Earlier that morning, Pan Shouyi, the head of the logistics department, had just taken his seat behind his worn wooden desk. His expression was weary.
Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, and his usually composed demeanor carried a trace of unrest. The burden of his responsibilities had grown heavier with each passing day.
In recent months, securing supplies had become an increasingly difficult task. Grain allocations were tightening. Transport lines were unreliable. Even the most basic provisions required constant negotiation and compromise.
At the canteen, meals had become painfully monotonous. Watery vegetable gruel, Boiled cabbage or Coarse grain porridge.
Day after day, the same dishes. The soldiers had begun to complain.
Pan Shouyi rubbed his temples, exhaling slowly. At times, he even found himself entertaining the thought of transferring to another department, any department that did not require him to stretch impossibilities into daily necessities.
He turned his head slightly and looked at the young man seated nearby. "What do you think we should do, Assistant Lu?" he asked, his voice carrying a hint of fatigue.
Assistant Lu, who was still shaking off the remnants of sleep, blinked lazily before replying, "Comrade Pan, you are thinking too deeply," he said. "The situation is not as severe as you make it out to be. Everyone understands that these are difficult times. The soldiers may complain, but do they not still eat what is served?"
Pan Shouyi frowned. "That is not what concerns me today," he said. "The daily meals… those cannot be helped." He paused, his brows knitting together. "I am thinking about what to serve at the high-level meeting this afternoon."
Assistant Lu straightened at once, his drowsiness vanishing. "A high-level meeting?" he repeated.
Pan Shouyi nodded. "Another inspection team has arrived from the capital," he said gravely. "There will be a meeting today. The regimental commander himself will attend, along with all three battalion commanders and members of the inspection team."
Assistant Lu frowned slightly. "Were inspections not concluded just last month?"
Pan Shouyi let out a quiet sigh. "That was only for the initial teams," he replied. "This is for the remaining group."
Assistant Lu considered this, then said, "In that case, would they not dine at the state-run restaurant in the city as usual?"
Pan Shouyi shook his head. "I am not worried about the main meal, that will be arranged elsewhere." His expression darkened further. "I am concerned about what to present during the meeting itself, these things reflect the discipline and capability of the unit."
He paused, frustration evident in his tone. "This time, I could not even secure tea from my usual supplier. As for snacks… I have nothing suitable to present."
The room fell into a brief silence.
Just then the door was pushed open abruptly. A loud, familiar voice rang out from outside. "Comrade Pan! Are you inside? I have come to see you!"
Pan Shouyi's expression stiffened. He rolled his eyes slightly and muttered under his breath, "He is here again… Why does he not simply arrange his own meals if he has so many complaints about the canteen food?"
Before he could say more, Ma Zhiyong strode into the room with his usual carefree energy. Behind him, Li Guoqiang followed at a steadier pace, carrying a large sack slung over his shoulder.
Ma Zhiyong grinned broadly. "Comrade Pan," he said in a teasing tone, "what are you muttering to yourself? Do not tell me you are cursing me."
His manner was casual, almost familiar, making it clear that the two men were well acquainted.
Sensing Pan Shouyi's growing impatience, Assistant Lu quickly stepped forward to intervene. "Squad Leader Ma," he said firmly, "if you have come to complain about the canteen food again, then you are wasting your time." He folded his arms slightly. "Instead, you should return and focus on your training. If I am not mistaken, your platoon is scheduled for inspection within next few days."
Ma Zhiyong merely laughed, entirely unbothered by the remark. He brushed imaginary dust off his sleeve and said with exaggerated dignity, "Comrade Lu, today I have not come for that. On the contrary, I have come to present Comrade Pan with something good."
Assistant Lu raised a brow, his tone casual, almost dismissive. "Oh? And what might that be?" he asked, glancing at the large sack Li Guoqiang had just set down on the floor. "Do not tell me you have gone into the mountains and brought back a bundle of wild vegetables."
Ma Zhiyong snorted loudly, placing a hand over his chest as if gravely insulted. "Do I look like such an idle person to you?" he said. "Running into the hills to dig roots and leaves? No, no. Today, I have brought something far more refined." He lifted his chin slightly and declared, "I have brought apples."
Pan Shouyi and Assistant Lu looked at one another… and burst into laughter.
"Apples?" Pan Shouyi repeated between laughs, shaking his head. "don't tell me it's those small yellow wild apples." He leaned back in his chair, sighing as he rubbed his temples. "Ma Zhiyong, why must you always choose this moment to amuse yourself? Do you not see that I am already burdened with matters of importance?"
Ma Zhiyong's expression stiffened and he felt offended. "You dare to laugh at me?" he said, narrowing his eyes. "Pan Shouyi, do you take me for a fool? Would I bring some roadside fruit and present it as a treasure?"
He turned abruptly toward Li Guoqiang, his tone suddenly resolute. "Comrade Li, it seems we have come to the wrong place. Let us go. We shall sell these elsewhere."
Without waiting for a response, he bent down, untied the sack slightly, and with a dramatic flourish pulled out a single apple.
Holding it between his fingers, he turned it this way and that, as though inspecting a priceless artifact.
"Look at this," he said, addressing Li Guoqiang, but his voice carried just enough to ensure it reached Pan Shouyi's ears. "Such quality is rarely seen. If we take this to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, I am certain they will offer a very respectable price."
As he spoke, he casually rotated the apple again, allowing the light to catch its smooth surface.
Then, just as casually he slipped it back into the sack.
"Come," he said, gesturing grandly toward the door. "There is no need to waste time here."
Li Guoqiang, though silent, understood the play perfectly. Without a word, he bent and hoisted the sack once more and walked behind Ma Zhiyong.
Behind the desk Pan Shouyi remained frozen in place, his eyes fixed on the apple that had just disappeared back into the sack.
Such an apple…
He had spent years in logistics, had seen supplies come and go, had handled shipments from various regions, yet never had he seen fruit of such quality. The color alone was enough to make one's mouth water, and the sheen upon its skin spoke of freshness beyond compare.
By the time he regained his senses Ma Zhiyong and Li Guoqiang were already halfway out the door.
"Wait!" Pan Shouyi suddenly shouted, springing up from his chair with surprising agility for a man who had looked so exhausted just moments earlier. He hurried after them, nearly knocking over his own stool in the process.
Assistant Lu, equally quick to react, followed close behind, his gaze fixed almost greedily on the sack slung over Li Guoqiang's shoulder.
Hearing the hurried footsteps behind him, Ma Zhiyong curled his lips slightly and said without turning around,
"No… we are no longer dealing with you."
Pan Shouyi's expression darkened. "Ma Zhiyong, do not go too far!" he called out. "Have I not always indulged your antics?"
Assistant Lu chimed in at once, his tone smooth and conciliatory, "Exactly, Squad Leader Ma. Comrade Pan merely spoke out of turn due to stress. You cannot take offense so easily. You two have known each other since youth, will you truly damage your revolutionary friendship over such a trivial matter?"
But Ma Zhiyong did not even spare them a glance. With deliberate calm, he stepped out of the office building, Li Guoqiang following closely behind, carrying the sack as though it weighed nothing at all.
Pan Shouyi's composure finally cracked. Panic flashed across his face. "Ma Zhiyong! Wait!" he called again, this time with far less authority and far more urgency. "I was wrong! I apologize, did you hear me? I have already apologized!"
With a sudden burst of determination, he rushed ahead and spread his arms wide, blocking their path like a sentry guarding a fortress gate.
"I am in urgent need of these apples," he said, his tone now entirely devoid of pride. "So do not make things difficult for me. Sell them to me."
Ma Zhiyong stopped.
He looked at Pan Shouyi, and a faint, almost dangerous glint flickered in his eyes, "Urgent need?" he repeated, his voice carrying a trace of amusement.
