A. "18-year-old brother is thinking about Xiao Yinglian"

In July 1981, I followed the field training unit to Qishan Town, Anqiu County. The mountains and rivers here are beautiful, and the scenery is beautiful. The high mountains, rugged and winding mountain roads, and rich forests are very suitable for the troops to conduct field training.

The "front fingers" composed of the regimental "Si Zhenghou" lived in a small village called Taocun. The village is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the scenery is pleasant. The persimmon trees, walnut trees, and apple trees all over the mountains, colorful fruits hang on the branches, and the green cypress trees are as far as the eye can see, like a natural barrier. Since I was the only soldier who followed and reported on the training, I lived with the "front finger," and in addition to propaganda and reporting tasks, I also worked as a part-time civil servant, responsible for indoor and outdoor hygiene, and washing water for the cadres of the organs.

Every morning, I wake up early, run along the rugged and winding mountain road to the top of the mountain, exercise for a while in the beautiful scenery surrounded by greenery, and then run back. At this time, the agency officials began to get up, I put up water for them, and then began to clean the indoor and outdoor hygiene.

The house we live in is a newly built house, and the courtyard wall around it is a small wall more than one meter high made of bricks, and everything outside the courtyard wall can be seen. One day, I was sweeping the yard when suddenly a girl carrying water on the road at the door attracted me. She has a slender figure, a delicate face, fair skin, and two thick and long braids that reach to the waist. Especially when she looks at people, the sweet smile and deep dimples are dizzying and heart-pounding. She reminded me of the "second sister" in the movie "The Story of Liubao". Actually, in my opinion, she is even more beautiful than the "second sister".

She looked slender, but it was easy to carry two buckets full of water. With her rhythmic steps as she carried the water, the two braids kept swinging behind her, like a beautiful scenery that caught my eye. I don't know if it's the sixth sense, but when I was regretting that she couldn't see her after she turned the corner, she stopped there and changed her shoulders, and looked back with a smile on the bangs in front of her. I hurriedly lowered my head, my face flushed. Although, looking at beautiful women is an aesthetic appeal, "everyone has a love for beauty", what I didn't expect was that I had insomnia that night. At the age of eighteen or nineteen, it is an age full of fantasy and romance. It was that night that I seriously thought about "personal issues" for the first time. I thought to myself, I have been in the army for almost two years now, and I will not be able to take the exam next year, and my service period will be completed at the end of the year, what should I do if I am discharged from the army at that time? Maybe it will bring "jokes" to many people, and the woman was willing to do it at the beginning, but he still doesn't want it, how about it? "Beat the singles", right? At this time, I thought of my second aunt's child, my cousin Yang Zhankui. He was a soldier who enlisted in the army in 1969, and it seems that he was on the ground service of the Chengdu Air Force. Due to the family's financial difficulties, it was difficult to solve the problem of the object, and in the end, he brought back a beautiful and capable daughter-in-law from Sichuan, where he was a soldier. There are many cases like him in my unit. If I can't get into the military academy, I will find a partner in the station, take her back to her hometown or settle in the local area, and this idea has flashed in my mind more than once. The appearance of the "second sister" made my idea even stronger. The future development is still unknown, here is richer than the hometown, picturesque, pleasant environment, isn't it good to find a "second sister" to live here? Since then, I have paid more attention to the "second sister".

She walked by the load of water every day, and every time she turned a corner, she smiled and disappeared into the depths of the alley.

At that time, watching her carry water every morning became my greatest spiritual enjoyment in the countryside.

B. The inspiration that the two female officers brought to me

A month later, an incident occurred that made me voluntarily give up this spiritual enjoyment. That day, I was writing indoors when I suddenly heard the children in the village shouting: "Uncle Female People's Liberation Army!" Female PLA uncle! "I was curious and went out to see that I was stunned: accompanied by the regimental leader, two female officers were talking and laughing, walking towards the "front finger". The two female officers are slender and fair-skinned, and their two melon seed faces look even more charming and moving against the backdrop of the red collar badge. It was the first time in my life that I had seen a woman in a real military uniform other than on a movie. According to the regulations of the higher authorities, only units above the division level have female soldiers, and units below the regimental level do not have such an honor. Therefore, female soldiers have become "rare animals" in the army, and it is not easy to see one, let alone two beautiful female officers.

In the evening, at the reception banquet for them, I heard the cadres of the organs privately say that this is the medical team assigned to us by the division, and the military doctor is called Liu Yanqiu, and the nurse is called Kuang Hong. One is the daughter of the political commissar of our army Liu Lian; The other is the daughter of a certain leader in Hunan Province. After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Officer Wang, who had drunk a little too much, said mysteriously: "What you are talking about is all about noodles, and they still have an important task, don't you know?" Speaking of this, Secretary Wang, who deliberately "sold off", didn't say anything, which aroused everyone's curiosity, and everyone toasted him when he was almost drunk, and then said: "They are here for beauty pageants." Everyone asked suspiciously, "Beauty pageant?" A woman's beauty pageant too? Seeing that everyone was puzzled, Secretary Wang said: "These two beauties are here to choose a partner." I have been selected in the division, but none of them have caught my eye. Actually, they came from a certain group. I didn't expect that the boys of a certain group didn't have this blessing, so let's see who in our group has this blessing! ”

That night, I didn't drink much, but I couldn't sleep. Female soldiers, female officers, subjects, daughters-in-law. These words keep flashing in my head. But I'm a soldier, I don't have that condition. In my daze, I found a beautiful female officer, walking side by side on the boulevard, the red five-star and red collar badge of the two of them, in the green trees, even more dazzling, attracted the attention of many people, and became a beautiful scenery. I was getting complacent, but somehow, she suddenly ran away angrily, and I tried my best to chase but couldn't catch up...... Since then, it has become my dream to strive for an early promotion and find a female soldier as a daughter-in-law. After dawn, I didn't get up on the pretext of being uncomfortable, to be precise, I didn't want to see the "second sister" who was carrying water. At that time, I thought a lot: no matter how beautiful she looks, she is in the countryside, and no matter how beautiful the environment is, it is also a ravine. If my status does not change, I will not be able to bring happiness to others by looking for anyone, and my children and grandchildren will not be able to escape my past fate in the future. I secretly resolved that I could not give up, "the revolution has not yet succeeded, comrades still need to work hard", I still remember the famous female writer Ding Ling said such a sentence, "People, as long as there is a belief and a pursuit, can endure any hardship, and can adapt to any environment." In the days to come, I will no longer complain, no longer hesitate and wander, but choose the right goal, be down-to-earth, and work hard. Perhaps, I will have 100 failures, but I will still have 101 pursuits, and the pursuit itself is the best reward that life has given me.

