The group walked like this for another day, and Ningxia gradually adapted to the situation and was even able to go out hunting with them at night.
Ningxia looked at the pheasant with beautiful feathers in Lao Liao's hand with curiosity, and even thought about plucking it and giving it to Sangsang to make a small toy.
Ningxia hadn't lacked fresh meat for the past two days following them. Receiving Ningxia's praise, Lao Liao couldn't help but brag, "That's nothing. You've just seen too little. Most of our battalion's field operations now involve hunting. Not to mention pheasants, we've even killed quite a few buffalo and wild boar!"
Li Gang couldn't help but criticize him, "Did you get that by shooting it? I wonder if that jerk was so bored that he dug such a big trap that led to you encountering that injured cow."
Ningxia smiled and said, "It's a skill to be able to pick it up, sorry Brother Liao."
"That's right. The buffalo is pregnant and is still being kept in the military camp. It has already given birth twice!"
"Brother Liao, is it easy to catch a wild boar?" Ningxia has been craving for fresh pork for too long. It would be great if he could catch one.
Old Liao shook his head. "Those animals are very ferocious, especially the females. It takes several people to hold one down. Maybe it's after the disaster, or maybe they've had better food, but they're even more ferocious than before. I'd rather go hunt wolves."
Ningxia could only nod in disappointment.
Li Gang hurriedly tried to comfort him, "We've spotted wild boars on several hilltops near where you live. If we see one while we're patrolling the mountains this time, we'll beat it off for you."
Ningxia shook her head repeatedly, "No, squad leader, it's too dangerous. There's meat all over the mountain, and we don't have to eat pork."
Li Gang smiled. "You may not see one yet. When it's hot, they usually don't want to come out. You'll mostly see them after dark or in the morning. It's really hard to see them in broad daylight. But they're easier to catch in winter. We'll come back after the scorching sun month and into winter. We'll definitely catch one then."
Lao Liao took over the conversation, "We will also kill and unload the pig for you, just make us a good pig-killing meal!"
Ningxia naturally agreed with a smile.
Li Gang held Sangsang in his arms, his breathing a little unsteady. "We're almost in Ningxia. Hang in there. Once we get over this hill, it's all downhill. Our base is at the foot of the hill."
Ningxia half-pulled Lin Yi's hand, panting and nodding, conserving her energy to avoid a response. This stretch of road was indeed a bit difficult, but she could still hold on.
When everyone rested at the top of the mountain, Lin Yi was completely exhausted, lying on the ground like a dead dog. A few soldiers just took a short rest and then got up to pack up their luggage.
Sangsang considerately sat beside Ningxia's calf, gently squeezing it. Lao Liao was so angry that he said, "This little brat, we take turns holding her, but she never comes to give us a squeeze. She's always thinking about her Xia Xia."
Li Gang gave him a light kick, stopping Lao Liao from wanting to snatch Sangsang and poke his face with his beard.
Li Gang rolled his eyes at him. He had made his daughter cry so many times along the way, and he was still making her cry. Didn't you see that the guy's eyes were sniping at you? It was just that he had a good temper. If his daughter was made to cry by such a guy, he would beat him to death with a belt.
The soldiers were considerate enough not to call Ningxia out, and waited until she had rested enough before preparing to set off. Li Gang found two ropes, one to tie Ningxia to a young soldier, and the other to tie Lin Yi to him.
"Uncle Li, what does this mean?" Lin Yi shook the rope on his body in confusion.
Old Liao said with a smile, "The road down here is too steep. If you slip, you'll get hurt. It won't be pleasant."
Lin Yi nodded, knowing that it was for his own good, and stopped worrying about it.
Everyone's luggage was shared among several soldiers and carried on their backs. It seemed that everyone had shed a lot of sweat for Ningxia along the way.
Even the sixteen-year-old Xiaojie had to carry a lot of weight. Ningxia racked her brains these days to think about what delicious food to make to reward these people during their stay. This was all she could do.
The group stumbled along, or rather, only Ningxia and Lin Yi stumbled along, before finally reaching the base before sunset. Ningxia was embarrassed. She had looked at the map and saw that in previous years, these people had always arrived at the base by the evening of the next day, but this time, even with them, they didn't arrive until the afternoon of the third day.
Ningxia looked at the wooden house before her and knew they had built it themselves. It was so crude. Inside, there was a waist-high rectangular bed made of mud. Next to the bed was a large empty space with nothing in it. This was their house, without even a window.
Li Gang said cheerfully, "Sorry to have embarrassed you, Ningxia. We are just a bunch of rough guys who come here a few times a year and only stay for five or six days, so how can we clean it well?"
Ningxia shook her head and said with a smile, "At least it's clean. I don't have to worry about bugs crawling on my legs at night."
This is true. When they pushed the door open, they could smell a faint smell of mugwort. Although the ground was muddy, it was clean and not dirty at all. The earthen bed was also flat and clean, without even much dust on it. It was obvious that these men cleaned the place thoroughly when they left.
"Ningxia sister, you take a break first. I'll have two people take you to where you live. It's a few kilometers from here, not too far. We'll definitely get there before dark tonight."
"I did make it, but the person who sent me there will be back in the dark, right?" Ningxia smiled and winked, then continued, "If the squad leader doesn't mind us making a fuss, let us stay here for one night. Cook us a good meal today and send us back tomorrow morning."
Li Gang smiled. He was more than happy to have a good meal before going to sleep.
Finally arriving at this place, Ningxia felt strangely calm. She walked outside the house to take a closer look. They deliberately chose a relatively high and flat ground to build this house, so she could barely see the general situation of the foothills of the surrounding mountains.
The mountain behind the house is the hill they climbed over, and there are two more hills on both sides. Opposite is an extremely majestic and tall mountain. Several mountains are surrounded in an irregular circle, forming a relatively flat basin. Looking around, it is all green, and the scenery is unobstructed. The wind blowing from the mountains is full of the fragrance of nature.
Noticing Ningxia's admiring gaze, Xiaojie smiled and stood side by side with her, "It's beautiful, isn't it? This place is really nice. I originally came from there."
Xiao Jie pointed to a small hill to the side and said, "I was picked up by the squad leader. It was their first time patrolling the mountain. They planned to fence off this area to make it easier for scattered residents to live there, so they patrolled more carefully. That's where I was picked up. If I had been picked up a day later, I would have starved to death."
Ningxia looked back at him and smiled, "A child like you won't die easily. God said he won't accept underage children."
Xiao Jie also laughed heartily, "I'm still not enlisted in the military. I have to be an adult to be enlisted. If I had known, I would have reported my age as two years older."
Ningxia patted his head and said, "Stop being so rude. The squad leader and the others are cleaning inside, and it must be very dusty. Go pick up some stones and build me a simple stove. I'll cook outside."
Xiaojie smiled and agreed to do the work.
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