Chapter 2791: Reverie of the Future

"These are all trivial matters. Aren't there any important ones?"

"The important matter is matchmaking—arranging blind dates. For common folk, that's about as significant as life gets," Tan Shuangxi said.

"If there's a match, just marry her off!"

"It's never that simple!" Tan Shuangxi shook his head. "First you have to determine whether there's actually a match, then negotiate the betrothal gifts. There are countless complications involved."

"Getting a wife is harder than passing the imperial examinations!"

"It's much better now than two years ago. There are far more women available, and the betrothal gifts have come down considerably."

In the army, hot-blooded bachelors were never in short supply. Once the topic turned to women, the conversation could go on endlessly. When it came down to it, everyone wanted a wife, but the market price of marriage remained beyond most men's reach.

"It would've been nice if we could've been discharged in Guangdong. When we were stationed at Shaoguan, the young women and wives around the post kept eyeing us. Some even came asking if we'd be willing to stay. What a shame!"

The speaker's voice was heavy with regret.

"Why didn't you just stay then?"

"Stay and become a deserter? They'd catch you and put you before a firing squad! Though there were some bold enough to try. A soldier from Joint Logistics ran off with a woman. They mobilized all of us to search for him. After a month, still no trace. Lucky bastard got away with it!"

"What's lucky about that? He traded his soldier status for a wife. I wouldn't want it. Being a soldier is good—you'll have solid prospects after discharge. Isn't that better than becoming some family's live-in son-in-law?"

"That's true enough. Even after discharge, there's a good future ahead. Take the discharge pay, set up a proper household—wouldn't that be something."

"If there's another war in the future, would you come back to serve?"

"If I'm conscripted, I'd have to come. Without beating back the government troops and bandits, would your children have enough rice for every meal? Besides, would you dare refuse conscription? Do you want to become a non-citizen?" Sergeant Ma placed his military cap on the young soldier's head. "The future of this unit rests on shoulders like yours."

Seeing the conversation circling back to soldiering again, Tan Shuangxi shot a fierce glare at that oblivious soldier and cut in with a new subject. "The Bopu area has already organized into a fishery cooperative. If you're not joining, are you planning to go it alone?" Due to their frequent assignments supporting agriculture and industry, the Fubo Army was quite familiar with how production cooperatives were organized.

"Cooperatives are for poor folk who can't afford their own boats. My family hasn't fallen that far yet." Sergeant Ma spoke with evident pride. "My family and several of my uncles all own boats. Last time, we pooled our vessels together and bought a big fishing boat—a longline trawler made in Hong Kong. You set out hundreds of hooks at night and drag them along. In one night, you can haul in a hundred or more big fish. There's an ice hold below deck. Load it up with ice, and the catch goes straight in. By the time you unload at port, the fish are still rock-solid." Seeing everyone gathered around listening intently, the Sergeant couldn't help preening as he continued his boast. "Line-caught fish are much higher quality than net-caught. At the fish market grading, they're rated top grade and fetch premium prices. Earns far more than small boats pulling nets." Spittle flew as he spoke. "Just take our last tuna run. Every fish was over three feet long. Back at the wharf, we cut them open right there. The meat looked like the finest beef—deep, dark red. No need to cook it. Just take a knife, slice off a piece, and eat it straight. The taste..." Everyone involuntarily swallowed.

"Would it be something like Shunde raw fish?"

Sergeant Ma rolled his eyes. "The Chiefs all love this kind of fish! All the best tuna gets acquired by Room 39 of the Fishery General Company."

Room 39 operated under the jurisdiction of the General Office. Where its acquisitions ended up was self-evident.

"Dip it in a little light soy sauce, add a touch of ground mustard. It eats rich and smooth like beef, fresh and bouncy like jumbo prawns..."

This description had the whole group openly drooling, wishing they could eat immediately to satisfy their cravings.

"...There's a raw fish shop opened by a Japanese in East Gate Market called 'Ba.' The owner's name is something like Kou Masa. Somehow he heard that business was good on Hainan Island, so he came to East Gate Market to open a specialty raw fish shop. He often comes to buy my family's stock. Extremely picky. Also brags that he's an 'Immortal'..."

"Immortal? What kind of immortal? The Fish-Slicing Immortal?"

"Whether he's immortal or not, I couldn't say. But his craftsmanship is genuinely impressive." Sergeant Ma put in a good word for his customer.

"Since you've been out to sea several times, surely the boat isn't short one crewman?" Tan Shuangxi asked curiously.

"We've got plenty of fishermen. What the elders want is to use our earnings plus loans to start a proper fishery company and buy another two boats. The problem is that running a company means dealing with the Yamen—and you know how it is, the older generation fears dealing with officials more than anything. Even the 'Cadres' from the Senate won't do. So they've been urging me to discharge and come home."

"I thought you were going back to be a fisherman. Turns out you're going to be a big boss!" Someone's voice dripped with envy.

"Now, now, how could I count as a boss? I'm still just a fisherman." Sergeant Ma immediately became modest.

Tan Shuangxi had originally taken Sergeant Ma for a simple, honest man. He hadn't expected this honest man to have such substantial backing. When you're soldiers eating the same rations and wearing the same uniforms, everyone seems equal. But once talk turned to discharge, each man's true circumstances became apparent.

His own family wasn't poor either. Among the company, his family's situation ranked upper-middle. But compared to Sergeant Ma, they clearly didn't measure up. After all, his family just scratched their living from the soil.

