After making up her mind, Guan Wen finished breakfast and went to find Zeng Chunlan.
Zeng Chunlan was so shocked by her words that she couldn't speak.
It took her a while to find her voice, "Xiao Guan, did I hear you right? You're going to raise cattle and sheep?"
Seeing her like this, Guan Wenru smiled, "Yes, I really do want to work in logistics as a zookeeper."
Zeng Chunlan scratched her head. "This... what were you thinking? You're clearly knowledgeable and cultured. Being a teacher would be so much better. Even if you don't want to be a teacher, you could join the propaganda team or become a sales clerk at the military service center. Or, if all else fails, you could become a medic in the medical team. Which job isn't better than the one you chose?"
Her husband told her last night.
We must take special care of the Guan family, grandmother and granddaughter. Whatever Guan Wenru wants to do, the military should try its best to satisfy her, as a way of repaying Guan Wanxin for her selfless dedication.
But Guan Wenru actually wants to become a zookeeper?
That job is dirty, tiring, and tough. How could a young girl like her endure it?
Guan Wenqu knew that Zeng Chunlan was concerned about her, so she smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, to be honest, I have read a lot of books on animal husbandry in the school library, and now I want to put them into practice. I know that the animal husbandry workers in our army are good at raising pigs, but they don't have much experience in raising cattle and sheep, so I want to give it a try. Please help me, sister-in-law."
After saying this, Guan Wenru reached out and grabbed Zeng Chunlan's hand, holding it tightly. "Sister-in-law, don't let my thin arms and legs fool you, I can really endure hardship. Please help me talk to the political commissar, okay?"
Zeng Chunlan couldn't understand why Guan Wenru would give up such a good life and insist on becoming a zookeeper!
Seeing her persistence, Zeng Chunlan thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay, I'll mention it to my husband, but the logistics staff in the army are usually basic soldiers. You're not a female soldier, so I don't know if this will work out."
Guan Wenru understood this, and she smiled, "Thank you, sister-in-law. Please be sure to talk to the political commissar. I really want to raise cattle and sheep."
Zeng Chunlan sighed, "Why do you have such a big idea, child?"
She looked at Guan Wanxin, who was standing silently to the side, and said, "Aunt Guan, you agree too? Being a livestock keeper is very hard work. You have to take care of those animals day and night."
Guan Wanxin remained calm throughout. "The children are grown up and have their own ideas. Since she has read many books on animal husbandry, let her put what she has learned to use and see if she can take good care of the cattle and sheep in the logistics department so that the soldiers can eat meat every day."
Even Guan Wanxin said so, so Zeng Chunlan couldn't say anything more, and could only admire the idea of the grandmother and granddaughter.
...
That afternoon, He Yanzhi had the army's telephone line operator come to his home to install a hand-cranked telephone.
As soon as the telephone line installer left, Guan Wanxin couldn't help but praise, "Yanzhi is such a thoughtful child."
Guan Wenru sat down next to her. "Grandma, why do you keep praising him? It's just installing a hand-cranked telephone, how is that thoughtful?"
Guan Wanxin tapped her nose. "Yan Zhi's office has a telephone, so there's no need to install one at home. He obviously guessed that I was worried about some friends, so he quickly had someone install a telephone so that I could contact my friends in Beijing."
Guan Wenru chuckled, "Yes, yes, he's so considerate."
Guan Wanxin seemed to have sensed something, and her eyes narrowed. "What's wrong? What happened between you two?"
Guan Wenru recalled the unexpected incident from last night... The moment their lips touched, her heart was in turmoil again.
However, it's best not to mention this to your own grandmother; it's rather embarrassing.
She just chuckled, then took out a cup of milk tea from her storage space. "Grandma, try this flavor today."
Knowing that the child was trying to change the subject, Guan Wanxin didn't say anything, just laughed and took the milk tea.
After the telephone was installed at home, Guan Wanxin couldn't wait to call her friends to ask how things were going.
Before liberation, many of her friends chose to go abroad, but there were also many people like her who firmly believed in staying.
Most of the friends who remained have passed away, but their descendants are still in the country.
Guan Wanxin wanted to do everything in her power to remind these people so that they could prepare in advance and get through this turbulent decade safely.
...
When Political Commissar Zhu Yongqiang returned home that evening, Zeng Chunlan finished her meal and suddenly slammed her enamel mug on the table. "I almost forgot, Xiao Guan came to see me today about work... she already has an idea."
Zhu Yongqiang hummed in agreement, slowly biting into the cornbread in his hand. "What does she want to do?"
"Liver!"
"!!" The cornbread bun in Zhu Yongqiang's hand fell onto the enamel plate, his hand hanging in mid-air.
His expression was strange as he questioned, "Are you sure you're a zookeeper? Not a salesperson? Comrade Chunlan, are you sure my ears haven't been damaged by the artillery fire?"
Zeng Chunlan laughed out loud and patted him lightly. "My ears are fine. This is really Xiao Guan's idea, and Aunt Guan also agreed. She said that Xiao Guan read a lot of books related to animal husbandry when he was in college and has theoretical knowledge of raising sheep and cattle. She wants her to study... what for?"
Zhu Yongqiang muttered to himself, "To apply what you've learned."
"Yes, yes, that's what they say. So, do you think this can be done or not?"
"It's possible, but... the job of a livestock keeper is not easy. In addition to feeding the livestock, she also has to clean up. The logistics department takes care of not only pigs, but also cattle and sheep. Cattle and sheep need to be free-range. After the weather warms up, they need to be driven to the grassland to graze. Can a young girl like her handle this job?"
Zeng Chunlan didn't know why, but she inexplicably believed that Guan Wenru was capable. "Little Guan can ride a horse. Nazi said she is very good at riding horses. Maybe she really can herd livestock."
As they were talking, Zeng Chunlan, as if remembering something, suddenly patted Zhu Yongqiang's arm excitedly:
“Since Xiao Guan is so eager to be a livestock herder, why don’t we let her give it a try? Didn’t you say before that the livestock herders these days don’t have much experience raising cattle and sheep? The sheep they raise are as thin as sticks! Last winter, twenty-three lambs froze to death! What a pity! If Xiao Guan can really raise cattle and sheep well, that would be a great thing and would improve the soldiers’ meals.”
Zhu Yongqiang pondered. Their 12th Division had continued the "Nanniwan Spirit," refusing to eat the grain of the local villagers. The troops reclaimed wasteland, cultivated land, and raised livestock, becoming almost self-sufficient, thus reducing the burden on the country and improving the lives of the officers and soldiers.
However, after they settled here, the herders had no experience in raising cattle and sheep, resulting in a low survival rate for the animals.
Unfortunately, a significant number of soldiers in their unit are from ethnic minorities.
Most of these ethnic minority soldiers do not eat pork.
So these soldiers haven't had any meat for quite some time.
If Guan Wenru really has some ability and can raise those cattle and sheep well, that would be a great thing.
Although he thought so, Zhu Yongqiang did not agree directly. "I'll discuss it with Lao Zhang and ask Xiao He. We'll decide then."
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