Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 1211: Permanence is an act of sacrifice (first update, please subscribe)
On the desolate coast, a dozen red houses stand there alone, behind the red houses is ice and snow - although it is summer, the snow has already fallen, and there are some penguins on the shore.

This is "Yinglong Town" - the only human-built town on the Antarctic continent!

When the "Dongfang Shuo" approached the bay, people from the entire Yinglong town came out in droves, especially the children in the classroom. With a "boom", they ran towards the coast one after another. Wearing red down jackets, they crowded on the shore as soon as they came out of the classroom, staring at the "Dongfang Shuo".

"The Dongfang Shuo is coming, the Dongfang Shuo is coming..."

For the first time, Bai Zhicheng did not cheer like he did a few months ago. He and several young men around him looked like they were worried about something.

Han Bingling looked at the "Dongfang Shuo" and said:
"The ship is coming."

Huang Tianqin nodded and said:

"Yes, the boat is coming."

Bai Zhicheng and others were all silent for a while. They just watched the "Dongfang Shuo" icebreaker heading towards the berth.

When the Dongfang Shuo was at anchor, Mao Changxing, who was on the ship, looked at the people on the shore and said in amazement:
"Why are there children here?"

There are not only teenagers aged 11 or 12, but also some three or four years old, and even babies in adults’ arms. Isn’t this Antarctica?
"Yes, of course there are children here, and many of them were born here."

At some point, Zhao Guozhu had already stood beside them. What was different from the past was that in addition to wearing a thick down jacket, he was also wearing a uniform and a uniform cap underneath.

"This is Yinglong Town. There is a primary school, a bank, a post office, a medical clinic, a gravel football field, a cemetery, 1.5 kilometers of gravel road and 24 family cabins. In comparison, the laboratory of the research station has only two simple houses..."

Looking at the people waving at them on the shore, Su Zhijian introduced to the team members:

"On January 1, 23, Navy Captain Wang Youde led 13 subordinates and their wives and children to come here and established Yinglong Town on the ruins of the old whaling supply station. Six months later, Navy Corporal Bai Dapeng's wife gave birth to Bai Zhicheng, the first native Antarctic person. Between 12 and 200, another 300 immigrant families came here and multiplied. Currently, there are about 80 children and their families living here all year round. This place can currently accommodate up to people, most of whom are soldiers. By the way, including the immigrants, they all receive salaries from the Navy Department. Even the children, as soon as they are born, receive salaries - yuan per month."

Although it sounds unreasonable, no one tried to refute it. They all knew that these children were actually "guarding the border for the country" in this isolated place.

And Su Zhixian continued:

"According to the Antarctic Treaty, scientific researchers from various countries are not allowed to enter Antarctica. There are currently only three scientific research stations that are inhabited by people other than scientific researchers. In addition to Yinglong Town, one is Argentina's Esperanza Station near Hope Bay, and the other is Chile's scientific research station "Xingxing Village" on King George Island. Because these three settlements were established before the treaty was enacted in 1959 to prohibit member states from making territorial claims, they enjoy immunity.

The population of Yinglong Town is made up of military personnel, their spouses and children. The town has been expanded several times and is only this big, but it is part of our efforts to establish "sovereignty" in Antarctica.

As long as Yinglong Town exists, we have undisputed sovereignty over this land—because of them!"

Su Zhijian's gaze turned to the people on the shore: the white earth, the red houses, the people wearing red down jackets, everything was red.

“It looks poetic here, but living in such an isolated place for a long time is not all poetic.”

Sun Songtao asked as the teacher finished speaking.

"Teacher, why are there only 24 households? Shouldn't it be 26?"

"There is a cemetery here..."

The teacher's answer stunned Sun Songtao. He opened his mouth but could not utter a word:
"There is also a small cultural relic museum here. After we get ashore, if we have time, we should go and have a look. Also, we should go to the cemetery to pay tribute to the pioneers... Do you know why the houses in Yinglong Town are red? The residents painted the small houses here bright red so that they can be seen even in a snowstorm. Here they have their own creed: "Forever is an act of sacrifice"!"

"Permanence is an act of sacrifice!"

Silently reciting this sentence, Zhao Guozhu said:
"Blow the whistle."

When the whistle sounded, he saluted the town again, and the crew members did the same, as did the people on the shore. With the whistle, the "Dongfang Shuo" entered the berth, but there was no port for it to dock, so it could only rely on small boats to transport supplies back and forth or use helicopters.

Every arrival of the "Dongfang Shuo" is a festival for "Yinglong Town", especially now that the Spring Festival is approaching, how can the people in the town not be happy?

