Chapter 15: Would You Deliver a Piglet?

Li Sanhua’s eyes suddenly widened, and she stood frozen in place.

Is this really Comrade Lu Youyou? Are you sure it’s the same person as before, no substitution?

“Girl, you…” Li Sanhua was at a loss for words. The face before her was too striking.

Although she didn’t judge people by appearances, upon first glance at Lu Youyou, she had inevitably felt there was a gap between her and Gu Qingye in terms of looks.

Now she realized there was no real gap at all; it was just that the soldiers endured daily hardships and rough conditions, making them look coarse!

Li Sanhua clicked her tongue in admiration. “Girl, you’ve transformed like a living statue; you startled me! But that’s right—young women traveling alone far from home should protect themselves above all else!”

Recalling the gossip she had overheard, Li Sanhua couldn’t help but smile. Not to mention anything else, if Lu Youyou went to the canteen at noon, the whole camp would hear about it by the next day.

Lu Youyou touched her face, having just washed away her disguise, but she had forgotten she had yet to reveal her true appearance.

“Sister-in-law, shall we head to the canteen now?” Li Sanhua nodded.

“If you don’t want to cook later, just take your meal ticket to the canteen, though most people still prepare their own food. By the way, what do you plan to do with your courtyard? Want to plant some vegetables?”

Lu Youyou hesitated, a little out of her depth.

She had been here less than a month, had only weeded a bit, and not even by herself. Her hands were as tender as willow twigs, making her reluctant to admit she was a sent-down youth.

Feigning modesty, Lu Youyou replied, “I’ll wait for Gu Qingye to come back and discuss it with him.”

Sure enough, Li Sanhua smiled. “Exactly, a young couple should decide things together so life can go smoothly!”

Lu Youyou realized that since arriving here, her most frequent role was to lower her head silently and blush quietly; she had become quite skilled at creating a natural blush.

At noon, the family quarters were bustling. Children playing freely were heading home, and most courtyards were filled with cooking smoke.

Lu Youyou felt a headache coming on—she didn’t know how to cook!

Not entirely; thanks to her mother and grandfather’s teaching, she was decent at medicinal soups, but she couldn’t handle frying, sautéing, or deep-frying.

Still, she wasn’t one to make things difficult for herself. If she couldn’t cook, so be it. She was here to help people, not to be a cook.

Besides, cooking was supposed to be a man’s essential skill anyway. In her family, it was her father who cooked, and even her grandfather cooked better than her grandmother.

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Lu Youyou endured the gaze of many as she made her way, the feeling of being the center of attention peaking at the canteen entrance.

They arrived early, and it wasn’t crowded, but even half-full, the huge canteen was packed with rows of soldiers sporting crew cuts.

Gu Qingye’s upcoming marriage was big news. Although no one dared openly discuss the officer, curiosity was rampant.

Hearing from comrades who went shopping that Gu’s fiancée had arrived, and now seeing Li Sanhua leading an unfamiliar woman to the canteen, the perceptive had already guessed.

But there were rules even for meals in the army: those facing the door had the best view, those to the side could catch glimpses, and those with their backs to the entrance could only watch their comrades’ pupils dilate.

The once lively canteen suddenly grew quiet; chopsticks still moved to mouths, but eyes kept drifting to the door.

Li Sanhua couldn’t help but smile—who could not be stunned by such a beautiful girl?

She had seen sent-down youths back home; the young and pretty ones were often delicate. But Lu Youyou was poised and clear-eyed.

“Girl, this way.” Li Sanhua pulled Lu Youyou along, explaining, “Family members get served at a special window, but the food is the same…”

Behind the window were five stainless steel basins: stir-fried potato slices, tofu stewed with cabbage, and spicy shredded radish. The staple food was cornmeal steamed buns and porridge.

Lu Youyou was well aware of the hardships of this era, but seeing this still made her heart ache.

The blood and sweat of the soldiers meant they rarely saw meat. Though not limited to special occasions, meat was scarce. The only advantage was that portions were generous enough to fill you up.

Lu Youyou began to worry—eating vegetarian all day, would the body remain healthy?

Poor physical condition would mean struggling with intense training; without sufficient training, combat could be dangerous; danger could mean death…

Thinking this, Lu Youyou felt overwhelmed with anxiety.

“Li Sister, why come to the canteen today?” A young soldier behind the counter greeted Li Sanhua, his face flushed with the highland’s rosy glow, smiling brightly.

“It’s Little Li. Come, I want to introduce you—this is Captain Gu’s fiancée. She just arrived today, and I’m bringing her to learn the way around.”

Li Sanhua then introduced Lu Youyou: “This is Little Li from the cooking squad. Don’t be fooled by his youth—he’s a master at making steamed buns. I can’t get that flavor back home.”

Little Li immediately set down his ladle and saluted Lu Youyou. “Hello, Sister-in-law!”

His voice was loud and clear, even echoing.

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Lu Youyou felt embarrassed. She was used to being watched, but being saluted and called sister-in-law was truly…

This time she did not pretend—she genuinely blushed.

Li Sanhua laughed heartily, taking Lu Youyou’s hand. “You’ll get used to it. Here, many people will call you sister-in-law.”

Eighteen years old and already a sister-in-law—how characteristic of the times.

Lu Youyou had little appetite, taking only a bit of each dish. But Little Li was too enthusiastic, piling her meal box high.

No matter how she tried to refuse, Little Li wouldn’t believe it. In these days, who couldn’t eat plenty? Look at the hundreds here—all wolfing down their food.

Lu Youyou had no choice but to accept. Fortunately, the villa had refrigeration, so leftovers could be eaten later.

Li Sanhua also brought two meal boxes; she hadn’t cooked today, and there was a growing boy at home who was always hungry.

Little Li was busy packing steamed buns for Li Sanhua when suddenly a young soldier burst in through the back door, drenched in sweat, his short-sleeve shirt soaked.

“Li Guangming, do you know how to deliver piglets?”

Little Li kept working, counting silently, only looking back after reaching ten. “Of course not, what’s up? Is it time?”

Seeing the young soldier was serious, Little Li grew anxious. “Why would it be time? Didn’t the litter have more than half a month to go?!”

“I don’t know either! Squad Leader Zhou told me before leaving that there were at least twenty days left, or he wouldn’t have left worried!” the soldier was frantic, sweat pouring.

Li Sanhua also tensed. Every pig in the unit was precious, vital to the soldiers’ food supply, especially the sows. Calling them the unit’s treasures would be no exaggeration.

Because Squad Leader Zhou Dazhu was skilled in pig raising, the camp entrusted pig care to the cooking squad.

Unfortunately, two days ago, Zhou Dazhu’s mother passed away from illness. He only dared to go home for the funeral because his house was in the neighboring county and the sow’s delivery was still weeks away.

But as soon as he left, the sow acted strangely, whining day and night. Today, it seemed she was about to give birth!