Chapter 183: Chapter 182: Old Acquaintances

After seeing off Wang Lianfa and his wife, and shooing the children back to their rooms to sleep, Wang Liansheng tidied up the courtyard before returning to his room. He found that his wife was still awake, leaning against the headboard with a book in her hand.

“It’s late, let’s sleep,” Wang Liansheng said as he took off his shoes and got into bed.

But Ling Chengyan didn’t immediately put down her book. Instead, she said, “Should we go back to the county and ask about the situation?”

She knew that Wang Liansheng cared about family very much. The second branch of the Wang Family had driven him away, forcing him to regard his uncle, aunt, and two cousins as family. His elder cousin was facing difficulties, and Wang Liansheng was surely concerned.

“I’ll call to inquire tomorrow first,” Wang Liansheng said as he leaned over to tuck in the small mosquito net around his son. He turned back to comfort his wife, “Don’t worry, big brother will be alright.”

Ling Chengyan nodded, put down her book, and went to sleep. Only then did Wang Liansheng pull the light cord at the headboard, turning off the lamp.

Two days later, the list for the Special Service Company was announced. Ling Chengyan was also called in by Political Commissioner He for a talk and informed that she was being assigned as the company commander of the Special Service Company. There were two deputy commanders, both of whom Ling Chengyan knew: the original deputy commander of the Reconnaissance Company Zhou Lixin, and the deputy of the Second Sea Defense Team Tang Guohui. Additionally, there was a political instructor assigned, who was also someone Ling Chengyan was familiar with: the political officer of the Taiping Commune, Xu Dong.

The arrangements for Zhou Lixin and Tang Guohui didn’t surprise Ling Chengyan, but upon hearing Xu Dong’s name, she couldn’t help but slightly widen her eyes.

Though the militia teams of each county and commune were technically under regional management, they leaned more towards government departments and were no longer mere branches of the military. Xu Dong’s transfer to the Special Service Company, and even as her assistant, was a bit unexpected for her.

He Limin observed the change in expression on Ling Chengyan’s face, a smile appearing on his own. “You’re right, it’s the same Xu Dong from the Taiping Commune back then. You could say you two are old acquaintances now,” he said with a smile.

Ling Chengyan also smiled. “Indeed, we’re old acquaintances.”

The first task upon the establishment of the Special Service Company was construction. Since it was a newly formed unit with no barracks or even a temporary office space, they borrowed a remote courtyard from the district. There were no training grounds either, so construction needed to start promptly.

Funds had been allocated from above. Ling Chengyan took over the formation of the Special Training, and after familiarizing herself with the task for two days, they went directly to the mountainous area for survival and confrontation training.

Both Ling Chengyan and the two deputy commanders went with the team to the mountains. Xu Dong, who was just appointed as the instructor, coordinated with the district’s logistics department to handle the logistics and construction work.

After three months of special training, with only one week absent, and seeing the personnel training progress smoothly, Ling Chengyan drove her own car back.

After driving a large truck with the Automobile Company for over two years, Ling Chengyan now had her own car.

From the inception of the Special Training, it was equipped with a jeep and a truck, which made the entire district envious.

Upon Ling Chengyan’s return, a construction company had already been chosen, the construction site was cleared, and large batches of materials were ready for the build.

The site was chosen not far from the district compound, originally a warehouse that had been abandoned for several years and obtained by the district. Ling Chengyan drove to the construction site for a look and unexpectedly met her elder cousin, Wang Lianqi.

Only then did she learn that the project had been won by Fucheng County Construction Company. Because of tight schedules and heavy tasks, the county construction company couldn’t handle it alone. They kept the construction of the office and barracks buildings, and subcontracted smaller projects like the cafeteria and training grounds. Wang Lianqi’s construction team got the subcontract for the cafeteria and equipment warehouse.

As Ling Chengyan talked with Wang Lianqi, some younger men moving bricks and sand nearby started chatting.

“Who’s that our boss is talking to? Looks really imposing!”

“Isn’t it the fourth brother’s sister-in-law? Didn’t they say she’s in Huicheng too?”

“Hey, just listening to you, it’s clear you don’t know. The fourth brother’s wife joined the army through special recruitment. It’s said that she drives with Zhang Wanxiang and Wu Qingyun in the Automobile Company. Did you see this one? She’s driving a small sedan. If she isn’t a big shot, how could she get a ride like that?”

“Doesn’t look like it to me. Four’s sister-in-law is skinny and weak, not this imposing…”

Over there, after exchanging a few words with Wang Lianqi, they agreed to talk more over dinner at home in the evening, and then Ling Chengyan drove off.

Wang Lianqi, feeling in good spirits, returned to face the curious looks of his crew with a smile.

“Boss, who was that just now? Looks really impressive, must be a big shot in the ranks?”

Wang Lianqi chuckled and said, “Not that big of a shot, just the company commander of the Special Service Company we’re building, enjoying battalion-level treatment.”

“What does that mean?”

“You fool, just means she’s a battalion commander. Can’t you understand that? Really!”

“Well I’ll be, a battalion commander! A young woman reaching battalion commander level, she must be really capable!”

In his heart, Wang Lianqi was also deeply impressed. Not to mention these guys being surprised, even he, who had watched Ling Chengyan step by step reach her current position, felt like it was a dream!

This one here joined the army through special recruitment and in less than three years, not only advanced in rank, but also reached battalion level.

His eldest son, Hongjun, who enlisted less than a year later, studied hard as advised by his fourth aunt, and finally got admitted to the military academy this year. After three years upon graduation, he’d be at platoon level.

If there was no comparison, he felt his son was already outstanding enough.

Unfortunately, with the miraculous existence of Ling Chengyan, his son only reaching platoon level after five years in the army seemed dwarfed by her achievements.

Back at the compound, Ling Chengyan held a meeting with Xu Dong, and after adjourning, they left together.

“Lianqi is coming over for dinner tonight, why don’t you join too?” Ling Chengyan asked.

Back in the day, when she joined the commune’s training, Wang Lianqi was the militia captain of his brigade, and Xu Dong was the political officer of the commune’s militia team. They were all old acquaintances.

“Sure, I’ll head over after work,” Xu Dong agreed without hesitation.

After bidding farewell, Ling Chengyan rode her bicycle to the market to buy groceries.

In the late summer of 1981, the market was even more prosperous. The newly built farmers’ market was already in use, the steel structure pavilion providing vendors a place shielded from the weather.

Not only were there vegetables and fruits, but also areas for aquatic products, meats, and eggs, taking up half the market space. The other half was for clothing and daily necessities, with the shops on both sides mostly open, including a barber, small restaurants, and even a modern recording hall selling various popular song tapes, things originally from the coastal south that were once criticized as decadent tunes.

Though there were aquatic and poultry sections, not much fish or poultry was sold, with mostly just a few egg vendors. There were two meat vendors, but their stock was limited and often sold out by midday.

That day, Ling Chengyan had good luck, encountering an old man selling chickens, three of them tied at the feet – two hens and one big rooster.

Seeing Ling Chengyan stop in front of him, the old man awkwardly said, “My wife raises them with care. They’re all fat. Look at these two hens; they’re only in their second year, just at the peak of egg-laying. Laid two eggs this morning before we left…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep