As dinner time approached, the soldiers, rare as it was to have a hearty meal, were all eager for food and had no mind for training or other tasks. In the evening, they finally got their wish and ate the pork dish they had long been longing for.
The aroma of the pork dish filled the air of the entire camp, and laughter and chatter were heard everywhere. The mess hall was exceptionally lively.
At this moment, the messenger Zhao Erwa started singing the army song "March of Battle": "I've cleaned my Mauser, / My bullets are chambered; / I've slung my ammo belt! / My heart is itching. / I've loaded my grenades, / Good rations for the enemy; / I've drawn my bayonet! / The blade gleams brightly! / Don't look at their good weapons, / Cast iron meets steel! / I'll knock one down and capture one, / Seize a few guns..."
Instantly, the light, lively, and resonant singing echoed through the spacious camp. The soldiers were all full of spirit, their faces flushed with excitement.
Xu Mingxuan also sang along loudly with great enthusiasm. After the song ended, the soldiers, still wanting more, continued to sing war songs.
With an excited heart, Xu Mingxuan held his rice bowl and sat with the equally excited Commander Zheng on a stone, eating the pork dish and chatting.
Commander Zheng said with emotion, "It's good to have culture! Look at the lyrics he wrote, they really hit the mark with us soldiers. They describe our experiences on the battlefield. Don't you think?"
Xu Mingxuan nodded and said, "Yes! Hearing this song reminds me of the hard years of fighting."
Commander Zheng continued with emotion, "Liberation is a good thing! Look at the morale of our soldiers now, their spirit, I'm not bragging, they are as lively as dragons and fierce as tigers, full of fighting spirit.
Life in the camp is not bad now. In the second half of this year, I've eaten pork dish twice in just half a month. The first time was when you came back from the valley.
If it were in previous years, fighting all over the place with the army, we might not have eaten pork dish even once in two years?"
Xu Mingxuan agreed, "Yes! Liberation is good! Liberation means everyone can live a stable and good life. By the way, Commander Zheng, our camp can also open up some wasteland like the valley after the new year, and plant some grain and vegetables, so that the soldiers' food can also be improved."
Commander Zheng said helplessly, "Mingxuan! Do you think I don't want to? Just after liberation, I was assigned to this border defense camp. Our soldiers are all newcomers, and the camp has no tools for opening land or seeds.
I had already planned for this year. The valley gave our camp a lot of potatoes, peanuts, corn, and soybeans. I've had people pick out the good ones to save for seeds.
Before the end of the year, I will organize soldiers to pick up stones in the wasteland when they have free time. As soon as spring comes next year and the ground thaws, we will borrow tools from the valley and organize soldiers to open up wasteland. This year, we plan to grow crops ourselves, to the best of our ability, to be self-sufficient and also to reduce the burden on the organization."
Seeing that Commander Zheng had a plan, Xu Mingxuan didn't say anything more. He said, "That's perfect! Among those large bags of books, there are some about opening up wasteland and growing crops. Before we start opening up the land, we should organize the soldiers to study them well in advance."
Commander Zheng agreed, "Yes, now that we have so many ready-made books, we will organize a meeting for all cadres after dinner. We will discuss the plan to set up a library in the camp and organize soldiers to study. We will let the cadres know, and they can go back and count what skills the soldiers want to learn, so that we can arrange instructors to organize the study."
Xu Mingxuan heard that Commander Zheng had made arrangements and had nothing more to say. It was just right, dinner was finished.
Commander Zheng called the messenger and instructed, "Zhao Erwa, go and inform all the cadres in the camp not to leave for now. We will have a meeting in the mess hall in half an hour."
The messenger Zhao Erwa immediately saluted and replied, "Yes, Commander."
After speaking, he saluted and turned to leave.
Xu Mingxuan, having just heard Commander Zheng say they would have a meeting in half an hour, remembered the Swiss all-steel watch his wife had secretly put on his wrist while he was asleep last night.
He raised his hand and looked at the time on the watch, feeling very pleased. His wife was truly thoughtful. Knowing that he really needed a watch for his work, she quietly bought one for him, probably wanting to surprise him.
Not to mention how Xu Mingxuan and the others organized the cadres for the meeting, let's talk about Chen Lan, Xiang Dong, and Er Hu. The three of them quickly entered the woods and walked back along the mountain path for more than half an hour before they slowed down and walked back leisurely.
As the three walked back, they hunted. Needless to say, this time they had a bountiful harvest.
Xiang Dong looked at the three back baskets and said, "Xiao Lan, I think it's enough. If we hunt too much, we can't eat it all, and it will take time to preserve it. We already have a lot of preserved and dried wild chickens and rabbits at home. We can't eat these things all winter."
Chen Lan thought about it and agreed. She then asked, "Brother Xiang Dong, Brother Er Hu, how is the construction progress of the greenhouse? How long will it take for the greenhouse to be completed and put into use?"
Xiang Dong looked at Er Hu and said, "If the weather is clear and it doesn't rain, it will probably be completed in half a month. If it rains or snows, it's hard to say."
Er Hu also nodded beside him, saying nothing!
Chen Lan habitually checked the system time. It was still early, just a little past twelve noon. So the three found a place to sit down and have lunch. Needless to say, it was still milk and bread.
Xiang Dong and Er Hu were not used to it. Xiang Dong said, "Before I ate it, I thought this foreign thing was very delicious! After eating it a few times, I realized it was just so-so, and quite greasy. I'd rather gnaw on a pancake!"
Er Hu nodded repeatedly in agreement, "Yes, yes, I feel the same way."
Chen Lan also understood their feelings very well. In her previous life, she also had a period of time when she couldn't get used to it, but for convenience, it took her several years to gradually get used to it.
Although they were not used to the food, the three of them quickly finished lunch and got up to continue walking back.
At this time, Er Hu suggested, "Xiang Dong, Xiao Lan, it's still early. We've already wasted a day. Let's take the mountain road over there to go back and see if there's anything good on that mountain?"
Xiang Dong and Chen Lan were immediately eager to try. Chen Lan had long wanted to go further and see the situation in other mountains, but she didn't dare to go too far alone, fearing that she might really encounter tigers and leopards, and she would only be a goner by herself.
Today, Er Hu suggested that the three of them go and see together, so there was no reason to refuse. She immediately agreed, "Okay!"
The three of them immediately packed up, took out their crossbows, loaded six carbon steel arrows, and headed towards the mountain opposite.