Chapter 1560 - The Gathering (Part One)

Wang Qisuo had been busy lately and had not planned to go. But on second thought, why not? Several of Huang Ande's circle of brothers were now serving in Lingao's military or police. Mingling with them could only be beneficial.

So he hurried back to barracks, washed his face, changed into a clean uniform, bought some wine at the military cooperative, picked up sliced roast pork at East Gate Market, and headed for the new residential district in Bopu.

With the conclusion of Operation Engine, wave after wave of migrants from the north had arrived in Lingao, dramatically altering the local population structure. Once, the streets had been filled with Cantonese, Fujianese, and Hakka speech; now, accents from Shandong, Hebei, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang had sharply increased.

The babel of dialects forced the migrants to adapt quickly to Mandarin—known here as "new speech." Under Yuan Laoyuan rule, if you wanted to get ahead, or even just find work or run a small business, speaking only your local dialect would not do. Thus, all sorts of stilted "new speech" emerged, and the Yuan Laoyuan vigorously promoted "speaking new speech," making proficiency a criterion for becoming a cadre or enrolling in school.

The massive population influx inevitably strained local housing. After leaving quarantine camps, each new wave of arrivals could only sleep in large reception shelters—rows of bamboo huts hastily erected by factories and farms. They resembled the slums of Brazil or India, only neater and cleaner.

Even such crude housing could not be claimed entirely—one had only a berth, and sometimes even that had to be shared, sleeping in shifts.

Despite the unprecedented housing crunch, there were still rewards for those who had distinguished themselves in Operation Engine. Huang Ande, for instance, had been instrumental in the "Rescue from the Besieged City" operation and was granted a housing quota. He had happily taken on a twenty-year mortgage and now owned his own place. By any era's standards, the apartment was pitifully small: "National Apartments" designed by the Lingao General Construction Company offered less than thirty square meters of usable space per unit—one room, a living room, a kitchen, and a shared communal toilet on each floor. There was no running water; one had to fetch water from the public well downstairs.

Still, this was bliss enough for Huang Ande. Many officers promoted alongside him were still waiting for housing quotas and had no choice but to stay in officers' dormitories. Now, with the population swelling, many new migrant families were eager to marry their daughters off to these officers—only to be stymied by the housing problem. A young couple could hardly live in a dormitory.

As for the comrades who had gone through fire and blood with him in Dengzhou—some had died in clashes with the mutineers; some had perished on the long journey south. The survivors who had passed through quarantine were now scattered into new lives. Some had entered factories, some had joined the army, and others had become state police.

His cousin Huang Xiong had also married after Operation Engine. For a time, due to "disciplinary issues," he had been exiled to Jeju Island as a White Horse Squad instructor. Fortunately, the Chiefs still remembered him; within a year, he was recalled. Recently, he had been notified of assignment to a General Staff training course in preparation for promotion—though his advancement had been rougher than most. Many of his Security Regiment contemporaries had attended this tactical training class several terms ahead of him.

Though they were not blood-cousin brothers, they were still within the five degrees of mourning kinship, and that counted for something. Since Huang Xiong had been transferred to the Jizhou Garrison, the cousins had not had a proper reunion in years. This housewarming was a chance to invite him and his wife, along with other brothers, for a good meal and a chance to catch up.

Huang Ande's apartment was in a newly developed complex not far from the restricted area of Gaoshan Ridge, so it was sold only to Fubo Army officers and naturalized-citizen cadres in the security services.

The compound contained several rows of tube-style apartment buildings laid out in an orderly fashion. Huang Ande's building, Block One, was reserved for officers—even a captain would not necessarily receive a unit without distinguished service.

His apartment was on the top floor. In his view, the top floor offered the best view—even the Emperor might not live so high.

Huang Ande, wearing a brand-new uniform, stood beaming at the compound gate, waiting for his brothers to arrive. The first to come were Zhu Si and his wife. Zhu Si was now a soldier in the Security Battalion and had married Yue'e—one of the few enlisted men with a wife.

As a common soldier, he lived in barracks. Zheng Yue'e could only stay in her factory dormitory. The two led the life of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl, meeting only when they could book a private room at a military-designated teahouse for some intimacy—very inconvenient.

Zheng Yue'e had by now recovered the spirited air of the "little spitfire" she had once been, no longer the dazed, traumatized girl from the refugee camp. After being brought from Jeju Island to Lingao, she had still been somewhat mentally unwell, and was eventually sent to the Jicun Mental Health Clinic under Chief Medical Officer Deng Bojun, where, with careful treatment, she had finally recovered.

