Chapter 5 Chapter Four

Gu Guosong and other air force volunteers returning from overseas arrived in Chongqing, and were welcomed by important figures such as Song Meiling and Zhou Zhirou at the airport.After the interview, they took a big truck to the air force base.The short allocation process was over soon, and Gu Guosong found his own room, which was An Fuyao's dormitory, according to the note in his hand.There was no one in the room at the moment, and there were three beds, two by the window and the other near the door.One of the beds by the window belonged to An Fuyao, and the sheets and bedding were neatly arranged.

Gu Guosong chose another bed by the window, which used to be Lao Luo's position.He unpacked his luggage and laid out the bedding very neatly, then he saw a photo in a small frame on the table, it was An Fuyao in flight suit with a proud expression on his face.Gu Guosong took a look, picked up a pen, and mischievously drew a Japanese-style mustache on An Fuyao in the photo. At this time, a person who came with him called him at the door: Guosong, come and help me, my bed is full of bedbugs! When Gu Guosong heard this, he ran out quickly, even a little excited: Where are you?Where?I've never seen a bedbug before!

As he spoke, he followed the man into another room.There are already many people here, and everyone is rushing to offer ideas: —— Use 666 powder! ——Find a pot of boiling water, pour the bed once, and it will be scalded to death. ——It’s better to change the room altogether... During the commotion, Gu Guosong seemed to hear some noise coming from his own room, he hurried back to have a look, suddenly a little angry.The quilt he just laid was thrown on the ground, and the mouthwash cup and toothbrush that were originally on the table were also thrown on the ground.And An Fuyao sat on his bed, looking at him nonchalantly.

Gu Guosong stared at him and asked: You threw my things on the ground? ! An Fuyao asked him back: Are you my mechanic? Gu Guosong also did not answer, insisting on repeating the question: Why did you throw my things on the ground? !Please answer! An Fuyao looked at him: because you can't sleep on that bed. Gu Guosong angrily: Why? An Fuyao became arrogant: Do nothing!You just can't sleep there!Do you understand? Gu Guosong shouted without showing any weakness: I want to sleep here! After finishing speaking, Gu Guosong picked up his bedding from the ground and re-made it on the bed.Then he sat on the bed and looked at An Fuyao, his eyes were full of longing for the conflict that was about to start.An Fuyao just stared at him coldly.Gu Guosong's gaze did not avoid it either.After a moment of stalemate, An Fuyao finally relaxed first, and only then did he see a mustache painted on his photo.

He looked up at Gu Guosong: What did you do? Gu Guosong dared to do it and said boldly: It's me. An Fuyao wiped off the mustache on the frame with his hands, put it on the table again, got up and went out. Seeing him go out, Gu Guosong quickly breathed a sigh of relief, and muttered to himself: Bad luck! The sky was as gloomy as ever. On the antiaircraft artillery positions on the outskirts of Chongqing, a rapid whistle suddenly sounded.At the sound of the whistle, the soldiers ran out of the barracks tens of meters away from the artillery positions, and rushed to the antiaircraft artillery positions on the hillside.Many people put on their clothes and helmets almost as they ran.The soldiers ran to the front of the position, but saw an officer standing there with a chronograph in his hand.

The officer shouted sternly: Don't stop!Get into position! The soldiers entered their artillery positions one after another.Du Zhiguo was the last one to appear on the battlefield panting, with only one sleeve of his clothes on and his helmet still in his hand, looking loose.His presence elicited a burst of laughter from the other soldiers.He had no choice but to pretend he didn't hear, and entered the gun embarrassment. Zhang Xudong reproached in a low voice: What did you do? Du Zhiguo put on his clothes and helmet, but did not speak. The officer looked at the chronograph and shouted: Assemble!

Soldiers descended from their emplacements and lined up before him. The officer looked at the soldiers in front of him and reprimanded him: Look at you, how do you look like a soldier?procrastinating.Wearing the military uniform is for you to fight and defend the city with these flak guns!I think you look like a group of laughing and laughing women who came out to rush to the scene!Now go back to the barracks, and when you hear the whistle again, you must act quickly!Disband! