With the Spring Festival approaching, the People's Party leadership cadres were all prepared to go down to the grassroots level to offer condolences, which had become a custom in the base areas. In the New China that Chen Ke grew up in, this was a perfectly normal occurrence. The more significant the holiday, the more important it was for leaders to go to the workers on the front lines to deliver warmth. Although there was a lot of formalism involved, Chen Ke believed this was a form of formalism that needed to be maintained.

Moreover, there was indeed a substantive need for "delivering warmth" recently. After the large-scale conscription began in the base areas, a mandatory rule of cross-region enlistment was adopted. For example, soldiers from Anhui could not serve in Anhui but were dispersed to the other three provinces of the base area. The same applied to the other three provinces. Chen Ke couldn't run around to the other three base areas, so since he was in Huaihai Province, he went to the garrison in Xuzhou to offer his condolences.

Although there were still three days until the Spring Festival, Xuzhou city was very quiet. He Ying was helping Chen Ke tidy up his military uniform, and Chen Ke's daughter, Chen Qianru, was also holding a brand-new brown feather duster, helping her old dad brush his clothes. In fact, the little one didn't know how to use this thing at all. She was just imitating her mother, holding the duster with both hands and rubbing it vigorously against her dad's trousers as if she were scraping putty.

Chen Ke let his daughter play. He Ying pointed at the seam of Chen Ke's trousers and said, "Darling, use the brush to brush down along this seam from top to bottom."

"Okay," Chen Qianru answered in a tender, childish voice. Then, with the unique mixture of excitement and focus that children have, she began to wave the brown brush.

He Ying had once scolded the little one for messing around, but was privately "counseled" by Chen Ke. Chen Ke's attitude was clear: "You can tell her specifically how to do it, but you can't scold her. Our daughter is also trying to learn to work."

He Ying reserved her opinion on Chen Ke's attitude but didn't argue with him. She still admired Chen Ke's knowledge. Since Chen Ke always kept this family in his heart—doing housework and taking care of the child every time he came home, and caring deeply about He Ying's life—although his methods were sometimes a bit "embarrassing." For example, the specialized cotton pads Chen Ke made for He Ying's monthly affair, and the many unheard-of private issues regarding female intimate hygiene he explained to her.

He Ying was truly ashamed and annoyed at the time. A grown man, a hero in such a high position with heavy troops in hand, why was he studying women's issues when he had nothing else to do? This was no longer just a simple matter of being a hooligan; it was something inexplicable.

Chen Ke's answer was simple. "After you dissect a human, you can see that the body's organizational structure is just like that. It has nothing to do with being shy or not. As materialists, you have to admit that this is a factual existence. It is a science. We want to learn science and speak science, with the aim of making our lives more comfortable and convenient."

Although the sanitary pads were indeed convenient and considerate to use, He Ying still couldn't accept Chen Ke's "scope of knowledge." After a spousal quarrel, Chen Ke took He Ying on a tour of the medical school's specimen room without a second word. That time, He Ying was terrified. Chen Ke acted as if nothing was wrong, lecturing extensively on human tissue structures and the functions of each structure in front of specimens and images. This "scientific" attitude made He Ying no longer think Chen Ke was a big pervert; for a long time, it made her feel that Chen Ke was a cold-blooded monster who killed without blinking.

It wasn't until He Ying discovered that during the time she temporarily stopped working to have the child, sanitary pads had been popularized among the female cadres within the base area, and they had accepted a lot of physiological education, that she let the matter go. At least it was her husband Chen Ke who explained these things to her. According to the experiences recounted by several female cadres He Ying was familiar with, when the vast number of female cadres visited the specimen room, it was cold female military doctors wearing white masks who were responsible for explaining this physiological and hygiene knowledge.

"So you won't be coming back for the New Year," He Ying said after finishing tidying Chen Ke's clothes.

"I can't help it. I'll come back after the New Year," Chen Ke replied.

"But as soon as spring starts, you have to go out again." Although He Ying was always proud of her husband's status, she had known since childhood that it was indeed not easy for men who did great things to care for their families. She originally thought she could accept these things, but when she actually encountered them, she realized that often the pain in her heart was not reduced in the slightest by her understanding. If it was just to gain this so-called pride, the price of not being able to be together was a bit too high.

Chen Ke bent down and said to his daughter, "Darling, Daddy has to go out now. You have to stop for a moment."

"Okay," Chen Qianru answered with a milky smile.

"Darling, go into the room and finish your New Year's drawing first. Daddy and Mommy will hang your drawing on the wall in a while," Chen Ke smiled.

"Okay!" Hearing that her drawing could be hung on the wall, Chen Qianru responded and ran off to draw in a flash.

