"Really? The arm was that big? Must have been seven or eight pounds, right? I've never seen a fish that big." a young soldier expressed doubt.
Li Weimin scoffed, "Don't you know how Dazhu talks? Take off the head and tail, and then cut half of it off, and that's how you should take his word for it."
Wang Dazhu thumped his chest and continued, "Speaking of which, I haven't eaten fish in such a long time since leaving home. I've almost forgotten what fish tastes like."
"If you want to eat fish, you can ask your battalion commander."
A deep voice came from behind. Wang Dazhu waved his hand without looking back, "Forget it. With our battalion commander's face, no offense, but he's as cold as a block of ice. He could freeze someone to death on a hot summer day. In front of him, let alone eating, I can barely speak properly."
After Wang Dazhu finished, he looked at everyone around him, who were squinting as if their eyes were full of sand, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "What's wrong? Did you all get eye cramps collectively?"
Li Weimin rubbed his forehead with a headache. It proved that a blockhead was always a blockhead; you could never expect him to open up.
"Speaking of which, although our battalion commander is usually strict with us, I actually know it's for our own good. As the saying goes, 'steel is tempered by fire.' I've never seen a more dedicated battalion commander in the whole battalion!" Wang Dazhu added with a poker face.
Everyone who had been waiting to watch the show, mouths slightly agape, froze in place.
Gu Xingdong: "It's good that you know. It means I haven't doted on you all for nothing."
Everyone: "..." This doting was a bit too much to bear.
Hearing Gu Xingdong's words, Wang Dazhu quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead, secretly letting out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he was quick-witted at the crucial moment, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Gu Xingdong glanced at everyone and asked, "You want to eat fish?"
Everyone's spirits instantly lifted. They exchanged glances and said in unison, "Yes!"
"Old Gu, I want some too." Wu Zheng couldn't help but join in the fun.
"Alright." Gu Xingdong nodded. Before he could say more, everyone erupted in cheers, completely surprised that their battalion commander had agreed so readily.
But Gu Xingdong's next words instantly doused their enthusiasm.
"Thirteen minutes. Whoever can complete all these training ground tasks within thirteen minutes, dinner is on me."
"Thirteen minutes? I usually barely pass the qualifying line. I'll pass."
"Although the time is much shorter than usual, I want to try."
Gu Xingdong gave them half a minute to consider, then raised his hand to cut off the discussion, "Those who don't want to challenge, stand on the right. Those who want to challenge, stand on the left."
People gradually moved. Soon, quite a few stood on each side.
"Old Wu, you time it." Gu Xingdong said to Wu Zheng.
More than ten minutes later, everyone returned, dragging their feet almost to the point of exhaustion. Gu Xingdong's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly as he looked at the three winners.
Normally, it was good if one person met the standard during training. Today, there were three more. Good, very good! "After training ends, Li Weimin, Wang Dazhu, and Liu Qiang, the three of you will come with me."
Before the three could even start smiling, Gu Xingdong continued, "Old Wu, make a note. Starting tomorrow, these three people, along with those who abstained on the right, will clean the latrines for half a month."
The three were dumbfounded.
"Why, Battalion Commander? Why us cleaning the latrines?"
"Yeah, Battalion Commander, we three won."
Gu Xingdong: "One month!"
Wang Dazhu was anxious, "Battalion Commander, you must give us a reason..."
Before he could finish, his mouth was covered by Li Weimin beside him.
...
At home, Chen Lishu took the fish pot to the table precisely on time. The cat, King, smelled it and was jumping around anxiously.
"Didn't I already give you half a fish? Who told you to eat it so fast?"
Chen Lishu reprimanded sternly, "This isn't for you. If you dare to touch it, you'll never eat fish again, understand?"
Gu Xingdong entered the house, spotting one person and one cat facing off by the table. His eyes softened. "Did this cat make you angry again?"
"Of course. You don't know, this guy's appetite has been growing bigger lately. Look how fat he's gotten, he's so clueless."
As Chen Lishu was speaking, she looked up and realized Gu Xingdong wasn't alone. There were four people following behind him.
"Sister-in-law, hello!"
Li Weimin and Wang Dazhu and the others called out in unison, their voices as loud as slogans.
"Sister-in-law, this is the dried sausage mailed by our family."
"This is the pastry from my hometown my mom mailed. Try it."
Chen Lishu looked at the items handed to her and felt a bit embarrassed. "You're already here, why be so polite?"
"Sister-in-law, can't you see? They're hoping to come over for a meal next time. Hurry up and accept it, otherwise how will they have the nerve to ask?" Wu Zheng teased with a smile.
Gu Xingdong hadn't intended to bring him, but when he heard about the fish, he shamelessly insisted on coming along.
"You guys eat first, I'll go stir-fry a couple more dishes."
A single fish was more than enough for three people. With four extra people, it definitely wouldn't be enough. After Chen Lishu invited everyone to sit down, she went to the kitchen.
Fortunately, there were still vegetables washed by Chen Liyuan. Chen Lishu skillfully cut the vegetables and soon stir-fried two more dishes.
Only after she and Chen Liyuan sat down did everyone start eating. It was their first time trying the fish pot, and they almost swallowed their tongues from how delicious it was. They praised Chen Lishu's cooking to the skies.
"You must be tired. I'll clean this up. You go back to the room and rest."
Seeing the messy table, Gu Xingdong consciously stood up, gestured for Chen Lishu and Chen Liyuan to return to the room, and rolled up his sleeves to clear the table.
"Alright then." Chen Lishu, tired after a long day, didn't refuse. She called Chen Liyuan and they went back to the room.
Time flew by, and it was the day Zhou Bin was to arrive in the provincial capital with the truck, also the day to pick up the fabric from the textile factory as agreed with Li Zhengxing.
Early in the morning, after briefing Chen Liyuan, Chen Lishu took a car straight to the city.
Zhou Bin wasn't due until the afternoon, so Chen Lishu and Wang Aixiang went to the textile factory again in the morning.
This time, Li Zhengxing provided ten bolts of poplin and twenty bolts of gabardine.
In total, there were sixty bolts of fabric. Chen Lishu deposited nearly six thousand yuan, leaving her with only a few hundred yuan. Fortunately, a batch of finished clothing was about to arrive, which would bring in a considerable amount upon resale.
Due to the large quantity of fabric and limited manpower, Chen Lishu decided to only transport the twill and poplin, forty bolts in total. The remaining gabardine would be sold directly as fabric, as before. After all, at two mao cheaper per chi than the store, it was relatively easy to sell.