Chapter 154 Settling In
Wang Haiquan didn't expect everyone to be in such a hurry to leave.
He hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye to his company commander and political instructor.
The instructor and company commander came out of the room and gave him the completed evaluation forms.
Wang Haiquan said, "I really appreciate your care over the past few months. I hope we can cooperate again in the future."
The instructor said, "We'd love for you to send people over. If it weren't for your people, our company wouldn't have been able to do so much work this year."
"Director, it's so cold, are we still going?"
Hearing the rascals on the bus urging him on, Wang Haiquan laughed and scolded, "What's the rush? You've been here for months, don't you feel a little reluctant to leave? You're a bunch of heartless people."
The men on the bus shouted back, "Our consciences have been ruthlessly swallowed up by this land! We never want to come back!"
The workers of the 25th Company, who were watching the commotion from the entrance, were filled with envy.
The people in the business department could say they never want to come back, but they couldn't.
Unless another opportunity arises, they will have to stay here.
Earlier, Song Lubai was quick and agile, carrying a large bag and squeezing her way onto the bus through the crowd, securing a spot on the first bus.
At this moment, Liu Xiaolan was standing by the car talking to her.
These past few months have been pleasant with Liu Xiaolan, and Song Lubai has even handed over all her blackboard newspaper skills to her.
After the car started, Song Lubai waved to her, "It's cold outside, go back quickly."
Liu Xiaolan watched the truck leave the company with envy in her eyes.
As the vehicle drove out of the company, Song Lubai looked at the receding expanse of snow and said with a smile to Liu Xiang beside her, "We're finally leaving this place."
The excitement in my heart is truly indescribable.
Liu Xiang nodded vigorously, "Yes, I'm never coming back. I'm finally leaving."
The smile on her lips was impossible to suppress. When she turned her head, she saw the lively and cheerful smiles on everyone's faces. Song Lubai wanted to yell at Xue Se.
Hearing the excited shouts coming from behind, Wang Haiquan shook his head, "They're that happy!"
The driver laughed and said, "I'd rather run away than stay in the fields and do farm work for months."
The truck stopped in front of the armed forces department, and everyone got off with their luggage.
The person on duty at the gate said, "Please wait a moment, the truck has gone to the airport/customs office to unload the goods."
Remembering her cotton quilt, Song Lubai asked someone to watch her cloth bag and ran to the cotton-fluffing shop.
The weather has been cold lately, and she hasn't had a chance to come and get the quilts. It's been almost a month since she delivered the cotton, so the cotton quilts must have been ready by now.
The five-kilogram cotton quilt looked very soft and fluffy. When Song Lubai touched it, she was overjoyed with its soft and bouncy texture.
The cotton wadding, weighing 1.9 kilograms, was white and very fluffy.
Song Lubai carried a cotton quilt on her back and a bundle of cotton wadding tied with rope in her hand, running all the way back to the entrance of the Armed Forces Department.
The truck hadn't returned yet, and although everyone was freezing at the door, their hearts were burning with anticipation.
Song Lubai's cotton attracted everyone's attention and she was surrounded by people, so she couldn't find an opportunity to deliver the cotton to Wei Yang.
Fearing she wouldn't have time to see him off before leaving, Song Lubai clutched her stomach and said, "I need to go to the toilet. Can someone hold my blanket for me?"
And so, Song Lubai carried the cotton wadding into the courtyard of the Armed Forces Department to borrow a toilet.
Wei Yang seemed to be away. Song Lubai saw a familiar-looking man through the window and waved to him.
"Comrade, what's wrong?"
Song Lubai handed over the cotton, saying, "This is cotton I'm giving to Comrade Wei to thank him for his past help. I'm leaving the Sixth Farm today, so please give it to him for me. Thank you, comrade."
When Xiao Wang hesitated whether to accept or not, Song Lubai simply put the cotton in his arms, forcing him to take it.
"The car is here, I'm leaving, please thank him for me."
Song Lubai left, full of excitement.
Amidst laughter and cheerful conversation, the car stopped at the Shicheng Commercial Area.
It was already dark, and the people could only make out the general outline of the place through the electric light shining from inside.
Having grown accustomed to living with kerosene lamps at night without electricity, the presence of electricity here filled them with immense joy.
The driver led them through the gate, and someone inside who heard the commotion came out to greet them, asking, "Are the people who went to the Sixth Farm for labor training back?"
Everyone responded loudly.
Anyone could tell how happy they were.
"Follow me, the dormitory is in the back."
After passing a two-story house and a large open space, there was another two-story house standing across the back.
"Boys will stay on the first floor, and girls will go to the second floor. Eight people will share a room. After you have put your things away, go to the manager to collect your belongings."
Although the hallway wasn't much warmer than outside, each room had a stove.
The bed is covered in dust; it needs to be cleaned up.
Everyone worked together to clean the rooms. After cleaning three rooms, they figured the next group would arrive later, so they cleaned the remaining two rooms as well.
There's a washroom at the end of the corridor, so you don't need to go outside to wash your face, brush your teeth, or do laundry.
The room had a not-so-smooth stone and cement floor, and the walls were painted white on top and green on the bottom. The beds were proper iron-framed wooden beds, with one bed for each person. There were also a few old cabinets behind the door, and a long wooden table was placed at the very back, directly opposite the door.
These conditions are vastly different from those of the 25th Company.
Many families don't even have that kind of means.
No one is dissatisfied with the conditions here.
Although everyone's hands were frozen red from the cold water, it did not affect their speed in cleaning up the rooms.
Each person can receive one mattress and one quilt.
Song Lubai was certain that the quilt didn't weigh five kilograms; her quilt would come in handy tonight.
The sheets and duvet cover had a lingering smell, but no one seemed to care.
The administrator gave each dormitory a teapot and a broom, and told them to go downstairs to get hot water. There was a large insulated container at the entrance of the duty room, which was specifically for storing hot water.
Just as Song Lubai and the others had finished packing and were ready to lie down and sleep, the second group of people arrived.
Seeing the environment inside, everyone felt that good days were beckoning to them.
They were liberated; they were finally freed from the arduous labor of the 25th Company.
Everyone was too excited to sleep at night.
The stove was burning, so it wasn't cold when everyone had just gone to bed.
In the latter half of the night, the heat dissipated and the chill crept in; even wrapped tightly in the blanket, I still felt cold.
The temperature inside the room was a bit higher than that of the 25th Company's room. This slight chill was within everyone's tolerance level, and they wouldn't be so cold that they couldn't fall back asleep after waking up.
Song Lubai, covered with two blankets, felt very warm and slept soundly until dawn.
In the dead of night, in the dormitory in the backyard of the Armed Forces Department, Wei Yang was not sleeping soundly.
When he returned in the afternoon, he received the cotton that Xiao Wang had brought him. Looking at the snow-white cotton fibers, he fell silent.
This is a farewell gift, meant as a token of gratitude, yet it subtly creates a distance between the two.
She left the sixth division, and it's unknown where she'll be assigned in the future. It seems their relationship is coming to an end.
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