Chen Lan and the other three brought over large stones and sat around the large iron pot. While eating tender and juicy lamb and drinking hot lamb soup, they also discussed the specific arrangements for going to the other side to exchange grain.
Chen Lan said, "Brother Mingxuan, the most crucial thing for us first is to figure out the route to the other side and calculate the time required."
At this moment, Xu Mingxuan nodded and said, "Lan'er, you are right. Grandpa Chang and I have agreed. He and Uncle Chang Er will take us through it tomorrow. Then he and Uncle Chang Er will first go to see their third sister, Chang, who is married on the other side, to inquire about the specific situation there. After clarifying, they will bring us to discuss the exchange."
Chen Lan asked in surprise, "Grandpa Chang has a sister married to the Soviet Union on the other side?"
Xu Mingxuan nodded and replied, "Yes! Lan'er, is there a problem? Many families here have relatives on the other side. The two countries have always intermarried. Moreover, during the Qing Dynasty, many places on the other side were originally part of our country, and later they were ceded by the Qing Emperor."
When Xu Mingxuan asked this, Xiang Xi and Er Zhuang also looked at Chen Lan.
Xiang Xi also curiously asked, "Yes! Little Lanzi, is there a problem? We are in the wild mountains now, and there is no one around. You know something, don't you? Tell us all about it."
Chen Lan stood up and looked around. The surroundings were quiet, with only the sound of the wind and the rustling of leaves. Chen Lan was still uneasy and used her mental power to activate the search function, scanning a fifty-meter radius around her to see if anyone was there.
Then, she said in a serious, low voice, "My father-in-law said that in a short while, in June of this year, we will fall out with the other side, sever diplomatic relations, and then enter a long eight-year cold war."
Upon hearing this, Er Zhuang sat up straight and asked eagerly, "Sister-in-law, will we fight with the other side?"
Xu Mingxuan and Xiang Xi spoke at the same time, "Yes! Will we fight?"
Chen Lan thought for a moment and said, "Father-in-law said that there are constant minor skirmishes on the border, but no major war, so it's not a real fight. However, we cannot let our guard down, after all, it is a fact that the Soviet Union will station a million troops on the border."
Xiang Xi gasped when he heard this and exclaimed, "So many people? These Russians can really turn their backs on us so quickly!"
Chen Lan retorted involuntarily, "Little Watermelon, stop joking. Do you expect them to notify you before they fall out with you?"
Xu Mingxuan said, "Alright, you two stop bickering. Lan'er, continue with the important matters."
Chen Lan continued, "Intermarriage with the Soviet Union and other surrounding countries, having foreign relatives is nothing now. But in five or six years, it will be a matter of life and death. At that time, you will be asked to publicly declare a clean break and sever ties, which is the least of it! The most dangerous is being unjustly accused of colluding with the enemy and treason, and you will have to confess your crimes."
Xiang Xi said indignantly, "If others have never done such a thing, how can they be made to confess?"
Chen Lan helplessly reached out and patted Xiang Xi's shoulder, saying, "Little Watermelon, you are still too naive. If you look so foolish, you will die as soon as you leave the valley and are caught by those people.
After I return to the valley, I will have everyone plant dense thorns to block all the paths into the valley, leaving only one path to the camp, which will be guarded daily. No one in the valley is allowed to leave without my permission."
Xu Mingxuan and Er Zhuang looked at Chen Lan with disbelief after she finished speaking. Xu Mingxuan asked in confusion, "Lan'er, is it really that serious?"
Chen Lan replied with a serious expression, "Otherwise? Brother Mingxuan, have you never thought carefully about why father-in-law asked mother to donate all their family property and then bring the entire family, old and young, to such a remote valley where no one is known?"
Xu Mingxuan replied, "I asked. Mother said she didn't want to leave the imperial capital for fear that the children wouldn't grow up."
After saying that, he abruptly changed the subject, "Alas! Forget it, we'll talk about this later when we have time. For now, let's discuss tomorrow's arrangements."
Xu Mingxuan looked at Xiang Xi and Er Zhuang and said, "Starting tomorrow, you two will dig wells for the village as planned. Lan'er and I will go with Grandpa Chang and his brother to scout the route first and then see if there is a more convenient way to get there."
Xu Mingxuan turned to Chen Lan and asked, "Lan'er, if there is a letter from (a patriotic expatriate), I can persuade Battalion Commander Liu. What do you think about writing the letter to discuss the delivery location for winter supplies? Can it be done?"
Chen Lan thought for a moment and nodded, "Brother Mingxuan, the key is the delivery location. You cannot write that it is in the Soviet Union. You must write that it is within the country. You absolutely cannot have any overseas records! Otherwise, it will be difficult to explain, and you cannot give anyone any leverage."
Xiang Xi said at this moment, "Little Lanzi, Brother Mingxuan, it's too troublesome. Why don't we just forget it? We don't want to implicate Brother Mingxuan."
Chen Lan looked up at Xu Mingxuan, and Er Zhuang and Xiang Xi also looked at him, all waiting for his answer.
Xu Mingxuan lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said, "I still decide to do it. I cannot miss an opportunity to let the soldiers eat well because of my own reasons."
Since Xu Mingxuan had made up his mind, no one else tried to dissuade him.
Chen Lan, having eaten less, finished first. She took out a carbon steel pen and an A4 paper from her backpack, which was actually from the system's warehouse. She prepared to write in her previous life's handwriting, but she couldn't settle on the delivery location.
This made Chen Lan very depressed, and she sighed again. It was truly helpless. It was so difficult to do anything in this era!
Xu Mingxuan took a sip of hot lamb soup and said with a smile, "Lan'er, you don't need to write so complicatedly. Just write one sentence: 'Discussing donation matters,' and then the signature and date. From what I know of Battalion Commander Liu, his personality is to focus only on the goal and not the process. As long as it doesn't harm national interests, he won't care where you negotiate. What he cares most about is the winter supplies for the soldiers. He is currently struggling with how to allocate those supplies."
After saying that, he beckoned Chen Lan to eat more, and then continued, "Now, when I go back, I will directly give him the letter from (a patriotic expatriate), so he knows that a patriotic person has a large quantity of supplies to send to our border defense battalion soldiers for winter. He will be overjoyed! He won't bother with trivial matters. Then he will immediately discuss with me about me going on a trip for this matter."