Yin Xiaoman didn't know when she fell asleep, but she was woken up by the heat.

Only then did she realize that she was being held tightly in the man's arms, their skin touching. Both of them were sweaty, and their underwear was soaked with sweat.

There is an empty bed opposite, but he insists on squeezing in here to sleep. What a shame!

Yin Xiaoman couldn't help but push the man in frustration.

"stand up."

But Shen Qingyun didn't even move his eyelids, instead he held her even tighter.

"Get up! Aren't you hot?"

The man's body was burning hot, like a small stove. I didn’t feel it before when I was at home, but here, it suddenly became unbearable.

This place is so hot!

The Pioneer Camp is actually already in the tropics. In April and May, the midday sun is already scorching.

But the camp is by the sea after all, and the temperature in the morning and evening is still very pleasant.

It's nothing like here. I haven't even woken up yet, but it's so stuffy and hot that I can't even breathe smoothly.

Yin Xiaoman really couldn't lie down anymore, so she pushed the man away and sat up.

I glanced out the window and saw that it was already bright. The bright sunlight shining through the window was actually a bit dazzling.

What time is it?

She was stunned, and turned to look at Shen Qingyun in surprise, and asked, "You don't have to run exercises?"

Although they had just returned from a long journey, from her understanding of the man, she knew that he was very self-disciplined.

Unless he is not at home, as long as he is in the army, no matter how late he is busy the night before, he will never be late for training the next morning.

Hearing her ask this, Shen Qingyun sighed depressedly, and even muttered without even opening his eyes: "Don't look at the sky here, look at the watch!"

After saying that, he fumbled around on the table next to him, touched the alarm clock, took a look at it, then exclaimed "Ah", and handed it directly to Yin Xiaoman: "It's not even half past five!"

Yin Xiaoman was extremely surprised!

She looked at the alarm clock. It was ten minutes past five. She looked outside in disbelief. The sun was shining brightly.

Just when she wanted to ask something else, Shen Qingyun suddenly sat up, pulled her into his arms, pressed her little face against his chest, and blocked all the questions she hadn't had time to ask.

Then he said in a coaxing tone, "Xiao Man, be obedient and sleep with me for a while. I'm so sleepy."

Before he finished speaking, his breathing became heavy and slow, and he actually fell asleep.

Listening to the man's even breathing, Yin Xiaoman stopped all movements.

She knew that he had worked really hard along the way.

Traveling long distances may not be a big deal for Shen Qingyun, but he is on edge all the time and dares not relax for even a second.

This is the greatest torment for people.

Now that they have finally arrived, he should feel a little relieved. So, you can finally get a good night's sleep, right?

Yin Xiaoman snuggled in the man's arms and fell asleep again without knowing when.

When I woke up again, there was no one around me, but I could hear the sounds of soldiers training outside.

For a moment, she didn't know where she was, and it took her a while to come to her senses.

After getting up, Yin Xiaoman went out to fetch water for washing. He stood at the door with a basin in his hand and looked for a long time, but couldn't find the well.

She turned and went to the kitchen.

At least I saw a thermos on the kitchen table with half a bottle of hot water in it.

She poured out a little, washed herself, tidied her hair, and then left the house with a bucket on the corner of the table.

In front of the house is a playground, where a platoon of soldiers are training.

There was definitely no water there, so she turned and walked towards the back mountain.

It was so late when they got off the boat last night, and it was pitch black everywhere, so Yin Xiaoman couldn't see anything clearly.

But at this moment, she suddenly turned around and looked at the unique shape of the mountain in front of her, she was a little dazed.

In front of her stood a tall mountain.

Although she was already halfway up the mountain, she could still feel how steep it was.

She knew it was a volcano; she had seen it in pictures when she was in the Pioneer Camp.

But once the things on paper become real scenes, they are still shocking.

Looking at the cone-shaped mountain that towered into the clouds, its grandeur and magnificence made Yin Xiaoman feel suffocated for a moment.

This volcano is obviously a dormant volcano and must have been dormant for many, many years.

But the volcanic lava it once erupted has solidified into black rocks and formed ridges, stretching from the top of the mountain all the way to the surrounding seashore.

The volcanic ash has now turned into fertilizer, giving birth to countless lives and making everything lush and green.

The whole mountain is surrounded by dense green plants, lush and verdant.

Yin Xiaoman walked up along the only path in the mountains. Not long after he walked, he found a stream nearby. The stream flows very fast and the water is clear and transparent.

Yin Xiaoman filled the bucket with water, but had no intention of going home immediately. She just left the bucket by the stream and walked slowly up the mountain along the path.

This mountain has obviously not been developed much. Even the marks of the branches that were cut off on the roadside are fresh, and there are still white stubble in many places. It is obvious that they were cut off by the soldiers passing by in the past few days because they were too troublesome.

Various trees and vines grow on both sides of the mountain road. The most common are palm trees, and there are also very thick banyan trees.

These are also available in the vanguard camp, and Yin Xiaoman has seen them before.

But I have never seen one with such lush branches and leaves.

Because the mountain is mainly made of rocks and there is very little land, the roots of the banyan trees are exposed on the ground, intertwining and forming all kinds of strange shapes.

Some trees are covered with vines and even full of white and purple flowers. They look very beautiful from a distance.

But apart from that, there are many fruit trees on this mountain.

The most common fruit trees on both sides of the path are those laden with golden fruits.

The fruit trees exuded a faint fragrance, the smell was very light, but there were so many trees that when gathered together, the air around them became fragrant and smelled very good.

The trees were not very tall, and one could reach them with one's hand without having to stand on tiptoe. The fruits on the trees were about the size of a child's fist. It is oval in shape, with a pointed protrusion on one side, and looks particularly good against the backdrop of green leaves.

Yin Xiaoman picked one up at random.

Naturally, she would not easily eat something she had never seen before, so she just held it to the tip of her nose and sniffed it gently.

Suddenly, a unique fragrance of citrus fruits fills your nose, making you feel relaxed and happy.

Yin Xiaoman picked two and put them in his pocket.

There are many birds in the woods, chirping non-stop. There was an emerald green parrot with a long tail flying right above her head.

The parrot's color was gorgeous, and its feathers had a faint golden glow. Even the budgies that foreigners had presented to the imperial concubine as tribute when she was in the palace before could not compare to this.

Although the weather was still hot and humid, the mountains and forests were still wet and humid.

But Yin Xiaoman was overwhelmed by so many new and novel things and didn't feel bored at all.

She walked forward for a few more minutes, and then saw a large banana grove not far to the right of the path.

The banana trees in the grove were obviously wild, growing in all directions and closely packed together.

But every tree is full of bunches of huge green and yellow bananas!

Yin Xiaoman rubbed his eyes.

For a moment, I was stunned by this huge surprise that fell from the sky. I couldn’t believe it was real!

She had seen bananas before. They were occasionally sold in county grocery stores.

1.5 cents per pound, and there are only a few of them in a pound.

In the past, when she occasionally went to the county, she would spend money to buy them for the children.

The bananas could only be sold in county grocery stores and without tickets, so you can imagine the quality of them.

Some were left too long and had black spots on them, while others were obviously picked before they were ripe, and they were all shriveled and still green and yellow, and it was impossible to cover them.

It tastes dry and astringent in the mouth, without any taste.

But for people who have been lacking fruits for a long time, such bananas are a rare delicacy and the chance to get them is extremely rare.

Yin Xiaoman ran to the banana grove in two steps and counted them excitedly. There were more than twenty trees in the grove!

There are at least a dozen bunches of bananas hanging on each tree, and they are all big bunches, with more than ten or twenty fruits on each bunch!

"Oh my god, what kind of magical place is this?!"