All kinds of supplies were unloaded from the "Dongfang Shuo". While the crew on the ship and the men in the town were helping to carry the supplies, Bai Dapeng was busy in a glass building near the town. Unlike the chilly outdoors, the temperature here was as high as 800 to degrees Celsius. It was full of all kinds of vegetables, with red tomatoes hanging on the vines. This was a greenhouse with a construction area of ​​ square meters, where a variety of vegetables were grown.

Its transparent appearance makes it the "face value" here. Many people who come here for the first time will be amazed by this greenhouse. After all, being able to grow vegetables, fruits and melons in Antarctica is really beyond people's expectations. But for the people in the town, this is their only source of fresh vegetables and fruits besides dehydrated vegetables, canned vegetables and frozen vegetables.

Bai Dapeng works here - in Yinglong Town, everyone has a job, except for the children, who need to go to school. Bees fly around in the greenhouse, not only pollinating fruits and vegetables, but also providing a small amount of honey.

Just as Bai Dapeng was busy, Bai Zhicheng walked up, and as soon as he saw his father, he said.

"Dad, the boat is coming."

Bai Dapeng, who was busy, was stunned at first, then responded.

"Oh, everything is packed."

"Um,"

Bai Zhicheng nodded.
"Go back and see your mother and tell her you are going to Southeast Asia."

Bai Zhicheng responded again, looking at his silent father, he said:
"Dad, I'm leaving Yinglong soon. You must take good care of yourself and take good care of yourself in the future."

"Ah."

Bai Dapeng responded, and then the father and son fell into silence. Bai Zhicheng followed his father and helped him with things just like he did in the past. It was unknown how long it had been before the father and son left. However, they did not go home, but went to the cemetery where his wife and mother were buried.

Even in Southeast Asia, people cannot escape death. They may die from accidents or diseases. This is true for any human society. Like many members of the science and education team, Sun Songtao and his teammates went to the cemetery. There were thirteen tombstones in the cemetery. The simple tombstones were engraved with Chinese characters. Although the characters on the tombstones were different, they all faced north, as if looking back at their hometown.

When they arrived at the cemetery, Bai Dapeng and his son were standing there. As usual, Bai Dapeng looked at the tombstone without saying a word. After his wife died in an accident ten years ago, he got used to doing this and would always stand here.

"Mom, I'm going to Southeast Asia, um, to Chang'an to go to school, middle school, university, and come back to see you in the future..."

Listening to his son's words, Bai Dapeng did not say anything, but just looked at his son. His eyes showed reluctance, but no matter how reluctant he was, he could not stop his son's future.

After all, children always need to go to school. There is only one primary school here, and they need to go to Nanyang for middle school and university.

Looking at the father and son not far away, Sun Songtao took a few more glances at them. They must be the Antarctic people!

The Nanyang people who guard this land of Antarctica!
None of them disturbed each other. They just looked at each other and showed some kind smiles. Three days later, a lively farewell party was held in the auditorium of the town school. In order to see the children off, people prepared rich food, including whale meat and Antarctic lobster, and long-lost fresh fruits, which were sent from the "Dongfang Shuo". Now those fruits are stored in the cold storage. In the next few months, they will live on these rations like every winter.

The atmosphere here was joyful. The school band was playing music. Parents and children were reluctant to leave. They sometimes sang, sometimes danced, and sometimes drank. When the atmosphere reached its climax, Major Wang Youde, the mayor of the town, stood up. He walked onto the stage and looked at the people in the auditorium. People stopped what they were doing and stood in front of the stage.
Wang Youde looked at the children with a look of reluctance. They were about to leave here and go to their distant homeland. Then he said:
"Okay, kids, every year at this time, there are always some kids leaving here and heading to Nanyang. In the past, you only knew about that place from books and TV, but soon, you will be able to see Nanyang and our country with your own eyes. Perhaps as you grow up, you will most likely stay there for your career, love, and life, but I hope you can always remember one thing - you are a child of Antarctica, this is your homeland, and we... all of us will be looking forward to your coming home in the future..."

A week later, the "Dongfang Shuo" icebreaker left Yinglong Town in a winter storm. When the ship left Yinglong, Bai Zhicheng looked at his father on the shore, waving his hands and shouting.

"Dad, wait for me. I will definitely come back. I will definitely come back..."

Bai Zhicheng's shouts echoed on the boat, and most of his companions did the same. But soon, crying sounds were heard on the deck. Amid the crying, someone started singing first. The singing was filled with a yearning for a better life, but more of it was a melancholy of parting.

(End of this chapter)