Chapter Ten

  The first time spending Chinese New Year outside, what's the feeling?

  The first time I spent New Year's in a military camp, what kind of feeling was it?

  It's just one word - want!

  Missing dad and mom, missing brothers and sisters, missing girlfriend, missing the wife who hasn't entered the door but has already driven without a license, missing everything and everyone that is not by my side.

  That's really digging one's heart out and lungs even if the enemy is standing in front of oneself now, can still go up and give a hug first.

  As I thought about it, tears fell down.

  Don't say that old men only bleed and don't cry, it's just that they haven't reached the point of heartbreak yet. If they really have no feelings to the point where they never cry, then they are stone-hearted and not far from being inhuman.

  But it would be too humiliating for old soldiers like us to call new recruits "big brothers" and have them cry until they can't catch their breath, wouldn't it?

  Let's not mention anything else, what if a consolation team comes in with drums and gongs to celebrate the New Year, but you're crying with tears and snot all over your face? Is that still considered celebrating the New Year?

  Experienced instructors including the head of the training camp then took out their ultimate skills and tricks, all sorts of fancy moves were brought out, just to make the new recruits feel like they're having a New Year's celebration at home.

  Before the Spring Festival, training was as usual, but in leisure time, new recruits were not required to clean up their internal affairs. Everyone was thinking of ways to decorate the barracks.

  Red lanterns are hung with colored lights, couplets are pasted on the door, and everyone in the whole camp is lifted up.

  Here I'd like to mention one more thing, I still remember the couplets we wrote together.

  That guy's name is Li Jun, and this young man from Xinjiang is really tall and handsome. When he smiles, two huge dimples appear, and even now, I'm guessing that if he were to write something with a brush, it would be so embarrassing that he'd die from shame. Especially that one pen-and-ink character of his is truly exceptional, and the couplet's words are endless.

  I guess it's because there are still three art students in our class, so when that guy wrote the couplet for our class, he deliberately used a bit more ingenuity and energy to show off his skills with a small seal script brush stroke.

  Brother Li Jun, I was wrong about you back then and I was really very unkind.

  Actually at that time I didn't understand a single word but couldn't say it out loud for fear of losing face, so I just smiled foolishly and said "Class leader, your handwriting is great, one stroke of the brush is really good, truly excellent handwriting".

  When it came to the New Year's Eve dinner, there were ten dishes without soup. They used a basin to fetch water back and then everyone stood beside the table to eat.

  The brothers in the cooking class probably understood our taste structure, ten dishes, five Xiang cuisine and five Lu cuisine, amazingly like a model, they fed us until we were full and had oil dripping from our mouths.

  The only thing that makes me a little regretful is that at the time, everyone had a bottle of beer and I remember that my brothers who didn't drink at the time all finished their bottles, which completely eliminated the need for me to drink more.

  Then it was the evening's self-entertainment, there was no way to watch CCTV's Spring Festival Gala because our place couldn't receive TV signals at all, so we had to make do with this method.

  It's also because there are talented people in the army!

  The instructor's loud voice, Henan bangzi doesn't need to be said, Kuang Ming surprisingly came up with a Peking Opera-style rendition of "Sha Jia Bang", still using the traditional three-person singing method, bringing A Qing Sao to life in a vivid performance by Hu Chuanwei.

  Then it was my turn, I've been to song halls before, so I immediately came up with a Zhao Chuan style: "I'm a little bird who wants to fly, I flew and fell, brothers cheer me on, and suddenly there's a full house of applause."

  Then Jiang Kuan borrowed a brand new camouflage suit from Kuang Ming, twisted his waist and came up with a thrilling dance. The brothers probably had never seen that a man's waist could be twisted into a big hemp rope, the applause immediately covered me up, making me sulky for half a day.

  You're just talking nonsense, why are you so excited? That's real kung fu...

  It's lively now, Yang Keyang has made a big fuss and stirred up a demon.

  Little brother guesses that these days thinking about the unlicensed driving wife has already thought of being dazed, holding the erhu and sitting on it is a worried and bitter face.

