Water freezes into ice and the wind is freezing.
This is probably the most realistic portrayal of the early morning in the north.
But the bad weather could not stop the soldiers from moving forward.
"Forward, forward, forward, our team is heading towards the sun."①
It was a little after five in the morning, and with the sky still shrouded in dark twilight, the singing of the 836th Unit was already resounding.
After going out, Tian Mi found that the men were charming and the cold wind could not dampen the enthusiasm of the women. There were quite a few military families who came to watch the soldiers' drill.
Under the dim street lights, everyone hunched their necks, put their hands in their pockets, and walked towards the playground while chatting.
"Oh, we came out late today. Usually they would do boxing (warm-up) on the playground and then run. It doesn't look good when they run." Tian Yu explained to his sister regretfully.
"Forget it, I won't watch the running. Sister Tian, I'm going to the cafeteria. My old Tang said there are white flour buns in the cafeteria today. Do you want to go?"
Tian Yu turned around and responded: "My little Pi has already lined up."
"Hey!" The woman slapped her thigh and said, "You're smart. I have to leave quickly. If it's too late, I won't be able to buy it." As she spoke, she had already walked several steps with the other military dependents. The sounds coming over were diluted by the thick fog.
Tian Mi then realized that these military dependents did not come out specifically to watch the soldiers train, but were probably just passing by.
However, she turned her gaze back to the soldiers marching in unison not far away, and asked curiously, "Is there anything special about steamed buns?"
When this was mentioned, Tian Yu became excited: "Why not? Don't think that our food is good, that's because your brother-in-law and I are willing to spend money. We are both greedy, and we are willing to spend money to get some good things from our fellow villagers."
The last sentence was said in Tian Mi's ear. After saying it, he winked at his younger sister. Seeing his second sister's knowing smile, he continued happily, "The soldiers in the army are still short of food. The people outside have an even harder life. The canteen basically has cabbage stalks, radishes, potatoes, etc., all boiled in salt water. The staple food is basically coarse grains, with little fine grains. Soldiers can only eat fine grains once every ten days or half a month. Speaking of white flour steamed buns, the chef who makes noodles in the kitchen has excellent skills. Anyway, the steamed buns are softer than the ones we make at home, but there are not many of them. They have to be used to replenish the soldiers' bodies first. We, the military families who want to have a good meal, often can't buy them if we go too late."
This made Tian Mi even more curious about the steamed buns that were not even in her mouth yet: "Can they be so delicious?"
"It's delicious. You guys went early, so you'll be able to get a few in line this time. You'll know when you try it. It's said to be a family craft passed down from generation to generation. He used to be a cook in a state-owned restaurant. No one knows his name, and he doesn't interact with anyone. He just works all day long. All we know is his surname is Han, and everyone calls him Old Hantou. It is said that he offended someone, was labeled a hat, and was sent to the farm here. Brigade Wang accidentally discovered that he had good skills and brought him back. However, he is not a soldier, and his identity is not clean, so he does the same work without salary and can only get enough to eat. But it is much better than starving and freezing on the farm. At least he can survive." At the end, Tian Yu's tone was sighing again.
Tian Mi didn't know whether her sister was sighing for the pity of old man Han or for the difficulties of the times:
"Isn't Mr. Wang afraid of being reported?" She is trying to adapt to this era. Judging from the current environment, there is a high possibility that Mr. Wang will be reported by a villain. After all, there are people with questionable character in any environment.
"What are you afraid of? We've already reported this. It's not a wrong thing to do so that the soldiers can eat better." Tian Yu has lived here for a long time and has unconsciously developed a sense of belonging:
"Lv. Wang is a respectable soldier. Although he has a high rank and a high salary, he not only ensures that his family has enough food and clothing, but also gives the rest of the money to soldiers in need or the families of soldiers who have sacrificed their lives. Today you give two dollars, the day after tomorrow his three dollars. He has never kept any money in his pocket. It's not just Lv. Wang, your brother-in-law is the same. Anyway, I have to give out a few dollars every month. Sometimes there will be more than ten dollars. There is nothing I can do about it. It's not easy for everyone. Many people can't survive. I will help a little if I can, but no matter how much, it won't be enough. Who doesn't want to live?"
