Chapter 4 Cotton coupons? Cloth coupons? Special approval slips? ...

Shu Ran found the dugout with the number written on the company commander's note.

The entrance to the dugout was a sloping earthen slope with several earthen steps. A tattered felt, so dirty its original color was unrecognizable, hung at the entrance, serving as a curtain.

Shu Ran stood in front of the entrance, looking at the dark entrance, took a deep breath, and lifted the tattered felt.

A strong, earthy smell hit the air. It was pitch black inside, with only a faint starlight filtering in from the entrance, barely outlining the interior.

It was a long, narrow, and low space. The height was barely enough for a person to stand up straight, but someone as tall as Chen Yuanjiang would probably have to duck when he entered.

On both sides were simple communal sleeping areas, with a thick layer of wheat straw and reeds on the first layer and straw mats on top.

Several rustling sounds came from deep inside the dugout.

"Who is it?" a woman with a Sichuan accent asked warily.

"I'm new here, Shu Ran. The company commander told me to find Zhou Qiaozhen." Shu Ran's tone was neither humble nor arrogant.

A fumbling sound, followed by a "snap," and a match was struck. The flame illuminated a young face. She held the match up and lit the wick in a small tin can hanging on the earthen wall—a makeshift kerosene lamp made from an ink bottle.

The dim, flickering light barely illuminated the scene inside the dugout.

Under the lamplight, several women could be seen sitting or lying on the kang (a heated brick bed). Most of them wore old, patched, gray military uniforms or coarse cloth clothes, their faces showing fatigue, their skin rough, and their hair dry.

Everyone's eyes were drawn to Shu Ran, the red lacquered camphor wood chest at her feet, and the Lenin suit she was wearing, which, although dirty, was clearly made of a different material.

A short-haired young woman walked over holding a kerosene lamp; it was Zhou Qiaozhen, the one who had made sarcastic remarks to her in the regimental canteen.

She sized Shu Ran up and down, her gaze lingering for a moment on Shu Ran's elegant Lenin suit and leather shoes. Her brows furrowed slightly, and she let out a soft snort. Without even a greeting, she turned and returned to her seat.

As we moved a little closer, a woman with a simple, honest face stood up, a somewhat awkward smile on her face: "Are you new here? Come in quickly! It's drafty and cold by the door!"

She enthusiastically pointed to an empty spot on the dormitory bed, "Look, it's right there, next to Zhou Qiaozhen. It's cramped, so everyone should squeeze in." As she spoke, she even offered to help Shu Ran move her suitcase further in.

"Sister Wang, what are you busy with?" Zhou Qiaozhen said coldly without looking up. "That capitalist's daughter is precious. Does she need your help? Don't dirty her good stuff."

Sister Wang's hand froze awkwardly in mid-air, and the smile on her face vanished.

Shu Ran ignored Zhou Qiaozhen's sarcastic remarks and forced a smile at Sister Wang: "Thank you, Sister, I can do it myself." She dragged the camphor wood box to a corner near the entrance.

There wasn't even a mattress on that spot; it was clearly a makeshift addition.

Sister Wang glanced at Shu Ran, then at Zhou Qiaozhen, and continued to lend a helping hand, pushing Shu Ran's suitcase to that corner. Upon lifting it, she was startled by its weight and exclaimed, "My goodness! What is this? It's so heavy! Quick, put it here!"

"Thank you," Shu Ran said softly.

Shu Ran took a deep breath, bent down, and unlocked the copper lock on the camphor wood chest.

The contents of the box were exposed under the kerosene lamp: brightly colored clothes of various kinds, soft silk pajamas, a small round mirror inlaid with delicate patterns, two boxes of "Friendship" brand face cream; and several thick books...

The air seemed to freeze.

Zhou Qiaozhen, who had been mending the garment with her head down, stopped sewing and stared at the silk nightgown and the small round mirror with a complicated expression.

In the corner, a round-faced girl who looked very young, about seventeen or eighteen years old, glanced at Shu Ran, jumped off the bed, walked up to Shu Ran, and said with a smile, "Sister Shu Ran, I am Li Xiulan, from Jiangxi."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but turn her head, her gaze lingering on the box of face cream. "These things are so exquisite..."

Sister Wang's mouth dropped open, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Shu Ran smiled at Li Xiulan, took out a cotton sheet printed with magnolia flowers from the box, and spread it out on the straw mat on her bed.

The first night in the dugout was long and unbearable.

The straw and reed mat beneath me were incredibly rough, and every time I turned over, it was prickly and uncomfortable.

