With Li Tuan’s tacit approval, Wen Yan stood up. When discussing serious matters, one should adopt a proper posture.
What else could Bai Shanshan, the little assistant, do? She stood up too!
“Regiment Leader Li, the higher-ups don’t have enough breeding eggs to allocate to us, but we can exchange for them ourselves.”
“I’ve looked at the map.”
Wen Yan reached out her hand, and Bai Shanshan took the map from her bag and passed it over.
“Regiment Leader Li, please look. I’ve analyzed the nearby terrain. The villages of Ergou, Sangou, and Mawopeng are situated on high ground with no rivers flowing through them. I suspect they raise more chickens and pigs. Farmers raising livestock have to hand over public grain quotas, leaving them with little to eat themselves. But they still need some meat in their diet throughout the year. This is our opportunity.”
Li Tuan’s gaze followed Wen Yan’s finger as it moved across the map. Finally, he asked, “What opportunity?”
Wen Yan tapped her fingertip decisively, as if settling a grand plan. “Exchange!”
“We have fish, lots and lots of fish.”
Wen Yan reached out her hand again, and Bai Shanshan handed over a notebook filled with data Wen Yan had gathered from the canteen.
“Look, last year, the Land Reclamation Regiment ate fish for 360 days. They even broke the ice three times in winter and caught fifty-four thousand jin of fish.”
“We can’t eat it all, and these villages don’t have access to it. This is called mutually beneficial exchange.”
Li Tuan rubbed his fingers over the map. He knew Wen Yan made sense, but…
“No, there are regulations from above. We can’t do this.”
Wen Yan had anticipated this. She reached out her hand again, and Bai Shanshan continued fetching items.
Li Tuan glanced sideways: Just how much can that bag hold? Is there no end to this?!
“Regiment Leader Li, I’ve read all the rules and regulations thoroughly. There’s no explicit rule stating that the Land Reclamation Regiment cannot engage in equal exchange with village collectives.”
Li Tuan stared dumbfounded at the rulebook in Wen Yan’s hand, looking up, then down, then up again, and down once more.
“You’ve read all of it?”
Wen Yan nodded. “I’ve memorized it cover to cover. Don’t worry, I want to live well here, and I certainly won’t let our Land Reclamation Regiment tarnish its reputation.”
“Moreover, I guarantee we won’t take so much as a needle or thread from the masses. Not only will we not take, but we can also offer them warmth.”
“Look, besides the lack of meat I inferred, making fish exchange feasible, these villages have another characteristic. They are mostly near mountains. Spring has already arrived, and wild boars are becoming restless. We can form hunting teams from our soldiers. Any wild boars we hunt, we won’t keep for ourselves; we’ll hand them all over to the villages.”
Li Tuan’s damn heart stirred for a moment, but was this really feasible?
“Wen Yan, this is all your speculation. There’s no factual basis.”
Wen Yan smiled with an air of assured victory.
“I know. That’s why I’m applying to you to survey these villages. I’ll communicate with the villagers and record data meticulously. When I return, I’ll compile a feasibility plan. Then you can take it to the higher-ups to apply. How about that?”
How about that?
Li Tuan clenched his fist tightly.
He desperately wanted to improve the soldiers’ living standards.
Eating fish all year round had left a fishy taste in their mouths. How could they work hard if they weren’t well-fed?
He hadn’t stopped trying, but resources were limited. The orders from above were also: “We must take the initiative to solve difficulties ourselves.”
“Damn it, let’s do it!”
Wen Yan and Bai Shanshan came out of the office. Bai Shanshan watched as Li Tuan sent a young soldier to summon people.
Going to the villages was possible, but Wen Yan and Bai Shanshan couldn’t go alone as two female comrades; it wasn’t safe. They needed to arrange for escorts.
No matter what, Bai Shanshan felt her first surge of admiration. She secretly glanced at Wen Yan: She really is quite capable!
Wen Yan suddenly turned around. Bai Shanshan quickly looked up at the sky, praising with a clumsy attempt at deception: “Wow! The weather is really nice today!”
Wen Yan glanced at the sky; it was gloomy and gray.
