AYLS – Chapter 129

Lin Qiao was woken up early in the morning—completely tormented awake.

Her chest felt tight, she couldn’t breathe, and when she opened her eyes, someone was lying on top of her. She almost kicked him off on reflex.

Furious, she snapped, “Gu Huayuan, are you a dog?!”

Biting people first thing in the morning—what kind of terrible habit was that?

Gu Huayuan lifted his head, glanced at her, and leaned in to kiss her.

Lin Qiao: “…”

Where did he learn this habit of kissing her little mouth every time he felt like it?

She suspected Gu Huayuan had been secretly watching youthful romance dramas somewhere.

Forget it. She wouldn’t argue with him.

By the time Lin Qiao got up again, Gu Huayuan had already brought her breakfast.

Her whole body was sore. She turned away from him and muttered, “Not eating!”

“Oh, but the cooking squad comrades made this especially because they heard a family member arrived. Would be such a waste if you didn’t eat it. Ah, what a pity.”

“…I’ll eat later. You go. I don’t want to see you right now.” Lin Qiao was still angry.

Gu Huayuan laughed, leaned over, and kissed her cheek. “Then rest some more. The washbasin already has water, and there’s hot water in the thermos too—wash or wipe up however you like.”

Lin Qiao’s face burned. “Just go.”

Gu Huayuan nodded, refreshed and energetic as he walked out.

Now that he had a wife, this room finally felt like a home.

On his way out, he ran into a few army wives. They greeted him warmly and asked whether his wife was getting used to the place.

Gu Huayuan smiled. “She’s trying hard to settle in. She was up early cleaning. I wanted her to relax but she refused—said she wanted everything organized quickly so she can get to work.”

“You mean chicken farming? I heard your wife is a chicken-raising expert. Raised tons of chickens for the Construction Corps.”

“That’s right. She loves doing practical work. When she saw the soldiers never had meat in their meals, she went to learn breeding techniques. The regiment appreciated her dedication and helped her set up a chicken farm. By the time she left, there were already a few thousand chickens over there.”

“Aiyo, young people really know how to get things done. Such a capable woman. What’s your wife’s name again? Qiao…?”

“Xiao Qiao. Lin Qiao.”

“Ah yes, Comrade Lin Qiao. Very capable. We’ll have to learn from her. I have a few chickens at home that just won’t survive.”

“No problem. Once she starts her work here, I’ll let her know. She’s taught many people in the Corps how to raise chickens.”

“That’s wonderful. These days, skilled people are so valuable.”

Gu Huayuan smiled. “Both she and Comrade Xu Yuanzheng’s wife, Su Weizhen, have learned the technical skills. Hope they can contribute a bit this time.”

While she was being praised so highly, Lin Qiao was still sleeping until after eight. It was the latest she’d gotten up in a very long time. She almost felt groggy.

Luckily, work hadn’t officially started yet, so she didn’t need to report anywhere. After washing up, she was eating breakfast when Su Weizhen arrived.

Su Weizhen looked at her with a knowing smile.

Lin Qiao blushed. “As if we don’t all know each other too well.”

Su Weizhen cleared her throat. “Hurry and eat. We’re heading to the logistics office after this.”

Lin Qiao immediately sped up. Her mouth was small—when she took big bites, her cheeks puffed out round like a hamster.

With her cheeks stuffed full, she asked, “We’re going today?”

“Of course. You think we get a break?”

“That’s true. The weather’s so hot. Better to get the eggs incubated early.”

After eating, the two of them headed out.

This place was still new and unfamiliar to both of them, but having someone you know beside you made everything easier. If Lin Qiao had come alone, she really wouldn’t have adapted so quickly.

Along the way, they encountered several busy army wives hurrying past.

Everyone was very warm and friendly.

If not a smile and a nod, then they would stop to chat for a moment.

Lin Qiao was astonished to find that they all already knew her and Su Weizhen’s names.

Talking with them didn’t feel like meeting strangers at all.

Upon introduction, it turned out they were all the wives of the regimental commander or the battalion commander.

Everyone was especially interested in their chicken-raising experience and asked what their plans were this time.

Seeing how supportive everyone was, Lin Qiao and Su Weizhen both felt even more confident.

When it came to the topic of the chicken farm, the two of them certainly had a lot to say.

They gave an overview of the current situation of the Production Corps’ 1st Regiment poultry farm.

The wives listening were all amazed. They hadn’t expected so many rules and procedures in raising chickens.

Hearing about the results Lin Qiao and her team had achieved, they grew excited as well.

“This is great, raising chickens really is good. Are people generally eager to learn? Does it require much education?”

Most of the military wives here had lived through hard times. Although they had attended literacy classes, anything involving specialized knowledge was still difficult for them.

Lin Qiao smiled. “Anyone can learn. Back in the Corps, we even ran literacy classes first—learn to read, then learn the technical work. As long as one is willing, it’s quick to pick up.”

“That’s really good. Starting a class sounds great too. After you two finish settling in, should we discuss arranging a study class together?”

Lin Qiao glanced at Su Weizhen, who nodded happily.

Lin Qiao nodded as well. “Sure.”

After chatting with these warm-hearted military wives, Lin Qiao felt even more confident.

“Zhenzhen, I feel so confident now. Work here will be easy to carry out.”

Su Weizhen nodded. “The military wives here are mostly older and very kind to us. Thank goodness we didn’t run into another Ermei.”

Lin Qiao burst out laughing. “I still remember how Ermei used to bully you… but honestly, I’ve started to miss them.”

“We’ll have chances to see them again. I’m sure transportation will get more and more convenient.”

Lin Qiao sighed. Of course she knew. But it no longer had anything to do with her.

No matter how convenient transportation became, it couldn’t connect two different worlds.

“Zhenzhen, you’ll have to take on more responsibility for the chicken-raising later.”

Her priorities would no longer be fully here—she needed to start planning her return. She couldn’t stay any longer. The more time passed, the harder it would be to leave.

She would miss everyone here—especially Gu Huayuan.

The logistics office of the Production Corps had already been in contact with this side. Lin Qiao and Su Weizhen were sent as technical specialists.

So after arriving, they reported directly to the logistics office of the regiment where Gu Huayuan was stationed.

After they presented their introduction letter, the logistics chief personally received them.

Military operations here required a lot of resources.

Especially since transportation was inconvenient—if they relied only on shipped supplies, the cost would be enormous. But frontier soldiers couldn’t be deprived of meat entirely; at least once a month they needed something hearty. So the army also ran small-scale livestock operations.

They mainly raised pigs.

Pork provided quantity and rich nutrition. These tasks were handled by the logistics squads of each regiment—veterans.

There were chickens too, but not many. Not enough to supply the whole army—only as supplemental nutrition for the wounded.

“Welcome, comrades. We’ve reviewed your information. You performed excellently at your previous unit, and we believe you’ll be able to contribute greatly here as well.”

Chief Hao said with a warm smile.

Lin Qiao and Su Weizhen both smiled. Lin Qiao said, “We’re honored to contribute our efforts to the comrades.”

Su Weizhen said, “We’ll do our very best to raise the chickens well.”

Lin Qiao added that they brought fertilized eggs with them—excellent stock. They were willing to hatch these eggs and donate them to the poultry farm to expand the high-quality flock.

Chief Hao smiled. “We appreciate your sincerity, but the army has its principles. We cannot accept anything from the people for free—not even a needle or a thread. So there’s no need to mention donations. We’ll purchase those eggs. Your colleagues at the Corps have already mentioned the excellent chickens you raised—we’re very interested and hope to try it here as well.”

Lin Qiao and Su Weizhen didn’t argue over such details. They readily expressed that they would follow the organization’s arrangements.

Whatever the organization instructed, they would do.

As long as the leadership supported their poultry project, that was enough.

After discussing matters, Chief Hao arranged their living quarters.

Following the principle of proximity, family members were naturally placed in the same regiment as their husbands.