The topic was too heavy. Tian Mi understood that her elder sister was telling her that if she was with Lou Luhui, she would encounter similar situations in the future.
In fact, if her conditions allow, she has no objection to doing good deeds as a way to accumulate virtue for herself.
When you are rich, you should help the world; when you are poor, you should take care of yourself. This is a true saying.
But there has to be a limit!
"Hey! Coming! Coming! Running over here! Let's see if we can find Lao Chen!" Just as Tian Mi was lost in thought, her arm was suddenly pushed, and then she heard her eldest sister's excited voice.
She subconsciously looked up and saw a crowd of people appearing a few meters away from them without them knowing when.
Tian Mi didn't see her brother-in-law, but saw Lou Luhui at first sight.
There was no other reason, it was just that his height gave him a huge advantage, plus he was at the outermost edge, Tian Mi guessed that these soldiers in front of him should be in a group.
Lou Luhui also saw her. In fact, they couldn't see each other's faces clearly, but when they passed each other, they glanced at each other tacitly.
In the temperature of nearly 30 degrees below zero, covered by the faint white mist, everyone's exposed eyebrows, eyelashes, and even stubble were covered with frost and snow, and white steam lingered with every breath.
But those straight figures, neat steps and loud voices still formed a stunning picture.
That is a symbol of power!!
It was already half past six in the morning when Chen Xun and Chen Zhao came back with breakfast.
Chen Gang and Lou Luhui also returned with the two brothers.
"How can I buy so many steamed buns today?" Tian Yu took the winnowing basket from his eldest son and found that there were more than a dozen steamed buns in it.
Hearing this, Chen Gang, who had put the earthenware pot of porridge into the kitchen to heat it up, poked his head out and laughed, "These are from Lao Lou. He went to the kitchen early in the morning to order them."
As for the purpose of doing this so early in the morning, there is no need to explain, everyone knows it.
Sure enough, Tian Yu, the eldest sister, looked at Lou Luhui with even more joy, almost like a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law.
Tian Mi subconsciously looked up, and the man happened to look over there.
The two looked at each other for a few seconds, then looked away at the same time.
Compared to the man's embarrassment, Tian Mi felt more guilty. An hour ago, she had braved the wind and snow and "committed a crime against the wind" for a group of men.
What a sin!
Soft, white and delicious.
Lao Hantou’s steamed buns lived up to their reputation. Tian Mi even had an illusion that the delicious steamed buns she put in her mouth were mixed with milk, otherwise how could there be a milky aroma
She thought that in a few years, when the situation became clear, this master chef named Han would not have a bad life based on his skill in steaming buns.
After dinner, the men went to the army, the children went to school, and Tian Mi accompanied her eldest sister to wash clothes.
Of course, most of the time, everyone would wash clothes in the bathhouse when it was time to take a bath, which was convenient and warm.
What Tian Yu is washing now is the underwear that is taken off every day. Everyone in the family likes cleanliness. Even if they can't take a bath every day, they will simply wipe themselves before going to bed, and then change their inner clothes.
But cloth coupons were rationed at that time, and there were no extra clothes at all, so after taking off clothes, they had to be washed immediately the next day, and even then they often did not have enough clothes to wear.
These are considered the best conditions, so they have the opportunity to be "pretentious". Many families are not well off, and it is not uncommon for the whole family to not take a bath in the whole winter and to share the same pair of pants.
Tian Yu crushed the soapberry, put it in a bucket and stirred it with water, then soaked the clothes in it. She wiped the water off her hands and took her sister to go outside to dig out the meat for lunch in the snow pile.
In the past, no matter how well off our family was, we could not eat meat for a week straight. But two days ago, my husband and Lou Tuan bought a whole sheep from some fellow villager, and when it was dark, they brought it back in a sack, all chopped up.
Well, in the past, although Lou Tuan came to our house for dinner, it was very rare.
