Chapter 107: Chapter 106: Military Plates, Plainclothes, and Ticket Scalpers

The two new soldiers finished their meal and hurried back for duty.

Ling Chengyan looked at her watch and said, “You guys are back so quickly, are you full?”

The two exchanged glances and smiled, nodding. One of them said, “Don’t worry, Lieutenant, we eat fast. Each of us had two big steamed buns and two bowls of lamb soup!”

The other one whispered, “We also had some wine.”

“Alright!” Ling Chengyan laughed and said, “You have another shift in the second half of the night, right? It’s colder then, so take care of yourselves. If you get cold, go into the hall to warm up. As long as the vehicles are fine, don’t let yourselves get too cold either.”

The two felt warmth in their hearts and quickly agreed.

Ling Chengyan went back to her room, washed up, and lay down to sleep fully dressed. When she woke up, it was exactly one in the morning.

She got up, put on her military hat and coat, and stepped out.

At this hour, the county town was mostly single-story houses, and in some poorer counties, there were even many earthen houses.

The room where Ling Chengyan stayed was in a row behind the parking lot. It was late at night, and the few street lamps were mostly off, leaving only the dim yellow light from the lamp over the reception door in the cold night.

Holding a flashlight, Ling Chengyan didn’t turn it on. Her steps were light and almost silent as she walked through the quiet night.

Passing the buildings in the front row, she could already see a few vehicles in the darkness, mainly trucks, but also a jeep with plates from Jinmen. A military plate.

During dinner, Ling Chengyan had seen three people from the jeep, all in plain clothes.

One was slightly older, with a dignified demeanor cultivated over a long time. The other two were young men, and Ling Chengyan sensed a kinship with them.

Those two might not be experts, but they were trained and wouldn’t have trouble handling three to five ordinary people.

Ling Chengyan’s mind drifted a bit, but her eyes and ears were keenly attentive to everything around her, including a fleeting shadow at the corner of the wall.

Her gaze tightened. If she wasn’t mistaken, that was one of the young men from the jeep, the taller and thinner one.

It turned out they weren’t the only ones who had set up a night watch.

Ling Chengyan arrived at the parking lot and found Wu Qingyun on duty with a new soldier. They were huddled under a car, continuously stomping their feet and rubbing their hands to fight the winter chill.

“Sergeant, are the new cars we brought back really for us?”

“You kid,” Wu Qingyun slapped him playfully and said, “we just learned to drive. Isn’t it better to practice on old cars? Why are you always thinking about new cars? If you take a new car out and scratch it, won’t your heart ache?”

“Hehe, I’m just imagining… not really thinking of driving a new car.” The new soldier defended himself quietly.

Suddenly, they noticed Ling Chengyan had quietly come up behind them, nearly scaring them into shouting.

“Lieutenant.” Wu Qingyun responded quickly, standing at attention and greeting. The new soldier followed his lead.

Ling Chengyan smiled and waved her hand, saying, “I’m just checking on you. Don’t catch a cold. If you get cold, go inside the hall to warm up a bit.”

The short new soldier glanced up at Wu Qingyun and smiled, “We just started our shift, not cold yet.”

Ling Chengyan looked at him, chuckling, “Want to drive a new car huh? … If you want to drive a new car, practice your skills. Only skilled drivers might get assigned new cars.”

The new soldier was a bit embarrassed, wanting to scratch his head but only tugging at the strings of his thick winter hat.

As they talked, Ling Chengyan walked around the vehicles, carefully avoiding the jeep after recalling the shadow she had seen earlier.

The next morning, a little after five, Ling Chengyan and her team got up for breakfast and departed south right at six o’clock.

As the truck drove on, the temperature grew warmer. Although the trees were still bare, there was no more snow along the roadside and ditches.

Further south, the river ice thinned, until the water shimmered with ripples, the ice completely gone.

Sitting in the rear compartment, the new soldiers relaxed, each leaning against the truck’s sideboards, curiously watching the scenery outside like kids on their first trip to the city.

That wasn’t surprising. Born and raised in the north for twenty years, where winter snow and frozen rivers were the norm, they were seeing sparkling river water in midwinter for the first time.

On the third day’s evening, they finally reached their destination.

They arrived late, and the liaison unit had already finished for the day. Only one person came to arrange their lodgings at the factory guesthouse.

A group of new recruits, taking such a long trip for the first time, and first time visiting one of the top cities domestically, were raring to go.

Seeing their eagerness, Ling Chengyan waved her hand and said, “You’re free to move around, just be back by nine.”

The new soldiers cheered and clapped, then formed small groups to explore the sights.

Zhang Wanxiang said, “Sister Yiyan, how about you go for a walk and get something for Xiaoshi and Shi Tou? We’ll hold down the fort.”

“You guys go ahead, I’ve been driving all day and I’m a bit tired, so I’ll just rest up.”

Seeing her say that, Wu Qingyun and Zhang Wanxiang couldn’t insist, so they said goodbye and went out too.

As night deepened, Ling Chengyan got up and checked her vehicle before casually strolling around the factory area.

Upon arrival, she noticed how vast the factory complex was, comparable to small county towns. Besides the main plant, it had a shop, nursery, school, cinema, and even a striking red cross marking a factory hospital.

Such facilities exceeded what most county towns offered.

It was late. The shop was closed, and school had finished, leaving a quietness. The cinema entrance, however, was bustling with people and vendors selling seeds and cigarettes, pacing around attracting customers.

Standing still, Ling Chengyan saw a big red sheet on the cinema door showcasing the latest film “Rolling River,” starring…

She watched young couples buy movie tickets and purchase seeds and peanuts from vendors, chatting and laughing as they waited for the film to start.

Suddenly, a man in a yellow coat approached her, whispering, “Want a movie ticket? Just fifty cents.”

Instinctively glancing around, Ling Chengyan shook her head.

The man didn’t press, turning away to approach another young couple and seemingly succeeding in his pitch.

She raised her brows, her belief in liberalizing business dealings strengthened.

By half-past eight, people had started returning. Ling Chengyan waited for everyone to get back, organized the night watch, and then retired to her room to rest.

She didn’t know that back home, there was chaos. Ever since Shi Tou attended a concert, he had been clutching Wang Liansheng’s sleeve at night, insisting, “Huanhuan, Huanhuan…” with his usually quiet mouth now nonstop.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep