Everyone sat in the sun, eating their meals. Although it was a sunny day, the sun's rays were clearly not as intense, feeling warm on the skin. A gust of mountain wind would blow through, sending a shiver down one's spine. Chen Lan felt the temperature drop by a few more degrees.
While feeding Jia Hui, she quickly took a few bites herself. She had to eat fast; the hot food they had just taken out would be cold in a short while.
Chen Lan stopped Jia Hui from eating more, fearing she would get a stomachache from the cold food. The little one was still sulking.
Chen Lan quickly shoveled a couple of mouthfuls of rice into her mouth, then used her mind to open the system warehouse. She took out two teeth-grinding biscuits she had bought the day before, gave one to Jia Hui, and handed another to her mother, who was holding Jia Yao. The rice was cold, so she told her mother not to feed Jia Yao any more.
The mother and daughter quickly finished their meals, feeling a chill in their stomachs. Chen Lan decided they couldn't eat outside anymore, especially with children and the elderly. This situation could easily lead to illness.
She would have to discuss this with her mother-in-law later. Should they eat separately? Or together, and if so, where? It was all a troublesome matter.
For now, they needed to get the two children home quickly and steam them a bowl of warm egg custard to warm their stomachs.
After telling Xiao Shan's mother to take her time walking back, Chen Lan and her mother quickly carried the twins home.
Just then, Teacher Zhou, who had walked a bit ahead, called out to Chen Lan from a distance, "Xiao Lan, wait a moment. I have something to ask for your help with."
Chen Lan quickly replied, "Teacher Zhou, please don't be so formal. Let's go home and talk. The wind is too strong outside now, and the children can't bear it. Let's talk inside."
Her mother echoed, "Yes, yes, Teacher Zhou, please come in. If you have something to say, let's talk inside where it's warm."
Teacher Zhou didn't stand on ceremony and followed them into the courtyard. As they walked into the house, it felt like a different world from the outside.
Teacher Zhou exclaimed in surprise, "You're already using underfloor heating?"
Chen Lan, holding the two children, found it inconvenient to move. She found a place to sit down and placed the children on the sofa, protecting them with her hands. She replied, "Yes! The children are too young and afraid of the cold. Our room not only has underfloor heating but also an air conditioner. Look, it's that one." As she spoke, she pointed to a cabinet-style air conditioner.
Before Teacher Zhou could get close to the air conditioner, he could feel bursts of hot air blowing from it from a distance. He walked around it several times, left and right. He looked up and saw Chen Lan watching him, then remembered the important matter he had come for.
By then, her mother had already brewed a cup of tea and brought it from the kitchen. Chen Lan, unable to get up while holding the children, quickly said, "Teacher Zhou, please sit on the sofa first and have some tea. We can talk about it then."
Teacher Zhou sat down and took a sip of tea. "Good tea. I didn't expect you to have Pre-Qing Ming Longjing. If I had known, I would have asked for some tea from you."
Chen Lan smiled and said, "Teacher Zhou, it's not too late to say so now. I'll pack two catties for you later, enough for you to drink for a while!"
Teacher Zhou happily replied, "That's enough, enough. Xiao Lan! I came to ask for your help. To be honest with you! It's like this, the commander of the border defense battalion and I are from the same hometown, but not the same village. We met as children when we fought, you could say we became friends through fighting. We are childhood friends.
He heard me say I was returning to my hometown to pick up my parents and family to settle in Changbai Mountain, and he was also tempted. He also wants to bring his wife and children to settle here.
Xiao Lan! You have no idea how poor our region truly is. Although it's said to be a land of fish and rice, the staple food is always small wheat cakes made with bran and rice with little vegetables. It's common to lack oil and salt, and firewood is also scarce. Clothes are even more so; the eldest are new, the second are patched, and the third are covered in patches.
I know his family quite well. You can rest assured about their character. I will be strict about that. If their character is not good, I will absolutely not agree to help."
Chen Lan smiled and said, "Teacher Zhou, this valley was built by everyone together. It belongs to everyone. If you think his family's character is fine, you can completely make your own decision and bring them here. You don't need to ask me again. You are also a master of this valley."
Teacher Zhou waved his hands repeatedly. "How can that be the same? Your family spent money and effort, so naturally, you have the right to speak."
Chen Lan quickly corrected him, "Teacher Zhou, you absolutely must not say that. You know many things. To be honest, my husband's family and my family donated all their property, leaving only an ancestral home, all for the sake of getting a good class status.
If you say our family is the master of this valley now, that statement is not appropriate. Wouldn't that make our family landlords and rich peasants again?"
Teacher Zhou immediately apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Xiao Lan, I said the wrong thing. I take it back, I take it back."
Teacher Zhou looked at Chen Lan and, seeing she wasn't angry, continued, "Then I'll bring them with me when I return. This way, when we come back, we can have that young man send a car to pick us up."
Speaking of this, Chen Lan remembered something and asked, "Teacher Zhou, how will you travel back? Have you considered it? Will Xiang Xi drive you to the station, or how will you go?"
Teacher Zhou, with a rare gentle smile, replied, "No need, no need. I was just going to ask that young man for his car to take us directly to the station, which is how I got entangled with him."
Chen Lan heard this and repeatedly said, "That's great! That's great! One more thing, I don't know if Uncle Fu and Uncle De have spoken to you about it? It's about the wages?"
Teacher Zhou quickly replied, "Xiao Lan, speaking of wages, thank you so much! We all understand that even though it's an advance on the valley's income for next year, the money still came from you. What money could the valley have? We are eternally grateful!" He cupped his hands in gratitude.
Chen Lan also waved her hands repeatedly and continued, "It's what we should do! Teacher Zhou, about how many people will be coming with your battalion commander's family?"
Teacher Zhou replied, "Probably five. He said he has two sons, one little daughter, his wife, and his mother-in-law.
That young man is also unfortunate. His father died of illness when he was in his teens, and all the family property was spent trying to save him, but it was in vain. He and his mother were all they had.
That young man was also restless, always wanting to join the army but not willing to leave his mother alone. So he married a Sichuan girl who had also fled to our region due to hardship. His mother-in-law also came with his wife. Thus, these few formed a family and struggled to make a living.
His wife is also capable. After she gave him two sons, this young man became restless and left with the army. Fortunately, he was tough enough to survive the battlefield and became a battalion commander.
But this place is too far from our hometown. Even after liberation, he couldn't return home or take care of his family nearby. It was only when our hometown was liberated the year before last, and he happened to be in the liberating army, that he had a chance to go home. When he returned, he found out his mother had passed away a year earlier. He could only cry profusely at his mother's grave."
His wife also had a difficult life. As a woman, she had to take care of her sick mother, her entire family, and work in the fields. So when he heard I was going back to pick up people, he asked me to plead with you to see if his wife and children could also be brought here to settle.
Chen Lan nodded and replied, "Teacher Zhou, you also know that our family is military dependents. I deeply understand the hardships of military families. You don't need to say more; I understand everything.
Tell your friend that if there are any comrades' families there who wish to settle in the valley, as long as their character is good and they are hardworking, and you vouch for them, they can all come here and enjoy the same three guarantees of food, lodging, and clothing as everyone else."
The two chatted for a while longer. Seeing her mother coming out of the kitchen with steamed egg custard, ready to feed the twins.
Chen Lan said, "Teacher Zhou, please sit here for a little longer and have another cup of tea. I'll go to the inner room to get some things."