Chapter 372: The Gathering, Part II

The house was no different from the Australian houses she had seen and lived in in Lingao. The walls were whitewashed with lime, and a gas lamp was embedded in the wall. The windows were made of bright glass, and the floor was a bit more exquisite, made of bamboo. The ceiling was not high, and the area of the room was pitifully small.

This room was even smaller than her family’s old pigsty! Though Wang Bao’er’s family had only been a small grain-paying household in the past, their siheyuan was quite large. The threshing ground in front of the gate was almost a mu of land, and each of the three north-facing tiled houses was twice the size of this one. Even the side rooms for the hired hands were larger than this.

Her husband had been bragging about how rich the “chiefs” were, how well they treated the common people, how peacefully and happily the people lived, and how good their food and clothing were… he made it sound like a paradise on earth. But looking at how cramped this house was, it was nothing special…

But in the end, Lingao was a peaceful place. There were no rampant soldiers and bandits, and the grain was cheap. Not only could they eat fine grain at every meal, but they also had fish and meat from time to time. In her hometown, let alone during famines and wars, even in a normal year, it was rare for a family like hers to eat a few meals of fine grain, let alone fish and meat—having a piece of tofu was considered a treat.

It was not bad to have such a small place to live. After all, she and her husband didn’t even have a house like this. She didn’t know when they would have their own house. She was also unlucky. Not only was her family destroyed, but she also ended up marrying such a low-class warrior! At this thought, she couldn’t help but cry secretly. Hearing Zheng Yue’e call her to set the plates, she quickly wiped her tears with her sleeve.

Huang Ande called his brothers to sit. They all placed the wine and food they had brought on the large table. Huang Ande was a bachelor, so no one cooked for him. He had bought two roast ducks from East Gate Market: the authentic hanging-oven Nanbao ducks from the Shangguan restaurant, with rich, crispy skin. He had also prepared plenty of rice beer and fruit wine.

The two women did not dare to sit with the men like the legendary female chiefs. Instead, they hid in the kitchen to prepare the wine, meat, and dishes.

“Brother Huang, this gas stove of yours is really easy to use. You just turn this knob and light it with a match, and the fire comes right up.”

“This is because the chiefs are amazing. The stove is so exquisite,” Wang Bao’er said, carefully looking at the stove. “There’s gas coming out of here. Maybe the chiefs are using the biogas from the manure pits.”

“It’s not biogas, it’s coal gas,” Zheng Yue’e said, being more knowledgeable. “Biogas is unreliable. You can’t rely on it for cooking.” She put on a cloth apron, rolled up her sleeves, and started to get busy. The wine and dishes were all ready-made. Besides slicing the cold meat and arranging it on plates, the rest just needed to be heated up.

After everyone was seated, Huang Ande had everyone fill their glasses. Seeing that all the glasses were full, Huang Ande raised his glass and said that they were all his brothers who had gone through life and death with him. If it weren’t for their help, his own flesh and blood would have been left in Dengzhou City. With that, he drained his glass. Everyone sighed and also drank their glasses dry. After drinking, the conversation started, and the atmosphere became lively. At this time, reminiscing about the bitter past and sweet present was the easiest way to arouse everyone’s resonance.

“Ah, back in the Dengzhou camp, I would have been happy to die after a full meal. But now, I can eat my fill at every meal. It’s a pity about Brother Zhang. He was so good at riding horses and his martial arts were also excellent. He had rendered meritorious service, and even Village Head Lu said he would be of great use. But he was shot by a Liao soldier’s arrow while out on reconnaissance and just died like that!”

“Li Dagezi was also pitiful. He was usually as strong as an ox, but he fell ill as soon as he arrived in Lingao. He passed away in a few days. He didn’t get to enjoy a single day of happiness. Sigh.”

“Even if you get to Lingao, it’s not necessarily a happy life. Bi Dalu of the water camp—he’s my cousin—also came to Lingao and was assigned to the navy, which is known for its good food and drink. But the first time he went to sea, he was helping his master tend the boiler and load coal. The boiler exploded, and the steam scalded him to death! He was an only son, and his whole family died in Dengzhou. We thought he would be able to continue my uncle’s family line after coming to Lingao, but he’s gone just like that!”

The crowd talked about their friends and acquaintances, which brought sighs.

At this moment, Cao Qing chuckled and said, “Among our group, besides Brother Huang, Zhu Laosi is the most capable. In the midst of thousands of soldiers, he was still able to pull out his old flame.” This made the whole table burst into laughter. Zhu Si lowered his head and chuckled憨笑 (hānxiào - to laugh foolishly) twice. It was Zheng Yue’e who stuck her head out of the kitchen and spat, “Cao Qing, you can’t change that stinky mouth of yours wherever you go.”

Zhu Si said, “This is also because Brother Huang was willing to help. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had the ability!”

“Speaking of which, it’s all thanks to the kindness of the Senate. If Chief Lu hadn’t sent me to the human market to buy people, how could you have met your sister-in-law, Zhu Si? And how could I have rescued her?” Huang Ande said with emotion. “It was also fate that your sister-in-law was not destined to die! You were meant to be together!”