Yin Xiaoman's face turned red with excitement, and she almost turned around in circles.

If she had felt a little discouraged when she woke up in the morning and couldn't find water anywhere, now all those negative emotions had disappeared without a trace.

For a cook, what could be more delightful than finding yourself surrounded by delicious food?

All other difficulties and troubles become unimportant in the face of this!

Yin Xiaoman really wanted to keep walking forward to see if there were any new good things waiting for her to discover.

But reason told her that she had to go back.

She took off her coat, packed two large bunches of yellowed bananas, picked up a few yellow fruits, and returned to the stream.

Looking at what she was carrying in her hands, she had to pour back half of the stream water, and then she returned home with difficulty carrying the water and fruit.

But before she reached the door of her house, the bucket was snatched away from behind her.

"Sister-in-law, I'll carry it."

After the man finished speaking, he seemed to feel that the weight of the bucket was not right. He weighed it and suddenly laughed.

"Sister-in-law, wait a minute, I'll fill it up for you!"

After saying that, without waiting for Yin Xiaoman to reply, he actually picked up the bucket half filled with water and trotted back in the direction she came from.

"Hey!" Yin Xiaoman tried to stop him, but how could he stop him?

She looked at the young figure gradually disappearing, and the empty water tank in the kitchen flashed through her mind... She pushed open the gate speechlessly.

Isn’t a half-bucket of water still water? At least pour it into the tank!

But for a young man in his early twenties, that half bucket of water is not really enough.

Just a few minutes later, the man came back carrying a full bucket of water.

That’s not all. After entering the house, he poured the water into the water tank, and without even saying hello, he directly found another bucket and shoulder pole from the kitchen. In a short while, he filled the water tank at home.

Seeing Yin Xiaoman's face full of gratitude but not knowing what to say, the young man smiled naively and then remembered to introduce himself.

He said, "Sister-in-law, my name is Ren Ping'an, and I'm the squad leader of the kitchen squad of our security battalion. You can just call me Xiao Ren. I came here today to teach you how to light a fire."

"Light the fire?" Yin Xiaoman was a little surprised.

"Well, it's about how to use the stove."

Having said that, Ren Ping'an walked straight to the stove at the innermost part of the kitchen.

Pointing his finger at Yin Xiaoman, he explained, “In the morning, the battalion commander went to the canteen to inspect the work. After discovering that we all use coal stoves on the island, he said that they are different from the ones you used at home.

Because you are responsible for the experts' diet, you must learn how to make fire in advance.

So the battalion commander asked me to come and teach you, and he also said that you must master it completely before the experts arrive on the island next week. ”

After hearing what Xiao Ren said, Yin Xiaoman, who was observing the new stove, also became serious.

Now she is a formal military employee and her work relationship is also assigned to the security battalion.

So Shen Qingyun is her man after get off work, but at work, he is her direct supervisor.

She had to obey his orders.

The stoves used in the Pioneer Camp are the same as those in Shuanggui Village, both of which burn firewood.

This was similar to what Yin Xiaoman used in her previous life, so she didn't need to learn and mastered it quickly.

The stoves on Zhongshan Island were newly built, so they were all converted to coal stoves that are commonly used in the city.

This coal stove no longer burns firewood, but coal cakes. After Xiao Ren's introduction, Yin Xiaoman learned that coal cakes are made by mixing loose coal with yellow mud and water, rolling them into balls and then drying them in the sun.

In Xiao Ren's words, coal cakes are much easier to use than firewood. They are durable and burn more vigorously. Moreover, once you become proficient in using them, you can seal the stove at night and don't need to light the fire again the next morning.

Yin Xiaoman immediately became interested.

But when I really started to learn it, I found that this also requires skills.

Coal cakes are not as easy to light as firewood. In addition to using dry branches to start the fire, you also need a long, round fire drawer, otherwise you won’t be able to light it even after burning for a long time.

