Chapter 3 "Hold on tight. We need to get there before dark..."

These words instantly quieted the cafeteria considerably, drawing many eyes to them with a sense of schadenfreude. Wang Guixiang was also taken aback, glancing somewhat awkwardly at the short-haired young woman, then at Shu Ran, before falling silent.

Shu Ran's cheeks burned. She stood up abruptly, her movement so sudden that her knee slammed into the bench with a loud thud. All eyes turned to her.

She glared at the short-haired young woman, who returned the gaze defiantly, her eyes full of provocation.

“Comrade,” Shu Ran slammed down her chopsticks, stared into the eyes of the short-haired young woman, and said, word by word, “What my family did in the past was not my choice. But I responded to the call and volunteered to come to the border region. I don’t know if the toilet paper is rough or not, but I know that the construction here needs people. If my hands are soft, I can get calluses. If the work is heavy, I can learn to do it. Now that I’m here, I have no intention of being a deserter.”

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the gloating faces around her. "As for what clothes I wear, they were bought with my family's hard-earned savings. I'm here to build the frontier clean and tidy; there's nothing shameful about it!"

She finished speaking in one breath, and it seemed as if the energy and spirit she used to have when lecturing in the classroom had returned.

The short-haired young woman seemed surprised by Shu Ran's sharp retort, momentarily speechless. Her expression changed, and she snorted before turning her head away. Wang Guixiang, on the other hand, stared at Shu Ran with her mouth agape in astonishment.

Chen Yuanjiang appeared at the cafeteria entrance at some point. He had clearly overheard the conversation, and his gaze swept over the tense scene. He didn't speak or make any gesture; he simply stood there, and an invisible pressure filled the cafeteria, silencing the gossipers completely.

Shu Ran felt a gaze fixed on her back. She sat down and quickly finished her steamed bun and pickled vegetables, then picked up the cooled porridge and drank it all in one gulp. She felt better now that she had vented her anger and hadn't lost anything.

After finishing her meal, she ignored everyone's stares, put her utensils back in the recycling area, and walked straight out of the cafeteria.

As she passed by Chen Yuanjiang, she nodded slightly as a greeting.

Half an hour later, at the entrance of the regiment's department.

The chestnut horse was already saddled. Chen Yuanjiang stood beside the horse, carrying not only his own small backpack but also Shu Ran's huge camphor wood chest.

Shu Ran looked at the horse, then at Chen Yuanjiang, and a wave of despair washed over her. She was going to share a horse with him? And travel like this for half a day?

Chen Yuanjiang noticed her hesitation. He deftly tied the camphor wood box securely with a thick hemp rope and fixed it to the back of the saddle. Then he mounted the horse with a fluid and effortless movement.

He sat at the front of the saddle, looking down at Shu Ran, his voice devoid of emotion: "Get on the horse. Sit in the back and hold on tight."

There was no room for negotiation, only orders.

Shu Ran looked at the tall horse, at its swaying head and its hooves as big as bowls, and felt a little scared. She gritted her teeth and, imitating Chen Yuanjiang, grabbed the front of the saddle and tried to put her feet into the stirrups.

But the stirrups were too high for her; she tried several times but couldn't reach them, her body swaying precariously and looking quite disheveled.

Chen Yuanjiang just watched without offering any help.

In the end, Shu Ran practically climbed up using both hands and feet, her posture extremely awkward.

She had just settled into the saddle when the horse shifted restlessly at her movement, startling her so much that she gasped and instinctively grabbed the belt around Chen Yuanjiang's waist.

The first thing you feel is the hard belt buckle and canvas belt, and the sudden tightening of the abdominal muscles beneath the belt.

Chen Yuanjiang's body stiffened visibly for a moment. He didn't turn around, but said in a deep voice, "Hold on tight. We need to get there before dark."

"Giddy up!" With a low shout, the reins snapped. The chestnut horse lurched forward. The immense momentum threw Shu Ran backward, and she cried out, clutching tightly to the waist of the horse in front of her.

Even through the thick fabric of his uniform, the man's body heat emanated a wild aura. Shu Ran's cheek was almost pressed against his back; she was so embarrassed she wanted to jump down immediately, but the horse had already begun to gallop.

The wind of the Gobi Desert whistled past her ears, and beneath her was the jolting back of the horse. Her back was the only thing keeping her from falling. She could only cling to him tightly, close her eyes, and bury her face in his back, trying to escape the awkwardness.

Chen Yuanjiang galloped on his horse, his body rising and falling with the rhythm of the horse. He stared straight ahead, his jawline taut.

The body pressed tightly against his back, the arms wrapped tightly around his waist, and the faint sound of breathing were all clearly transmitted to him.

This feeling was so unfamiliar, completely different from the battlefield, the Gobi Desert, and the missions he was familiar with. He frowned slightly, a strange feeling flashing through his mind.

Immediately, he forced himself to focus his attention forward, straightened his body, and deliberately created some distance between himself and Shu Ran.

As the horse lurched along, the coarse linen satchel hanging beside the saddle, containing the camphor wood box, swayed and rubbed against each other with the horse's gallop. Whether it was due to the severe jolting of the journey or because the satchel opening was not fastened properly to begin with, after a violent up-and-down motion, the satchel opening suddenly sank downwards.

A corner of the camphor wood chest slid out from the saddlebag opening, and then the lid popped open a crack. A soft, lustrous sheen slid out from the gap in the lid.