One morning a few days later, I was reading at home alone, and the village party secretary came to visit the door. When he saw that there was no one else, he chatted with me and said, "Where is my hometown?" How many people are in the family? Do you want to find someone here? "Wait. I said that I was going to go to a military school and that I didn't want to think about personal issues just yet. After hearing this, the branch secretary said: "Okay, young people should pursue something!" ”

At that time, in the hearts of rural girls, soldiers in military uniforms were still very popular. Later, I heard from the villagers that the village party secretary was the elder brother of the "second sister". Later, I heard that someone else introduced a partner to the "second sister" in the past, and the other party's family was very rich, but she just didn't agree. I don't know how to agree now, the girl's heart really can't be understood!

Some people say that young men and women in the budding period of adolescence have the same heart. Could it be that in that moment of looking back, she could really read my thoughts?

At the end of August, the field training of the troops was completed, and they will return to the camp in a few days. One day, I deliberately got up to exercise at that time, and wanted to see the "second sister" carrying water again, but I never saw it again......

At this time, a beautiful song came from afar, "Hey, hey, that sunny day in Jiujiu, my eighteen-year-old brother is thinking about Xiao Yinglian......"

C. Transferred from the ravine to the city

After the troops returned to the barracks, Officer Guo and I wrote a batch of manuscripts, and the leaders of the Political Department asked me to send them to the "Qianwei Bao" of the Jinan Military Region. Moreover, Officer Guo said to me: "You have been a soldier for two years, and this time you are very close to your home in Jinan, go back and stay for a few days!" When I heard that, I was very excited. I've never been far away, so I'm really homesick. But after I arrived in Jinan to finish my errands, I lay in a guest house in the central district of the city, and there was a fierce ideological struggle. If I go back, I haven't made some achievements, that is to say, I haven't done it yet, what should I do if someone introduces me? If you insist on not doing it, what if you can't do it in the future? A series of questions made my head dizzy. In the end, I endured a strong sense of homesickness, walked around the city of Jinan, and bought a ticket at night to return to the army in advance.

In the past year since I was seconded to the regiment's political department as a reporter, the "Jiefangjun Bao" has published four articles and the "Qianwei Bao" of the military region has published more than 30 articles, which is the first in history, and the unit is ready to make meritorious contributions to me at the end of the year.

The meritorious service has not yet been fulfilled, and an order says that I should report to the Weifang City Military Teaching Brigade. I was a little confused, I was really a second monk - I couldn't figure it out.

Military orders are like mountains. I packed my luggage, said goodbye to my comrades-in-arms, and finally came to the city - Weifang from the ravine.

Weifang, known as Weixian in ancient times, is a famous historical and cultural ancient city. According to the unearthed cultural relics, people lived and settled here as early as 7,000 years ago. In the Xia and Shang era, there were feudal countries such as irrigation, cold, and sanshou in the territory. At the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, King Wu Feng Taigong looked at Qi and Duying Hill (now Weifang Changle). During the Spring and Autumn Period, the current municipal districts belonged to Qi, Lu, Qi, Ju and other countries. During the Warring States period, most of the departments belonged to Qi, and Zhucheng and other places belonged to Lu. In the Qin Dynasty, the east belonged to Jiaodong County, Gaomizhi County, the west belonged to Linzi County, and the southeast belonged to Langya County. In the Han Dynasty, the city was under the jurisdiction of the Qing and Xu Prefecture Thorn History Department, and belonged to the three counties of Beihai, Langya, Qi and Zichuan, Gaomi and Jiaodong. During the Three Kingdoms, the land belonged to Wei. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Southern Dynasties were Liu Song, and the Northern Dynasties belonged to the Yuan and Wei dynasties. The city of the Sui Dynasty belonged to Beihai and Gaomi counties. The Tang Dynasty belonged to Henan Province, Qing and Mi Prefectures. Yuan belongs to the Zhongshu Province Shandong East and West Road Propaganda Division, Zhiyidu Road. The city of the Ming Dynasty is located in Qingzhou and Laizhou, and it belongs to the political envoy of Shandong Chengxuan. The Qing Dynasty was under the jurisdiction of Qingzhou and Laizhou, and belonged to Shandong Province.

Today, when it comes to Weifang, the first picture that comes to people's minds is: under the blue sky and white clouds, all kinds of colorful kites are flying in the wind......

Weifang, which is famous for its "hometown of handicrafts", produces clay sculptures, jewelry, embroidery, Yangjiabu woodblock New Year paintings and kites, among them, kites are world-renowned, known as the "international kite capital", according to records, Weifang kites have been popular since the Song Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty was more popular. It was prevalent in the township during the Qing Dynasty. Zheng Banqiao, who served as the county magistrate of Weixian County for seven years, vividly described the scene of flying kites in Weifang during the Qingming Festival in his poem "Huaiwei County": "Paper flowers are flying all over the sky like snow, and the beautiful women are swinging around. Feicailuo's skirt swings in the wind, so that the butterflies will return to spring. "

Weifang holds the International Kite Festival every April, during which tourists from all over the world make kites, fly kites, and enjoy kites together.

