032
Early in the morning, Xiao Li saw his little follower Wang Tiezhu carrying a big package and running towards him excitedly.
"Xiao Tuan, your package."
"Mine?" You look so happy, are you sure it's not yours?
Xiao Li pointed at himself uncertainly. Since he came to Longgang Village, he has never received any letters from home. Every time he saw the soldiers receiving letters and other items, he would feel a little bit of anticipation in his heart, expecting that Comrade Wang Xuemei and others would send him letters.
"Yes, I know the character 'Xiao'. There's no one else with the last name 'Xiao' in our group!" Wang Tiezhu carefully placed the package at Xiao Li's feet and said expectantly, "Team Xiao, take it back quickly and see what goodies my sister-in-law sent you."
What do you like most about being a soldier now?
That is nothing more than letters from home. They cannot go home all year round and look forward to receiving a letter from home every month to learn about the latest situation of their wives, children and parents from the letters. In the army, a group of people often gather together to read letters. Whoever receives more letters will attract the envy of others.
I never keep the packages sent from home for myself, but always take them to the kitchen to add to everyone’s dishes.
This was the reason why Wang Tiezhu was so looking forward to it. He heard that when the company commander first took office, he brought a large bag of pickled food with a lot of meat in it.
That's meat!
It’s so expensive!
Wang Tiezhu's mouth was drooling with greed. He wiped the non-existent saliva from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and said impatiently, "Xiao Tuan, go back and check it out quickly. The brothers are waiting."
"Look at how greedy you are." Xiao Li kicked him with a smile, picked up the package and walked towards the dormitory, followed by Wang Tiezhu with a happy face.
The dormitory area is at the end of the training ground and is also a row of bungalows.
Xiao Li lives in a double room, sharing a dormitory with Dong Shiyi. The dormitory is not big, with only two simple single beds, two wooden tables, and two wooden cabinets. It looks simple and clean at first glance.
He opened the package under Wang Tiezhu's expectant gaze. Perhaps because he was afraid that the items would go bad on the way, the contents sent were some pickled foods and dried meat, with a thick letter at the bottom.
Xiao Li took out the letter, pointed at the thing on the ground and said, "Here, take it away quickly and don't let it get in my way anymore."
You have no tact at all and disturb me while I'm reading the letter.
"Take all these away, won't you keep some?" Wang Tiezhu's eyes widened as he looked at the things on the ground. Pickled meat, eggs, these things were so expensive. Xiao Tuan was really a prodigal son who didn't understand the sufferings of the world at all. How could he take away so many things without blinking an eye?
"Didn't you say that everyone was waiting for more dishes? What's the matter? I gave you everything but you don't dare to ask for more." Xiao Li was happy when he got the letter. Now he just wanted to read the letter quietly by himself, so he didn't care about anything else!
There are so many people in the army who try to get something for free, and no good things can be hidden. It is better to give them out openly, and everyone will be happy with the give and take.
Xiao Li pointed at the dormitory door and said in a somewhat unfriendly tone: "Wang Tiezhu, quickly take your things and leave, otherwise don't blame me for being rude!"
"No, no, no... I'm leaving, I'm leaving right now!" Wang Tiezhu was frightened when he saw Xiao Tuan's clenched hands making a sound. He picked up the things on the ground and ran away without even looking back. His speed was no doubt the result of his training on the battlefield.
"You little brat..." Xiao Li smiled and shook his head, then opened the letter in his hand with some excitement.
Comrade Xiao Li:
It's been over two months since we last met. The hospital has been very busy these past two months, and I'm so sorry I haven't had time to write to you! The Korean War volunteers are back, and I've met many of my former comrades in Beijing. They were all amazed to hear we were getting married. Even now, I still feel like it's unbelievable.
The war is over, peace has come, and all my former comrades have made good progress. However, their thoughts did not seem to keep up with the development. They were complacent and met women who were better than their wives at home. They abandoned their wives, divorced them but did not leave home. Seeing these, I felt an indescribable depression in my heart.
Comrade Xiaoli, are you doing well over there? Have you met any outstanding women who admire you? I'm curious what you would do. If you find yourself drifting away, please write and let me know. I'll take the children and divorce you. Divorce is no longer shameful for women now that we're free, so please think carefully before you act.
I've received all the letters you've sent me. Every time you send me a letter, the whole family enjoys sitting together and reading it. Knowing that everything is going well for you puts everyone at ease. Grandpa and grandma really like your letters, saying they're so detailed and make people feel like they're there. You do a great job, so please keep up the good work.
I heard your unit is still under construction, so please make sure you work hard! I've learned from my fellow soldiers that long-term separation between husband and wife isn't a good thing, so I've already discussed it with Grandpa. Once the hospital and family housing are completed, I'll apply to be with you. I sincerely hope we can meet soon.
One last thing to tell you, I'm pregnant.
Comrade Xiaoli, congratulations, you are going to be a father, are you happy?
Okay, I’ll stop here. Please take care of yourself. Hugs to you.
Your wife Wang Xuemei.
There was also a letter written by Xiao Ming and a wedding photo of him and Wang Xuemei in the envelope. Xiao Li held the photo with trembling hands and sat there without any reaction.
"A child?" Xiao Li's heart was shocked. He had been raised in an orphanage without parents since childhood. Was he finally going to have a child with his own blood flowing in his body?
