It was time once again to decide on the date for the seasonal migration. Instructor Zhang decided that he would still lead the group this time and that Li Weiwen must go along since Li Yun had already joined the group for two consecutive years and she had also applied for leave to visit her family during the Chinese New Year. Apart from Liu Yun, Li Weiwen was the only person in the company with medical knowledge so no matter what, she had to be part of the group in this seasonal migration. However, Guo Yungang was strongly opposed to Instructor Zhang leading the group and insisted that he should take charge. The two argued relentlessly over it, their voices carrying through the base. In the end, with Xu Yumei's help and Guo Yungang's relentless persistence, Instructor Zhang had no choice but to give in. But, publicly, he announced that it was still undecided who would lead the group, leaving everyone in suspense.
During this period, apart from their previous chance encounter, Guo Yungang and Li Weiwen had met in private only once. Most of the time, Guo Yungang did the talking while Li Weiwen just listened quietly, occasionally raising her head to say a word or two. For everyone else, the true nature of their relationship remained a mystery ---- only the couples Li Weibing and her husband, and Xu Yumei and her husband, had any real understanding. Li Yun, however, had her suspicions. She intentionally, or sometimes unconsciously, appeared herself near Guo Yungang, observing him closely. Occasionally, when she met Li Weiwen in the girls' dormitory, she always made cutting, sarcastic remarks. Li Weiwen, naturally timid, never dared respond, shrinking back under Liu Yun's words. Seeing this, the other couldn't help but pity her. They often tried to intervene, either stopping Liu Yun from speaking or gently pulling Li Weiwen away before the situation escalated.
It wasn't until the day when the group set out on the seasonal migration that everyone realized Guo Yungang would be leading the team this time. For Li Weiwen, it was her first time accompanying the migration, and though she felt a surge of excitement, it was tempered by a host of worries. First she worried about Li Weibing. Her expected delivery date was in October, and the thought of being away from her made her uneasy. What if something unexpected happened while she was gone, and Liu Yun was unable to handle it? Still, she couldn't simply stay behind for her sake. She had no choice but to entrust Xu Yumei with extra care, hoping she would remain vigilant. Ideally, Li Weibing should be sent to the hospital in advance to avoid any emergencies. To prepare for every possibility, Li Weiwen even wrote out detailed instructions on how to handle emergencies and taught Xu Yumei some massage techniques that might assist with childbirth, and left behind plenty of Chinese herbs. Only then did a small measure of reassurance settle over her. Second, she worried about the migration itself. She had originally assumed that Instructor Zhang would lead the group, but now Guo Yungang was in charge. She couldn't help but suspect that this might be intentional on his part. The thought of spending extended time in close proximity to him made her anxious, though she reminded herself that she could stay near the other girls in the group and politely refuse any advances or invitation. She tried to convince herself that by keeping her distance and maintaining a clear boundary, she could manage the situation. Third, she worried about Liu Yun. As the group prepared to depart, Li Weiwen quietly stole a glance at Liu Yun and noticed a flash of malice in her eyes as they fixed on her. But when Liu Yun realized Li Weiwen was staring at her, Li Weiwen noticed that the gaze seemed to shift into one of fearless defiance, as if refusing to back down. Both the malicious glare and the fearless challenge sent a shiver down her spine. Li Weiwen was not someone who could confront or argue with others; such a gaze was more than she could handle. Heart pounding, she quickly turned her head and spurred her horse forward, galloping to the front of the procession to put some distance between herself and the tension behind her.
