Chapter 207: Homecoming (Part 1)

“Fu Fu!” The company orderly appeared at the dormitory entrance. “The company commander wants to see you!”

Fu Fu immediately put down the gun he was cleaning, packed away his maintenance tools and firearm, and ran to the company headquarters.

Fu Fu’s company, the 3rd Company of the 1st Infantry Battalion, had just returned to the Maniao main base from the Qiongshan front. After the Battle of Chengmai, the 1st Battalion had been engaged in “maintaining pressure” operations on the Qiongshan front, besieging Haikou, Qiongshan, and other areas. This blockade operation involved no large-scale armed conflicts. Besides occasional captures of prisoners and shelling of the city, there was basically no combat. The 1st Battalion’s main task was to cooperate with the civil administration departments in “going to the countryside” and “consolidating villages and hamlets.” They conducted large-scale pacification operations in the local area, clearing out routed soldiers and bandits, and training soldiers for the county squadrons.

After several months of frequent pacification operations, the 1st Battalion was transferred from Qiongshan back to Lingao for rest and recuperation. Soldiers and officers were granted leave in batches.

“Reporting! Private First Class Fu Fu reporting as ordered!” he saluted at the door and said loudly.

Only the company commander was in the office. His company commander was Lin Fu. Lin Fu was wearing the new small-collared uniform, adorned with a full set of ribbons, and was sitting behind his desk, diligently writing some report. On the wall behind him was an army flag.

Lin Fu nodded. “Are you a local?”

“Yes, sir! I’m from Meiyang Village—”

“You are granted one week’s leave, effective immediately.” Lin Fu handed him an envelope. “It starts from noon today. This is your leave permit.”

“Thank you, sir!” Fu Fu was very happy to hear he could go home and grinned broadly. Of course, Fu Buer and his wife were hardly his family—just the masters who exploited his cheap labor. But the children of the Fu family, whether they were houseboys or Fu Buer’s own children, had a very deep bond with each other. They ate, lived, and worked together, and were even beaten together. Fu Buer’s wife was no better to her own children than to the houseboys. To her, both were just mouths to feed and hands to work.

“Don’t thank me. It’s an order from the General Military Affairs Directorate,” Lin Fu said. “Dress smartly during your leave! Show the dignity of a soldier!”

“Yes, sir!”

Fu Fu left the company headquarters. He hadn’t been back to Meiyang Village since he was sent by his master to be a soldier in the “Security Regiment” over a year ago. He returned to his dormitory, packed up all his weapons and personal equipment, completed the handover procedures, and then changed into a brand-new uniform. Soldiers on leave were of course not allowed to carry weapons, but to enhance their sense of honor, the General Military Affairs Directorate allowed army and navy soldiers with the rank of private first class and above to carry an army bayonet or a navy dagger as a military honor during non-duty periods.

Fu Fu attached his bayonet and examined his image in the dormitory’s full-length mirror. He looked very imposing. Especially with the bayonet, it looked a bit like the short swords worn by the sergeants. Fu Fu had long admired the sergeants’ short swords. He had heard that the company commander had recommended him for the selection of the sergeant training team this time. He assessed his seniority and performance; he should be selected for this term of the sergeant training team.

It would have been great if he could have become a sergeant before his leave. Fu Fu thought with some regret. If he had appeared at Fu Buer’s door wearing a corporal’s insignia and a short sword with a red tassel, he wondered what kind of look Fu Yijin would give him, and what kind of expression Fu Buer’s wife would have. Fu Fu had had a crush on this “young lady” for a long time, but in the past, he was afraid of the master’s wife and didn’t have the guts. This time, returning home, his courage had grown, and he decided to have a good talk with the master about this matter.

He turned sideways to check his belt, then pulled at his integrated leggings to see if they were neat and tidy, in accordance with the regulations in the “Soldier’s Handbook.” Fu Fu hoped to one day wear the officer’s leather belt and long boots. He had heard that the company commander was once just an ordinary soldier. When he, Fu Fu, joined the army, the company commander was just a corporal squad leader.

Fu Fu had no doubt that he would one day become an officer. Although he had cried secretly several times when he was sent to be a soldier over a year ago—being a soldier was hard and tiring, and he could lose his life at any time, which made him think of deserting before he even joined—looking back now, Fu Fu felt that his two years in the army were like being reborn.

Fu Fu pinned on his medals and left the dormitory, heading straight for the camp’s military service cooperative. The military service cooperative was actually run by the cooperative. Besides selling goods, it also operated a small tavern and handled savings and postal services.

Fu Fu had basically not spent any of his military pay. Like most soldiers, he was very frugal, depositing every fen of his pay into his account at the military service cooperative. Many local soldiers with families would send their pay home to subsidize their families—the remittance fee was waived.