It was a silk nightgown! Half of it was hanging on a box, and the other half was dangling to the ground!

Shu Ran's face turned deathly pale. She almost screamed and instinctively reached out to grab him. But she couldn't maintain her balance on horseback, and lost her balance halfway through her outstretched hand.

In that split second, she felt a momentary stiffness in the back of her body. Chen Yuanjiang tightened his grip on the reins slightly, controlling the horse to slow its pace. He lowered his head slightly.

Shu Ran froze, not daring to move. She could feel Chen Yuanjiang's gaze lingering briefly on the camphor wood box. Then, his gaze moved away.

Chen Yuanjiang said nothing, but with his free hand, he reached out and grabbed the slipped nightgown. Without even looking at it, he forcefully stuffed it back into the still-shaking camphor wood chest and then slammed the lid shut.

After doing all this, he gripped the reins tightly again and squeezed the horse's belly with his legs.

"drive!"

The chestnut horse accelerated again and began to gallop. The saddlebags were stuffed with the nightgown, so the camphor wood chest no longer slipped out, but swayed with the horse's run.

The time on horseback was long and agonizing. Shu Ran felt like all the bones in her body were about to be shaken apart. After the initial embarrassment, all that remained was exhaustion and numbness. She dared not let go, and could only hold tightly to the person in front of her.

Her face and body were covered in dust. She was burning with thirst, her lips were cracked and bleeding. Her buttocks and inner thighs were burning from the saddle.

Chen Yuanjiang only stopped once along the way to let his horse drink and rest for a while. He poured a small half cup of water from his canteen and handed it to Shu Ran.

Shu Ran didn't care about her image and took the water, drinking it all in one gulp. The cold water with its rusty taste was like sweet rain.

Chen Yuanjiang himself took several large gulps of water directly from the kettle. He silently watched Shu Ran's chapped lips and disheveled appearance, his eyes still full of scrutiny.

As the sun set, it painted the Gobi Desert a desolate golden-red. Just when Shu Ran felt she was about to give up, a sparser, lower outline finally appeared on the horizon of the desolate wasteland ahead.

Shu Ran only realized upon closer inspection that they were some slightly raised mounds of earth and low earthen walls.

"We've arrived." Chen Yuanjiang's voice was carried by the wind.

Shu Ran rubbed her tired eyes and looked at the so-called livestock farm.

An even greater sense of desolation than that of the regimental headquarters washed over us.

There were no neat rows of houses, only a few scattered, equally low mud-brick houses, and mostly a type of building that was half-buried underground. Shu Ran had heard of this type of building before, called a "dugout".

Due to the harsh environment and scarce resources, only earthen walls less than half a meter high and sloping roofs covered with reeds and mud are visible.

A few rows of sparse, thin saplings were planted around the company, serving as a meager windbreak. The smells of livestock manure, fermenting hay, and dust were even stronger in the air.

At the edge of the field of vision lay an endless expanse of barren Gobi Desert, which appeared vast and desolate under the setting sun.

The chestnut horse stopped in front of a row of dugouts. Chen Yuanjiang nimbly dismounted and untied the ropes binding the camphor wood chest.

Shu Ran practically slid off the horse using both her hands and feet, managing to stand firmly by holding onto the saddle.

Chen Yuanjiang untied his satchel, took out the heavy camphor wood chest, and placed it at Shu Ran's feet. He pointed to a mud-brick house with a wooden sign that read "Company Headquarters" hanging on the door: "Go there to report for duty and find the company commander. He will make arrangements."

Shu Ran nodded, her throat so dry she couldn't make a sound.

Chen Yuanjiang stopped looking at her, took the reins, and turned to walk towards a more inconspicuous mud-brick house next to the company headquarters.

Above the door of the house, there seemed to be some kind of peculiar symbol drawn in chalk. He pushed the door open and went inside, his figure disappearing into the dimly lit doorway.

Shu Ran looked at the closed wooden door, then looked down at the camphor wood box covered in mud at her feet. With her last bit of strength, she dragged the box toward the entrance of the company headquarters.

The company commander was a dark-skinned middle-aged man surnamed Ma. He spoke with a heavy Gansu accent and a loud voice. He clearly already knew Shu Ran's background and social status; his attitude was neither particularly warm nor cold.

"Oh, Comrade Shu Ran, is that right? The Livestock Company welcomes you!" Company Commander Ma flipped through her registration materials under the oil lamp. "It's good to be educated! Our company has many young people and we're short of teachers! However," he put down the materials and looked at Shu Ran, "our conditions here are tough, as you've seen. You're from the city, and... uh, this situation," he mumbled, "you need to be mentally prepared, and even more so, overcome the difficulties in your daily life! Settle down first. As for your work assignment, find Production Director Comrade Zhao Weidong; he's in charge."

Company Commander Ma quickly wrote out a note, handed it to Shu Ran, and pointed in a direction: "Here, the women's dormitory, dugout number three. Take this to Comrade Zhou Qiaozhen; she is the dormitory head."

Shu Ran took the note, thanked him, and left the company headquarters. The sky had already darkened, and the night in the Gobi Desert was bitterly cold.

Using the sparse starlight to discern directions, she laboriously dragged her suitcase toward the area designated by the company commander—a cluster of dugouts in a lower-lying area.