Text: Zhou Wenbin
I joined the army in 1972, when my grandfather beat me up when I was recruiting for the Commune. My grandfather is the secretary of the brigade, he is good at arithmetic, he writes well with a brush, and he is recognized as a talent by the production team. Grandpa hopes that I will be like him in the future, and I will also be a branch secretary, or find me an errand in the supply and marketing cooperative, so that I don't have to suffer too much, and I can live safely for a lifetime.
But I wanted to be a soldier, especially when my cousin Tigan, who was five years older than me, returned to his hometown, and seeing his majestic appearance strengthened my desire to become a soldier. I'm not interested in reading, my grandfather taught me to practice calligraphy, and I'm even less interested, I don't think it's suitable to eat the bowl of culture.
At that time, I signed up for conscription, and I passed the physical examination and political examination, but my grandfather didn't let me go and locked me up in my house. I have a stubborn temper, and I don't eat or drink, and I fight against my grandfather. Grandpa loved me in his heart, and when he saw that I was determined to be a soldier, he relented and agreed.
When I left my hometown, my grandfather told the instructor that I must ensure my safety, and I didn't want to do anything to glorify my ancestors, as long as I could come back safely. At that time, I felt that my grandfather's idea was too selfish, since he was a soldier, he had to defend his family and the country, and he would do his best, how could he retreat before the war began.
In order to make a name for myself in the army, in addition to training, I also did other jobs, such as cleaning yards and toilets. Sure enough, I was praised in the first week of recruit training. But there were other people competing to perform, and sometimes we had to get up early to grab the broom in order to sweep the floor.
After a long time, I thought it was boring, so I focused on training. I'm not a gifted person, and learning everything takes time to digest. I didn't shoot well, so in order not to drag the class back, I trained in the playground when I had nothing to do. It was very hot in the summer, and I had prickly heat on my body and several blisters on my hands.
I picked up the bubbles and continued to train, and then the bubbles slowly grinded into calluses on my hands, and I didn't feel any pain anymore.
In 1974, I was promoted to deputy squad leader because of my outstanding performance. At the end of October of that year, the company commander was ordered to select one person from the platoon to train the female soldiers of the telegraph squadron of the 2nd Communications Regiment. The company commander wanted to find a patient, good-tempered male soldier for them to train.
Our squad leader's surname is Cao, 21 years old, he doesn't talk much, his emotions are stable, and his personality is honest. But the company commander only considered the advantages of Squad Leader Cao, forgetting that sometimes advantages are also disadvantages.
When squad leader Cao trained us, he had a serious attitude, spoke harshly, and was full of momentum. But he had never trained female soldiers, and he had been bullied by his sister since he was a child, and he was nervous when he saw female soldiers.
At that time, there was a female soldier named Li Yao, relying on her own background, she was not serious in training, and she always interrupted the squad leader's lecture. The squad leader's hometown is from Sichuan, and he has an accent when he speaks, so Li Yao learned him to speak, which caused other female soldiers to laugh. Squad Leader Cao wanted to get angry, but he was afraid of scaring these female soldiers, so he was so worried that he didn't know what to do.
After less than 3 days of training, squad leader Cao retreated, and went to the company commander at night to complain, saying that he was unwilling to train these female soldiers. The company commander disagreed, but squad leader Cao was a more axial person, and what he made up his mind not to do, it was useless to use both soft and hard.
The company commander had no choice, so he asked him to choose a partner to train with him. Squad leader Cao felt that I could speak well and endure hardships during training, so he chose me. The company commander ordered me to be the deputy squad leader and help squad leader Cao train these female soldiers together.
However, since the squad leader has withdrawn, the matter of training female soldiers has fallen on my head. I think being a soldier is a very serious matter, and female soldiers should also have a correct attitude and be as good as our male soldiers, so on the first day of the training, I gave this group of female soldiers a dismount, let them practice in a Xi station queue for a day, and they were not allowed to rest if they did not stand in line.
Li Yao said that she had a stomachache, and I told her that being a soldier is like fighting a war, as long as you don't die, you have to persevere. Li Yao didn't expect me to be so ruthless, and I was much more restrained when I trained the next day.
Of course, I knew that these female soldiers scolded me behind my back, and in order to completely convince them, I Xi the usual training subjects in front of them, and also told them about the hardships of our soldiers, including the calluses on my hands and the blisters on my feet.
This trick is really good, the female soldier is not only convinced, but also increases her admiration for the soldier, and the training is much more serious than before.
But during training, there was one thing that made me laugh and cry. It was raining that day, and we had a high-intensity Xi during the training, and Han Xiaoju's movements were relatively slow, and the training results were unsatisfactory.
When I counted her, she said she was inconvenient. I thought to myself, what's inconvenient? I must have felt that it was raining, I wanted to be lazy, and I didn't want to practice Xi. I persuaded her to find a better excuse to be lazy, and she turned her head and cried.
Li Yao on the side said: Deputy squad leader, do you know how much our female soldiers' monthly allowance is?
I have been in the army for two years, my allowance is 7 yuan, I think their allowance is also 7 yuan, but Li Yao said: Deputy squad leader, our allowance is 7 yuan and 7 cents and 5 yuan, do you know why it is 7 cents and 5 cents, because this is an extra health fee.
I was young at the time, I didn't know anything about puberty, and I was so focused on improving their training that I was recognized in front of the company commander, and I thought they were deliberately fooling me and making fun of me.
After the training, I asked the other comrades-in-arms, and they made fun of them, only to find out that the woman had to come to the eldest aunt every month, and the extra health expenses were for this reason.
I was ashamed and guilty, so I found an opportunity to apologize to Han Xiaoju, and when I trained later, I would also pay attention to whether they were unwell. The female soldiers found that although I was rigorously trained, I still had a human touch and a much better attitude towards me.
I only trained them for a month and then returned to my original class, and when we were separated, the female soldiers came to see me off and praised me for being a good teacher. Hearing their praise, my heart warmed.
Li Yao's family is good, and she also gave me a gift when we parted, which was a fountain pen and a notebook. When I went back, I found that there was a letter in my notebook, which was written to me by Li Yao. She said that she was optimistic about me and hoped that I could be promoted as soon as possible, and that she would train hard and strive to become a cadre.
I thought to myself, how can it be so easy. I trained hard just to stay in the army for a few more years. But I am truly grateful for her blessings.
I haven't looked at the letter since I put it away. In 1977, when I went home to visit my family, I was arranged by my parents to start a family. When my wife and I mentioned it, she opened the letter, looked at it for a while, and then covered her mouth and smiled. I asked her what she was laughing at?
My wife said I was too stupid, and Li Yao wrote to me and said that we all had to fight for promotion, that is, they had a good impression of me and wanted to be with me. Because of the rules of the army, only cadres can fall in love, and she not only encouraged me, but also confessed to me. It's a pity that I don't understand love and missed this marriage.
Now that decades have passed, I have almost forgotten what Li Yao looks like. My wife occasionally jokes with me and asks me if I regret it, and to be honest, I don't regret it. Now that I have retired, my children have become a family, from a rural child, step by step to the present, I only have contentment and gratitude.
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