Chapter 80

According to the comrade, Lin Yi originally served as a deputy battalion commander in the 40th Regiment of the Xinjiang 3rd Division. He was later transferred to the 42nd Regiment and promoted to battalion commander.

Typically, a promotion is a good thing for ordinary people.

However, for the soldiers stationed in Xinjiang, it was not necessarily so.

The reason was simple: living conditions in the Xinjiang Gobi Desert were extremely harsh.

Especially in the 42nd Regiment, stationed in the harshest part of the Gobi Desert, the area was not only remote but also covered in desolate and narrow stretches of yellow sand. The nearest oasis, Kashgar, was over a hundred kilometers away, and they drank the local alkaline water…

In such a place, to support human settlement, they had to reclaim land, develop water resources, and build roads and houses. Without a water source, they had to create one. At that time, there were no paved roads or suitable transportation tools. The Xinjiang Corps relied on warhorses, old oxen, and donkeys for transport.

Lin Yao, with her arms crossed, was fuming, blaming Gu Shi’an for not telling her earlier and making her write so many letters without any result.

Gu Shi’an, feeling somewhat apologetic, explained that he only received the call from his old comrade yesterday. He had remembered it at the time, but had forgotten about it when he got busy with work.

Lin Yao was understanding and forgave him. The couple quickly reconciled and returned to their usual sweet and affectionate selves.

The celebration for little Gu Doudou’s full moon ended successfully. In the afternoon, Eldest Uncle Zhang and Second Uncle Zhang, after drinking a hangover remedy, scolded by their wives and took the donkey cart back to the countryside.

For the full moon celebration, the two uncles of the Zhang family brought twenty red eggs, a jar of chili sauce, a basket of tender corn, and finally, two pieces of beef shank. Although it was just the bone, there was still quite a bit of meat on it, weighing over two pounds.

When Eldest Uncle Zhang took it out, Gu Mancang was so startled that he jumped out of bed and tightly closed the windows in the room.

Zhang Cuilan was also startled, nearly dropping the enamel cup she was drinking from.

“Big Brother, where did this beef come from? Did you slaughter the village’s old cow?”

Gu Mancang was even more imaginative, wondering if Second Uncle Zhang had encountered a wild cow while hunting in the mountains and risked his life to kill it.

Eldest Uncle Zhang, with a black line on his face, replied, “What are you talking about? The cows in the brigade farm are fine. Even if I had a few more guts, I wouldn’t dare slaughter the production team’s cows. The back mountains have wild chickens and hares, but no wild cows. Do you think it’s the Tibetan Plateau?”

Zhang Cuilan and her husband were confused, and Second Uncle Zhang, smiling, explained, “There was an old cow in the neighboring brigade. During the rainy season, it was tied up in a shed. The rain was so heavy that the cow drowned. The cow was old and couldn’t plow the fields anymore. The people in the neighboring brigade were reluctant to kill it, but since it drowned, they decided not to waste it. The brigade leader had it slaughtered. Over seven hundred pounds of beef—half was sold to their village, and half was sent to our village. The cow was raised by our village and didn’t belong to the upper supply system. There’s no need for a meat ticket. Beef is rare, and we can only have it once every few years. Since it’s little Doudou’s full moon, we got some beef bones to make beef soup, which will be nutritious for Yao Yao and the baby.”

In the countryside, beef was a rare commodity, and with so many people in Zhangjia Village, how much beef could Big Brother and Second Brother really get?

Zhang Cuilan knew what was going on, so she asked Gu Mancang to take ten yuan and secretly put it into the old donkey’s cloth bag. The two uncles of the Zhang family and the others knew nothing about it.

With the beef at home, Gu Shidong was overjoyed. Without needing his mother’s instructions, he hurriedly hid the bamboo basket with the beef in the kitchen’s rice jar, fearing that Old Lady Wang from the front yard might smell the beef and come begging.

Old Lady Wang had a keen sense of smell, sharper than a dog’s. She could detect any meat being cooked in the courtyard and would come around to beg for some.

To avoid this, Zhang Cuilan and her husband took the beef back to their old house in the countryside. They heated water at the old house, cleaned the beef and beef shank, dried the beef into jerky, and slowly simmered the beef shank into tender beef soup. The soup was stored in a clay pot, wrapped in cloth, and quietly brought back home the next day.

That evening, Lin Yao followed her mother-in-law’s instructions, supervising Dongzi to brush his teeth, wash his face, and feet. She waited until the lights in Dongzi’s room were out before returning to her own room.

Gu Shi’an, after a bath, smelled very pleasant.

Lin Yao fed Gu Doudou, covered him with a blanket in the cradle, and then took a fragrant bath herself before snuggling into Gu Shi’an’s arms. The couple talked quietly for a while, their conversation shifting from Gu Doudou to Dongzi, and then to Lin Yi, Lin Yao’s older brother.

“Tomorrow I’ll write a letter and prepare a package for my brother. You can send it and see if he receives it this time.”

“Okay.”

“By the way, my brother is already twenty-six. With the Gobi Desert so desolate, I wonder if he’s eating well? He might have found a girlfriend in Xinjiang and might even have a sister-in-law for me!”

Lin Yao was optimistic.

Gu Shi’an considered Lin Yi’s sharp tongue and thought that was unlikely.

However, Gu Shi’an wisely kept this thought to himself.

Lin Yao continued to cheerfully imagine her future “sister-in-law.”

“My brother may not be very eloquent, but he’s tall and has a good build. He’s a battalion commander, so his conditions are not bad. He can’t remain single forever.”