Chen Ke straightened up and adjusted his military cap, then said to He Ying, "Our girl will be almost ready for kindergarten after the New Year. I've sent people to look into it, and the atmosphere among the teachers in the kindergarten right now isn't quite right. We are rectifying it. When the time comes, our family must definitely take the lead in obeying the new atmosphere."

"What's wrong with the atmosphere in the kindergarten?" He Ying was very puzzled.

"Teachers think about whose child is whose, and that's wrong. People are all equal. Since we are in a new society, the education this child receives from a young age must also be equal. So in the kindergarten, teachers must focus on the children. There are only children, not 'so-and-so's child'." Chen Ke was quite unhappy when bringing this up.

"Why does our child have to be the same as everyone else's?" He Ying was somewhat unhappy.

"Privilege is a harmful thing. 'Pride brings loss, humility brings gain' has been said for thousands of years. If the teacher treats our daughter differently, and I feel that I have face, aren't we just a pair of bastards? Besides, what does my so-called status have to do with our daughter? Thousands of years ago, Confucius knew to earnestly admonish that 'a gentleman is not a vessel.' If a person solidifies themselves into a certain kind of existence and cannot adjust themselves according to the needs of society, that is already very bad. If she considers herself some kind of noble princess, I think that is harming our daughter. In the *Book of Changes*, the six lines of the Qian hexagram are either auspicious or beneficial. The ancestors taught us earnestly, and we must listen," Chen Ke said.

There were some things Chen Ke couldn't tell He Ying, specifically some records he had read. Years ago, after the Gang of Four was brought down, some guards, out of a "sense of justice," forced Jiang Qing's grandson to shout "Down with Jiang Qing." This kind of atrocity was something Chen Ke couldn't accept even when he was a major asshole back then. He could understand the pleasure derived from jealousy and from abusing the so-called "superiors." But Chen Ke himself absolutely could not accept it, and resolutely opposed this attitude and action.

Chen Ke always insisted on thoroughly defeating enemies. But for Chen Ke, this was a political issue, a public matter. In terms of private morality, Chen Ke absolutely did not accept the corruption of personal morality. I defeat you because we are enemies. However, even the victor has no right to insult the loser. In terms of political thought, Chen Ke fully inherited Chairman Mao's thinking, even if he knew his own ideas were perhaps too idealistic. Chen Ke also hoped that the people could become the ruling class. And Chen Ke firmly believed that the existence of a ruling class itself overcame many negative factors in human nature through education. This was not because the ruling class was naturally excellent, but because the ruling class first had to be masters of themselves and be able to control themselves.

Confucius once sighed, "Did the one who invented burial figures have no posterity?" Since Chen Ke persisted in the socialist people's revolution and had seen the evil consequences of the revolution not being thorough and failing to push the people's realm to that of the ruling class, Chen Ke believed he had to try his best to push the revolution to a higher level.

"It's not a son, it's a daughter. What's wrong with the teacher taking care of her a bit?" He Ying still couldn't accept Chen Ke's attitude.

"Now that men and women are equal, if our daughter wants to be a soldier later, it might not work. The army, specifically combat troops, naturally won't truly open up to women. But she can become an expert in other industries. For women to achieve equality in social status, they must first achieve equality in property rights. And equality in property rights is built on equality in labor opportunities. Women being able to support themselves without relying on men—this is true dignity, this is true equality. I hope our daughter can live with dignity in such an equal New China. That is why I rose up to make a revolution." As Chen Ke spoke, his voice couldn't help but get louder, though he kept it to a basic low volume out of consideration for his daughter in the inner room.

He Ying didn't want to argue with Chen Ke about this. Recently, the base area had started discussing the issue of "everyone is equal." He Ying knew that Chen Ke had spent a huge amount of effort on this matter. Regardless, whoever opposed Chen Ke, He Ying could not oppose him. She said patiently, "I know. If you want me to do something, just tell me when you come back."

Chen Ke also felt that discussing such political issues at home was really damaging to the relationship. He hugged He Ying and whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry, I've been very anxious recently and brought work emotions home. You are generous, don't take it to heart."

He Ying chuckled. Once Chen Ke softened, she didn't care what he had said. After all, Chen Ke was not only the supreme leader of the base area but also the head of the household. And as long as it didn't involve some principled things, He Ying had a lot of say. She wasn't blind; she could see that Chen Ke actually didn't agree with many of He Ying's handling of family affairs, but Chen Ke clumsily concealed his opposition. In words and to a certain extent in actions, he went against his original intentions and accepted He Ying's arrangements. Even if there were only these gestures, in areas where Chen Ke was in a clearly dominant position, He Ying was willing to support his attitude.

For example, regarding He Ying's five thousand taels of private money, Chen Ke never mentioned a word other than suggesting she deposit it in the bank. He Ying knew very well that this money was given to her father, He Ruming, by Yuan Shikai, and He Ruming took this money to give to He Ying as private money. But it was absolutely not Yuan Shikai expressing any goodwill towards He Ying. in Yuan Shikai's eyes, He Ying was nothing. Only when she was with Chen Ke did He Ying have the value for Yuan Shikai to express goodwill.

Chen Qianru's drawing was very cute, and could only be described as cute. Sun, grass, with Chen Qianru in the middle of Mom and Dad. She had drawn on the wall several times, and using colored crayons made Chen Qianru feel extremely excited. She had been drawing for several days and, under her parents' urging, finally finished it before Chen Ke went out.

Chen Ke pinned the drawing high on the wall with thumbtacks. Chen Qianru was quite satisfied with this. Although Daddy often went out, Chen Qianru really didn't want him to go. However, Chen Ke promised to take her to see the lantern festival after he came back, so she finally stood obediently beside her mother and waved goodbye to her father.

The first stop of the condolence visit was the Xuzhou Yunlong Lake construction site. Since the war ended last year, this project had started after the autumn harvest. At the Huaihai Provincial Committee meeting, Shang Yuan, Secretary of the Huaihai Provincial Committee, was responsible for ideological mobilization. The military aspect was naturally: "Water conservancy projects serve the contemporary era and benefit future generations. The people's soldiers are here to serve the people. We are working for the people in Xuzhou, building water conservancy for the people of Xuzhou. In the comrades' hometowns, comrades from other units are also working for their relatives in their hometowns, building water conservancy for the relatives of the comrades."

In terms of civil administration, Shang Yuan's attitude was more practical. "The so-called establishing prestige means making the people believe that we have the ability to do things. Excavating Yunlong Lake this time is first of all to benefit the people of Xuzhou. Once the rainy season comes in spring and summer, Xuzhou will never be flooded again. This is a tangible achievement. Moreover, if we say we can take root in Xuzhou, relying solely on military stationing is useless. If the people haven't eaten our grain or taken our money, will they believe we have the ability to take root here? Relying solely on the army, it is difficult for us to complete this project. We must have the participation of the masses."

The discussion went on for a while, but many cadres knew that excavating Yunlong Lake was Chen Ke's idea. Although everyone was a bit worried about the extent to which this project could be implemented, no one was willing to oppose Chen Ke. In the end, the plan was passed.

However, when the plan started, something surprised the comrades.

In the Battle of Qingdao, the People's Party captured many Germans. Including a group of engineers involved in Qingdao's urban construction. The People's Party made full use of them. The Germans were rigorous in their style and had far more experience in urban construction than the People's Party. Moreover, Europeans might fight to the death before deciding to surrender, but after being captured, they were very cooperative. The People's Party offered a certain price, an urban design fee of 200,000 taels. This group of engineers threw themselves into the work with a try-and-see attitude.

Different from what the base area imagined, what the German engineers designed first was not the city, but the water supply system. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europeans had been sloppy for over a thousand years. A British King's mother-in-law once sat on the toilet eating and defecating at the same time, and Queen Elizabeth I of England, who took a bath once a month, was actually considered a person with a fetish for cleanliness. The German Junker bumpkins were even sloppier. German beer became famous because at that time, beer underwent processes like heating, which acted as sterilization. If one drank beer as a beverage, the incidence of infectious diseases could be reduced. So a certain Prussian King required the public not to drink water but to drink beer, and designed various standards for beer.

The French were the cultural and fashion center of Europe, and the urban sewer system they built became a model for Europe. After the French scientist Pasteur discovered the cause of infectious diseases, Europeans attached great importance to this aspect. In this period, China, which originally attached great importance to sewer systems, had retrogressed significantly in urban construction due to the Qing Dynasty's control.

The Germans were rigid and put a lot of thought into urban design. Plus, as captives, they had the self-awareness of captives. The Germans were extremely supportive of excavating Yunlong Lake. The first place Chen Ke went to inspect was the labor camp made up of German prisoners.

The entire labor camp had less than five hundred people, with officers and soldiers mixed together. Chen Ke knew the nature of Europeans; they felt there was a class difference between officers and soldiers, and even as prisoners, they shouldn't live together. Let alone work together. Historically, during the Korean War, the Volunteers captured prisoners from over a dozen countries in the UN forces, and this stinking temper of officers among European prisoners was quite obvious. One of the basic political propositions of the People's Party was equality, so naturally, they couldn't indulge the Germans in doing this.

Several senior officers, led by Navy Captain Hänel, had staged a hunger strike for a while. The People's Party didn't force them. Anyway, the German POWs cooked for themselves. The 500 prisoners set rules and took turns cooking. Anyone who ate had to bring their own bowl and line up to get food. The Captain insisted on being served by others, which was impossible. Unless he wanted to starve himself to death, he could eat as long as he went out to get food according to the rules at mealtime.

According to intelligence, after three days of fasting, the Captain finally surrendered to his stomach. With a wooden expression, he sat in the same cafeteria as the ordinary soldiers to eat, and even learned to wash his own bowl. Anyway, everyone had their own bowl. If you didn't wash it yourself, the person in charge of cooking that day wasn't allowed to serve rice into the bowl. Later on, the Captain was even willing to do cooking work. At first, he stood by and watched, but the German officer's sense of honor made him do some work later.

Xuzhou city was quiet because the manpower of the entire city was concentrated here at Yunlong Lake. The "salary" offered by the People's Party was very attractive. Moving ten jin of earth earned two liang of rice. The transport distance wasn't far; a strong young man could earn seven or eight jin of rice a day without any problem. Even the elderly could earn more than two jin of rice a day. With 50,000 troops and 70,000 to 80,000 civilians, the labor site of over 100,000 people stretched for over ten li. Red flags were fluttering everywhere, and crowds of people were working hard everywhere. Just seeing this scene made one unable to resist the impulse to join in with boiling blood.

Before reaching the construction site of the German POW labor camp, Chen Ke saw a German wearing grey work clothes that were slightly different, with an Ensign rank badge pinned to his shoulder, directing a group of soldiers to move a pump.

The beautiful Yunlong Lake of the 21st century was still a big swamp before construction started. To dig a lake here, the first step was to drain the water. When digging a pit, if you just dig out earth and move it away, it is extremely simple. But if you dig out mud and water, and move in a swamp, it is a nightmare. As the pit gets deeper, it gets closer to the groundwater. When you first start digging, the surface looks like earth, but the deeper you go, the wetter and softer the mud becomes. The People's Party had encountered this problem during the resumption of production after the Anhui floods in 1906. At that time, the People's Party had to rely on traditional water wheels and carrying buckets on shoulders to barely solve the problem.

With rubber imports, the needs of the People's Party's large number of mines, the efforts of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, plus imports and imitation from abroad, the base area could now manufacture its own water pumps. To drain the water, the troops first dug a drainage ditch, drilled pumping wells at the same time, and began comprehensive pumping. This efficiency was much higher than in Anhui a few years ago. In order to transport the mud away more conveniently, simple wooden frames were even laid on the construction site, with rails mounted on top. Anyway, the railways in Xuzhou also needed repair, so accumulating experience now wasn't a bad thing.

These devices greatly improved the progress of the project, but they also created many new problems. For example, Ensign Maxim, whom Chen Ke saw, was very proficient in maintaining water pumps. The thirty-something pumps on the site had to deal with not just water, but muddy water and small debris mixed in, so the failure rate was quite high. This Ensign was originally responsible for surveying and his performance was just average. But when he tried applying to repair the water pumps that gave the engineering personnel headaches, he displayed his specialty. Failures still happened, but the repair speed was much higher. For this, the Ensign even received a special allowance.

The food in the German POW camp was divided into two parts. One part was the standard ration, which they got whether they worked or not. If the POWs participated in labor, they could earn an extra sum. They could keep the money earned, or buy extra food or consumer goods. this applied to all German officers and soldiers in the POW camp. For example, Ensign Maxim liked to drink, and his meals even included mulberry wine he bought with his own money.

When the commander who was with Ensign Maxim saw Chen Ke, a smile immediately appeared on his face, which had grey marks left after the muddy water dried. He rushed over in three steps, and before the guard could stop him from getting closer, the commander stood at attention and saluted Chen Ke. "Zhao Youcai, Battalion Commander of the 5th Regiment Engineering Battalion, reporting."

Zhao Youcai was a veteran soldier, and Chen Ke had an impression of him. While returning the salute, Chen Ke smiled and said, "It looks like you guys picked up a treasure. I heard that German is quite capable."

"Yes. I'm learning from him," Zhao Youcai showed a mouthful of white teeth when he smiled, although his face was dirty.

"How is the learning going?" Chen Ke asked with satisfaction.

"We were just forcing it before. This German pays close attention to drilling pumping wells and pays attention to water quality. If there are fewer things mixed in the water, the water pump naturally won't have problems easily. But this delays things a bit in terms of time," Zhao Youcai answered fluently.

"You choose according to the situation yourselves. Go ahead," Chen Ke replied. Zhao Youcai saluted and ran towards the construction site.