The unnamed river near their base had finally dried up. Company Commander Guo Yungang led the second platoon, driving various livestock as they moved to an area with meadows. That was the seasonal migration. The remaining first and third platoons were assigned the task of building two more dormitories so that everyone could live more comfortably. Since the Political Instructor Zhang had started a family, they also built a separate house with a small courtyard for him. Additionally, because Xu Yumei was pregnant, she was taken good care of by everyone. Beyond the construction work, they also had to reclaim the surrounding wastelands before the first snowfall so they could plant crops in the spring. Under the guidance of Instructor Zhang, some people focused on building the houses, while others worked on clearing and preparing the land. Li Weiwen continued her work in the kitchen. One of the male cooks had gone with the company commander for the seasonal migration. Although Xu Yumei was pregnant, she insisted on continuing to help with kitchen duties. But the others tried to take on more of the kitchen duties to ease her burden. Though the meals weren't lavish, everyone pitched in with enthusiasm to prepare the three daily meals for the group.
The military truck arrived once a week with various supplies. Some of the soldiers asked Instructor Zhang whether they could raise some chickens and pigs to improve their diet. Moved by their request, Instructor Zhang submitted a report to the regimental headquarters. To their surprise, when the truck came next, it brought with it a pair of chickens and a pair of piglets, along with instructions to raise them with care. The whole unit was immediately energized. In just one day, they built both a chicken coop and a pigsty. To protect the animals from the harsh winter, they even constructed an indoor shelter. Through this tireless work, people also began to learn more about the histories of Company Commander Guo Yungang, Political Instructor Zhang and those around them.
Company Commander Guo Yungang was an orphan, only 24 years old, yet he had the longest "military age" in the entire company ---- 22 years old. That was because, in 1945 just before the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan, his parents, both underground operatives, were arrested and executed by the Japanese when he was two years old. He was secretly smuggled out of the city by fellow underground comrades and brought to the Jin-Cha-Ji revolutionary base area, where he became one of the so-called "cradle babies on horseback". These children had to move constantly, following the main forces as the needs of the war dictated. It was only after the nation was completely liberated that a group of orphans of fallen martyrs, including Guo Yungang, were centrally placed in Beijing, where they came under the care of specially dedicated personnel. There he completed primary school, middle and high school. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the army. To him, the military was home. He loved everything about military life and requested to be posted to the most difficulte area. That was how he ended up stationed in Gansu Province with his unit. Thanks to his relatively high educational background, strong work ethic, eagerness to learn and quick thinking, he distinguished himself through many contributions and quickly rose through the ranks ---- from a humble squad leader to platoon leader and eventually to company commander in Xinjiang Military Region. As part of a military support mission, he was seconded to the Gansu Agricultural Reclamation Bureau. This time he had once again volunteered to lead a platoon to this barren and lifeless land to establish a livestock farm and receive a new group of students sent to settle and take root in the vast Northwest.
Political Instructor Zhang Yang had a much simpler background. He was the son of a farmer, about four or five years older than Guo Yungang. He had joined the army at the age of 15. Later he took part in the final stages of the Korean War and serving in garrison duties. Eventually, he was stationed with the troops in Gansu. After marrying a local woman named Xu Yumei, he was assigned to this post to work alongside Guo Yungang in leading this company with half soldiers and half students.
The medic Liu Yun was only 18 years old. Her parents were both veteran revolutionaries who had transitioned from military to civilian roles and now held top leadership position in a city in Gansu. Liu Yun had only been in the military for just one year. Because her mother had been a doctor, she had taken part in short-term medical training program so she could serve in various companies. Despite her short time in the military, she was already well acquainted with both Guo Yungang and Zhang Yang, as her father had once transferred to civilian work from this very unit. There were vague rumors that it was thanks to Company Commander Guo that she had been assigned to this place under the help of her father. However, Instructor Zhang firmly denied it but Sister Xu, on the other hand, just listened to the rumors with a mysterious smile on her face without saying a single word.
Since its establishment, this Agricultural Construction Division had not only managed its own farms and ranches, but also operated more than a dozen affiliated units, including factories, hospitals and commercial enterprises. It had formed a diversified economic system of operations centered on agriculture. The division even set an ambitious goal to reclaim 4 million mu of wasteland and achieve 1.25 million mu of cultivated land by 1970. ('mu' is a traditional Chinese unit of area, commonly used for measuring land. 1 mu≈666.7 square meters)
However, beginning in 1966, the unexpected influx of a large numbers of Red Guards beginning to link up around the country so that the military experienced severe turmoil and chaos, which disrupted production tasks and left many leadership organs paralyzed. In some areas, factional armed conflicts even broken out. To prevent the situation from spiraling further out of control, the military district leadership decided to impose military control. They selected a group of politically reliable and tough-minded soldiers to form new companies to reclaim farmland and establish new ranches. This was the reason this company came into being.
