Dean Gao wasn’t trying to boost others' morale at the expense of his own.
But when comparing the two, the gap was still quite obvious.
"Don’t feel pressured. If you’re interested, give it a try. The specific competition requirements are detailed in the newspaper," Dean Gao said, simply thinking this was a rare opportunity and nothing more.
"Alright," Jiang Si nodded earnestly.
After chatting a bit longer, knocking sounds came from the other end of the phone. Seeing that Dean Gao had other matters to attend to, Jiang Si hung up.
Once home, she immediately asked her mother-in-law, "Mom, do you still have the newspaper from the other day?"
"Yes, yes, let me get it for you." With that, Mother Huo went to her room and brought out the newspaper.
Jiang Si took it and quickly found the call for submissions.
The beginning was filled with some mainstream rhetoric, which she only skimmed. Her focus was on the design requirements.
The foreign-related hotel project had a total investment of 30 million, with a construction area of 68,000 square meters and 16 floors.
It needed to include over ten functional areas, such as a main exhibition hall, conference rooms, banquet halls, reception rooms, guest rooms, and Chinese and Western restaurants.
The design requirements were extensive.
In addition to the architectural master plan, they needed floor plans for each level, elevation drawings, cross-sections, renderings, aerial views, detailed specialized drawings, and traffic flow diagrams.
The submission deadline was December 31, 1969—just one month away.
Another key point: To ensure fairness, all participants’ information would be anonymized.
Personal details were strictly prohibited in the design submissions, and violators would be disqualified.
Huo Tingzhou noticed her staring at the newspaper for over ten minutes without speaking. "What’s wrong?"
Jiang Si handed him the paper and explained Dean Gao’s call.
Huo Tingzhou glanced at it. "You want to participate?"
"Mm." Jiang Si nodded, then looked back at the newspaper.
With so many participants, she didn’t hold much hope for being selected. She just saw it as good practice.
Huo Tingzhou never opposed what she wanted to do.
"Do it if you want. But one condition: Take care of your health. Don’t overwork yourself."
He then glanced at the two little ones in the rocking crib.
"Mom’s going to be busy for a while. You two better behave."
Jiang Si couldn’t help but laugh. "They’re only two months old. What do they understand?"
Rather than expecting the babies to behave, it’d be better if…
Seizing the moment while Mother Huo was in the kitchen, Jiang Si huffed, "You’re the one who needs to behave these days."
Ever since that first tentative exploration, it was like he’d unlocked some hidden potential.
If she’d known, she wouldn’t have been so soft-hearted.
This time, Huo Tingzhou agreed readily. "Alright."
He and the kids would be on their best behavior, ensuring nothing disrupted her creative process.
After all, they had all the time in the world!
"That’s more like it." Satisfied, Jiang Si turned her attention away.
Though she’d decided to enter the competition, Jiang Si wasn’t in a hurry.
Inspiration didn’t come on command, and tomorrow was the farm celebration. She’d focus on that first.
Speaking of which, she remembered something. "Mom, come with me tomorrow."
Mother Huo set a bowl of cooled soup in front of her. "Would it be appropriate for me to go?"
"It’s fine," Jiang Si said. "When I came back, I ran into Teacher Hu. She said each family can send two people. There’s also a meeting after dinner."
"A meeting?"
"Probably to go over the schedule."
With over a thousand people from both residential compounds attending, proper arrangements were needed to avoid chaos.
As Jiang Si expected, when she and Teacher Hu arrived in the afternoon with their small stools, the open space in front of the residential area was nearly full.
Seeing most people had gathered, Director Pan didn’t delay.
She started by outlining the celebration schedule.
At 8 a.m. tomorrow, there would be a farm unveiling ceremony.
Afterward, everyone could tour the farm or visit the nearby orchard.
At noon, a long-table banquet would be held in the open area next to the farm for a lively communal meal.
In the evening, an open-air movie would be screened at the military district auditorium.
The wives nodded in approval.
They all agreed it was a great plan.
The only downside was the two-person limit per household.
Granny Qian, the neighborhood’s know-it-all, stood up.
"Director Pan, can’t we squeeze in a few more? My daughter-in-law has two little ones. Who’s she supposed to bring?"
