Chapter 23, "The Deputy Battalion Commander is Heartbroken"...
Chapter Twenty-Three: "The Deputy Battalion Commander is Heartbroken"
When they returned to the unit, the grim look on Deputy Battalion Commander Ling's face made the company commanders, political instructors, and deputy company commanders exchange glances: something bad was about to happen, and they all had to keep a low profile for the next few days.
They were all puzzled. Hadn't the deputy battalion commander taken temporary leave to go back to Beijing to find a girlfriend? At the time, everyone felt that such a hasty departure must mean something was wrong, and now it seemed the outcome must have been terrible.
No one dared to ask any more questions until dinner time, when Battalion Commander Cheng finally asked, "What's going on?"
Ling Jianwei ate unusually quickly today, without even looking up: "I'll see."
Battalion Commander Cheng: "What do you mean by 'look again'?"
"Yes, let's take another look."
"Okay, so you've learned to dodge the question now."
At night, Ling Jianwei tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. His heart felt like it was bound tightly with a rope, tied in a knot, so he couldn't feel it beating.
She finally fell asleep and dreamed of that girl. However, the girl was wearing a bright red dress, had two braids, and was holding a handful of wedding candy in Ling Jianwei's palm: "Ling Jianwei, I have found my happiness, and you will find your happiness too."
Ling Jianwei's hand was suddenly empty, and the candy scattered all over the floor. She was so startled that she sat up straight in bed.
In the pitch black, the tall, strong man lowered his head, his chest heaving, and his breathing was extremely rapid.
After a moment, the man rolled out of bed, picked up his cigarette case, shook out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it with a match.
Fortunately, it was just a dream.
Thankfully, it's not true.
However, the endless fear that welled up in my heart was so real, it struck my very heart.
On the train back, he was utterly despondent, as if a huge chunk had been ripped out of his heart, and now a gaping hole was letting in the icy north wind...
Unable to sleep, he put on his clothes and left the dormitory.
It was five in the morning, and a crescent moon hung in the vast, silent sky. Ling Jianwei, a cigarette dangling from her lips, looked up at the crescent moon hanging against the dark blue backdrop and suddenly remembered when they first met, she introduced herself as "Li Yue, the moon of dawn," which must have been referring to this very moon.
I followed it for a while and unknowingly arrived at the main gate of the barracks, where the young soldiers on guard looked over warily.
Under the dim streetlights, Ling Jianwei spoke in a somber tone: "Don't be nervous, it's me."
The young soldier stood at attention and shouted, "Deputy Battalion Commander!"
Ling Jian gave a soft "hmm," stood at the entrance of the gatehouse, leaned against the wall with his long legs on the ground, looked at the moon in the sky again, and then tilted his head back to exhale a puff of pale blue smoke towards the moon.
The young soldier watched his deputy battalion commander with puzzlement as he finished his cigarette and lit another. In his memory, the deputy battalion commander didn't smoke much, especially not in front of the soldiers. But this time was very unusual. Not only did he stay up until the early hours of the morning to look at the moon, but he also smoked one cigarette after another.
After a long silence, the deputy battalion commander turned and glanced at him, asking, "Have you been on duty during this time period lately?"
"Reporting to the deputy battalion commander, yes, I've been on duty for almost a week, I'll be rotating to another post soon."
He nodded and hummed in agreement, then suddenly asked, "Is the moon at dawn beautiful?"
The young soldier thought the deputy battalion commander was testing him, and said very seriously, "Reporting to the deputy battalion commander, when on guard duty, you must always pay attention to the surrounding environment and not be distracted."
Ling Jianwei: "You can look at it now. What do you think of it?"
The young soldier paused for a moment, then looked up and replied, "Reporting to the deputy battalion commander, it looks good."
Ling Jianwei chuckled softly: "Of course the moon at dawn is beautiful."
Because she was so beautiful and so young, he always felt that there was plenty of time and no rush. They could take their time. Even if she wasn't interested in that kind of thing right away, he was confident that he could cultivate her interest over time.
Now it seems that she truly was the moon in the sky before dawn.
We can only watch from afar, destined never to possess it.
After an unknown amount of time, as the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, Deputy Battalion Commander Ling finally left.
The young soldier looked at the deputy battalion commander's back and suddenly felt a sense of loneliness in his tall and upright figure.
...
After the reveille sounded, the military barracks began a new day of study and training.
This county is located in the transition zone from hills to plains, and the camp was built on a flat and open mountain area. There are flat land and forests nearby. Armored tanks are usually suitable for plains warfare, but in recent years, tanks adapted to low hills and mountains have also been developed. Therefore, this armored battalion was specially built here as an experimental battalion.
Military training is notoriously tedious and arduous, but everyone has their own ways of having fun during breaks. For example, recently everyone has been paying close attention to the deputy battalion commander's love life.
Therefore, they gradually learned that the reason why Deputy Battalion Commander Ling had been on leave for so long was because his father, the high-ranking and powerful leader, had given him a strict order to return to Beijing to find a partner.
So, within just the time it takes to eat breakfast, the news that Deputy Battalion Commander Ling was heartbroken and couldn't sleep, so he got up in the early morning to look at the moon, spread like wildfire.
Generally speaking, gazing at the moon is either a sign of missing one's hometown or missing relatives and friends... The person who can keep the usually decisive deputy battalion commander awake at dawn to look at the moon is most likely a girl.
Everyone discussed the matter and, based on various clues, finally pieced together the following story:
During his last trip back to Beijing to visit relatives, Deputy Battalion Commander Ling met a girl on a blind date. He liked her very much and they started dating. So, when he returned from his leave, he was beaming with pride, and he was especially happy when he received letters from her. Unfortunately, a few days ago, she rejected him. Deputy Battalion Commander Ling rushed back to Beijing, hoping to win her back, but was rejected again.
In conclusion, their Deputy Battalion Commander Ling has broken up with his girlfriend.
Ling Jianwei was unaware of the stories these brats had made up. He pulled out two letters from her in his dormitory drawer and reread them.
Her handwriting was elegant, and although she didn't write much, you could clearly feel the joy in her words. When he first saw her say she was going to knit him a sweater, he thought the girl had finally come to her senses. He never expected that what followed would be a Waterloo.
How could she refuse so decisively without the slightest hesitation? Did his words scare her? Or did she truly never consider wanting to be with him?
They must not have considered it before, otherwise why would they insist on going to the countryside?
So, were the words of concern and care in the letter just polite formalities?
Battalion Commander Cheng walked over and said, "The regimental commander wants you to go there this afternoon."
"What is it?" Ling Jianwei asked, turning the letter over.
“I can’t just guess about the leader’s confidential matters, but I think it might be about making you the acting battalion commander,” Battalion Commander Cheng said. “My transfer is just waiting to be officially announced, and your position should be promoted as well. I’ll probably make you the acting battalion commander for a while before officially promoting you to battalion commander.”
Ling Jianwei stuffed the letter into the envelope: "Understood."
Battalion Commander Cheng was about to leave when he seemed unable to resist turning back, looking at the letter in his hand, and asked, "You and that girl, have you really broken up?"
Ling Jianwei gave a cold sneer and did not answer.
"In my opinion, what's meant to be yours will stay, and besides, there are plenty of fish in the sea," Battalion Commander Cheng comforted him.
Ling Jianwei looked at this man in his thirties and asked, "Battalion Commander, how come I never noticed you liked talking about these things before?"
"What are you saying? In the past few years, you've devoted yourself to battalion building and military training, without giving any thought to your personal life. How can I talk to you about that? Besides, your personal life is a matter for the leaders to decide; we can't interfere. Unlike the other company commanders and deputy company commanders, whose wives can arrange dates for them, we can't just introduce your partner to anyone."
"However," Battalion Commander Cheng smiled with interest, "I'm also curious, is that girl from a very wealthy family? She even rejects someone like you?"
"Too well-off?" Ling Jianwei's lips curled into a cold smile. "An orphan, living with his uncle's family, just graduated and can't find a job, has to go to the countryside. Do you think that's a good family background?"
Battalion Commander Cheng suddenly realized: "No wonder!"
