Li Xiulan felt that Gu Xingdong hadn't truly listened, thinking he was just placating her. On the way home, she complained to Chen Lishu, "No matter how old a child is, a mother still worries. Sigh, what's the use of having so many children? They're all sources of anxiety."
Chen Lishu's lips had been turned upwards the entire way. She was very happy to have received a call from Gu Xingdong during the New Year.
When the two arrived home and Li Xiulan lifted the pot lid to see the pot half-full of water, she was so angry she wanted to smack Gu Xingping.
"Don't you ever see others cook?"
Gu Xingping said indignantly, "The sisters-in-law usually do the cooking. Don't I deserve a chance?"
Li Xiulan's eyebrows shot up in anger. "You dare talk back? Even if you don't watch, can't you use your brain when you add water? How much firewood would it take to boil such a large pot of water dry? Are we drinking chicken broth?"
Gu Xingping dared not retort. But as Li Xiulan turned away, she whispered to Chen Lishu, "Third sister-in-law, is our mother going through menopause?"
Li Xiulan was nearly sixty this year. If she were to go through menopause, it would have happened long ago.
"Mom is right. You really should learn to cook more."
"What's the use of me knowing how to cook? You and Eldest sister-in-law do it anyway."
"It'll be useful after you get married."
Thinking of what someone had said to her, Gu Xingping's face flushed slightly, and she mumbled softly, "Maybe someone will be eager to do it."
...
Today was New Year's Eve, and since he wasn't home, Zhou Liang guessed Zhao Jing would have taken the child to her parents' home.
As expected, when he called, Zhao Jing answered. After a few pleasantries, she suddenly said she had something to attend to and hung up quickly.
Zhou Liang felt a bit regretful for not hearing his son's voice, but hearing Zhao Jing's voice wasn't a complete waste of time.
Not long after getting into the car with Gu Xingdong, Jiang Yuning returned from a street corner, carrying several items. Judging by the look of them, there were chickens, ducks, fish, and eggs.
Gu Xingdong and Zhou Liang quickly got out to help her.
"Today is New Year's Eve. Despite the difficult conditions, we should still try to improve our meal. I'll be cooking tonight. Would you both like to join me?"
"That sounds great," Zhou Liang agreed readily. "Doctor Jiang, you're so thoughtful. Old Gu, we're in for a treat tonight."
"You go ahead. I won't be able to make it. There are only Li Weimin and two other soldiers at the reconnaissance station. I'm a bit worried about them, so I'll take them some food as well."
Although the enemy had withdrawn from the border, there were still small-scale harassments. They had to remain vigilant at all times and couldn't afford to slack off.
"Even if you're in a hurry, you won't miss this day." Zhou Liang wanted to persuade him further, but seeing Gu Xingdong fall silent, he knew his mind was made up and wisely said no more.
The three of them traveled in silence until they reached the camp. As soon as they got out of the car, they heard the cheers and shouts from the makeshift training ground.
Gu Xingdong and Zhou Liang locked the car doors, then beckoned a young soldier to help send Jiang Yuning back to her dormitory. They then walked curiously towards the training ground.
Watching their receding figures, Jiang Yuning bit her lip, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes.
When Gu Xingdong and Zhou Liang arrived at the training ground, they saw two soldiers, each carrying a log about four meters long and half a meter in diameter, with the ends trimmed off. They were standing within a pre-drawn circle, competing with each other.
"Come on, those who want to bet, come here. Guess who will win. For whoever you choose, place the slip of paper with your name on it into the box labeled with their number. Liu Ershun is box one, Li Tieniu is box two."
"What's the stake?"
The young soldier, hearing the question, didn't turn around. "Naturally, it's doing chores for a week, including all the dirty clothes and smelly socks, hehe."
As soon as he chuckled, he realized the sound seemed a bit off. Thinking of a possibility, his spine stiffened instantly, and he slowly turned his neck to look back. Seeing Gu Xingdong and Zhou Liang standing behind them with smiles that were not quite smiles, he was so scared his legs went weak and he almost collapsed.
"Camp Commander Gu, Camp Commander Zhou."
Gu Xingdong raised an eyebrow. "Continue. We're just watching."
"Camp Commander Gu, it's New Year's Eve today. Everyone is just having some fun. We're not, not gambling."
Gu Xingdong nodded as if nothing had happened. "I know. It's just doing chores. Send these two boxes of slips to my desk later."
The young soldier immediately put on an expression uglier than crying and said dejectedly, "Yes."
"Haven't you eaten?"
The young soldier immediately straightened up and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Yes!"
...
After the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, a large part of the holiday had passed. Shops reopened, and villagers preparing for planting began to get their tools repaired and polished, and purchase seeds, fertilizers, and urea.
The Gu family was no exception. Especially with the household responsibility system implemented this year, they were very careful in selecting seeds.
"Why don't we plant sorghum and corn? They're easy to manage, hardy, and yield reliably in both drought and flood."
After everyone unanimously agreed, Gu Shoufou and his three sons drove a horse-drawn cart to the seed station in town. Chen Lishu also went along, buying some melon seeds and beet seeds.
As for potatoes, she directly bought five sacks from the village. Before planting, she would cut them into pieces and mix them with plant ash to sprout.
After returning home, Chen Lishu went to the mountain again. The road was about half-finished, and it was estimated that it would be fully completed soon.
"Uncle Hu Si, Uncle Lin, I've called you here today to arrange the specific work for the first half of the year."
Upon hearing her words, the two men straightened up, their expressions becoming serious.
"Currently, the only people available to me are the two of you. You are the first batch of employees on this Green Mountain. As long as you work diligently for me, you will certainly be rewarded in the future."
"Regarding your treatment, let me emphasize it again: in addition to the current basic salary of thirty yuan, there will be additional bonuses. However, the benefits are tied to the quality and yield of the products. That is, how much output this mountain land can achieve, and whether it meets my estimated standard, will determine if your pockets are filled by the end of the year."
Through this road construction, Hu Si'er and Lin Da Zhong already knew that Chen Lishu was not a stingy person. On the contrary, she was generous, but she was also not someone to be easily fooled.
"Niece, don't worry. Old Lin and I will definitely do our best for you."
Chen Lishu nodded. "Although I trust the two of you very much, let's be clear from the start. I can't tolerate any wrongdoing. Even if I'm not around often, my family is. If I discover anything that crosses my bottom line, then I'm sorry, but no matter whose face I have to save, you'll have to leave."
"Yes, yes." Both men nodded repeatedly, indicating they understood.
Chen Lishu: "The places you stayed before were too rudimentary, just temporary wooden huts. Now that the weather is a bit warmer, find people to build the houses first. I'll check on the brick factory tomorrow and bring back bricks to build ten houses. This will also be convenient for your work on the mountain later."