Chen Jianshan weighed the bear leg in his hand, gave a few more instructions on safety, and then carried the meat away with light steps.
Du Jianshan breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the company commander walk away.
He turned to Wang Tieniu, who was still fuming beside him, and said, "Tieniu, this foreleg and that rib are yours! Take them to the commune canteen for a treat!"
Wang Tieniu, who had just been angry with Ma Chunmei, immediately brightened up upon hearing this, his displeasure vanishing in an instant: "Alright, Brother Shanzi! Haha! Thank you, Brother Shanzi!"
He happily picked up the ten-plus pounds of meat, grinning from ear to ear.
Seeing that the kid was still standing there like a block of wood, Du Jianshan gave him a wink.
Wang Tieniu then realized what was happening: "Oh dear, I think I have something to do, I'll be going now!"
As he spoke, he grabbed his front legs and ran off at lightning speed, disappearing from sight in no time.
Only Du Jianshan and Ayiguli remained. The setting sun cast its glow on her profile, highlighting her features.
The unique profile of the Xinjiang girl made Du Jianshan slightly lost in thought.
Aygul turned her head and met Du Jianshan's burning gaze. Her cheeks flushed, and she tucked her hair behind her ear: "I, I should go home."
Looking at Ayiguli's slightly flushed cheeks, Du Jianshan's irritation from Ma Chunmei's meddling had long since dissipated.
He grinned and dusted off his hands: "Come on, I'll take you home."
Aygul instinctively wanted to refuse: "No, no need to trouble yourself..."
"What's the trouble?" Du Jianshan asked without waiting for a reply. He picked up the basket that Ayiguli had used to carry the meat and naturally pushed the empty wooden cart next to her with his other hand.
“It’s on the way! It’s getting dark, and it’s not safe for a young woman like you to walk along the edge of the Gobi Desert alone.”
Seeing his unyielding stance, Aygul smiled and stopped refusing, following him to his side.
Wang Tieniu had already led the old ox back to feed it, so the two of them slowly walked along the dirt road at the edge of the company.
The wind in the Gobi Desert still carried the smell of dust, causing the stray hairs at Ayiguli's temples to flutter.
She raised her hand to adjust her headscarf, the afterglow of the setting sun casting a soft, warm golden hue over her entire body.
"Thank you so much for today, Comrade Du," Ayiguli said softly, with a hint of shyness.
"What are you thanking me for?" Du Jianshan turned his head to look at her.
"I should be thanking you for the naan and pickled vegetables this morning, otherwise my stomach would have been rumbling by now."
Aygul smiled, revealing a shallow dimple: "That...that's nothing."
The atmosphere became more relaxed.
As Du Jianshan gazed at the gradually blurring outline of the Tianshan Mountains in the twilight, something came to mind.
"Oh, right." He turned to look at Aygul, his tone casual.
"I heard the company commander mention the other day that there was a notice from above that a cultural troupe might come to our regiment to perform for us in a while."
"Hmm?" Aygul looked up at him, her long eyelashes fluttering with curiosity: "The cultural troupe?"
"Yes." Du Jianshan nodded.
"They're singing and dancing, it's quite lively. The company commander said they'll set up a stage on the regimental headquarters' large parade ground."
"It must be because the 'Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside' movement started in the last two years that the cultural troupe came to our southern Xinjiang."
He paused, then his tone became more natural: "It's going to be really lively. When the official announcement comes down, shall we go together and take a look? To broaden our horizons?"
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