The platoon led by Guo Yungang and Zhang Yang consisted primarily of veteran soldiers, supplemented by newly arrived educated youth added to enhance production capacity and stabilize the situation. Although they inevitably faced a great deal of criticism ---- such as being accused of "putting production first", "worshiping technology", or "placing profit above all else" ---- they were far from the reach of central authority. Guo Yungang was someone who never shied away from trouble, while Zhang Yang, on the other hand, was more diplomatic and skilled at navigating political sensitivities. Together, the two formed a complementary and effective leadership team. Against all odds and mounting pressure, they managed to take root and begin building a new life on this barren and desolate land.
Although a few Red Guards came to conduct "link--ups" here, Guo Yungang took them directly to a nearby small village. During the three years of natural disasters, several people in this village had died of starvation, and just the year before, a few young men were killed in factional armed conflicts. In addition, the land was severely desertified with no livestock at all. The entire village managed to survive only by farming a few meager plots of arable land and additional support from government subsidies. Guo Yungang arranged for these Red Guards to be stationed there with the company providing them with basic food rations. He wanted them to truly undergo genuine re-education at the hands of the poor and lower-middle peasants and to lead the villagers to embody Chairman Mao's belief that "Man can conquer nature" so that they might work toward a better life.
Li Weiwen spent most of her time either in the kitchen or tucked away in the room to read whatever books she could get her hands on. She would often plead with Li Weibing to borrow them for her. Even when she sat with the others during idle chats, she kept her head down and remained silent. She wished she could simply stay behind Li Weibing but it was clear that Li Weibing was always busy, especially with Lin Feng. The two of them always seemed to have endless things to talk about and sometimes they even whispered to each other in private. Soon there was the rumor that they were in a romantic relationship. Hearing this, they merely smiled neither confirming nor denying the gossip. Their attitude seemed to lend credence to the rumours. As a result, Li Weiwen felt awkward about bothering her sister too often. Apart from this, she had another thing to occupy her time. Before the meadow withered completely, she needed to search for usable medicinal herbs, such as Goji berry, Codonopsis etc. With great care, she processed the small number of herbs she found into pills, categorizing and storing them neatly. These, along with the various pills she had brought from home and her acupuncture kit, were all kept safely in a wooden box.
The time passed quickly. They soon came to truly feel the force of the stormy weather, especially when the fierce northern winds swept across the land. The gusts stirred up such thick clouds of sand and dust that it was impossible to stand upright or even keep one's eyes open. It was said that deserts lying several kilometers away could give rise to shifting sand dunes that gradually swallowed everything in their path ---- even people. Because of this, the weather forecasts became crucial for survival, especially to avoid getting caught in dangerous conditions while herding livestock. Each day, they received the weather updates from the nearest meteorological station. This task was usually handled by Liu Yun, the medic. If she was unavailable, either the political instructor or the company commander would personally retrieve the forecast or assign someone to do so.
When the first snowfall came, the students from the south were thrilled beyond words because they had never seen snow before. They went out into the snow, stretching out their arms to hold the fluttering snowflakes. Laughing and chasing one another, they threw snowballs and played like children. At the doorway, Li Weiwen quietly built a small snowman, using bits of coal for the eyes and a piece of carrot for the nose. The girls were delighted, giggling at her creation. But Li Weiwen didn't join them. She stayed off to the side, simply watching in silence.
Later, the bitter cold of the northern winter truly set in and the southern students began to feel its severity. Soon they gathered around the coal stove, warming themselves by the steam rising from the kettle, roasting potatoes, sweet potatoes or steamed buns. During these moments, Li Weiwen, sitting beside Li Weibing, listened quietly to their conversation without a single word while accepting whatever her sister handed her ---- some food or a warm cup of water. If someone asked her some questions, she responded briefly and quickly. This made Li Weibing quietly rejoice that her little sister had finally taken the first step toward opening up and engaging with others.
This was the last military supply truck coming this year. To help these young people, especially many of whom were spending their first New Year away from home, celebrate the holiday with warmth and joy, the regimental headquarter made generous preparations. They sent not only ample New Year provisions such as pork, vegetables, fruit, peanuts and sunflower seeds etc, but also tangyuan, the glutinous rice balls traditionally eaten for the southern people during the New Year. With so many helping hands, the New Year's Eve dinner was prepared quickly. Some wrapped dumplings while others boiled tangyuan. Some stir-fried vegetable while others prepared the fruit on plates. It was the first time for Li Weiwen to make the dumplings. Although they looked far from perfect, she felt a deep sense of pride and accomplishment. Over the past half year, especially with the help of Xu Yumei, she had even begun learning how to cook. She had even asked the military truck's driver to bring a cookbook. Since Xu Yumei couldn't read much, Li Weiwen read the recipes aloud to her. It was precisely through her regular interactions with Xu Yumei and the ongoing encouragement she received that she was gradually able to let go of her emotional burden and truly become part of the group.