Therefore, Lin Qiao and Su Weizhen were assigned to the 2nd Regiment’s livestock area—where Gu Huayuan and Xu Yuanzheng were stationed.

Once everything was arranged, the office called the 2nd Regiment to send over Squad Leader Zhang from the logistics unit in charge of animal husbandry to take them to the poultry area.

This “poultry farm,” despite its name, was basically just chickens free-ranging in the mountains.

There wasn’t much management at all.

A few injured veterans were in charge.

These veterans had all distinguished themselves on the battlefield but could no longer serve due to their injuries. The army cared for them by assigning them logistics work.

When Lin Qiao and Su Weizhen saw them, their emotions were complicated.

Lin Qiao almost burst into tears.

The veterans greeted their squad leader. When they heard that the jobs were being assigned to Lin Qiao and Su Weizhen, they looked at them in surprise. “These dirty jobs are for female comrades?”

Lin Qiao immediately said, “Female comrades hold up half the sky!”

Squad Leader Zhang said, “See? You all lack awareness. What’s wrong with female comrades? Don’t look down on them—these two are technicians. Back at their unit, they managed a poultry farm from scratch and oversaw thousands of chickens. They have extensive experience.”

“Ah? Really?” The veterans looked at the two women with expressions saying, We underestimated you.

Lin Qiao cleared her throat. “Well… yes. On one hand, we really did learn the technical skills. On the other hand, we also discovered a very good breed. It’s hardy and easy to raise.”

A veteran with only one arm chuckled. “Aren’t chickens all the same? What kind of difference can there be?”

Su Weizhen said, “Comrade, of course there’s a difference. Just like with people—some have strong constitutions, some have weak ones.”

Squad Leader Zhang added, “What are you rough men doing arguing with the female comrades? They’re here to give you technical guidance this time, and also to take charge of breeding the new varieties. Just cooperate with them.”

“Alright then, we’ll naturally follow the organization’s arrangements.” The veteran soldiers were easy to get along with.

Anyway, whether it’s a donkey or a horse, once you take it out for a walk, you’ll know. No need to jump to conclusions early.

As soon as Squad Leader Zhang left, the men turned to Lin Qiao, asking how they should cooperate.

Right now their daily work was feeding the chickens and cleaning. Then at fixed times they would catch chickens and return them to the coop.

On normal days, they also helped the pig farm by cutting grass for the pigs.

Lin Qiao and Su Weizhen asked them to each lead them around and show their usual workflow.

They wanted to see what issues the chicken farm might have.

After doing a round of inspection, they discovered a whole bunch of problems.

The chickens here were basically in a pure free-range state.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to keep them penned; it was because penning them made them more prone to illness. And whenever they did get sick, it was in large batches.

The veterans had been temporarily assigned to manage the place. They had barely recovered from battlefield injuries before getting sent here, and had never received systematic training. Plus, poultry farming wasn’t a primary duty of the logistics team, so their work in this area wasn’t very meticulous.

Most of the chickens they raised were supplied to the hospital for wounded soldiers, and the eggs were also provided for the wounded.

The supply was sufficient for that.

Lin Qiao asked, “Then what about healthy people? They don’t eat meat?”

“They do, of course. They eat pork. We get pork every month.” Having at least one serving of meat was essential, otherwise they wouldn’t have the strength to train.

Lin Qiao asked how often they ate chicken.

“For healthy people to eat chicken? Who could stomach that?” one of the breeders said earnestly. “Transporting things here is difficult, and chickens are hard to raise. Anything good needs to be saved for the wounded first.”

Another breeder, a slightly younger one, added, “Speaking of which, the last time I drank chicken soup was three years ago, when I got carried off the battlefield.”

Hearing this made Lin Qiao feel awful. She glanced at Su Weizhen.

Su Weizhen’s expression was just as complicated. Both of them suddenly felt the weight of responsibility.

Especially Lin Qiao—she had originally planned to just muddle through here, complete her task, and go home early.

Now she didn’t even feel right thinking that way. She felt guilty, like she was letting everyone down. She wanted these most lovable people to be able to eat better.