Love Lock

Chapter 210 My Heart Is Beating Faster and Faster

Military camp in Xuzhou.

As the sun was just rising in the east, a loud bugle call pierced the morning mist.

Squads of soldiers stood in neat formation, their rifle tips gleaming coldly in the dim morning light, their shouts of drill causing the dew on the tents to fall in a flurry.

Inside the central command tent, the light was dim, and General Song Yuanqing was reviewing documents by candlelight. At twenty-two or twenty-three, several fine lines were etched between his brows, the marks of years spent in the military camp.

"General, general!"

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside the tent, and the curtain was abruptly thrown open. Lieutenant General Wang Sanwa rushed in under the morning light, his leather military boots still covered in fresh mud.

"General! This is extraordinary! An incredibly extraordinary event!"

Wang Sanwa didn't even bother with manners; his eyes, as big as copper bells, were wide open.

"This morning, when I went to the county town to make purchases, I saw Magistrate Cheng leading hundreds of laborers to repair the road in the suburbs. That road..." he gestured excitedly, "...it's as if a god has cast a spell on it!"

Song Yuanqing paused in his vermilion brush, raised his thick eyebrows slightly, and said unhappily, "What's the rush? Speak slowly."

"The road was as smooth as a bronze mirror," Wang Sanwa exclaimed. "It wasn't a dirt road, nor a flagstone road; it was a bluish-gray that shone in the sunlight, and a carriage could drive on it without making a sound!"

"Smoother than a bluestone road?" Song Yuanqing didn't believe it.

"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes." Wang Sanwa wiped the sweat from his face. "General, if our drill ground were paved with this kind of road, the brothers wouldn't get their mouths full of dust when they train, and they wouldn't get stuck in mud puddles on rainy days!"

The candle flame on the desk popped and flickered. Song Yuanqing put down his brush and tapped his knuckles lightly twice on the desk.

"Prepare the horses. I'll go see for myself what kind of road is worth all this shouting."

A moment later, more than ten cavalrymen rushed out of the camp gate.

Wang Sanwa took the lead, his chestnut horse raising a long cloud of dust on the official road.

They passed through the county town and soon arrived at the outskirts. Song Yuanqing squinted at the bustling construction site in the distance and suddenly pulled on the reins.

As far as the eye could see, a gleaming gray road stretched into the distance like a giant dragon. Under the sunlight, the road surface shimmered with an unusual sheen.

"drive!"

Song Yuanqing spurred his horse, his black cloak fluttering behind him. The horse's hooves made a crisp sound as they touched the concrete road.

The horses galloped much faster on the cement road.

As he drew closer, he saw Magistrate Cheng directing the laborers while holding a blueprint.

Even more astonishingly, the laborers were pushing small iron-wheeled carts shaped like buckets, pouring bluish-gray slurry onto the roadbed.

As they approached the construction site, a laborer with a shovel stopped them: "Sir, sir. There's road construction ahead. You can't step on it now. Please take a detour!"

Song Yuanqing reined in his horse and waved to his personal guards behind him, ordering them to dismount.

Everyone dismounted, and Song Yuanqing handed his horse to his personal guards to tie it to a tree by the roadside. Holding his whip, he slowly walked along the roadside toward Magistrate Cheng.

He found that the laborers here worked with great enthusiasm and had a clear division of labor. The laborers at the road rolling base were shirtless, shouting work songs, and although they were drenched in sweat, they had smiles on their faces.

No one carries or lifts the slurry here using shoulder poles or baskets; they all push it on small carts with iron wheels.

In the distance, a red carriage sped back and forth, but strangely, it was pulled by a person, not horses.

Song Yuanqing walked along, observing with curiosity, and soon arrived at Magistrate Cheng's side.

"Lord Cheng!" Song Yuanqing clasped his hands in greeting, "What kind of extraordinary object is this?"

Magistrate Cheng was discussing blueprints with a squad leader when he nearly tripped over his own wide official robe as he turned around. Upon seeing who it was, he quickly bowed.

"Why has General Song come?"

"I heard you were repairing the road, so I came to take a look." Song Yuanqing pointed inside with his riding whip. "What are you using to pave it?"

"This is called cement. The roads it paves are smooth and sturdy." Magistrate Cheng was very proud of what he had gained from his visit to his friend.

He turned around and pointed to Han Lei, who was setting up a prefabricated house under the shade of trees on the hillside.

"See that girl in the pink dress? She's the one who made this cement. Fufeng County across the river is full of these cement roads now. It's so convenient!"

“Fufeng County?” Song Yuanqing frowned.

Three months ago, he passed through Fufeng County when he led his troops to support Beiguan. At that time, he didn't think he had seen a cement road like this.

“That’s right!” Magistrate Cheng nodded firmly. “After crossing the stone bridge over the river, there are cement roads on the other side, and a cement factory has been built there. The people on that side now have jobs and food to eat.”

"Oh!" Song Yuanqing looked thoughtfully towards the mountainside. "Then you go ahead with your work, I'll go take a look over there."

As he spoke, Song Yuanqing put his hands behind his back and strolled leisurely toward the mountainside.

Under the blazing sun at the end of July, the land of Ganluo County was baked by the scorching sun, and visible heat waves began to rise from the air.

Han Lei stood on a large blue stone, her bun hair gleaming black in the sunlight, and her pink long-sleeved T-shirt had a playful cat and mouse print on the chest.

In this sweltering heat, she had wanted to wear a short-sleeved t-shirt, but that antique-minded Zhao Zun's eyes lit up with envy, forcing her to wear it only at home. Reluctantly, she could only roll up her long sleeves slightly.

"Fellow villagers, today we're going to compact the roadbed on the east side." Her voice was soft and gentle, yet powerful.

"The newly assigned migrant workers are learning to mix cement from Master Wang, while the veteran workers continue paving the road. Master Wang said that we need to push forward another 300 zhang before dark!"

More than a thousand refugees joined the construction team, along with laborers recruited by Magistrate Cheng from the surrounding area. They had no skills and most of them were assigned to ballast the roadbed, while only a small number knew how to do some craftsmanship.

They were ragged but full of energy. A tall, thin young man timidly approached the pile of cement, and Master Wang immediately handed him a shovel: "Watch carefully, three shovels of sand, two shovels of mortar, and add water slowly!"

On the distant official road, several peasant women carrying baskets stopped to watch.

They stared at Han Lei's T-shirt and sneakers, whispering among themselves: "Look at what that girl is wearing, her pants are so tight they look like they were drawn on..."

"Is that a cat painted on her clothes?"

"She seems to be a female official, and she even knows how to handle cement."

"That's right, she even repairs roads. I think even the county magistrate listens to her."

Han Lei ignored these discussions. After arranging all the work, she and the construction team's craftsmen gathered under the shade of a tree to assemble the prefabricated houses.

After arriving in Ganluo County, she took advantage of the night when no one was around to prepare the materials and tools for assembling the prefabricated houses in an open space. The electric screwdriver hummed, and the galvanized steel frame gleamed coldly in the sunlight. Neatly stacked on the adjacent open space were many sandwich panels and galvanized steel.

She deftly inserted a sandwich panel into the groove, then turned to the carpenter beside her and said, "Uncle Li, all of you know how to use these tools. You should bring out more apprentices! The more people there are for installation, the faster we can finish."

"Alright! Don't worry, Your Highness!" Carpenter Li wiped his sweat, looked up at the gradually gathering dark clouds, and said, "The weather is getting increasingly stuffy; I'm afraid the weather is about to change."

"So we need to hurry." Han Lei wiped the sweat from her forehead and pointed to the blueprints. "Let's build ten as a sample first and teach everyone how to assemble them. When the rainstorm comes, we can't let everyone still be sleeping in thatched huts."

At this moment, while keeping an eye on the construction work of the laborers, Song Yuanqing walked briskly to Han Lei's vicinity.

He had just ridden his horse along a cement road, which was indeed harder and smoother than bluestone slabs, and it was not muddy even in the rainy season.

"General, look what they're doing over there?" The accompanying guard pointed to the prefabricated houses that had been installed under the shade of the trees ahead.

Song Yuanqing nodded and looked over, but his gaze was firmly drawn to Han Lei under the shade of the tree.

A woman dressed in a strange pink outfit is kneeling on the ground, holding a gleaming silver tool and deftly tightening some kind of metal component.

She was surrounded by laborers working in the fields, and she was the only woman there, yet she didn't seem out of place at all.

The bun on her head swayed gently with her movements, and the exposed half of her arm gleamed with a fair and healthy glow in the sunlight.

“That is…” Song Yuanqing unconsciously slowed his pace.

The woman suddenly looked up and laughed, saying something to the craftsman beside her, her eyes crinkling and her smile sweet.

That smile sent a shiver down Song Yuanqing's spine.

He had seen too many demure young ladies with gentle smiles, but he had never seen such a bright and flamboyant smile, like the rising sun that could dispel all gloom.

Just then, Han Lei finished using the steel bars in her hand. She stood up, patted her dusty skinny jeans, and walked towards the place where the steel bars were piled up.

Song Yuanqing's pupils contracted as he watched Han Lei's casual movements.

Good heavens! She was wearing men's pants!
Song Yuanqing stared wide-eyed at the clean lines of her long legs, accentuated by the sharp tailoring.

