The two of them chatted for a long time, completely absorbed in their conversation. The sky had already begun to darken, and it looked like night would fall soon, yet they were still engrossed in their lively discussion.
When Chen Lan finally saw them finish their chat and bid each other farewell, Xu Mingxuan turned around, a smile gracing his face as he walked towards her.
Seeing Xu Mingxuan beaming, Chen Lan became curious. He wasn't usually one to outwardly display his emotions, so she whispered, "Brother Mingxuan, did something good happen? Why are you so happy? Can you tell me a little about it?"
Xu Mingxuan reined in his smile, an air of slight awkwardness about him as he touched his face and then cleared his throat. He asked softly, "Lan'er, is it really that obvious?"
Chen Lan decided to tease him. She nodded with a serious and earnest expression, exaggerating her reply, "Yes! Touch the corners of your mouth, they're practically splitting all the way to your ears!"
Hearing Chen Lan's words, Xu Mingxuan couldn't help but chuckle. He reached out and patted her head, saying, "Mischievous!" Then, he mounted his motorcycle and said, "Lan'er, put on your hat and hold on tight! It's getting dark, we need to head back quickly. If you have anything to ask, we can talk about it slowly after we get back to the cave."
With the motorcycle as their transport, the couple soon reached the foot of the mountain. They surveyed their surroundings, finding nothing out of the ordinary. Chen Lan then put the motorcycle and their goods into the system warehouse. She then took out two machetes from the warehouse, and they began hacking at branches by the roadside, storing them in the system warehouse as they made their way to the cave.
Chen Lan retrieved the dry branches from the system warehouse and placed them by the cave entrance. Seeing Xu Mingxuan starting a fire, Chen Lan took out pots, pans, bowls, and water from the system warehouse to start cooking. By this time, it was completely dark outside, making it impossible to see anything.
Since they had eaten a substantial and protein-rich lunch, neither of them was very hungry. However, they couldn't skip dinner, as the northeastern winters were incredibly long, stretching for over a dozen hours. If they didn't eat something now, they certainly wouldn't make it until dawn and would be hungry by midnight.
So, Chen Lan suggested to Xu Mingxuan, "Brother Mingxuan, we ate so well at noon! Let's just have something simple tonight."
Xu Mingxuan nodded indifferently, "Lan'er, you decide. I'm not picky, and I'm not really hungry anyway. Just make something simple. Anything is fine."
Chen Lan then decided to make sweet fermented rice, which was perfect for winter. Eating a bowl of it in winter not only helped with blood circulation but also warmed the stomach.
Chen Lan ordered the ingredients from the system and quickly made the simplest and most delicious sweet fermented rice with eggs and sweet fermented rice balls. After a bowl of hot sweet fermented rice balls, Chen Lan felt a warmth spread throughout her body, and a light sweat broke out on her forehead.
The couple tidied up the bowls and chopsticks together, did some basic washing, and prepared to sleep early.
Before sleeping, Chen Lan pondered for a while. She was still uneasy, worried about potential accidents while they were asleep. Seeing Xu Mingxuan making the floor bedding, she walked to the cave entrance, mentally opened the system warehouse, and took out the wooden chests she had brought out the previous night, blocking the entrance.
Only then did Chen Lan finally feel completely at ease. Xu Mingxuan looked up at Chen Lan's actions, shook his head with a smile, and said nothing.
Chen Lan took off her padded coat and pants, kicked off her snow boots, and crawled into the quilt. Xu Mingxuan added some large logs to the fire and then got into bed, intending to sleep.
The couple lay side by side on the floor bedding and started chatting. Chen Lan asked, "Brother Mingxuan, you still haven't told me! What did you talk about with that procurement officer, Andrei? And for so long? I guess it must be something good, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't be smiling so happily!"
Xu Mingxuan took Chen Lan's hand and said with a smile, "Lan'er, you guessed right. It is indeed good news! And it's great news."
He then shifted his body, changing his position to make Chen Lan more comfortable, and continued, "Lan'er, do you know? Andrei said that he has been procuring for the cooperative for many years and knows many procurement officer friends. He wants to cooperate with us."
Chen Lan looked up and asked curiously, "Brother Mingxuan, how does he want to cooperate with us?"
Xu Mingxuan continued, "Andrei said that each cooperative has a New Year procurement task, and it's a very heavy one, so they have to start preparing very early each year. This year, he wants to have us, the couple, follow him around to procure. For any procurement officer he introduces us to, if they purchase our goods, it will be on a consignment basis for the cooperative. For every six items his procurement officer friends purchase, we will give them one free. He wants us to prepare our goods quickly in the next few days. Their cooperative has dedicated procurement trucks, and he will drive an empty truck with our goods to depart."
Chen Lan sat up excitedly and asked, "Brother Mingxuan, there's such a good thing? Did you agree to it?"
Xu Mingxuan held Chen Lan's hand and quickly said, "Lan'er, lie down quickly. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Chen Lan obediently lay down again and continued asking, "Brother Mingxuan, did you agree to it?"
Xu Mingxuan tucked Chen Lan in and continued, "How could I not agree to such a good thing? He said he wants to see how our goods sell in the cooperatives over the next couple of days and then stock some of our goods for the cooperative before preparing to depart. He asked if we want to go with them this time, and I have already agreed that we will go with him."
Chen Lan asked with some concern, "Brother Mingxuan, don't people in the Soviet Union need letters of introduction or other proofs when they travel for business? And don't they need to stay in inns and hotels when they go to other places?"
Xu Mingxuan replied, "I asked Andrei about this problem too. He said it's very easy to resolve. He'll handle it. He can issue us a letter of introduction from the cooperative and stamp it with their seal."
Chen Lan was speechless for a moment! It felt like a pie falling from the sky, and she almost couldn't believe her ears.
Chen Lan was so excited that she was speechless for a long time, her mind racing with all sorts of thoughts. By the time she calmed her excitement and was about to tell Xu Mingxuan that she had chosen a Russian name, Xu Mingxuan, who was lying beside her, had already started snoring softly.