  Then he announced himself and played a solo of "The Wish of the People of Honghu" for everyone, hoping that everyone would like it. He drew his bow and started playing.

  This has just begun, and it doesn't feel like much yet. I think this guy can already make sounds with his small huqin, which is not easy to do, let alone play a tune. Anyway, I don't have that skill and I don't understand it either.

  It sounds okay at first, but then it doesn't feel right...

  I heard that a famous drama actor can recite the menu and make people cry, this time it's Yang Dashen playing the erhu and bringing out tears.

  "The People of Hong Lake's Wish", the song means that the people of Hong Lake are fed up with being oppressed and deceived, and they just want to see the light of day, so they're calling on the guerrilla troops to come quickly and help them overthrow the tyrannical rule.

  Just that one big section at the beginning, the sorrowful tone is enough to make even a tone-deaf person feel uncomfortable all over, let alone a group of new recruits who miss their homes.

  Just looking at the heads of these brothers lowered like this, they didn't even eat the small pastries and candies in their hands, and their hands were wiping back and forth on their eyes, meaning if they listened to another segment, they would probably start crying.

  After another ten or so seconds, more than a dozen guys were in the same state, and even the eyes of two old soldier brothers who were listening intently began to shine.

  Half a minute later, eighty percent of the guys had no excitement at all. All were serious faces, several fragile little guys with younger ages already had movements in their throats and tears bursting from their eyes.

  Why say that Huo Ying's brother is a military family born and raised under the emperor's feet, and he has seen a lot and knows how to deal with sudden situations?

  At that time, I saw a bright arrow suddenly appear in front of Yang Ke, and with a swing of his knee, it hit the bowstring in Yang Ke's hand, followed by warm applause and shouts to the brothers below.

  "Everyone give Yang Ke a round of applause, this little comrade is too awesome! This erhu can play out a blind Ah Bing's moral integrity, it's really hard to come by. Everyone applaud!"

  A round of applause suddenly cut off Yang Ke's erhu solo that could move people to tears.

  Later, I went home and specifically looked for this song to listen to it. At that time, everyone felt uncomfortable listening to this song, if Yang Ke had finished the whole song at that time, I estimate that year's New Year's party would have turned into a funeral scene.

  Then everyone continued to eat and drink noisily, sing songs and tell jokes until 2 o'clock in the morning before going back to sleep.

  As soon as we entered the room, we saw ten washbasins lined up with a water bucket in each one. The person in charge was pouring water into the basins and said with a smile when he saw us coming in: "You're back! Wash your faces quickly and go to bed early. Tomorrow morning, get up early to set off firecrackers to welcome the New Year. The leaders are also coming tomorrow to offer their condolences, so everyone should be in high spirits."

  I said how come when it's time to assemble, there's only one instructor left shouting and all the instructors are gone.

  What a fuss...

  My heart felt warm at that moment!

  Just fell asleep after washing up and before the quilt got warm, there was a whistle outside and an emergency assembly!

  He took off running.

  On New Year's Eve in Xinjiang, amidst the vast expanse of snow, a group of soldiers scattered and ran wildly. The drill instructors were on the periphery, supporting them, but didn't seem to be yelling loudly as they usually did, just making sure we didn't run off in all directions.

  As they ran, someone in the team suddenly shouted.

  "Mother, your son is here to wish you a happy new year!"

  Everyone opened their mouths and shouted!

  After shouting and running around, I don't think about home much anymore.

  In fact, the barracks also celebrate the New Year and it's not completely closed doors to spend the holiday, there will be people coming to pay their respects just like ordinary civilians, and the scene of paying respects is more lively than what ordinary civilians can have.

  On the first morning of the New Year, we had just gotten up and cleaned the room and tidied up the courtyard when outside was already filled with people visiting each other amidst the sound of gongs and drums.

  First, the head of the local government came with comfort goods and walked towards the barracks while applauding. Our brothers who welcomed them lined up on both sides of the road to applaud and welcome them. The gongs and drums were played so loudly that it created a lively and festive atmosphere.

