Chapter 78
"I want to eat more." Yang Qiujin said, licking her red lips.
"You've already eaten a lot. I'm afraid you won't be able to digest it." Chen Shengqing hesitated.
Yang Qiujin glared at him and said, "I am eating for two people now, not just for myself, how can I not digest it?"
Chen Shengqing thought about it and agreed. He stood up and walked into the kitchen on the right and whispered something in the old man's ear.
Not long after, the old man came over again with a large wooden plate, which contained two meat dishes, one was a bowl of spicy cold chicken chopped into small pieces, and the other was a half-foot long steamed fish.
Yang Qiujin's eyes lit up, and she started with the spicy chicken. She picked up a piece of chicken leg and ate it. It tasted spicy and numbing, and the chicken was chewy with a slightly sweet aftertaste. It tasted particularly tasty and fragrant.
She ate two pieces in a row and turned her chopsticks to the steamed fish. She didn't know what kind of fish it was. She picked up a piece of tender white fish meat and put it into her mouth. It melted in her mouth. There were no fish bones and no fishy smell. The fish was topped with a lot of coriander and shredded green onions, and then sprinkled with hot oil and soy sauce.
“Mmm, it’s delicious.”
"Shengqing, you eat too." Seeing that Chen Shengqing didn't move his chopsticks, Yang Qiujin picked up a piece of chicken and put it in his bowl.
Chen Shengqing ate it and said very pertinently: "It tastes really good."
"I think it's a good idea too. When you have time in the future, bring mom and Tianyou, and we can have a good meal here as a family."
Chen Shengqing smiled and said, "Okay, we'll bring them along next time."
After a pause, he asked, "Qiu Jin, are you happy now? Are you still angry with me?"
"Don't be angry. I know that as a soldier, you have no control over many things. If our motherland is peaceful, you would not leave me to carry out the mission when I am pregnant. In fact, you must feel more uncomfortable than me when you leave me." Yang Qiujin looked melancholy. "I still say the same thing. When you go out on a mission, you must remember that there are people waiting for you at home. No matter what happens, you must do your best to come back alive."
"I will."
After settling the bill, Chen Shengqing held Yang Qiujin's fingers tightly, led her out of the earthen house, pulled her into the jeep, and drove towards another road.
After driving for about an hour, the car stopped. Yang Qiujin got out and saw that Chen Shengqing had actually driven the car into the heart of the desert.
Unlike the pitch-black night in other places, the yellow sand here glows with a faint white light in the night. In the sand pit not far away, there are more than a dozen tents with rows of lights on.
"Where is this place? It's so late, and there are still people in the desert?" Yang Qiujin was surprised.
"This is where smugglers gather from the border area." Chen Shengqing took off his military jacket, put on a black cotton coat from the back seat, and pulled Yang Qiujin to where the tents were. "There are a lot of smuggled fabrics for sale here."
Chen Shengqing brought her to the tent area quickly. There were several trucks, ox carts, donkey carts and other vehicles parked outside the tent. Yang Qiujin walked to the entrance and saw two tall men with masks and guns standing in front of the tent.
She tilted her head to look at Chen Shengqing and asked in a low voice, "Why are there still people guarding the entrance with guns? Who are these two people?"
"These two are bandits from the border area. As long as we trade honestly and don't steal or rob, they won't attack us." Chen Shengqing also whispered in her ear.
Yang Qiujin was puzzled. "I remember that in the 1950s, our People's Liberation Army responded to the country's policy and came to the border areas to open up wasteland. The first thing we did was to eliminate banditry in the border areas. How many people died at that time? How come there are still bandits now?"
"Since ancient times, our country has been plagued by internal and external troubles. Bandits like these are impossible to kill or catch. Where there are people, there are gangs. Although our border defense department has been severely cracking down on smuggling crimes, the border area is too large. These bandits are roaming around and committing crimes, and it is difficult for us to find their traces. Bandits are a mixed bag, and there are all kinds of people. Sometimes in order to extract useful information from them, our border defense department has to turn a blind eye. This black market in the heart of the desert is one of the places that our border defense department tacitly allows to exist."
