Chapter 106: Chapter 105: Festival, On the Road

Ling Chengyan and her group set off early in the morning.

Xiao Xing and Shi Tou were still asleep, and Wang Liansheng had gone out at some point to buy breakfast and returned with roasted sesame cakes and mutton soup.

“I’ve prepared some cooked beef for you; you can eat it on the road if you’re hungry…” Wang Liansheng placed a lunch box into Ling Chengyan’s bag and advised, “Xiao Ma is driving quite well now, let him drive for a bit when the road is easy…”

Ling Chengyan looked up at him and said, “Don’t worry, on this trip, there are more than ten people on one vehicle, we won’t lack drivers.”

Wang Liansheng then took out several pairs of thick socks: “These are wool socks knitted by Xiao Yu for you. Wear them on your feet to keep warm… Though you’re going south, and the temperature there is a bit higher than here, the air is humid with high moisture, it’s damp cold, and there are no heating facilities there… Be sure to keep warm…”

Wang Liansheng kept advising, like a nagging mother.

Ling Chengyan simply didn’t say much, just agreed distractly while quickly finishing her sesame cake and mutton soup, and then got up, “I’m leaving. You look after the kids at home, take care!”

Wang Liansheng escorted his wife to the gate of the small courtyard, and when he wanted to see her off for a bit further, Ling Chengyan firmly sent him back.

On New Year’s Day, with Xiao Xing having a Sunday off, she hopped her way home after school on Saturday afternoon with her backpack, only to see her father and aunt had already set the dinner table.

“Hurry up and eat, after dinner I’ll take you all to watch the show. There’s a New Year gala tonight!” Wang Liansheng called out as soon as he saw Xiao Xing enter the door.

“Great, great!” Xiao Xing quickly agreed, then suddenly asked, “We’re all going to the gala, what about Shi Tou? He’s a little pig; he’ll sleep as soon as he’s full.”

Xiao Yu came out holding steamed buns, smiled and said, “I’ll stay home with Shi Tou, Xiao Xing can just go with brother-in-law.”

Wang Liansheng said, “Everyone goes, everyone goes, I have four tickets. I had initially planned for the whole family to go…”

As he spoke, he heard Xiao Shi Tou had fallen, and hurriedly went to check, leaving his words unfinished. But Xiao Yu and Xiao Xing both understood; initially meant to go with Ling Chengyan, but since she suddenly left with a task, an extra ticket was left.

While Wang Liansheng took the three children to watch the gala, Ling Chengyan’s group had covered about a third of their journey, stopping at a rundown small county town.

Though they were out of the province, the border of the two provinces didn’t show much difference in climate and customs. The group had been freezing all day in the car, and upon entering a warm house, each ordered hot water to wash up, finally feeling thawed.

The new recruits who had earned the chance for this business trip after numerous tests, also calmed down from their initial excitement and excitement, with even a couple faintly regretting. Usually, they followed their masters in the cab, enduring hardships at most while avoiding wind and rain, not too cold. Traveling in the car’s rear compartment was different; though covered with a tarpaulin sheltering from the wind, it remained very cold, freezing them stiff after a day.

During dinner, seeing the hot steaming mutton soup on the table, everyone cheered. In the mid-winter months, after a day of travel, nothing was more gratifying than a bowl of hot mutton soup.

The specially peppered mutton soup emitted heat, and after drinking a bowl, they sweated, dispelling the coldness completely.

Ling Chengyan even smiled and took out two bottles of strong liquor, requesting a hot water kettle from the waiter, warming it on the stove, and poured half a cup for each.

“Today is too cold. Everyone have a sip of liquor; it helps blood circulation, drives away cold and warms the body. But, I must add that the vehicle doesn’t stop, so don’t touch liquor, and avoid overindulgence. I hope everyone remembers this rule as well.”

Everyone quickly agreed, eagerly watching Ling Chengyan raise her tea bowl, smiling: “Drink up!”

Most of these recruits were not yet twenty years old, eighteen or nineteen youths, still seen as semi-grown in their families, most hadn’t drunk liquor before.

The strong liquor felt hot as soon as it entered their mouths, instantly fiery, and as it slipped down their throats, the fiery sensation traveled all the way to their stomachs, where the invasive warmth was more evident, just feeling warmly enveloped.

Then, while still warm, one could gulp down a large mouthful of the mutton soup and eat a piece of succulent, tasty mutton. Mmm, so comforting!

Having eaten their fill and drank enough, Ling Chengyan took Zhang Wanxiang outside to relieve the two new recruits on duty for dinner.

This guesthouse had limited conditions, coincidentally housing many guests that night, leaving no extra room, so those on night duty had to huddle inside their cotton coats, sheltered from the wind under the vehicle.

The cold weather and crowded space led to hourly rotations for the night shift duty, avoiding any cold-related illness or injury.

Ling Chengyan took Zhang Wanxiang to inspect the car inside out, focusing mainly on checking the vehicle since there was no cargo, saving a lot of trouble.

Seeing Ling Chengyan spread a layer of dirt under the gas tank, Zhang Wanxiang was astonished and couldn’t help but secretly be impressed.

He had been following his veteran master for several months and had indeed been on some long-distance trips, having encountered situations where fuel was stolen during parking for meals or overnight stays. They encountered it themselves and saw other vehicles experience it too. At these times, driving was still quite an esteemed skill, and while stealing vehicles was rare, stealing fuel was extremely common.

After all, the gas tank cap is exposed. Unscrewing it and inserting a hose allows fuel theft, as easy as picking up money.

Zhang Wanxiang thought for a moment and asked, “Sister Yan, even by spreading dirt, it only reveals if someone has approached; it doesn’t prevent fuel theft?”

Sprinkled dirt only lets thieves leave footprints, helpful for catching thieves and solving cases. But for those bold and meticulous, they can easily smooth the dirt before leaving, erasing traces. Crucially, it doesn’t stop thieves from stealing fuel.

Ling Chengyan glanced at him, unscrewing the gas tank cap and signaling Zhang Wanxiang to look inside.

It was a dark night, the gas tank area wasn’t lit, so he couldn’t see inside clearly.

Ling Chengyan took a thin stick from somewhere and handed it to him. Zhang Wanxiang, following Ling Chengyan’s instructions, inserted it into the tank. Hmm, it got blocked?!

Confused, Zhang Wanxiang turned to look at Ling Chengyan, who continued the inspection calmly and said casually, “I just added a net.”

“Wow, Sister Yan, how did you come up with such a great idea? I was just pondering adding a lock to the tank’s cap, hehe…” Zhang Wanxiang scratched his head and laughed foolishly.

Ling Chengyan shook her head: “Actually, adding a net is similar to adding a lock, merely setting up an obstacle, but it can’t fully prevent fuel theft… That’s also why I arranged for people to keep watch at night.”

For her, the military is an ingrained belief.

As long as soldiers are in uniform, they must maintain vigilance and readiness. Protecting the land is the duty of soldiers, and for the troops in the Automobile Company, the vehicles and supplies are akin to territories that need to be guarded wholeheartedly, without any negligence.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep