Chapter 15: As expected, she is a young lady, pampered
Song Yunqing leaned against the headboard, his cheeks squeezed like a little hamster.
Hearing Xiao Jinchuan's footsteps, she moved and found a more comfortable lying position.
"Song Yunqing."
Xiao Jinchuan suddenly called her by her full name, his voice low, "Thank you for lunch today."
Song Yunqing waved her hand nonchalantly, and unexpectedly saw the sincerity in his eyes: "You're welcome. After we get to the island, if I have nothing to do, I can do it often."
She felt a little excited when she thought about how there were so many delicious foods in modern times and she could even copy them one by one.
Xiao Jinchuan nodded, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just sat on the other bed and looked outside through the small window.
Song Yunqing touched the ring and thought that the supplies in the space were enough for them to live comfortably on the island.
The lines on the ring were a bit rough to the touch. She grew up in an orphanage. According to the director's mother, when she was picked up, she had this ring on a red string hanging around her neck.
Perhaps, it was fate that she came to this era?
When a ray of local sunlight shone on the boat, Song Yunqing had already seen the island nearby.
She stood on the deck, her fingers tightly gripping the railing, watching the pier getting closer and closer. Several broken wooden piles were stuck crookedly in the water, and only half of the original pier's skeleton remained.
Several soldiers in old clothes were carrying sandbags.
"The typhoon blew off roofs on half the island, killed three fishermen, and injured more than a dozen people."
Xiao Jinchuan had walked up behind her at some point, his voice filled with barely perceptible sorrow.
Song Yunqing took a deep breath. When she came, she only knew that the typhoon was raging and there were casualties, but when the cold words appeared in front of her, she realized how unforgettable the shock was.
"Are you afraid?"
"What?"
Song Yunqing repeated: "Are you afraid?"
Xiao Jinchuan chuckled, but his eyes were unusually firm: "I am a human being, of course I am afraid, but I am also a soldier, I will not allow myself to be afraid."
Song Yunqing could understand what he meant. The predecessors who were only mentioned briefly in history books when she was in school were now standing in front of her alive.
When the boat docked, a middle-aged soldier with a square face and thick eyebrows walked quickly over and saluted Xiao Jinchuan with a standard military salute.
"Deputy Commander Xiao, I'm Zhao Dayong, commander of the Third Battalion. Welcome to Xingyong Island."
His eyes swept over Song Yunqing and his smile froze for a moment.
"Who is this?"
"My wife, Song Yunqing."
Xiao Jinchuan's introduction was brief, and his tone was calm without any emotion.
"Ah, welcome, welcome."
Battalion Commander Zhao forced a smile, but obviously took a half step back.
Song Yunqing lowered her eyes. She was very familiar with his reaction. Almost everyone would avoid him in this way when they knew their identity.
It's really funny. The capitalist lady didn't get any benefits, but she shared all the disadvantages.
Xiao Jinchuan seemed to have noticed her depression, so he walked faster and stood in front of her, chatting with Captain Zhao about things on the island along the way.
"That Captain Wang was a good man. His leg injury was caused by someone he was trying to save. It looked pretty serious. Our small clinic was destroyed. There were only a few nurses here. They could treat minor illnesses, but they wouldn't dare to touch someone with an injury of this severity."
"We can't leave now. May I ask Deputy Captain Xiao, how is Captain Wang's injury?"
Xiao Jinchuan: "He had just been admitted to the hospital when we left. There's no news yet, but he's definitely not in danger of death."
There was something Xiao Jinchuan didn't say, but he and Captain Zhao both knew it.
That is, the leg injury is likely to affect Captain Wang’s subsequent work.
Demobilization is not impossible.
Both of them tacitly avoided mentioning this possibility.
On the way to the base, the disaster was even more serious, with collapsed houses and only half of the brick walls left everywhere.
There are also uprooted coconut trees.
"This typhoon is so strong. Have the people on the island ever thought about moving away from Xingyong Island?"
Song Yunqing spoke suddenly.
"There have been typhoons on the island before, but never this severe. The last major typhoon on record was 80 years ago."
"Besides, the people here have lived here for generations and are reluctant to leave their hometown. Even if we persuade them to move away, they won't leave."
Song Yunqing understood that they had been able to deal with previous typhoons, but this time something serious had happened.
She looked around and saw several women cooking porridge around a large pot. They stopped to talk when they saw them passing by, and looked at them with eyes as wary as knives.
"Don't worry about it."
Captain Zhao whispered, "The island is secluded and doesn't see many outsiders."
Song Yunqing nodded reluctantly, but he knew in his heart that this was not just about xenophobia.
As we walked towards the center, the damage was not that serious. Only a few trees in the yard were blown to and fro.
The so-called family compound was a few rows of low bungalows. Xiao Jinchuan was assigned to the one at the very edge. Song Yunqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It’s better to be on the side, quiet.
Each room has its own small yard where you can grow your own vegetables and fruits, or you can build a small cement yard and plant blooming trumpet creepers in the corners.
When I opened the door, the damp and moldy smell hit my nose, and there were still water stains on the cement floor.
It was obvious that it had just been hastily cleaned up.
Captain Zhao was a little embarrassed: "Our conditions here are indeed not that good. You can live in this house first. When the island is cleaned up, I will send someone to repair it."
"No, that's fine."
The two young soldiers following behind him put down their luggage. Xiao Jinchuan simply washed his face and said to Song Yunqing, "My conditions are limited. I have to report to the regiment headquarters now. You should rest first."
He turned to leave, then stopped and added, "There will be a simple welcome party tonight. You...try to speak as little as possible."
After the door closed, Song Yunqing finally relaxed.
The less you talk, the better. If possible, she doesn't want to go.
When she had some time, she remembered to check the room. There was a wooden bed, a chest of drawers with peeling paint, and a rusty pot on the kerosene stove.
In the corner was a pile of half a bag of brown rice and a few sweet potatoes.
This is all the property the organization gives to the newlyweds.
She locked the door and entered the ring space with her consciousness. The small space was filled with boxes of supplies neatly stacked.
Boxes of medicine, sealed food, and countless daily necessities.
She simply took some anti-inflammatory medicine, gauze and a few packets of noodles and hid them in her bag, then took out a quilt.
When Xiao Jinchuan came back after reporting, the room was already brand new.
The bed was covered with a brand new four-piece set. Although the material was not very good, it was much better than the current situation on the island.
All the luggage was moved to a small house next door.
The pots were cleaned, and there was a small mirror and a sewing box on the cabinet.
It was clearly the same room, but now it gave him a feeling of home.
"You're back? Are you hungry? I'll give you something."
Looking at the noodles Song Yunqing took out, Xiao Jinchuan was silent for a moment: "Let's put it away and cook some porridge."
Almost instantly, Song Yunqing understood what he meant.
White bread is a luxury for most people in Beijing, not to mention this small island that has just suffered a disaster.
When others have nothing to eat, it is polite to eat quietly.
She mixed the brown rice with some white rice and cooked it into a bowl of thick porridge. She took out the pickles left over from that day and it wasn't that hard to eat.
In the evening, Captain Zhao came personally to call them to the cafeteria. The so-called welcome party was just a few tables put together, with a pot of stewed fish, a plate of stir-fried vegetables and a few cornmeal steamed buns on them.
A dozen officers and their families had already taken their seats. When they saw them come in, their conversations stopped abruptly and they all stood up and saluted.
After they were introduced one by one, the atmosphere became subtle.
"This is Deputy Captain Xiao's lover, right?"
A plump woman with curly hair stood up, her smile tinged with thorns: "I am the lover of Political Commissar Sun Jianguo. My name is Qian Xiufen."
The girl's instinct made Song Yunqing feel her bad intentions.
She seemed to be born incompatible with the political commissar's wife. How could this not be considered a kind of fate?
She nodded politely: "Hello, Sister Qian."
Qian Xiufen narrowed her eyes and said, "I heard Comrade Song is from Shanghai. I wonder what his family does?"
Sun Jianguo gently pulled her, signaling her not to be so aggressive.
But Qian Xiufen pushed him away.
The dinner table was eerily quiet, and Song Yunqing felt Xiao Jinchuan's body tense slightly.
She knew the question was asked knowingly, as it was clearly stated in her personal file.
"My mother ran a textile factory, and my father ran a small business."
“Oh~”
Qian Xiufen dragged out her tone, "That's the capitalist lady."
She suddenly laughed and turned to everyone: "No wonder she looks so delicate and tender, you can tell she has never worked before."
The people around him also started laughing, and the atmosphere became a little awkward for a moment.
Song Yunqing finally knew where the malice came from.
One is her identity as a capitalist lady, and the other is her appearance.
The original owner was naturally slim and well-proportioned, with fair skin and a pair of big watery eyes. She looked beautiful no matter how you looked at her.
If she were in modern times, she would be such a beauty that even society would treat her better.
But it happened to be in the 1970s.
Qian Xiufen persisted, "We're short of manpower on the island right now. Since Comrade Song is here, why don't you join us tomorrow to move the relief supplies? You capitalists are the ones who enjoy life the most, so you should undergo labor reform."
"Comrade Qian Xiufen."
Xiao Jinchuan suddenly put down his chopsticks and said in a low voice, which made everyone quiet down: "My wife is a military dependent, not a labor camp prisoner. The organization has its own considerations for her work arrangements."
Seeing Xiao Jinchuan's expression change, Sun Jianguo realized that he had gone a little too far.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Aren't you ashamed? Sit down and eat!"
He pulled Qian Xiufen to sit down and looked at Xiao Jinchuan's expression carefully.
No one else dared to say anything, they just lowered their heads and ate their meals.
The prepared welcome speech was interrupted before I could even finish it.
Qian Xiufen was about to say something when a young soldier covered in mud suddenly rushed in from outside the door. Without even catching his breath, he shouted, "Report, there's another landslide at post number three ahead. Someone's injured."
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