Ma Ji pointed at it. “Then what about that Russian—what does it say?”
Chen Mianmian said, “That’s a fertilizer sack. The fertilizer is called urea.”
Ma Ji still wasn’t entirely convinced, but since he himself didn’t know much Russian, he had to accept it. “Not bad.”
He added, “We actually use foreign languages quite a bit in logistics and security. The experts are too busy, and we can’t always bother them. If something like this comes up again, since you’re resting during your pregnancy anyway, help us out.”
Then he said, “You know, we’ve really been screwed over by the Soviets.”
This explained why English and Russian were considered risky, yet Zhao Lingcheng still wanted Chen Mianmian to learn them—and why she needed to demonstrate her skills.
In the 1950s, China and the Soviet Union had cooperated closely, advancing together in industry and agriculture. But in the early 1960s, the Soviets suddenly turned hostile, withdrew all experts and technical support, and even demanded huge compensation.
Before that, most research materials were in Russian. Experts like Zhao Lingcheng, who understood foreign languages, were fine. But for logistics, security, and agriculture departments, things became extremely difficult. Anyone who knew foreign languages could easily be labeled a political suspect.
Yet in real work, foreign language still appeared occasionally. A small mistake could lead to disasters like Jiang De’s earlier error.
In March, during spring planting, the soldiers fertilized crops daily and even covered them during frost, carefully nurturing them.
But if one bottle of herbicide wiped everything out, then two months of work would be wasted.
So today, with her limited English knowledge, Chen Mianmian had helped the base avoid a massive loss.
In the future, Ma Ji might need her help again, so he was setting things up in advance.
Chen Mianmian replied with her usual line, “I learned English for the people, and I only use it to serve the people.”
She added again, “At Hongzhuan School, I wasn’t just a language top student—I was also a ‘Living Lei Feng.’”
The “Living Lei Feng” title she earned there was extremely prestigious.
As long as she promoted it more, it would replace her previous bad reputation.
Sure enough, Ma Ji rubbed his hands excitedly. “That was last year’s ‘Learn from Lei Feng’ campaign, right? You actually won an award at Hongzhuan School?”
As the name implied, the students there were all outstanding descendants of martyrs. Being recognized by them carried far more weight than similar honors elsewhere.
Ma Ji asked again, “Where’s your certificate? Why didn’t you bring it back and put it up at the base?”
The original owner had sent it to her family and displayed it at the Hongqi Commune. Chen Mianmian smiled and said, “I’ll bring it back in a few days.”
Ma Ji nodded enthusiastically. “Even fine wine needs someone to promote it. If we can save those crops this time, I’ll make sure to publicize your achievement!”
He meant what he said. That evening, as soon as he got home, he received a phone call.
When he heard it was Old General Zhao, he quickly said, “You’re looking for Engineer Zhao? I’m sorry, he’s really working overtime today.”
Zhao Jun already knew Zhao Lingcheng was working overtime. He called to ask about his granddaughter-in-law.
How dull was she? Was her intelligence a problem? Would it affect the child? That’s what concerned him.
As soon as Ma Ji heard this, he said, “I don’t know her very well, but she didn’t waste her two years at Hongzhuan School. She really knows English. Just today, she helped our base in a big way.”
Zhao Jun, who had studied abroad, was skeptical. “Foreign languages aren’t easy. I heard she’s slow-witted.”
Ma Ji replied, “I don’t know if she’s slow, but she definitely studied seriously. She even said she’s a top student. Oh, and good news—she was awarded ‘Living Lei Feng’!”
Zhao Jun let out a breath. If she were truly stupid, how could she be a top student or earn that title?
It seemed the problem lay with his eldest grandson—Zhao Lingcheng. His thinking must be off.
…
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
Zhao Lingcheng sent an orderly to the neighboring unit to inform Jiang Xia to accompany Chen Mianmian to the department store.
There was a reason: with only a temporary visit permit, Chen Mianmian couldn’t buy many special-supply items for military families.
The farm incident from a couple of days ago had been serious. The crops had wilted, and soldiers had been spraying water constantly to save them. Only today had things slightly improved.
When one person makes a mistake, everyone suffers. Jiang Xia had been unusually quiet these past few days.
She didn’t argue with anyone. After work, she shut herself inside, and even Shuai Shuai was kept indoors.
Without him leading, Zhanzhan didn’t dare bully Miaomiao, so the girl had been quite happy lately.
Today was the agreed day for Jiang Xia to accompany Chen Mianmian shopping.
And today, she finally received the long-awaited letter from Xu Xiaomei.
How to describe it? Jiang Xia seemed to come back to life.
She happily shouted out the window, “Xiao Chen, you’re pregnant—take it slow. Let’s go to the department store after lunch. I’ll come over as soon as I get off work!”
From a broader perspective, Jiang Xia and her brother were part of the main group—people who dedicated their lives to the desert. There was nothing fundamentally wrong with them.
