1688th Regiment Headquarters, Family Housing Compound:
The moment Liu Guilan heard Lu Cuilian mention a job feeding pigs, she stomped her foot anxiously.
“Feeding pigs… I’m not doing it. No way am I feeding pigs. I joined my husband at the army, and now I’m supposed to feed pigs in the military? If the people back home found out, they’d laugh themselves to death at me.”
Liu Guilan never liked people looking down on her, so she usually tried not to speak in her rural dialect. Yet every time she got nervous, she could not stop saying “I” in her countryside manner.
Wang Meizi let out a snort.
“Didn’t you hear what Sister Cuilian said? Even the pig-feeding jobs have limited openings. It’s not like you can get one just because you want it. Dream on. You’d love to do one of those pen-pushing jobs, but do you really think you’re qualified? You’ve got quite the nerve.”
Liu Guilan’s face instantly turned red.
Embarrassed and angry, she shot back, “Wang Meizi, what are you yelling for? I never said I wanted one of those office jobs. I just don’t want to feed pigs. You’ve already got a job in the cafeteria, so of course you’re not worried. All you do is stand there making sarcastic comments.”
Then she turned toward Gu Panpan.
“Panpan, you’re from the countryside too. Tell me honestly. Would you want to feed pigs?”
Liu Guilan deliberately pulled Gu Panpan into the discussion, hoping she would take her side.
In her mind, there was no way Gu Panpan would want to feed pigs either.
“I’ve never fed pigs before, but…”
Gu Panpan glanced at the military wives and paused.
Under Liu Guilan’s hopeful gaze, she continued, “I want to learn from Comrade Lei Feng. ‘I am willing to be a screw that never rusts. Wherever the Party places me, that is where I will shine.'”
Feed pigs?
She had never even raised a pet before.
What if she accidentally fed the pigs to death?
The pigs raised by the military were meant to provide extra nutrition for the soldiers. Gu Panpan would never dare fool around with something like that.
As for speaking honestly, that was out of the question.
She was a military wife now and had to carry herself accordingly.
She did not want Qin Zhan to suffer because of her.
Making a God of War Qin return home to farm would be utterly miserable.
“…”
Liu Guilan looked completely confused.
What exactly was Panpan talking about?
She had not understood a single word.
Wasn’t she supposed to say that, as another country girl, she did not want to feed pigs either?
“Panpan, I’m proud of you. As military wives, this is exactly the kind of awareness we should have. Wherever the Party and the people need us, that’s where we should go.”
Sun Runzhi’s eyes shone with admiration as she looked at Gu Panpan.
Her husband had told her about Lei Feng’s “screw spirit” before.
For someone as young as Panpan to possess such admirable values, Qin Zhan was truly fortunate.
Gu Panpan felt a little embarrassed.
She was not nearly that noble.
If she really had such lofty ideals, Heaven probably would not have punished her by making her transmigrate into a novel.
Lu Cuilian, meanwhile, was full of doubts.
Wasn’t Gu Panpan supposed to be a country girl?
How did she know about Lei Feng’s “screw spirit,” and how could she recite the quote word for word?
Even Lu Cuilian herself could not do that.
Unable to suppress her curiosity, she asked directly,
“Panpan, you must have read a lot of books, right?”
Gu Panpan modestly replied, “Not really. Not that many.”
After all, she held a bachelor’s degree.
Compared to people with master’s and doctoral degrees, it really was not that much.
Unfortunately, Lu Cuilian interpreted the answer very differently.
In her ears, Gu Panpan sounded incredibly arrogant.
Not humble at all.
Abandoning all subtlety, she asked directly, “Panpan, what’s your level of education?”
Oh! So she wanted to know about her education.
Was that really such an important question?
“I didn’t finish elementary school.”
The original owner had never even received an elementary school diploma.
Technically speaking, she had not graduated from elementary school.
Gu Panpan answered honestly. The moment she heard that, Lu Cuilian relaxed.
It seemed her only real competitor was Sun Runzhi.
Although Sun Runzhi’s education was not as high as her own, her husband was the political commissar. She had also been living with the regiment for more than ten years and had far better connections within the military community.
“Panpan, you only have an elementary school education? Then you’re just like me. Where did you learn to say all those impressive things? I thought you were highly educated. You really had us fooled. Hahaha…”
Liu Guilan forced a smile.
She had thought Gu Panpan possessed some extraordinary educational background.
The way she spoke sounded so refined that Liu Guilan could barely understand her.
Turns out she had just been putting on an act.
“My husband taught me.”
Sorry, Qin Zhan.
All credit for my education belongs to you now.
“Panpan, it’s okay. I didn’t finish elementary school either, but I still managed to get a job in the military cafeteria. You can do it too.”
Wang Meizi gently patted Gu Panpan’s shoulder in consolation.
“Sister-in-law Meizi, I’m really fine.”
Gu Panpan felt genuinely comforted by the plump military wife.
People in this era were, for the most part, wonderfully straightforward and sincere.
She had no intention of taking any of this to heart.
The regiment had not even officially announced the competition yet, and already two military wives were treating each other like rivals.
Back in her previous life, Gu Panpan had deliberately chosen to become a small-time web novelist because she did not want to be a corporate worker.
If the military had a factory, she would happily be the first person to sign up to tighten screws all day.
She was completely tired of using her brain.
The cafeteria sounded pretty good too.
Judging from how well-fed and cheerful Wang Meizi looked, the food there must be excellent.
With a cheerful tune on her lips and a smile on her face, Gu Panpan returned home.
She had gained quite a lot today.
Perhaps her first job after transmigrating into the novel would soon become a reality.
“Qin Zhan! Qin Zhan! I’m back!”
Nobody was in the courtyard.
Nobody was in the outer room or inner room either.
He was not home again?
Lately, she had no idea what that man was doing.
He was supposed to be on medical leave, yet instead of resting properly, he kept running around outside every day.
…
“Achoo!”
Qin Zhan, who was currently out and about, suddenly sneezed.
“Haha, looks like your wife is thinking about you, kid.”
A hearty laugh rang out as Zhang Changsui teased him.
“Old Zhang, give me a break.”
Qin Zhan smiled helplessly.
Zhang Changsui lowered his head and continued sawing a wooden plank.
Though the project had not yet taken shape, it was obvious he was building a desk.
He stood up to fetch a screwdriver.
Only then did it become apparent that his right leg was impaired. He limped noticeably with every step.
Half of his face was covered in scars.
A closer look revealed that they had been left by knife wounds.
“Old Zhang…”
Seeing him like this, Qin Zhan’s voice caught in his throat.
Once upon a time, Zhang Changsui had been a spirited young man, his closest comrade and brother-in-arms.
Now he has become like this.
And there was nothing Qin Zhan could do to help him.
The helplessness weighed heavily on him.
“Qin Zhan, what are you doing? Don’t pull that sentimental nonsense on me. I’m living better than ever these days. You’re the one working yourself like a dog every day.”
Zhang Changsui frowned. His leg was ruined.
Originally, the regiment had arranged a logistics position for him.
But he had refused.
Watching his former comrades train every day while he himself could do nothing but hobble around like a cripple was more than he could bear.
So he had voluntarily applied for discharge from the military.
After leaving, he settled in Xihua Village near the 1688th Regiment.
There, he became a carpenter and spent his days making desks, wardrobes, and other furniture for his former comrades.
He was an orphan.
In all likelihood, he would never marry.
When his time came, he planned to be buried on the hillside behind the regiment headquarters.
Even in death, he would continue watching over the regiment.
Watching over the country.