As Chen Shengqing was speaking, he had already arrived in front of the two masked bandits. He spoke something in the minority language to them. The two men's pupils instantly dilated and they politely made way for the entrance and invited them in.
After Yang Qiujin went in, she looked back and saw one of the bandits walking towards a large tent on the left. She asked curiously, "Shengqing, what did you say to them? What did that bandit do in that tent?"
"Nothing much. He said some dirty words to reveal my identity. He went to inform his boss." Chen Shengqing pointed to the rows of stalls in front and said, "Qiu Jin, take a look. They are all high-quality fabrics smuggled from the Soviet Union. Buy as much as you want."
The black market, which is less than 200 meters long, has at least 50 stalls, each of which is filled with piles of goods, including cloth, grains, oil, rice, noodles, candies and snacks, various Soviet milk powders, cheese, chocolate, dairy products that are difficult to buy in the mainland, as well as large items such as watches, flashlights, radios, bicycles, sewing machines, etc.
The stall owners were all masked bandits, with swords on their waists and guns on their backs. Customers came in groups of three or four, and they all wanted a lot of things.
For example, a middle-aged woman from an ethnic minority who was about ten meters away from Yang Qiujin, also had a knife on her waist and a hunting rifle and a gun on her back. She asked for hundreds of kilograms of fine flour, more than twenty cans of canned fruit, and more than ten kilograms of candy. She paid without saying a word. After receiving the money, the bandits gave her a big cloth bag to put the things in.
Behind her, two sturdy young men, probably her sons, carried bulging cloth bags and left in a hurry, disappearing into the night.
Yang Qiujin was surprised and whispered, "Don't people bargain for goods here? Why are all of them carrying weapons?"
Chen Shengqing said: "The black market here gathers once every half a month and is open only for five hours at midnight. Smuggled goods are sold in the open air and no bargaining is allowed. Buyers who can find this place are not good people. Both buyers and sellers are worried. They carry weapons just in case and for self-protection."
"Then let's..." Yang Qiujin looked Chen Shengqing up and down, and what she wanted to say was very obvious.
"Don't worry, they don't dare to touch me. If they really want to fight, they are no match for me." Chen Shengqing patted his slightly bulging waist, where there were handles and guns. He had already made preparations before coming.
In the dark heart of the desert, lanterns from the market hung in front of the tents and swayed.
Chen Shengqing is tall with broad shoulders and long legs. He looks at everything around him with sharp eyes, and his handsome face is full of hostility.
Under the light, he stood out so much, with a strong murderous aura. It was obvious at a glance that he was a military man who had fought in battles and seen blood, and was not someone to be trifled with.
His appearance calmed Yang Qiujin's uneasy heart. She looked around in a very good mood and finally stopped in front of a stall selling cloth.
The stalls were filled with piles of cotton, khaki, shirting, wool, cashmere, polyester and other fabrics, all of which were Soviet goods, laid out one by one, with a pile of scattered ready-made garments next to them.
When Yang Qiujin asked about the price, she learned that a piece of cloth cost fifty yuan and a piece of garment cost twenty yuan. Although no tickets were required and only money was needed to buy them, she still thought they were very expensive.
Then I thought, a piece of cloth in the supply and marketing cooperative is about 33 meters long and costs 40 yuan. With a few cloth coupons, I can't buy it even if I have money. I gritted my teeth and said, "I want two pieces of cotton cloth, one piece of cashmere, one piece of shirting cloth, one piece of khaki cloth, and one piece of woolen cloth. I think the big coat on the ground is also good. Buy four pieces and take one for each of us. As for the colors, let's choose navy blue, blue and white."
After saying that, she remembered one thing. She went out in a hurry and didn't bring much money with her. It was Chen Shengqing who paid for the meal. The money was the pocket money she had given him before.
Now she comes here without money, how can she buy anything?
"Don't worry." Chen Shengqing patted her shoulder and said to the stall owner, "You all heard it, right? For each fabric she specified, add one more piece, including the ready-made garments."
