There's also Officer Li's elderly mother, and Deputy Company Commander Liu. Deputy Company Commander Liu is unmarried, and every time he receives his allowance, he uses it to ask someone to buy medicine for frostbite. More than half of them have frostbite on their hands and feet, which are cracked and bleeding from the cold.
Sigh, I know it's not just the snow that's to blame. It's just that the problems hadn't been solved yet, and they just happened to come together and surfaced at a certain point. In the end, it's because the local resources are too limited.
We spend every penny we have. Sometimes we wish we could plan ahead even before the money arrives. We lack everything, and there are too many people. When something is distributed, it barely makes a splash. Forget about saving, we don't even have enough for what we need right now.
"Sigh, we're just so poor."
This does seem to be more difficult than what Cheng Jin is facing, however...
"Is that why they transferred you here to be the political commissar in charge of daily life? Aren't they all saying you're a sly old fox, waiting for you to shrewdly accumulate wealth?"
Qin Qinghuai felt a sense of helplessness, like a skilled cook unable to cook without rice.
"I'm not sure what I can do right now. This morning I assimilated with Brother Chao, and from what he said, the infighting at the top is still going strong, so we really can't count on them for the time being."
Even if we rely on ourselves, we still need to come up with a plan; there's not much we can do in this freezing weather.
"That's true, but you can't get fat in one bite. You have to solve the problems one by one, and you have to save up your assets little by little. You can't rush it."
If clearing land for farming isn't an option now, then we need to find other ways out.
Isn't it said that people who live near mountains live off the mountains and people who live near water live off the water?
I think there should be a big river here, right?
The most basic common sense, even the simplest ones, is something everyone knows.
"Yes, two rivers. The one closer to us is the Wujiang River. The temperature here is low, and it has already entered the freezing period. It is very solid now."
"You mean, ice fishing?"
“I don’t know the situation here, nor do I know if there are any customs or taboos. But when it comes to water, this is what comes to mind. After the snow disaster last year, we caught quite a few fish in the small river in the commune.”
Qin Qinghuai nodded slightly.
"Yes, lives are at stake, why are you still worrying about customs and taboos? What you just said was, you want to go up the mountain?"
Speaking of this, Jian Dan sat up straight and looked at the sky outside.
"The snow has been gone for so many days, it's not as loose and slippery as it was when it first fell. Going up the mountain is actually a bit easier now than it was then."
Besides, with this weather, it will only get colder as time goes on, and who knows when the snow will come again. I'm okay if I'm alone, but you guys mean to bring people along, right?
"Then let's take advantage of the time now, before it gets too cold, and going up won't be too difficult. We can treat it as hunting, or as patrolling the mountains. I'll come along. If we encounter wild boars or something, we can treat ourselves to something nice when we get back. If we don't, then it'll truly be a patrol. The mountains in winter are always a bit different from other seasons. It'll only take a little time, so it won't be a waste, right?"
After staring at her for a while, Qin Qinghuai chuckled softly.
“We did have that idea, but we didn’t expect you to be so serious. The leader even said before that you might be unwilling, because if word got out, the reputation of being strong in martial arts wouldn’t be very friendly to a woman sometimes.”
This is simple and doesn't require much worry. She's been in the village for several years, and her reputation has spread far and wide. As long as she doesn't care or pursue the matter, it won't affect her.
However, she then realized that men also have pride, right? She was so flamboyant, pointing and gesturing in front of so many soldiers, wouldn't he feel something?
Thinking this, he couldn't help but move closer and asked in a low voice,
"I've gotten used to it over the years, but I forgot to ask you, has this affected you? You're a political commissar, and your spouse is someone who's prone to violence. Is that a good thing for your reputation? Won't people say something about it?"
Qin Qinghuai raised an eyebrow, a hint of smugness in his expression.
"You're overthinking it. They're all incredibly envious of me right now."
Putting everything else aside, it's already good enough that their family members can take good care of the home front and not cause them any trouble.
"My wife can do things that none of them can match. There are some things I can't even do. Otherwise, why would the regimental commander want to hire you as an instructor?"
After a quick and careful look, seeing no sign of discomfort in his eyes, I breathed a sigh of relief and then waved my hand.
"There are no instructors, just experience. I used to run around in the mountains a lot. Practice makes perfect, and I have a lot of knowledge. We exchange and share with each other. It's not that serious."
Qin Qinghuai smiled but didn't say much.
"Then I'll talk to the team leader and arrange the schedule as soon as possible, get the people out, and we'll go up the mountain in the next couple of days."
By the way, what kind of things or tools do you think we need to bring?
"Need not,"
Simply and spontaneously,
"When I go up the mountain, I usually carry only a basket, a machete, and water."
In case of emergency, anything on the mountain can be used as a ready-made tool and weapon. Of course, the mountains here aren't exactly safe, so it's understandable that you carry weapons on patrol, just in case.
Qin Qinghuai's interest clearly grew even stronger, and he immediately stood up.
"I'll make arrangements now. It's too late today. Can you do it tomorrow?"
A simple nod.
"I'm fine, anytime is fine."
After returning from the market last time, she had Qin Qinghuai nail a few wooden troughs and dig some soil, which were then placed on the ground in the west room. Now, the scallion plants have already sprouted new buds.
Putting everything else aside, the sight of lush greenery inside the house amidst the freezing snow outside instantly lifts my spirits.
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