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"Lao Xiao, my wife's transfer order has come down, and she will be able to bring the child here in a while." This was the first good news the regiment heard when they woke up in September. Huang Cancan's transfer order had finally come down, and their regiment was about to welcome a new medical worker. Dong Shiyi would no longer be alone.
Xiao Li was envious in his heart, but he said congratulations: "When my sister-in-law comes, I will have to go to your house to eat every day. You can't find me annoying when the time comes."
"Well, no matter who I despise, I can never despise you, Xiao Datuan." He still wanted to strengthen the relationship and find a favorable wife for his boy, so he had to help the boy win over his father-in-law.
Oh, I am such a good father who cares about my children!
Dong Shiyi felt that he had sacrificed a lot for the bad boy at home, and silently praised himself in his heart.
If Xiao Li knew that someone had started to set his sights on his precious daughter, he would definitely curse: "Beast!" Then go up and fight that person!
Let those who are eyeing his treasure know why the flowers are so red.
"Okay, stop being so jealous." He pushed the wall-mounted telephone in front of Dong Shiyi. "If you need it, hurry up."
Huang Cancan is now in the provincial capital. Before she knew about the hospital transfer order, the 8147th Regiment received the notice in advance. Dong Shiyi, with a happy face, asked someone to connect the phone to the S Province General Hospital.
The two of them chatted about family matters in front of Xiao Li for a long time. Finally, Dong Shiyi said, "As the political commissar of the 8147th Regiment, I formally inform you that Comrade Huang Cancan congratulates you on your official transfer to the 8147th Regiment and becoming a glorious medical worker in the regiment. The above leadership instructions will be implemented immediately."
"Hurry back to the dormitory and pack your things. I will come to pick you and the children up tomorrow, and then our family can be together." As soldiers, being able to have the whole family together is probably their biggest wish.
The next day, Dong Shiyi took a leave of absence and borrowed the car. He planned to drive directly to the provincial capital to pick up Huang Cancan and her mother.
"The fare for this trip is not cheap." Looking at the back of the car going away, Xiao Li felt so sour that his heart was bubbling.
Uncomfortable, with tears flowing down my face.
From now on, he would be the only permanent resident in the dormitory, and there would be another person showing off their affection around him. Xiao Li felt uneasy as he lay on the desk and wrote a letter. At the end of the letter, he wrote with great force: "I always think of you in the lonely nights, my dear. That is not longing, that is ignorant expectation!"
I hope you can come to me soon.
In the evening, a group of idle military wives sat under a big tree outside the family area to enjoy the cool air and chat. Not far away, a group of children gathered together to play. They seemed to be having a lot of fun, giving people a feeling of peace and tranquility.
At this time, the sound of a jeep engine came from a distance, adding a bit of noise to the tranquility. The military wives watched the military jeep passing by them, and the children laughed and chased after the car.
The car stopped not far away, and a petite and delicate woman with a short hairstyle and wearing a military uniform appeared in their sight, holding a child of two or three years old. After seeing them, the woman smiled and nodded at them, then lowered her head and whispered something to the children around her. The group of children cheered and ran away to play.
"Is this a new military wife?" She looks like a city girl from her dress, but I don't know if she's easy to get along with.
"A military uniform looks pretty decent." Nowadays, many people like to wear military uniforms. If there are soldiers in the family, they can modify the old military uniforms. If there are no soldiers in the family, they can go to the store to buy army green cloth, make an imitation military uniform based on the uniform, and wear it when going out.
They say that when there are too many women, there are too many gossips. This is no exaggeration. In just this short moment, Huang Cancan has been criticized and criticized by several strangers.
Song Zhaodi frowned as she looked at the women around her who had started arguing and gossiping again. The husbands of these women were all battalion commanders, and one was the wife of the chief of staff who everyone fawned over. None of them was someone she could afford to offend.
She didn't want to interrupt, nor could she, so she could only look towards the car. Then she saw Dong Shiyi getting out of the car. "That looks like Political Commissar Dong, right? We had dinner together last time. I remember what he looked like."
The expressions of the women who had been gossiping changed. They stood up with a smile and prepared to go over to say hello. When they came to join the army, their husbands had listened to them and explained the military situation in detail. They memorized the ranks of the officers by heart through reciting them over and over again.
As the regiment's political commissar, Dong Shiyi is the second-in-command of the regiment. He is the person they pay attention to and cannot offend.
