Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Enlistment

Saturday morning, South Cliff Island Pier.

The pier was extremely busy today and was packed with people. In addition to passengers leaving the island by boat, there were also new recruits about to join the army, as well as relatives and friends who came to see them off.

This batch of new recruits will first gather in Qiongzhou City, and then be distributed to various places in batches. Mrs. Zhang's son Ma Weidong is also a new recruit this year. Mrs. Zhang took a leave of absence this morning to see him off.

Mrs. Zhang handed the bag to Ma Weidong and said, "Here are two pairs of new shoes and two sets of clothes made for you. There is also a bag of candy and a bag of biscuits. Remember to eat them if you get hungry on the way."

Ma Weidong took the bundle and said with a smile: "Mom, you have been a family member for so many years, don't you know that when I go to the army, the army will take care of all my food and expenses. I don't need to bring clothes and shoes from home."

Ma Weimei, who had taken a leave from school in the morning to see him off, said with a smile: "The army gave it to you, and what your mother made for you is her gift of love and care for you. You should appreciate it."

Ma Weidong touched the back of his head and smiled innocently: "Thank you, Mom. I'll wear it on my day off."

Mrs. Zhang straightened his collar and said, "When you go there, take good care of yourself and remember to write home often."

Ma Weidong nodded as he listened and said, "Okay, I understand. Don't worry."

Ma Weimei said, "Brother, if you see anything delicious there, remember to send it back for us to eat."

Ma Weidong pulled his sister's braid and said, "I know. I can't forget you, little girl. When I'm gone, you'll be the eldest in the family. Take good care of your brothers and sisters and don't bully them."

Ma Weimei said: "Humph, who bullied them?"

Ma Weiliang looked at his elder brother in his new uniform with envy and admiration in his eyes. He praised him, "Brother, you look really good in this uniform."

Ma Weidong patted his clothes happily and said, "Looks good, right? I'll lend it to you when you grow up."

Ma Weifang pointed at his eldest brother's clothes and said, "My eldest brother's clothes are the same as my father's."

Ma Weidong bent down and picked up his little sister, smiling, "Right, big brother is going to the army, just like our father to defend the country. You should be good at home, study hard, and tell your third brother if anyone bullies you."

Ma Weifang nodded obediently, and Ma Weiliang patted his chest and promised: "I will protect my little sister."

The sound of the ferry's whistle came to my ears, and someone on the deck shouted with a loudspeaker: "The boat is about to leave. New recruits, please hurry up and get on board. Friends and relatives who are here to see you off, please step back and don't delay everyone getting on board."

Captain Ma, who had been silent the whole time, patted his son on the shoulder and said, "Okay, hurry up and get on the boat. Don't embarrass me when you get to the troops."

Ma Weidong smiled, revealing his big white teeth, saluted his father, turned around with his luggage, and walked towards the ferry in high spirits.

The ferry left the pier. People on the shore who were seeing them off waved vigorously to the people on the boat. The new recruits, all wearing green uniforms and big red flowers on their chests, excitedly waved goodbye to their relatives and friends on the other side of the river.

Today, the dock is filled with a feeling of reluctance to leave, but more so, it is filled with pride and blessings for the new recruits.

On a beach near the coast, Han Jianhong stood on a rock and silently looked at the bustling pier not far away.

"Hey, why don't you go over there and watch the fun?" a voice came from behind asking curiously.

Han Jianhong turned around and saw that the person coming was a little girl about her age. She frowned slightly and recalled, but couldn't remember where she had seen her before.

The girl smiled and said, "My name is Qi Zhuzhu, and I live behind the commune. Today is the day when one of my cousins ​​joins the army, and our whole family came out to see him off! I thought it was too noisy, so I came over here to quiet down. By the way, what's your name?"

Han Jianhong said: "My name is Han Jianhong."

Qi Zhuzhu jumped lightly and nimbly climbed onto the rock. She sat next to Han Jianhong, looked at the lively crowd and said, "Look at my cousin. He was a naughty boy at home and was hated by everyone. But he joined the army and became a promising member of our Qi family. Humph, he has never been better than me in swimming since he was a child. Moreover, as a member of the Qi family, he didn't even join the navy..."

Qi Zhuzhu pouted and kept talking, while Han Jianhong listened silently. Finally, Qi Zhuzhu couldn't help but sighed: "However, this send-off was really grand. My cousin became a soldier, and my third uncle was so proud that he stood up straight."

