013
Time flies by like water, and it slips away quietly without us noticing.
Spring of 1953.
Except for a few large-scale battles in the early stages, the war is now in the stage of mobile warfare, with fighting and stopping basically. The two sides negotiate and fight while talking, and the two sides are confronting each other on the 38th parallel.
This gave Xiao Li and his men some free time. Unlike the M Army, the Volunteer Army didn't have the same good conditions as the M Army, where they could withdraw soldiers from the battlefield to calm down. The Volunteer Army's conditions were not good, and except for the wounded, no one else could be withdrawn casually. They had to rotate defenses every once in a while.
The new tunnel was actually no different from the old one; it was just as dark and damp. When he had nothing else to do, he could only hide in the dark tunnel. Even if the weather was nice, he didn't dare go out to bask in the sun or speak loudly. He stayed in the dark all day, and Xiao Li felt that if he continued like this, he would develop a mental illness.
Wipe~~
I am becoming more and more envious of the conditions of the M Army.
"Come on, why envy them? Our country will definitely surpass them and become a superpower in the future." After spending a long time together, Dong Shiyi had more or less come to understand Xiao Li. He looked at the other party's indignant expression and continued with a smile: "Actually, I think this old M is a bit strange. He can even give him a vacation during the war. When he goes on vacation, it's heaven, and when he comes back, it's hell. Hey, such a strong contrast. If it were you, how would you feel? It would be uncomfortable."
"It's uncomfortable." Xiao Li thought about it carefully. The contrast was too strong, which could easily breed war-weariness and lead to a significant decline in combat efficiency.
Thinking about it this way, I no longer envy the soldiers of the M Army. But it's really too hard for them to stay in the pitch-black tunnel every day without a mobile phone or a computer...
“So sad~~This is not my true self wowo~~~~”
"Why are you sad? If you're bored of staying here, why don't you go and grow some vegetables?" A buddy next to them looked at Xiao Li, who looked like he had lost all hope in life, and offered some advice.
There were very few urban soldiers in the Volunteer Army; most were from rural areas. They were used to tending crops at home and were good at growing crops. When they were bored in the tunnels, they felt like working on their crops, so they went to the leaders and asked for seeds and vegetables to improve the food.
When the leader heard this was a good idea, he reported it to his superiors and got some easy-to-grow and tenacious vegetable seeds and gave them to the soldiers to help them pass the time.
"No, that's quite difficult." Although Xiao Li was an orphan before, he was also a child in the city. He had worked in many jobs, but he had no experience in growing vegetables. When he heard about growing vegetables, his first reaction was to refuse.
If the seeds don’t sprout, wouldn’t it be a waste of food?
"Learn, I heard you're a college student. It's so rare that you can even understand books, but how can you not take care of tiny seeds?" The soldier took out a handful of soybeans from his pocket and carefully placed them in Xiao Li's hand. Pointing to the ammunition box in the tunnel, he said, "This box I found with great difficulty. I'm planting soybeans for you. You must take good care of it."
Vegetables such as soybeans and mung beans are the most popular and have the highest survival rate. They are the first choice when growing vegetables.
In the end, with the help of his comrades, Xiao Li planted the soybeans in his hands without any technical skills and took care of them confidently.
Ever since he started growing vegetables, when he had nothing to do, he liked to lie on the tunnel and observe, taking care of them as carefully as if they were his own children.
Today when I went to check as usual, I saw some small sprouts growing out of the ammunition box.
The soybeans finally sprouted. The tiny soybeans sprouted amidst the gunfire.
"Hey, look, my soybeans have sprouted." Xiao Li pointed happily at the ammunition box on the tunnel. The soybeans planted some time ago, the outer shells of the seeds finally cracked, and small sprouts came out from inside.
He looked at the tender shoots that were light yellow with a hint of green with joy, and couldn't help showing off to his comrades around him with a smug look on his face that his baby had finally sprouted, and he would soon be able to eat the vegetables he had planted with his own hands.
Happy.
Xiao Li was so excited that he wanted to let everyone know that his soybeans had sprouted. In fact, he did so. In one morning, almost all the soldiers in the position knew about it.
"Then we just need to wait and eat. Don't be reluctant to give it to us when the time comes."
"That's natural..."
Time flies, and the seeds that were planted broke through the soil and grew one by one. The soldiers finally ate the vegetables they had longed for.
Xiao Li picked up a piece of bean sprouts with chopsticks and chewed them carefully for a long time. "It's so delicious. It's worthy of being grown with high-quality vitamins by maintaining a strong will and yearning for life in the midst of artillery fire, and enduring the most dangerous time in life!"
As expected, it was grown by him personally, and tasted much better than the ones I bought last year...
"The most dangerous moment in their lives is when you ruthlessly pull them out on the day they mature." The soldier next to him joked while eating.
"Ha ha ha ha--"
Except for those who died or were injured and retreated to the rear, there is basically no soldier on the battlefield who can stay on the front line for two years. Xiao Li is one of them. In addition, as a company commander, Xiao Li often disregards his own image and mixes with the soldiers, which makes him extremely popular on the front line. Many soldiers regard him and Dong Shiyi as role models, and often tease him when they have nothing to do.
As the vegetables grew and the food improved, the soldiers seemed to be inspired to fight with greater strength. Their mood improved, and they began to have new hopes. Their desire for victory in the war reached an unprecedented level.
During this period of time, Xiaoli and the others really had some free time and relaxed.
In fact, there is no need to think too much about people like Xiao Li now. The suicide note has already been written, and his daily task is to wait for tasks issued by the leader.
Before the mission, a few female comrades from the art troupe would quietly come to perform some cultural and artistic programs for everyone. If there were no casualties, this period of time should be the most comfortable days for Xiao Li on the battlefield.
.....
In June 1953, Xiao Li had the honor of witnessing a special wedding. The squad leader Huang Daniu and the young nurse Meng Jiao from the medical department held their wedding in the tunnel.
Two people with very different family backgrounds decided to get married shortly after they met and fell in love, before they knew each other well.
Xiao Li looked at the happy bride holding the man who was smiling like a fool, and his heart was full of complicated feelings.
Can you really be happy if you get married in such an environment?
What kind of love makes two young people decide to get married in a situation where they are ready to sacrifice at any time?
Xiao Li, who had only been in an online relationship once, didn't understand that kind of feeling. He leaned against the tunnel and envied the happy expression on the bride's face. People without a home longed to have a home of their own, with a loved one and children. Even if they didn't have much money, just being together was enough.
Xiao Li's undisguised expression caught the eyes of his comrades nearby. One of them put his arm around Xiao Li's shoulders and joked, "Come to think of it, the company commander is 23 this year, so it's time for you to find a partner. If you find any female soldiers in our art troupe or medical department, tell us and we'll set you up with someone."
Xiao Li's qualifications were among the best in the army. He was tall, came from a good family, and was educated. Many young girls from the medical department and the art troupe came to inquire about Xiao Li's situation, but he was a fool and always pretended to be indifferent, hurting the girls' feelings.
"So many girls in the medical department like you, but you didn't even look at them. Now you envy others."
Xiao Li looked confused. When did this happen?
How could I not know? Are you sure the person they are talking about is me?
"Come to think of it, I think Dr. Wang Xuemei from the Medical Department is a good match for you. I heard that Dr. Wang is also a college graduate, comes from a well-off family, and is beautiful. You and she are a perfect match."
"Oh, you're right, it's true. It's just that Doctor Wang is a little older. He seems to be three years older than us."
"What's wrong with being three years old? A girl three years older than you is a treasure. It would be a blessing for the company commander if he could marry Doctor Wang."
Everyone was talking at once, and Xiao Li's gaze unconsciously turned to Wang Xuemei who was sitting with the bride. The woman was beautiful, intelligent and generous, with a kind of "queen" style as later generations called it, which was something a fat otaku like Xiao Li could not even imagine.
Goddess.
An existence that is out of reach.
