Chen Lan’s mind immediately went wild upon hearing Xu Mingxuan’s words, her thoughts starting to race. She couldn’t help but recall the old Soviet films she had watched in her previous life, and her imagination ran with all sorts of possibilities!
Xu Mingxuan and Xiang Xi saw Chen Lan look around furtively, then whisper, “Brother Mingxuan, do you mean Madam’s son is a KGB agent from the Soviet Union, a spy? Is that it?”
As soon as Chen Lan finished speaking, Xiang Xi was stunned, his eyes wide open and his mouth agape.
Xu Mingxuan was also quite surprised, but he quickly calmed down. He reached out and patted Chen Lan’s head, smiling as he whispered, “Lan’er, what on earth are you thinking about all day? Even the mysterious KGB – spies from the Soviet Union, I’m truly impressed by you! You can even think of something like that; you’re incredible! Is there anything you can’t think of? I say, why don’t you use your brain and think, shouldn’t spies be stealing useful intelligence for their country in other countries? What is he doing staying in his own country now? Helping his mother sell rocks at the border market? Oh! Right, how do you know about the KGB? I truly don’t know why you have so many strange ideas?”
Chen Lan thought, that’s right! How could she have forgotten this? But she couldn’t back down, so she bluffed without hesitation, drawing on memories from her past life. Chen Lan said without thinking, “When I was pregnant, I was idle all day and read many books. One of them was a storybook about the Soviet KGB, and it described Soviet spies. That’s what the book said.”
Before Chen Lan could finish, Xiang Xi quickly interrupted, “Little Lanzi, tell us quickly, how does the book describe the Soviet KGB?”
Chen Lan glanced at the two of them, then continued in a low voice, “The book said that people engaged in spy work all appear to be unremarkable, ordinary individuals. Their identities are those of ordinary workers in various professions. Such people would quickly blend in and be difficult to detect. Their ordinariness is their best camouflage. In reality, they are all masters of disguise with hidden skills.”
Xiang Xi asked with some disappointment, “Little Lanzi, is that all?”
Chen Lan immediately backed down, “It’s not just that, what else is there? Little Watermelon, you tell me?”
Xiang Xi instantly lost his nerve and muttered, “If I knew, would I be asking you?”
Chen Lan ignored him and turned to Xu Mingxuan, asking, “Brother Mingxuan, if Madam’s son isn’t a spy, then what is he? The aura he projects standing there is very calm, and his unhurried manner is very much like a spy’s!”
Xu Mingxuan whispered back, “Based on intuition, I don’t think he’s KGB. He should be a soldier like me. However, he’s likely a pilot stationed at a certain air force military base in Ussuriysk.”
Chen Lan and Xiang Xi were immediately intrigued. Chen Lan hurriedly jumped in, “Brother Mingxuan, how do you know he’s a pilot? How could you tell? Did he say it himself?”
Xiang Xi scoffed and retorted, “Little Lanzi, aren’t you stating the obvious? If he didn’t say it himself, how would Brother Mingxuan know? Is that right, Brother Mingxuan?”
Xu Mingxuan immediately interrupted their bickering, explaining, “Alright! You two stop quarreling. He didn’t say it himself; this is a military secret. The army requires soldiers to keep such confidential matters strictly secret, so how could he tell you himself? I guessed it when we were chatting aimlessly, based on the content of his conversation and some information he unintentionally revealed! However, the information he revealed in his conversation indicates that the Soviets have established quite a few military bases in Ussuriysk, Birobidzhan (Khabarovsk), and east of the Ussuri River, areas close to our country. Judging by his words, there are several air force bases alone. Moreover, the Soviets have several arms factories in Ussuriysk that produce firearms and tanks.”
Xiang Xi asked with some concern upon hearing this, “Little Lanzi, will something happen?”
Chen Lan thought for a moment and said, “I’m not really sure about that. In the end, nothing happened, right?”
Xiang Xi dramatically patted his chest, saying, “After fighting so many wars, I truly don’t want to fight again.”
Chen Lan scoffed and retorted, “Little Watermelon, aren’t you stating the obvious? Who likes war? Who doesn’t want peace and prosperity for the country and for people to live and work in peace and contentment? However, Little Watermelon, don’t celebrate too soon.”
At this moment, Xu Mingxuan also chimed in, “No matter what, the saying remains: if no one offends us, we won’t offend them. We also need to be fully prepared. Better safe than sorry. If we prepare in advance, we can be prepared for any eventuality. However, having a powerful opponent constantly eyeing you, it’s not entirely a bad thing, is it? It means we have to keep our guard up at all times.”
Chen Lan and Xiang Xi, in rare unison, nodded repeatedly, saying, “Yes, yes, that’s right! It’s better to be prepared!”
As soon as they finished speaking, they both looked at each other again.
Xu Mingxuan teased, “It’s rare! On this matter, you two actually agree so completely.”
Just then, the sound of hooves approached. It was Er Zhuang returning with the ox cart, the sound growing closer. Chen Lan looked at the empty ox cart, the grain already gone. It seemed Er Zhuang had given all the grain away.
Chen Lan couldn’t help but sigh, “Alas! They’re all prodigal spenders. I really need to work hard to make money.”
The group immediately stopped their conversation and walked towards the ox cart. Xu Mingxuan asked, “Er Zhuang, did you deliver the person? How did it go?”
Er Zhuang replied, “Big Brother, I inquired and scouted their village. Zhang Er Guang’s wife did indeed have a cold. Before I came back, she had already taken the pills we gave her. The situation in their village is similar to Honglingling Village. Despite the cold weather, they organize people to search for mountain goods every day. Their village doesn’t have many people, and their grain reserves are indeed running low.”
Chen Lan hurriedly asked, “Er Zhuang, do they have any problems with their water supply?”
Er Zhuang replied, “Big Sister-in-law, I went with Zhang Er Guang to take a look. It’s similar to Honglingling Village. Their village also relies on well water. That well is an old one, and the situation is the same as Honglingling Village – the water level has dropped significantly. I reckon that well also needs to be cleared.”