The little star from the Gobi Desert, handed over to the state, is hailed as a national treasure.

As dusk settled, the lanterns in the canteen of the Gobi base were lit early. The dim yellow light spilled across the rows of long wooden tables and onto the rough walls, giving this simple room a touch of human warmth.

The aroma of cooked food mingled with the scent of firewood, already permeating the entire camp. In the large iron pot of the cookhouse, duck egg soup was bubbling away, golden egg flowers swirling in the clear broth, mixed with dark green sea buckthorn leaves, emitting a unique, slightly herbal fragrance that tempted every hungry person.

In the wooden basin beside it, the sea buckthorn berries were washed until they were translucent, and piled up in a small, bright red mound, like a basin full of red sun.

As soon as the call to start the meal was sounded, the soldiers and researchers, each holding an enamel bowl, rushed over, jostling to get there.

"Line up! Everyone gets some!" Li Dazui, wearing an apron, banged his large iron ladle against the pot, his face crinkling into a wide grin. "First come, get your soup, then your fruit! Anyone who tries to grab it, don't blame me for slapping them with this ladle!"

Someone at the back of the line shouted, "Big Mouth Bro, this soup you made is so delicious! I'm still drawing in the lab, and the smell is already wafting into my nose!"

"That's right!" Li Dazui proudly raised his chin.

"Then don't let your soup ladle shake!" someone else started to grumble.

Li Dazui laughed and retorted, "Don't worry! There's plenty of soup! You bunch of wolf cubs are getting a good deal!"

The line for food was incredibly long. Everyone was joking around, but their eyes were all glued to the big iron pot, and their faces were beaming with undisguised happiness.

"Brother Li's cooking is so delicious, I've never smelled anything so tempting in my life!" A young soldier sniffed, smacking his lips with envy, which drew laughter from the people behind him.

"You're such a glutton! But come to think of it, the only time you can compare to this aroma is during Chinese New Year back home." An old soldier sighed, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. "My mom would exchange her meat coupons, which she'd saved up for half a year, for a piece of pork belly and make us a batch of pork and cabbage dumplings. They were absolutely delicious!"

"Don't worry!" Zhao Youtian walked over, patted the soldier on the shoulder, and said in a loud voice, "If we're lucky, we'll be able to eat dumplings in a few days!"

"Really?" The young soldier's eyes lit up.

"Of course it's true!" another soldier chimed in. "The wheat we harvested today, once the stone mill comes back and the flour is ground in the mortar, we can make dumplings to satisfy our cravings!"

"Mom... there's so much to look forward to these days!" These words struck a chord with everyone, and the team's emotions instantly became even more excited.

The line for food moved slowly forward. When it was Professor Qian's turn, Li Dazui specially scooped two extra spoonfuls of egg into his bowl. Professor Qian quickly waved his hand, saying, "Eat more evenly, eat more evenly, give the young soldiers more; they've worked the hardest today."

"Professor Qian, please don't refuse!" Li Dazui said in a loud voice, "The commander said that your research work is the most mentally taxing, so you should eat more good food to replenish your energy!"

A bowl of hot soup warmed them instantly, flowing from their throats to their stomachs, soothing away the fatigue of the past few days. The soldiers slurped it down with gusto, some even smacking their lips: "Delicious! So delicious! If you didn't say it was duck egg soup, I would have thought it was stewed hen!"

The researcher next to him pushed up his slipping glasses, grinning from ear to ear: "Absolutely! To be able to drink a bowl of this in the Gobi Desert is like a dream come true!"

After finishing the soup, everyone gathered around the wooden bucket to pick sea buckthorn berries. The red berries, when bitten into, were sweet and sour, the juice bursting forth instantly, soothing the throat. Those soldiers with blisters on their lips found that after biting into a few berries, the pain in their mouths subsided considerably.

"This fruit is amazing! It's even more effective than the hawthorn pills sold at the supply and marketing cooperative!" A soldier with a full beard grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.

In the corner, Commander Liu held Tian Tian, ​​patiently blowing on a spoonful of egg drop soup to cool it before feeding it to her. The little girl took a sip, her eyes crinkling into crescents, and said in a clear, sweet voice, "Grandpa, the soup is so delicious!"

"Drink more if you like it." Commander Liu pinched her little nose and then scooped out some egg drop soup from his bowl to feed her.

