"Okay!"
"Extra food! Extra food!"
"Let's go! Let's go back!"
Everyone immediately became excited again and hurriedly gathered up their tools and cleaned up the scene.
Wang Tieniu was overjoyed, carrying his shovel and walking proudly beside Du Jianshan.
Aygul watched Du Jianshan's retreating figure, then looked at the gurgling spring, and couldn't help but smile.
The group set off again, retracing their steps.
Ahead were the jubilant, brisk "heroes," while behind them were the dejected Ma siblings, who disliked each other but had no choice but to follow.
The wind blew across the Gobi Desert, stirring up a gust of fine sand, but it couldn't dispel the ashen faces and the chill in their hearts of the two men.
For some, the journey back to their unit seemed exceptionally long.
The news of finding the water source spread like wildfire. Before Du Jianshan and his group could even struggle to carry the heavy tools back to the company, Company Commander Chen Jianshan had already arrived at the scene with several nimble militiamen!
"Water! It's really coming out?" Chen Jianshan looked at the pit that was still gushing water, the turbid water had already gathered into a small puddle, and his voice changed with excitement. He went up and punched Du Jianshan on the shoulder.
"Good lad! You're really something! I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"
He walked around the puddle several times, becoming more and more excited. He waved his hand and said, "Leave two people here to watch over this place! The rest of you, go back! Call the regimental headquarters immediately to report the good news!"
"Have the professional drilling team from our unit bring their equipment and come over first thing tomorrow morning!"
With a professional team and machinery, the efficiency is naturally incomparable.
In just one week, a brand-new well, more than 20 meters deep and reinforced with stone and cement, was erected on the Gobi Desert, with the spring that Du Jianshan found as its core!
The clear, cool well water was pumped up, and the water quality was sweet and plentiful, much better than the old wells that the company used to have!
The entire Baiyangbao Company was in an uproar!
The life-or-death issues of drinking water and irrigation are about to be completely resolved!
Chen Jianshan looked at the flowing water and his face broke into a wide smile.
He patted Du Jianshan's back forcefully, his voice booming:
"Du lad! You did a fantastic job! Let me tell you, even the regimental commander has been alerted!"
"I've already submitted the report, clearly outlining your contributions! Just wait, you'll be rewarded!"
"The commendation meeting is tomorrow! You're the first educated youth in Baiyangbao to be commended!"
Du Jianshan just grinned and said, "Company commander, it was all done by everyone. I just got lucky."
"Stop pretending!" Chen Jianshan laughed and scolded, "What's yours is yours! No one can take this credit away from you!"
Sure enough, early the next morning, the whistle for emergency assembly rang out on the company's threshing ground, a full hour earlier than the usual start time!
The educated youth, company staff, soldiers from several nearby companies who came to support the construction, and local Uyghur and Kazakh villagers who came to see the excitement—a total of over a thousand people—filled the huge threshing ground to the brim.
A dusty jeep screeched to a halt in front of the company gate.
The car door opened, and a tall, resolute-looking, middle-aged military officer in a crisp uniform stepped out.
The two bars and three stars on his shoulder insignia gleamed in the sunlight; he was none other than Zhao Zhenguo, the commander of the Huozhou Reclamation and Construction Corps!
Chen Jianshan immediately jogged forward, stood at attention, and saluted: "Reporting, Regimental Commander! All personnel of the Baiyangbao Company have assembled! Please give instructions!"
Zhao Zhenguo returned a standard military salute, his gaze sweeping over the dark mass of people.
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