Her words sparked a chorus of agreement.
"Hold on, I wasn’t finished," Director Pan said, raising a hand to quiet them.
"I know everyone wants to bring their kids, but you have to understand the military’s constraints."
"The farm is completed now, but there are still over a dozen lime pits left, filled with steel bars and broken tiles. Oh, and the orchard next to it has over ten acres of fish ponds dug out."
"If we’re not careful and something happens to the kids, who’s going to take responsibility?"
Hearing this, the wives fell silent.
Every mother knew exactly how unruly their children could be.
Older kids might be manageable, but those under seven or eight? Nearly impossible to keep in check.
It wasn’t like they could tie their kids to their belts, could they?
Director Pan observed their expressions carefully. As the saying goes, you strike first, then offer a sweetener.
After a pause, she continued, "The division leadership organized this event out of consideration for us."
"In my opinion, let’s just relax and enjoy ourselves tomorrow—leave everything behind for once."
"Let the men handle the kids and the housework for a change. It’s about time they understand how tough it is to be a military wife."
The moment she said this, everyone cheered in agreement.
Even the usually critical Granny Qian couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up.
Director Pan truly lived up to her reputation as the one in charge of ideological work—her words were as smooth as silk, layered and persuasive!
Jiang Si, sitting nearby, couldn’t hold back a snort of laughter.
Seeing everyone on board, Director Pan clapped her hands.
"Oh, and one more good news to share..."
"What? More good news?"
Without beating around the bush, Director Pan went straight to the point.
Granny Qian’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Did I hear that right? After the long-table banquet, each family gets two cans of preserves, two bars of soap, and a pound of pork?"
Since the question was directed at her, Jiang Si nodded. "Yes, Granny, you heard correctly."
"Oh my, this is wonderful!" Granny Qian slapped her thigh in delight.
The entire residential compound buzzed with excitement.
Seizing the moment, Director Pan spoke up again. "Everyone, let me add a couple more things..."
Though she said so, she wasn’t entirely confident.
Steeling herself, she continued, "The army has considered everything for this event, but it wouldn’t be right for all of us to just show up empty-handed."
"My suggestion is, since it’s a long-table banquet, why don’t we each bring a homemade dish to add to the spread? What do you all think?"
Before anyone could respond, Auntie Xu, Director Pan’s mother-in-law, was the first to chime in.
"I heard the west residential compound has already planned this out—every household there has been busy preparing for days."
Her words were like cold water splashed into hot oil—the wives erupted in chatter.
If the west compound was already prepared, they couldn’t possibly show up empty-handed.
Imagine the embarrassment if word got out!
One wife immediately declared, "That’s a great idea! I’d feel awful just eating others’ food. I’ll go home and make some pancakes!"
Her fellow villager chimed in, "Then I’ll steam some buns—my dough is so fluffy, my husband can eat three in one sitting!"
"Perfect! I’ll whip up some pickled veggies and a spicy shredded pork ear salad—extra numbing peppers, tastes divine!"
"Oh my, then I’ve gotta make my famous stew—it’s so fragrant, y’all won’t stop eating it!"
"Ah, since we’ll have plenty of meat, how about something light? I’ll make braised wheat gluten with mushrooms—so tasty!"
"Then I’ll prepare some sweet sticky rice lotus root for dessert—soft and sweet, absolutely delicious!"
"..."
In no time, the wives had listed a whole array of dishes.
Jiang Si, who couldn’t cook, stayed silent—but she had a backup plan. She went straight to Mother Huo for help.
Mother Huo waved it off. "Don’t worry, leave it to me."
A signature dish? Consider it done.
The next day, the autumn air was crisp and clear.
By the time Jiang Si woke up, Mother Huo had already packed the prepared dishes into lunchboxes.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law dressed in matching floral dresses, then joined the group.
At 8 a.m., as the red silk drape was pulled off the farm’s plaque, the celebration officially began.
In the morning, everyone toured the newly built farm and observed the canned food production line in the workshop.
While the women blissfully enjoyed their hard-earned leisure time...
Back at the residential compound, the men left behind had only one thought—
The sky was falling.