Some people just enjoy cloudy days; she had to respect Bai Shanshan’s preferences.
“Bai Shanshan, go back and pack your things, make sure to dress warmly, and also…”
“And what else?”
Rarely seeing Wen Yan hesitate to speak directly, Bai Shanshan’s eyes lit up as she insisted on asking: “And what else? Just say it!”
“And bring feminine hygiene products. We’ll be gone for quite a while.”
Bai Shanshan regretted asking and awkwardly acknowledged, relieved that Wen Yan had spoken softly.
The two parted at the door, and Wen Yan also went back to pack her luggage.
Two sets of underwear for changes, one set of outer clothes, and plenty of candy.
Fortunately, because she had made the plow, the System had rewarded her with three jin of candy, three rolls of toilet paper, and the current sanitary pads.
Made of pure cotton cloth into long strips, connected with cloth straps for tying around the waist.
When using them, toilet paper or plant ash was placed inside the cotton layers, and they had to be washed after use.
As for more advanced sanitary pads, they weren’t available now; the System wouldn’t reward items beyond the current era.
The quilt was rolled into a bedroll; old farming households rarely had spare quilts to lend.
Before leaving, Wen Yan patted the small wooden box on the kang: “Be good and watch the house.”
An hour later, Zhao drove the horse-drawn cart. Wen Yan and Bai Shanshan sat on the cart, accompanied by two other soldiers.
The group of five introduced themselves to each other.
One of the soldiers had a smiling face and was slightly plump, a local familiar with the roads. Zhao called him Wang Fatty.
The other was thin and dark-skinned, surnamed Hou. Zhao called him Brother Hou.
Both were soldiers from the second battalion. When they saw Wen Yan, they politely called her “sister-in-law.”
Before setting off, Wen Yan delivered a practical speech.
“Our purpose for this trip is to exchange for chicks. Chicks grow into big chickens, big chickens become oily scrambled eggs, tender steamed eggs, fragrant chicken stewed with mushrooms, super appetizing spicy stir-fried chicken…”
“Sister-in-law! Stop talking!”
Zhao swallowed his saliva and called for a halt. Wang Fatty was full of fighting spirit, Monkey’s gaze was resolute, and Bai Shanshan mentally rehearsed a hundred and eight ways to chop a chicken.
The small team’s cohesion began to take shape for the first time.
The cart rocked and swayed. Wen Yan sat with her back to the wind, bundled up tightly.
Bai Shanshan speechlessly shifted her body slightly, blocking a tiny gap for Wen Yan.
Her mouth, as always, picked faults: “You’re clearly terrified of the cold, yet you insist on creating so much trouble for yourself. Can’t you just stay put comfortably?”
“What’s the point!”
Wen Yan shrunk her neck, her voice muffled by the scarf: “The point is to eat well, drink well, live well, and also, being idle is unbearable; everything feels uncomfortable.”
Bai Shanshan rolled her eyes: “You look exactly like a delicate young lady, but you don’t know how to enjoy comfort at all.”
Wen Yan narrowed her eyes, full of genuine pleasure: “You’re always praising me for being pretty.”
Bai Shanshan: “…”
Angrily, she turned her head and saw one of Zhao’s ears peeking out from under his hat, his little tiger tooth exposed.
Not even afraid of freezing his teeth.
“Hey! You eavesdropping there, put that tooth away.”
Zhao stole a glance at Wen Yan. Seeing that Wen Yan didn’t mind, he then glared at the meddlesome Bai Shanshan.
“Who’s eavesdropping? You talk so loudly it forces its way into my ears.”
“Hey—you sure have a lot of twisted logic!”
The two of them acted childishly like two little chicks, chirping and pecking at each other.
Wen Yan remained silent, only glancing left and right, causing Zhao and Bai Shanshan to quiet down.
Zhao: This is our hope for future eggs!
Bai Shanshan: Don’t tell me you’re going to dock my wages again?
The carriage couldn’t keep moving nonstop, so Wen Yan and Bai Shanshan occasionally got off to walk and lighten the load.
At present, livestock was far more precious than people.
Eight hours later, as the sky gradually darkened, they finally arrived at the first village, Ergou Village.