The soldier, beaming with joy, grabbed Lu Yuan and stammered incoherently, gesturing wildly as if nothing could express his feelings. He swallowed hard, then dragged Lu Yuan towards the laboratory.
"Team Leader Lei asked me to call you over. The experiment was a success! The pigs have grown up!"
The crowd was parted, and the soldiers pushed Lu Yuan and the others inside. Before Lu Yuan could even see the pig, he suddenly felt his body lighten, and then his body was suspended in the air. Below him, soldiers tossed him high into the air and then caught him steadily.
"Lu Yuan, thank you! Thank you so much!"
With the help of others, Lieutenant Colonel Lei arrived in front of Lu Yuan, tears welling in his eyes. This time, he was truly happy; these tears were tears of excitement and gratitude.
Lu Yuan was a little confused as the other person gripped his hand tightly.
"Um... Brother Lei, this has all been verified. It's very common in many places! Many regions have already solved their food problems thanks to this mineral! It's nothing!"
"But it's different here! If you hadn't come, we might still be gnawing on tree trunks and eating dirt, and our people wouldn't be dying one by one!"
After expressing their gratitude, Lu Yuan and his companions received the warmest care from everyone.
During the following period, Lu Yuan fed the chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cattle, sheep, and some fish and shrimp they caught from the sea, and the results were absolutely amazing.
Two weeks later, Lu Yuan ate meat for the first time in the veterans' camp. It was the first pig he had raised. It had grown from less than 70 pounds at the beginning to about 300 pounds by the time it was slaughtered. In two weeks, its weight increased day by day, and everyone finally couldn't wait any longer.
Pork stew with vermicelli—this must have been the most sumptuous meal in the entire camp in over six months. There was no limit to the amount each person could eat; they could eat as much as they wanted. More than ten large pots were neatly arranged on the training center's parade ground, and soldiers lined up with their bowls, getting their food in an orderly fashion.
Lieutenant Colonel Lei held a bowl filled with water, but his face was flushed red, as if he had drunk fine wine.
"Brothers! We're able to enjoy this pork stew with vermicelli thanks to Lu Yuan and his team! I propose we toast them with this first bowl of wine! Come on! Lu Yuan, and everyone else, on behalf of all the brothers, I toast you with this first bowl!"
After saying that, Lieutenant Colonel Lei picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
Then the soldiers below also picked up their bowls and drank the wine in one gulp.
This was the first time Lu Yuan had witnessed such a scene, and he was quite excited by what they had done.
"Thank you! Thank you all for taking us in. During our time at the camp, we have had the safest and most comfortable days in a long time. Thank you all for everything you have done for us!"
Then, Lieutenant Colonel Lei picked up the bowl again: "For the second bowl, I have a suggestion. We don't have anything to give Lu Yuan and the others, but to express our gratitude, I plan to award them honorary military ranks! I will submit the proposal after I find the organization!"
Everyone below applauded.
"Agreed! Agreed!"
"Agreed! Agreed!"
"..."
Then, the veteran pushed Lieutenant Colonel Lei to Lu Yuan's side. Lieutenant Colonel Lei seemed to have been prepared all along, holding a box in his hands. He then gently opened it, revealing seven gleaming gold medals inside.
"Lu Yuan, thank you for everything you've done for us. Today, we are awarding you the rank of Major! We hope our friendship will last forever. In the future, if you ever have any problems, the 13th Mixed Detachment of Shandong Province will be there to protect you!"
With tears in his eyes, Lu Yuan saluted the other man and bowed. Lieutenant Colonel Lei, his hands trembling, pinned the gold medal to Lu Yuan's chest.
The other team members were also excitedly bowing as Lieutenant Colonel Lei awarded them medals. Although they were only captains, none of them had any objections. After all, it was Lu Yuan's skill, and Lu Yuan was also the employer. They had all benefited from Lu Yuan's influence this time.
After the medal-awarding ceremony concluded, Lieutenant Colonel Lei raised his third bowl of water: "This third bowl is a toast to the codename of our operation: Grace!"
Lu Yuan was stunned when he heard this.
Lieutenant Colonel Lei looked at Lu Yuan with a smile: "Brother Lu, are you surprised? Have you been cooped up for a while? Have you been wanting to ask me when we're going to take you to get a boat?"
Lu Yuan scratched his head. That was indeed his thought. He had been trying to find an opportunity to talk to Lieutenant Colonel Lei about this matter for some time. After all, the veteran had promised him, but the other party had never mentioned it. Lu Yuan had also not been able to resolve their food problem, so he could only keep it to himself.
However, Lu Yuan was somewhat embarrassed because the other party could smell it right in front of him.
"Brother Lei, that's true. I was really worried, after all, I've lost contact with my family for a long time! I'm always concerned about their safety!"
At this point, Lu Yuan's voice sounded somewhat weary. His heart once again flew back to the base in Shanxi Province, where they had lived for a long time, but now they had been trapped outside for a very long time.
An unexpected flight mishap sent Lu Yuan further and further away from his home. He desperately wanted to fly there right now, but he was powerless to do anything about it.
Seeing Lu Yuan's condition, Lieutenant Colonel Lei, supported by the veteran, walked up to Lu Yuan and gently patted him on the shoulder.
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