Chapter 74 Commander: Absolutely Not!

“What you just said sounds a lot like…” Lin Hongzhe paused, and the words that followed nearly made Xia Yan choke with anger. This little fellow would surely outdo Lin You in stubbornness when he grew up—he was practically made of reinforced steel.

Yet with his antics, Xia Yan found her mood considerably lifted.

“Aunt Wang, I’m really troubling you, making you come along with me like this.”

That morning, Wang Guilan had come to find her, saying she’d inquired about the clay and would take Xia Yan to fetch it later. It was Xia Yan’s first time pulling a cart; Lin Nuannuan and Erdan sat atop it, laughing happily as they munched on White Rabbit candies.

“Xia, what are you talking about? It’s no trouble at all. I haven’t strolled around the ranch in ages. Though it’s a state-run ranch, it’s also where we keep the horses for our garrison. Erdan has been pestering me to ride, so this is the perfect chance to bring him along. There are quite a few young intellectuals working there too—it’s a good opportunity for you to meet and mingle.”

Xia Yan nodded earnestly at Wang Guilan’s words. She’d been here half a month and hadn’t known such a place existed. Intellectual youths… She’d only come across that term in novels, never expecting to encounter them in real life.

“Xia, you’re actually well qualified—you don’t have to farm. Didn’t I tell you before? You could get a job at the mailroom and earn a monthly wage. Those vegetables you grow aren’t worth nearly as much.”

“Aunt Wang, I’m quite content as I am. I don’t want to work in an office. Once the pigs are grown, I’ll start a pig farm and be my own boss,” Xia Yan replied, lifting her chin.

Wang Guilan smiled. “You’ve certainly got ambition.”

The two pushed the cart northward, taking turns whenever Xia Yan grew tired.

It was still cold on the steppe this season. In the ditches flanking the dirt road, the grass was just beginning to show tips of green.

Along the way, Xia Yan passed a few children heading to school, trailed by parents who were clearly chasing reluctant pupils.

After nearly half an hour, Xia Yan started to worry. The cart was manageable now with only two children riding, but soon it would be loaded with earth. Such a long trip—she and Wang Guilan would be exhausted hauling it all the way home. Who knew when they’d arrive? “Aunt Wang, how much farther do we have to go?”

Wang Guilan stopped to look ahead on tiptoe. “Almost there—no more than ten or fifteen minutes.”

“What? Another ten or fifteen minutes?” Xia Yan plopped down onto the grass. If she’d known, she would have waited for Lin You to help.

Wang Guilan laughed. “This is nothing!”

Just then, the sound of hooves drifted from up ahead. Xia Yan turned to look and, to her surprise, recognized the rider. He saw her too. “Sister-in-law! Auntie! What are you doing out here with a handcart?”

“Xiao Liu, it’s you! Xia and I are fetching some clay from the ranch to build a heated kang bed,” Wang Guilan replied.

Liu Yuanchao glanced from the ranch back toward the family quarters. “Just the two of you? You must be kidding—the clay’s heavy.”

Xia Yan shook her head. “Aren’t there three of us now?”

Liu Yuanchao was puzzled until he saw Xia Yan looking pointedly at him. He raised a hand to himself. “Sister-in-law, surely you don’t mean me?”

“Of course I do! Nuannuan, Erdan, let your uncle take you for a ride.”

The two children eagerly hopped down from the cart. Though they weren’t heavy, the cart felt much lighter once they were gone.

Elsewhere, in the military district office, Lin You sat across from a man of about fifty, square-faced, his head slightly lifted, eyes half-closed, exuding a natural authority. This was none other than the commander himself, Peng Zhenguo.

“I knew you’d come looking for me.”

“Commander, I know Xia Yan—she’s not the sort to make trouble,” Lin You said, cutting straight to the point.

“Oh? She hasn’t even been here a fortnight, and you say you know her already? She’s only nineteen, curious about everything, and this garrison is all new to her. What about later?” Peng Zhenguo took a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes, drew two, handed one to Lin You, and continued, “To us, a nineteen-year-old girl is still a child. You really expect a pampered daughter of a capitalist to look after your three kids?”

His tone was unrelenting. He struck a match, lit his cigarette, and fixed Lin You with a penetrating stare, waiting to see how he’d respond.

Lin You shook his head. “Commander, sometimes it doesn’t take long to truly know someone. Xia Yan’s been here barely two weeks, but if you asked around the mountain, you’d hear—my youngest son is notoriously stubborn, yet just yesterday, Xia Yan told me he called her ‘Mom.’”

As he spoke, Lin You’s face softened with happiness. “That means she’s doing a wonderful job.”

“You’re sure this isn’t just a passing whim…” Peng Zhenguo tapped his cigarette, aware of the situation at Lin You’s home. He’d met those children twice; the two boys were indeed headstrong. He hadn’t expected Xia Yan to win over one of them in such a short time.

“To be honest, when I first met her, I wasn’t very satisfied—not because of her looks, but because I felt unworthy. She’s a girl in the flower of youth, and I’m old enough to be her uncle.” Lin You recalled the awkwardness of their first meeting, when she’d mistaken him for someone else, and couldn’t help but smile. “So we agreed on a trial period—she could go home anytime within half a month. But if she chose to stay, I’d file for marriage.”

“Wait a minute—half a month? She’s only been here two weeks, but you submitted the marriage application a week ago.” Peng Zhenguo caught the inconsistency and interrupted.

“Commander, please let me finish.”

“Alright, go on,” Peng Zhenguo said, sitting up and picking up a file.

“But she wouldn’t have it. She got mad at me about it several times, saying that since she’d come, she’d made up her mind. Besides, we’d already gone back home to meet both our families—they agreed, so I submitted the application.”

Peng Zhenguo had known Lin You had gone home, but not that it was to discuss marriage. He set the file down. “So what you mean is, you’re not the one in a hurry—the girl is?”

Lin You shook his head. “It’s not that she’s in a hurry. Things just unfolded naturally. So, please, Commander, give us your blessing and approve it.”

Peng Zhenguo took another long drag from his cigarette and spoke slowly: “No.”