The air was thick with the smells of earth, sweat, and the lingering burnt smell of kerosene lamps.

Zhou Qiaozhen was already snoring, Sister Wang was fast asleep, and Li Xiulan occasionally murmured in her sleep. Only Shu Ran stared at the earthen archway above her head.

A faint ray of light pierced through the gap in the tattered felt covering the entrance, allowing Shu Ran to make out the outlines of her surroundings.

This is her new life, and it makes her feel terrible.

The ideal life of the 21st century is already a distant dream.

Should she try going back to Shanghai? The thought of the words "submit to assignment" on her registration form filled her with despair. Without a legitimate reason, she couldn't even leave the regimental headquarters. Force her way in? The boundless Gobi Desert would likely be her prey.

Moreover, she had no doubt that the man named Chen Yuanjiang had a hundred ways to keep her in line.

Tears welled up, but she wiped them away fiercely with the back of her hand. Cry? Who would she cry for? To Zhou Qiaozhen, so she could add fuel to the fire and mock her again tomorrow?

She gritted her teeth, forced herself to close her eyes, and curled up to minimize contact with the uncomfortable bed. She had to endure it. She had no choice but to endure until dawn.

The sky finally brightened.

The people in the dugouts gradually got up, rustling as they dressed and folded their blankets. Shu Ran felt like her whole body was falling apart. She propped herself up and sat up, looking down at the inside of her arms. Sure enough, there were several red marks from the edges of the straw mats.

"Comrade Shuran, did you sleep well last night?" Sister Wang asked with concern as she quickly tidied her bedding.

"It's alright." Shu Ran forced a smile, her voice terribly dry. She didn't want to show weakness, especially under Zhou Qiaozhen's seemingly casual glance.

Shu Ran didn't go to the cafeteria with them. She used an enamel mug to scoop some murky water from a bucket half-buried in the ground near the entrance and hastily wiped her face.

Shu Ran walked to her bunk and glanced at the other female companions' beds on the communal bunk.

There was a thick layer of old cotton wadding on Sister Wang's side, the edges of which were badly worn, revealing the yellowed old cotton inside. It was covered with a faded blue checkered coarse cloth sheet. Although it was simple, it looked soft and coarse.

Zhou Qiaozhen's bedding was more substantial; it consisted of a thick wool felt spread directly on a straw mat, with the edges sewn tightly together with coarse hemp thread.

Li Xiulan's bed was also covered with a thick canvas. Only Shu Ran's bed had a bare straw mat directly covering the straw and reed mat.

Undeterred, she rummaged through the camphor wood chest and pulled out several thick woolen coats and sweaters she had brought from Shanghai, laying them out one by one on the straw mat. She even laid a thick woolen scarf on top of them.

However, when she carefully lay down and tried it—

"Hiss..." A sharp pain shot through her waist and hips as the hard stalks of straw and reeds pierced through her clothes and poked her back. The wrinkles and unevenness of her clothes made her uncomfortable.

She sat up abruptly. Without a mattress for basic cushioning, it was impossible to get a proper rest on this hard, communal bed. And how could she have the energy to face her work if she didn't get enough rest? She even suspected that if she kept pushing herself like this, her body would fall apart in just a few days.

Thinking of all this, she got up and, relying on her memory of yesterday, walked towards the relatively bustling area next to the company headquarters.

There were a few mud-brick houses there, with signs for supply and marketing cooperatives and health clinics hanging on them.

The supply and marketing cooperative had a small storefront, with the words "Serve the People" scrawled crookedly in white lime on the mud-brick wall. Inside, it was dimly lit, and the goods were scarce. The shelves were sparsely stocked with soap, matches, needles and thread, and dark-colored cloth, while some farm tools were piled up in the corner.

A middle-aged female sales clerk wearing arm sleeves was looking down at an abacus.

"Comrade," Shu Ran cleared her dry throat, "Excuse me, do you sell cotton mattresses?"

The saleswoman looked up, sized Shu Ran up and down, her gaze lingering on her for a moment before she lowered her eyes knowingly, flicking the abacus beads with her finger: "Cotton? Cloth? No coupons, no receipts, forget about it! Even if the group leader approves a receipt, it's useless, no goods! The rations have already been distributed!"

Cotton coupons? Cloth coupons? Special approval slips?

Shu Ran's heart sank. As a newcomer who had just reported for duty, where would she get a ticket? The company commander had only given her a note about the dormitory yesterday, but hadn't mentioned the mattress.

Looking at the sales clerk's businesslike expression, she knew that asking any further questions would be futile.

