Xu Mingxuan called Er Zhuang over and had him sit down. He handed Er Zhuang the other half of the roasted chicken he hadn't finished and asked, "Er Zhuang, after you delivered the goods back to the camp, did anyone ask you where they came from?"
Er Zhuang was both tired and hungry. After taking a big bite of the roasted chicken, he thought carefully and replied, "Big Brother, no one asked at all. Everyone was almost ecstatic seeing a cart full of meat. When they heard from me reporting to the camp commander that there was still a lot of grain to be moved, and that people needed to be sent to move it, they all rushed out in a flurry. Those who were slower were kept by the camp commander to move the meat from the cart to the mess hall.
Everyone thought these were winter supplies distributed to our camp by the higher-ups! No one even asked where these things came from, not even the regimental commander. I saw everyone busy unloading the carts, so I took the oxen aside to feed them. After feeding the oxen grass and water, the soldiers who were moving the supplies also returned one after another. They told me there was too much stuff and they hadn't finished, saying Big Brother, you asked me to pull another cart."
Xu Mingxuan listened to Er Zhuang's account and pondered for a moment before saying, "Er Zhuang, it's even better that no one asked about the origin of the goods! Er Zhuang, remember this: if anyone asks about this matter, we'll say this... do you understand? Just say you don't know anything yourself. When you were picking up your sister-in-law and her brother, you passed by this small grove in front of the camp when it was dark. You only found a pile of supplies by the roadside and nothing else. Tell the truth about what happened afterwards! For example, you had your sister-in-law and Xiangxi stay to guard the supplies, and you took a cart of meat back, and so on. Just say what you think is appropriate."
Er Zhuang was starving. He had been busy all afternoon and hadn't eaten dinner. Now he was thirsty and hungry! So he took another big bite of chicken and nodded repeatedly, "Big Brother, don't worry! I know what to say. I'll just pull the stuff back, and I don't know anything else."
Chen Lan quickly handed him two steamed buns and a bottle of beer.
Er Zhuang didn't stand on ceremony. He put the two steamed buns in his pocket, bit open the beer cap with his teeth, and gulped it down. In a short while, he had finished more than half the bottle.
When Er Zhuang was mostly full, the others stopped dawdling and quickly began moving things onto the ox cart. But there was still too much to fit, and the oxen were mooing tiredly. The cold had already set in the grove, and it was very cold outside. Chen Lan and Xiangxi's feet were already numb from the cold. Just as everyone was at a loss, they heard the sound of footsteps from afar and the flickering lights of torches.
Xu Mingxuan said to Er Zhuang, "It must be your camp commander sending people to help move the goods. Er Zhuang, you first take the two large vats of supplies and a few barrels of pig blood and leave. The rest will be for them to move. When you get back, make it clear to the soldiers in the mess hall, tell them I said that our camp will have a feast tonight, and ask them to make the dinner substantial."
As soon as Er Zhuang heard about the feast, he immediately saluted and happily replied, "Reporting, Political Commissar, I will definitely deliver the message."
Watching Er Zhuang drive the ox cart away, Xu Mingxuan turned to Chen Lan and Xiangxi and said, "You two will walk back with me later. It will be warmer that way. And remember this! You two don't say anything and don't ask anything. You know nothing about it, understand? We'll start acting after I've made other arrangements."
Chen Lan and Xiangxi nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.
As expected, the soldiers who arrived were indeed sent by Commander Liu to help move the goods. They also sent quite a few people, and everyone quickly carried away the remaining supplies.
Chen Lan, under the cover of darkness, stored the two oversized backpacks into the system's warehouse.
Xu Mingxuan then took Chen Lan's hand, leading Xiangxi, and the three of them walked back to the camp, stumbling over the uneven ground. It was too cold and dark outside, and the surrounding environment was unclear. The houses in the camp seemed to be a long row of low buildings. Following Xu Mingxuan in the dark, they reached the door of a room. The door wasn't locked, and Xu Mingxuan pushed it open.
The room was pitch black and chilly. Xu Mingxuan fumbled for a box of matches from somewhere, lit one, and placed it on the kerosene lamp on the windowsill. The room was instantly illuminated. Because the door was not closed, there was a breeze, and the kerosene lamp flickered and wavered in the wind, its light dim and unable to reach far.
Xu Mingxuan told Chen Lan and Xiangxi to quickly enter the room and sit on the heated brick bed inside. After closing the door, he immediately used the light of the kerosene lamp to light the stove. Chen Lan peeked inside and saw a tin kettle placed on the stove.
In the faint light, Chen Lan carefully examined the small room. There was a stove right at the entrance. Moving into the inner room, she found a single wall built behind the stove. Behind the wall was a rather large heated brick bed. Against the wall, at the head of the bed, was a simple table made of planks. At the foot of the bed was a wooden chest of moderate size.
Chen Lan and Xiangxi sat on the heated brick bed, which was cool to the touch. Chen Lan quickly took off her snow boots, climbed further onto the bed, and covered her legs with the quilt from the bed. The quilt was also cool!
Xu Mingxuan added two large logs to the stove, then took the kerosene lamp into the inner room and placed it on the simple table. Chen Lan could then clearly see that the walls inside the room were plastered with newspaper.
Chen Lan curiously looked at the kerosene lamp. It was a glass bottle about ten centimeters tall, with a tin lid and a small hole in the middle. A wick made of cotton thread was inserted into this hole, reaching all the way to the bottom of the bottle. There was more than half a bottle of kerosene inside. The tin lid also had a knob for adjusting the length of the wick.
Chen Lan watched the kerosene lamp. The lit wick was emitting wisps of black smoke. Probably due to being smoked for a long time, there was a layer of black ash on the newspaper above the wooden chest, and the newspaper was also blackened and yellowed by the smoke.
In no time, the water in the kettle boiled, and the heated brick bed became warm. Xu Mingxuan took out a small wooden basin from somewhere and told Chen Lan to soak her feet quickly so they wouldn't freeze. Soaking her feet would also help warm them up.
Chen Lan glanced at Xiangxi, who looked half asleep. She said, "Mingxuan Ge, you and Xi Gua can soak your feet in the wooden basin first. I'll use this one."
With that, she opened the system warehouse with her mind, took out the toiletries and wooden washbasin and footbath she had prepared earlier. She also took out three bottles of purified water, handing one to Xu Mingxuan and one to Xiangxi. Then she unscrewed the cap and began to drink heartily. Sudan Novel Network
Thus, the three of them took off their thick cotton jackets, drinking water, soaking their feet, and chatting.
As they were chatting, Chen Lan became a little curious and asked, "Mingxuan Ge, on such a cold day, do the soldiers still have to stand guard as usual at night?"