Zhu Si chuckled, looking like a fool who had gotten lucky. Zheng Yue’e came out with a large plate. The two roast ducks had been re-roasted on the stove and sliced. Each slice had both skin and meat, served with sweet bean sauce, scallions, cucumber strips, and thin pancakes—all bought as a set. Zheng Yue’e was now a kitchen assistant at the cooperative restaurant, and her knife skills were not bad.

“You all eat up. It won’t be good when it’s cold!” She wiped her hands on her apron and went back into the kitchen to get the other dishes.

Huang Ande saw Zheng Yue’e talking and laughing freely, having recovered her former spicy girl charm. He couldn’t help but raise his glass and smile. He turned his head and saw his cousin, Huang Xiong, eating silently by himself. His own wife was also hiding in the kitchen and didn’t come out, just quietly doing her work.

“Brother, these are all our own brothers here. Let’s have a drink together,” Huang Ande couldn’t help but urge him. Huang Xiong sighed slightly and had a drink with Huang Ande.

“Why do you seem so unhappy, brother?”

“To be honest, brother Ande, I’ve recently entered the General Staff’s tactical training class. When I got there, I saw that most of the people there had joined the army later than me. I was one of the earliest members of the security regiment. I missed the Battle of Chengmai, and I’ve been falling behind ever since.” He took another swig of wine and sighed heavily.

Huang Ande knew Huang Xiong’s situation best. He had missed the second anti-encirclement campaign and the subsequent summer awakening, so his merits were much lower than his contemporaries. He had finally managed to participate in a major operation like Operation Engine, but his team, because they couldn’t control themselves, did not get promoted. Instead, they were sent to Jeju Island to be White Horse Team instructors and missed the subsequent campaign against the Zheng family.

However, since they all got wives, it was hard to say whether it was a good or bad thing in Lingao, where men outnumbered women. Huang Xiong’s wife, Wang Bao’er, hearing her husband talk about this, also hid in the kitchen and didn’t dare to make a sound.

Huang Ande comforted Huang Xiong, “Didn’t you get a wife, old brother? Now your wife is pregnant. In a few months, you’ll have a son. That’s better than getting a promotion!”

“Brother Ande, don’t look at me having a wife. I didn’t get promoted, and I didn’t get a house. I don’t know when I’ll be able to buy one. We still have to sleep in the dormitory now. I’m fine, but my wife is pregnant and living in a collective dormitory. Others complain, and I’m not at ease. What will we do after the baby is born? We can’t continue to live in the dormitory…”

Huang Xiong and his wife were in a similar situation to Zhu Si and his wife. They lived apart on weekdays and could only get together on their days off. After she became pregnant, it was very inconvenient to live in a collective dormitory. Wang Bao’er had been nagging Huang Xiong about this recently.

Buying land and building a house was out of the question in Lingao. Except for the original natives who owned some land, almost all the land belonged to the Senate. The Planning Commission not only controlled the land planning of the entire county, but also never sold residential land to individuals, unless a native was willing to sell them their residential land, which was a price Huang Xiong could not afford.

Wang Qisuo said, “Can’t Brother Huang apply for a house? Our garrison just assigned houses to the officers recently. Brother Huang has the seniority of the old security regiment, even longer than the most senior company commander in our battalion.”

“We are a field army. How can we be compared to you imperial guards? I have applied, but there are many officers in the battalion who have applied. Though I have high seniority, I haven’t fought many battles, and my merit points are not enough. I can only wait in line. I heard from Little Xie in the logistics department that it will be my turn at least next year.”

“Brother Huang, you are an old member of the security regiment, one of the earliest to follow the chiefs. You should get some preferential treatment,” Wang Qisuo said while eating and drinking.

“The chiefs don’t remember us anymore. The Senate is a big enterprise now, with strong soldiers and horses…” Huang Xiong had had too much to drink and was full of complaints. He was currently receiving training in the General Staff’s tactical training class, which was supposed to be a good thing in preparation for promotion. But when he got there, he saw that many people with much less seniority than him were at the same rank and position as him, or even higher. Though he had gotten a wife, he couldn’t help but feel a little sour. Moreover, he had broken the rules for this wife, and he hadn’t been assigned a house, which made Wang Bao’er, after arriving in Lingao, occasionally nag, “My husband has also rendered great service to the chiefs. Other families all have houses, why doesn’t our family have one? We still have to squeeze in with so many people.”

“And there are no private schools here for enlightenment. How will the children go to school in the future?” Hearing her husband’s complaints, Wang Bao’er, who had been silent in the kitchen for a long time, also chimed in.

“Going to school is easy. The chiefs also have schools. Your brother Huang Xiong is an officer, so the children can go to school for free. You can rest assured, sister-in-law.” Huang Ande also knew that land in Lingao was very expensive and housing was tight, so he didn’t dare to take up Huang Xiong’s topic and just said a few words along with his sister-in-law. However, once the topic was opened, the brothers Huang Ande had brought from Dengzhou also had more complaints.