“There are many good girls in the Xinjiang Corps. Our mother used to say even pigs can find cabbages. Didn’t you end up with me?”

Lin Yao teased as she poked Gu Shi’an’s broad chest.

Gu Shi’an remained silent for a moment, agreeing that he and his wife were a match made in heaven, with love coming after marriage.

Perhaps Lin Yi would also find his perfect match.

Far away in the Gobi Desert of Xinjiang.

Lin Yi, in the pitch-black night, crawled out of his earth pit. He had just given half of his bowl of vegetables to a young soldier.

The new recruit, unfortunate enough to arrive in the Gobi Desert only six months ago, had developed night blindness due to poor nutrition, making it hard to see at night. The comrades in the camp took special care of him, saving their limited vegetables for the young soldier. As the battalion commander, Lin Yi did everything he could to provide extra nutrition for his soldiers.

Unfortunately, the conditions in the Gobi Desert were harsh. Even getting clean water was a struggle, let alone having vegetables for every meal.

Lin Yi’s 42nd Regiment still had half of its soldiers sleeping in mouse-hole-like earth pits. These pits were rectangular holes surrounded by dirt walls, with wooden beams and branches on top, covered with straw and mud.

The Gobi Desert had a significant temperature difference between day and night, and sandstorms were rampant. Sometimes, the straw mats covering the pits would be blown away by the wind and sand.

During the day, Lin Yi planted trees, and his hands were covered in blisters. He burned a needle on the fire and used it to puncture the blisters, then rested his hands and long legs while gazing towards Yunshui County.

“Lin Yi, what are you doing here? I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” the political commissar of the regiment approached, punching Lin Yi on the shoulder.

Lin Yi glanced at him, “Is there something you need?”

“Of course, otherwise, why would I be looking for you?”

“Spit it out if you have something to say.”

The commissar smiled broadly.

“You’re not young anymore. You’re about to be single forever. Don’t think I’m not concerned about you. There’s a girl in our regiment who has her eye on you. She’s well-off, with parents who are also officers in the Xinjiang Corps. She works as a cultural officer in our 42nd Regiment, handling documents and making tea for the regiment’s leaders. She’s quite attractive. So, when will you have time? I can arrange a meeting.”

The commissar continued talking, parched, and took a sip of water, grimacing at the bitterness of the alkaline water.

No matter how he put it, Lin Yi had only one reply.

“No time. Not interested.”

This response left the commissar frustrated, much like red peppers hanging on a winter wall, making his ears burn.

“…”

The next morning, Lin Yao wrote another letter and asked Gu Shi’an to send it to Xinjiang on his way to work.

Gu Shi’an, receiving a loving kiss from his wife, left for work with a cheerful demeanor.

Lin Yao checked on the chubby baby, who was sleeping like a little pig in the cradle.

Zhang Cuilan had gotten up early. Taking advantage of the good weather, she washed and boiled Gu Doudou’s diapers in hot water, then hung them out to dry in the sun. She also used a needle and thread to sew a soft cloth bellyband for her grandson.

Lin Yao went to the kitchen, kneaded dough, rolled out two large sheets of noodles, boiled them, and served them with the tender beef soup and green onions. Each person got a big bowl, and it was delicious.

Outside, the light rain pattered as Dongzi, wearing a raincoat, dashed back from the front yard.

“Son, how was it?”

“Mom, Old Lady Wang is still out visiting her daughter, so the alert is over!”

“Alright, hurry up and bring the beef noodles!”

“Coming right up.”

Gu Mancang responded cheerfully and quickly brought out four large bowls of beef noodles, the noodles having just the right amount of chewiness.

Gu Shidong had only had a piece of cornbread last night, and now his stomach was growling. He had been thinking about the beef at home, and he grabbed his chopsticks and dug into the noodles, even though they were so hot that he was hissing and puffing, he didn’t let go.

Gu Mancang, with his big dark face, couldn’t lift his head from the bowl of noodles.

Zhang Cuilan remarked, “Father and son, both the same.”

Gu Shidong chuckled.

The noodles his sister-in-law made were delicious.

After breakfast, Gu Mancang rinsed his mouth several times with water before heading off to work at the steel factory.

Next door, Aunt Dafu came over to visit the Gu family, bringing some soap pods she had brought from her family home.

These days, people in the city use either plant ash or soap pods from the countryside to make a paste for washing clothes. They boil it in a pot until it forms a white foam, which is then used for laundry.

The Gu family usually used soap pods along with soap.

Aunt Dafu, returning from Shanxi, also brought a few bottles of aged vinegar from her hometown, brewed by Uncle Dafu himself, and shared a bottle with the Gu family.

Zhang Cuilan returned the favor with a jar of canned peaches.

Lin Yao tasted the old vinegar and found it to be very tangy and authentic. It would definitely add flavor to her cooking.

In the evening, when Gu Shi’an came back from the public security bureau, the family had just sat down at the dining table, and the food was still steaming.

Suddenly, there was a loud knocking on the door, and Old Lady Wang was shouting from the courtyard, “Fire! Fire! Why is the deputy director still at home eating? Why isn’t he putting out the fire!”

Gu Shi’an was about to put down his chopsticks, but Lin Yao looked outside and saw nothing but darkness—there was no sign of fire.

Zhang Cuilan stopped her eldest son and put on her clothes, saying, “Even when eating, there’s always something. I’ll go check. What’s that woman up to now?”

Gu Shi’an nodded, and the family sat quietly for a moment.

A few minutes later, Zhang Cuilan hurried back with her hands covered in blood.