In addition to kites, another famous brand in Weifang is Zheng Banqiao, which is known as one of the "Eight Monsters of Yangzhou". Most of his life's interests are integrated into poetry and writing. Reality could not tolerate such a flamboyant and talented upright person as him, so he could only entrust his ideals and ambitions to poetry and painting, and through the creative themes of his pen, he reflected the suffering of the people, vented his inner anger and depression, and never tended to be inflammatory, whitewashed the peace. For example, the poem in "Weixian County Bureau's Painting Bamboo Chengnian Bo Bao Dazhong Cheng Kuo":

Yazhai listened to Xiao Xiaozhu, suspected to be the voice of the people's suffering. The history of Caozhou County, a branch and a leaf, is always related. ”

And the most famous thing about Zheng Banqiao left in Weifang is his "rare and confused" plaque. It is said that the origin of these four words is as follows:

One day, Zheng Banqiao was busy and made a special trip to Yunfeng Mountain in Laizhou to watch the long-admired stone carvings of Zheng Wengong's monument. Because he could see the gods, he unconsciously delayed the time to go down the mountain, so he could only borrow a thatched hut in the middle of the mountain for a night.

The owner is an elegant old man, who calls himself a "confused old man", and has a very happy conversation with Zheng Banqiao. When he learned that Zheng Banqiao was the county order of Wei County, he asked him to see an inkstone the size of a square table that he treasured, and asked Zheng Banqiao to inscribe it so that it could be engraved on it. Zheng Banqiao felt his name, so he wrote four big characters: rare and confused. Then, he stamped it again, using the square seal of "Kangxi Xiucai Yongzheng Lifting People Qianlong Jinshi".

When you're done, ask the old man to write a letter. The old man pondered for a moment and wrote down a paragraph: "It is difficult to get a beautiful stone, it is especially difficult to get a stubborn stone, it is even more difficult to transfer from a beautiful stone to a stubborn stone. After writing, he also took out a seal and stamped it at the place where he registered, and the words on the print were "the first township test and the second hall test third".

Zheng Banqiao was shocked when he saw it, and knew that the old man in front of him had an extraordinary background, so he immediately followed the charm of the old man, and wrote another text: "It is difficult to be smart, especially difficult to be confused, and it is even more difficult to turn from smart to confused." Put it down, take a step back, feel at ease at the moment, and not plan to be blessed later. The old man looked up to the sky and laughed: "It's really a master." Zheng Banqiao also modestly praised: "To meet the old man is really fortunate to have three lives!" ”

Since then, Zheng Banqiao and the plaque he inscribed "Rare Confusion" and his "Confusion Theory" have become interesting anecdotes and spread all over the country.

According to other good deeds, Zheng Banqiao also has a plaque, called "Suffering is a blessing", but because it cannot be verified, it is gradually forgotten.

This was Weifang, a city that was very remarkable in my mind at the time. I didn't expect that I came here so soon and "bonded" with her.

Later, I learned that the military education brigade lacked a reporter to engage in news, so I asked Zhang Baoming, who was in charge of news in the military propaganda department at that time (currently deputy director of the political department of a certain military region, and a major general), to find a person.

The military training brigade is located in Liyuan, two kilometers east of Weifang City, and is in the same compound as the men's and women's basketball teams and the communications battalion, and is also a unit directly under the army. After I reported for duty, Captain Chen, Senior Political Commissar, and Director Jiang of the Political Department talked to me separately and assigned me to the Political Department to be in charge of news and propaganda work.

When I came to a new unit, facing a new environment and strange people, I often missed the two years of hard work in the ravine. That's where my dream began, where I used to be, but it's all history. In the new unit, it is necessary to start another drama with gongs and drums, that is, everything has to start from scratch.

The conditions of the military teaching brigade are much better than those in the regiment, especially the impossible things in the regiment have become commonplace here. For example, it is common to see the leaders of military organs here that are rarely seen in regiments; Here you can hear the anecdotes of the whole army; There are also five big and three thick male and female basketball players who often shake in front of your eyes, as well as female signal soldiers who are bird-like. The telephone is also a direct military switchboard, and you can get whatever you want, which is very convenient. Here I learned for the first time an unfamiliar name "Teresa Teng". Her popular songs such as "Sweet Honey", "He Rijun Comes Again", "The Girl of Alishan" and so on are fascinating and unforgettable.

Although the military training brigade is the shelf of the regiment, it has very few personnel, and its main task is to hold various training courses. Compared with regular regiments, there are very few clues in the report, and the guiding significance for the troops is also very limited. Despite the support of the leadership, the manuscript I wrote was never published.

On the road of life, I went to a low ebb again. The manuscript can't be seen in the newspaper, and the leader doesn't say it, but in fact, he is still not very happy in his heart. Because I'm a full-time reporter, it's my job! I think some manuscripts can be published, but I don't know why they can't be published.

When I was anxious, my father came to Weifang to see me. I sent a letter to my family as soon as I arrived in Weifang, first, to let my family know my whereabouts in time; The second is to make my parents feel comforted by my little progress. My father seemed to be happy with my transfer, and bought me a "Shanghai" brand watch with the money he earned from selling pastries and fried fritters at home. It is not easy for my family to earn some money, and this watch costs more than 120 yuan at once, which makes me feel very uneasy. In order not to let my family worry about me, I didn't tell my father about my work troubles, but asked for leave to accompany him to visit various scenic spots in Weifang City. When my father asked me about my future plans and the question of finding a partner, I said, "Because I haven't made any achievements in my new unit, it's a bit inappropriate to apply for the military academy." It's just to take the test, because I studied high school courses on my own, which is very not solid, and I may not be admitted. I want to do a good job first, and the service period will be completed at the end of the year, so that I can't be discharged from the army first, and I will have one last chance to enter the military academy next year. My father was quite satisfied with my immediate plan and long-term plan, so he said to me, "That girl got married some time ago, so you don't have to worry about it." I said, "Yes!" As long as I don't retire from the army at the end of the year, I will have family leave next year, and I'll talk about it when I visit my family! ”

My father happily returned with my beautiful vision for the future, but I, a person who regards work as my life, fell into confusion and confusion again. The mystery of not being submitted has finally been revealed. It turned out that there were a few soldiers who had graduated from high school in our company who had joined the army in the same year as me, and they were very unconvinced when they saw that I was seconded to the Political Department to do full-time reporting, and they were still working day and night. When I was in the regiment, I just talked about the wind and cool, after all, I looked down and didn't look up, but I was transferred, and "people go to tea and cool", so I kept writing letters to the newspaper to accuse me of writing false reports. Through investigation, the newspaper found that several manuscripts did deviate from the facts, so they gave me the punishment of suspending the manuscript for half a year. Because the punishment notice was sent to the original unit, the comrades of the original unit did not tell me because they were afraid that I would have ideological baggage, and I was kept in the dark.