Just as he was sinking into melancholy, a sharp whistle suddenly pierced the air from the hatchway, followed by the sentry's booming voice: "Officer on deck! Salute!"

The moment this call entered the cabin, Company Commanders, Platoon Leaders, and Squad Leaders sprang up like coiled springs, shouting: "All hands, assemble!" Everyone reacted instantly, leaping from their bunks to stand at attention.

The grille door of the upper deck swung open. Three neatly dressed figures descended the stairs. Backlit as they were, their faces couldn't be made out clearly, but from his bearing, it had to be Battalion Commander Lin Fu. Tan Shuangxi stood barefoot beside his bunk, snapped to attention, and saluted. "Report, Major! First Company, First Platoon at rest. Awaiting orders."

"At ease!" Lin Fu approached the narrow aisle. Nearby soldiers hurriedly pressed back to clear a path. Lin Fu made a circuit of the ship's cabin, confirmed no prohibited activities were underway, and soon issued his orders:

"All personnel, organize your quarters. After breakfast, we'll make port at Bopu for a brief rest and reorganization. After lunch, the entire battalion marches back to Anya Fortress. Leave your baggage on the ship."

After delivering his orders to the Company Commanders, Lin Fu turned and left the cabin. Just as he ducked through the hatchway, many soldiers heard him chuckle and mutter to himself, "Still dipping soy sauce..."

Once the Battalion Commander departed, the entire cabin erupted into activity. Everyone busied themselves with personal cleaning and hygiene while ribbing the Sergeant: "You and your tall tales. Eating fish dipped in soy sauce instead of vinegar."

Sergeant Ma remained unconvinced, defending himself: "The Battalion Commander obviously hasn't tried it. The Chiefs all eat it this way!"

Shortly after, new orders came down. The deck was now open. Each company could go topside to wash up and get some fresh air.

A burst of cheers immediately rose through the cabin. Due to the rough sea conditions, they hadn't been allowed on deck for two days. Everyone had been going stir-crazy.

Men scrambled to pull on clothes and shoes, grabbing their washing supplies as they headed up to the deck.

The weather outside was glorious. Though wisps of mist still drifted in the distance, the sea stretched out in a sheet of clear jade. A light breeze carrying the faint taste of salt swept across the T800's deck, washing over the soldiers' bodies. Their hearts and chests seemed to expand with it, as if they themselves were being cleansed.

Hundreds of ship ropes trembled in the wind, producing a chorus of creaking sounds. Due to the wind's direction, not all the sails had been hoisted. Yet the masts towering tens of meters high and the thousands of square meters of canvas hanging from them remained awe-inspiring sights to the army soldiers.

Quite a few men were already on deck. Most wore the standard white undershirts they slept in. Some used ladles of hot water poured by paymaster soldiers to wet towels and wash their faces. Others had toothbrushes stuck in their mouths, white foam continuously dripping from the corners of their lips.

The crossbars extending along both sides of the ship's rails were lined with squatting figures. One after another, they dropped their trousers and gripped the ropes, contemplating life. This peculiar method of relieving oneself was only possible in fair weather. Tan Shuangxi, disliking the stench, squeezed his way all the way to the bow before beginning to brush his teeth.

The ship didn't restrict freshwater use—after all, they were sailing along the coast. But with so many men aboard and limited deck access, many soldiers simply hadn't brushed their teeth or washed their faces for days, chewing gum as a substitute. Tan Shuangxi had made do this way for the past two days. Today, he was determined to clean himself properly.

From the bow, the entire fleet spread out before him: three T800s and three escorting single-masted patrol boats cutting through the waves. Masts rose like a forest, sails billowed like clouds. The sight alone filled him with a sense of majesty and power.

"Boom... rumble..."

Suddenly, the distant thunder of cannon fire rolled across the water. Then another report, and another.

The soldiers on deck froze in confusion. They were already close to Lingao. The Qiongzhou Strait had long been the Senate's domain. What fool pirates would come seeking death here?

"It's a salute!" The battalion headquarters messenger, young Liu, was more knowledgeable. He recognized something in the rhythmic booming. "It's the Navy coming to welcome us!"

As the ships advanced, the mist gradually dispersed. In the middle distance, a row of blurred bow silhouettes emerged, and beyond them, the tops of orderly masts. Most of the army soldiers had never witnessed such a spectacle. Each stood in silent wonder, eyes fixed straight ahead. The deck fell quiet. Only the slap of waves against the hull and the sharp snap of the Morning Star Flag at the bow could be heard.

Suddenly, the sun tore through a gap in the clouds. Golden light immediately flooded the ocean's surface. The sea mist vanished almost instantaneously. More than a dozen single-masted patrol boats were bearing down on them in column formation. Sails and masts rose like a forest, their presence commanding. Morning Star Flags flew high from every masthead.

The patrol boats fired their salute cannons as they advanced. The escort fleet's ships began answering in kind. Rolling thunder resonated across the Qiongzhou Strait. Billowing clouds of white smoke drifted over the water. The soldiers erupted in cheers.

The sailor stationed at the top of the mast suddenly called down to Lin Fu on the bridge: "Major! The Navy Strait Detachment has sent you a semaphore!"

He stared at the approaching vessel opposite, shouting out each word clearly: "Navy Strait Detachment salutes the heroic soldiers of the Army. Welcome home."

(End of Chapter)