Now he is basically stationed in his own home, and he even spent a lot of money to buy meat. Tian Yu knows why, isn't it just because he is worried that his second sister won't eat well
She felt both angry and amused.
What's funny is of course Lou Tuan's style of doing things that is similar to the male bird hunting and feeding the female bird. What makes me angry is that I am Tian Mi's biological sister, and my family is not so poor that they can't even afford to eat. Could it be that my sister needs a bite of food
But overall, she was still happy for her sister. Tian Yu struggled to pry open a piece of mutton weighing about three pounds and took it back to the house to thaw: "Mi girl, what do you think?"
Tian Mi was still looking at the snow pile outside. She thought this natural freezer was quite convenient. Upon hearing this, she walked into the kitchen and asked, "What do you think?"
"Getting married? Even if you two are engaged now, the Chinese New Year is just over a month away. Don't you plan to get married before the Chinese New Year?"
"Is it too fast to get married now?" Tian Mi squatted on a low stool, with her elbows on her knees and her chin supported, as if she was asking her sister, or herself.
She knew very well that getting married was a matter of time. Unlike later times, it was basically impossible not to get married in this era. Tian Mi was even more clear about her own worth.
She didn't have a strong enough heart to resist the bad words from others. Besides, she came here from thousands of miles away just to get married, and Lou Luhui gave her a good impression. There was nothing wrong with getting married. Even if she got married now, would it be considered a flash marriage in the eyes of future generations
"What do you mean by fast? Many soldiers in the army have never even seen their wives, but their parents can get them engaged with just a phone call or a letter. Besides, if you agree, Lao Lou will have to submit an application, and your hometown will have to conduct a political review. After going through the whole process, you may not be able to get married before the New Year. So, by this calculation, you can only be together in close proximity for about two months before marriage. What's fast about that?" Tian Yu didn't quite understand his sister's train of thought. How could this be fast
Tian Mi was silent for a few seconds. Yes, flash marriages were common in this era. She suddenly became curious and asked, "What about you, sister?"
"Me what? Me and your brother-in-law?" Tian Yu also dragged a small stool and squatted beside his sister. He took some chestnuts and peeled them, intending to stew them with the mutton.
Seeing this, Tian Mi also picked up a peel and said, "Yes, did you and your brother-in-law date on your own when you were in high school?"
Tian Mi threw the peeled chestnuts into a clean bowl, took another one and continued peeling, complaining in her heart that even though the situation is tense now, there were many people who secretly dated someone when she was in high school. If they were caught, they would simply drop out of school and get married. Anyway, they couldn't go to college, so they were single.
Who can stop the budding of youth? We are all seventeen or eighteen years old.
".Your brother-in-law and I were among the few who wanted to go to college at that time, but we both failed. Later, your brother-in-law joined the army. He had a high degree of education and was promoted quickly in the army. After he became a squad leader, he wrote to me. It was also at that time that I learned that your brother-in-law had liked me for two years, but when I was studying, I was thinking about college, so he didn't say anything, thinking that he would talk about it after I was admitted to college. Unexpectedly, both of us failed, and our family couldn't afford to support me to repeat my studies. It was fate that I was in a hurry to get married at that time, and he just happened to show up." It was like a life-saving straw.
At this point, Tian Yu looked at her beautiful sister with gentle eyes: "As for marriage, there are lucky ones like your sister, who met a good man and can stand on her own, so they can live in harmony. But there are also unlucky ones, look at Ge Yun, I'm not saying anything bad about her, that girl is too honest, she didn't see clearly at all, the man she married is a piece of shit, what's the point of just saying she cares for someone? Can sweet words fill your stomach? When looking for a man, character is the most important thing. For someone like Qian Sheng, I would rather be an old sister-in-law for the rest of my life than marry such a thing."
At this point, Tian Yu realized belatedly and muttered, "Why didn't Xiaoyun come to play with me today?"
Tian Mi didn't know Ge Yun, so he naturally didn't understand her, so he smiled and said, "Sister and brother-in-law are doing well. I can see that you are living a comfortable life."
You can tell whether a person is living a good life by looking at his complexion and eyes.