"This is my sister-in-law, hello. I'm the wife of Chief of Staff Yan." The wife of the chief of staff was a middle-aged woman in her forties. She was plump and looked kind. But a woman in her forties had to call Huang Cancan, who was only in her twenties, "sister-in-law."
But I felt so sick in my heart.
But there is no way. My husband is incompetent and his official position is not as high as others. I can only put myself in a difficult position.
In the army, men can call each other brothers freely, but women have to address each other according to the man’s position, unless you have a good relationship and you can discuss seniority among them.
"Hello, I am the medical worker Huang Cancan. If you have any minor illnesses such as headaches or fevers in the future, you can come to me." Huang Cancan did not introduce herself as someone's wife, but as a medical worker of the 8147th Regiment, introducing herself as an independent individual.
"Oh, oh, okay." This made the few people who were comparing themselves to each other and thought the military uniforms were fake feel a little embarrassed. With hot faces, they said hello and left. "Sister-in-law, you guys go ahead and do your work. We'll come over another day."
After they left, only Song Zhaodi remained. She pointed to a small courtyard nearby and said, "Sister-in-law, if you need help, just call me. We live next door to you."
"Okay, thank you. Once I'm done sorting things out here, I'll invite everyone to my house for dinner."
"Well, I'll go home first."
"Okay, you sent these female comrades away in just a few words." They say women shouldn't interrupt men when they're talking, and Dong Shiyi never interrupts women when they're talking. When they were the only three of them left at the gate, he finally said, "It's only been a few days since you've been here, and everyone's already getting restless. I think they're all idle. I need Lao Xiao to find them something to do."
"Didn't you say we should build a school here and find a few well-educated and qualified teachers to teach? We can first put the kids in school and then find something for these idle older sisters to do." Huang Cancan nudged Dong Wenbo, who was always making trouble and seemed a little uneasy. "This kid needs someone to look after him, otherwise I won't be able to go to the group."
Dong Wenbo is three years old this year. When he was young, Dong Shiyi's mother helped take care of him. When he grew up, Huang Cancan sent him to the hospital's preschool class during the day. The tuition was 50 cents a month, and lunch was provided. Huang Cancan could visit him when she was not busy at work.
"There are many children as old as Wenbo. Let's find someone who is more careful to take care of them." Dong Shiyi took his son and gave him a kiss on his fair and tender face, which made the child giggle.
Looking at the happy child smiling in his arms and his busy wife beside him, he felt extremely satisfied.
Huang Cancan has reported to the group with her child. Until a suitable candidate is found, Dong Wenbo will probably have to work with his mother.
There are not many people in the Health and Medical Department now, but there are many soldiers in the regiment. People often come to see the doctor for headaches, fevers, or injuries. It is not too easy here in the Health Department. When Huang Cancan came, there were many soldiers waiting in line. She handed the child to Dong Shiyi and rolled up her sleeves to work. Dong Wenbo was taken to the regiment office by his father.
"Hey, Old Dong, this is your baby. He looks so good." Dong Wenbo has a handsome face, a furry little flat head, and a fair round face. Especially his big and round eyes, which stare at the surroundings curiously, flashing with intelligence. He is obviously a smart child.
"That's right, I told you this child looks like me!"
"Bah! Wang Po." Xiao Li took out a photo from his pocket. The photo was in color and showed a little fat boy wearing red clothes with a red dot between his eyebrows. The little fat boy was dressed neatly and had a fair and cute face. He had an innocent smile on his face, like an angel doll without any haze.
"Mua~~" Xiao Li took the photo and kissed it, "My girl is still the most beautiful!"
Dong Shiyi leaned over to take a look and said, "This is your daughter. When did Doctor Wang send this to you? This child is really blessed."
"I feel blessed too, take a look." If someone in the future praises a girl for being blessed, that girl might want to lose weight. But now, being praised for being blessed is an affirmation of the person's family and herself, and everyone likes fair and plump girls.
He had just received the photo yesterday. When he first took the photo and looked at the little person in it, Xiao Li's eyes turned red and he almost cried. This is his daughter and his responsibility.
I want to give her the best and protect her healthy growth.
Dong Wenbo was always worried about being held in the group every day. The group organized a meeting, and the main content of the meeting revolved around the work of military wives. "The school needs a few teachers. We will organize an exam in a few days and select elementary school teachers based on their educational level. The salary is tentatively set at four yuan a month. If you have any ideas, go back and ask them to read books for a few days."
