Chapter 544 Visiting the Military Camp to See San Niu
After settling into their accommodations, the Cheng family began preparing for the wedding.
Cheng Wanwan found out where Zhao Sanniu was and couldn't wait to see her son, so she asked Cheng Ding to lead the way.
“My godmother asked me about this,” Shen Zheng said with a grin. “After I failed the exam, I was in a bad mood and often went to San Niu San to cheer myself up. The guards at the gate all recognize me now, and they let me through right away when I go.”
Cheng Wanwan nodded and had Ninglan load the prepared items onto the carriage. With Zhao Sidan in tow, the group headed towards the outskirts of the capital.
The military camp was located even further away than the courtyard Cheng Zhao had just bought. After leaving the city gate, it took more than ten miles to walk east before the tents of the military camp could be seen.
As soon as the carriage stopped, Shen Zheng jumped down and punched the soldier guarding the entrance on the shoulder: "Zhang Jinbao, how come you've grown taller again? What good stuff have you been eating..."
Zhang Jinbao scratched his head: "They all say I've grown taller, hehe. My mom will be so happy if she finds out. Is Zheng Ge here to see San Niu? He's practicing martial arts on the training ground. He can just go in."
Cheng Wanwan got off the carriage, holding two small jars in her hands, and handed them to the two guards at the gate: "I dried some meat. You can eat some when you're hungry."
“This is San Niu’s mother, who is also my godmother,” Shen Zheng introduced. “My godmother has come from a long way and brought a lot of things for San Niu. I don’t know if we can get the carriage in. We’ll leave after we put our things down. It won’t cause any problems.”
This is a military camp on the outskirts of Beijing. There is no need for combat, so the defense is relatively lax. The two guards each received a large jar full of dried meat. What was there to object to? They immediately said, "The wagons that deliver supplies all go in this way. You can take this road. There's nothing to worry about."
Shen Zheng led his horse along the back path and stopped directly in front of Zhao Sanniu's tent. Zhao Sanniu was still training, and there was no one inside the tent.
Cheng Wanwan lifted the curtain to go in, but before she could even take a step, she was forced to step back. Good heavens, this tent smelled terrible! It smelled like stinky socks and clothes fermenting together. She almost threw up her dinner from the night before.
She remembered that San Niu was quite diligent at home, and he would wash his own clothes. How did he become so sloppy after coming to the capital?
Zhao Sidan pinched his nose and said in a muffled voice, "Does Third Brother live in a pigsty? It stinks so much..."
“Ahem, there are six people living in this tent,” Shen Zheng explained. “Besides San Niu and Cheng Bing, there are four lads around fourteen or fifteen years old. Those four guys aren’t afraid of getting dirty at all. They throw their dirty clothes away as soon as they get dirty, and then they wear the dirty clothes again when they change next time. That’s how it is when it accumulates slowly… Godmother, just stand outside and wait.”
Cheng Wanwan has a headache.
Although she disliked him, she also felt sorry for her son.
Fortunately, it wasn't just her and Shen Zheng who came; Ning Lan came along too. So, she called Ning Lan inside, and the two of them, pinching their noses, began tidying up the tents.
The sheets on the communal bed were all yellow, stained with sweat, and filled with all sorts of strange smells. All the bedding was torn off, and all the clothes and socks in the room were picked up. Shen Zheng asked Zhang Jinbao to borrow a large basin of water, while she grabbed some strong laundry detergent from the mall and poured most of it into the basin to soak the clothes.
Cheng Wanwan and Ning Lan each squatted in front of a large basin of water and resignedly began to rub.
The soldiers nearby all cast envious glances at him.
"San Niu's mother is so young. She tidied up his room and did his laundry as soon as she arrived. San Niu is so lucky."
"I haven't seen my parents for three or four years since I joined the army. My parents haven't come to Beijing to see me either. I wonder when I'll be able to see my family again."