To be frank, she felt that in this era, the 32-year-old sister still had innocence and straightforwardness in her eyes, which was not easy for a woman who had been married for more than ten years and had three children.
Tian Yu blushed a little after being told that by her sister, and glared at her: "I don't know if your brother-in-law is the best, but I am very satisfied with him. You don't know that Chen Gang looks gentle, but he is actually very stubborn. He was promoted to company commander in three years, and he fought hard on the battlefield. Later, because of his outstanding performance, he was recommended by the old regiment commander to study in a military academy for two years. When he came back, he was promoted to battalion commander, and that's when my sister came to follow the army. In the past two years, he was promoted to regiment level. Our lives have been getting better and better, but this was all paid for with his life. In the early years, your brother-in-law worked hard to get us to the army as soon as possible, and he suffered a lot of hidden injuries. This is also one of the reasons why the food at home is so good."
Tian Mi didn't expect that there were such things in the middle. She had never heard of them before. She looked at her elder sister's sudden low mood and felt a little annoyed that she had brought up such a topic. She was about to change the topic when she saw that her elder sister had adjusted herself:
"You're married, and becoming a soldier's wife has its benefits. If you have a job in the organization, you'll have a chance, right?"
"Work?" Tian Mi's attention was immediately attracted by the word "work".
Tian Yu nodded: "Yes, the army will also arrange jobs for military dependents. Basically, every family can arrange a quota. The specific job is determined according to the cultural level of the military dependents. You graduated from high school, so the job you are assigned will not be too hard. For example, you can be a teacher, or be a propaganda officer in the Women's Federation of Military Dependents who writes propaganda articles. These are leisurely jobs. The monthly salary is not as good as that of men, but it is also 20 or 30, which is not small. It is almost as good as a regular worker. The key thing is that it is really easy and you don’t have to sit in the office every day!"
"Is there a Women's Federation in the army?"
"Hey, it's organized by ourselves. The army allocated some funds. Anyway, there is only one director of the Women's Federation at present, and that is Wang Lieutenant's wife, Sister Mei."
Here, Tian Yu thought that his sister would also live here in the future, so he spoke in more detail: "Those who come here to join the army are from all over the world, especially in the past two years, the environment has gradually improved, and there are more people. With more people, there are more conflicts, and most of them are illiterate. They can fight for a garlic. The old women are very fierce, and they won't let go even if they are bleeding. The leaders of the army can't come every few days to mediate. Sister Mei is an old college student. She looks serious, but she is a very good person with patience and means. In addition, Brigade Leader Wang has the highest position. After several years of rectification, we have the current superficial harmony. In the past, there were quarrels and fights every few days. At that time, your brother-in-law worried every day that I would be bullied." Here, thinking of her husband who was always worried about being bullied, Tian Yu became happy again.
Tian Mi didn't have much idea about being a teacher. He had a wild personality and might not be able to lead children well, so he decided not to mislead the students.
She actually likes the job of propaganda officer, mainly because the working hours are relatively flexible.
But, writing articles, she only had experience in writing essays and graduation papers before, would this work? And: "Are there many people who want the job of propaganda officer? The job is so easy, won't the other sisters-in-law gossip about it?"
"What are you gossiping about? There are less than 20 military wives in the entire family compound, and even fewer have graduated from high school. There's no point in fighting for them. Besides, they would rather help out in the cafeteria, where they can scrape together some food to sweeten their mouths. That's the lucrative job that everyone is fighting for."
“.”
at the same time.
The same topic was taking place in the brigade commander's office.
".I heard that Comrade Tian Yu's sister Tian Mi has been on our island for two days. Where is your marriage application?"
Lou Lu twitched his lips and said nothing. Isn't this just bringing up something that is not related to the topic
"Speak! Are you planning to abandon me?"
This time Lou Luhui’s face turned black. What a mess!
Seeing this, Brigade Wang was not afraid of his sour face. He used to be a soldier under Lou Luhui's father Lou Zhan. In a sense, he watched this kid grow up.
This guy has been a troublemaker since he was a child. Seeing him like this now, Wang Lu felt amused. He knew that the girl must have not given in.