When I heard the news, I felt that the sky was dark. This is no less than a catastrophe for me. If a newspaper doesn't send you a script, it's like an actor without a stage. As a soldier who has just been in the army for more than two years, work is a career, work is the future, work is the way out, and what awaits you without work results is only to retire and go home. What does it mean to go home from the military? I know that very well. I couldn't sleep or eat for a few days and nights, but I couldn't talk to anyone.

What to do? What to do? At that time, it was really "shouting that the heavens should not be, and the earth and the earth were not spiritual".

Nine times out of ten, life is unsatisfactory, and life has to go on no matter what. When I calmed down and carefully reflected on what my friend had told me, the word "half a year" suddenly came to mind. Half a year after the manuscript was suspended, that is, my manuscript could be published in half a year. With that in mind, I called the friend I told me and asked him to help me verify the date when I started to stop my manuscripts. After my friend told me, I had more than a month left to "lift the alarm". At this time, I had hope for the future again.

After a few days of deliberation, I made a bold decision: I was leaving this unit. Where to? Because I was in the military training brigade and had a clear understanding of the distribution of the divisions below, I thought of Grandpa Liang Shangquan who had helped me. By that time, he had already gone to work in Qingdao. Yes, I also went to Qingdao, where there happened to be a regiment of our army on the outskirts of the city. So I first called Zhang Zijian, the reporter of that regiment. We didn't know each other at the time, but we were all familiar with each other's names because we often published in newspapers. After Zhang Zijian listened to my idea very enthusiastically, he made a report to Jin Youfeng, the head of the propaganda unit at that time, but he did not expect that the head of the gold unit agreed very happily. But Zhang Zijian told me again: "Our troops are now working in Xuzhou, and you must go to Xuzhou first." After saying this, I found Liu Yongfeng, who was in charge of news in the army at that time, and talked about the idea that it was not appropriate for me to teach the brigade to engage in news. After receiving his approval, I asked him to go to the military affairs office of the army to handle the transfer. After both sides agreed, I solemnly told Director Jiang of the Political Department about the matter, and Director Jiang made a report to the Political Commissar Gao. Since I didn't publish a single manuscript here, they simply agreed to let it go.

After getting the order, I packed my luggage and quietly drove south at night. There was no farewell, no farewell, and even a few very good comrades-in-arms I didn't say hello, and I "escaped" from this unit that made me so depressed that I was about to suffocate. When I walked out of this compound, I immediately felt much more relaxed, and the suspicion and cynicism of people in the past would be far away from me.

The train was running in the night, and I was like a free bird flying in the blue sky. The travelers were asleep, but I didn't sleep. My thoughts are like wild horses on the loose, and the past experiences keep flashing in my mind, which makes me deeply understand the heat and coldness of the world and the ups and downs of life. But what I think about the most is facing the new pressures ahead. If the last transfer was an organizational act, this time it is a personal will. I am a soldier who is about to complete his service, and if I don't do it well, the consequences will be unimaginable. In the future, no matter how hard I work hard, I must do a good job first, that is, I must not retire from the army at the end of the year, otherwise, all my ideal future will be in vain.

D. "Straw Boat Borrowing Arrows"

After arriving in Xuzhou, reporter Zhang Zijian took me to a farmhouse on the outskirts of Yunlong Lake, and after simply arranging accommodation, he led me up to the high Yunlong Lake Dam. Facing the endless blue water of the lake makes me feel relaxed and happy, and I have not been in such a mood for a long time. As we walked and talked, I confided in him about the ups and downs of the past and expressed my determination for the future.

This is where the new work begins. What awaits me in front of me? Everything is unknown. But I believe: dare to ask where the road is? The road is at your feet.

In order to open up the work situation as soon as possible, I would like to use the power of others. At this time, I thought of a person I knew -- Rao Hongqiao, a well-known reporter of the "Jiefangjun Daily" reporter station stationed in a certain military region (now deputy editor-in-chief of the military newspaper and major general).

Since the troops were on construction tasks in Xuzhou, they lived very scattered. In order to get into the "role" as soon as possible, I ran company by company, often ate and lived in the company, and mastered a large number of reporting clues. At the same time, I often keep in touch with reporter Rao and report clues. Soon after, at my invitation, reporter Rao came to Xuzhou to conduct an in-depth interview on the clues I provided. Reporter Rao is worthy of being a well-known reporter (his "Mother of an Outstanding Conscript, Zhao Qianni" caused a sensation throughout the country), and soon the articles we jointly signed were published in the "Jiefangjun Bao" and the "Qianwei Bao" of the Military Region, and some of them were even edited and edited, which laid the foundation for my future work and won me face and glory in front of the regiment leaders and cadres.

After the manuscript was published continuously, I received a call from a comrade-in-arms of the military education brigade, who said that the leaders of the brigade had all seen the newspaper, and the director of the political department, Jiang, said that it was not that Xiaoliang could not write the manuscript, but that there were too few things worth reporting here. You see, he has only been gone for more than a month and has published so many manuscripts. After listening to the words of my comrades-in-arms, my heart was sour, but I smiled bitterly and said, thank you for understanding, I also have my own problems.

