Chen Lan carried out eggs and two bowls of noodles on a tray. Xu Mingxuan quickly reached out to take them, but Chen Lan stopped him. "Mingxuan Ge," she said, "you and Erzhuang should hurry and serve your two comrades while the noodles are hot. Let Chunni and Jiayao feed the two elders with these two bowls of noodles!"
The old lady echoed, "Yes, Mingxuan, let the children do these small tasks. You hurry and eat while it's hot. The food will get cold soon, and your stomach will feel uncomfortable if you eat cold food."
Chunni, the eldest daughter who was already nineteen this year, and Jiayao, a fifteen-year-old young man, heard their mother's words. They turned their heads and saw the two bowls of noodles on Chen Lan's tray. So, they immediately got up, each taking a bowl of noodles to feed the two elders sitting on the sofa.
Xu Mingxuan still watched with some unease for a while. Seeing the two children handling the task competently and his old leader cooperating by opening his mouth to eat, he finally relaxed.
He turned around and called to his two comrades, "Daye, Qingsong, the two of you hurry and eat while it's hot. We're all family now, so don't be polite with me."
The two didn't stand on ceremony and began eating heartily. Chen Lan then went to the children's table, sitting next to the triplets. She urged the three to eat quickly, then picked up her own bowl and took a hurried bite of the rice she had started eating. Finding the rice a bit cool, she scooped two spoonfuls of hot soup to mix with it. After eating in a hurry, she put down her bowl. By then, her mother-in-law, her own mother, Mother Liu, and Mother Cui had also finished their meals.
Chen Lan then took the elders to tidy up the two guest rooms on the first floor. The house was already well-equipped, so tidying up was very quick. All that was needed was to get out the quilts and bedding, and turn on the heating and water heater.
The group tidied up the rooms efficiently. Chen Lan had prepared a full set of toiletries and change of clothes, including socks and shoes, for everyone.
When Chen Lan and the other women came out after tidying up, they saw that the dishes on the table had been completely cleaned out. The children in the house were clearing the table, and even the youngest triplets were helping to move chairs.
It was clear that Xu Mingxuan and his comrades had finished eating. They were now sitting on the sofa, talking with Uncle De and Uncle Fu. Chen Lan then took a closer look at Xu Mingxuan's other two comrades. Both were scruffy with unshaven faces and gaunt appearances, but their eyes were bright and sharp. They were likely a little older than Xu Mingxuan.
The two elders, perhaps due to being full, had regained some color in their faces, but they still had not spoken.
The mother-in-law immediately asked, "Mingxuan! Have your comrades eaten enough? There are some steamed buns made with a mix of flour and millet in the pot in the kitchen. I'll go get them for you." With that, she turned to go to the kitchen.
At this moment, Chunni quickly interjected, "Grandma, I already got them out. Dad and the uncles have already eaten them."
Chen Lan hadn't expected them to eat so quickly. They had finished in such a short time. It seemed they were indeed very hungry.
Seeing Chen Lan emerge, Xu Mingxuan immediately stood up and led her to the guest room, closing the door behind him. He then got straight to the point, "Lan'er, don't make a sound, just listen to me. What Dad told you has indeed happened. As for what exactly happened, don't ask. I can only tell you that the elder outside is my former leader, and the woman is his revolutionary partner. Lan'er, it can be said that I, Xu Mingxuan, owe any small achievements I have today to my former leader's guidance and the opportunities he gave me. Lan'er, I don't know if I'm doing the right thing, but I still want to help them."
Chen Lan patted Xu Mingxuan's hand reassuringly and asked, "Mingxuan Ge, you don't need to explain. I support you. Tell me, what do you want me to do?"
Xu Mingxuan said emotionally, "Lan'er, thank you for your trust. The four of us will leave tomorrow morning. Everyone is in their winter hibernation at the farm now, so the management is quite lax. I don't want to leave these two here at the farm without food or drink, suffering even more. So, I, along with Erzhuang and my two comrades, have secretly brought them out. I want them to hide in our valley for now, and we'll see what happens after this storm passes."
Chen Lan thought for a moment and asked, "Mingxuan Ge, are your two comrades truly reliable? Will they betray you later?"
Xu Mingxuan said solemnly, "Lan'er, don't worry. We've known each other for over ten years, and we have a life-and-death friendship. Do you remember when I returned to the valley for the first time and injured my shoulder blade? It was to save Daye on the battlefield. Qingsong saved me twice on the battlefield. Later, we were transferred to different posts and parted ways. I never expected that we would be assigned to the same farm this time. Daye and Qingsong are now my deputies at the farm. Moreover, this operation was carried out by all of us. You can rest assured that nothing will go wrong."
Chen Lan nodded and said no more. Since they were people Xu Mingxuan trusted, she had no reason to doubt their revolutionary friendship.
Xu Mingxuan thought for a moment and then said, "Lan'er, we've been out for about five or six days, and we're almost out of supplies. We're also afraid of how to account for ourselves when we return. I plan to use the excuse of going into the mountains to hunt to cover it up. This way, if two people go missing during the winter hibernation, they won't blame us. Their makeshift shelters were already quite remote, far from where everyone else lives. They'll just assume they unfortunately encountered wild beasts coming down from the mountain. So, Lan'er, I'll need your help."
Chen Lan replied, "Mingxuan Ge, you want me to lead the team, right? No problem. I'll have Mingzhe inform the hunting party right away. Tomorrow, I, along with Brother Xiangdong and Brother Erhu, will lead all the members of the valley's hunting party into the mountains for winter hunting. In the past, their hunting was just a small affair. This time, we'll take this opportunity to let these young people hone their skills and let them experience a real winter hunt."
Xu Mingxuan asked, "But, Lan'er, the prey?"
Chen Lan said generously, "Mingxuan Ge, don't worry. We don't want any of it. As long as you can carry it, it's all yours."
Chen Lan then asked, "Mingxuan Ge, then what should we call the two elders!"
Xu Mingxuan thought for a moment and said, "The old leader is probably a few years older than Uncle Fu and Uncle De. Let's call him Uncle. Just say he's an uncle from the capital and his aunt has come to visit relatives."
Chen Lan nodded and asked nothing further. She pointed to the toiletries and change of clothes and said, "Xu Mingxuan, have your comrades wash up quickly and change out of their frozen clothes. Wear clean ones. I'll have the girls take apart the cotton in your padded clothes tonight and sew it onto new jackets. That way, no one will be able to tell that you've changed clothes."
After saying this, the couple set about their tasks.