But as a man, you can't be shameless when pursuing a girl. Don't think he doesn't know that this guy has already started exchanging various bills that girls can use with his comrades.
If you are nice to others, just say it out loud!
A man who only talks but doesn't do anything is definitely not good, but this guy who only does things but doesn't talk is also worrying: "I don't know who you inherited this character from, how about I propose to that girl for you?"
This time Lou Luhui didn't pretend to be silent anymore: "No, I can handle it myself."
Wang Lu looked at him suspiciously: "Can it be solved before the Chinese New Year next year?"
Lou Luhui glared! Who are you cursing
"You turned your face away from me again, but I'm not afraid of you. Okay, I don't care anymore, okay? Anyway, you just hold on tight, you'll be thirty in just over a month!"
This old man, why did his words hurt people's hearts today? Lou Luhui's face turned dark, he turned around and planned to leave.
"Hey! Come back, why are you running away? I have something to say!"
Helplessly, Lou Luhui turned back again.
"The quartermaster recently told me that meat from the farms below is becoming increasingly scarce, and it will probably get even more difficult in the future. We can't let the soldiers go hungry all the time. We have to find a way to make up for this gap ourselves." Although this is a problem that they encounter every year, Brigade Captain Wang's face still looks very heavy.
When it comes to business, Lou Luhui's expression returns to seriousness: "Don't worry, I'll go down and make arrangements. We'll take turns to lead people to hunt in the mountains. It just so happens that some villagers reported that there were traces of wild boar activities at the foot of the mountain these two days."
"It's time to make some arrangements and send some people to catch some fish. This year is colder than previous years, so we need to prepare for a rainy day."
"yes!"
Next, the two made some adjustments to the subsequent training plans based on the recent training performance of the soldiers. Since a war broke out in Country Y this year, they also had to be in the best condition and be alert at all times.
When it was over, more than half an hour had passed.
".That's it. You go and make the arrangements. The Third Regiment doesn't have many missions recently. Ask Old Tang to go with you and form a rotating team." Even though he knew his subordinate was capable and the matter was a piece of cake for him, Brigade Leader Wang still gave him a warning with some concern.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, he didn't want the soldiers to take risks in the mountains.
"Yes!" After simply answering, Lou Luhui turned and left.
Just as he reached the door, Wang Lu's voice rang out from behind him:
"Oh, I almost forgot, brat, you have to ask Miss Tian Mi if she is willing to get married. If she is, apply for it immediately. If you delay for too long, there will definitely be rumors in the army, which will be bad for the girl's reputation. Also, I heard that you have already started preparing the three major things. Maybe you can celebrate the New Year with your wife this year. If the female comrade is unwilling, then you should ask her why and then fight for it! Do you understand? Be thick-skinned and run harder! Do you understand?" The more he talked, the more worried he became. Brigade Wang wondered whether he should call his old leader and ask him to teach him some experience? When the old leader Lou Zhan was chasing his sister-in-law, he was... quite shameless.
This time, Lou Luhui did not get upset. He listened carefully to the advice of the experienced person, thanked him and left.
Walking on the road, the man's back was straight and his steps were still strong, but his thoughts had drifted away and he didn't even hear the greetings from the young soldiers he met along the way.
Maybe you can try asking Tian Mi
It doesn't matter if she doesn't want to. The revolution has not yet succeeded and the soldiers still need to work hard. He believes that sooner or later he will be able to marry her and take her home to spoil her.
But what if she is willing
He couldn't help but feel warm all over at the thought of forming a family with the soft little girl and becoming the most important person in each other's lives.
Suddenly, Captain Lou, who was always cold and even a little fierce, was so happy because of his imagination that he couldn't control his emotions. He jumped lightly and raised his hand to slap the branch.
Then, before the large amount of snow fell, he moved flexibly to avoid it.
However, he didn't expect that as soon as he stood firm, he heard several screams.
The man paused and turned back subconsciously.
Then, they saw a large amount of falling snow, which hit several young soldiers all over their bodies and faces.
Lou Lu returns.
(End of this chapter)