Chapter 135: Visiting for a meal
Shi Pusa followed A Qi to her home, but A Qi’s mother, A Chi, was not there. He didn’t mind, found a place to sit casually, and surveyed the simple wooden hut. He guessed it was the work of the Labor Team. He had also lived in such a temporary house for a while when he first arrived in Wanjin—it only provided basic shelter. To live a better life, one needed to apply for land with merits or money and build a new home oneself.
A Qi found water for Shi Pusa and explained, “Mother went to work, she should be back soon. Please wait a moment, Brother Pusa.”
“Good!” Shi Pusa took the water and began to drink. He then casually asked, “Which workshop is your mother in now?”
“My mother is currently helping to watch the pond at the dried algae workshop, she’s not officially in the workshop yet,” A Qi said. She then ran to get a bowl of dried algae powder, deep green with a hint of brown, and asked enthusiastically, “It’s salty and delicious, would you like some, Brother Pusa?”
Shi Pusa recognized it immediately. He had to eat this wretched stuff in the barracks every few days, and it was a mandatory ration during field exercises, forcing him to eat it daily. He had long lost any interest in it. This stuff was for supplementing protein. With the aquaculture technology of this era, hundreds of soldiers training daily would deplete Wanjin’s livestock within a month. Yuan Ye couldn’t supply that much meat, nor could they afford it. But without protein supplementation, the high training intensity would literally make people urinate blood.
Therefore, he had to rack his brains and search everywhere for things that could supplement protein, and they had to be extremely cheap to avoid excessive military expenses later. After much deliberation, he set his sights on algae, the ancient overlord of Earth.
Algae are natural aggregators of protein in nature, whether from rivers or seas. For example, spirulina, a well-known type, can have a protein content of up to 50%. In this era, algae are worthless and easy to collect. You can just scoop them from the sea, or dig a small pond on land and introduce edible algae species collected from the wilderness. They will grow on their own without much care.
It was with these processed algae, plus large quantities of cheap fish catch purchased from islanders, and some soy products, that the Wanjin New Army could obtain enough protein to support high training intensity, avoiding the situation common in armies of this era where a day of training required seven or eight days of rest.
Now, A Qi’s mother, A Chi, was responsible for watching the pond and collecting river algae. This job didn’t require much strength, only good patience, making it suitable for women. However, the treatment was average, only enough to ensure basic living.
Shi Pusa was completely tired of dried algae powder. The main reason was that it tasted like medicine and was extremely unpleasant. He didn’t consider it food and disliked it. He politely declined the peculiar taste of Little Qi and sat there waiting. After a while, he noticed a depression in the ground. Looking up, he suspected it might leak during rain. He called Little Qi over to ask about it and then rolled up his sleeves to repair the roof. The temporary housing built in bulk by the Labor Team inevitably had quality flaws, with minor issues here and there.
He had built houses before and was a skilled worker. He soon fixed the roof. As he came down, he heard someone outside shouting about selling firewood. He quickly went to check the firewood pile and found there wasn’t much. He immediately went out and stopped the firewood seller, asking about the price. He found that pre-split firewood was more expensive, but large chunks of wood were very cheap—they were leftover miscellaneous wood from the Labor Team’s large-scale logging for charcoal, perfect for residents as fuel and for recycling currency.
Of course, residents could also burn charcoal if they wished, but the price was very high. Currently, charcoal was mainly supplied for military use, for smelting iron and steel, and for forging weapons.
Shi Pusa appeared somewhat slow-witted and simple, as if his brain had been damaged in childhood, but in reality, he was very good at managing his affairs. After careful calculation, not wanting the Labor Team to profit from him splitting firewood, he asked for a large pile of wood chunks. He then went out to the general store to buy an axe and, spitting in his palm, began splitting firewood in the small courtyard.
He had developed a strong physique from his time in the New Army, and having been beaten up by pots, bowls, ladles, basins, and military police mixed together in the past, he was very adept at mechanical work. Focused, he chopped away, wood chips flying. Soon, he had built a small wall with the firewood. Then, he felt that placing the firewood like this wasn’t ideal and that a bamboo shed should be built.
Without much thought, he began to assemble the bamboo shed. Meanwhile, A Chi had finished inspecting her assigned pond and submitted the collected algae. She returned to check on her daughter and was startled to see a strange man working in her small yard. She almost went directly to find the military police. Widows were afraid of harassment. She was considered attractive among village girls and had encountered similar situations upon arrival. A man had insisted on staying with her, making all sorts of bothersome noises. Fortunately, Wanjin placed great importance on order, and a patrolling military policeman was soon alerted. The man was then knocked down by two blows from the military police and dragged away.
She had now developed a habit of quickly going to the street to find the military police at the first sign of danger. Just as she was about to call for help, A Qi ran back from outside with a large bundle of straw. Seeing her, she happily exclaimed, “Mother, Brother Pusa is here!”
After she finished speaking, she chattered away rapidly, quickly explaining how she met Shi Pusa, invited him home for a meal, and how he was helping around the house. A Chi then took a closer look at the stranger and realized it was indeed the young soldier who had helped them before. He had grown much taller, and with the scar on his face, his demeanor had shed its youthful immaturity, making him an adult man.
