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墨書 Inktalez
The girl over there finally turned around and walked towards the back of the convoy under the secretary's persuasion. However, as we passed by, I caught her glancing over here with a pair of unfriendly eyes, making me retreat behind the crowd. When I peeked out from the throng to see if she had left, she unexpectedly turned back and shot me a glare. I couldn't tell if she had actually seen me, so I quickly ducked back.
Just at that moment, several vehicles suddenly arrived at the end of the Embankment leading to the city intersection. When they stopped, a number of people got out—some with cameras, some with microphones, and others with cameras hanging around their necks. They must be reporters!
However, once the reporters arrived, things became rather dull. The unit assembled, the secretary spoke, applause followed, and there were people taking photos and recording videos...
For some reason, our company commander, who usually disliked this sort of thing, patiently organized everyone to go through this entire routine this time. Yet his expression grew increasingly grim; even when responding to reporters' questions, he seemed to be just going through the motions. It felt like he had something on his mind.
After completing this procedure, the reporters and leaders dispersed. The company commander announced that we would take a break on-site and have a simple meal before boarding our vehicles to return to base.
Everywhere was damp. To avoid disrupting traffic on the road below the Embankment, our vehicles were parked on one side of it. Hundreds of soldiers sat on the sloped Embankment eating. Perhaps they were too exhausted; many warriors didn’t even eat but simply lay down on the slope and fell asleep.
What truly moved us was that after the leaders left and we began to eat our rations, many locals from nearby villages came to offer us their support. They brought a lot of food—steamed buns, rice porridge, and even eggs. I noticed that many items were wrapped up or covered; clearly, they were homemade. It was evident that their kindness came from the heart.
The weary soldiers scattered across the Embankment were drinking cold water from their canteens alongside their compressed rations. When they saw the locals coming to deliver food and drinks, everyone suddenly felt at a loss.
In our view, this was merely part of our duty; some soldiers were simply following orders without much personal sentiment involved. But when I saw the villagers selflessly bringing food and drink, I felt a deep sense of discomfort. The Chinese people are genuinely kind-hearted; they have low expectations. If you do even a little something for them sincerely, they will express heartfelt gratitude.
I knew many shared my thoughts because I saw no one accepting anything from the villagers; everyone insisted on eating their own compressed biscuits and cold water without touching what was offered! Because we are the People's Liberation Army! Because we are the People's Liberation Army!
More and more locals gathered around us on the Embankment. Many soldiers found themselves surrounded as villagers touched their soaked uniforms and inquired about their well-being; some even cried out loud. To avoid unnecessary trouble, we dared not linger any longer; the company commander quickly ordered us to board our vehicles.
The convoy slowly started moving, but as more locals appeared on both sides, our speed barely increased. I don’t know who started it first, but soon villagers along both sides of the road began tossing food and drinks towards our vehicles. Before long, various items filled the truck beds while they shouted in unison, "Thank you, People's Liberation Army!" "You’ve worked hard!"
The soldiers were taken aback but also deeply moved. Eventually, they stood up together, removed the tarpaulin covering them, and lined up along both sides of the truck beds to salute the villagers...
However, on our way back to base, sitting in the driver's cabin with the company commander, I sensed his mood was low. I didn’t dare ask anything. After starting up the vehicle, he just stared at the river outside without speaking until we left the riverside road. He leaned heavily back in his seat with a grim expression and muttered, "Man-made disasters surpass natural ones."
At that moment, I didn’t quite understand what he meant.
The aftermath work would be handled by local government; our unit had already exceeded its capacity twice over. Thus, the company commander reported back to higher-ups and decided we should return to base first.
We arrived at the base gate around seven-thirty in the evening. Knowing what everyone needed most at that time, I had called ahead for two soldiers on duty to prepare ginger soup to warm everyone's stomachs before letting them change clothes and take showers before coming out for a drink.
I hurried back to my room, quickly changing out of my soaked clothes into a pair of athletic shorts and a tank top. When I finally brought the ginger soup to the entrance of the Company Headquarters, I could hear the sounds of snoring coming from the Barracks. Many soldiers had already fallen asleep, some with half their clothes off, sprawled across their beds. Old Tang emerged from the Barracks, shaking his head and signaling that it would be better not to blow the whistle and wake everyone up.
After drinking two bowls of ginger soup, drowsiness and fatigue washed over me like a tide. I couldn't hold on any longer; I wiped myself down briefly and went back to sleep. It was the most restful and deep sleep I had experienced in weeks.
I was awakened by the sound of quacking, and when I looked at the clock, it was already past eight in the morning. Sheng Xiong was waiting outside. I opened the door and saw Pudding on the conference table in the Company Headquarters. I exclaimed, "I thought it had returned to nature! How did it sneak back in here without a sound?!"
Sheng Xiong was teasing Pudding with a steamed bun and stood up with a grin, saying, "I don't know! It flew back this morning! It's in great spirits!" He then asked if he should wake everyone up. I shook my head and replied, "Let them sleep a bit longer. According to regulations, today is a rest day; there's no need to call everyone. Come on, let's go to the Cafeteria for breakfast."
The two soldiers who were on duty in the Cafeteria had already risen early to start preparing food. I looked around and saw buns, steamed buns, porridge, milk, and more. I couldn't help but drool; indeed, I was tired of eating compressed biscuits!
At nine o'clock, I had the duty officer blow the whistle to wake everyone up. I intentionally did not gather everyone for a speech; instead, like on a weekend morning, I let them walk to the Cafeteria at their own pace to enjoy breakfast. Too much talk about great ideals would just come off as pretentious.
Today was a rest day because other battalions were also returning in the morning. In the evening, we would organize to watch the News Broadcast and have political studies as usual. However, in the afternoon, we received notice that we were featured on Provincial News, so I gathered everyone in the Learning Room to wait.
After enduring some boring advertisements, Provincial News began. The news was primarily about flood control efforts across various regions in our province. Our segment came up shortly after—two clips featuring an interview with the Deputy Chief of Staff. He was holding a child while speaking with reporters:
"Could you briefly describe the situation at that time?"
"The situation was extremely urgent; many rooftops were submerged. After receiving reports, we quickly mobilized various boats to head to the disaster area and evacuate residents."
"This child you are holding?"
"I rescued this child from the disaster area; his parents have unfortunately perished," said the Deputy Chief of Staff with a look of deep sorrow.
"Hey, isn't that Douzi?" Jinghe shouted from beside me.
"It really is!" Xuanhua chimed in. "When did the Deputy Chief of Staff rescue him? Didn't our Company Commander bring him back?"
"As long as there is a need, we will do everything we can to rescue and protect the property of our citizens!" Behind him on television, a pig ran past; I recognized it as one we had rescued.
I pursed my lips; you certainly weren't like this back then.
The second segment was filmed under the Embankment before we moved forward. The Secretary was speaking above, and everyone found it quite dull. Only the voiceover made Xuanhua furious, "The Development Zone Secretary fought on the Embankment for two nights, while his daughter worried and searched for him on the Embankment. Just then, she encountered a Gap. The Secretary decisively sank his own car in the Gap to buy time for rescue, and with the cooperation of the People's Liberation Army soldiers, they finally held the Embankment."
The scene switched to the car submerged in water, and Xuanhua suddenly stood up. "That was my idea! I led our class to do that! How did it turn out like this?"
"Alright, alright! Sit down! Only you can do that! I haven't even pursued you for making decisions on your own! This matter is over; don't bring it up again!" I quickly shouted, realizing this was just a show, and I knew this issue would end here.
However, the last piece of news left me stunned. A squad leader from a certain armed police unit tragically drowned during flood control efforts and was posthumously awarded the title of Martyr. The photo of Squad Leader Ding flashed across the screen, and I remembered he was the one who helped us clear the river that night.
I still vividly recalled that night when we all promised to meet again after flood control ended. Yet now, those comrades who felt like old friends could never meet again. It was a pity; such a young and vibrant life lost. But whether in peacetime or wartime, whenever there is a situation, soldiers will always stand at the forefront!
I sighed and quietly changed the channel with the remote. The local entertainment channel was still airing cheerful programs, but how many people knew that behind all this joy lay our silent sacrifices? That was the meaning of our existence. Those who loudly proclaimed that soldiers were useless in peacetime or complained about their high salaries—where were they when various disasters struck?
Thinking of that arrogant girl from yesterday who looked down on soldiers; without us, not only would she be in danger, but I imagined her father's position wouldn't be secure either.
Just then, my phone rang. I picked it up and saw it was Old Zhou! Why was this so-called Night Watchman calling at this time?! I hadn't been in touch with him for a long time! Was something about to happen again?! My heart raced at the thought.
(To be continued; more exciting content tomorrow!)
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