Chapter 46: The Exam
The next day, Zhou Lin went to the artillery division with Zheng Sanfu.
The artillery division was located on the outskirts of Shanghai.
The terrain in the Shanghai suburbs was flat, ideal for the effective deployment of superior firepower, hence the artillery positions were set up there.
In terms of artillery confrontation, the Nationalist forces were inferior to the Japanese forces.
The Japanese had the advantage of medium and short-range artillery, not only suppressing the Nationalist artillery but also using infantry-fired artillery to damage the Nationalist heavy machine guns.
As a result, the Nationalists' heavy firepower became ineffective, and relying solely on infantry incurred significant losses.
At the entrance of the artillery division, security was tight. If you were within a hundred meters of the main gate, you would be scrutinized by the sentinels.
Zhou Lin and Zheng Sanfu entered the hundred-meter zone.
The sentinel shouted, "Military restricted area, no unauthorized personnel allowed."
Zheng Sanfu loudly replied, "I'm here to find my brother."
Sentinel: "Who's your brother?"
"Zheng Dafu."
"What's your name?"
"Zheng Sanfu."
After hearing this, the sentinel pointed to a spot fifty meters away. "Stand there and wait for instructions."
Zhou Lin and Zheng Sanfu went to the designated spot and sat on the ground.
The sentinel occasionally glanced at them.
After more than half an hour, a person came out.
This person was Zheng Sanfu's older brother, almost identical in appearance.
Zheng Sanfu was younger, having had better meals as a chef.
Seeing his brother, Zheng Sanfu rushed up and hugged him. "Big brother, it's been hard for me to find you!"
Zheng Dafu's eyes welled up. This was the first time in five years of military service that he had seen his family.
"Younger brother, are Mom and Dad okay?"
"Mom is fine! Dad's rheumatism is severe. When it rains, his feet hurt. Oh, by the way, brother, Mom asked me to bring you lotus root-scented candy."
After saying this, Zheng Sanfu took out a packet of candy.
Lotus root scented candy, a local specialty of Zhejiang County, originally called "peppermint pastry," has a history of over 100 years. It is made from high-quality white sugar as the main ingredient, supplemented by plant oil, butter, and other ingredients. Exquisitely crafted, with a unique process, it has a delicate appearance, white as jade, rectangular in shape, with a lotus root pattern inside. Each piece has 16 main holes and 9 auxiliary holes, arranged neatly, about 80 pieces per kilogram. It is loved for its crispiness, sweetness, refreshing taste, and convenience.
Zheng Sanfu didn't bring this from home. Zhou Lin had it brought from Nanjing after inquiring about Zheng Dafu's favorite flavor.
Zheng Dafu loved lotus root-scented candy when he was a child.
Sure enough, as soon as Zheng Dafu saw it, he grabbed one and put it in his mouth.
Eating it while shedding tears.
With his tears, Zheng Sanfu couldn't help but cry too.
Zhou Lin had to step forward and comfort, "Seeing each other is good! Today is a joyous day, we should be happy."
Zheng Dafu nodded, wiped his tears with his sleeve, and then wiped away Zheng Sanfu's tears. He said, "Yes, we should be happy. Who is this?"
Zheng Sanfu quickly introduced, "He's a fellow villager I met while working in Huaihua. We came to Shanghai together from Huaihua."
Hearing that they were fellow villagers from Huaihua and came to Shanghai together, Zheng Dafu immediately became friendly. "You just follow Sanfu and call me big brother."
Zhou Lin quickly called out, "Big brother, my surname is Zhou, called Zhou Mu."
"Good name, your parents must want you to be a great talent."
Zhou Lin sighed, "What great talent? I'm just doing odd jobs in a restaurant."
Zheng Dafu looked at Zheng Sanfu, "What are you doing outside?"
"Big brother, what else can I do? Just working in a restaurant. In Nanjing, we met a good person who taught us the skills. After mastering them, both Shuangmu and I came to Shanghai to find you."
Zheng Dafu asked, "Did you learn cooking? Which of the Eight Great Cuisines?"
Zheng Sanfu said, "I'm from Hunan, so of course, I learned Hunan cuisine."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Dafu grabbed Zheng Sanfu and Zhou Lin and headed toward the military camp.
The sentinel stopped Zheng Dafu, "Deputy Company Commander Zheng, the staff has instructions. No family visits for some time."
Zheng Dafu was not pleased, "My brother is a chef, a Hunan chef. Can he come in?"
The sentinel said, "He can enter, but he needs someone to vouch for him. If anything happens, the guarantor takes responsibility."
"No problem! My two brothers, I'll vouch for them."
The sentinel didn't say anything more, handed them a form to fill out, and then let them in.
After entering, Zhou Lin realized that the artillery division's area was vast, three times larger than the Seventh Division.
Perhaps it was because artillery needed more space, or maybe it was because this was the outskirts where land was less valuable.
According to regulations, those participating in the exam had to gather together. After the competition, the top three would be assigned to the deputy division commander and chief of staff as their chefs. The fourth to eighth places would be distributed to each regiment to serve as the regimental commanders' chefs.
In a typical army, this kind of arrangement wouldn't occur. For example, the Seventh Division had one canteen for officer rank and another for non-commissioned officers.
But in the artillery division, this couldn't work.
Many low-ranking officers and soldiers weren't from Hunan, and they couldn't handle the spiciness of Hunan cuisine.
On the other hand, high-ranking officers were from Hunan and loved spicy food.
This created issues in the mess hall. Taking care of the high-ranking officers meant the low-ranking officers and soldiers wouldn't eat well, affecting their combat training. Taking care of the low-ranking officers and soldiers would upset the high-ranking officers.
In the end, the division commander made a decision. The dishes served in the mess hall would primarily be Zhejiang, Jiangsu, or Shanghai cuisine.
The high-ranking officers could have a separate kitchen, each regiment having a Hunan cuisine kitchen.
The high-ranking officers could eat in either the separate kitchen or the main mess hall.
This created a shortage of chefs.
So, someone suggested recruiting chefs from outside, particularly those from Hunan.
Non-Hunan chefs were rejected, even if they made excellent Hunan cuisine.
In this regard, the Hunanese were quite united.
To ensure the authenticity of the Hunan cuisine, each participant had to have a guarantor. If any issues arose, the guarantor would take responsibility.
Through conversation, Zhou Lin learned that Zheng Dafu was in the Second Regiment. He used to be the guard officer for the deputy division commander and was later promoted.
After escorting Zhou Lin and Zheng Sanfu to the logistics department, Zheng Dafu left.
This was the exam site, and others were not allowed to stay.
A soldier from the logistics department took Zhou Lin and Zheng Sanfu to a barracks.
Pointing to the bunk bed, he said, "Choose a spot. You two are the first, so you can pick. Later arrivals won't have a choice."
After thanking him, Zhou Lin chose the two spots at the front. The location was by the window, with good air circulation, the best in the barracks.
After selecting the spots, the soldier brought two old blankets and threw them to Zhou Lin. "Each person gets one blanket. If it's cold, you can share and use one as a mattress and the other as a cover."
Apart from the blankets, they were given a ceramic jar for brushing their teeth and drinking water, along with an old towel.2