The original owner had indeed gone too far at times. Jiang Xia, feeling sorry for Zhao Lingcheng, naturally targeted her.
But Chen Mianmian didn’t want a bad reputation, so Jiang Xia would have to bear some inconvenience.
The weather was getting hotter. She needed to buy clothes and prepare things for the baby.
There was also one particularly important item she needed to find.
She didn’t wait for Jiang Xia and went to the store before noon.
Xiao Jia, the sales clerk who had bought her jerboa skins before, greeted her warmly. “Sister-in-law, what do you need?”
Sales clerks had perks—snacks were freely available.
Stepping out from behind the counter, Xiao Jia secretly handed her a handful of White Rabbit candies. “Here, eat while you look around.”
Chen Mianmian asked, “Xiao Jia, do you have naked oats?”
Xiao Jia smiled. “Oat flour is very popular, so it’s sold out. But the raw oats—we can go check.”
The base store was like a future supermarket, supplying daily goods, clothing, cosmetics, grain, and vegetables.
There were only two vegetables: potatoes and cabbage. Both were from last year—potatoes had sprouted, and the cabbage had dried into papery shells.
The grain section was a large room filled with coarse grains.
Millet flour, sorghum flour, pea flour, cornmeal…
Chen Mianmian suddenly stopped.
She picked up a handful of pale, fuzzy grains. “How much is this naked oat?”
Xiao Jia said, “It’s expensive—same price as rice. Five cents per jin, and limited to five jin per household.”
Oat flour sold out quickly because it was delicious, but as raw grain, fewer people knew how to cook it, so it was still available.
…
When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer.
To retaliate against Chen Mianmian, Xu Xiaomei had launched a combined attack.
On one side, she spread rumors through letters to ruin her reputation. On the other, she drove Lin Yan toward suicide.
Chen Mianmian had ways to protect her own reputation.
She didn’t know how busy Zhao Lingcheng was, but she could guess his mood wasn’t good.
Lin Yan had originally been with the Nationalists but later defected. Now labeled a rightist, he was actually quite wronged.
Zhao Lingcheng might be able to shoot down planes, but he couldn’t control the militia.
If they wanted Lin Yan dead, they had many ways.
But after thinking carefully these past few days, Chen Mianmian came up with a way to help him.
And the key item was the grain she held—naked oats.
Just as she was examining it, she heard laughter outside, followed by Jiang Xia’s voice:
“Busy, everyone?”
Then she said, “You know Xiao Chen, Zhao Lingcheng’s ex-wife? Her younger brother’s wife is named Xu Xiaomei…”
Chen Mianmian immediately walked out of the grain section.
A clerk asked, “What happened?”
Jiang Xia smiled. “Xu Xiaomei said—”
Chen Mianmian cut in, “Xu Xiaomei’s younger brother is a spy.”
Then she added, “Aunt Jiang, you’re in contact with a spy’s sister—what’s your relationship?”
Jiang Xia staggered back, her voice sharp. “What?”
She looked stunned. “I… I didn’t know!”
She was the fattest woman at the base, but that wasn’t really a problem.
In a place with scarce staple food, she could still cook meals—she was an excellent cook.
She made steamed buns from scratch every day.
But one flaw—she loved gossip.
She had just received the letter that morning and hadn’t had time to spread it yet.
Now, hearing about a spy connection, she panicked.
Everyone stared at her.
She waved her hands frantically. “I just heard some things! How could I be a spy…”
Too late.
This was a sensitive military base—spies were the greatest fear.
Xiao Jia looked at the supervisor. “This… we should…”
The supervisor said, “Report to security immediately. If a spy infiltrates, we’re all in trouble.”
Then to Jiang Xia: “Go explain yourself at the security office.”
Jiang Xia collapsed onto the ground. “Damn that spy! Why drag a widow like me into this…”
…
Unless necessary, Zhao Jun never called Zhao Lingcheng.
He avoided interfering in his life so he could focus on work.
But today, as soon as Zhao Lingcheng returned from a trip, he got a call.
“I’ve already heard in the capital—Xiao Chen is a top student and a ‘Living Lei Feng.’ You fool, and you still think she’s stupid?”
Why reject someone devoted to the people?
He barked again, “Finish your work and remarry immediately, or I’ll deal with you under military law!”
Zhao Lingcheng already knew she had the “Living Lei Feng” title.
She was hardworking, like an old ox—always working and quietly storing food.
She deserved the title.
But was she really a top student?
He didn’t believe it.
Yet today, her act of saving the crops had already been posted on the bulletin board.
His priority was still his uncle Lin Yan.
But as he hurried past the board, he stopped and turned back.
It read:
“Commendation: Chen Mianmian — Hongzhuan School Top Student, Living Lei Feng, Savior of the Farm.”
He had only been busy for three days.
And his ex-wife had already become famous across the base?