Restarting life in Siheyuan

A military truck was speeding along the simple road in a dusty manner. The car was full of soldiers in military uniforms. A dark-skinned man was looking at the lush mountains and the occasional fertile fields in the distance. He was speechless for a long time. The changes were too great. Countless wastelands had become fertile fields.

"Captain, what are you thinking about? We are almost at your house."

"Well, my home is in the mountains behind the city. It's been two years, and I don't know how my home is doing now."

"Don't worry about that. The Armed Forces are very caring towards the families of soldiers. Besides, Captain, your allowance has been sent back. They will definitely not be able to spend all the money."

"I'm not worried about them going hungry. Alas, you wouldn't understand even if I told you, a person without a family."

The man had not been home for two consecutive years due to missions, so he was eager to go home. Looking at the rows of buildings on the roadside, he knew that he was almost at Pagang City. The shanties and low thatched houses from two years ago were gone, replaced by neat three-story buildings.

Behind the small building are taller residential buildings and the roar of machines in the distance means that there is still a lot of construction going on. In two years, Pagang City has really changed completely and there is no trace of its past. If it were not for the familiar river, who would know that this is Pagang City, a small town with only a few thousand people, which has now become a city with a population of 70,000 or 80,000.

Trucks slowed down along the wide and flat road. There were bustling crowds of people and taller and taller buildings. We were entering the city center. Men, women, young and old, all had smiling faces. The timid and cautious looks of two years ago were no longer seen.

The man's heart was filled with pride, all of this was brought to them by the leader. The truck stopped in front of the gate of a solemn courtyard, and several men in military uniforms jumped out of the car with laughter. The truck started again and continued to move forward.

"Come on, we're finally here, let's hurry up and report in to get the key, haha, I really want to see my house right away."

The one who spoke was called Le Xiaojun, a member of the special operations team. The few people who got off the car with him were all teammates. They were part of the team that was carrying out a mission northward at the time. Each member of the team received a house as a reward. The house was not small, nearly 80 square meters. It was a reward. Although it could not be bought or sold, it could be lived in for a lifetime.

"Xiaojun, now that you have this, you should hurry up and take care of this important event in your life. Now that you have a house, you can't live without a wife."

Among these people, only Le Xiaojun has not started a family. The one who spoke was his teammate Ayou. Ayou is like a fish in water in this land. He always performs beyond his expectations, has been awarded many times for meritorious service, and is now a second lieutenant. After two years of military career, he has become a much more cheerful person.

"Ayou, haha, we're not in a hurry. How can we have the time to find a wife? I'd better wait for the collective blind date in the army at the end of the year."

"Xiaojun, if you are really anxious, you might as well go ask Sister Feng. She has a lot of female soldiers under her command, and many of them are unmarried."

The ones who were laughing and interrupting were also their team members. They all had a share of the reward houses this time. The team came back in several batches to handle the process, and they were the first batch.

"I'm really not in a hurry, unlike Captain Li, who must be feeling anxious. He passed by home several times, and you refused to take a leave to go back and visit. You've been holding it in for two years, and you must be sick of it, haha."

Ah You hit Le Xiaojun angrily and said, "You are hopeless, find a wife and start a family."

The house is in the compound, with less than 200 households in total. It is fully equipped with not only a canteen but also a four-story military club. Ayou's wife has already got a job here.

Several people visited their own houses, which were all in the same apartment building, with exactly the same layout and even the same furniture. Le Xiaojun, who had no family, took a quick look and then rushed to Ayou's new home.

"You can move in today. I thought you would have to stay in the club for a few days, but I didn't expect the armed forces to be so considerate and even prepare the bedding. Ah You, it seems that there is nothing for us to do. How about I accompany you to pick up my sister-in-law?"

The armed forces department was very considerate. Apart from adding some pots and pans to the new home, there was nothing else to worry about. Ayou looked at Le Xiaojun, who was lying on his bed with his feet crossed, and his eyes became moist.

At night, a small bonfire was lit outside Ayou's simple hut with two chickens hanging on it. Le Xiaojun was entertaining a few children with roasted canned meat. In the distance, a large light bulb illuminated the small square, and many old people and children were chatting and playing in the square.

"Sister-in-law, don't worry about us, we can do it ourselves." Le Xiaojun took the sugarcane handed over by Ayou's wife with a smile. This was grown by Ayou's wife herself. She would have no chance to do it in the future. She had to go to work in the city and return the leased land.