Assistant Lu quickly stepped forward, sensing the shift in momentum. "Yes," he said with a nod. "A very urgent need. Squad Leader Ma, how about we return inside and discuss this properly? Negotiations are best conducted at the table, are they not?"
Ma Zhiyong pretended to consider this. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, as though weighing a matter of great importance. After a deliberate pause, he nodded. "Very well," he said at last. "Since Comrade Pan is in such… desperate circumstances, we shall return and negotiate."
With that, he turned on his heel and walked back toward the office building, his expression calm but his eyes gleaming faintly with triumph.
Li Guoqiang followed without a word. Assistant Lu hurried after them.
Pan Shouyi, however, remained standing in place for a brief moment. A strange unease crept into his heart. Something… did not feel right.
But before he could dwell on it further, he quickly followed them inside.
What followed was exactly what he feared.
When the sack of apples finally changed hands, Pan Shouyi collapsed back into his chair as though the last trace of life was sucked out of him, but he still shouted, "You rascal! You bandit in uniform! You are a curse to your ten generations!"
Ma Zhiyong, however, was entirely unmoved. He walked out of the office with a broad grin, the crisp notes of money already in his hands. "Seventy-seven yuan and four jiao," he announced with satisfaction.
Then, turning to Li Guoqiang, he handed over the money with a flourish.
"Don't forget your promise, I must get to eat the remaining apples" Ma Zhiyong said.
That afternoon, the conference room of the regiment headquarters was solemn and orderly. At the head of the table sat Regimental Commander He Guangsheng.
When he saw the plates of apple being set before the guests, his expression froze.
No tea, No roasted peanuts, No customary refreshments befitting an official reception but only apple?
A flicker of anger surged within him.
His fingers curled tightly into fists beneath the table, hidden from view. To present such simple fare before the important guests, this was nothing short of negligence. In his mind, it bordered on disrespect.
Yet outwardly he maintained a composed smile.
Around the table, the battalion commanders also noticed the anomaly. Though none dared to speak, a faint trace of embarrassment passed silently between them. Still, the meeting had already begun, there was no room to address such matters openly.
Fortunately, the members of the inspection team appeared unconcerned. They had come for official business, not for hospitality.
As discussions proceeded, one of the visiting comrades, feeling slightly parched, reached out absently. Instead of lifting water, his hand moved toward the plate. He picked up a slice of apple. Without much thought, he took a bite and froze.
In that instant, a burst of sweetness flooded his senses. The juice was rich, almost intoxicating, carrying a depth of flavor unlike anything he had tasted before. His eyes widened involuntarily as he stared at the slice in his hand, as though seeing it for the first time.
Before he realized it, he had already taken another bite… and then another slice… until the entire plate was clean. A trace of disappointment crossed his face as he looked down at his now-empty plate.
He hesitated, glancing around the room. The others were still engaged in serious discussion, "Regimental Commander He, I…" he began, his tone uncertain.
He Guangsheng turned his gaze toward him, noticing the man's awkward expression. Misinterpreting the situation, he assumed dissatisfaction "Comrade, is there something amiss?"
The man shook his head quickly. "No… no, nothing is wrong," he said. Then, after a brief pause, he added with genuine curiosity, "I merely wished to ask… where did you procure these apples?"
The moment those words fell an awkward silence descended upon the room.
A few members of the inspection team shifted slightly, offering polite smiles. "Our colleague must be fatigued from travel," one of them said lightly. "Please do not mind him."
But the man shook his head again, more firmly this time "No, It is not that." He placed a hand lightly against his chest, his expression turning earnest. "I suddenly feel… remarkably refreshed. The fatigue in my body has vanished, and there is a warmth spreading within me, gentle and soothing. All of this… happened after I ate that apple."
He paused, then added in a lower voice, "I suspect these fruits possess… medicinal properties."
Once again silence fell over the room.