When Er Zhuang returned with the ox cart, Xu Mingxuan and Battalion Commander Liu had already shared two sausages and a large loaf of bread. Xu Mingxuan was about to offer his seat to Er Zhuang.
Chen Lan immediately said, "Brother Mingxuan, you and Battalion Commander Liu continue eating. Er Zhuang, come sit with me and eat slowly." As she spoke, she reached into her basket and quickly took out several more large loaves of bread and some large sausages, along with a few bottles of beer, placing them back into the basket.
Then, she stood up and vacated her spot. She winked at Xu Mingxuan and said, "Brother Mingxuan, there are a few bottles of foreign soda in the basket. Do you want some?"
Xu Mingxuan understood Chen Lan's intention and immediately replied, "I'm quite thirsty after eating the roasted food. Give me one!"
Seeing the beer Chen Lan had brought out, Er Zhuang also said, "Sister-in-law, I'm a bit thirsty too. Give me a bottle of soda!"
Xu Mingxuan looked at Battalion Commander Liu and asked, "Old Liu, do you want one too?"
Battalion Commander Liu shook his head and said, "It's so cold, aren't you afraid of freezing? And you dare to drink soda?"
Chen Lan, not bothering to wait for their decision, turned to Xiang Xi and said, "Little Watermelon, let's go! We'll get to work together!"
Xiang Xi nimbly stood up and readily agreed, "Alright!"
So, the two of them began to busy themselves. As Xiang Xi was about to continue carrying corn, Chen Lan said, "Little Watermelon, the salt is quite heavy. You use the motorcycle to take the salt back. The bags of corn should be a bit lighter, so let the soldiers carry them slowly!"
With that, she picked up a bag of salt in each hand and placed it onto the ox cart. Her movements were so swift and effortless, as if she were casually carrying two chickens. This display astonished Battalion Commander Liu. He was heard quietly saying to Xu Mingxuan, "Old Xu, now I truly believe what you told me."
Battalion Commander Liu's words left Xu Mingxuan utterly confused. He asked, "Old Liu, what did I say that you didn't believe? I told you nothing but the truth!"
Battalion Commander Liu stroked his chin and replied softly, "You said that your home and the valley where you live are all managed by your wife. Honestly, I didn't really believe it at first. Because I know that many of our comrades who were injured and discharged live in your valley. They are all heroes of battle, with fiery tempers. Ordinary people can't handle them. I never expected your wife, who is so small and looks so gentle, to have such divine strength. Now, I truly believe it."
Xu Mingxuan smiled calmly and replied in a low voice, "So what if she has great strength? My wife doesn't fight with them; she persuades with reason, you know? Everything my wife does makes them wholeheartedly convinced and obedient, you know?"
Battalion Commander Liu chuckled softly and replied, "Heh! Persuades with reason, I understand!"
Chen Lan had overheard their conversation the entire time. She smiled and didn't mind. While they were distracted, she collected some salt into her system's warehouse. Seeing that the ox cart already held about a thousand jin, she set off with the ox cart.
Xiang Xi had already started his motorcycle and sped away. The old ox also began to walk with its legs, making its way towards the camp.
With many hands at work, they made several trips and brought all the supplies back to the camp.
Xu Mingxuan and Battalion Commander Liu returned to the camp office to handle the work that had piled up over the past few days. Chen Lan and Xiang Xi did not accompany them and went directly back to Xu Mingxuan's dormitory.
The dormitory had been unoccupied for several days, and the room was chilly. The two immediately prepared to light a fire to warm the kang. Seeing that there wasn't much firewood left at home, they each went outside to the woodpile and carried a bundle of firewood back into the room.
As they were lighting the fire, they chatted. Chen Lan began by asking, "Little Watermelon, have the two wells at Honghua Ridge been completed?"
Xiang Xi replied, "They were finished two days ago. Little Basket, are you and Brother Mingxuan going to the other side again?"
Chen Lan looked up at Xiang Xi and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Little Watermelon, do you want to go to the Soviet Union on the other side?"
Xiang Xi obsequiously squatted opposite Chen Lan and said with a grin, "Little Basket, I want to go to the Soviet Union on the other side to see what it's like. They say it's a superpower and a model for our socialist countries to learn from!"
Chen Lan didn't know what to say! How could she explain? The Soviet Union of this period indeed had many aspects worth learning from. One could tell from the propaganda posters of that era that the ideals and values of the Soviet people at that time were worth emulating! For example, slogans like "Labor Creates Glory," "Women Can Carry the Load," "Customer Satisfaction is the Best Performance Indicator," "High Yield, High Efficiency, High Quality," and "Close to Life, Create Life" were all simple, direct, and inspiring slogans.
Chen Lan felt it wouldn't be bad to let Xiang Xi experience such an atmosphere in the Soviet Union, as staying in the valley meant missing out on some life experiences, which would be a bit of a regret!
So, without hesitation, she nodded and agreed, "Okay! No problem. In the next few days, you should learn a few more Russian phrases from Brother Mingxuan so you can chat with people easily when you get there."
Unexpectedly, Xiang Xi replied proudly, "Do I need you to tell me that, Little Basket? While you were gone, I've been learning from Er Zhuang and the others every day! Most of the people in their battalion and at Honghua Ridge can speak a few words of Russian. I can already understand some simple Russian. Although my pronunciation isn't perfect, it's pretty close!"
Chen Lan hadn't expected Er Zhuang to speak Russian too. It seemed she was the only one without a talent for languages, unable to learn that babbling tongue no matter what.
As she was thinking, Chen Lan remembered her plan and asked with a smile, "Little Watermelon, this time when we go, I'll take you to meet someone."
Seeing Chen Lan smiling like the Big Bad Wolf, Xiang Xi's alarm bells went off. He immediately became wary and asked, "Little Basket, tell me the truth, what do you want to do?"
Chen Lan realized then that she had been too hasty. She quickly explained, "Little Watermelon, I don't want to do anything, really. I just want to introduce you to some friends. They are good friends that Mingxuan and I met on the other side. They are all very good people, and I want to introduce them to you. Mingxuan and I even visited Aunt Chang Sanmei's home! Her home is in Pogranichny town in the Soviet Union, not far from Honghua Ridge village."