Shi Pusa also noticed her arrival at this moment. He stared at her blankly for a moment, realizing she too had changed. Her hair was neatly styled, her face had color, and she looked several years younger than before, though her appearance hadn’t changed drastically.
After a glance, he gave a simple smile and lowered his head to continue tying knots, working on his bamboo shed. A Chi hesitated for a moment, didn’t approach to speak, and went directly into the house to make buckwheat noodles.
The two were busy with their own tasks, while A Qi was very excited, helping out in the house for a while and then outside. It wasn’t until the meal was ready that A Chi finally appeared and spoke her first words: “Um… Lord, please eat!”
Shi Pusa quickly waved his hands, looking shy, “I’m not a Lord, I’m not. I’m not even a non-commissioned officer yet!”
A Chi was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say. The last time she met Shi Pusa, he had looked like a boy. At that time, she felt her future fate was tragic, likely to be captured and sold. She had been crying uncontrollably, repeatedly wanting to escape halfway and die with her daughter, so she hadn’t spoken much with the boy who helped her and wasn’t actually familiar with him.
Only after settling in Wanjin did she realize she had overthought things. Wanjin was safe and provided enough food, a hundred times better than staying in the village. It was then that she began to be grateful to Shi Pusa for putting them on the boat and to the boy who repeatedly stopped her from seeking death. She started thinking about thanking him in person if they met again, and then her daughter directly brought him home…
The two were silent for a moment. A Qi, however, became curious. She looked around and grabbed Shi Pusa’s arm, saying, “Brother Pusa, didn’t you say you wanted to eat buckwheat noodles? Mother has made them, go eat quickly!”
“Okay, okay!” Shi Pusa immediately followed A Qi into the house and sat by the fire pit.
A Chi quickly followed him in, served him a bowl of noodles, and Shi Pusa, with a shy “Thank you,” began to shovel noodles into his mouth, finishing a bowl in two bites.
A Chi quickly continued to serve him noodles and also told her daughter to eat.
Shi Pusa ate four bowls silently before slightly slowing down. He habitually looked around, wanting to see if his companions had any good food in their bowls that they were reluctant to eat, so he could grab a bite. At this moment, A Chi hesitated and said in a low voice, “Um… I’ll re-sew your clothes for you!”
Shi Pusa looked at his armpit. There was a large tear there from training, which Guo Tailang, the deputy small flag, had sewn up for him. However, Guo Tailang was short, clumsy, and foolish. His hand, when extended, was like five radishes, so he couldn’t sew neatly. He had sewn it crookedly, just enough to pass inspection. He hadn’t expected it to be noticed, but A Chi had seen it.
Since it had been seen, it didn’t matter. He hesitated for a moment and then took off his top and handed it to A Chi. However, he was very strong, and in winter, he only wore this one thick jacket. When he took it off, he was bare-chested, revealing his muscular physique.
A Chi’s face flushed slightly, but in the countryside, there weren’t so many scruples. Many people wore clothes passed down from father to son. The diligent would patch them up, while the lazy would show their skin. If one were to avoid all impropriety, women wouldn’t be able to leave their homes.
She simply stoked the fire in the hearth a bit more so Shi Pusa wouldn’t catch a chill, then fetched her needle and thread and began to carefully re-sew his clothes.
A Qi wasn’t very interested in eating buckwheat noodles. She was no longer the skinny, hungry girl from half a year ago, whose eyes would turn red at the sight of food. Instead, she began pestering Shi Pusa with questions about the barracks, her tone filled with envy. After all, it was the pinnacle of Wanjin’s current advancement system, where only the smartest and strongest were selected. Upon entering the camp, their monthly salary was triple that of ordinary people. She had heard about it many times and was inevitably influenced, preparing to gather information about the barracks to brag to her playmates later.
Shi Pusa wasn’t good at talking either. He just repeated ordinary things like the food was good, sleep was good, clothes were issued, and monthly salaries were paid. But A Qi never tired of listening, constantly asking questions and inquiring about famous figures in the Wanjin Army, hoping to get some inside information.
After the meal was finished and the clothes were mended, he put his clothes back on and went out to finish the bamboo shed. He worked until the afternoon, when the bamboo shed was finally completed. He looked at the sky and felt it was time to go back. Without hesitation, he took out a handful of copper coins and put them into A Chi’s hand, saying simply, “I’m going back. Ah… um, take this money.”
A Chi quickly pushed the money back, repeatedly saying, “No, no, that… the noodles were a treat, thank you for helping us last time…”
“I was just following orders. This isn’t for the noodles. I saw you needed many things at home, buy them later,” Shi Pusa said simply again and turned to leave.
A Chi stood there, holding the money in her hand, stunned for a moment. Only after he had left did she react and quickly called out after him. However, her voice grew softer and softer, “Um, next time you have leave, come over for a meal…”
Shi Pusa turned back with a simple smile, said nothing more, and walked away along the road.
