On the way back, Chen Lan and Xiang Xi encountered Er Zhuang, who was driving an ox cart to pick them up. After climbing onto the ox cart and settling down, Chen Lan asked, "Er Zhuang, we're going back to the valley the day after tomorrow. Do you have anything you want to send to Ming Wei and your son?"
Er Zhuang scratched the hat on his head sheepishly, his face blushing as he replied, "I've written a letter to Ming Wei and one for home. I'm not very literate, and there are many characters I don't know how to write. The letters aren't finished yet. I'll continue writing them when I get back later. I also made a small wooden gun for our boy out of linden wood, and this too. I just exchanged this at the post office in town. Could you trouble my sister-in-law to take it to Ming Wei as a memento?"
With that, Er Zhuang took out a small paper packet from his embrace. Chen Lan knew what was inside the packet at a glance and didn't reach out to take it. She simply said, "Er Zhuang, don't rush. If there are characters you don't know how to write, you can ask any of us. When you've finished writing your letters, give them all to me together!"
So, Er Zhuang carefully put the paper packet back and tucked it into his embrace.
The three of them soon arrived at the small grove in front of the camp. Chen Lan didn't want to come out again tomorrow, so she said, "Er Zhuang, stop the ox cart for a moment. Ming Xuan Ge and I will be leaving the day after tomorrow. My father-in-law said that the old ox works hard all year round, so he wants me to leave all the remaining feed for the old ox so it can have a good winter."
Er Zhuang happily thanked her repeatedly, "Thank you, father-in-law, and thank you, sister-in-law. Now our Lao Hei can have a prosperous new year and won't have to suffer anymore this year."
Er Zhuang's mention of a prosperous new year reminded Chen Lan. That's right! How could she have forgotten? She had promised Xu Ming Xuan that she would give the soldiers in the camp a prosperous new year by treating them to a genuine "sha zhu cai" (pig-slaughtering dish). If Er Zhuang hadn't mentioned the prosperous new year just now, she would have completely forgotten about it.
Alas! Her memory isn't what it used to be. Could it really be three years of forgetfulness after childbirth?
So, Chen Lan patted her head, immediately got off the ox cart, took out all the feed from the system warehouse, and also took out two sacks of soybeans, six sacks of bean cake, bran, and other feed stored in the system warehouse.
Then, she said to the dazed Er Zhuang and Xiang Xi, "Er Zhuang, take a cart of feed back first. The rest, let Xiao Xi Gua drive and help you send it back. You need to find a dry place to store this feed well, don't let it get damp, understand?"
Er Zhuang happily agreed.
Chen Lan watched Er Zhuang drive away with a cart full of feed and immediately took out Xu Ming Xuan's old Jiefang truck. She asked Xiang Xi to help move the remaining feed to the back of the truck and then ordered five whole, un-gutted pigs from the fresh food store in the system. Each pig weighed about two hundred and thirty to two hundred and forty jin.
How could they have sha zhu cai without pig blood? But there was nowhere to put the pig blood. They couldn't possibly dirty the truck, could they? So, Chen Lan bought four large clay vats from the system to store the pig blood and sauerkraut. She also ordered two thousand jin of vermicelli and ten thirty-jin jars of sorghum wine and put them on the truck. There were too many things; they almost didn't fit.
The smell in the truck was too strong. Chen Lan quickly popped a preserved plum into her mouth to quell her slightly churning stomach and told Xiang Xi to quickly tidy up the back of the truck and drive away immediately.
Xiang Xi hadn't figured out what was going on before Chen Lan sent him off.
Because the smell in the truck was too strong, it made Chen Lan nauseous. Chen Lan's pregnancy symptoms were getting worse, and she felt unwell every morning.
When Chen Lan slowly walked back to the camp, she saw from afar that the camp had already started bustling with activity. The soldiers in the kitchen had taken off their thick cotton-padded jackets and were starting to gut the pigs.
Chen Lan popped another preserved plum into her mouth and then hurried back to Xu Ming Xuan's dormitory. She efficiently threw a few pieces of firewood into the stove, took off her snow boots, and climbed onto the kang.
Not long after, Xu Ming Xuan rushed in, pushing the door open. As soon as he entered, he asked, "Lan'er, Xiao Xi Gua said you were feeling unwell. Are you feeling better now?"
Chen Lan shook her head and said, "Ming Xuan Ge, I'm fine. I just can't stand the raw meat smell. I'll be fine if I don't smell it."
Xu Ming Xuan visibly relaxed. While taking off his hat, he removed his outer cotton-padded jacket and said, "It's good that you're okay. The baby in your belly must be a mischievous little thing, always causing trouble."
Chen Lan corrected him, "Ming Xuan Ge, that's not necessarily true! Touch my belly. This time, it might be two little troublemakers."
Xu Ming Xuan asked in surprise, "Lan'er, how do you know it's two again, not one?"
Chen Lan patted her belly proudly and replied, "It's experience, you know?"
The next morning, January 17th, Xiang Xi asked Chen Lan for two braised chickens and two braised pig trotters and swaggered off to his mother-in-law's house in Pogranichny town.
He said he would drink his father-in-law under the table before they could take action. Chen Lan thought Xiang Xi's drinking capacity would be rather lacking, as his father-in-law was known as "thousand cups no drunk."
Unexpectedly, Xiang Xi arrogantly said, "A wise man has his ways."
To Chen Lan's surprise, Xiang Xi returned to the camp with Yulia and Milana around one o'clock in the afternoon.
Seeing the three of them enter, Chen Lan, who was sitting on the kang eating preserved plums and dried fruits, was very surprised. She quickly got off the kang and beckoned the three of them to sit on the kang and chat. After the three of them were seated, Chen Lan offered the Yulia sisters some snacks and asked, "Xiao Xi Gua, the matter should have gone smoothly, right?"
At this moment, Chen Lan saw Yulia and Milana exchange a smile. This made Chen Lan even more curious! Her eyes were fixed on Xiang Xi, waiting for his answer.
Xiang Xi rubbed his nose and said, "It's nothing. I was drinking water, and my father-in-law was drinking sorghum wine. I challenged him to a drinking contest, and two bowls of water put him down."
Chen Lan laughed so hard she almost choked. After she finally stopped laughing, she said, "Xiao Xi Gua, you're quite brave. Aren't you afraid your father-in-law will settle the score with you when he sobers up?"
Xiang Xi replied with a chuckle, "What's there to be afraid of? By the time he sobers up, we'll be long gone on the train. I'm a bit worried that my mother-in-law will be bullied by him again, so I sent my mother-in-law back to her maiden home to hide for a while until my father-in-law calms down. I'll have Er Zhuang run another trip to Honghualing village later to deliver some things to her."