After finishing her words, Qi Zhuzhu turned around and asked, "Jianhong, are you also here to see someone off at the dock?"

Han Jianhong shook his head and said, "No, no one in my family has joined the army."

Qi Zhuzhu asked curiously: "Then what are you doing here? You should be from the family courtyard."

Han Jianhong nodded and said, "I'm here to swim."

Ever since she learned how to swim, Han Jianhong would come here to swim after finishing her housework every day. Even if she just sat there in a daze, it was more comfortable than staying in that depressing home.

Qi Zhuzhu's eyes lit up and she smiled, "You like swimming too, come on! How about we go play together for a while?"

Han Jianhong nodded, and Qi Zhuzhu happily went over and pulled Han Jianhong off the rock and ran into the sea.

As soon as they got into the water, Han Jianhong felt that the girl next to him was very good at swimming. After swimming for a while, Qi Zhuzhu felt unsatisfied and said to Han Jianhong: "Jianhong, I'm going to take a walk under the sea, you swim slowly here."

As she said that, she dived down. Han Jian watched her disappear in the sea with red eyes. He stretched out his hand to pull her, but she was gone.

I heard that the locals on the island are very good at swimming, so this little girl should be able to swim as well, Han Jianhong thought to himself, but he still felt a little worried.

Han Jianhong swam on the sea surface for a while, but still didn't see Qi Zhuzhu coming back, so she couldn't help but dive into the water to check, but she could only swim now and couldn't dive yet. After looking at the bottom of the sea for a while, she came up.

Not finding the person, Han Jianhong's worries gradually grew, maybe he will be alright...

After waiting for a while, just when Han Jianhong couldn't help but go ashore to ask for help, Qi Zhuzhu finally poked her head out of the sea.

She smiled and said to Han Jianhong: "Haha, I haven't been here for a few days. There are some good things on the seabed. I didn't want you to worry, so I just picked one up and came back."

Then he swam to Han Jianhong's side, put his fist in front of her, and said with a smile: "Guess what I took?"

Han Jianhong shook his head, and Qi Zhuzhu opened her palm - there was a pearl, crystal clear under the sunlight.

"This, this is a pearl?" Han Jianhong asked uncertainly.

Qi Zhuzhu nodded and said, "Yes, I just picked it up at the bottom of the sea. If I go further, I'll find a better one. But this one is not bad either. I'll give it to you."

"Send it to me?" Han Jianhong was surprised.

"Yes, consider it as a meeting gift from me to you. We in the Qi family always give pearls to our friends." Qi Zhuzhu said with a smile.

Han Jianhong waved his hands and said, "This is too expensive. I can't accept it."

Qi Zhuzhu forced the pearl into Han Jianhong's hand and said, "What's so valuable about this? You can see that I got it in a short while after diving into the sea. But you have to keep it a secret and don't tell anyone else. The captain said that all the pearls we collect must be handed in, but it's okay to collect one or two for fun occasionally."

Seeing that Han Jianhong was about to refuse, Qi Zhuzhu said, "If you don't accept it, you are not treating me as a friend."

Han Jianhong looked at her eyes, nodded and accepted the pearl, "Thank you."

Qi Zhuzhu smiled and said, "You're welcome. I'll find you a bigger one later."

Han Jianhong looked at Qi Zhuzhu lying leisurely on the sea. She looked relaxed and comfortable in the water, like... like a fish, as if she was born to live in the water.

"You are really good at swimming." Han Jianhong couldn't help but praise.

Qi Zhuzhu told her about her family's history as pearl divers, which was no secret. "Although we are pearl divers, we are proud of having joined the Qi Family Army for generations. That's why my cousin's joining the army made our family so happy. Suddenly, my cousin is the most successful of our generation. He has been defeated by me since he was a child."

Han Jianhong asked: "Joining the army is something that makes your family proud."

"Of course!" Qi Zhuzhu swam nimbly around Han Jianhong, "Look at the pier. Although the family members who saw him off were reluctant, they looked so proud. It's so prestigious to have a soldier in the family!"

As she said this, she lay on the sea and said with regret: "Oh, I wish I could join the army."

Han Jianhong asked: "Why don't you join the army?"

Qi Zhuzhu said: "I can't sing or dance, so it's meaningless to join the art troupe."