At the beginning, the reason that this company originally chose this place to settle was their firm belief that "man can conquer nature". Their vision was to transform this near - desert into a farm suitable for both agriculture and animal husbandry. To achieve this goal, a group of recent university graduates and young students with knowledge of forestry were selected, with the hope that tree planting could halt the expansion of the desert, extend the flood season of the river and eventually create fertile grasslands along its banks. But the results of their efforts proved far from ideal. Almost every year the trees they planed withered and died, and a single sandstorm could wipe out months of hard work, leaving these forestry students deeply frustrated. Meanwhile, the desertification of the land only seemed to worsen, with drifting sand becoming increasingly difficult to control. If drought struck and rainfall decreased, the flood season of that unnamed river grew even shorter. This reality forced the company to prepare for the seasonal migration earlier than expected. In order to avoid competing with the local villagers for grazing grass, they had to reply on the other company who focused on farming to transport the hay and fodder to a designated mountain valley. The site was chosen because it was well-suited for livestock to overwinter. It was protected from major blizzards and occasionally provided small amounts of grain that could be also available to supplement the animals' feed. This was especially crucial for the military horses they raised, which required concentrated feed. This was their first time moving to this mountain valley for the seasonal migration.
This was Li Weiwen's first time joining the seasonal migration and she had never imagined the scene could be so magnificent. Although it wasn't a thundering stampede of horses, it was still an impressive sight: they rode on military horses, driving a herd of cattle ahead while a flock of sheep followed behind. The male soldiers cracked their whips to keep the animals in line, while several of female comrades guided the ox carts which were loaded with everyone's belongings and three days' worth of canned rations for the road. Another cart carried sacks of flour and potatoes. The canned food served as their main staple provisions, and two extra tents had been packed in case of emergencies. If they needed to replenish supplies, it would take a whole day by ox carts to reach the nearest farm. Thus the whole team marched forward in a long and mighty procession. After all, it was only early October so the weather was still gentle ---- the crisp autumn air under a clear high sky, clouds drifting lazily above. From time to time, they passed a few nameless streams. Several of the girls couldn't resist breaking into song, their voices carrying away by the breeze, and the men at the front called back in cheerful reply. Laughter and banter rippled through the column, lightening the road. Li Weiwen, caught up in the blue sky, the white clouds and her comrades' high spirits, found herself laughing along, her mood lifted. Riding on horseback, she sometimes closed her eyes to feel the fresh mountain wind brushing across her face. At other times, she casually leaned down to pluck the wildflowers or gather herbs to slip into her satchel. She hadn't expected to find so many kinds of medicinal plants in these hills and the discovery filled her with excitement. What she didn't realize was that her every gesture had already fallen into Guo Yungang's watchful gaze. Seeing her so carefree and full of joy, he couldn't help but let a quiet, contented smile spread across his face.
The journey was uneventful, and after half a month on the road, they finally arrived at their destination. To everyone's surprise, it turned out to be a small village with a dozen or so households but not a single soul lived there. The only new additions were two freshly built livestock pens. With a dark expression, Guo Yungang addressed the group:
"Listen up, comrades. Vice Platoon Leader Zhao, you take two squads and drive the livestock into the pens. The rest of you arrange the dormitories for everyone. The girls will stay inside the houses and the men will set up around the girls' dormitories. One room will be used as the kitchen and another as storage."
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances. Why were there houses but no one lived in this village? The empty houses stood in eerie silence, like rows of abandoned ghost houses. They looked at Guo Yungang for an explanation, but his grim face gave nothing away. He simply issued his orders, leaving them no choice but to carry on. In silence, they began sweeping out the houses, moving luggage and supplies and arranging their living areas. It was only later that Li Weiwen learned the reason during a private meeting with Guo Yungang. It turned out that during the three-year famine, most of the villagers here had starved to death. The few who survived had been forced to abandon their homes and wander elsewhere to beg for food. The revelation left Li Weiwen not only shocked but also struggling to imagine the suffering that had occurred. The thought brought back her own memories of that time ---- how she had endured, how her family had scraped by and what kind of desperate life they had lived during those years. It took the group three full days before everything finally fell into order. Before the snow arrived, Guo Yungang led them to graze the livestock three times in the nearby pastures. Soon after, the first snowfall of the season arrived, blanketing the abandoned village in white.