After working in Xuzhou for a few months, the troops completed the construction tasks and returned to the barracks in Chengyang, a suburb of Qingdao. Due to my outstanding work performance, I successfully stayed in the team and overserved after the expiration of my service at the end of the year. After this goal was achieved, I started to review the cultural class again as originally planned, because next year will be my last chance to enter the military school. I made a rule for myself to work during the day, review my homework at night and on Sundays, and not go to bed until 12 o'clock every night. The walls of my dorm room are plastered with mathematical formulas, physical theorems, periodic tables, etc., and I memorize them every morning when I wake up; Come back every night and memorize it again to deepen the impression.

In the midst of the hustle and bustle, the Spring Festival of 1983 was ushered in. Grandfather Liang Shangquan, who was already working in Qingdao, warmly invited me to spend the New Year with him after hearing that I had been transferred to the army stationed in Chengyang Town, Qingdao. I have been in the army for more than 3 years, and I am indeed very homesick, and the army will not let me go back, so I asked for leave to go to Qingdao and spent a happy Spring Festival with my grandfather's family, whom I have not seen for many years.

During that Chinese New Year, I talked a lot with my grandfather. He constantly encouraged me to withstand setbacks and failures, "without some wind and frost, where can plum blossoms be fragrant." He also said earnestly, if you can do it, just find a daughter-in-law in Qingdao. How beautiful a Qingdao girl is! I thought to myself, it's good, it's just thinking about it, it's just a distant dream!

E. Ruthless "Lover"

In March 1983, when it was warm and cold, the head of the propaganda unit talked to me and asked me to visit my home. He said, you are not too young, go home and find a daughter-in-law! According to the regulations of the army, after the expiration of the time limit of service, the veteran soldiers are allowed to go home to visit their relatives, mainly by taking advantage of the military uniform to find a daughter-in-law, and after completing this "mission", they will basically be discharged from the army at the end of the year. I told him about my desire to go to a military school, and I wanted to wait until after the exam. After hearing this, he said that it is still unknown whether he will be admitted or not, so it is better to visit his relatives first! Otherwise, what should I do when I wait until the exam is over, and the work tasks are heavy at that time, and I can't find a home? I thought to myself, the leader is right, I am indeed homesick, so I can visit my home while I am not busy now.

The veterans who have served beyond the time limit regard this visit as sacred and solemn, because maybe the next time they go home, they will take off their military uniforms and become ordinary people. I was no exception, I prepared Daqianmen cigarettes, Jingzhi wine, candy, tea, etc., and finally I carried 10 pounds of rice and two large bags (resulting in soft tissue damage to my right shoulder, and I am still often sore). Then, first by train and then by car, after more than 20 hours of "rapid march" to the mouth of the village that I had been thinking about. When I stepped off the bus with my bag in my hand, I was excited to see everything I had been familiar with. I didn't tell my family in advance about my visit, because the purpose was to surprise the whole family with a "surprise attack". When the third uncle on the street saw me, he quickly picked up me with his bicycle and helped me carry my things to my home. When I walked into the house and saw my parents in surprise, tears flowed from my eyes. I looked at my parents carefully, they were indeed old, their faces were full of vicissitudes written in the past, and their waists were not as tall as they used to be. Mother said that after you left, the village implemented a land contract responsibility system, and in addition to farming, your father and I made cakes, fried fritters, and did some small business. You see, the house is newly flipped, and life is much better than it used to be. When I saw the tortillas, sweet potatoes and radish pickles that the whole family was eating, my heart was sour, and tears rolled in my eyes. Later, I also heard that my mother had been poisoned and fainted in the field in order to apply pesticides to the crops, but fortunately she was sent to the hospital in time to be rescued.

At night, the villagers in the hospital who sent me away to see me, a real problem was placed in front of me and my parents. That's the question of finding a partner. The three years I said had passed, but I still came back wearing "two pockets", and I felt very guilty and sorry for my parents. The "ambitions" of the early years have long lost their confidence and dignity in the face of the cruel reality. Father said, your brother is also older, if you have a suitable one, you can book it first! I just nodded in agreement. My parents saw that I didn't insist on opposing it anymore, so they went around looking for me a partner.

More than ten days have passed since the half-month vacation, and although my parents have been asking for people everywhere, I have not even seen a shadow of a girl. Parents were anxious. The reasons for this are: first, I came back too suddenly, and my parents, relatives and friends were not prepared; Second, when I was in the army, many people introduced me to people, some of whom had very good families and looks, but they were all rejected by me, and they felt uncomfortable, thinking that I thought I was high, and I didn't know what my surname was after two days of being a soldier. Especially when I saw that I didn't mention it, maybe I would be discharged from the army at the end of the year, and some people gloated a little.

In Lun Town, Xiaosunzhuang's father had a comrade-in-arms, and the two families had been in close contact for many years. When I was in the second middle school, I was very close to it and I went there a lot. When the other relatives left, my father took me to see Xiaosunzhuang's eldest mother. When the eldest lady heard that my object had not yet been settled, she said that there was a girl in their village who graduated from high school, was a private teacher, was 1.67 meters tall, and looked very good, and asked me if I wanted to meet her. When I thought that my parents were so worried about me that they couldn't eat or sleep, I agreed.

Blind dates are very embarrassing. A pair of young men and women, who were very strangers to each other, suddenly came to a separate space to say something insincere and talk about something paradoxical. In addition, this is my first blind date in my life, and I am excited and nervous, and my performance must be average. Because I was going to return to the team in a few days, the woman was still very face-saving, did not completely refuse, and promised to communicate with her.

Because of this episode, the parents finally had some comfort in their hearts. After the holiday, I said goodbye to my hometown and relatives, and reluctantly embarked on the return journey back to the barracks.

With a whistle, the car drove away from the village. I looked back and saw through the dust from the back of the car that the onlookers had dispersed, except for my parents, who were still standing motionless, looking at the car in the distance.

When I arrived in the army, I first politely wrote a letter to my girlfriend, and she soon replied to me. In this way, we exchanged a total of three or four letters, each letter on a piece of paper, all in the language of etiquette, which is probably the most blunt "love letter" in the world.