"There are three preschool teachers. Educational background is not a factor. As long as they're good-tempered, attentive, and able to take good care of the children, they're good. But one thing they can't do is spank or physically punish the children. If I find out you're doing that, you'll be asked to pack up and get out."
"The land near the family quarters has been divided up, and every household has one. You go back and tell them where their land is, and let them grow some crops or food on the land. This will give them something to do, and also help supplement their family expenses." Many of the military wives were of peasant origin, and Xiao Li didn't think any of them didn't know how to farm.
Everyone wants a cushy job. After the men went home and told this story, the family compound became much quieter. Especially the military wives from the city simply stopped going out. They were determined to get the job of teacher. Their former good sisters were no longer attractive to them and have become strong rivals.
Sometimes women's friendship is so fragile.
The test questions were set by the instructor of the third company. He picked out a few questions from the textbooks of each grade in elementary school and wrote them into the test paper. On the day of the test, there were only eight military wives who came to take the test, and only one of them was from the rural area, while the rest were all from the city.
After the exam, the instructor of the third company quickly wrote out the scores and handed the papers to the political commissar. Dong Shiyi laughed angrily when he saw the papers. He pointed at the one with a zero, looking at himself with a look of confusion, "Have we given back everything we learned to the teacher?"
Why come here to take the exam if you don't know anything? It's not shameful enough.
The exam content was actually very simple, but some people only studied in elementary school for a few years, and after a while, they would forget all the knowledge they had learned to the teacher. In the end, Dong Shiyi picked the top four, three of whom were urban military wives, two of whom graduated from elementary school and one from junior high school. The most unexpected thing was that the only military wife from the countryside, Zhu Zhuhua, the wife of the second battalion commander, was actually a high school student who almost got into college.
When the second battalion commander learned that his wife had won a position as a primary school teacher, he boasted, "If my wife's family hadn't been so poor and couldn't afford her, she wouldn't be just a rural woman now. She would have become a college student and a worker in the city."
Seeing his boastful expression, the battalion commander standing nearby scoffed, "If she hadn't been unable to go to college, how could a country boy like you have ever married a college student? Hey, you're just dreaming."
So, some things are destined and are fate.
After the quotas for the family quarters were announced, a fight finally broke out.
Several military wives who were not selected were dissatisfied and felt that Zhu Zhuhua's husband was the battalion commander and that he had given her a backdoor. They talked about this while chatting.
The speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously.
The wife of the company commander of the first company of the first battalion was upset after hearing this. She went home with a sullen face. When the company commander of the first company of the first battalion, Zhao Dagang, came home, she put her hands on her waist and pointed at him and started to get angry: "It's all your fault. It's all your fault for not being capable. If you were better than her husband, the teacher's spot this time would be mine!"
Zhao Dagang was completely confused. "What quota? What does it have to do with me if you fail the exam?"
He hadn't even contacted her yet. He'd gotten a zero on the test, and now all the brothers in the group were teasing him about it. Luckily, he was broad-minded, or he would have gone home and given this humiliating woman a beating.
"That Zhu Zhuhua, a peasant woman from the countryside, was able to get a place. Don't you think it wasn't because her husband secretly helped her through the backdoor? It's all your fault..."
"Shut up!" Zhao Dagang interrupted Tian Yu loudly and lost his temper at her for the first time: "Tian Yu, you are thirty years old, not a three-year-old child. Don't you know what you can and cannot say? Don't let me hear this kind of words again, otherwise..."
"What else can I do? Zhao Dagang, you've become successful. You dare to be mean to me!" Although Tian Yu is thirty years old, she comes from a good family. Her parents are cadres in the city. They have spoiled her since she was a child, making her a little willful and capricious. Even after she got married, Zhao Dagang still spoiled her and indulged her, which made Tian Yu more selfish.
No one had ever spoken to her like this since she was a child, which made Tian Yu a little confused. She jumped up without caring about anything and started beating, scolding and biting Zhao Dagang, completely refusing to let anyone else speak.
Zhao Dagang was a hot-blooded man. Just because he was pampered and indulged her didn't mean he didn't have a temper. He raised his hand and then slowly lowered it, reluctant to take action. He said, "Tian Yu, look at yourself now. You look like a shrew."
"Ah~~~I'm going to fight with you!" Tian Yu went crazy and the couple had a big fight.