"I grow it at home, you can try it." Ah Zhen smiled and sat beside the man. Under the firelight, her eyes were full of joy. Her man was finally back. He hadn't been home for two Spring Festivals. If she hadn't sent back money from time to time, she would have been worried that he would have sacrificed himself.

"Ah Xin, how is your family now? I see all the young people in the clan have run away. Why haven't you moved away?"

In front of Ayou was a young couple, they were his neighbors, Axin and Afen. Axin stroked the child lying on his lap with one hand while speaking.

"We have to wait. The housing for the family members of our factory will not be completed until August or September. A-Fen is reluctant to rent a house in the city and wants to stay here to keep your daughter A-Zhen company and move out later. Unexpectedly, you move out first."

Ah Xin got a job at the power plant as he wished, and now earns more than 20 yuan a month, but the rent for a 60-square-meter house in the city is 4.2 yuan a month, and Ah Fen is reluctant to leave. (70 cents per 10 square meters)

"Thank you two for helping Ah Zhen in the past two years. Otherwise, I would not feel at ease outside. I give this to you and your children."

Ah You picked up the small bag beside him and handed it over. Ah Xin did not refuse, knowing that it contained a pile of canned meat, with several of them roasting by the fire. Although this stuff is not as scarce as before, it is still the hard currency in the autonomous region. But for these commandos, it is no longer tempting.

"I never thought that we would have such a day." Looking at the bonfire, Ashin was also very emotional. Now he is working, his wife has rented land to grow vegetables, the children are not hungry, and have new clothes. They will move into a new house in the second half of the year and no longer have to rely on the weather for food in this mountain.

"This is all brought to you by our leader. Just wait. The leader said that better days are yet to come. Haven't you seen that the railway is being built now? Life will get better and better in the future."

Le Xiaojun looked at the child with greasy mouth and smiled. He said proudly while poking the sweet potatoes in the fire with a stick.

"Yes, these are all brought by the chief. We must remember them. By the way, Ah Xin, when I came back just now, I didn't see many young people in the village. Did they all go out to find work?" "Of course, we have started a new beginning. These people have seen it, and the chief doesn't dare to intervene. So all the young people in the village have gone down the mountain. Now one person can work outside and support three people. Many people have found jobs and rent houses in the city. Those who farm have also rented bungalows on the farm. The price is not expensive, only one or two yuan a month for a family."

"How about you? How much do you earn per month now?"

Ah Xin scratched his head in embarrassment, he certainly earned a lot, but nothing compared to Ah You, who threw canned meat as if it were free.

"A little more than them, twenty-eight a month. I've been busy laying wires outside for the past two years, so I get a little subsidy, twelve a month, so it's about forty in total."

The autonomous region has now made it clear that RMB is the only legal currency in circulation, and other currencies are prohibited from circulation. Prices are also similar to those in China. Forty yuan is already a lot. His wife and Afen grow vegetables and sell them together, and on average they can make fifteen or sixteen yuan a month. There are only two children in the family, so life is very easy.

Ayou's wife now receives money sent back by her husband every month, 40 yuan each time, which she can never spend all. In addition, she grows vegetables, and the armed forces department visits her from time to time. Her life is the best in Dulong Village.

Le Xiaojun just smiled as he watched the two men talking about income. He, like Ayou, was a second lieutenant. His salary was higher than in China, fifty-seven per month, the same level as a lieutenant (deputy platoon sergeant) in China. He also received a two hundred bonus for the last special operation. He had no place to spend his money. Their food was free and better than that of all the other services.

"All the young people in the village have run away, and the chief is not going to make a fuss?" The chief lives on the labor of the tribe. Without these young men and women, will he be convinced? Ah You was a little worried.

"Of course I am not convinced, but the second and third sons in his family are undergoing labor reform, and the eldest son is obedient. What can an old man like him do? Now he works in the fields every day like other old people, otherwise he will go hungry."

Ayou found it hard to believe that the clan leader who had always been domineering could go down to the fields to work. He knew that many clan leaders had colluded with each other and wanted to make some trouble and get back their privileges. As a result, they were all arrested without mercy by Deputy Commander Li and sent to labor camps. They should still be smashing stones on the mountain road now.

"Maybe the two sons were captured, but it saved their family. Come on, everything is ready, let's drink some wine."

No longer paying attention to the clan leader's family, Ah You took out two bottles of white wine and a jar of rice wine, "Men drink white wine, and women and children drink rice wine."