Ling Jianwei looked at him.
"It seems it's not just good, it's really bad," Battalion Commander Cheng said. "You really don't understand girls' minds. Ordinary girls easily feel inferior when they meet men who are too well-off, afraid that they can't reach them. You need to be patient and help her unload her burdens."
"Nonsense. That girl would feel inferior?" Ling Jianwei laughed coldly. She seemed arrogant and opinionated, looking down on everyone.
His eyes softened: "Let's not talk about these things."
"Don't stop talking," Battalion Commander Cheng said, offering him a cigarette. "You're the focus of the entire battalion. If you do anything out of the ordinary, they'll talk about it for days. If you look at the moon at dawn, they'll probably be talking about it for half a month."
Ling Jianwei toyed with the cigarette between his fingers, his expression changing: "These brats are lacking in training."
After saying that, he stood up.
Battalion Commander Cheng asked, "Hey, where are we going?"
"Regimental Headquarters".
...
When the telegram, along with the letters and newspapers, was delivered to the troops, Ling Jianwei had just arrived at the regimental headquarters.
The battalion's communications officer went to the gatehouse to retrieve a document, and was handed the telegram by his comrade on duty with a strange smile.
The messenger's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he looked at the words on the telegram. He took all the letters and newspapers back to the office area, where all three companies' messengers were present. They prepared to sort through the letters and correspondence from each company...
A few seconds later, everyone's eyes seemed to pop out of their sockets: Wasn't it said that the deputy battalion commander had broken up with his girlfriend? Is this... his girlfriend coming back?
Such a telegram... I must say, my sister-in-law is really bold.
Battalion Commander Cheng came over to get the newspaper, glanced at them, and asked, "What are you all doing, huddled together chattering away?"
Everyone stood at attention, the battalion communications officer shouted "Report!" and then handed over the deputy battalion commander's telegram with both hands.
Battalion Commander Cheng looked down and couldn't help but exclaim, "Good heavens!"
In the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, the whole battalion is talking about that telegram and those words.
The young soldier on guard duty last night, upon hearing the telegram signed "Li Yue," immediately realized: "No wonder the deputy battalion commander wanted to look at the moon back then; so that's why—he was thinking of someone he loved..."
Someone joked, "Wow, you've even learned to use such an elegant expression as 'seeing an object and thinking of someone' now?"
When Ling Jianwei returned to the unit, Battalion Commander Cheng, with the telegram tucked in his pocket, walked over and raised his eyebrows at him: "You're back?"
Ling Jianwei nodded: "It's pretty much what you guessed, but I didn't agree to be the acting battalion commander."
Battalion Commander Cheng asked in confusion, "Why? This is in accordance with the procedure, and your qualifications and experience are sufficient to be a battalion commander."
Ling Jianwei said calmly, "I plan to apply for a transfer."
He had made up his mind. If she insisted on going to this rural area, then he would do everything in his power to transfer her to the production and construction corps where she was.
Battalion Commander Cheng sprang to attention: "What?!"
"Deputy Battalion Commander Ling, why are you transferring us? This is not a trivial matter, and it's not something you can just say casually."
"How much effort did you put into building the armored battalion? Our battalion won first place in the division-wide competition, and you are the number one contributor. How can you just leave like that?"
Battalion Commander Cheng spoke excitedly, but Ling Jianwei remained solemn, as if no words could persuade him.
In an instant, Battalion Commander Cheng seemed to understand something: "Wait, don't tell me you want to leave because of her."
Ling Jianwei's eyes flickered, and she finally looked up at him.
Battalion Commander Cheng had a plan in mind, and suddenly forced a smile: "That's going to be difficult. If you suddenly want to be transferred, will your father agree? What if she comes back to find out you've been transferred?"
Ling Jianwei's eyes shone brighter, but she didn't speak.
"You should take a look at this first." Battalion Commander Cheng then took the telegram out of his pocket and handed it to him.
Ling Jianwei stared at the words, her heart pounding, but her brows furrowed deeply.
I recognize all the individual characters, but I can't understand them when they're put together.
What's the meaning?
...
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