Han Lei was pulling steel bars out of the pile when an older craftsman turned around and called out, "These steel bars are too heavy. Wait a moment, I'll help you lift them."

"Uncle Li, it's alright. I'll only take one." The woman's voice was clear and crisp, with a hint of playfulness.

Hearing their conversation, driven by some unknown force, Song Yuanqing strode forward and reached out to support the steel bar.

"Wait a moment, young lady, let me help you."

Han Lei turned around at the sound, and Song Yuanqing finally saw her clearly – almond-shaped eyes and a delicate nose, her skin was not as pale as that of an ordinary young lady, but rather had a warm hue as if kissed by sunlight.

What was most striking about him were his eyes, bright as stars, radiating a confidence he had never seen in a woman's eyes before.

“Thank you, General?” Her gaze swept over Song Yuanqing’s armor, and she nodded gracefully. “My name is Han Lei, and I work at the Fufeng County Cement Plant. And you are…”

"My name is Song Yuanqing, a general stationed in Xuzhou." He quickly nodded in return, his heart beating faster for some reason.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the woman had a faint smell of lime mixed with some kind of floral fragrance, strange yet not unpleasant.

Song Yuanqing bent down to lift the bundle of galvanized steel bars, but was shocked by their weight. Could this woman really be carrying such a heavy object all by herself?

He couldn't help but steal a few more glances at Han Lei. She was wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, and on her slender wrist was a strangely shaped bracelet with a serpentine needle ticking on it.

"Oh! So it's General Song."

Upon hearing the name "Song Yuanqing," Han Lei couldn't help but scrutinize him. If she remembered correctly, this was the man who had recently indirectly helped Zhao Zun recapture the Beiguan military camp.

"Is the general interested in prefabricated houses?"

Han Lei noticed his burning gaze and patted the half-assembled metal frame beside her.

"This is a galvanized steel frame, which is more durable than wood. Combined with our sandwich panels, a sturdy house can be built in just three days."

Song Yuanqing looked away and felt his ear tips getting hot.

He reached out and touched the cold steel bar; it was surprisingly smooth, with several small, round holes on it. "Huh? This refined iron...it doesn't rust?"

"Because it's plated with a layer of zinc, which can prevent corrosion."

Han Lei took out a pair of pliers from her tool bag and cut the wire binding the steel bar with a snap. She then pointed to the prefabricated house next to her.

"General, would you like to see our finished product? There are model rooms that have been built over there."

Her eyes sparkled as she spoke, her voice soft and sweet like the babbling of a spring, and her expectant gaze was like that of a child eager to show off a treasure.

Song Yuanqing found himself unable to refuse, so he nodded naturally and followed her.

Under the sunlight, Han Lei's back was as straight as a green bamboo, and the hem of her pink T-shirt swayed gently with her steps, making her waist appear even more slender.

“General, please take a look,” Han Lei pushed open a sleek sandwich panel door, “It’s a 20-square-meter space with windows and ventilation openings. It’s easy to disassemble and is perfect for marching, stationing troops, and moving with the construction site.”

Song Yuanqing looked around the room in surprise—the walls were incredibly smooth, and even the floor was covered with some kind of smooth material, which was many times better than the tents in the military camp!
He pushed the wall, but it didn't budge.

"How much did such a convenient house cost to build?"

He blurted it out, then immediately regretted his abruptness. But Han Lei didn't seem to care, pulling a small notebook from her pocket and quickly writing with a strange pen.

"If you order in bulk, I'll give you fifty taels of silver per building, including transportation and installation."

Han Lei tore off a page and handed it to Song Yuanqing, her fingertips dusted with cement powder. Thinking he might be a big buyer, Han Lei habitually tried to sell him the paper.

"Our Fufeng Cement Plant also produces field kitchens and folding beds, all designed specifically for military needs and very convenient to use. General, would you... like to consider them?"

Song Yuanqing took the note and noticed that her nails were trimmed short and neat, unlike the long nails of young ladies.

The handwriting on the page was neat yet powerful; he knew it was a detailed price list, but he couldn't recognize a single word.

"Miss Han knows so much," he exclaimed sincerely, his curiosity piqued even more. "I've heard that this cement road was also your work?"

"That's right!" Han Lei's eyes lit up, and her smile became even sweeter. She raised her hand to smooth the stray hairs behind her ear, and, adhering to the principle of not letting any opportunity pass by, asked, "Since the General is interested, would you like me to take you to see the construction site?"

"Then... I'll have to trouble Miss Han." Song Yuanqing agreed without hesitation and looked away.

For some reason, Han Lei's simple gesture of gently smoothing her hair made his heart pound like a drum.

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