The time when the men get off work is the busiest time in the family compound. Tian Yu's voice was shrill, and soon people noticed that something was wrong with the couple.
After hearing the news, the political commissar of the first battalion, □□, put down the water he hadn't even taken a sip of, cursed and went over to start a fight. He was just seen by Xiao Li and the other man who came with Dong Shiyi to eat.
"What are you rushing for?"
□□ stammered as he told the story. Zhao Dagang was a soldier in their battalion. He was caught by his superiors for such a thing. He looked unhappy and silently took note of Zhao Dagang in his heart.
Xiao Li said calmly, "Let's go and see what's going on." Then he glanced sharply at the people around who came out to watch the excitement, and successfully scared several military wives back.
The military wives returned home and patted their chests, saying, "That young man was too scary!"
The military wives had never seen Xiao Li since they arrived, and they didn't know that this scary young man was the person that men said they should not mess with.
When Xiao Li and the others arrived, the two were still arguing. A group of children and several military wives were gathered at the gate of the yard to watch the fun.
There were several soldiers in the room trying to stop the quarrel, but they couldn't pull a woman apart. Xiao Li took one look and felt ashamed, "Alright! Stop arguing!"
"All of you, get out into the yard!" Xiao Li impatiently stopped the quarreling people. The few people who were trying to stop the quarrel saw Xiao Li and his companions walk into the yard obediently.
Seeing that Xiao Li was no longer afraid of hurting Tian Yu, Zhao Dagang quickly restrained Tian Yu, who was still making a fuss, and warned him softly, "Shut up! Stop making noise!"
Tian Yu wanted to say something, but Xiao Li swept his sharp eyes over to her, scaring her so much that she immediately forgot what she was going to say next and just wanted to hide behind Zhao Dagang for protection.
Xiao Li had been on the battlefield before, and his aura was cultivated among piles of dead bodies. When he really showed his majesty, even the men in the army would be scared out, let alone a flower that had been kept in a greenhouse.
Xiao Li never had much patience for people he disliked. Seeing that Tian Yu had finally calmed down, he said to Zhao Dagang, "Take her to the yard right away."
After leaving the room, Xiao Li kicked Zhao Dagang to the ground in front of everyone, kicking him far away, which also frightened the group of onlookers.
"Ah!" Tian Yu screamed and ran over, pulling Zhao Dagang and crying, saying to Xiao Li: "Who are you? Why did you hit my man?"
I don’t feel pain when I’m being beaten, but I do feel pain when others are beating me.
"Then what gives you the right to attack my soldiers on my territory?" Xiao Li looked around and said calmly, "If you want to fight next time, tell me and I'll help you. I guarantee I can beat them half to death."
"And you, not hitting a lesbian is fine, but allowing her to act recklessly is wrong. Tomorrow you will have to write a 2,000-word self-reflection and carry a weight for five kilometers."
"yes!"
"Fuck! Lao Xiao, are you crazy?" Xiao Li said as he walked away. Dong Shiyi was angry behind him, "How could you hit someone? What will these military wives think of you? Are you a bandit?"
He had a lot of things to say but hadn't finished them yet, but Xiao Li's kick was so brief and brutal that it was hard to believe.
Whose leader is like this!
"Don't try to reason with women. When they get angry, they won't listen to anything. It's better to be direct." If you can't hit a woman, then hit her man and see if she dares to do it again next time.
I have to say that although Xiao Li's method of release was a bit rough, the effect was surprisingly good. From that day on, the military wives were obviously much more honest, and they knew how to solve any small conflicts secretly and privately.
Time flies, and it was 1956 in a blink of an eye. After the New Year's Eve celebration, I finally had time to take a vacation.
Carrying a simple bag, Xiao Li boarded the train to Beijing. When he took the train again, Xiao Li felt a different atmosphere than before. There were not many people traveling by train before, but now there are a lot more people. In just two years, people have undergone great changes in everything from dressing to traveling.
The main reason why Xiao Li returned to Beijing this time was that his child had grown up and Wang Xuemei's transfer order had come down, so he was worried about coming back to pick him up.
The train entered Beijing City. After stepping into Beijing City, Xiao Li saw streets that were completely different from before. The old shop numbers on the streets had become unified wooden door numbers with the words "Local State-owned XXX" and "Beijing City XXX" written on them.
The shop owners greeted the customers with smiles in their eyes, but Xiao Li could clearly see the sadness and reluctance in their eyes.