But on Zhongshan Island, there are branches everywhere, but very few trunks. Also, because of the humid climate, the coal cakes will become damp if you are not careful.

Such were the ones stored next to her kitchen stove.

So much so that - at the beginning, not only Yin Xiaoman, but Xiao Ren also almost failed to light the fire after struggling for a long time.

Instead, the smoke filled the ground, making people cry and snot. Even the two children who were still sleeping in the house were smoked out and coughed loudly, but the fire still did not light.

"Sister-in-law, let's go to the cafeteria to eat first. I'll put these coal cakes in the sun to dry, and we'll come back to study at noon."

Ren Ping'an wiped his face with his hands covered in coal smoke, and immediately turned his face into a calico cat.

His embarrassed look immediately caused the two little ones standing next to him to burst into laughter at him.

The stove at home couldn't be lit, and it was time for dinner in the cafeteria. Since Ren Ping'an said so, Yin Xiaoman naturally would not refuse.

Anyway, food expenses and the like will eventually be deducted from the man’s salary.

When he was in the Pioneer Camp, Yin Xiaoman went to the cafeteria and went home almost the same way; it was very familiar.

She had heard Wang Jun boast countless times that the food standards in their vanguard battalion were among the best in the entire army and the meal prices were very high.

But after arriving at the cafeteria of the guard camp, she discovered that the food standards varied so much between the camps!

Although they are also coarse grains, the breakfast in the guard camp basically consists of refined coarse grains. ①

At this time, coarse grains are actually divided into two types. One is sorghum flour, sorghum rice, dried sweet potatoes, sweet potato flour, and wheat bran. These are the most common and coarsest types, and are called ordinary coarse grains.

There is also a kind of relatively fine grain like fine corn grits and millet, which is called refined coarse grain.

At this time, the steamed buns served in the canteen of the guard camp were all cornmeal buns, and the porridge was actually two-grain porridge cooked together with rice and millet.

In addition, the side dishes for breakfast are tofu mixed with green onions and cold shredded potatoes.

Each of these items were available in the previous pioneer camps as part of the improved food supply.

Seeing Yin Xiaoman's surprise, Ren Ping'an's eyes showed full of pride, and he explained loudly: "We are the front-line troops, the forefront."

After saying this, Yin Xiaoman fell silent.

After being in the army for a long time, I naturally understand many things.

To put it simply, the frontline troops are the ones stationed on the outermost wall of the motherland's border. They are the sharpest troops, enjoying the best treatment, and everyone who is selected is an elite.

But they are also the ones who face the most danger.

If something happens, they are the first to be affected.

When Yin Xiaoman and the others arrived, Shen Qingyun and his subordinates had actually finished eating long ago.

After she and her two children finished their meal and left the cafeteria, they saw the man and a group of young soldiers pushing a wheelbarrow and holding machetes, shovels and other tools, marching up the mountain in a line.

Yin Xiaoman was a little dazed.

Perhaps he saw her confusion, Ren Pingan explained: "Before this island, no one lived except the guards, and there were basically no supporting facilities.

When the experts come, they are said to bring a lot of professional equipment and have very high requirements for the workplace and laboratory. So we have to make these preparations in advance before the experts arrive. ”

"So, are they going to build the road?" Yin Xiaoman asked.

"Yes!" Ren Ping'an nodded with a smile.

After saying that, he glanced in the direction of the kitchen, only to see that several people from the cooking team had already cleaned up everything inside and were walking out with tools.

He then said to Yin Xiaoman: "Sister-in-law, I will help you light the fire at noon. Now we have to go to work first. If you have anything to do, we can talk about it when we come back at noon."

Yin Xiaoman nodded quickly and pulled the two children to the side.

Looking at several young soldiers carrying shovels and walking towards the mountain in a neat line, Yin Xiaoman was a little unable to tell what he felt in his heart for a moment.

Suddenly, I wanted to contribute a little bit of my strength to everyone.