Chapter 80: He Was the Most Capable at This Outpost

"This doesn't look like a wedding at all, more like a batch of new recruits arriving. This morning, I saw two trucks packed with people. Three years ago, when the new recruits came, it was just as lively, with drums and gongs."

"New recruits?"

Xia Yan remembered Lin Ling had said she’d come in half a month, so why were new recruits arriving now? Hearing Wang Guilan mention it, Xia Yan, idle and curious, picked up Lin Nuannuan and followed the women towards the barracks.

Just as Wang Guilan had described, when Xia Yan arrived, the parade ground was crowded with people. Each had a vibrant red flower pinned to their chest, dressed in thick, brand-new winter uniforms—an expanse of army green, looking much like freshly dug potatoes still wrapped in their skins.

On the stage in the middle, Commander Sun Sheng was speaking. As he talked, many recruits below looked around curiously, sizing up this unfamiliar place.

"Sister, so many big red flowers!"

Lin Nuannuan pointed to the flowers on the recruits' chests.

"Yes, and in a few days, your aunt will be wearing a big red flower too."

"Really? Then I want one too!" The little girl’s face lit up with joy.

Xia Yan pinched her adorable cheeks and turned to Wang Guilan, "Aunt Wang, I thought the new recruits would arrive in a week. Why are they here now?"

Wang Guilan shook her head. "I don’t know. The mountain barracks haven’t had new recruits in three years. If it weren’t for a batch of veterans retiring, they wouldn’t have sent new ones."

Missions on the mountain were tough and sometimes dangerous, so usually soldiers would stay in the district for two years before being sent up. It was the first time such fresh recruits had come.

After Sun Sheng finished his motivational speech, Xia Yan saw Jiang Weiguo and others go to collect their men, while Battalion One was taken by Zhao Ming. From afar, Xia Yan noticed Zhao Ming didn’t look well—no doubt troubled by Liu Xiuying’s incident.

If Liu Xiuying had only been caught stealing pigs, Xia Yan might have let it go. But she’d struck Lin Hongzhe, and Lin You would not forgive that. If Lin You wouldn’t let it pass, neither would Xia Yan.

"Lin You will be busy again," Wang Guilan remarked.

"Why do you say that, Aunt Wang?" Xia Yan asked, puzzled. If the recruits were here, shouldn’t the platoon leaders take charge?

"You don’t know?" Wang Guilan was surprised.

"Know what?" Xia Yan scratched her head, confused.

"Lin You is the recruits’ instructor at the barracks—he trains all the new arrivals."

Wang Guilan couldn’t help but laugh at her expression.

"Aunt Wang, just tell me all of Lin You’s duties at once, so I don’t have to ask each time," Xia Yan said.

"He’s also responsible for marksmanship and..." Wang Guilan listed several more roles until Xia Yan’s mouth dropped open. "Isn’t he overworked? Seems like he’s the most capable here."

"You silly girl, you’re just pretending. You should be happy to marry such an outstanding man."

“It’s not certain I’ll marry him yet,” Xia Yan murmured quietly.

Just then, Jiang Weiguo came over. "Xia, how is Lin You recovering? When can he return?"

"Captain Jiang, the hospital says three weeks of rest—he’ll be back in two."

Xia Yan shifted Lin Nuannuan in her arms, and the little one sweetly called out, "Uncle Jiang!"

"Two more weeks? Can’t you talk to the hospital and let him return sooner? He’s in charge of all the recruits..."

Jiang Weiguo’s face clouded with worry.

Xia Yan shook her head. "Captain Jiang, three weeks is conservative. You don’t want Lin You to relapse and be sent back down the mountain, do you?"

"This is a damn mess. That bastard was ruthless," Jiang Weiguo cursed, then turned to lead the recruits away.

Once the excitement was over, the women dispersed from the parade ground in small groups.

After lunch, Xia Yan sat in the courtyard gazing at the blue sky, feeling oddly idle for the first time since she’d arrived at the barracks.

"Xia, do you have a moment?" Wang Guilan’s voice came from the rooftop next door.

The houses in the military compound all had flat roofs where the women liked to dry things.

"I do. Need help, Aunt Wang?"

"I have a few things to bring up. I’ll lower a rope—can you use the hook to lift the basket?" Wang Guilan waved a rope with an iron hook attached.

Xia Yan agreed and ran over.

The basket was filled with sliced radishes. People here liked to dry them for radish chips, which were crunchy and flavorful with porridge.

"Aunt Wang, teach me how to make these radish chips someday. Xiao Zhu really likes them."

"Sure, anytime you want to make them, just ask me," Wang Guilan replied from the rooftop.

Xia Yan looked up—she’d never been on the roof herself. Climbing up the ladder, she saw the distant snow-capped mountains, stunningly beautiful.

For a moment, she wanted to shout at the top of her lungs.

"Aunt Wang, look how beautiful it is over there."

"Beautiful? What’s beautiful about snow mountains?" Wang Guilan glanced in the direction Xia Yan pointed. "You’re new here. Wait a year or so—see if you still think it’s beautiful then."

"No, I think it’s lovely," Xia Yan replied with a smile.

She wandered around the rooftop and spotted something drying in a sieve in the corner, looking like caterpillars. "Aunt Wang, what’s this?"

"Oh, that? Cordyceps dug up on the mountain—not worth much," Wang Guilan replied calmly.

Xia Yan was stunned. Not worth much? This was Cordyceps, a precious medicinal herb! How could it be worthless?

She was so shocked she couldn’t close her mouth.

"This is Cordyceps, a valuable medicine," Xia Yan said, picking up a piece and sniffing it.

"It’s not worth much. Only the herbal shops down the mountain buy them. When we find some, we dry them and make soup," Wang Guilan said, focusing on her radish chips as if they were more valuable than Cordyceps.

"How much is it now?"

"Mine aren’t high quality. Maybe fifty or sixty yuan a pound."

"Fifty or sixty per pound?" Xia Yan was amazed. Each Cordyceps weighed about two grams, so a pound would be five hundred pieces! Five hundred Cordyceps would be priceless back then...

"Aunt Wang, how many can you dig in a day?"

"Depends how you dig. If you’re diligent, you can get a hundred or two hundred a day."

"So many?" Xia Yan was startled.

"Why so surprised? It’s not that easy. You have to know the season, and not every part of the mountain has them."

Xia Yan’s eyes sparkled. If Wang Guilan could dig so many, she must know how. "Aunt Wang, do you want to make some money?"