"Pay first, then take the goods." The stall owner stared at him and said.
Chen Shengqing frowned and said, "Go ask your boss if I will give you money."
He had narrow eyebrows and a stern face. When he frowned, he looked particularly fierce.
The stall owner probably didn't expect someone to dare to take advantage of his territory. He frowned and was about to draw his gun to teach the man who broke the rules and didn't know how to live or die a lesson. Then he heard a voice saying, "Give him the goods."
Yang Qiujin looked in the direction of the voice and saw a tall man with an extremely handsome face walking towards her not far away. This kind of handsomeness was different from Chen Sheng's handsomeness with blue lips, red teeth and white skin. This man had thick eyebrows, big eyes, a high nose bridge, wheat skin, and an extremely cold and hard appearance.
The man was followed by several masked bandits. He walked over lazily and saw Chen Shengqing. He smiled and said, "Captain Chen, oh no, Deputy Commander Chen, long time no see. How come you have the leisure to come and stroll around my territory today?"
When he said this, he looked at Yang Qiujin. She had short hair, delicate features, calm eyes, and a kind of majestic beauty. Her belly was bulging. He exclaimed, "So you are here to bring your family to buy."
"Ling Gaosheng, long time no see." Chen Shengqing's eyes were indifferent and his voice was indifferent: "I came here just as I wanted to. Why, you don't welcome me?"
"Welcome, of course you are welcome." Ling Gaosheng smiled. "When we were in the army together as recruits, you were afraid that I would be eliminated from the special training team, so you helped me carry my backpack and desperately pulled me forward, calling me a good brother. Now that you are in my territory, don't just take things, let me treat you well. Let's go to my tent and reminisce about the past."
"No need to reminisce. I'm here with my wife to get some fabric. It's getting late. We have to go back." Chen Shengqing said indifferently.
"Are you sure you don't want to reminisce with me?" Ling Gaosheng raised his eyebrows: "I recently received some inside information from the Soviet army. Don't you want to know?"
Chen Shengqing pursed his thin lips, with a hint of hesitation on his face.
"Why, are you afraid that I will eat you, or are you afraid that I will hurt your lover?" Ling Gaosheng sneered, "You dare to bring your family to my territory, and you are afraid that I will attack you."
Chen Shengqing's eyes turned cold, "Do you think you can touch my lover in the slightest?"
"No, I know myself very well." Ling Gaosheng said, "Everyone knows that you always rank first in the military exercises of the Border Defense Department. You are a well-deserved pioneer of the Border Defense Department. If you dare to bring your lover to my territory, you must be able to protect yourself."
He looked at Yang Qiujin, smiled and made a gesture of invitation to her, "Sister-in-law, let's go."
Yang Qiujin looked at Chen Shengqing and saw him nod to her. Then she followed Ling Gaosheng to a large tent on the left.
The tent was very large. Judging from the fabric used, it should be a Soviet military product. There were two folding tables and several folding rocking chairs inside. On the tables were many opened bottles of Soviet beer and spirits. Next to the tables were two boxes. One box contained a phonograph playing the famous Soviet music. The other box was open and contained guns.
In addition, there were two tall Soviet women with black hair and blue eyes standing in the tent. They were disheveled and smoking.
Seeing them coming in, the two beauties turned their eyes to Yang Qiujin. One of the fatter women, seeing that she was a pregnant woman, threw the cigarette butt in her hand to the ground and stomped it out.
The smell in the tent was really bad. Yang Qiujin couldn't help but cover her nose. She didn't want to stay inside, so she stood at the wind vent of the tent door.
"Find a seat for yourself." Ling Gaosheng casually sat on a rocking chair, pulled a Soviet woman to sit on his lap, and touched her big white rabbits in front of everyone.
The woman tilted her head back in great enjoyment, panting.
Seeing this scene, Chen Shengqing's eyes darkened, "Ling Gaosheng, you are becoming more and more depraved now."
