The old man grinned, took the food without hesitation, but didn't eat it; it was still warm to the touch, so he put it directly into the inside pocket of his cotton-padded coat.
"Okay, put your baskets on and I'll take you there. I'll be back in time."
The three siblings looked at each other, and the child wanted to see a simple opinion.
Having a car to ride in is definitely better than walking, so Jian Dan didn't pretend and got in with a smile.
"Alright, Third Master, you still care about us the most, afraid that we'll get tired."
The old man was amused and laughed, scolding him with a smile.
"No, I'm just worried about these two kids. It's freezing cold. If they go with you there and come back, it'll be dark by then."
"Yes, yes, it's because I feel sorry for them,"
Simple and unassuming, he sat by the car, swinging his legs, chatting with the old man about everyday things.
"Third Master, there are only a few days left. Are you coming to the commune again before the New Year?"
"I'll have to come again, probably around the 28th or 29th. I've already bought most of the New Year's goods I needed, and we just got some meat, so it's pretty good."
I also bought some flour to make some meat dumplings for Chinese New Year, haha!
Eating dumplings is what makes the New Year feel real.
Dumplings are a cherished tradition for Chinese people, especially those in rural northern China. Even today, dumplings are almost always eaten during the Lunar New Year and other festivals.
I find it too complicated and would rather make steamed buns than dumplings. It's really not a small task to roll out the dough and wrap each one individually, and the dumplings are so tiny, especially since everyone in my family has a big appetite.
Like the first year she made steamed buns, it was only a novelty for her that one time. In the past few years, she has only occasionally eaten the stock stored in the base space. She has never mentioned it again because the workload is too daunting for her.
When she's alone, sometimes if she really wants to eat it, she'll go inside and find what she has in stock to satisfy her craving. But when there are other people at home, except for the unavoidable meal during Chinese New Year, she basically never eats it. She's just too lazy to do it and can't explain it to them.
However, she glanced at the two children, and when she heard about dumplings, her eyes lit up, and she knew what was going on.
It's a curse, an inescapable curse.
"You're right, we have to eat dumplings during the New Year. Xiao An, Xiao Rui, let's make some dumplings when we get back?"
"good!"
Cheng An hesitated for a moment. He knew his sister didn't like trouble. He and Cheng Rui could cook a meal, but they really didn't know how to make delicate dishes like pancakes or dumplings.
Hearing Jian Dan's explanation, he already planned that once he arrived at the camp, he would secretly ask Cheng Jin how to make dumplings, making sure his sister didn't forget.
Jian Dan was unaware of his ambitions. He and Uncle Liu were still chatting about this and that, starting with this year's harvest, then moving on to the educated youth going to the countryside, and then back to when the whole village was starving a few years ago. The two children were completely bewildered and didn't know how the topic had suddenly shifted.
Upon seeing the garrison gate in the distance, the two brothers instinctively gathered their baskets, already preparing to get off the vehicle.
The training here is normal, but since it's close to the end of the year, they're also taking turns preparing for the New Year, so there's a festive atmosphere once you go in.
The most obvious example was Chef Zhang from the kitchen, who couldn't stop smiling in front of the two leaders.
"Haha, how's it going? Hopefully we can have a prosperous New Year this time!"
Cheng Jin would come over from time to time to take a look and learn more about the place.
Lin Zhengde is in charge of training, and he spends most of his time and energy on the training field. It's quite surprising that he's several steps behind in this area.
"No, Lao Zhang, this stuff was all learned from that book that Lao Cheng's niece brought over?"
After bringing over some books, Cheng Jin and Old Zhang from the canteen, who had been concerned about the soldiers' meals, quickly put their ideas into practice. They had the manpower, the space, and now the technical guidance.
Putting everything else aside, pig farming is the most successful.
The army unit has many people, and they are all willing to work hard and won't shirk their duties. They cut pig feed thoroughly, and the water they use to wash dishes is more oily than that used in the village. Even when cleaning the pigsty, they do it like they are doing housework, being both diligent and clean.
Good food, good environment, good mood, won't your weight just keep increasing?
In the autumn, they couldn't bear to kill the pigs. They surrounded the pigpen tightly and kept them raised until the end of the year. Only then did Master Zhang dare to call Cheng Jin and Lin Zhengde over to watch the slaughter.
"So? Tell me, how's our pig farming going?"
Lin Zhengde was very impressed. He took a few steps forward to take a look and saw that the more than twenty pigs in the pigpen were all plump and fat, their flesh jiggling, clearly very fat.
"Old Zhang, you're really something, you actually figured it out!"
"Haha, isn't this the project we worked on together back then? I happen to live nearby, so I come over to check on things whenever I have free time. They're all busy, but look over there, that's where we put the pig feed. It's never empty; anyone who happens to be passing by always brings some over."
Look at this pigsty! It's washed at least once a day, and there's not a single odor. Tell me, it's cleaner than the houses people live in in the countryside. How could the pigs not thrive?
Lin Zhengde loved to hear this; it was praise and affirmation for his soldiers, and he immediately grinned.
"Haha, those kids, they're all eyeing the meat."
Haha, by the way, are these greens from that greenhouse?
At this point, Old Zhang laughed even harder, slapping his thigh repeatedly.
"You know what, after that meal a few days ago, they went to find the political commissar. Ask him, he's got a beard, and he almost went straight into the greenhouse to do it himself."
Cheng Jin also wanted to laugh helplessly. He just wanted to improve the soldiers' meals. There weren't many kinds of vegetables in the greenhouse, but they were all hardy, high-yielding, and easy-to-care-for greens. Everyone had already eaten several batches of them this winter.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