In the middle of the night, Le Xiaojun, who was awakened by the urge to pee, shook his head. It was so embarrassing. He was careless and was forced to drink a lot by Ah Xin and Ah You. He was not allowed to drink alcohol in the army on weekdays, so he took the opportunity of going out to drink a little. He didn't expect to be deceived by the honest Ah You. This kid can actually drink a lot.

Le Xiaojun woke up from the straw mat. The drunkenness had faded away and he felt a little cool. Although the temperature was not low during the day, the nights in the mountain village were still chilly.

With the help of the mottled moonlight falling through the leaves and the disturbing sound of insects, he groped his way towards the distant woods. After a quick look, he realized he was still too close to his comrade's house, so he had to keep moving forward. When he reached the depths of the dense forest, he shuddered all over, broke free, and fell on the trunk of a big tree, making a rustling sound.

After another startle, he shook his hands lightly, half-closed his eyes and prepared to turn back. Suddenly, a rustling sound not far away made him immediately alert. Someone was approaching. Le Xiaojun quickly crouched down and observed carefully. Sure enough, four black shadows quietly moved towards Ayou's house.

Le Xiaojun reacted immediately. The army had already informed him that there were some saboteurs in the autonomous region who specifically targeted lone soldiers. One of their purposes was to cause sabotage, and the other was to get guns.

The autonomous region has strict control over guns. If one wants to get a gun, there is no other way but to attack the soldiers. Unfortunately, the soldiers who are out on vacation do not carry guns. In the end, the vicious saboteurs even tried to sneak attack the sentries.

Several soldiers were sacrificed and several people were killed, but no one was captured alive. I didn't expect to encounter such a person myself. It is estimated that the two of them were targeted by someone when they arrived at the mountain village.

Le Xiaojun patted his waist. His pistol was still there. Unlike other troops, all members of his team were equipped with pistols and daggers. Thanks to Li Xiaojun's instructions, "people always keep their guns and guns always keep people", so they always keep their weapons with them.

After carefully observing the back and not finding any other companions, Le Xiaojun acted without hesitation as he saw that Ayou was about to reach his grass nest.

The gunshots before dawn woke up the village. The light bulbs in the small square in the distance lit up again. When many tribesmen gathered with simple weapons, Le Xiaojun had already resolved the battle. One of the four people was shot dead, two were injured and captured, and the last one was captured alive by Ayou while fleeing and dragged back.

Looking at the three people tied up and the dead body in the small square, the village became chaotic. There were very few young and middle-aged people in the village now, and most of the remaining people were old and young. If this group of people caused damage in the village, it would be really frightening.

Ayou looked at the clan leader who was avoiding the others' gaze not far away, his heart filled with anger. It seemed that even if the clan leader was not involved, he should know something. This was the race he had been protecting for many years?
With a survivor, things quickly got underway, the garrison in Pagang City was quickly dispatched, and an operation involving several mountain strongholds was quickly launched. This time, the gunfire in Pagang City in the middle of the night had a huge impact, and the tribe that Li Xiaojun found evidence of was ruthlessly cleansed by him.

"Sir, I really didn't know they were going to do it. I thought they were just thinking about it. I really didn't agree to join them."

The chief of Dulong Village was lucky enough to escape the disaster and was sent to a labor camp to accompany his two sons.

It turned out that the chiefs of several nearby villages were dissatisfied with their people going down the mountain to work, which fundamentally cut off their power and wealth. In particular, the announcement that other currencies except RMB were prohibited from circulation. Many chiefs of the villages accumulated a lot of wealth but did not dare to go to the bank to exchange it, and could only watch it turn into waste paper.

They found the old chief of Dulong Village and tried to get him to join their gang to fight together, but the old chief had two sons in labor camps and only the eldest son worked in the city. He no longer had the courage to resist, so the four of them wanted to do something big in Dulong Village to force him to join their gang and see if they could be lucky enough to get a gun.

What seemed like a sure thing was disrupted by an accident by Le Xiaojun, with serious consequences. The captured chiefs kept accusing each other, and the involvement became bigger and bigger. The direct result was that the chiefs of more than a dozen tribes were purged, and countless people were thrown into labor camps.

These saboteurs were cleared out and received strong support from the people living near Pagang City. Anyone who wants to destroy this hard-earned good life is the enemy of the masses.

Looking at the old clan leader who was taken away for forced labor, Ah Xin said to Ah You who was getting on the truck to return to the team.

“Ayou, you are right. The leader is our backbone, and the autonomous region is our hope.”

(End of this chapter)