Chapter 77

How can you still be distracted and think about such things at this time?

Lu Yuanzheng cried out: "If you weren't in such an enchanting position, would I have been able to react?"

So it was her fault? Xu Wen snorted heavily, "Lu Yuanzheng, you should sleep alone tonight!"

Lu Yuanzheng: "..."

Admit your mistake decisively: "Wife, I was wrong! I will suffer from insomnia without you."

Xu Wen rolled his eyes and didn't even believe in punctuation marks.

In order to build the road, they had to break up the rocks from the mountains and transport them down, which was all physically demanding work.

Although Lu Yuanzheng was a battalion commander, the island was only the size of a palm and there was not much to do on weekdays. He was not someone who could sit idle in the office, so he often went along to help.

After a tiring day, you fall asleep as soon as you touch the pillow, and still suffer from insomnia?

It doesn't exist and can't be woken up even if you call it.

He can't be woken up by calling him, but he will wake up by blowing a whistle.

Whether they were gathering or training, they relied on a small iron whistle all day long. Every cadre from the squad leader on up had one.

Once, I drank a little during a break, and I was so tired that I fell asleep and couldn't be woken up no matter what I did.

The people below him come to him for urgent matters.

Xu Wen also became anxious: "What should we do?"

The company commander silently took off the whistle from his neck and handed it to Xu Wen, "Sister-in-law, just blow it at him and he will wake up."

Xu Wen looked at the whistle in his hand suspiciously, not quite believing it.

She pinched his face just now but he didn't wake up. How could a whistle wake him up?

Xu Wen went upstairs half-believing and half-doubting, and blew the air as soon as he entered the bedroom.

Lu Yuanzheng sat up immediately, his eyes clear, and the first thing he did was to pull out the rifle and load it into the chamber.

The whole process takes no more than thirty seconds.

Xu Wen was dumbfounded.

She had never seen such a long journey.

Normally, if he wakes up early and normally, he won't react so much.

This is more like a stress response, or a conditioned reflex, of being forcibly awakened from a deep sleep.

Lu Yuanzheng also reacted, put away Mu Cang again, wiped his face with it, and blinked, "Did I scare you?"

Xu Wen nodded, "A little bit. The second company commander is looking for you. He said he has something to ask."

Lu Yuanzheng comforted her while putting on his pants: "I'm sorry! It's become a habit."

He buckled his belt with one hand and pointed at the whistle in her hand: "This thing is an order to us."

When Xu Wen went downstairs, he gave him the whistle and asked him to return it to the company commander.

I'm a little afraid that I'll be sad after the passing.

Most of the habits of long journeys go against normal human physiological responses.

Of course, it's not just the long journey, many warriors on this island have the same habits as him.

Even the second company commander who gave her the whistle was like this.

Lu Yuanzheng didn't know that Xu Wen had recalled his "whistle conditioned reflex" because of his insomnia, and thought she was unhappy, so he patted her on the shoulder and asked, "Are you really angry?"

Xu Wen was awakened by his slap and shook his head, "Just as long as you are not afraid of losing face, that's fine! Why should I be angry?"

It's really amazing that he was surfing on the sea in broad daylight until the national flag was raised.

Lu Yuanzheng touched his nose and said, "Fortunately they can't see us from here."

Relying on his great skills and courage, he took Xu Wen to a farther sea to surf and experience greater excitement.

The Dongsheng duo, who were closest to them, were busy competing.

Besides, the waves were coming one after another, covering my head and face, so I couldn’t see clearly.

Xu Wen didn't want to talk about this topic which was not suitable for children anymore, so he asked him, "How does it feel to surf?"

"It's exciting. As you said, it's stress-relieving."

When Xu Wen heard Lu Yuanzheng's affirmation, he turned around and made a "yeah" gesture to him with a very brilliant smile.

Lu Yuanzheng was slightly startled, then he started to smile as well. His white teeth, which contrasted sharply with his skin color, were particularly eye-catching.

Therefore, after the personal experiences of Lu Yuanzheng, Dongsheng, and the first warrior who signed up and tried, everyone agreed that Xu Wen's proposal was feasible.

Without saying anything, Shi Lei bought a bunch of prizes from the canteen with his own money and placed them at the camp: "Whoever has the ability can win."

The prizes were there but the competition rules were not, and most importantly, there were no surfboards.

Shi Lei and Lu Yuanzheng went to ask around and found out that there are surfboards for sale in the market, but they are expensive.

They want hundreds of surfboards, but even if you have enough money and tickets, it's not enough. Good boards require foreign exchange bonds, which are really hard to get.

Especially since their profession is inherently sensitive.

So after discussion, the battalion headquarters paid for the materials and everyone made it themselves.

Anyway, they are just doing it for fun, they are not really going to compete with professionals so it is not that particular.

Shi Lei felt a little pain after doing the math: "It's not cheap just to buy the raw materials!"

"Don't be afraid. Once we have enough fun, those people on the islands will surely learn from us. We can make boards and sell them to them, and we can even make some money!"

Shi Lei: “…”

Treacherous!

Then he considered his words carefully, "You and my sister-in-law are a perfect match!"

Fortunately, self-employed individuals are not allowed to do business, otherwise he would reasonably suspect that everyone's money would go into the pockets of this couple.

"Thank you!" Lu Yuanzheng knew exactly what he meant, but he still treated it as a compliment to himself and Xu Wen.

Shi Lei's mouth twitched, he signed his name and handed the purchase order to Lu Yuanzheng, Lu Yuanzheng also signed and handed the document to him to deliver to the finance department.

So for the next week, everyone worked on quarrying and paving the road during the day and worked on handicrafts together at night.

By the weekend, almost everyone has a surfboard.

New competition rules have also been released.

The competition is divided into individual competition and team competition.

Registration for the individual competition is voluntary, and the top three will receive prizes.

The rules of the competition are to see how many waves a contestant can surf within 30 minutes. There is only one chance, and if the board falls, the contestant loses.

The contestants are then scored based on their take-off, turn, distance, etc., with a full score of 10.

The team competition is based on companies. Each company selects a group of people to compete. The rules of the competition are to accumulate team points based on the individual competition.

The maximum score for each person is 10. After everyone scores, the total score is the sum of the scores of all ten people.

The company with the highest total score will advance to the next round until the champion and runner-up are decided.

Of course, these are the official rules, and they also privately agree on other rewards and punishments for winning and losing.

The judges are Xu Wen, Shi Lei, Lu Yuanzheng and several company commanders.

Xu Wen represents the masses, and since she was the one who initiated this project, she has a seat on the judging panel.

In order to avoid accidents caused by too many people at night and difficult rescue, and because there are too many participants, the competition was scheduled on Sunday morning.

Saturday is reserved for one more day of practice.

After breakfast, except for the personnel on duty and in other support posts, everyone gathered on the beach, waiting to watch the surfing competition.

There were also people who were not participating in the competition who came with their surfing boards, ready to try them out in the water after the competition was over.

As Xu Wen said, although surfing is not necessarily a game for young people, most people who like to play it are young people, or people who particularly like excitement.

Although other people did not participate, they were willing to come and take a look for the sake of novelty.

After all, everyone is curious.

The first competition is the singles competition.

Surfing is a new sport for the officers and soldiers on the island. None of them have sufficient experience and they are all laymen who have just entered the industry.

There were a lot of people who signed up and they were divided into several groups, but the competition ended quickly.

Most people did not have the athletic ability and balance that Lu Yuanzheng had. Although the race was supposed to last 30 minutes, only a few could actually last the entire time, so the race quickly came to an end in chaos.

The first one is the guy who knows how to surf, his name is Guo Jianye.

Xu Wen approached Lu Yuanzheng and whispered, "He's pretty good! Did he also grow up by the sea?"

Lu Yuanzheng shook his head. "No, his family is from Beijing, and they live in a compound with guards. They are the third generation of the Red Army. Starting from his grandfather, all the family members have been soldiers, and they have set a rule that at least one person in each generation must serve in the army. In fact, with the current conditions of the Guo family, it is completely unnecessary to do so, but the old man is a fool and doesn't care about the conditions of the family..."

Only half of Guo Jianye's father and four brothers were sacrificed, including his second uncle. Even so, the old man still insisted that one of Guo Jianye's cousins ​​must serve in the army.

The older women's crying could not change the old man's mind.

Three of Guo Jianye's cousins ​​drew lots to see who would join the army, and he won.

He didn't say anything, but the adults in his family were reluctant to let him go. Relying on their father's connections, they planned to arrange a less crowded place for Guo Jianye to stay.

The old man somehow found out and got furious, so he just decided to throw him to Lu Yuanzheng's side.

This is the seaside and separated from Beijing by an entire country, so their families don't have such long arms.

But, Lu Yuanzheng and his men are frontline combat troops, the kind that can easily lose their lives.

Lu Yuanzheng said this with a respectful tone: "The merits that the old man has earned are enough to protect his grandchildren. He didn't want his grandchildren to forget their roots, so he made this decision. In addition, Guo Jianye's father and uncles also had great military achievements, including some who have sacrificed their lives for the country."