He wanted to have a home, so when everyone was talking about it, Xiao Li listened very carefully.
After the wedding, Xiao Li unconsciously began to pay attention to Wang Xuemei. Sometimes when chatting with others, he would inadvertently mention her. Gradually, the name Wang Xuemei began to appear in his world.
When a man becomes curious about a woman, he will try to understand what kind of person she is and begin to pay attention to her gradually.
The more Xiao Li got to know each other, the more he felt that Wang Xuemei was a good woman, so much so that he had a dream.
In the dream, there was a woman with a great figure lying under him. His hands lingered on the woman's body. Just as he was preparing for the next step, he saw the woman's face that looked very similar to Wang Xuemei, and saw a slap from the woman in the dream.
"Fuck."
What the hell! This is terrifying.
In his dream, he was even slapped by that woman Wang Xuemei.
She is a tigress. Who would dare to marry such a woman?
Xiao Li didn't sleep all night and kept reflecting on himself because he found that he seemed to have inappropriate sexual fantasies about Wang Xuemei, and the situation was not good.
Early in the morning, Dong Shiyi noticed that Xiao Li looked unwell and asked, "Xiao Li, are you feeling unwell? If not, I'll take you to the medical department."
The three words "Medical Department" frightened Xiao Li so much that he shuddered and felt guilty.
"No...no, no, I'm fine, I just have one question that I haven't figured out."
"Then tell us, and we brothers will give you some ideas. There is strength in numbers, and someone will always come up with a solution." Dong Shiyi looked at Xiao Li's reaction and said.
Xiao Li glanced at his comrades, whose gossip spirits were blazing around them, and after a moment of silence, he spoke: "Tell me, what does it feel like to like someone?"
"Hey, I thought it was a big deal, but now I'm thinking about my wife."
"Of course, if you like someone, you want to be with her all the time. When you can't see her, you want to see her. When you see her, you want to kiss her. This is how I feel when I see my wife."
"Whenever I see something good, she's the first person I think of. I want to hold her in my hands and pamper her. I'd even give my life to her if she asked."
"Why are you being so subtle? To put it simply, when she's not around, you'll dream about her at night. Do you have any impulses to touch her? Do you understand?"
Maybe this is a bit blunt, but it is also the simplest and most correct way. If a man likes a woman, he will definitely have all kinds of thoughts about her. If he doesn't even have any thoughts about her, how can he talk about liking her?
"I understand, I understand." Xiao Li was silent, thinking about his dream last night. It seemed like he was woken up before he did anything. Did he like it or not?
It’s a headache!
"Now that you understand, would you like to tell us which comrade it is? We can help you propose marriage some other day." The soldiers around him were basically all married. In their eyes, Xiao Li was considered late in marriage because he was still single at the age of 23.
"No, I'm just asking out of curiosity." Then he ran to the medical department like an arrow from a bow, "I'm not feeling well, I want to go to the medical department to check it out."
When people are unsure of their own ideas, they often hope to get satisfactory answers from others.
Xiao Li wanted to meet the other person to confirm whether he had other feelings for her. Along the way, he was thinking about what he would say when he met the person, how to leave a good impression on the other person, and how to express his feelings if he really liked the other person.
When he arrived at the medical department, he heard Wang Xuemei's voice, "You should work harder after you get married and have a family. You must never slack off."
"Okay, Doctor Wang."
Then another nurse's voice came out: "I heard that Doctor Wang has a fiancé who is a university teacher. Is Doctor Wang going to get married when he returns this time?"
"Well, I've received the transfer notice. I plan to get the marriage certificate when I go back this time. I'll treat you all to a wedding banquet when we all return triumphantly."
Xiao Li stood there in a daze, feeling a very subtle and indescribable feeling coming over him. He covered his chest uncomfortably and smiled bitterly.
Haha, that’s right.
I’m 26 years old, how could I be single?
Xiao Li, stop dreaming like a toad about eating swan meat. The goddess is not something a loser like you can dream of!
You took seriously what others said casually. You are such a loser!
You should be more careful.
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