Overnight, a century-old business was nationalized, and private shares were nationalized. There was no way to resist, no way to say no, and instead, one had to cheerfully write petitions and actively confront the situation.
Faced with such a farce, Xiao Li was helpless and could only quickly get on the bus without being bothered.
"The big devil is back!" A bald boy of sixteen or seventeen years old saw Xiao Li enter the compound, and ran while informing his friends.
Xiao Li had sent a telegram to Xiao's house in advance before he came back. These children always remembered that Xiao Li asked them to see Wang Xuemei and the children, and if there was any accident, they could come to see him after shaving their heads. After learning from Xiao Ming that the big devil was coming back, a group of children went to shave their heads together.
Now all the sixteen or seventeen-year-old children in the compound have bald heads, which shows how terrible an impression Xiao Li had left on their young hearts.
"Xiao Ming, why did you run away when you saw me?" It had been almost two years since they last saw each other. Xiao Ming hadn't changed much except that he was taller and thinner. Xiao Li spotted him among the little bald heads at a glance.
He glanced at the uniform bald heads and was a little puzzled. "Is bald heads popular in Jing City now?"
What a strange trend.
When Xiao Ming and others heard him ask this, they all breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the Great Devil had forgotten about the words "come and see me after you get your head shaved" and would not cause them any trouble.
Pity their hair.
"Brother, why are you back at this time? My sister-in-law didn't go to work today and went back to her parents' home with Guaiguai." Xiao Ming ran over with an attentive look on his face to help Xiao Li take the things in his hand.
Xiao Li was eager to see them, so he handed the things to Xiao Ming and said, "I'll go get them."
Turned around and ran away.
When we came to the alley where Wang Xuemei lived again, we saw a group of militiamen surrounding the entrance of Gengji Restaurant, and the sound of gongs and drums came from inside.
Xiao Li stood aside and watched as the original 'Geng's Restaurant' was replaced with a wooden plaque reading 'Jingshi State-Owned Restaurant'. From the crowd came the excited chatter of people: "Congratulations, Mr. Geng, for entering socialism at a rapid pace."
"Thank you, thank you everyone." Geng Xin accepted everyone's blessings with a happy face.
After everyone left, Geng Xin put away the smile on his face and squatted down beside the original plaque that had been removed with a dejected look on his face. There were many footprints on the plaque with the words "Gengji Restaurant" on it. He picked up his sleeves and tried to wipe off the dirt, but found that some marks could not be wiped off.
"Uncle Geng." Xiao Li felt a little distressed when he saw the man with gray hair squatting there helplessly. He opened his mouth to say words of comfort but no words came out.
"Son-in-law Xiao is back, are you here to take Xuemei home?" Geng Xin looked up and endured for a long time before recognizing Xiao Li. She forced herself to smile bitterly, "You haven't been back for almost two years, right? Go see them and their mother. They miss you."
"Uncle, you..." Stop laughing. If you don't want to laugh, don't laugh. It looks really ugly when you laugh like this, so ugly that it makes people want to cry.
"Xiao Li, I remember you asked me before if this little restaurant would continue to operate. Now I have a new answer for you." Geng Xin looked at the new wooden sign on the restaurant with a bitter face. "No, it won't. Geng's Restaurant is gone. It has become state property, a state-owned restaurant. It all belongs to the state!"
Geng Xin picked up the plaque of Gengji Restaurant with a nostalgic look on his face and slowly walked to the door. He took a last look at everything in the restaurant and locked the door, as if only in this way could he block the so-called "public-private joint venture".
He stood on the steps, looking at Xiao Li with red eyes, announcing his departure just as he had announced the restaurant's opening a hundred years ago: "Thank you all for your love for Gengji Restaurant, but today I have to announce something very sad. Gengji Restaurant will be permanently closed from today onwards. I deeply apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you."
Afterwards, Geng Xin slowly disappeared into the alley holding the plaque. From that moment on, the century-old Gengji Restaurant disappeared into the long river of history.
Only when we truly face history will we deeply understand the pain of those trapped in it, and realize how small and powerless we are.
Xiao Li stood alone at the door of the store for a long time until he noticed someone was looking at him. He turned around and saw Wang Xuemei silently watching him in the alley.
She stood there in a neat military uniform, the sunlight shining on her, making her look gentle like a little woman. Wang Xuemei raised the corners of her mouth and said softly, "Long time no see."
"haven't seen you for a long time!"
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