"Big Brother Huang, you look so dashing!" Zheng Yue'e called out the moment she saw Huang Ande, before Zhu Si could even open his mouth. "No wonder they say fortune brings vigor—having a new place really makes a difference!"

Zheng Yue'e wore a printed-cotton dress, colorful yet practical, her hair done up in an Australian-style ponytail secured with a hair clip. She had on woven-rattan sandals.

Huang Ande knew her outfit was not cheap: the bright, beautifully patterned fabric was imported from India, far more expensive than plain white or blue cloth. Even the sandals were this year's newest style from the cooperative—and not cheap either.

Zhu Si really did dote on his wife. Huang Ande sighed inwardly. Back then, he had begged Zhu Si to spend the money to buy Yue'e, even risking disciplinary action. Clearly, Zhu Si cherished her greatly!

Huang Ande knew both he and Zhu Si had bent the rules for personal reasons. Fortunately, the Chiefs had not pursued the matter. Steward Lu and Commandant Zhu were good men!

"You don't understand," Zhu Si said with a grin, carrying a gift box. "A new place is only the first blessing. Next, Big Brother Huang will be 'building a nest to attract a phoenix'—before long, we'll be drinking at his wedding!"

Huang Ande threw back his head and laughed. Indeed, finding a wife was no longer difficult. The massive influx of migrants had eased the local gender imbalance, and since most migrants arrived penniless, many single women were eager to marry for financial security. Naturalized citizens with steady incomes were their first choice, and officers were especially sought after. As long as a man had a place to live, matchmakers would come calling—marriage was only a matter of time.

"So that's how it is! Looks like we'll have a new sister-in-law before long—and once a little boy is born, that'll be three blessings at the door!"

"May your words come true!" Huang Ande was in high spirits. "Come in, come in—it's up on the fifth floor. The door's open; you go on ahead and have a seat."

"No need—we'll keep Big Brother company down here. The others will take a while yet. Lü Laonian is playing it safe again—says he doesn't dare leave work early and will come late. And he was the first of us to arrive in Lingao! He's just a blacksmith—hard to see why the Chiefs took a shine to him."

As they chatted, more guests arrived one after another. They all kept in touch, but the pace of life in Lingao was demanding; no matter the trade, work was heavy, and they seldom had a chance to gather. This housewarming party was a rare grand reunion.

Nearly everyone brought a gift. After the greetings and small talk, Huang Ande handed around cigarettes from several large cartons he had prepared.

Almost everyone had arrived—including Wang Qisuo—except for Lü Laonian, who had warned he would be late, and Huang Xiong and his wife, who had still not appeared. Just as they were growing impatient, Zheng Yue'e pointed: "There's Cousin Huang Xiong!"

In the distance, Huang Xiong and his wife Wang Bao'er walked slowly toward them. Wang Bao'er still dressed in the Great Ming style—a ruqun skirt and a traditional bun. Her belly was visibly swollen with pregnancy, making her steps heavy; her unbound feet still struggled on the hard road, and she had to lean on Huang Xiong's arm, taking three faltering steps to every stride. Huang Xiong carried a large food box.

Drawing near, Huang Xiong had just called out "Brother" when Wang Bao'er freed herself from his arm, curtsied to Huang Ande and the gathered guests, and said, "Ten thousand blessings to all you elder brothers." That was her greeting.

She had been in Lingao long enough to have recovered her health. The daughter of a grain merchant, she carried herself with natural grace. Though pregnant, her poise was undiminished. Huang Ande silently admired her—no wonder his cousin had gotten into trouble over her.

Huang Ande laughed. "Even after all this time in Lingao, Sister-in-law still keeps up the old courtesies. Brothers, no need to wait for Lü Laonian—let's go up and have a proper feast. No one goes home sober!" The group cheered their agreement.

They climbed to the fifth floor. Huang Ande's apartment had only one room plus a living room; a dozen people crowding in was a bit much. But as a bachelor, he usually ate at the barracks mess and had little clutter beyond the essential furniture. Once everyone sat around the table, it did not feel cramped.

Wang Bao'er, heavy with child and on her unbound feet, struggled to climb the five flights. Supported by Huang Xiong and Zheng Yue'e, she finally made it up. Once inside, she lingered behind Huang Xiong's back, timidly surveying the apartment. Suddenly she turned and asked Huang Ande, "Brother Huang—does this room really belong to you?"

"Of course. The deed has my name on it." Huang Ande was bursting with pride.

"What's a deed?" Wang Bao'er asked blankly. Before Huang Ande could figure out how to explain property registration, Cao Qing spoke up: "A deed is just a house contract, Sister-in-law."

Wang Bao'er's eyes flickered with a mix of disdain and envy—a complex expression indeed.

(End of Chapter)