Xu Wen exclaimed: "Grandpa, you have a very high level of enlightenment."

"Well, the old man has a high level of enlightenment because he has witnessed blood and fire. He is afraid that his descendants will live in a peaceful era and forget their roots because of the affluent life." Lu Yuanzheng pointed at Guo Jianye who was holding a box of instant noodles and was as excited as if he had won a big prize. "Can you imagine him like this now? He is also a young man with an aunt to take care of him at home?"

Xu Wen shook his head and said that he was an idiot from the next village, which might be more likely to be believed.

His face was sunburned so that only his teeth were still white. He looked a little silly as he grinned over a box of instant noodles that was not worth much.

Lu Yuanzheng looked at Guo Jianye and smiled, "He was really not like this when he first came. He was very pure and spoke very politely. People below him always laughed at him and called him a fool."

Ernizi is not a nice word, it describes a boy who is effeminate.

Guo Jianye always argued with a red face, but with his family background, he was not the kind of person who would swear or say bad things. Not only did he fail to win the argument, but he was always angry and cried, which gave others more reason to laugh at him.

But as a man, it's easy to get recognition, just show your strength.

"Don't be fooled by the fact that he looks like a dragon in the sea now. He was a landlubber when he first arrived. We are not like your swimming pool coaches who wait for you to slowly adapt. When fighting, no one will follow the rules. If you want to survive, you have to use your best abilities. The greatest kindness we can show to new recruits is to give them a tire before they go into the water..."

Xu Wen interrupted Lu Yuanzheng: "Why give it to the tire?" The tire is so heavy, why doesn't it fall off?

"It's not an outer tire, but an inner tube. When inflated, it can be used as a swimming ring." Lu Yuanzheng explained, "Like the tires used on the wheels of a cart pulled by an ox at home, they have two layers, the inner ring is soft and has great buoyancy when inflated. Some of our troops' vehicles also use this type. When we march and fight, we dare not use the inner tubes that have been filled twice, because it would be a waste to replace them and just use them as swimming rings."

Xu Wen said, "You are quite good at making use of waste."

Don't ask, she doesn't know. The car tires she has seen only have one layer and no inner tube.

"There's nothing we can do about it." Lu Yuanzheng chuckled and continued, "The way we teach you to swim is a bit rough. You either put on a swimming ring and swim three kilometers. If you don't dare to go into the water, we will have a boat to follow you and pull you to the middle and throw you directly into the sea. You have to swim whether you want to or not. As long as you don't drown, we won't care."

Xu asked: "..."

She clicked her tongue. “Isn’t this a bad idea?”

That's too rough.

"It's not good. Otherwise, there are two choices: being beaten to death on the boat or falling into the sea and drowning. Choose one."

Xu Wen stopped talking.

Only by learning to swim can you have the third option, which is to jump into the sea and escape.

People like them may not have perfect water entry movements, so they will definitely not win any prize in the Olympics. But when it comes to surviving in the sea, even swimming champions may not be their match.

They can hold their breath for a long time; at least their average breath-holding level exceeds the maximum time the human body can hold its breath for as long as experts have estimated.

They could sneak up on enemy ships silently without making a splash.

It can also travel several kilometers in huge winds and waves.

"I was his company commander when he joined the army, and I was the one who kicked him into the sea for the first time." Lu Yuanzheng sighed, "It's only been a few years, and now this kid is amazing! The former landlubber is now ranked among the best swimmers in the camp."

Lu Yuanzheng thought of something, frowned and sighed: "What a pity! Such an excellent soldier will be discharged this year."

"Ah? Why?"

Lu Yuanzheng spread his hands, "He is already in his twenties, and his family is urging him to go back and find a wife. Besides, his father passed away last year, and his family doesn't want him to stay here alone. They also want him to go back and take the college entrance examination."

"He doesn't want to stay either? Can't you also apply to military academy?"

"I thought about it before, but now I have changed my mind. As for the military academy..." Lu Yuanzheng also felt a little regretful, "He failed the exam twice."

It’s not that Guo Jianye’s level is not good, it’s just that he has no time to review due to frequent battles.

"Why?" Xu asked, wanting to change his mind.

Lu Yuanzheng smiled bitterly, "Why else? He used to fight on the battlefield, and the more he fought, the braver he became. He saw his comrades die in front of him, and he was determined to kill the enemy for revenge! He has been doing this all along. But now, he has no battles to fight on this island every day, and he has to do boring labor day after day. Plus, his family keeps calling him all day, so he is shaken! The college entrance examination has just been resumed, and with his family's ability, as long as Guo Jianye does well in the exam, he will have no worries about his career in the future."

