A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

I don't know if it was the surging blood of these veterans that suppressed some ominous problems, or if Little Dumb Hair had drunk too much last night.

Anyway, I slept extremely well that night.

Feeling refreshed, Jiang Xia got up, intending to clean up the mess from last night. But as she stretched and went outside, she saw...

"No way! Is this really my dusty little courtyard?"

Jiang Xia pointed at the covered walkway, his face filled with disbelief.

The pillars, which were originally covered with gray cobwebs, are now spotless, and even the original eaves are now adorned with colorful decorative paintings.

The green doors and windows, paired with the red pillars, create a charming contrast.

"Oh, I just noticed, it looks pretty good! Aren't they saying red and green clash badly? It's surprisingly good-looking, how come I never noticed before?"

Big Guy chuckled as he reheated the leftovers from last night and brought them into the main room: "Yesterday, Company Commander Tang and the others were very happy to see the 'Special Forces Training Outline' you wrote. They said that poor soldiers don't have much to thank you for. After you went to bed, they tidied up the courtyard for you..."

Jiang Xia's heart skipped a beat, and he reached out to the corner of the window frame.

Sure enough, it was spotless.

Looking again at the bedding he had brought out for the veterans to rest in, it was all folded into neat squares, even the old, tattered cotton quilt that Jiang Xia had used when he was studying in Wudaokou was in the same state.

Neat and tidy, perfectly square, with eight corners on the sides, so that flies can do the splits when they land on it, and mosquitoes can slip and slide when they step on it...

"Hey, you even patched up the holes for me?" Jiang Xia pointed to the military green patches on the bedding. "Where did Company Commander Tang and the others get the cloth?"

"On his body..."

"what!"

"They tore off their own tattered shirts and used the good fabric to mend yours. They said it contained their spirit and energy, and could protect you from any unpleasant things. They hope you won't find it offensive..."

dislike?

how come!

Jiang Xia picked up the quilt and rushed back to her room, placing it neatly. She then casually kicked awake Old Wang, who was still clutching the quilt and sleeping in a terrible slumber.

"Old Wang, I'm going back to Jiangjia Village today. Are you free? If not, I need to hurry up and catch the bus... Uncle Big said a lot of companies are having parties today, and they have to go there to be on standby!"

Old Wang opened his sleepy eyes, unconsciously muttering, "Scholarly atmosphere..."

"Huh? What did you say?"

"It's nothing, I always go when you call me... I'll have another drink with Grandma Jiang. By the way, Jiang Dong and the others went back a couple of days ago, just letting you know..."

Old Wang yawned, threw off the covers, and tried to get up.

Jiang Xia nodded and asked as she walked out, "It's New Year's Eve today, aren't you going home for dinner?"

"I told the old man we won't be going back home for the holidays this year. He's got things to do anyway, so it doesn't matter... It's just the two of us living here..."

Old Wang got up and was halfway up when he suddenly froze, pulling the blanket he had just lifted back over himself.

?

"What are you doing? Hurry up, I want to buy some things to take back..."

"Go ahead, go ahead. Three minutes!"

While responding to Jiang Xia, Lao Wang shrank his slightly flushed face under the covers.

The big guy leaned against the door frame, grinning at the embarrassed Old Wang.

"Hey, Xiao Jiang, do you know what Old Wang did yesterday?"

"What?"

"He and Company Commander Tang drank until the very end, and then, using your 'power pills' as a bet, he swallowed two bottles by himself..."

"Tsk, aren't you afraid of killing yourself? Even though that medicine is about to expire, if you overdo it and it spoils, let's see what you do then!"

Jiang Xia shook his head speechlessly. Where did the cold and aloof Wang Kui go? Why does he seem to be becoming more and more like a husky?

……

After Jiang Xia finished breakfast, Old Wang finally got out of bed and hunched over as he ran to the main room to eat.

"Hey, the phone's ringing. It's Li Huaide. Go answer it quickly..."

