Wang Lili and Zhao Xiaoyan walked quickly to Li Wei's office door and knocked gently.
"Come in," came Li Wei's steady voice from inside.
The two pushed open the door and went inside.
Li Wei was sitting behind his desk reviewing documents when he saw them. He stopped what he was doing, raised his chin, and said, "Sit down. What can I do for you?"
Wang Lili pulled Zhao Xiaoyan down to sit, her hands nervously clasped on her lap. "Captain Li, we'd like to ask if you know where Comrade Xu is right now? We'd like to meet with her and thank her in person."
Li Wei put down his pen, looked at the two of them, and remained silent for a few seconds before speaking, "Comrade Xu's schedule is quite tight. I can help you convey your thoughts to her. But as for whether she will meet with you, I can't guarantee it. After all, she has work to do, and it depends on her time and willingness."
Wang Lili nodded quickly, "Thank you, Captain Li! As long as you help convey the message, we will be grateful to you regardless of whether she agrees or not."
"Alright, you guys go back now. I'll let you know if there's any news." After saying that, Li Wei lowered his head, picked up his pen again, and continued to look through the documents.
The two men stood up, thanked them, and left the office.
Walking back to the dormitory, Zhao Xiaoyan couldn't help but sigh, "I think Comrade Xu probably won't see us. She's from the military, and she must have a lot of important things to do. She doesn't have time to meet with us ordinary college students."
Wang Lili shook her head. "I think she will agree. Comrade Xu is not the kind of person who puts on airs. Before, in the forest farm, she helped us female educated youth solve a lot of problems. She considers us friends."
She had this feeling.
Zhao Xiaoyan was stunned for a moment, thinking about Xu Xinghe's previous appearance, and it seemed that was indeed the case.
The two didn't say anything more and returned to their respective posts to continue working.
While organizing the forest farm's material ledgers, Wang Lili would occasionally glance towards the office area.
In the afternoon, the sun gradually set in the west, and the weather cooled down a bit.
Wang Lili was looking down at the numbers in the ledger when she suddenly heard someone call her name.
She looked up and saw that it was Li Wei walking over with two officers. She immediately felt nervous.
"Wang Lili, Zhao Xiaoyan, come here for a moment," Li Wei called out, beckoning.
The two quickly put down what they were doing and hurried over.
Li Wei looked at them and said gently, “I have already conveyed your thoughts to Comrade Xu, and she has agreed to see you. In addition, the military has decided to hold a commendation meeting for Comrade Xu Xinghe and Comrade Jiang Linchuan in the city tomorrow, and invites all the educated youth from the forest farm to attend. You can prepare in advance, and a car will come to pick you up tomorrow morning.”
"Really? I can see Comrade Xu? And I can even attend the commendation meeting?" Zhao Xiaoyan's eyes widened in surprise, unable to believe her ears.
Wang Lili was so excited that she couldn't speak.
She knew that Xu Xinghe wouldn't refuse them.
"It's true." Li Wei nodded with a smile. "Meet at the forest farm entrance at six o'clock tomorrow morning. Don't be late."
"Great! Thank you, Captain Li!" the two said in unison, their voices filled with joy.
Li Wei nodded and turned to leave.
Wang Lili and Zhao Xiaoyan looked at each other and excitedly hugged each other.
Upon hearing the news, the other educated youth gathered around, asking questions about the commendation meeting. The entire forest farm became lively because of this news.
Early the next morning.
The educated youth in the forest farm had all packed up.
Zhao Xiaoyan specially changed into her cleanest shirt, Wang Lili also combed her hair neatly, and even Zhang Guoming, who was usually the most unconcerned about details, carefully buttoned up his cuffs. A group of people stood at the entrance of the forest farm, their eyes full of anticipation.
"I wonder what the city is like here, whether it's similar to where we're from back home," a young educated youth muttered, prompting others to echo his sentiments.
Apart from a few veteran educated youth, most of them were visiting the city in eastern Inner Mongolia for the first time and were eagerly anticipating it.
Those former educated youth who weren't invited could only stand at the dormitory entrance and watch from afar, their eyes filled with envy, yet they knew they weren't qualified to participate.
Because they are all sinners.
Even if they haven't been dealt with yet, it'll probably be soon.
The soldiers guarding the gate gave them a cold look, and seeing no unusual movement, they looked away.
Not long after, a military truck drove into the forest.
Li Wei got out of the car and waved to the educated youth, "Get on the car, let's leave early and not be late for the commendation meeting."
The educated youth cheered and rushed onto the bus. After finding seats, they kept their eyes glued to the outside.
After the car started, the scenery along the way changed from grassland to low houses, and then gradually two-story buildings appeared, and there were more pedestrians on the road.
"Look! Isn't that the supply and marketing cooperative in the city?" Zhao Xiaoyan pointed to a small red building outside the window and excitedly grabbed Wang Lili's arm.
Wang Lili nodded, her heart leaping with joy.
So this is what Dongmeng City looks like; it's even more lively than she imagined.
The car didn't stop in the city, but drove directly towards the military compound.
As the gates of the military headquarters slowly opened, the educated youth fell silent instantly, their eyes filled with awe.
Soldiers in uniform could be seen everywhere in the courtyard, marching in unison with serious expressions. Occasionally, a few military jeeps would drive by, leaving behind a low rumble of their engines.
"Follow me, don't wander off, and don't say anything out of line," Li Wei said, turning back to give them instructions before leading the educated youth deeper into the compound.
After walking for about ten minutes, a magnificent auditorium came into view.
This building was originally constructed by foreigners. After renovation, the red brick walls paired with white pillars give it a dignified and imposing appearance, and two armed soldiers stand at the entrance.
“Go in through this small door.” Li Wei pointed to a door on the side of the auditorium, his tone serious. “Once inside, sit in the last row. Don’t talk loudly or make any unnecessary movements. Just stay quiet. If you cause any trouble, I can’t handle it.”
"Don't worry, Captain Li, we definitely won't cause any trouble!" Zhang Guoming quickly assured him, and the other educated youth nodded in agreement.
The group filed in through the small door.
The scene inside the auditorium made the educated youth hold their breath instantly.
There were already quite a few people inside, all dressed in neat military uniforms, sitting upright, and occasionally someone was talking in hushed tones.
When the educated youth entered, everyone glanced at them briefly before looking away, clearly having known they would come.
The educated youth didn't dare linger and quickly headed to the last seats.
Unexpectedly, the last few rows of seats were tiered. Although they were far from the stage, they offered the best view in the entire auditorium, allowing a clear view of the stage.
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