Qi Zhuzhu grew up on an island. Although there were troops stationed here, all she saw on weekdays were male soldiers. In her impression, female soldiers went to the art troupe, which she was not interested in.

"In addition to the art troupe, there are also female soldiers in other branches of the military." Han Jianhong is from a military family after all, and knows more about the military than Qi Zhuzhu. "My father told me that in last year's military competition, there was a team of female machine gunners in the militia formation, and they achieved excellent results."

"Really?" Qi Zhuzhu patted the sea happily and said, "The island will also be selecting militia this year. I will go back and tell the commune secretary that we will also form a female militia team. Jianhong, do you want to come?"

Han Jianhong was stunned. "Me?"

Qi Zhuzhu came up to her and nodded, "Yes, come on, let's form a women's militia and compete with the men. What do you think? Do you want to come?"

Han Jianhong was stunned. Although he lived in the family compound every day and watched the officers coming and going, he had never thought about joining the army.

Coming back to her senses, Han Jianhong looked at Qi Zhuzhu's expectant eyes, and the girl's childish face revealed full of confidence.

Han Jianhong couldn't help but nodded and said, "Okay!"

"Great." Qi Zhuzhu happily swam in the sea, came back and held Han Jianhong's hand and said, "Let me teach you how to dive."

"Is it okay?" Han Jianhong asked. Isn't this his family's ancestral craft?

Qi Zhuzhu nodded: "Of course, all the pearl divers in our Qi family are almost gone. The diving skills have never been a secret. It all depends on talent. I think you are quite talented. Come, I will teach you how to breathe first..."

After the two girls agreed on the mission of forming a team, they happily learned to dive at sea.

…

After get off work, Meng Yufei came to the kindergarten to pick up Xia Qinqin.

Xia Qinqin saw her mother and said to her happily, "Mom, today the teacher gave us milk to drink. Teacher Zhou and Teacher Tang brought a big bucket." She opened her hands and gestured, "Every child drank it."

Meng Yufei smiled and asked, "Is it delicious?"

Xia Qinqin nodded and said, "It tastes good, just as good as the milk that dad brought back."

Meng Yufei said: "As long as it tastes good, I can drink milk every day when I go to kindergarten. Are you happy?"

Xia Qinqin said happily: "I can drink it every day! I'm so happy~"

After Meng Yufei talked about the milk incident that day, Director Wang took Political Commissar Yu to the commander's house that evening.

Upon hearing that this was for the good of the children in the family home, the division commander immediately agreed. The army logistics department paid for it and ordered milk from the cattle production team every day, with children under the age of 15 in the family home receiving 200 milliliters per day.

There were sixty-four children under the age of fifteen in the family compound, which meant twelve or thirteen liters of milk, which could be put into a large bucket and brought back by the patrol boat every day.

After the milk is taken back to the family home, it is distributed to the kindergarten children every day, and the other children go to the cafeteria to get it every morning.

The mother and daughter returned home. Xia Junshan came back earlier than them today. He held an envelope in his hand and handed it to them with a smile, "This is what the commander asked me to give you."

"The teacher gave it to me?" Meng Yufei took it curiously. The envelope was quite thick.

Xia Junshan smiled and nodded, saying, "Open it and take a look."

"I want to see it too. What is it?" Xia Qinqin stood on tiptoe and looked eagerly at the envelope in Meng Yufei's hand.

Xia Junshan picked up his daughter and said with a smile, "Okay, let's go and see it together."

Xia Qinqin raised her eyes and said to Meng Yufei, "Mom, take it off quickly."

Urged by the two, big and small, Meng Yufei smiled, opened the envelope, and what caught her eyes was a stack of banknotes.

"Oh! It's money." Xia Qinqin said in surprise.

Meng Yufei looked up at Xia Junshan and asked, "Is this the reward from last time?" The time when he captured Wang Zhiyi.

Xia Junshan said: "My wife is very smart. She guessed it right away."

Meng Yufei counted and found a total of 200 yuan. She raised her eyebrows and asked, "So much?"

Xia Junshan said, "There's something else in the envelope. Take another look."

Meng Yufei poured it out again and took out a few tickets. After looking at them carefully, she found that they were tickets for two kilograms of meat and twenty feet of cloth.

Xia Junshan said, "I exchanged this with the army's logistics department. I was originally going to give them industrial coupons, but I thought that since my family doesn't need industrial coupons for the time being, it would be most useful to exchange them for meat coupons and cloth coupons."