After returning home, my mood has not been high. When the head of the propaganda unit found out, he talked to me, and I reported to him the reality of the family. After hearing this, his heart was also very heavy, so he said, aren't you still going to be admitted to the military academy this year? From now on, you should pay close attention to revision and work, and wait until you finish the college examination. Hearing what he said, I was so excited that I wanted to kneel on the ground and kowtow to him a few times. You know, this is simply not possible in a regular company. I didn't say anything, just nodded silently. After months of hard fighting, there was finally a harvest. This time, in the pre-examination for the enrollment of the military academy of the whole regiment, I, a junior high school graduate who had only attended high school for three months, came out on top among more than 200 candidates by virtue of self-study. When I wrote to tell "her" the news, I quickly received a reply from her, and the language was much more vivid and touching than in the past, and wished me the title of the gold list. After successfully passing the preliminary examination, the whole division organized a centralized review of the divisional teaching team to meet the unified examination of the whole army.

At this moment, disaster suddenly fell from the sky. There are still a few days left before the military unified examination, and according to the routine, all candidates must have a comprehensive physical examination before the examination. During this physical examination, I was found to have a high jaundice index. The doctor said that he suspected hepatitis, so he forcibly sent me to the infectious disease department of an army hospital in a certain county for further hospitalization. After I completed the comprehensive examination and confirmed that there was no problem, the all-army unified examination was over.

The blow came so suddenly, so violently, that I was caught off guard. I finally couldn't bear it anymore and fell ill, and I didn't eat or drink for a few days, and only relied on infusions to keep me alive. From my hospital bed, I wrote two letters to my family, full of pessimism and misanthropy, and said, "Life is fate, wealth is in heaven!" In the face of the heavens and the earth, people seem too small; Accept your fate! There is nature in the fate, and there is no force in the hit. "Wait.

After receiving my letter at home, my parents were very anxious and sent me three letters in a row to encourage and comfort me. But "she" has never been heard from again. Confucius said, "At the beginning of man, nature is good." But she turned out to be hard-hearted. If it is a person who has nothing to do with you, at a critical moment of life and death, should you sit idly by and ignore it? Even if it's a word of comfort......

Two years later. One day in April 1985, when I went home to visit my family, I learned what had happened: before introducing me, someone else had introduced "her" to a formal primary school teacher in a neighboring village. Therefore, I was short in stature, and when "she" was wandering from side to side, she was introduced to me. "She" had hoped that I would be admitted to a military academy and that I would be able to leave the countryside with the army in the future. I was deprived of the right to take the exam because of a medical examination. When I informed her about my situation, she felt that her hopes were shattered, and the balance in her mind tilted in favor of the formal elementary school teacher. At that time, it was unbelievable for a rural girl to find a regular state worker. For this reason, people immediately decided to tie the knot with the teacher quickly.

After lunch at my mother's house, I walked to the village school. As soon as I entered the school gate, I saw a pair of cute little twin sisters playing. The male and female hostesses in the room were very strange when they saw a PLA suddenly coming, so they beckoned the child and said, "Call the PLA uncle." When "she" recognized me, especially when she saw me wearing a military uniform with "four pockets", an embarrassed smile was worse than crying. At this moment, the interesting man walked away under the pretext of "she" letting me into the house. "She" began to think that I had lied to her by saying that I had not taken the test. At this time, I explained how it was raised later, and "she" was relieved after hearing it. At this time, I compared my heart to my heart, and there was no resentment towards "her", but more understanding and tolerance. But from "her" face, I clearly read "self-blame" and "regret".

Straight to the point. When I was depressed and felt that my future was bleak, the leaders of the Political Department gave me a lot of care and encouragement. At the same time, I was told that the military service system has been reformed, and there will be "volunteers" in the future. That is to say, after serving for 5 years, outstanding soldiers can be turned into "volunteers" to continue to stay in the army, and after 15 years of service, they will be assigned jobs according to their transfer to the locality. This is great news for me. Although "volunteers" are not cadres, they are paid salaries for their salaries, and in particular, they can arrange work in local areas in the future. This is still very attractive to me as a rural child.

F. The last "life-saving straw"

On December 6, 1983, at the summary and commendation meeting for the news reporting work in the military, I was commended for my outstanding work achievements in the past year. On the sidelines of the meeting, Li Baoyu, head of the propaganda unit of an artillery regiment of a certain division, came to me and told me that his regiment was stationed in Pingyuan County, a neighboring county in my hometown, and that since it had just been established and there was a shortage of reporters, if you were willing to go to our regiment, we promised to transfer you to a "volunteer soldier." This was undoubtedly a great temptation for me.

Soon after I returned to the regiment, the party branch of the propaganda unit approved my honorable membership in the Communist Party of China. At the ceremony of joining the party, Liu Rong, political commissar of the Communist Youth League, personally attended and gave me advice, saying that Comrade Liang Guoguo worked actively, studied hard, and achieved outstanding results, but he just loved to keep his hair long, and he hoped that he would pay attention to correcting it in the future. After that, many comrades also expressed their opinions, but they all praised more and criticized less, which made my heart feel warm when I listened to it.

The breeze is warm, the grass and trees are sprouting, and the spring in Qingdao in March is getting stronger.

One day in mid-March 1984, I received a call from the head of the propaganda unit of the artillery regiment, Mr. Li, asking me how I was thinking about it. I hope to give him an answer in the next two days, otherwise he will have to think about others.

I couldn't sleep that night. Do you want to go or stay? I weighed the pros and cons left and right. It is close to the beautiful coastal city of Qingdao, with scattered European-style buildings, the famous Laoshan Mountain, the trestle bridge leading to the depths of the sea, the "beach, the waves, the cactus", and the beautiful girl with a slender body and fair skin......