Xu Wen stopped talking.

I understand that.

Otherwise, Shi Lei wouldn't have such a headache.

Military service is divided into conscripts and volunteers.

Conscript service is only two years, and one can voluntarily retire when the time is up.

Volunteer soldiers serve on a voluntary basis. After serving for a certain number of years, they can choose to voluntarily retire or apply to stay in the army.

The journey is long and they have to respect everyone's wishes whether they are willing or not.

In fact, it is not impossible to stay, but it can be forced not to retire.

Mainly not necessary.

Lu Yuanzheng said nothing more. He looked at the noisy crowd and was once again stopped outside the safety line.

Twenty players, divided into companies, are ready.

The referee blew the whistle and they dived into the sea together.

During this period, there were also sounds of them threatening each other.

"All in one, Grandpa will be waiting for you to wash his socks next week!"

"Second Company, remember to wash your underwear by hand!"

There was also laughter from the crowd.

Each of the ten people selected is naturally a good swimmer.

But being a good swimmer doesn’t mean one is also good at surfing. It just means one is not afraid of being drowned by the sea water.

Xu Wen looked at their figures floating on the sea, lost in thought.

Such young and energetic warriors really shouldn't be spending their days guarding the island in such a dull manner.

Xu Wen bit the pen cap and asked Lu Yuanzheng: "What do you think? If we recruit some female comrades to our island, will they be willing to stay here?"

Lu Yuanzheng frowned, reached out and took the pen cap off her lips, and scolded her: "Why are you always biting the pen cap like Dongsheng? It's dirty!"

Xu Wen relented and let him take it away.

Lu Yuanzheng then replied: "If some female comrades really come, at least half of those who want to retire will not leave."

Lu Yuanzheng shifted his gaze back to the sea and continued, "The leaders above have said that officers and soldiers stationed on the island will receive additional subsidies in the future. I heard that the amount is not low. If added together, it is equivalent to two months' allowance for one month. For this reason alone, many people will stay. After all, they have to support a family. Of course, young soldiers have less financial pressure but more pressure to get married. If this problem can be solved, who would be willing to leave?

After all, it is easy to retire from the army, but it is difficult to wear this uniform again."

"That's true. There's a saying that men often say, 'You'll regret being a soldier for two years, but you'll regret not being a soldier for a lifetime!' I don't know when or from whom this saying came down, but I guess it's the deepest feeling of those who have served in the military, otherwise it wouldn't have been passed down for so long."

"You'll regret being a soldier for two years, but you'll regret not being a soldier for the rest of your life?" Lu Yuanzheng had never heard this before. He repeated it, smacked his lips, smiled, and agreed, "That's true!"

Xu Wen suddenly leaned close to Lu Yuanzheng's ear and asked him in a very low voice: "What about you? Do you also get extra subsidies?"

Hearing this, Lu Yuanzheng raised his hand and scratched her nose, "Money-obsessed!"

Xu Wen cried out, covered his sore nose and glared at him.

Lu Yuanzheng chuckled: "Not only do I have it, you have it too! My sister-in-law who will follow the army to the island will also receive a living allowance. But it's not much, only about ten yuan a month, right?"

"It's a lot!" Xu Wen was content, and she felt that the other sisters-in-law would also be content.

You don’t have to worry about anything, you can eat and drink for free, and you’ll also get ten dollars.

When they were at home, they earned about 70 cents per day. Zhu Meizhen and Sang Xiaoqing could only earn eight work points a day, which was 56 cents a day, except during the busy farming season.

Only sixteen or seventeen yuan a month.

Of course, Xu Wen's satisfaction was the policy, not the ten dollars.

She is looking forward to getting rich once the policies are relaxed!

She thought for a moment and asked Lu Yuanzheng, "Does that mean there are many sisters-in-law willing to come to the island?"

"It's hard to say. My unemployed sister-in-law might come, but those who have jobs definitely won't. It depends on whether they want a stable job or want to reunite with their family on the island. It won't work for older children either, as they need to go to school. I can't just come to the island and leave them alone. So, in the end, not many people will come."

Xu Wen lowered his head and gave a score to the soldier who fell into the water in the notebook.

Lu Yuanzheng sighed and said, "There is another policy that concerns us. I may have to break my promise. You can't stay in the cabin as long as you want. I'm afraid we won't be able to stay on the island for long. The cabin will be given to someone else."