With everything settled at home and at work, all that was left was to pack and get ready for her departure day.
"Mom, you don't need to pack the bedding. They have all of that over there—it's standard issue. They won't let me use it even if I bring it." Yuan Si quickly stopped her mother, who was in the middle of tying up a brand-new set of bedding from home. 'I probably won't even use a quilt at the border,' she thought. 'We'll definitely be in tents with sleeping bags and all that. There'll be nowhere to put this.'
"Really? What about clothes? Can you bring those?" her mother asked, pausing her work.
"No need for those, either. They'll issue a uniform." 'I can't wear anything flashy over there,' Yuan Si thought. 'I'll probably have to wear camouflage, just like all the green recruits.'
"Oh dear, then what should I prepare for you?" Her mother was suddenly at a loss.
