"Okay, I'll go inside and get you the mushroom and meat sauce."

"Let's go, it's been so long since I've had this, I'm really craving it."

"Then eat more."

"OK"

Taking advantage of this time, I quickly followed suit and took out steamed buns, cured meat, and other mountain products from my space.

I ate some noodles with my older brother, and not long after we finished, I heard Chen Junjie's voice: "Mianmian, I've brought the meat back for you."

"Oh, I'm coming right now," he said, putting on his overcoat and heading out.

Thanks.

"You're welcome. By the way, the captain said we can kill and cook the vegetables in half an hour, so don't forget."

"I'll never forget it, I'll bring it back when I get back."

"Aren't you eating there?"

"Since my older brother is here, we won't stay for a meal."

"That's true. By the way, Pengzi just whispered that we can trade for pork. Do you want to trade some?"

"Exchange? Why not exchange? This is the only time of year the brigade slaughters pigs. Besides, it doesn't cost us meat coupons, so why not exchange more?"

"Alright, tell Pengzi that the three of us will split the profits equally, just like last time."

"Alright, have Chen Enpeng find out how many households need to be replaced. Let's replace as many as possible, then we can make cured meat and eat it more often throughout the year."

Okay, don't worry.

"I'll head back now."

"Go back and have a good talk with your brother."

"Okay, I understand."

"It's here," the older brother asked.

"Well, isn't this how it is?"

"This must weigh about two pounds."

"That's right, the brigade leader is very fair; everyone, regardless of age or gender, gets two jin of meat."

"It is indeed quite fair."

"But it's also because my life has been relatively better these past two years."

"What did I hear you two whispering about at the door just now?"

"To be honest, brother, every household in the village raised several pigs this year. Besides delivering one to meet the quota and keeping one for their own consumption, they sold the rest to the purchasing station. As for those kept for their own consumption, there's more to it than that."

"So you were just discussing buying meat?"

"It's not necessarily a purchase; we can also exchange it."

How exactly will you change it?

He then recounted the meat he had traded with Uncle Gu last time.

"That's possible, but be careful; things aren't stable in the city right now."

"Yes, brother. Time is running out. I'll go get the pork stew."

"Let me go with you."

"No need, my sister can manage on her own."

“It’s alright. Take this opportunity to get to know the people in the brigade better. Didn’t you say in your letter that you wanted to see if you could get the brigade commander’s son into the army?”

"Big brother?"

Whether someone is suitable or not depends not only on their parents and elders, but also on the individual.

"All right"

When the two arrived at the brigade headquarters again, they saw everyone holding basins, buckets, and bowls, lining up. They assumed they were all eating there. Upon seeing Chen Junjie, they asked, "Didn't you say we'd eat 'pig-killing feast' together at the brigade headquarters?"

"I thought so at first too, but then I heard from other people that it's too cold outside. Forget about eating, even if you take something out of the pot, it freezes before you can even eat it, let alone chew it. You could even break your teeth. It's better to go home and eat something hot, warm on the kang (heated brick bed)."

You're right.

No matter what we received, we, the educated youth from outside the area, were always at the very end of the line.

After looking around, he noticed that Gu Yunpeng was helping Da Cai maintain order, so he nudged his older brother and gestured for him to look in that direction.

After receiving a signal from his sister, Shen Dong immediately recognized Gu Yunpeng in the crowd. The reason was simple: he looked too much like his father. If not exactly identical, they were at least seven or eight parts alike.

Putting aside his years in the army, Shen Dong's observational skills, honed from childhood martial arts training, are far superior to the average person. Coupled with his upbringing in the military, he can grasp a person's general character from subtle details. However, he didn't stare at Gu Yunpeng for long; he glanced at him and then turned to look at others.

Not only was he looking at others, but the other members of the production team were also looking at him. They were shocked to see what they were seeing. One of them ran up to Shen Dong, saluted, and said, "Reporting, Deputy Battalion Commander Shen, what brings you to our brigade?"

"You are... Deputy Company Commander Gu?"

"Yes, Deputy Battalion Commander Shen?"

What are you doing here?

"My family lives in this brigade."

"So that's how it is."

"You're the soldier everyone's been talking about this morning who came to this area to join the army, right?"

"If only one soldier comes today, then it should be fine."

"That means it's you."

"Didn't I hear you were going back to your hometown to get married?"

"Yes, we just got married a few days ago. I'm just accompanying my wife to her parents' house today. Otherwise, I would have seen you this morning."

"Not bad, not bad, you're getting married now?"

"Deputy Battalion Commander Shen, why don't you come to my house for a while? It's freezing cold."

"No need, I'll stay with my sister for a while."

"So you're Li Zhiqing's brother!"

"How come you know my sister?"

"To be honest, I don't know him. I only heard about him from my family when I went home these past few days."

"Really? What have you said? Why don't you tell me?"

"This isn't a good idea."

"There's nothing wrong with it, it's just that I was worried about her being alone in the countryside, so I took advantage of the holiday to come and see her, and wanted to know more about what's going on in the village."

"To be honest, Deputy Battalion Commander Shen, I don't know the specifics either. How about I take you to see your father?"

"This isn't a good idea."

"It's alright, he's right there. He's in line up ahead of us. He's doing fine right now, chatting with other people."

"That's troublesome."

"No trouble at all"

"Mianmian, you line up here. I'll go over and greet Deputy Company Commander Gu's elders loudly."

"Brother, you're busy. You don't need to keep me company here."

"My brother will be back soon."

I never imagined that my eldest brother would be in the same unit as the seventh brother of my great-grandfather's family. However, judging from the way they address each other, they're not in the same battalion or regiment as my eldest brother.

"Dad, let me introduce you."

"You don't need to introduce me, isn't this Li Zhiqing's older brother?"

"You only know him as Li Zhiqing's older brother, but did you know that this is Deputy Battalion Commander Shen of the Second Battalion, Third Regiment of our army?"

"Ah, you're from the same unit."

"Yes, what else?"

"Get out of my way, you brat!"

"Hmph, you old fool."

"Try swearing again."

"So what if I scold you...?"

"Xiao Qi, are you asking for trouble?"

"Big brother! It's..."

"Alright, Xiao Qi, just shut up. Deputy Battalion Commander Shen is watching," Gu Laoqi's second son quickly pulled him aside to stop him from speaking.

"Listen to your second brother."

Hello, sir.

"Hello, Comrade Shen. May I ask what brings you here?"

"It's like this..." Shen Dong then recounted his conversation with Gu Zhengyu. Gu Laoqi then said, "Oh, that's it. We all know. Just ask anything you want to know." He then found a secluded spot.