His gaze swept over the smiling faces in the canteen. Some people ate and chatted, talking animatedly about the interesting things that happened during the day; others shared fruit with each other, pushing and shoving each other in a playful commotion; even the usually serious Brigade Commander Bai had a rare smile on his lips.

This canteen in the Gobi Desert has no fancy bowls and chopsticks, no sumptuous dishes, but a bowl of egg drop soup and a handful of sea buckthorn berries are filled with the most genuine joy.

It's unclear who started it, but a deep, resonant shout broke the commotion.

"Unity is strength!"

Immediately, others joined in, their voices growing louder and more unified. The powerful singing soon echoed throughout the canteen, drowning out the clinking of bowls and plates, drifting out of the steamy doors and windows, towards the distant, heavy wheat fields and dense sea buckthorn forests, towards this Gobi Desert they had protected with their sweat and youth.

Amidst this peaceful atmosphere, the atmosphere around the table where geology professor Zheng Hong and his assistant Gao Yanzhou, water conservancy expert Jiang Guoqiang, and chief designer Wang sat was slightly different from that of the others.

Jiang Guoqiang had been depressed because of the Wan Hongxin incident. Although he had been taken back to Beijing by helicopter for trial and received his due punishment, it would be a lie to say that they had no feelings for each other after so many years as teacher and student. His mood was filled with loss and confusion.

Chief Designer Wang noticed his depression and stayed by his side quietly, trying his best to find various topics to talk about with him and attempting to unlock his depressed heart.

Meanwhile, Professor Zheng Hong was in even worse shape. His eyes were sunken, and his face had an unhealthy, ashen look under the light. His assistant and student, Gao Yanzhou, looked worried and asked with concern, "Professor, you've lost a lot of weight lately. I've heard that sea buckthorn berries are very nutritious. Would you like to try a couple?"

Zheng Hong smelled the fruit's unique sweet and sour aroma, but felt a lack of appetite and couldn't help but shake his head.

Seeing this, Gao Yanzhou pushed his barely touched soup over to him, saying, "Then drink more soup to warm your stomach."

"Stop busy, I can't eat." Zheng Hong's voice was terribly hoarse, revealing an indescribable weariness.

"Teacher, please don't keep thinking about Wan Hongxin's matter. He broke the law and deserved it. It has nothing to do with us," Gao Yanzhou said gently. "Look, even Professor Lian Jiang wasn't implicated. We just need to do our jobs well. Once the tiered irrigation network for agriculture is laid as required, we can go back to the capital."

"I didn't think about Wan Hongxin at all."

Zheng Hong's voice was a little hoarse as he rubbed his throbbing temples. "He became a traitorous spy, deserving of a thousand deaths! I hate that my body is so weak. Yan Zhou, the pipeline project is crucial; you have to keep a close eye on it. We need to lay a solid logistical foundation for the base and the 'Longsword' project, and find a way to help them cultivate an oasis."

As he spoke, he instinctively reached for his water glass, but his fingers trembled almost imperceptibly.

Professor Qian, sitting opposite him, noticed his unusual appearance, put down his bowl, and came over, holding a small bottle in his hand: "Engineer Zheng, you look unwell. This is cod liver oil that Dr. Sun bought in town last time; it's good for your eyes and health. Take this."

Chief Designer Wang noticed his pale complexion and put down his chopsticks, saying with concern, "Old Zheng, if you really can't handle it, go home and rest. Don't push yourself. You've seemed listless lately; are you feeling unwell?"

Gao Yanzhou sighed and continued, "The teacher has been having headaches lately, his vision is sometimes blurry, and he's losing hair. I advised him to take a couple of days off, but he said the irrigation network project is on a tight schedule, and the base needs water for land reclamation. He refuses to stop no matter what, and he wishes he could stay by the pond every day."

"It's not as exaggerated as you say. Don't cause trouble for everyone." Zheng Hong glared at his apprentice, his tone carrying a hint of bravado. He had been a perfectionist his whole life, relying on the solid foundation he had built in his youth. He never knew the meaning of "rest" and only thought about seizing every minute and second to lay the pipeline properly.

He reached out to take the medicine bottle Professor Qian handed him, forcing a smile in his voice: "Thank you, Professor Qian. I'm just tired; a couple of days of cod liver oil will do the trick, put it away..."

Before he could utter the last word "heart," he suddenly clutched his chest, letting out a short, painful groan. The medicine bottle in his hand clattered against the table and rolled to the floor.