Forget about continuing to tease Lao Wang, Jiang Xia returned to the small house, took the phone to the door, and started chatting with Li Huaide while munching on a steamed bun.

"Xiao Jiang! He was so happy to hear you called Uncle Li! He lined up at the camp last night, and hey, he finally got to the front! How are you doing? Is that Yang Erlengzi treating you like a mule again? Don't be afraid of him! Uncle Li will teach him a lesson when he gets back!"

Listening to Li Huaide's rapid-fire delivery on the other end of the phone, Jiang Xia felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

I glanced at my watch—it was only 7:30 AM. What's the time difference over there? It must still be early morning there.

Li Huaide went to great lengths for just one phone call.

"Uncle Li, Happy New Year! I wish you a prosperous and happy new year! May your career reach new heights and your family be blessed with happiness and fulfillment!"

"Oh, it's already the New Year? I was so busy I almost forgot! Uncle Li, I wish you good luck and all the best in your career!"

After exchanging blessings for a while, Jiang Xia changed the subject and asked about the situation at the factory.

It wouldn't have mattered if I hadn't asked, but once I did, Li Huaide started pouring out his grievances.

"Hey, Xiao Jiang, you don't know? We've all been fooled by that guy!"

"Bang bang bang..." A sound of slamming the table rang out: "What? I don't care what! Even if that bearded guy was right in front of me, I would say the same thing!"

Listening to Li Huaide's complaints about those around him, Jiang Xia wanted to laugh. Oh dear, Uncle Li, you've been shrewd your whole life, but you've finally been outmaneuvered by Uncle Wang Huzi.

Don't they even think about how they got this nickname "Bearded Man"?

Li Huaide's voice continued to come through the microphone:

"That guy with the big beard, didn't he say he'd finished building the factory? But when we came over, there wasn't a single thing! Even their soldiers were lying in dugouts!"

"Diwozi?"

"Yes! It's about digging a pit more than a meter deep from the ground, with an area of ​​about two or three square meters. You build a low wall about half a meter high around it with adobe bricks or tiles, put a few rafters on top, then build a raft made of branches, and finally cover the top with grass and mud."

"Oh, right, we also need to put up a few poplar trees at the entrance, otherwise the dugout will be full of sand when the wind blows."

"Sometimes, I've even fallen asleep and found myself half-buried in sand..."

"Is it that tough? Are the comrades from before doing well?"

"Hey, that's nothing... Let me tell you, when I first arrived..."

Only after Li Huaide recounted the events did Jiang Xia learn the specifics.

Even though the Air Force leaders gave special permission for the entire group from the Comprehensive Machinery Factory to travel by plane, the nearest airport was still half a day's journey from their destination.

Li Huaide and his fellow workers were exhausted by the ordeal, and they finally arrived at their destination—Shihezi—just as the sun was setting.

"This, this is what your leaders meant by the factory building already being built?"

The workers from the machinery factory got off the bus carrying bottles and jars, and stared at each other in disbelief at the vast plain.

"Hehe, it's built. Please take a look, everyone..."

The soldier who was there to greet them pointed to one side.

"Prepare for war and defend the border, promote production and construction, unite the people, work hard and forge ahead." These words immediately caught everyone's eye.

Upon closer inspection, the large characters were written on a long wall, but the wall was clearly not yet completed, and several shirtless soldiers were busy working on it.

"Is this the factory you built?" Li Huaide's fingers trembled, and he wanted to curse.

"Uh, no..."

As they were talking, another soldier took a sign and slammed it onto the gap in the wall.

"Tianshan Branch of Comprehensive Machinery Plant - Warehouse"

"My general said that the equipment you're providing is quite delicate, and we can't let the sandstorm damage it..."

"So, machines have houses to live in, but we don't?"

"It's not..."

The soldier sheepishly lifted a haystack. "This is your dormitory... We even dug a latrine for you!"

"Thank you..."