The 1970s: Military Family Beauty

Jiang Furong jogged in the cold wind.

It was still dark, and the tofu shop was the only one open in the compound. The dim street lights in front of the door illuminated the people who got up early to buy tofu pudding and pickles.

Jiang Furong walked to the railing next to the gate and looked at the road outside. There was not even a shadow of car lights. She thought she had arrived too early, so she found a conspicuous place in the yard to wait for the bus.

The weather was so cold that she felt the chill seeping through her cotton coat after standing for only a short while. She pulled up the large scarf on her shoulders and wrapped it around her entire head, leaving only her eyes exposed, and then tucked her hands into her sleeves.

Just when she was wondering if the deputy squad leader of the kitchen squad had overslept, a man in military uniform came towards her: "Are you Jiang Furong?"

Jiang Furong nodded quickly: "I am Jiang Furong, are you the deputy monitor?"

At that time, the military uniforms did not have stars and bars, but just uniform red epaulettes and five-pointed stars on the hats. The distinction between cadres and soldiers was based on whether the shirts had four or two pockets.

Standing in front of her was a young soldier wearing a cotton hat and a military coat. It was impossible to tell whether he was a cadre or not.

But at this time, the only person who came to call her and knew her name was the deputy squad leader of the kitchen squad.

"Squad Leader Fu asked me to come and get you." Seeing he had found the right person, the young soldier turned and led the way. "His car is waiting at the door."

After leaving the compound gate, the young soldier waved to a tricycle on the side of the road: "Squad Leader Fu, here we come."

That tricycle is actually a cart without handrails or a bed, and half a bicycle. It looks like what the kitchen staff uses to buy vegetables.

Jiang Furong thought that the tricycle was a shuttle bus that would take her to the bus company to catch a large truck, so she got on without saying a word.

The young soldier went around to the other side and sat on it.

The one pedaling the bike was the cook squad leader, Fu. He turned around and warned, "Hold on tight. There's no one on the road. I'm riding fast, so don't fall off."

Jiang Furong even replied playfully, "No problem."

Even after the tricycle turned onto the highway and was getting farther and farther away from the compound and the barracks, it showed no sign of stopping and its speed was increasing.

"Where's the car?" Jiang Furong was shocked. She wondered if she had been kidnapped. "Stop! Stop now!"

The young soldier next to him asked, "What car?"

Squad Leader Fu was confused. He braked, slowed down, and turned around to ask, "What's going on? What happened to you? Did you pinch your foot?"

Jiang Furong jumped down and stamped her numb feet. "Where's the truck that the kitchen team is sending to the county bus station?"

Squad Leader Fu pointed at the cart and said, "This is our kitchen team's tricycle. Who told you it was a truck?"

Jiang Furong came to her senses at this point and realized she might have misunderstood: "Zhang Haiyan from the service center told me that the deputy head of the kitchen team has a car going to the county bus station."

Squad Leader Fu chuckled: "You thought it was a big truck?"

"Isn't it?" Jiang Furong lowered her voice and tried to find an excuse for herself: "If it's not a big truck, what else can we call it?"

"A bicycle isn't a car, right? I even modified this tricycle myself!" Squad Leader Fu pointed at the young soldier sitting next to her, watching her calmly. "If he hadn't been in a hurry, you wouldn't even have been able to take the tricycle!"

Jiang Furong apologized awkwardly: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it was my mistake."

Squad Leader Fu was amused. "Oh, you're so polite! Hurry up and get on the bus and sit down. Your yelling has delayed me for another two minutes. I have to pedal harder."

Jiang Furong got on the cart again, smiled at the young soldier, and apologized: "I'm sorry, I hope I can catch the long-distance bus."

She was glad that she was wearing a mask to hide her embarrassment.

The young soldier suppressed his laughter and shook his head: "It's okay, we should still make it in time."

Without even turning around, Squad Leader Fu shouted, "Are you two acting in a movie? You sound pretty good."

"Old Fu, stop talking. The wind is so strong that everything will fill your stomach if you open your mouth." The young soldier replied loudly.

Jiang Furong looked at the young soldier and was surprised again: "His last name is Fu?"

Squad Leader Fu didn't care about the rumors and loudly defended himself: "My last name is Fu, and I'm the squad leader!"

The young soldier next to him laughed: "Who told you to be surnamed Fu? Even though you're a squad leader, people still call you deputy squad leader."

Jiang Furong couldn't help but hold her forehead. What was going on so early in the morning? Squad Leader Fu was the regular squad leader, and the ride was a tricycle.

This wasn't the first time Squad Leader Fu had been misunderstood like this. He even joked, "Having the surname Fu is a bit of a disadvantage. Being called a principal position often makes me become a deputy."

Jiang Furong made a mistake, but after a brief moment of embarrassment, she asked the young soldier openly, "What's your name? I'm so lucky to have you give me a ride today."

"No need to bother, my last name is Wei, which means defending our country. I'm Wei Heng." The young soldier said with a smile, "I'm also a squad leader, a regular one."

Jiang Furong couldn't hold back her laughter any longer: "Haha, Captain Wei, thank you for the ride, hahahaha."

The journey seemed to be shorter amidst the laughter, and they arrived at the county bus station just as the sky was getting light.

The county town has become bustling with people rushing to work or school, walking or riding bicycles, and squatting on the roadside with luggage waiting for the bus station to open. The two-lane road in front of the station is packed.

Squad Leader Fu squeezed the brakes and said, "You guys go in on your own. I can't walk any further."

Wei Heng jumped out of the car first and waved: "Okay, Captain Fu, thank you for your hard work!"

Jiang Furong jumped out of the car holding onto the edge of the car, forcing a smile and saying thank you: "Thank you!"

The road was a bit bumpy. She sat on the cart for more than half an hour. In order to maintain her balance, she pressed her feet hard against the grid on the bottom of the cart. Now her feet were numb and she couldn't move.

A vendor-like man came over with a basket on his shoulder. "Sister-in-law, we have tea eggs. They're delicious. Two, please? Ten cents each."

Jiang Furong didn't understand: "What?"

Wei Heng came over to chase them away for her: "No need."

The vendor was very experienced and not at all afraid of the man in military uniform. He was quite enthusiastic: "Commander, please buy two tea eggs for our sister-in-law. They are freshly cooked in the middle of the night and are still warm. Also, get two sesame cakes. They will fill you up."

Jiang Furong heard it clearly this time and pulled off her mask in disbelief: "Who are you calling sister-in-law?"

Wei Heng continued to wave people away: "No need, let's go over there to have breakfast."

There happened to be a state-owned restaurant near the bus station. There were quite a lot of people at the door. Some were holding fried dough sticks, some were holding sesame cakes, and some were drinking soup from bowls. Just by looking at them, you could tell that the breakfast must be delicious.

Jiang Furong swallowed her saliva, pinched the 1.60 yuan in her hand in her pocket, and shook her head to reject Wei Heng's kindness: "I want to go to the ticket window to check the tickets. It seems that there are quite a lot of people queuing up. I'm afraid I won't be able to buy a ticket soon."

She mainly wanted to look at the bus schedule, estimate the time, and then decide whether to go to the provincial capital.

Wei Heng was there to help her out, not to get breakfast. "Don't worry, I have a military ID, so I don't have to queue up to buy a ticket."

Jiang Furong's eyes lit up. She didn't even know that the military preferential card had this convenience.