Ying Mingcheng left the next day, and Mu Huaixi spent the whole day shopping with Xiao Gaocai. It was only when she was having dinner alone that she felt a sense of emptiness.

She bit the spoon and felt even more incredible in her heart that she had only eaten with Ying Mingcheng a few times, so how could she get used to his presence?

However, Mu Huaixi soon put the man behind her. When the doctor at the Famous Doctors Hall in Dongmen Market heard that the soldiers came to purchase medicinal materials, he enthusiastically recommended a herbal medicine fair to them. The fair was full of vendors from the counties and cities below who came to sell herbal medicines. There were many categories and complete varieties. She was like a dying fish encountering the sea and dived into it.

The medicinal herbs in the herbal medicine market were of varying quality, but fortunately most of what she needed were common herbs, and she purchased them all within two days.

However, they had to wait for another three days before they set off back to the mountains. A green-shed military truck came to pick them up. She helped Xiao Gao put the purchased items into the truck bed, covered it with a rainproof cloth, and then sat in the passenger seat holding the box left by her grandfather.

Just as she was sitting down, she saw a group of soldiers carrying packages walking to the back of the car. Xiao Gao chatted with one of them for a few words. Seeing her leaning against the car window looking out, he ran over to explain, "The Third Battalion has just finished their mission. Let's go back together."

Mu Huaixi nodded, and immediately felt that her herbs were extremely safe. She had indeed not encountered any problems along the way, but she still suffered a lot.

It was simply that the road into the mountains was longer and more difficult than she had imagined.

Mu Huaixi felt that he had spent two days and one night with his eyes open, but before him were still endless mountains and endless caves.

"Almost there," Xiao Gao's weak voice came from behind, "We have just passed through the sixteenth tunnel. Another, another thirteen and we will be home..."

Mu Huaixi felt a darkness before her eyes. Ying Mingcheng and Xiao Gao had told her that the conditions in the mountains were harsh and it was inconvenient to enter and exit. She might not have the chance to come out for a long time after entering the mountains. She could understand that the soldiers were rooted in the mountains to defend their country, but she did not expect that the mountains were so deep and the road into the mountains was so long.

The military truck was taller than any car she had ever ridden. At first, Mu Huaixi still had the leisure to look at the villages passing by, the winter wheat on the roadside, and then quietly compare these places with Zhangjiagou. However, the road became narrower and narrower, and the villages on both sides of the road had long disappeared, replaced by silent mountains.

The mountains were undoubtedly beautiful, whether green or rocky, they resembled a painting. In the mornings, they were veiled in a thin veil of mist, their crimson leaves swaggering in the afternoon sun, and at night, they were silent and reliable. But even the most beautiful scenery grew tiresome after a while, just as she had felt a mixture of fear and excitement the first time she watched a military truck enter a mountain tunnel. Now, she felt only darkness and dampness in the cave, and she didn't want to stay inside even a second longer.

"Comrade Mu, come down for dinner."

The military vehicle rests twice a day, and the afternoon meal will be arranged before dark. Mu Huaixi would go to help before, but the military truck just drove through the winding mountain road, and she felt a little dizzy, so she rested in the car for a while.

The place where we set up camp and cook is a protruding platform on the mountainside. Standing next to the stove and looking down, the winding mountain road looks like a dragon crawling on the mountain.

"It's really spectacular," Mu Huaixi couldn't help but sigh, and he admired the infrastructure workers who built these mountain roads. They can turn rugged mountains into smooth roads, allowing more people in the mountains to go out, and also allow goods from outside to be transported in, so that everyone can live a good life.

"This bend," Xiao Gao handed her a wooden bowl and drew a circle on the winding mountain road below. "It's called the Twenty-Four Bends. My father built it."

"Really?" Mu Huaixi looked at him and exclaimed sincerely, "Then you must feel very proud every time you pass by here."

Xiao Gao smiled and nodded, taking a big bite of his steamed bun. "But when my father built this road, I hadn't joined the army yet. When I came here and saw his name on the road sign, he had already followed the construction team into other mountains."

"Oh, I'm a little homesick."

Mu Huaixi didn't know how to comfort Xiao Gao, but someone came over and kicked Xiao Gao's butt, "Be content, when you retire like me, you will know how good our army is. From now on, I can only stay at home and miss this mountain."

The person who came was Zhu Ji, the deputy company commander of the third company of the third battalion. He nodded at Mu Huaixi and put a baked egg in her bowl. "Comrade Mu, you have worked hard on the journey. We will be there soon!"

Today's dinner is toasted steamed buns with pickled mustard and smoked pork. It is simple and filling. The steamed bun in Xiao Gao's hand is as big as her two fists, while the bun in her bowl is not that big. There is more smoked pork than pickled mustard, and the roasted eggs are so fragrant that it makes people's appetite grow at the sight.

Eggs are difficult to preserve, so what Deputy Company Commander Zhu gave her was an extra "snack". At first, Mu Huaixi felt embarrassed and kept refusing. Later, when Xiao Gao said that everyone would take better care of the family members accompanying the army, she slowly accepted it.

"Thank you," Mu Huaixi smiled at Deputy Company Commander Zhu, sat on a stone nearby, peeled eggs, and listened to their conversation.

"Deputy Lieutenant Zhu, have you really decided to retire?" Xiao Gao was so reluctant that the steamed bun in his mouth no longer tasted delicious.

"What else?" Deputy Company Commander Zhu glared at him and rubbed his shoulders. "I'm old. If it weren't for the mission, I would have left in December. It's time to make room for you young people!"

Deputy Company Commander Zhu shook his head and walked away. Xiao Gao sighed helplessly and turned to Mu Huaixi and said, "Don't listen to what Deputy Company Commander Zhu said. In the previous camp's big competition, he could beat six people by himself!"

"You're so strong, why are you retiring?" Mu Huaixi saw that Deputy Company Commander Zhu was only in his thirties, in the prime of his life. Why would he think of leaving? She had always adhered to the principle of saying less, asking less, observing more, and thinking more. She rarely spoke to these soldiers, for fear of asking questions she shouldn't. Now, chatting with Xiao Gao, she inexplicably felt like she was just squatting on the ground gossiping.

Xiao Gao looked around and then moved his feet towards her. "I heard that Zhu's sister-in-law didn't want to."

"Huh?" Mu Huaixi didn't expect that there was really gossip here, so she moved closer to Xiao Gao.

"Generally speaking, only those at the company level and above can accompany the army. Deputy Company Commander Zhu was originally expected to be promoted at the beginning of this year, but a small problem occurred," Xiao Gao pinched his fingers to indicate to her that the problem was not serious.

Mu Huaixi had become a qualified listener after listening to him talk about the family compound. She immediately pinched her fingers and nodded to Xiao Gao, signaling him to continue.

"Then, Deputy Lieutenant Zhu felt sorry for his sister-in-law, so he submitted a report requesting that she join the army early."

"Do you think this report was not approved?"

Mu Huaixi continued to nod.

"It's approved, and the family's accommodations have also been specially approved, but!" Xiao Gao slapped his thigh, "Sister-in-law Zhu isn't coming! Deputy Lieutenant Zhu might feel embarrassed and want to retire and change careers."

"So, family harmony is still very important," Xiao Gao said earnestly, and the ups and downs fell on the two of them again. "Comrade Mu, you must live a good life with Deputy Battalion Commander Ying!"