Chapter 113: Applying for Land

Page 1

When it came to choosing the location for the family quarters, Zhong Xiao had only two requirements.

First, it had to be on the ground level. Second, it must be a bungalow.

She detested climbing stairs. In her previous life, after being framed and sent down to the countryside, the villagers made her life miserable. They forbade her from seeking food within the village, so if she wanted to eat, she had to traverse hills and streams, climbing ever higher to forage for wild things to barely fill her stomach.

This ordeal left her with chronic knee problems. Every night and on rainy days, her knees ached terribly, but no matter how much they hurt, she still had to climb the mountains.

Now that she was living with the Song family, she was satisfied with everything—except for two points.

The Song residence was near the entrance of the family quarters, facing the direction of the military district. As a result, there wasn’t much land—just a small courtyard with little soil. Left Lan had planted a few flowers and a single plum tree.

The second issue was the stairs.

She truly disliked climbing stairs.

So she told Song Tingshen, “I want a large bungalow, the kind without stairs. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bit smaller, as long as there are two rooms—one for sleeping, and one for your study.”

“How much land can we be allocated? Can we choose for ourselves?”

Song Tingshen replied, “We can choose. The land in the family quarters is unclaimed—take as much as you like.”

But Zhong Xiao insisted, “No, we’ll only take what we’re rightfully entitled to. We don’t want people talking behind our backs. How much land is our family eligible for?”

Hearing her say “our family” filled Song Tingshen with joy.

He thought for a moment before replying, “Each person gets fifty square meters. Our family had four people before, so that was two hundred square meters. Now with you and my soon-to-be-born nephew, it should be three hundred square meters.”

Three hundred square meters!

It couldn’t compare to her previous space, of course.

But if these three hundred square meters were put to good use, the yield would not be insignificant.

Page 2

However, Song Tingshen added, “The land allocated for the family quarters is quite far, almost all the way to Baiyun Mountain. If you want to pick a site next to the land, it might be a bit remote.”

“That’s fine,” Zhong Xiao felt that a more remote location suited her perfectly. She never liked socializing, and being farther away would make it easier to use some things from her own space on the land. “I’m naturally quiet. If we live too close to others, I’ll be forced into social interactions. It’s better for me to live quietly, farther away.”

Song Tingshen misunderstood her and asked, “Are you worried people will talk about you? Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, nobody will dare say anything.”

“No, no,” Zhong Xiao replied, “it’s just my eccentric nature.”

Song Tingshen glanced at her, then looked away. “You’re not strange.”

Zhong Xiao didn’t catch that. “What?”

Song Tingshen shook his head. “Nothing. Whichever option you like, that’s the one we’ll choose. It’s all up to you.”

—

In the headquarters office building, Lou Huaijin had just finished his work and it was already five in the afternoon.

Since he was there, he took the opportunity to review the military district’s development and staffing. There were no major issues for now, but he remarked, “I feel like Taizhou Island is hotter than ever this year.”

“Yes,” Liu Guangmin agreed. “Usually at this time of year it’s no more than thirty-five degrees Celsius, and it’s actually quite cool in the mornings and evenings, barely reaching thirty. But this year, it’s already thirty-four or thirty-five by early morning. By noon, it climbs to thirty-eight or thirty-nine, and it’s been like this for days. The men can only train indoors, but space is limited, and with so many people together, it’s even more stifling.”

The conditions in the military district were far from ideal.

Many basic facilities hadn’t been installed yet—not even electric fans, except for a few in the offices of senior officers. With the recent heat, the officers had moved their fans to the soldiers’ training areas, but with so many people, a handful of fans were hardly enough.

In the two days since Lou Huaijin arrived, he had already seen three or four cases of heatstroke.

“It’s truly hot, but training can’t slacken, especially given Taizhou Island’s strategic importance. Headquarters sent me here not only to oversee Tingshen’s wedding but, more importantly, to resolve the military district’s difficulties,” Lou Huaijin said.

“There are hardships everywhere in the country now, sir. We appreciate your concern, but we really are stretched to our limits. Everyone is doing their best to cope,” Liu Guangmin replied, wiping the sweat from his brow, his own office fan already lent out.

Page 3

“However, we plan to organize field training at Baiyun Mountain soon—it should be better there.”

Baiyun Mountain, being at a higher altitude and covered with dense forest, was at least five degrees cooler than the lowlands.

Speaking of Baiyun Mountain, Lou Huaijin continued, “The land at the foot of the mountain should be put to use if possible. It’s a waste to leave it fallow. Your supplies are always dependent on the city center. If there’s ever a war and the supply line is cut, you’ll have trouble getting food and water. That’s a serious vulnerability.”

Liu Guangmin’s face grew even more troubled. “The land near Baiyun Mountain is hard to farm. After being baked by the sun, it’s dry and hard, with no moisture. It’s so far from the family quarters that just carrying a bucket of water there and back is exhausting. We’ve already encouraged military families to apply for plots, but nobody wants them. Some would rather dig up the soil in their own courtyards than go all the way out there.”

As he finished speaking, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Liu Guangmin called.

“Commander Lou, Commissar, here’s the application from Commander Song—both for the family quarters and land. He’s applied for three hundred square meters.”

Lou Huaijin and Liu Guangmin were both taken aback.

They had just been fretting over this problem.

Who could have guessed that Song Tingshen would step in at just the right moment to ease their burden?

Liu Guangmin was puzzled. “I’d previously asked Old Song to set an example and apply for more land, but he said his family was busy. The hospital director is always at work, the eldest son isn’t in good health, the daughter-in-law has to look after everyone, and Tingshen hardly has the time to farm. How did he suddenly… apply for three hundred square meters?”

Lou Huaijin mused over this.

The orderly said, “It seems… it was Commander Song’s fiancée’s idea.”

“Zhong Xiao?” Liu Guangmin was even more surprised. “She can farm?!”