"San Niu's mother just gave Zhang Jinbao and the others some dried meat. I tried a piece, and it was so delicious."
"..."
While Cheng Wanwan was washing clothes, she overheard many soldiers talking about the dried meat. They were all teenagers, and they all spoke of how pitiful they were.
She rubbed her aching back and stood up, asking Ninglan to hang the clothes up to dry. Then she called to the children, "So you like dried meat? I brought a lot with me, come and have some!"
She knew that San Niu had many close friends, so she specially prepared extra food to bring over. Even if it wasn't enough to share, there was still more in the store.
These were all comrades-in-arms who would risk their lives for San Niu in the future, and he might need them to save his life in critical moments. So when it came to food, Cheng Wanwan was not stingy at all.
Various kinds of dried meat, some pastries and snacks, and dried dates... all were taken out and placed on a clean tablecloth on the ground.
The soldiers present stared wide-eyed: "These... these can be eaten?"
"Eat up, eat up," Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. "San Niu is new here, and we are very grateful for your care. I don't have anything special to offer you, so come and eat."
Zhao Sidan bit into a piece of jerky: "My mom makes it so delicious, if you don't eat it, I'll eat it all..."
The soldiers crowded around and began to eat with relish.
Cheng Wanwan sat down and chatted with them, asking about San Niu's situation in the army. It was similar to what was written in the letter: although he was tired every day, he was carefree.
Before long, the training session ended, and Zhao Sanniu ran over, covered in sweat: "Mom, you really came! Mom, I missed you so much!"
While he was training, someone whispered to him that his mother had arrived, but the higher-ups wouldn't let him go, so he could only finish training absentmindedly and immediately run over, with Cheng Bing following behind him.
When the two left Dahe Village, they were at least normal-looking, if not fair-skinned, but now they were tanned like charcoal.
Cheng Bing had grown up in the military camp, and apart from getting darker, she didn't change much. San Niu, on the other hand, had changed a lot. Not only did she get darker, but she also grew taller and stronger, becoming a full head taller than her mother.
The tall, strong young man came crashing down like a cannonball, startling Cheng Wanwan so much that she quickly backed away; she didn't want to be tackled.
Zhao Sidan rushed forward and hugged Zhao Sanniu's leg: "Waaah, Third Brother, I missed you so much..."
Zhao Sanniu lifted his younger brother up and threw him into the air. A large group of soldiers came over to help catch him, which scared Zhao Sidan so much that he screamed.
"Mother, let's go inside and talk." Zhao Sanniu lifted the tent flap, thinking he had gone to the wrong place, he quickly stepped back to check, and finding he was right, he went back in. He couldn't help but scratch his chin, "Why is our tent so empty? Where are the blankets and clothes on the bed? Where did they all go?"
Shen Zheng pointed to the distance: "Godmother has helped you wash all the dirt off."
Zhao Sanniu and Cheng Bing were deeply moved, as were their four younger brothers who lived with them. They were all extremely grateful and ashamed.
“Washing once every two weeks doesn’t really take up much time,” Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. “The six of you can take turns tidying up the tents. It’s more comfortable to live in a clean tent, isn’t it? Cheng Bing, you’re the oldest, so you’ll make the arrangements. If anyone slacks off, I won’t bring any dried meat next time I come.”
Cheng Bing immediately made a guarantee and issued a pledge.
He grew up in a military camp where everyone around him was slovenly, so he himself had no awareness of this. Now that Cheng Wanwan had given him instructions, he would definitely treat this matter as an important task.
The soldiers then noticed a large amount of food on the table in the tent, divided into six equal portions, clearly intended for them. They were all deeply moved.
Cheng Wanwan also prepared some food for Commander Shao, who brought Zhao Sanniu in. Since it was inconvenient for her, a woman, to go there, she asked Zhao Sanniu to bring it with him when he came back to report.
After chatting for a while, she changed the subject: "Where is your master now?"
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