  The team head, as usual, welcomed the leaders to sit and accompany them to the office to drink tea and chat. The military and civilians built together, and we carried those comfort goods to the logistics department. Then, the big boss of the logistics department roughly checked the quantity of comfort goods and let each unit take them back for distribution.

  We then split up and carried back some comfort items to our dormitory.

  I don't know if other troops received the same kind of care package that we did.

  What we got was a red cloth bag, and inside the bulging bag were some comfort goods, and each bag had different contents.

  We then took out the pockets we had obtained and planned for everyone to share them communally so that we could all enjoy good fortune together.

  Then all the brothers in the dormitory were stunned.

  The comfort bags are all the same and the contents inside are also exactly the same, just some dates and some things that seem to be fried fruit.

  Those dates and fried fruits have all been crushed, some of which have even sprouted green hair. I guess they are used as feed for livestock and poultry, none of which dare to risk their lives.

  Is this what we got for New Year's greetings?

  Is this the gift we, the soldiers wearing armor, received?

  We are practicing hard in this place where birds don't lay eggs. We are always ready to go out and die. Is the New Year's gift and consolation we got just these?

  At that time, everyone in the dormitory was stunned and no one spoke, still holding those red cloth bags in their hands.

  Then there was a brother who smashed the comfort bag into the stove and watched as the flames burst forth, burning those moldy gifts with an eerie smell.

  Then there were brothers who pointed at and scolded the leader who had sat on a small cart and left.

  On the first day of the new year, a gloomy atmosphere suddenly emerged, and everyone's mood wasn't great. So on the second day, when people came to offer condolences, those brothers standing at the door clapping didn't have much energy, and the sound of gongs and drums felt like they were running out of breath.

  The one who came was a cadre from a local village, sitting on a donkey cart made of local specialty, and the canvas bags on the donkey cart were still sewn with five-flower-eight-door scraps, with the words "慰问袋" (comfort bag) written in red pen on top, which looked like a treasure that only a primary school dropout could have.

  The team leader treated everyone equally, and the guests were still warmly greeted and brought to the office for tea. The military and civilians worked together, and we casually threw those comfort goods into the military supply department. If it weren't for the old men in the military supply department shouting at us to divide up those comfort goods, we really wouldn't have wanted those things.

  Back to the dormitory, those comfort bags were thrown onto the ground, and several brothers started to lift the stove plate to burn things. However, one brother from Guizhou suddenly stood up and said, "It's strange, what I heard inside the bag seems like walnuts?"

  Walnut?

  Several brothers who were carrying luggage bags also came back to their senses and said that it really did look a bit like a walnut, feeling round and bulging.

  As soon as I tore open the comfort bag, I found that it was indeed walnuts, and they were all large thin-skinned walnuts. Each one had been wiped clean.

  Everyone was stunned again.

  The thin-skinned walnuts from Xinjiang have always been a sought-after high-end product in the market, especially during Chinese New Year when every household likes to prepare a plate of high-quality large walnuts to entertain guests.

  A bag of walnuts like that is worth tens of yuan, which is the monthly expenses for oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar for an ordinary rural family!

  Those villagers' family circumstances are all very poor...

  The brothers all fell silent, one of them picked up a few walnuts and played with them in his hand, but no one ate.

  That year's Spring Festival, we new recruits saw two kinds of comfort bags and two kinds of comfort goods.

  We just know that the big red bag that looks good is not prepared by those leaders themselves, but handed over to their subordinates. They don't even know what's inside. The leaders are busy with a million things, reading files and signing documents, they can only circle and point, they can't afford to pay attention to these small things.

  We know that those patchwork bags were all sewn by the villagers themselves, one stitch at a time. The walnuts inside were carefully selected and dried by them, and they sent them to us even though it was their month's worth of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.

  We also know that we should still practice, eat bitterness and be prepared to fight with others at all times. And we know who we are practicing, eating bitterness and fighting for!

  It was during that Spring Festival, the first time we didn't spend it at home, that us brothers suddenly grew up a lot.