Siheyuan: A Family of Loyal and Brave People

Knowing He Yu's determination, Cheng Hao stopped trying to persuade her and just lowered his head to eat noodles quietly.

After finishing the last bit of noodle soup in the bowl and putting down the bowl and chopsticks, Cheng Hao licked his lips and said, "Zhu Zi, your cooking skills are so good. If you open a restaurant in the fjord, the business will definitely be very popular."

He Yuzhu nodded, then shook his head and smiled bitterly, "It's difficult. As the saying goes, even a good cook cannot cook without rice. There is a shortage of food in North Korea. No matter how good my cooking skills are, it's difficult to display them."

The birthplaces of several major domestic cuisines are all regions with abundant resources. Thanks to the diverse and rich ingredients, a wide variety of dishes with color, aroma and taste have been derived.

The northern part of the Korean Peninsula is mostly mountainous and hilly, with a shortage of resources. The people have not yet solved the problem of daily food and clothing, let alone the pursuit of delicious food.

“That’s easy. Fjord Town is not far from the border, and we can go back and forth in two days.

There are no other good things nearby, but there are a lot of Korean ginseng. We can find someone to bring the ginseng back to China and exchange it for some rice and food supplies. There will definitely be a lot of profit from this.”

The war at the front was at a stalemate, and the 702nd Regiment saw no chance of going to the front line again. Cheng Hao, who had some free time, started thinking about how to make money.

After several battles, Cheng Hao had saved up tens of thousands of US dollars, plus more than fifty kilograms of gold, but no one would complain about having too much money.

Besides, I should get some supplies and reward myself for my tiredness.

"Is it really okay to do this? It won't violate discipline, right?" He Yuzhu was excited but also a little worried.

Cheng Hao became the head of a group at a young age, and his future is bright. However, he must not lose sight of the big picture and leave a black spot on his career because of a small matter.

"The area from the fjord to the border is all our 702nd Regiment's defense zone. If we don't make a fuss, nothing will happen.

Besides, if we can get some of the supplies ourselves, it can also reduce the pressure on our superiors, don’t you think?"

Cheng Hao was confident and his eyes were sincere and determined.

In fact, Cheng Hao made extra money not only for himself, but also for the sacrificed soldiers of the 702nd Regiment.

The country was in a state of disrepair and the economy was not well off, so the compensation that could be given to the sacrificed volunteers was limited.

With just these subsidies, I'm afraid that life will still be difficult for those families who have lost their young and strong people.

Cheng Hao's ability is limited and he cannot manage the entire army, but as the commander of the 702nd Regiment, he has an obligation to lead the more than people in the regiment.

Once he makes money, he will definitely find ways to provide more subsidies to the families of the victims in the regiment.

"Brother Hao, I trust you. If there is anything you need me to do, just let me know."

Seeing that Cheng Hao had made up his mind, He Yuzhu agreed to join without any further ado.

"Okay, let's get together and make his brother prosperous."

……

Cheng Hao was not a man who procrastinated. After making up his mind, he immediately took action, secretly recruiting people and arranging tasks. He wanted to connect the complex mountainous areas in the north and establish a trade line connecting China and North Korea.

The work went smoothly, and within a few days Cheng Hao found a Korean guide who often traveled in the northern mountains. With the help of the guide, he found a path that led directly to the border.

However, the path is rugged and narrow, and in many places only one person can pass through, making it unsuitable for large-scale transportation.

But this was not a big problem for Cheng Hao, because he quickly remembered an ancient and practical means of transportation, the wheelbarrow.

A wheelbarrow can basically be driven anywhere people can pass, thus solving the problem of transportation.

The next step is to find buyers and sellers and the business can be officially opened.

It took Cheng Hao a month to open up all the links and the trade route started running smoothly.

Korean ginseng, mink fur and other products from northern North Korea are continuously shipped back to the country, and essential commodities such as rice and flour are also shipped back.

Cheng Hao did not keep all the supplies for himself. He and He Yuzhu got a share, and the other members of the 702nd Regiment also got a share.

Apart from anything else, the food of the 702nd Regiment was greatly improved after the opening of the trade route.

The soldiers were finally able to eat rice and white flour buns, and occasionally meat. They no longer had to chew the wild vegetable steamed buns that irritated their throats, and their quality of life improved significantly.

Only when the soldiers are well fed and have strength can they better devote themselves to training and improve their combat effectiveness.

Of course, you can’t become a good soldier just by training on the playground.

From time to time, Cheng Hao would take people to the mountains to hunt or eliminate banditry, so that the new recruits could see blood and adapt to the battlefield environment.

Under Cheng Hao's operation, the public security around the entire Fjord Town was stable, and the trade routes became more accessible. Both the local residents of Fjord Town and the soldiers in the regiment were very satisfied with Cheng Hao.

Labor costs in North Korea are very cheap, and the profits from bilateral trade are very lucrative. With just a few trips back and forth, Cheng Hao recovered his investment in less than a month, and the rest was all profit.

Cheng Hao had a broad vision and did not limit his vision to the domestic market. After a period of exploration, he also opened up a trade route from northern North Korea to the Soviet Union. Yes, North Korea and the Soviet Union are neighboring countries, and the two countries have a long border area.

Not far north of the Soviet-North Korean border is the famous Hetzenwei, an ice-free port located in the North Pacific.

Due to its excellent geographical location, Heizenwei became a distribution center for materials in the eastern part of the Soviet Union.

Cheng Hao could sell the ginseng and mink fur at a good price, and he could also import bulk goods such as grain and coal.

During this time in the Fjord, the three-country trade led by Cheng Hao grew stronger and stronger, and he and his subordinates made a lot of money.

When the time comes, heaven and earth are on the same side. It is in this special era and in this special position that Cheng Hao's business can be so successful, reaping the full benefits.

After a few years when the situation stabilizes and border inspections are strict, Cheng Hao will not dare to do this kind of business.

People are in high spirits when good things happen to them, their career is going well, and Cheng Hao's personal relationship seems to be making progress as well.

During the few months they were stationed in the fjord, Xu Yun and Chen Ying sent several letters one after another. In addition to greetings, the letters also expressed their deep concern for Cheng Hao.

Chen Ying's letter was relatively conservative, using words such as comradeship as cover-up.

Xu Yun was too lazy to even pretend, and all she did was ask Cheng Hao when he would return to propose marriage.

The overall situation was undecided, so Cheng Hao didn't dare to make big promises. He first firmly rejected Chen Ying's kindness, and then tactfully comforted Xu Yun, saying that everything could be discussed face to face after he returned to China.

In this era, relationships between men and women are relatively conservative, and Cheng Hao dare not have the guts to have two girlfriends at the same time.

Besides, the two girls come from distinguished families, and if he dares to mess around, he will be torn in half.

Since he had made an agreement with Xu Yun first, Cheng Hao would naturally not tease Chen Ying again.

Chen Ying was not stupid. After receiving Cheng Hao's reply, she seemed to realize something and stopped writing to disturb him. The relationship between the two was put on hold and did not deepen any further.

Xu Yun was very happy after being comforted, and she kept writing to Cheng Hao, almost every month.

During the time they exchanged letters, they got to know each other better and their feelings steadily deepened. They were just waiting to meet each other when they returned home.