After dinner, everyone went home. Xu Mingxuan, not quite finished chatting with his comrades at the dinner table, invited them to his place to continue their conversation in the living room.
Chen Lan prepared honey tea made from linden flowers for Xu Mingxuan and his comrades to help them sober up, along with snacks like spiced melon seeds and salt and pepper peanuts for their chat.
She then left them to their idle chatter in the living room and went upstairs with the children. As soon as they reached the second floor, Jia Yao immediately ran back to his own room. Chen Lan entrusted the three older sisters to Jia Hui for care, asking Jia Hui to take them to wash up with their toiletries, teach them how to use the household appliances, and then lead them to their rooms to rest. Su Dan Novel Network.
Jia Hui, like a proud little peacock, nodded with a smile and agreed, "Mom, don't worry! I know where the toiletries and clean sheets and pillowcases are. I'll definitely take good care of my sisters!" With that, she took the three older sisters back to her room.
Chen Lan herself took the three-year-old Wang Jia He and four-year-old Liu Jia Xing back to her bedroom. After washing the two sleepy little ones clean in the bathroom, she placed them in their small beds to sleep. They instantly fell fast asleep, and if one listened carefully, one could even hear them snoring lightly!
Chen Lan thought they must be tired, as the children were still quite young. Although they had been carried back to the valley by adults, they had been carried almost all day on mountain paths. Their circulation might not have been optimal, and it must have been quite arduous!
Seeing that both children were asleep, she tucked them in with thin blankets. Chen Lan then took a hot shower herself, leaned against the headboard, and used her mind to open the system. She ordered "Railway Guerrillas" for Xu Mingxuan, as well as several instructional books on strengthening military team building.
Thinking further, Xu Mingxuan would likely not be returning for some time from his new work unit. Thus, she ordered two sets of winter warm military padded jackets, padded pants, padded leather boots, ushanka hats, and fur gloves and scarves. She also ordered two extra-thick and long military overcoats.
Tomorrow, she would take the military overcoats to the tailor shop and ask Aunt Xiao Shan to help her sew a layer of tanned sheepskin or rabbit fur inside. There was an excess of rabbit pelts in the tailor shop's inventory, so it was a good opportunity to use some. Adding rabbit fur to the military overcoats would make them even more windproof and warm. They could also be used as blankets at night, so she wouldn't have to worry about the harsh winter in Suifenhe.
It was currently May 1954. Suifenhe was then known as Suifenhe District and would not be renamed Suifenhe Sino-Soviet Friendship People's Commune until September 1958, a name that would last until July 1960.
As Chen Lan recalled her memories from her previous life, she ordered two more bulletproof vests from the system. Although there was no major armed conflict with the other side in the end, there were constant minor skirmishes and conflicts along the border. After all, the opposing side had a million troops stationed at the border at the time. Chen Lan still felt it was better to be safe than sorry!
She then ordered some long-lasting beef jerky, pork jerky, canned meat, and sausages, as well as milk powder and milk candy for nutritional supplements. She also ordered many common medicines from the system for emergencies.
She took the items out of the system's warehouse and packed them into two large canvas bags.
On the day they were leaving, she would go to the "Processed Foods Factory" and "Pastry Factory" to get some cooked food and pastries for the journey. After finishing these tasks, she checked the system time and found it was getting late, so she went to bed without waiting for Xu Mingxuan.
Xu Mingxuan was very busy for the remaining two days, with his schedule packed. On the first day, he visited the comrades' breeding bases. He saw seventy to eighty plump, well-fed pigs in the pigsty.
The sheep pen housed over a hundred adult angora goats with long, fine wool, and they were all very healthy.
There were over a thousand domesticated pheasants of various sizes.
The scale of the wild rabbit farm was even more impressive, with nearly two to three thousand rabbits across three farms, all of them looking plump and well-fed!
Seeing these achievements, Xu Mingxuan gave his comrades a thumbs-up. Looking at his comrades' spirited demeanor, Xu Mingxuan was genuinely happy for them. He never imagined that after being injured and disabled, his comrades could stand on their own two feet and create a new world for themselves and the valley.
At the same time, Xu Mingxuan knew that this was all his wife's doing. Without his wife's strong support, his comrades would not have achieved their current success and morale!
What interested Xu Mingxuan the most were the various processing factories in the valley: the "Tailor Shop," the "Textile Factory," the "Processed Foods Factory," and the "Pastry Factory."
Xu Mingxuan felt that the breeding models in the valley could be a reference for him at his new work unit. If successful, it could at least improve the living standards of the soldiers.
The afternoon before Xu Mingxuan's departure, at the children's strong request, Chen Lan showed Xu Mingxuan and the children another movie, "Tunnel Warfare."
In the evening, when Chen Lan handed the prepared items to Xu Mingxuan, she pointed to the "bulletproof vests" and gave him some insight into the general development of the country in the coming years. She specifically reminded Xu Mingxuan about the three-year drought starting in 1959, urging him to have the soldiers in the army make preparations for drought relief in advance.
Xu Mingxuan naturally believed what Chen Lan said; he knew his wife's capabilities!
He immediately said, "Lan'er, thank you for thinking of me and preparing so thoughtfully. Don't worry! As soon as I arrive at my new unit, I'll start making preparations gradually. There are still almost four years until then. I think no matter what, we can dig a few artificial rivers to store water in four years!"
The three days passed quickly. Xu Mingxuan and Er Zhuang each carried a large canvas bag prepared by Chen Lan and a small bag in their hands containing cooked food and pastries from the "Processed Foods Factory" and "Pastry Factory." Since the weather was a bit hot, Chen Lan didn't dare to pack too much, fearing it would spoil and cause them stomach problems.
After breakfast, the two of them said their reluctant goodbyes to everyone and left.
After Xu Mingxuan left, Chen Lan did not rest. She led the women comrades of the valley to the dark riverbank outside the valley, deciding to continue the river-digging project that Xiang Dong and Er Hu had started not long ago.
Everyone was very confused why Chen Lan wanted them to do this. However, no one asked why they were digging an artificial river outside the valley. The people in the valley were accustomed to following Chen Lan's arrangements; they knew she would never harm them! Whatever she told them to do, they would do it, and it would be the right thing to do!