Chapter 316 Zhao Family Brigade

Zhu Fanfan replied, "My grandfather prepared for me when I came. I also wanted to see a different kind of scenery, so I brought a lot of film. I can set up my own darkroom and develop the films myself. It doesn't cost much. It's just that the photos are too small."

Although she couldn't endure hardship, she particularly admired those who could. In this era, those who were here were truly dedicated to building the country. She admired them from the bottom of her heart. Doing some insignificant things for these people was only right, so why should she accept money?

Zhu Zixi felt embarrassed: "The photos are like this now, so I'm the one who took advantage of you. I'll prepare some local specialties for you when you leave."

In order to support the construction, he specifically chose the most difficult environment. After arriving at the place, he applied for the most difficult place. To be honest, his salary and subsidies were not low. Since he was not married and had no place to spend money, he used half of it to subsidize families in need and the other half to subsidize the families of his fallen comrades. Developing photos was also quite expensive. If he took too many photos, he really couldn't raise the money in a short time.

Zhu Fanfan asked, "Brother, are you familiar with this place?"

Zhu Zixi said, "I've walked this place thousands and tens of thousands of times. I could find my way around with my eyes closed. Where do you want to go?"

Zhu Fanfan showed an address to her cousin. Since they were all from the Zhu family, her grandfather had instructed her to tell her cousin everything she knew, after all, she was just a visitor, while her cousin was the one who actually lived there, and he had more convenient access to the place. After looking at the address, her cousin said, "This is where General Lu was demoted. Ninth Grandfather asked you to come and see him?"

Zhu Fanfan didn't hide anything: "Grandpa Lu was suddenly demoted without any warning. Grandpa was suspended from his post and couldn't help. The environment here is harsh, so I came to see if there's anything I can help with."

Zhu Zixi laughed: "Then don't worry! Everyone here is focused on development, there's no backstabbing or infighting. If even we start criticizing and persecuting people, then we're not far from our demise."

The people here have already exhausted themselves just to survive. If they were to cause any more chaos and panic, they would have already fallen into disarray. If the ethnic minorities here were to become unruly, the army would be too busy arresting people to handle it all. The division commander has strictly forbidden any sabotage here, so relatively speaking, apart from some hardship, there won't be any major problems.

Zhu Fanfan asked with some doubt: "Are Grandpa Lu and the others really alright?"

The struggle sessions are about to begin across the country, and countless scientific research giants and founding heroes have suffered and endured humiliation. Can this place really escape unscathed?

Zhu Zixi said, "Our division commander is a veteran revolutionary himself, he might even know General Lu! Ninth Grandfather can rest assured, I will go and take a look when I have time, so Ninth Grandfather doesn't need to worry at all."

Zhu Fanfan sensed her cousin's confidence and was relieved to know that Grandpa Lu would be alright: "Is this environment really alright? Although they are not exactly living a life of luxury, they are well-fed and clothed, and have people to take care of them. The environment is also a plain climate, which is more suitable for the elderly. Here, the wind and sand blow directly into your face when you walk on the road. I heard that there is no water or food, no means of transportation, and you can't even plant trees. The environment is very harsh."

Zhu Zixi said helplessly, "Then you might as well let us starve to death. It's not that we have no water or food, it's just that we can't guarantee that we can use water freely. Drinking water is not a problem, it's just that taking a bath is inconvenient. We have our own special foods here, otherwise wouldn't so many people have starved to death long ago? Although we are still adapting to the soil, we will plant trees all over the desert sooner or later, and we will also build our bungalows on this land."

Trees are essential to maintain soil and water balance and prevent further damage to the land. The environment here is not suitable for building bungalows for the time being. The houses we have now are warm in winter and cool in summer and are habitable, but they are somewhat inconvenient. Although the environment here is harsh and the task is heavy, many leading scientists are here developing weapons that will enable our country to stand firm on the international stage.

Zhu Fanfan asked, "Let's go outside for a walk first! I'll take some pictures of you while I go take some photos."

Zhu Zixi accompanied Zhu Fanfan, explaining things to her and greeting people they met. They were all in good spirits and full of energy. There were accents from all over the country, but Zhu Fanfan didn't find anything wrong with it. After all, although everyone in the compound spoke Mandarin, there were all sorts of different accents.

In the evening, Zhu Zixi invited a group of friends over for a lively gathering. The next day, Zhu Fanfan went to visit Grandpa Lu and the others on her own. She was relieved to find out that they were treated the same as the locals. Her cousin took three days off, and Zhu Fanfan spent the rest of the time traveling on her own.

After playing for several days and confirming that Grandpa Lu was safe, Zhu Fanfan said goodbye to her cousin. She still had two places to go! If the other two families also encountered some kind people like Grandpa Lu and Grandpa Zhang, that would be great too.

She left with only a small suitcase, feeling very relaxed. Her cousin didn't have time to see her off, so he asked a comrade to take her to the station.

Zhu Fanfan took the train to her next destination. As soon as she got off the train, she was separated from her by the crowd. Fortunately, she only had one suitcase and was not seriously injured. The crowd was terrifying; even a martial artist like her was having trouble coping. Her destination was Zhaojia Brigade under Daxing Commune in Zhaoyang County, Huangshi. When she arrived at the commune, it was still in chaos.

The students were no longer gathered together, but she saw a group of people dragging an old man through the streets. The old man was tied up, his clothes were deeply wrinkled, and his face had many bruises. He was wearing a tall hat with the word "reactionary" written on it, and a sign was hanging in front of him with his name and the word "capitalist" written on it.

Zhu Fanfan wanted to intervene, but such movements were happening all over the country, and she couldn't possibly manage them all. When she saw people throwing clods of dirt at the elderly, she threw a one-cent coin at them. The direction changed, and the clods of dirt turned towards the red armbands holding the elderly. One or two coins hit them all without exception, which angered the red armbands. They stopped people from throwing clods of dirt and hastily ended the march.

Zhu Fanfan went directly to the guesthouse and asked for a private room. Although the staff at the guesthouse had never seen such a pass before, judging from Zhu Fanfan's arrogant expression, they knew that if they asked her, it would be classified information, and if they asked further, they would be trying to spy on her and ask if she was an enemy agent. The staff didn't dare to ask any more questions, afraid of getting themselves into trouble. They respectfully escorted her to the room, closed the door, and then showed a disdainful expression.

Zhu Fanfan tidied up the things on the bed, threw them aside, and took out her own sheets to spread out. She wasn't used to using other people's things when she was away from home. She was ready to go to the Zhao family brigade to check on the situation first.

As she got off the train, she suddenly realized that the name of this place was very familiar. Long-forgotten memories flooded back, and she remembered that this was Grandma Miao Yang's hometown. It used to be this address, but it was Zhao Family Village in Daxing Town. After the name was changed, it became Zhao Family Brigade of Daxing Commune. The name matched up. Thinking of this news, her heart sank. The people in Zhao Family Brigade were not good people. She was afraid that Grandpa Lu would be in a difficult situation.