Xiao Jiu replied crisply, "My brother-in-law's name is Niu Feng, he's a battalion commander. I've come to see my sister and brother-in-law."
"Oh, aren't you Cuihong's sister? A new sister just came to visit a few days ago, are you her sister too? A blood sister?"
Xiao Jiu smiled and said, "That's my fifth sister, and I'm her youngest sister."
"Are you a soldier?" Xiao Jiu came in military uniform today. In this day and age, no matter what kind of army it is, they all wear the same green uniform.
"Yes, I joined the army,"
"You look quite young. Joining the army at such a young age, will they even accept you?"
"Auntie, I only think it's small,"
Fortunately, the supply truck horn sounded at that moment, and Xiao Jiu gave the driver a standard military salute.
"Hello comrade, I would like to visit my brother-in-law and sister at your workplace. This is my letter of introduction and identification."
The young soldier took her ID and exclaimed, "Wow, you're a college student!"
Last time Battalion Commander Niu's house, a college student came over, and now another one has come! Your family certainly has a lot of college students!
The young soldier's words shocked the older women, and when Xiao Jiu got on the bus, their expressions were somewhat awkward.
"Wasn't he supposed to be a soldier? How come he's a college student now?"
Xiao Jiu, observing the situation, said, "Auntie, I went to military school, which means I'm a soldier, right? That's correct!"
The woman's understated manner with the small bottle of liquor brought a slight smile to her face.
"These days, there aren't many people like you who are so calm and collected, and also have the talent!"
Xiao Jiu smiled sheepishly, unsure how to respond, while they enthusiastically introduced themselves to her.
The truck wasn't going fast; the roads were mostly rough dirt tracks, difficult to navigate, with ups and downs, all uneven slopes.
The dust kicked up after she walked by made her eyes blurry, so she quickly took out a mask and put it on, pretending to cough a few times as if she wasn't used to it.
"Once autumn arrives, there are many more windy days. Every time a strong wind blows, yellow dust flies everywhere."
Our camp is a bit better off; there's a stream on the mountain, and we can count the number of days a year when we're short of water on one hand.
Unlike some places where water has to be hauled from afar, and a family might not even get half a bucket of water a day.
"Where do you go to school, little girl? Look at your skin, it's so tender, you could practically squeeze water out of it. You've never suffered any hardship!"
"I have to say, you do look a bit like the older sister who came last time, but not so much like Cuihong!"
"How many siblings do you have? It seems like you have quite a few sisters. Why haven't I seen any brothers here?"
Facing these people who were gossiping about her family, Xiao Jiu said in a good-natured manner.
"My fourth sister is more like my grandmother. Her brothers are either working or studying, so she has to stay home and take care of them and can't come over."
"I live nearby, I go to school in the West Market!"
Because of the dry weather and strong winds, the skin of the people here appears somewhat rough.
Although her face wasn't as rosy as those in Gansu, the dry cracks on her skin were still clearly visible.
Their hands, in particular, had large cracks; some were covered with tape, while others had deep fissures that looked painful.
"It's summer now, so there's a lot of water, which is a bit better. The real suffering will come in winter!"
Today, only five military wives came. They were all older and looked like they had been here for many years, and their children were all married or had established their own careers.
Xiao Jiu chatted with them about whatever she could talk about. After about half an hour, they arrived at the camp. While she was registering at the gate, the supply truck drove in, and the military wives greeted her warmly.
"Little girl, wait here for a moment. We'll go find your sister and have her lead you inside."
You can't get in without someone guiding you, no matter how complete your documents are.
The camp was located in a secluded forest area with very winding and difficult roads. It looked calm and peaceful, but Xiao Jiu had watched a lot of military dramas and knew that patrol personnel were hidden in these forests.
Knowing that her sister was coming over, Xiao Jiu didn't stand on ceremony and found a corner to sit down.
After a whole morning of fussing around, she was indeed a little hungry, so she started munching on some cookies.
She wanted to offer the young soldier something to eat, but she was afraid of making him make a mistake, so she didn't.
Feeling bored, I picked up a book and sat down to read.
I definitely can't concentrate on looking at it. Isn't it because I'm afraid my eyes will wander and I'll see something I shouldn't?
"Xiao Jiu? What brings you here? You didn't even tell me you were coming to pick you up!"
Fourth Sister arrived faster than she expected. By the time she stood up and dusted herself off, Fourth Sister had already gone over to sign in and pick up the people.
"There wasn't enough time. My fifth sister gave me the address and came straight here. I heard you're pregnant. How is it?"
Xiao Jiu held onto Tang Cuihong's arm, tilting her head to observe her complexion.
"You seem to have lost a lot of weight."
Cuihong sighed, "Of course I've lost weight. I've been suffering terribly these past few days. I eat and then throw up, then I get hungry again, then I eat, then I throw up again."
"My brother-in-law hasn't come back yet?" Cuihong shook her head. "We don't dare to ask. We can only wait. There's no news yet. He's probably gone on a long trip."
"You vomit everything?" Cuihong nodded. "I can't even eat cucumbers or persimmons. I vomit everything I eat. Sometimes I can't vomit anything, so I just vomit bile."
Seeing the weariness in her eyes and her thinner figure, Xiao Jiu felt a pang of sympathy.
"Come on, let's go home and I'll take a closer look at you."
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