The next day, after breakfast, the siblings eagerly gathered the materials to make coal balls. They started by digging up some soil, then crushed the coal, mixing it all together. It was the same process as last year, but for some reason, the coal balls just wouldn’t take shape.

Xu An looked puzzled and said, “Sister, what’s going on? We followed the same method as Big Brother Lu did last year, so why isn’t it working?”

Xu Ning sighed, “Little brother, if I knew what the problem was, I wouldn’t be standing here staring at you.”

Eventually, Xu An suggested, “Big Brother Lu can make coal balls; Uncle Lu should know how to do it too. Why don’t we ask him?”

With no better options, Xu Ning decided to let Xu An check if Uncle Lu was free to come over. Since Grandpa Qi had asked them to help with Xu Mo, they often visited the cow shed, and everyone in the village knew that it was common for them to drop by and lend a hand without anyone complaining.

When Uncle Lu and Father Xu arrived and saw the pile of coal and the siblings’ smeared faces, they felt a mix of amusement and pity. After inquiring about their process, they discovered that they had used the wrong kind of soil. Uncle Lu explained that they needed to use clay to make the coal balls properly.

Xu An suddenly realized, “I remember now! Big Brother Lu used soil he dug from the riverbank to make the coal balls last time. We used soil from our garden today.”

Father Xu and Uncle Lu went to dig up some clay to mix in, and only then were they able to successfully make the coal balls.

Xu An and Xu Mo also wrote about this experience in a letter to Xu Yang and Lu Xiaotang. When they sent the letter, the packages for Xu Yang and Lu Xiaotang also reached them.

Xu Yang returned to the dormitory holding the package, and his roommates stared at it with envy.

“Xu Yang, your younger siblings sent you something again! Open it up and see what it is,” one of them urged, remembering the pine nuts and hazelnuts they had received last year.

With a smile, Xu Yang warned the eager group, “Wait until I open it—no stealing! We have to leave some for the company commander and the other brothers. If you guys get in trouble later, I’m not responsible!”

He carefully opened the package on the table and took out the letter. It was written by Xu An, stating that he was back at school, now in the fourth grade, and that everyone at home was doing well.

This year, they collected even more wild mountain goods than last year and received over a hundred more pounds of grain than before.

The letter continued with Xu Ning’s words. She wrote that the cloth shoes in the package were made by their mother, reminding him not to be too frugal since there was enough food at home. She encouraged him to perform well in the army, unite with his comrades, and strive for family visiting leave so he could visit them in Yushu Village.

Xu Yang finished reading the letter with reddened eyes, thinking, That little girl; if I didn’t know better, I’d think she was older than me.

At a military district in Nanshi, Lu Xiaotang walked out of the training ground and spotted a young soldier running toward him with a package. The soldier approached, saluted, and said, “Company Commander, you have a letter and a package.”

Lu Xiaotang took the package, saw that it was sent by Xu Ning, and thanked the young soldier before heading back to his dormitory.

Once he was out of earshot, a few people who had just come out of the training ground asked the young soldier, “Xiao Wang, who sent that package to Company Commander Lu? Where did it come from?”

The young soldier shook his head and replied, “I don’t know, Sergeant Zhang. If you want to find out, just ask Company Commander Lu.” With that, he jogged away.

Sergeant Zhang watched Xiao Wang leave, muttering, “That little brat sure knows how to keep his mouth shut.”

He turned to the others nearby and said, “Hey, do you think the one who writes to the company commander every month is his girlfriend?”

The second platoon leader replied, “I think so. Just look at those two divas from the art troupe—they strut around like they own the place, constantly hanging around our company commander, but he hasn’t even given them a second glance.”

“What are those art troupe girls compared to Yan Yingying, the daughter of Brigade Commander Yan? She’s the announcer at the military district, and she’s really beautiful. I’ve seen her come looking for our company commander several times, but he barely acknowledges her,” the first squad leader chimed in with a knowing grin.

The third squad leader jumped in, “Last time our company commander was injured and in the hospital, there was this so-called beauty from the military hospital—Yun Mengyao, the one nobody could attain. She was in and out of the commander’s room seven or eight times a day, fussing over him and being all sweet and caring. Even the other patients thought she was his girlfriend.

You guys wouldn’t believe it—I was there taking care of him, and I was moved by Dr. Yun, thinking that if a beautiful woman treated me like that, I’d marry her on the spot. But the company commander just kept a cold face and didn’t give her any attention. Finally, he said to Dr. Yun with an expressionless look,”

He cleared his throat and imitated Lu Xiaotang’s expression, saying, “Dr. Yun, I’m fine here. You don’t need to keep coming; the other patients need you more, and you’re not even my primary doctor.”

Hearing this, Dr. Yun’s face turned red, but she still spoke gently to their company commander.

The third squad leader cleared his throat again, imitating Yun Mengyao in a high-pitched voice, “Company Commander Lu, caring for patients is our duty as doctors. Although I’m not your primary physician, I’m aware of your condition. If you need anything, feel free to ask me. You should rest well; I’ll be heading back now. If you need me, just have this comrade call my office.”

After mimicking her, the third squad leader shook his head, saying, “How can city girls be so bold? If it were in our village, hearing something like that from the company commander would make them too shy to even step outside.”

Sergeant Zhang added, “That’s because our company commander has charm. Last time I went with Duan Zi to the hospital for a bandage, the nurses were busy, so I asked Dr. Yun if she could help. She didn’t refuse, but she had such a cold expression the whole time—so haughty!”

The second platoon leader chimed in, “With our company commander’s demeanor and looks, if I were a woman, I’d want to marry him too.”

“Come on, with a face like yours, even if you were a woman, I wouldn’t look your way. You think you could be our commander’s wife?”

Laughter erupted among them.

Meanwhile, Lu Xiaotang returned to the dormitory and opened the letter. The first part was written by Xu An, saying he was back at school and that their mother had made him new clothes. Aunt Lu had also made him two pairs of shoes. He mentioned that this year’s harvest was great, with much more grain than last year, and they had collected even more wild mountain goods.

Xu An continued, mentioning that Aunt Lu and their mother had also spent a few days gathering wild mountain goods, and their house was so full that they had to store many items in Grandpa Qi’s room.

In the middle of the letter, Xu Mo’s voice came through, written by Xu An. He mentioned that Grandpa Qi had made him a little backpack, and he followed his sister every day to gather mountain goods. He even found some wild chicken eggs and asked when Brother Lu would be back because he missed him!

The last part was written by Xu Ning, stating that the two pairs of cloth shoes in the package were made by their mother. The dried wild vegetables and mushrooms were from Aunt Lu, while the pine nuts and hazelnuts were from her and her brothers. She reassured him that everyone at home was doing well and that he didn’t need to worry or send money anymore; they had enough.

Lu Xiaotang opened the package to find two pairs of shoes, a large bag of pine nuts, a large bag of hazelnuts, and another bag of dried wild vegetables, mushrooms, and ear fungus. He set the dried vegetables aside and filled a smaller bag with some hazelnuts and pine nuts to take to his uncle’s house after eating in the cafeteria. He packed another bag with most of the remaining hazelnuts and pine nuts to share with his brothers.

As he headed toward the cafeteria, he overheard a few of his squad leaders and platoon leaders discussing him. The second squad leader was joking about wanting to marry him!