"Degenerate?" Ling Gaosheng seemed to have heard something funny. "Now I eat well, dress well, have plenty of money, and have endless women to play with. It's much better than the hard training in the army before, where I worked hard to complete the mission, but didn't get the proper reward, and was questioned about my loyalty and put in solitary confinement. It's a lot better now."
Yang Qiujin looked calm but was shocked in her heart. This man was the leader of the black market, and he had even served in the army and was a comrade-in-arms of Chen Shengqing. How could he have fallen to the level of a bandit?
Chen Shengqing fell silent for a while before he said, "There were too many coincidences in what happened back then. I locked you up to protect you."
"Come on, do you think I will still believe your lies now?" Ling Gaosheng snorted, "You came here at a good time today. I just received the latest news from the Soviet military, which should be very useful to you. If you want to know this news, you have to negotiate a deal with me. If the negotiation fails, I don't mind returning this news to the Soviet army."
Chen Shengqing's eyes turned cold. "You are monitoring the Soviet army's communication equipment, and also monitoring my unit's?"
Ling Gaosheng was a communications soldier and was very proficient in the army's communications equipment and codes. Although the army's communications translations were often changed, Ling Gaosheng had received special training from the army, so it was not impossible for him to have cracked the army's communications codes, or installed eavesdropping devices on military equipment to eavesdrop on military messages.
Ling Gaosheng neither admitted nor denied it. He looked at him with a half-smile and said, "Do you want to discuss this deal or not?"
"That depends on whether your information is worth talking about," said Chen Shengqing.
"You must have been annoyed to death by those flies from the Soviet Union recently." Ling Gaosheng changed his posture and hugged the Soviet beauty and said, "I know their purpose, their hiding place, and their flight route."
Chen Shengqing: "What do you want?"
"No money, no other things, just an oil refining certificate."
"Impossible!" Chen Shengqing flatly refused. "The oil field is national property, and oil refining is something that only state-owned oil refineries can do. It is impossible for us to issue you a private license to allow you to steal oil from the oil field and engage in illegal transactions."
"What a pity! My information has to be sold back to the Soviets." Ling Gaosheng looked disappointed and said arrogantly, "Maybe I can sell the location of the oil field to them and make a fortune."
"Ling Gaosheng, you're looking for death!" Chen Shengqing roared, rushed over quickly, and reached out to clamp Ling Gaosheng's neck.
Ling Gaosheng quickly pushed the beauty in his hands away, turned sideways and got out of the rocking chair, turned around and raised his arms to block the fist that Chen Shengqing was chasing after.
Chen Shengqing's attack failed, so he quickly and accurately raised his leg to attack the opponent's lower body. When the opponent jumped up to avoid it, he punched the opponent's abdomen.
Ling Gaosheng only uttered a muffled groan. The 1.80-meter-tall man was knocked back a few steps, but he refused to admit defeat and clenched his fists, quickly striking towards Chen Shengqing.
The two men were fighting fiercely in the tent. Ling Gaosheng's younger brother wanted to help at first, but was stopped by a curly-haired Soviet beauty, "Don't move. The other side has no weapons. Ling can handle it."
Yang Qiujin was very nervous and wanted to go forward to help, but she was afraid of hurting her stomach, so she could only stay where she was and chose to trust Chen Shengqing's strength. She watched the two men fighting with bare hands in the tent, punching each other flesh and smashing the tables, chairs and wine bottles in the tent into pieces.
Soon Yang Qiujin was no longer nervous. She found that Chen Shengqing was really good at fighting. Every time Ling Gaosheng was about to hit him in a fatal position, he would dodge with the agility of a cheetah, and he was particularly ruthless. When the opponent punched him in the face left and right, he did not dodge but went straight to the opponent and hit the opponent's head hard with his head. When the opponent was in pain and a little dizzy, he raised his fist and hit the opponent in the abdomen.
He was a man who had been training for many years, and that punch came with full force, hitting the opponent's abdomen with a dull sound. The sound was so loud that everyone in the tent felt pain for Ling Gaosheng.
In the end, Ling Gaosheng was knocked to the ground by him. After a while, he sat up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "You are still as rigid as ever. I was just joking. Do you have to beat me to death?"