Meng Yufei said: "We just gave a reminder, why are you giving us such a big reward?"

Xia Junshan smiled and said, "You think it's just a reminder, but for the troops, the losses recovered are not a small amount. These rewards are not much for our division, so just take them with confidence."

Meng Yufei put the money into the envelope and nodded, "Tomorrow is the weekend, let's go to the city and have a good meal."

When Xia Qinqin heard that they were going to the market, she quickly asked, "Are we still going to eat shrimp dumplings?"

Meng Yufei nodded and said, "Okay, let's go eat shrimp dumplings."

Xia Qinqin asked, "Mom, can we go back to the same hotel as last time?"

Xia Junshan touched his daughter's braid and said, "Qinqin likes that restaurant. Okay, let's go to Fangyuan Hotel."

Meng Yufei nodded and said, "I think the food here tastes good too."

Xia Junshan smiled and said, "Okay, it's decided."

Meng Yufei went into the house and put the envelope away. When she saw the letter, she thought of Hai City again. Why not go to the post office in the afternoon to ask.

Just as I was thinking this, I heard Xia Junshan's voice coming from the living room.

"By the way, Feifei, when I returned to my family compound, the sentry at the gate told me that the postman from the post office came over this morning and said there was a package for you, sent from Hai City, and asked us to go to the post office to get it when we have time."

Meng Yufei came out of the room and said, "It should be the things my parents sent me. It finally arrived. It's been more than half a month."

Xia Junshan said, "Don't you leave work an hour early this afternoon? I'll go get it directly then."

Meng Yufei said: "I'll go with you."

When Xia Qinqin heard that they were going out, she also went over and said, "I want to go too!"

Meng Yufei said: "Qinqin, you have to go to kindergarten in the afternoon. Didn't you say that you would continue to learn singing with Teacher Zhou in the afternoon?"

Xia Qinqin touched her tangled head.

Xia Junshan said: "Qinqin, can mom and dad pick you up from school together this afternoon?"

Xia Qinqin nodded, "Okay, you guys come pick me up together!"

Arriving at the post office in the afternoon, Meng Yufei looked at the three large wooden boxes on the ground. Each box was about one meter long, wide and high. She said, "There are so many! It's not easy for the two of us to take them back."

Xia Junshan said, "Wait here for a while. I'll go borrow a cart from next door." He walked out the door and headed towards the town government next door.

Qi Zhenzhen saw Meng Yufei and walked over to greet her with a smile: "Sister Meng, come and pick up the package. I heard this morning that there was a package sent from Hai City, and I thought of you immediately."

Meng Yufei smiled at her and said, "There are a lot of things. Thank you, the post office staff, for your hard work."

Qi Zhenzhen said: "It's not that hard. It's our job responsibility. Everything we do is to serve the people."

Meng Yufei said, "By the way, when I went to the commune to order furniture that day, I seemed to see you when I came back. What is your relationship with Master Qi Laowu?"

Qi Zhenzhen said, "He's my dad. Oh! It turned out that you, Sister Meng, came to my house to order furniture that day. I remember that I seemed to run into someone familiar on the way home that day, but I was in a hurry to get home at that time, so I didn't think about it carefully. Who knew it was such a coincidence that it turned out to be you."

Meng Yufei said: "Then Miss Qi Zhuzhu is your sister. She also gave my daughter a mango."

Qi Zhenzhen said, "She is my sister. That girl is very annoying. I went back that day just to ask her to participate in the recruitment of the food factory in the city, but she didn't want to do it."

Meng Yufei recalled Qi Zhuzhu's appearance and said, "She doesn't look very old."

Qi Zhenzhen said: "At sixteen, she can also join the work. The earlier she joins the work, the longer her working age will be, and the benefits she will receive in the future will be more than others. I advised her with good intentions, but who knew that girl would not appreciate it at all. It's really infuriating!"

Although she was complaining, her face was full of doting.

Meng Yufei smiled and said, "After all, she is still young. Letting her go to the city to work alone will make your family worried. It won't be too late to consider a job after two years."

Qi Zhenzhen said, "My dad thought the same thing. He originally planned to let her stay at home for two more years to see if she could get into high school so that she could find an easier job in the future. But who knew that when this girl came back at noon today, she actually said...she wanted to join the militia! You see, aren't all the militiamen men? Why would a little girl like her join in the fun?"