There are many troops stationed in Qingdao, and in comparison, the navy is more popular than the army. At that time, the popular saying among Qingdao girls was "I'd rather let the navy hug me than let the army lean on". Therefore, even if I mention it, I don't have an advantage in the navy, let alone "volunteers". My hometown is in the relatively remote northwest of Shandong, although with the reform and opening up, there has been great development, but compared with Qingdao, the gap is still relatively large. But no matter how poor and backward I am, it is my hometown and my roots! No matter how beautiful the environment is, no matter how beautiful the girl is, it doesn't belong to me, and it means nothing to me. Finally, I finally made up my mind: go! Go back to your hometown. It's close to home, and my parents are getting older, so I might be able to help.

To my surprise, within a few days, the regiment received an order from the army. It turned out that Chief Li had worked in the military propaganda department and was very familiar with the comrades in the military affairs department, so he had already greeted me and waited for me to make up my mind. At this moment, the head of the propaganda unit felt very sudden, so he talked to me and asked me if I knew about it, and I had to tell the truth. He meant that he didn't want me to go, and said that he had already greeted Director Wang of the Political Department, and he would definitely transfer me to a "volunteer soldier" at the end of the year.

There is no way, the military order is like a mountain. Wang Qingyun and Huang Haoming, two officers of the propaganda unit, were also reluctant to let me go, so they invited me to a meal at their own expense, took a group photo in the photo studio, and gave me a towel quilt. More than 20 years have passed now, and the towel has been torn on the edge, but I am still on my body and reluctant to lose it. In this way, "send my comrades-in-arms, embark on the journey, silently tearful, and the camel bell rings in my ears......"

Soon after he was transferred to the artillery regiment, the army came to inform him that the General Political Cadre Department had given the Jinan Military Region 40 places, and that outstanding reporters should be selected through examinations to enter the school for further study and be promoted to cadres after graduation. This is undoubtedly great news for me. After investigation and understanding, the relevant departments of the regiment believed that I fully met the conditions. I thought to myself, this is the last chance God has ever given me. So, I grabbed a life-saving straw and desperately studied for the exam. Unexpectedly, just a few days before the exam, the military cadre department suddenly notified that after reviewing Liang's fatherland's file, his age had been changed and his examination qualification would be cancelled. It was another bolt from the blue, and my head was about to explode. Here's what happened: When I was transferred from the Military Training Brigade, Officer Liu, who was from the Political Office in Northeast China, had a good relationship with me and knew that I was going to apply for the military academy in the future. When he was helping me organize my file, he said, "It's a pity that you didn't take the exam this year." In order to prevent me from being over my age when I took the exam again, he took the initiative to change the "1961" on the political examination form in the file to "1962".

I really didn't expect this small stroke to lay a curse for me. In our rural areas, the lunar calendar is generally recorded, and the people in the city remember the solar calendar. My file records that I was born on a certain day in December 1961, which is actually a certain day in January 1962 in the solar calendar. At this critical moment, I carefully read the examination conditions stipulated in the last military notice: it is required to be born after January 1961. That is, I am fully eligible if I do not change my age. Besides, the age was changed for me a few years ago, not for this exam.

With these relatively good reasons, Chief Li Baoyu argued on behalf of the organization. He reported to the army that Xiao Liang's age would be eligible if he did not change it, and there was no need to change it at all. Besides, the archives are kept by the organization, and if they are changed, it is also the responsibility of the organization. After much negotiation, the military finally agreed to take the test the day before the exam.

There are many good things, and I finally passed another level. The examination venue was set at the No. 2 Institute of the Jinan Military Region. On the night of the next day's exam, because I was carrying too much baggage, I felt that maybe this was the only chance to change my status and destiny, and the more I thought about it, the more I couldn't sleep, and I actually lost sleep. After waking up in the morning, after breakfast, before entering the examination room, I went to the bathroom and washed my hair vigorously with cold water, so that my head was clear and clear. The day of the exam was basically spent in a daze. Teng Yongli, who was at the same table as me for the exam, collapsed and was carried out, and only came back after 15 minutes to continue the exam. Needless to say, he must also be from the countryside, otherwise he would not have taken this opportunity so seriously. After the exam, I inquired, and sure enough, we are still a fellow villager in a region, and he is from Xiajin County.

After the exam, I returned to the unit in despair. I feel that there will be no chance to change my fate in this life and this life, and I will work hard in the future to prepare to become a "volunteer soldier" at the end of the year.

I didn't expect pies to fall from the sky. More than 20 days later, I actually got the admission letter of the Jinan Lu School News Team, and I did well in the exam, ranking 30th in terms of scores. On that day, I suddenly felt that the sky was so blue, the water was so clear, the road was so wide, and I was dizzy and there was a light in front of me. Abnormal excitability. I pinched my thigh with my hand and it hurt a lot, indicating that I wasn't dreaming.

When my mood stabilized a bit, I took a leave of absence and went home with great joy. When I told my parents the good news, the old man's face immediately beamed with joy. But I didn't publicize it to the outside world in my hometown, because I still had a dull pain - that is, my body had a high jaundice index. I was very afraid that Zhang Yang would go out, and if he was returned to the school due to physical problems, he would "have no shame to see Jiangdong's father" in the future.

After telling my parents the good news, I happily took out the things I had bought for my grandmother, saying that I was going to see her. As the eldest son and eldest grandson of this big family, I was taken care of by my grandmother, and my grandmother was very concerned about my growth and progress. I thought that I should tell "her" the good news as soon as possible. At this time, I suddenly saw my parents stunned, and tears quickly welled up in their eyes. It turned out that the grandmother, who had worked hard all her life for her children, had not enjoyed any blessings, and died of illness on the fifth day of the first lunar month in 1984 at the age of 75. When I heard the news, I fell to the ground and cried. I cried and said, why didn't you tell me?

Afterwards, I was told that my third uncle was going to send me a telegram asking me to come back, but my father stopped me. The father said that the child was so far away from home, and because he was not allowed to take the entrance examination last year, his mood has been very low. Let him come back is just one more crying, there are so many people in our family, don't tell him, since ancient times, "loyalty and filial piety are difficult to achieve"! After listening to his father's words, the third uncle thought about it too, so he gave up the idea of sending me a telegram.

