After that, Lin Ying returned to her peaceful life. She went to the wild and found some more ula grass to make a futon for each child. Occasionally, when she went up the mountain, she would encounter the tiger couple and then return with meat.
If there was too little meat, she would eat it with the children; if there was too much meat, she would cook more and send it to the army.
As a result, several piles of meat that couldn't be eaten were buried in the snow at Lin Ying's house.
Two weeks later, the patrol mission of the Third Regiment, where Zhao Qinghuai was stationed, came to a successful conclusion. As Zhao Qinghuai had said, the following days would include regular training and rest.
Zhao Qinghuai finally returned to his normal routine of going home every day.
That day, Zhao Qinghuai returned excitedly and took Lin Ying to the military base, saying that the bathroom had finally been completed and he wanted her to see it.
Lin Ying was also looking forward to the bathroom, so she went to the military dormitory building again.
Today happened to be a holiday, and almost everyone from the Third Regiment was gathered here, waiting for the regimental commander to give the order. They couldn't wait to take off their clothes and jump into the pool.
As soon as Lin Ying entered, she saw that the three rows of newly built wooden houses were steaming.
Upon seeing Lin Ying arrive, many members of the Third Regiment, whether they had seen her before or not, saluted and greeted her. Everyone liked this regimental commander's wife very much; she had not only cured their eyesight but also ensured that they could occasionally eat meat during the hardest times.
Most importantly, they heard from the political commissar that they only thought of building this bathroom because of the regimental commander's wife.
Zhao Qinghuai led Lin Ying to the entrance of a bathroom. After making sure that no fools had jumped into the pool, he led Lin Ying inside.
Just inside the entrance, there's a large pond. A wooden bridge spans the pond, and it's surrounded by a fence.
Water is flowing from the pipe near the wall.
After crossing the bridge, they saw three stoves, each with a water pump in front of it. They built a platform with cement to hold the water pump in place.
At this moment, some people were pumping water, while others were starting a fire.
For aesthetic purposes, they inlaid pebbles into the pool, which did indeed make it look much better.
Hot water flowed continuously from the stove into the sink. Lin Ying went over to test the water temperature; it was slightly warmer than her hand, just the right temperature.
Zhao Qinghuai chimed in, "The water in the pool has been sitting for over half an hour, and it's still warm. This bathtub has excellent heat retention."
After exchanging only a few words, both of them started sweating.
Lin Ying tested the water temperature in each pool, especially the last one. After confirming that the temperature was suitable and everything was fine, she quickly put on her coat and left the bathroom.
"Is it your idea to see the medicine boiling in the pot?"
Zhao Qinghuai knew Lin Ying would ask this, so he quickly explained, "Didn't you say that the medicinal herbs need to be decocted before use? So I told them to decoct more herbs, then scoop them out in buckets and pour some into each pool later."
Lin Ying nodded: "That's one way. However, you can also grind the herbs into powder and sprinkle them directly inside, but the medicinal effect may not be as good as this."
Zhao Qinghuai said, "Then let's continue with this method. During the winter, I want them to take medicinal baths twice a day. Since the medicinal materials are expensive, we will use whichever one is most effective."
Lin Ying fell silent. She couldn't keep providing medicine to people indefinitely. Zhao Qinghuai's idea was good; it would prevent people from getting frostbite again after their chilblains healed.
The longer it takes, the more likely it is to be eradicated.
That way, I won't get sores habitually in the future.
Seeing Lin Ying come out, Wang Shan looked at Zhao Qinghuai. After Zhao Qinghuai nodded, Wang Shan immediately said, "We can begin. Everyone, enter in the order we agreed on before! Enter one battalion at a time! Each battalion has one hour, and everyone must stay inside for at least half an hour!"
Seeing that everyone was looking this way, Wang Shan said, "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and go inside!"
Everyone instantly became excited, but they still entered according to their class and the order drawn by lot.
Zhao Qinghuai gestured to Wang Shan and then left with Lin Ying.
Wang Shan waved his hand; he was still waiting to take a shower later and had no intention of leaving.
Just as Zhao Qinghuai and Lin Ying left, Zhang Shanlin arrived with the commanders of the First and Second Regiments.
They didn't have any reservations and went straight in for a visit.
Now, the commanders of the first and second regiments were green with envy and unhappy.
"No, Minister Zhang, isn't this going too far? Why is it that all the benefits go to the Third Regiment?"
"Exactly! We've worked together for so long, how can we be inferior to this newcomer? Although he is indeed very famous in the army, we are all from the same division. How can you be so biased?"
Zhang Shanlin was unhappy, and the two of them were practically accusing him of currying favor with Zhao Qinghuai.
"How can you talk like that? I've always treated everyone equally. This was their own idea. It was Commander Zhao's wife who brought him food, and she saw that the comrades on guard at the gate had frostbite on their hands. So she donated her own medicine to treat their frostbite."
Zhao Qinghuai wanted to do it all at once; since they were going to soak their feet, why not just take a bath? That's why he asked his wife to design this bathhouse for them.
The reasons given for their application are very reasonable. If this method can make winter easier for every soldier and prevent any comrade from developing chronic illnesses, I will naturally support it! Moreover, all these materials were approved by higher authorities! Every step of the process can withstand scrutiny!
I dare say that I, Zhang Shanlin, have a clear conscience!
Seeing that Zhang Shanlin was angry, the two regimental commanders immediately smiled apologetically and said, "Look at you, we were just joking, why are you getting so upset?"
Zhang Shanlin said irritably, "I don't like this kind of joke, so don't make it again! If you really think it's unfair, then it's because he's the one who got married. Putting everything else aside, at least he's never caused me any trouble, and he doesn't come to me to complain every few days!"
The two regimental commanders were embarrassed, gave an awkward smile, and remained silent.
But they didn't leave; they had just seen how hot it was inside. To prevent everyone from getting too hot, there were ventilation openings. You could see the steam rising from it from a great distance.
Finally, the regimental commander couldn't hold back any longer: "Well, we have no objection to building a bathhouse for the Third Regiment first, but could you perhaps do the same for ours?"
Zhang Shanlin waved his hand: "I really can't make that decision. This timber was obtained by Commander Zhao from the forest farm. It's frozen now, and we can't use any other materials to build houses, so we can only use timber. If you can also get timber, I'll apply for the remaining materials for you!"
The two regimental commanders exchanged a glance, said nothing, and left.
My initial plan to use the bathhouse for free has faded.
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