Commander Zheng listened to Xu Mingxuan's words, pondered for a long time, and then said, "Mingxuan! You're not wrong, this matter is indeed strange. Alas! Who cares? There are plenty of strange things in this world, and this is just one more. Who can truly understand and explain them?
Anyway, this is a good thing for us! Besides, we can't control those matters, nor should we, right?
Also, I just carefully checked. The prey were almost all killed with a single arrow. The arrows used don't look like ordinary iron arrows. There's no rust on the wounds, and the prey are all fresh, likely hunted this morning.
Furthermore, given your father's character and way of doing things when he was alive, this must be your father's doing. He almost donated all his property for the country's liberation, and everyone knows that. Such a grand gesture is in line with your father's style."
He then continued with a serious expression, "Mingxuan, let's put this matter to rest here. Let it be a secret known only to us. We won't mention it again from now on. The authorities are strictly cracking down on feudalistic thinking and superstition.
I'm just saying, hypothetically, if anyone asks about this, we'll both say that these are winter supplies specially sent to our border defense battalion from above. This will also help boost the morale of our soldiers."
Xu Mingxuan nodded repeatedly, seeing no reason to disagree. He was eager for such a good reason. He said, "Alright! Commander Zheng, I've noted it down. We'll say these supplies are from above, sent to reward our border defense battalion."
Seeing that the matter was settled, Commander Zheng continued with a playful tone, "Mingxuan! This time, your old brother and the soldiers have benefited greatly from you. We won't have to worry about food and winter supplies this year, and we can even have a prosperous New Year."
Xu Mingxuan hurriedly replied with humility, "Not at all, not at all. Let's go, Commander Zheng, let's go see the supplies over there. My father said they are all for the soldiers in our battalion for winter, providing warm clothing from head to toe."
Commander Zheng became even more excited upon hearing this. "That's great! Let's go, Mingxuan, let's go see what's there!"
The two walked side by side to where the clothes and quilts were stored. Although Xu Mingxuan already knew about the 1,500 sets of clothes and 1,500 quilts, he was still awestruck by the sheer quantity of items spread out before him. He never imagined there would be so much.
Commander Zheng was even more stunned, frozen in place.
Xu Mingxuan called out a few times, "Commander Zheng, Commander Zheng, snap out of it! Quickly open a package and take a look."
Our Commander Zheng San Pao finally came back to his senses. He obediently took a step forward, picked up a package from the ground, quickly unwrapped it, and revealed a thick cotton quilt.
He then selected a larger package, opened it, and immediately reached in to pull out a military overcoat. He then put his hand into the bag and took out a pair of thick cotton pants, a Lei Feng hat, a woolen scarf, and a pair of fur-lined leather snow boots.
Seeing these items, Commander Zheng became even more emotional. He said excitedly, "Mingxuan! Your father is truly a remarkable man! He thought of everything so thoroughly! To be honest, my own father wasn't as good to me when he was alive. He never cared if I was warm or not; only my mother and wife did."
He then continued with a choked voice, "Alas! I truly miss my mother! I'm truly sorry to my mother, for not being able to care for her in her old age, for not being able to give her a good life. I am truly unfilial!
I'm also very sorry to my wife, for leaving the entire family, young and old, to her alone while I followed the army."
Xu Mingxuan saw that this would not do and quickly changed the subject, "Commander Zheng, the whole country has been liberated, and the people are now masters of their own destiny. Life will soon get better.
I heard you mention last time that in April or May, when the Changbai Mountains thaw, your wife will bring the children and your mother-in-law to settle down in the Changbai Mountains and reunite with you. This is a great occasion to celebrate, isn't it?"
Commander Zheng immediately composed himself and said, "Yes! This is all thanks to your mother and everyone in their valley for agreeing to let my wife and her family settle there. It is this that allows our family to reunite."
As they looked through the supplies, chatting as they waited for the soldiers to arrive, Commander Zheng suddenly exclaimed in surprise. Xu Mingxuan hurried over and saw Commander Zheng opening a snakeskin bag filled with books.
He quickly explained, "These are books on various skills. My father said we should establish a library in the battalion to organize the soldiers to study cultural knowledge and survival skills.
This way, they will all have a trade, and even if they return home after retirement, they will have a skill to make a living.
By doing this, we are taking responsibility for the soldiers' future. Teaching them how to survive in peacetime while in the military is also a responsible act.
This will alleviate their worries and make them truly feel the goodness of our country! That the country is liberated and everyone can live a better life.
It will give the soldiers a sense of belonging. I believe that if we do this for them, they will study and train diligently and serve the country even better in the future.
Now that we have books, if they want to learn, our battalion will organize people to teach them. If they can't learn on their own, they can learn together. Having more skills is never a burden."
Commander Zheng looked at the bags of books and listened to Xu Mingxuan's words, feeling even more moved.
Commander Zheng's lips trembled slightly with emotion as he said, "That's wonderful! Thank you so much to your father! What your father has done is not just a generous act; it is truly like being a second parent to the soldiers!
How many biological parents today would spend a large sum of money to buy so many 'non-academic' books for their children?"
Xu Mingxuan quickly interrupted Commander Zheng's thanks, "Commander Zheng, let's not thank each other back and forth! We'll discuss it later on how to make these books truly effective and ensure the soldiers genuinely learn skills. That would be the best way to thank my father!"
Commander Zheng nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, that's right, that's the logic. We'll start preparing for this learning initiative as soon as we get back and treat it as a task to be prioritized."