Fu Fu, of course, would not send his pay to Fu Buer. He had even heard that Fu Buer had come to the army to claim his pay and was rebuked by the chiefs, which made him secretly happy. He would rather sell his life to the Australians than work for Fu Buer again. He was not happy with the days when even an extra bite of pickled vegetables would earn him a scolding from the master’s wife.

However, he had to buy some gifts for his brothers and sisters this time. Especially for Fu Yijin. He planned to buy her a small powder box with a mirror, but unfortunately, the military service cooperative didn’t have any. They mostly sold food and daily necessities.

Fu Fu first bought some food at the military service cooperative. The prices here were a little lower than outside, to show preference to the military. Fu Fu knew that the Fu Buer family rarely saw meat all year round. Brown rice with pickled fish juice was considered a treat during the busy farming season. So he specially bought a lot of dried fish, fish cakes, kelp, and laver, as well as two jars of fish sauce and two jars of chili sauce. The latter was a new product and was very popular with the soldiers.

He also bought a towel and a rattan helmet-shaped hat for everyone, as well as the latest military bamboo water bottle. The rattan helmet-shaped hat was worn by the army and navy during daily training and labor. It was ventilated and provided shade, which was very practical in this subtropical region. Once introduced, it was not only welcomed by the soldiers but also very popular with the common people. As for the military bamboo water bottle, it had a special woven rattan protective cover and an adjustable strap, which could be conveniently hung on a belt or slung over the shoulder. It was both practical and fashionable, and very popular with young people. At first, only soldiers and laborers used it, but gradually, people in various communes began to use it as well. The water bottles were even in short supply, so much so that the cooperatives in each commune had to limit the supply when they were sold.

As for other gifts, he would have to go to the East Gate Market to buy them.

Lin Fu sent Fu Fu away and then filled out a leave permit for himself. As an officer, he also got leave. Lin Fu’s home was in the salt farm village of Maniao, which was very close. He could have gone home on normal holidays. But since returning to Maniao, he had been caught up in continuous summary meetings, writing reports, and conducting training and exercises, without a single day off. This time, he could have a long leave, and he certainly couldn’t miss the opportunity.

Lin Fu’s family were also salt workers. Since the transmigrator group established the monopoly bureau, the villagers of the salt farm village had been integrated into the state-owned salt factory under the monopoly bureau. Lin Fu’s family had all become workers at the salt factory. Lin Fu knew from his family letters that his family was doing well now. The Maniao commune where the salt farm village was located was currently undergoing “new rural construction,” and they hoped he would bring back some of his accumulated military pay to buy a new house.

Lin Fu was certainly in favor of his family getting a new house. The houses in the salt farm village were all built of rough stones from the seaside. Because there was no suitable adhesive, and also to prevent damage from typhoons, the houses were built very low, and the rooms were dark, damp, and gloomy all year round. In the past, he had lived in such a house and hadn’t thought much of it. But since joining the army, seeing the houses the Australians lived in, and getting used to the tall and bright dormitories of the military camp, he naturally looked down on these uncomfortable and unhygienic stone houses.

Lin Fu decided to bring back all his savings this time to see what this “new housing” was like and what size would be suitable to buy. He heard that the price of the houses was quite high, so he had to consider it carefully.

Fu Fu left the Maniao base. He could now choose to go to the port and catch a ride on a salt boat—salt boats went to Bopu every day, and he could sit on the salt bags and travel slowly by just asking someone at the pier. Fu Fu felt that taking a boat was too slow, and he would have to walk several kilometers to the pier. It was faster to take the public ox-cart from near the Maniao base.

Thanks to the road construction during the war preparations, Lingao’s public transportation system had been greatly extended. The addition of a large number of government prisoners of war and steamrollers had accelerated the road construction project. The road from Chengmai to Lingao was now fully open and was being extended towards Qiongshan.

The newly established public transportation company had extended the public ox-cart service to Maniao and had set up an ox-cart transfer station at the entrance of the Maniao base.

Fu Fu arrived at the large-span bamboo shed platform of the ox-cart transfer station. A wooden sign hung there, showing the routes, times, and stops along the way. Currently, the Maniao transfer station only had two bus routes: one from Maniao to Bopu, and one from Maniao to the salt farm village. The arrival and departure times for each route were clearly written. A number of local villagers from Maniao had already gathered on the platform, carrying baskets and shoulder poles, preparing to go to Bopu or Bairen. Some were just planning to go to the villages along the way. With the convenience of transportation, the frequency of villagers’ travel had greatly increased, and many villagers’ enthusiasm for selling their products had also increased, stimulating the circulation of goods.