Chen Shengqing was also hit by several punches from him, and the left side of his face was slightly swollen. However, compared with Ling Gaosheng's bruised face and nose, he looked much better.
Chen Shengqing said: "I don't care how many Soviets you are colluding with to engage in smuggling. If you remember that you are Chinese and that you have been a soldier, you should not do anything that harms the interests of the country. The country has invested a lot of effort, money and manpower in the development of our border oil fields, just to build our own oil fields, which are no longer restricted by other countries. If you want to sell the oil field location to the Soviets for personal gain, I don't mind getting rid of you myself."
Ling Gaosheng sneered: "What I am doing now will not harm the interests of the country? Deputy Commander Chen, have you been in the army for so long that you have become stupid? Do you think everyone is willing to live a hard life and live in this country without any human warmth? Even if I don't sell the location of the oil field, no one else will sell it?"
"If you don't want to live in our country, you can go to the Soviet Union." Yang Qiujin couldn't help but speak, "With your current financial resources and abilities, you can go to the communist Soviet Union where you don't have to worry about food and clothing, and eat meat and bread every day, as the spies said. The reason you still stay in our country is that you can't bear to leave your country and your homeland, and you still have feelings for your country. If you can't bear to leave, why do you say those things that hurt others and yourself?"
Ling Gaosheng was stunned. He didn't expect Yang Qiujin to say this.
He looked at Yang Qiujin without denying, his eyes seemed to reveal a hint of nostalgia, but this emotion lasted less than a second before returning to a normal expression.
He chuckled and said, "Forget it. We have different ideals and we have no common interests. I'll send that message to your border guards for free. Remember to turn a blind eye and let me go. Don't come to arrest me."
Chen Shengqing said: "As long as you don't commit murder or arson and provide useful information in a timely manner, I can pretend that I didn't see you."
"You'd better keep your word." Ling Gaosheng looked at him with a gracious expression and said, "Let's go and see what my sister-in-law wants. Take it away and consider it as a gift from me, your uncle, to your children."
Chen Shengqing pronounced the word "uncle" very heavily. The corners of his mouth twitched and he said nothing more.
When they left the desert, there were more than ten rolls of cloth of different colors and textures in the back of the jeep, as well as some milk powder, candy, canned food, and dairy products, filling the entire car.
Yang Qiujin looked back at the things in the back seat of the car, feeling very uneasy. "We don't give him money, so is it appropriate for him to take so many things? If we enter the military, will the sentries check our car and find out that these things are not from legitimate sources?"
"Don't worry. I helped him a lot when he was a new recruit. It's my duty to take something from him. I'm the deputy regiment commander. Unless it's a special period, no sentry will check my car." Chen Shengqing comforted her.
"That's good." Yang Qiujin breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "There's so much cloth and milk powder. When our second baby is born, we won't have to worry about food and clothing. With the extra cloth, our family can make new clothes."
Seeing her happy, Chen Shengqing's expression softened. "I'll make two more pieces for you this time. Don't think about me and the kids all the time. You should be nicer to yourself."
"I know. When I have time, I will do it twice."
Of course, because the fabric was of illegal origin, Yang Qiujin naturally did not dare to ask her neighbor Liang Xueqing to help her make clothes. After all, no matter how close the relationship between neighbors was, there was still a layer of secret between their hearts.
She moved all the fabrics into the small room and put them under a box. She repeatedly told Chen Tianyou and Li Xiu'e not to tell anyone that they had gotten so many fabrics from the black market, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble for Chen Shengqing.
The two nodded repeatedly and promised not to say anything nonsense.
The person who was most happy about having so much cloth was Li Xiu'e, who was an expert in making clothes. She had been worried that after the baby in Yang Qiujin's belly was born, the baby would grow up and there would not be enough clothes for her to wear.
Now that she has so much fabric at home, she would close the door and make clothes whenever she had free time. In just one month, she made nearly fifteen sets of clothes for her children from one to ten years old. Even when Chen Tianyou was a child, he never had so many new clothes.
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