Meng Yufei said, "There are also female militias. Last year's newspapers published a story about a female militia team. I remember that this female militia team was in the next province."

Qi Zhenzhen said: "Really? There really are girls serving as militiamen!"

Meng Yufei said: "We have had female soldiers since the beginning of our army. There are female comrades in the health, communications, combat, and arts and culture fields. Although there are not as many female soldiers as male soldiers, they all play an important role. Just like this job, a few decades ago, women were not allowed to study or work. Now we have a large number of literate female comrades, and there are female comrades in all walks of life. In the future, there will be more and more of them."

Qi Zhenzhen said: "Sister Meng, what you said makes sense, but I still think that for a girl like her to wield a knife or a gun..."

Meng Yufei said: "But this is what she likes, isn't it? We are lucky to be in this era, we can study and work like men, and do what we like. This is something that countless girls have envied for thousands of years."

Qi Zhenzhen was silent for a moment, then she raised her head and smiled, "You're right, it's the most precious thing that she likes it."

Meng Yufei smiled at her in recognition.

Xia Junshan went to the town government to borrow a cart and pushed it to the door of the post office. He went into the house and moved the boxes out and put them on the cart. Meng Yufei saw him coming back and prepared to help move.

"Don't move, or I'll get hit. Let me do it." Xia Junshan hurriedly stopped him.

Meng Yufei said, "Let me give you a hand so it will be easier to carry."

Xia Junshan waved his hands and said, "No need, I can do it myself, it's easy to move." Then he picked up a box and walked out.

Qi Zhenzhen on the side said: "Sister Meng, your brother-in-law is reluctant to let you work."

Meng Yufei smiled shyly, "He is considerate and worried that I would get hurt."

Qi Zhenzhen smiled and said, "That's because I feel sorry for you."

She looked at Meng Yufei's beautiful face and her elegant temperament, and thought that if she were Sister Meng's husband, she would not let her do anything.

Xia Junshan quickly moved the three boxes. Meng Yufei said goodbye to Qi Zhenzhen, and went out with Xia Junshan, pushing the cart towards the family compound.

There was an uphill section of the road on the way back, and it was quite strenuous to push the cart. Xia Junshan turned the cart around so that it would be more convenient to pull it from the front.

Meng Yufei helped push the cart from behind. Xia Junshan said with a smile, "Feifei, look at the two of us. Do we look like a couple pulling groceries together?"

Hearing his words, Meng Yufei also smiled and said, "Yes, they look alike."

After climbing the slope, the road below became much easier to walk. Seeing a long downhill slope ahead, Xia Junshan turned around and said, "Fei Fei, sit on it and I'll push you."

Meng Yufei shook her head, and Xia Junshan advised: "It's downhill ahead, and it's not hard to push. Hurry up and get on the bike. I'm pushing it very fast. If you walk behind me, you won't be able to catch up with me."

Meng Yufei looked at the road ahead, looked left and right, and saw no one else on the road, so she nodded and got on the cart, smiling, "Then I'll trouble you, Driver Xia."

Xia Junshan smiled and replied, "Okay, passenger, you are ready, our car is ready to start."

As he said this, he pushed the bike down the hill. Meng Yufei, who was sitting in the bike, felt the wind blowing towards her, and she unconsciously stretched out her hands.

After going down the slope, the car slowed down. Meng Yufei turned around, her eyes sparkling, and smiled at Xia Junshan: "It was really fun just now."

Xia Junshan smiled and said, "Then let's do it again?"

Meng Yufei shook her head and said, "Forget it, let's push the car back as soon as possible. It's very heavy." Then she was about to get out of the car.

Xia Junshan said: "Don't rush down, there is another downhill slope ahead."

Meng Yufei withdrew her feet and sat back in the car, her eyes full of anticipation.

Xia Junshan looked at Meng Yufei's back with a smile, his eyes full of tenderness. Although Feifei had become much more stable after becoming a mother, she was still that naughty and playful little girl sometimes.

When they were almost at the family compound, Meng Yufei jumped off the cart and tidied her hair which was messed up by the wind.

The two of them pushed the cart back home. After Xia Junshan unloaded the box, he said, "Fei Fei, I'll go and deliver the cart first. When I come back, we'll go pick up Qin Qin from school. Don't touch the box for now. We can slowly pack it up after dinner."

Meng Yufei nodded, "Okay, drive slowly on the road."