second sister-in-law, her face still hard, stood for a moment, then kicked aside the broken wooden stool she was sitting on. “Fine, I’ll drink wind tonight and pass gas tomorrow. You all eat.”

“We brought our own food, Second Sister-in-law. How about we share?” Chen Lina said as she handed the half-filled cloth bag of food to the woman.

From Er Dan’s large travel bag, she pulled out a large loaf of bread and added, “Let’s cut it up and share, and can you boil some water for us?”

“This… this is a big loaf of bread! I haven’t seen this in ages,” the second sister-in-law exclaimed.

“We’re traveling a long distance, so we baked one for the kids,” Chen Lina explained.

Er Dan drooled, “Auntie, mom only baked one of these since the new year.”

“Eat, eat, let’s all eat together,” Chen Lina said.

The children in the family, a little timid at first, only tried the bread after Chen Lina cut it and handed out pieces to everyone.

After dinner, Gou Er Sao (Sister-in-law Gou) busied herself setting up a bed in the neighboring earth pit (a simple space covered with worn mats and cloth).

It wasn’t much, but at least it was better than sleeping on a bare wooden platform. “You’re also planning to escape, aren’t you? We’re preparing to leave too, so let’s all squeeze together. The kang (heated platform bed) isn’t set up, but you’ll have to make do for one night.”

“Er Sao, I have to ask you, how many people are planning to leave this time, and who are they planning to follow?” Since Gou Er Sao mistakenly thought Chen Lina was also planning to escape, Chen Lina decided to ask directly.

“Oh, there are quite a lot of people. From our farm and several nearby military district farms, there must be at least a few hundred.”

This confirmed that the situation was indeed serious.

Chen Lina then asked, “I assume we need to pay a head fee, right? I haven’t paid yet, and I don’t know to whom or how much.”

“Twenty yuan per adult, and five yuan per child. If you want to pay, I can take you to pay.”

“Can you tell me more about the person? Since we didn’t come with an introduction, I’m worried they might be difficult. What if I can’t pay?”

“They’re not hard to deal with at all. In fact, this person is a former military family member, with direct connections to the other side. They’re very friendly. Come on, I’ll take you.”

Chen Lina’s heart skipped a beat, suspecting that this person might be Sun Xiaohai, the one known for exploiting her military family background.

She had escaped from the base but hadn’t gone far, now hiding at Loulan Farm to recruit followers.

“By the way, is there a prisoner here called Sun Dabao? What’s he doing now?” Chen Lina asked about Sun Dabao’s situation.

Gou Er Sao replied, “He’s in charge of the prisoners here. He’s the foreman for the labor camp, cracking the whip to keep the prisoners working. He’s the squad leader.”

Sun Dabao was a cruel and ruthless man, someone who could easily adapt to any environment, and in a place like this, he would undoubtedly thrive.

Chen Lina knew that managing a farm here involved a lot of loopholes.

For instance, it was extremely difficult to approve someone’s entry into the border region, but many people came through as “illegal” residents.

To attract laborers, farms turned a blind eye, taking in these black-market immigrants.

Chen Lina regularly conducted census checks for the Mulan Farm, carefully noting who was there and whether they had criminal records.

She knew who had committed what crimes—whether murder or arson—and had come to the border to escape.

However, the farm leader, Guo Chang, clearly didn’t have the same attention to detail as she did.

“Alright, Er Sao, we’ll think it over,” Chen Lina said.

Once Gou Er Sao left, Nie Weimin spoke: “Comrade Chen, I’m sure Sun Xiaohai and my uncle are working together.”

“Yes, this situation is worse than I expected. Even if Guo Chang hasn’t defected, he’s definitely been deceived by your uncle. The moment we arrived, we were exposed to the enemy. They’re in the dark while we’re in the open. This situation is really difficult.”

“So, what do we do?” Nie Weimin clenched his fists and said, “I’ll go talk to my uncle. I need to have a word with him.”

“You? How are you going to talk to him?”

“I’ll tell him not to defect. If he does, I’ll…,” he trailed off, probably imagining something dramatic, like sacrificing himself alongside his uncle in a final act of defiance.

“Enough, leave it to your mom. But you need to help. Go quietly and find Liu Xiaohong.

Have her carefully bring her father here. But it must be done secretly.

We’re definitely being watched now. Liu Han likes to indulge in small pleasures like drinking, but he’s not a bad person.

We need to try to win him over.”

“Do you think Liu Xiaohong will listen to me?”

“She will. She’ll even be willing to die for you in the future,” Chen Lina thought, though she didn’t say it aloud.

The scene transitions as Nie Weimin stealthily sneaks out, clearly preparing to meet with Liu Xiaohong.

He locates her at the farm, where she’s helping her father, Liu Han, who had been imprisoned for economic crimes.

They converse, with Nie Weimin revealing the danger.

Liu Han is on the verge of becoming a traitor, potentially taking Liu Xiaohong to the Soviet Union.

“Do you want to stay, or do you want to leave?” Nie Weimin asks her.

Liu Xiaohong, upon hearing of her father’s intentions, expresses a desire to stay at the farm, though she is aware of the temptation of escape.