He was silent for a long time, and finally walked out of the dormitory with a smile on his face. In the sunlight, Xiao Li's eyes were slightly red. He trotted all the way to the training ground, ignoring the strange looks from people around him, and ran around and around.
He was happy and wanted to express his joy and tell the world that he was going to be a father!
Thinking that a little life would be born into this world in a few months, and that there would be a little person calling him dad, Xiao Li wanted to fly back to Beijing immediately and take care of Wang Xuemei personally.
Watching Xiao Li running round and round at an increasingly faster speed with no sign of stopping, the soldiers in the regiment looked at him in shock, feeling incredible in their hearts.
They never knew that the skinny-looking Xiaotuan actually had such strong endurance and stamina!
A soldier asked his comrades: "What happened to the Xiao Group?"
He kept running, what was stimulating him? His eyes were red, and he looked like something was wrong.
The people around him all shook their heads, indicating they didn't know. Someone said, "I think Xiao Tuan isn't in a good state. Why don't we ask the political commissar to take a look and do some ideological work and give him some guidance?"
So a soldier went to the regiment office and found Dong Shiyi who was writing a report. The soldier stammered, "Political Commissar, Xiao... Xiao Tuan is crazy... crazy."
Dong Shiyi: ...crazy? How could someone who was fine yesterday suddenly go crazy!
"Tell me clearly, what happened to your Xiao group!"
"Xiao Tuan is running on the training ground, running and running." The soldier thought for a moment and then said, "Xiao Tuan's eyes are red, and he runs so fast that so many of us can't keep up with his speed."
Dong Shiyi: "It's strange that you can keep up with his speed. He has learned the ability to escape on the battlefield."
It was the first time that the soldier heard that their Xiao group had been to the battlefield. He asked like a curious baby, "Has the Xiao group been to the battlefield?"
Never heard of it!
"Why didn't he tell you?" Dong Shiyi thought that Xiao Li would not be able to help bragging after the first batch of volunteers returned home, but he didn't expect that he didn't.
The person who used to be so outspoken has changed so much.
Seeing the soldier shaking his head, Dong Shiyi said, "He stayed in Korea for four years and returned home secretly after the war. Don't look at your Xiao group because they look skinny. They are actually very powerful. You have no capital to be arrogant in front of him, nor do you have the right to talk about him."
Dong Shiyi put down what he was holding, stood up and walked out of the office. Following him was the soldier who looked confused and at a loss, and the two of them walked to the training ground together.
Xiao Li was still running on the training ground. Dong Shiyi ran to catch up with him and asked the sweaty Xiao Li, "Did the sun rise from the west today? Why are you running laps?"
How can people not be curious when a lazy person suddenly becomes diligent? If the soldiers in the regiment didn’t see it, they would think that the Xiao group has gone crazy!
Xiao Li glanced at him and continued running, not wanting to pay any attention to him.
Dong Shiyi resigned himself to his fate and ran in circles. When he was about to fall behind, Xiao Li finally stopped, sat down, took out the letter from his pocket and started reading it again.
Dong Shiyi sat down next to him and read the letter with him. Letters in the army were not secretive. When you entered the army, your letters would be checked over and over again, and once you arrived, everyone would share them. There was no such thing as being forbidden from reading other people's letters.
Wang Xuemei's letter didn't contain much, but Xiao Li saw a lot of things in it. He smiled as he saw Wang Xuemei warning him, and his smile was full of sweetness.
"See? My wife is worried about me. She even wrote to me and told me to speed up the construction of the army."
Dong Shiyi interrupted, "Get lost! Why don't you just say that Dr. Wang is worried that you'll be distracted by flowers and plants outside?"
Divorce without leaving home is a phenomenon unique to this era. After victory in the war, many officers will abandon their wives waiting for them at home and fall in love with young and beautiful female soldiers in the army.
Young, promising cadres like Xiao Li, who haven't been home for a long time, are the first choice for those young girls to show their affection. Those with a little conscience will righteously refuse, while those who are unfaithful will divorce their wives and marry a beautiful girl. The wife will then live with them, bringing their children and being treated as a relative of their hometown.
Do you think the female comrades in the army were deceived? No, they are very smart. They think they are pursuing true love, and true love is priceless!
But it is obvious that Wang Xuemei is not the kind of woman who accepts everything submissively. She has her own career and ideas. She wrote this matter to Xiao Li, not because she did not believe him, but because she wanted to express her attitude. If such a day really comes, she will not be a foolish woman who divorces but does not leave home.
She would take her child and leave proudly.
Xiao Li said proudly, "Hmph! Don't worry, I won't change even if you find me again. Our family of three will live happily together."
"A family of three?" Dong Shiyi was quite good at choosing words. He grasped Xiao Li's words and quickly read the letter. Finally, he read to the end of the letter and understood why Xiao Li was crazy.
Thinking about how his performance wasn't much better than Xiao Li's at the time, he said with the air of a veteran: "Good boy, you can do it! It's only been a few days, and you're going to be a father."
"Hahahaha~" Xiao Li laughed, hooked his arm around Dong Shiyi's shoulder, and said generously: "Let's go, have a drink!"
The soldiers in the regiment were in a state of bewilderment, watching the two men walk away talking and laughing. After they left, they heard that Xiao Tuan was a hero in the Korean War, and they respected Xiao Li even more.
But the respect did not last for two days. When Xiao Tuan issued an order to speed up the construction of the troops and everyone was too tired to get up all day, they began to curse Xiao Li in secret: Butcher!
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