Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Changjin Lake, a Hundred Battles, a Hundred Victories

Chapter 9 A Few Things About Drinking Porridge

Two hours later, Wang Yumei had finished cooking and brought a bowl to Chen Ming.

"Thank you, Comrade Yumei. Call Gou'er to eat with us too." Chen Ming took a bowl of porridge filled with beef and thanked her.

"This porridge is so good, and there's even meat in it. Give it to the soldiers. You still have to fight, and you can't afford to eat badly."

Wang Yumei didn't move, but spoke to Chen Ming.

This time, a lot of the captured canned beef was added to the porridge. Of all that meat, Wang Yumei had only seen a small bowl of it when she got married.

She couldn't bear to eat it herself, after all, it was something the soldiers of the district squad had risked their lives for.

"No way. Now that you've joined the team, we're family. If you're not going to eat, then I'm not going to eat either," Chen Ming said sternly.

"Alright then." Seeing that Chen Ming had really put down his bowl, Wang Yumei hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

"That's perfect," Chen Ming laughed.

Then, he got up and called Dafei.

Dafei got up groggily and suddenly smelled an enticing aroma, which immediately whetted his appetite and made him alert.

"Captain, is dinner ready?"

"Otherwise, what am I holding in my hand?" Chen Ming retorted.

Dafei's eyes practically popped into Chen Ming's bowl, yet he still asked the question he already knew the answer to.

"hey-hey."

Dafei wasn't embarrassed at all; he just grinned foolishly.

"Comrade Dafei, I'll go get you some porridge." Wang Yumei saw Dafei, spoke, and prepared to get some porridge.

"I can do it myself, no need to bother."

Dafei jumped up, ran to the pot of porridge, picked up a bowl, and filled it for himself.

However, he only served porridge; there wasn't a single piece of meat in the bowl.

Chen Ming was displeased upon seeing this and asked:
Why aren't you serving the meat?

Dafei chuckled and scratched his head: "I want to save the meat for the injured brothers. They're wounded and need to replenish their nutrition."

Hearing Dafei say that, Chen Ming sighed.

“I know you’re thinking of the wounded soldiers, but if you don’t eat meat, what about the other uninjured soldiers? Will they have the nerve to continue eating?”

"Furthermore, if the wounded soldiers knew that the meat in their bowls was saved for them by their brothers who had suppressed their own cravings, would they be able to eat with peace of mind?"

Chen Ming did not refuse the porridge that Wang Yumei served, which clearly had more meat than usual; that was his reasoning.

If a captain like him takes the lead in not eating meat, then the other uninjured soldiers will feel embarrassed to eat it either.

Their district squad was so poor, and the fighting behind enemy lines was so tough that everyone was craving meat.

Chen Ming wouldn't pretend to be noble and say something like, "I won't eat it, leave it for the wounded soldiers."

That would only result in those who want to eat meat being forced to watch the wounded eat while drooling, and the wounded being under a lot of psychological pressure seeing that the meat in their bowls was saved by their brothers.

"I understand, Captain, please criticize me," Dafei said dejectedly.

"Dafei, how could I criticize you? Your heart is good; you genuinely care about our injured brothers," Chen Ming comforted him.

"However, before doing anything, you should think more about it and try to see things from other people's perspectives. You will then discover a different side of things."

"If you really want to take care of the wounded brothers, serve them one or two pieces less. That way, the wounded soldiers will feel cared for without feeling burdened."

"Yes." Dafei was delighted to hear that Chen Ming had come up with a solution that would benefit both sides, and happily scooped two pieces of beef from the porridge.

"Eat quickly," Chen Ming said.

"Hehe." Dafei chuckled and began to eat the porridge in large mouthfuls, pausing every now and then to carefully separate the beef muscle fibers with the tip of his tongue, savoring its wonderful flavor. "Is it good?"

Dafei nodded, "It's delicious. I've never had such a greasy porridge before."

"Eat more if you like it. We can take it from the Japanese when we fight them later," Chen Ming said.

He sighed inwardly.

Conditions are still too harsh. A bowl of food with two pieces of meat no bigger than a fingernail and some oil is enough to make the soldiers eat so heartily, as if it were New Year's Day.

If this were in later times, you could buy a packet of hot pot base for just a few dollars. The oil in it would be more than the entire pot of porridge combined. If you wanted to eat meat, people with average incomes could eat until they were sick of it.

"Dafei, after you finish eating, remember to add some firewood to keep the fire going. When you change shifts, tell him that the soldiers should be able to have hot porridge when they wake up," Chen Ming instructed.

"Don't worry, Captain, I've got it covered," Dafei assured him, thumping his chest loudly.

"Captain, let me do it. Comrade Dafei still has to stand guard to protect the soldiers. Let me do this small thing like watching the fire. I will make sure the soldiers can have a hot meal when they wake up."

Listening to their conversation, Wang Yumei volunteered.

She had only cooked one meal, yet she was able to eat meat that she had only ever had at her wedding, and she felt very guilty.

Seeing Wang Yumei say this, Chen Ming knew what she was thinking, and after thinking for a moment, he nodded in agreement.

"Then I'll have to trouble Comrade Yumei."

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all," Wang Yumei said happily, as if she had received some kind of reward.

"Okay, I'm going to sleep now. Call me anytime if anything happens," Chen Ming said to Da Fei.

"Don't worry, Captain."

"Okay." Chen Ming nodded and turned to go to sleep.

He was exhausted after fighting for a day and a night and desperately needed to rest to recover his energy and maintain his best condition.

As the captain of this district squad, Chen Ming absolutely cannot allow his mind to become dull on the battlefield, as that would be fatal.

Time flowed slowly, and Chen Ming slept soundly.

When he woke up, it was already noon.

"Big fly."

Chen Ming shouted.

"Captain." Someone walked in from outside.

"It's Tiesheng. Where's Dafei?"

“Brother Dafei is asleep, so it’s my turn to stand guard now,” Tiesheng replied.

"Sigh, look at me, I'm still half asleep after just waking up." Chen Ming smiled, put on his shoes, and got up.

"How is the situation now? Is there anything unusual?"

"Reporting, Captain, everything is normal."

"Hmm." Chen Ming nodded, opening a three-dimensional combat map in his mind to observe the situation.

After discovering that there were indeed no enemies, they were relieved.

I checked the time on the map again; it was already 12:30, almost afternoon.

Judging from the fact that, apart from the soldiers on guard duty, the other soldiers had slept for six or seven hours and their spirits should have recovered considerably, Chen Ming prepared to begin the transfer.

"Tiesheng, tell the soldiers to get up, eat, and then pack up their supplies and move on."

"Okay, Captain." Tiesheng replied and dashed out to inform the others one by one.

(End of this chapter)