"Then... how about buying some cotton and cloth and making it ourselves?" she suggested as a second choice.

"Same." The saleswoman didn't even look up. "Cotton and cotton cloth both require coupons. Without coupons, without receipts, you have nothing."

Shu Ran was on the verge of a breakdown. Did she really have to endure that prickly and uncomfortable straw mat every night?

She walked toward the company headquarters with her last glimmer of hope. Perhaps the company commander had another way. Or at least, to register her difficulties.

Just as she was about to reach the entrance of the company, that tall figure emerged from the mud-brick house with special symbols on it.

It is Chen Yuanjiang.

He was still wearing that dark blue uniform, with the brim of his hat pulled low, obscuring part of his eyebrows and eyes, revealing only his sharp jawline.

An idea popped into Shu Ran's mind—Comrade Zhang said yesterday that Chen Yuanjiang was an officer in the division's security department and was temporarily in charge of the new recruits' placement and registration...

She took a deep breath, suppressed her anxiety, and stepped forward, blocking Chen Yuanjiang's path.

Chen Yuanjiang paused, his gaze, with its usual scrutiny, falling on Shu Ran's slightly pale face. He waited for her to speak.

“Officer Chen,” Shu Ran forced herself to meet his gaze, “Officer Chen, I just went to the supply and marketing cooperative to inquire about purchasing mattresses. According to regulations, I need cotton coupons, cloth coupons, and a slip of paper signed by the company. I’m new here and don’t have any coupons.”

She paused, then spoke in a businesslike reporting tone: "I could barely sleep last night in the dugout. I understand the harsh conditions, but in this state," she emphasized slightly, "I'm afraid it will be difficult to guarantee the normal progress and quality of tomorrow's work. The education of the children in the company is a major issue, and it cannot be delayed because of my personal adjustment problems. Officer Chen, does the company have any temporary…support measures or lenient solutions regarding the basic living conditions of newly arrived personnel, especially those undertaking teaching duties?"

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Chen Yuanjiang's gaze fell on Shu Ran's face, sweeping over the dark circles under her eyes, assessing the weight of her words and the potential risks.

After a few seconds of silence, Chen Yuanjiang remained expressionless, but his hand had already reached into his uniform jacket pocket, pulling out an old brown paper notepad and half a pencil stub.

He stood in the middle of the road, turned to the side to shield himself from the sun and sand with his back, and lowered his head. He held the small pencil stub and quickly scribbled a few notes on the notepad.

After finishing writing, he simply tore off the piece of paper, held it between two fingers, and handed it to Shu Ran.

Shu Ran took the piece of paper.

On the paper, there were strong, vigorous characters:

Company Headquarters:

Newly arrived teacher Shu Ran reported difficulties in ensuring basic sleep, which is affecting her teaching work tomorrow.

Please handle the matter appropriately in accordance with the "Interim Measures for Temporary Hardship Subsidies for New Employees" to ensure their basic working conditions.

It is proposed to allocate 10 jin of cotton and 1 zhang of coarse cloth from the company's reserve supplies.

Below is a signature that is so bold it seems to penetrate the paper: Chen Yuanjiang.

"Thank you, Officer Chen!" Shu Ran clutched the note tightly, her voice filled with excitement and gratitude.

"Take this and go find custodian Zhang. Pick it up from the spare supplies area on the west side of the warehouse." After giving the instructions, Chen Yuanjiang stuffed the pencil stub and notepad back into his pocket, walked around Shu Ran, and quickly disappeared around the corner of the adobe house.

Without delay, Shu Ran quickly walked towards the company's warehouse.

A note from the author:

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Most readers may not have any concept of dugouts.

In layman's terms, a dugout is a semi-underground cave dwelling. Of course, this is not the same as the caves of primitive people; it was a temporary solution to the housing problem during a special period of frontier development.

The dugout wasn't a built-up house, but rather a structure dug by pioneers in the development of the frontier. They dug pits underground and then built roofs over them. Most of the interior space was underground, with only the roof visible from the surface. The entrance to a dugout was a sloping earthen mound leading down into the ground, and most dugouts had no doors. Inside was a square earthen pit with no windows; the only light came from the entrance. Air circulation was poor, and it frequently leaked and seeped water.

As for why they live like this, it's because they can use local materials in the Gobi Desert, which is both convenient and inexpensive. It's cooler in summer and provides shelter from sandstorms. In winter, it offers some protection from the cold winds. Most importantly, it allows them to quickly settle down when they urgently need shelter but lack the conditions to build a house.