That night, I went to my grandmother's grave and cried. According to the customs of my hometown, I burned a lot of "paper money" for "her" old man, and silently thought in my heart, dear grandmother, rest in peace, my grandson must work hard, in order to comfort your soul in heaven. After staying at home for a few days, I went back to the unit and took the letter of introduction to the 139th Army Hospital of the Texas Army. During my hospitalization, the doctor conducted a comprehensive examination of my body, and everything else was normal, but the cause of the high jaundice index was still not found. In order to thoroughly investigate the cause and relieve my worries, I took a letter of introduction from the 139 Hospital and was admitted to the General Hospital of the Jinan Military Region. After consultation with several experts at the General Hospital, the cause could not be found. Later, at my urging, the doctor performed a risky "liver puncture" operation for me.

At that time, I didn't take this operation seriously, and the doctor's instructions were also taken as a deaf ear, and on the second day of the operation, I got out of bed and moved, and was caught by Dr. Fan Ping, who operated on me. She harshly criticized me and said, "Your wound has not healed yet, your liver is hematopoietic, and it is too late to rescue you once you have a heavy hemorrhage." Dr. Fan's words scared me into a cold sweat. After that, I lay honestly in bed for 7 days. After the results of "liver puncture" came out, many experts in the hospital unanimously diagnosed physiological jaundice.

With this authoritative conclusion, I finally felt at ease. If I check my body after entering the school and find that the jaundice index is high, I don't have to be afraid.

After such a toss, not long after I was discharged from the hospital, I entered the Jinan Army School News Team with infinite longing for a better future. That day was June 6, 1984.

The 41 (and later 1) students were both familiar and unfamiliar to everyone. I say familiar because everyone's name is often seen in the newspaper, and sometimes the names are still close together; I say that I am strange because we are distributed in various units of the military region, and we have never even met each other except for our own units. After entering the school, everyone smiled and congratulated each other, because this opportunity will change the life of each of us.

After the 3rd day of enrollment, the school organized a physical examination for us. Although I have the "trump card" in my hand, I am still nervous and afraid that something will go wrong. After more than 10 days of waiting, the outpatient department of the school did not look for me at all, but several other students were found for a review. I knew that today, why did I have a knife in my own liver in the first place?

At the Lu School, I met Sun Honghai and Qian Xiushan, fellow villagers of Qihe County, who were originally soldiers together and were admitted to the military academy in the first year. They were about to graduate, and when they heard that I was coming to school, they all came to congratulate me. Looking at the white faces of these two fellows, I thought to myself, you have lived a comfortable life in a quiet and warm classroom surrounded by green trees, sitting in a quiet and warm classroom. But where am I? In these 4 years, I have experienced ups and downs, and I have worked hard for 4 years before I finally caught the last "last train". The only consolation is that they went to military school four years earlier than me, but Tigan only half a year before us. Because we are a short-term 6-month express pick-up class.

After the 7th day of entering the school, we began our intense study life. In addition to the relevant news knowledge, the curriculum also includes philosophy, political economy, Marxist-Leninist theory, political education, and cohort training. Those of us who are used to "sparsely" in the unit are okay with indoor subjects, and what we hate the most is queue training. Sometimes I stand in the playground for half a day, and I am tired and have back pain and leg cramps.

One morning, the team organized us to conduct a queue training, and we didn't listen to the greetings and became a plate of loose sand on the playground. At this time, it attracted the attention of a burly man with a very strict military appearance, and I saw him walk up to the district captain who led the team and whisper a little, and then gave a loud and powerful order: Assemble! Attention! At ease. We, the "sparse soldiers", had never seen this kind of formation, so we had to obediently obey the command. I just heard him say, and I will introduce myself now: "I am Cao Zhijun, a cohort teacher in our school. Hearing this name, everyone was in awe, it turned out that he was the famous "queue Cao" in the military region. Whether he usually attends classes, the stride he walks, as well as his clothing and arm swing, are the embodiment of the order. Many units of the military region invite him to be the chief instructor every time they hold a military parade on the "1 August" Festival. The reportage written by the reporter of the People's Liberation Army Daily, Rao Hongqiao, entitled "Cao's Steps," was written by him, which caused a sensation in the military. Then, I heard him go on to say, I have long heard that the school has recruited a group of "Xiucai", no matter how good you can write, but you are first and foremost soldiers; If you are a soldier, you have to talk about military appearance, military posture, and military discipline, and you can't be confused with ordinary people. Originally, the school arranged for me to give you a queue class next week, but I can't stand it today! Even if it's my first lesson today, listen to my commands......

Walking in unison, running, and walking; Turn right, left, backward. Our gang of "sparse soldiers" were well "cleaned up" that morning. Since then, we have been much more serious about cohort training. Because Instructor Cao left and said, even if you score 100 points in other subjects, you will not be able to complete the cohort class if you fail the class. Our opportunities are not easy to come by, and we are afraid that our future will be affected by small losses.

In the tense and orderly campus life, we ushered in the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were many grand military parades, but it was the first time that I sat in a quiet conference room and enjoyed live television, and I was particularly excited. On the majestic Tiananmen Square, there are crowds of people, colorful flags fluttering, and there is a sea of joy everywhere.

In the high-pitched and powerful music of "Military Song", the masculine male soldiers, the sassy and heroic female soldiers, the neat steps, and the mighty momentum, like a sea of mountains and seas, are walking through Tiananmen Square in turn......

At this exciting time, I naively thought that when I would be able to work in Beijing. Because it is the capital, the heart of the country, and the place that people of all ethnic groups in the country yearn for.

After half a year of hard training and serious study, all 41 of our cadets have completed various scientific fields with excellent results, and have successfully graduated and gone to various posts in the military region.

Time flies, flowers bloom and fall. It's been more than 30 years since we graduated. Most of the classmates who used to get along with each other day and night have left the army.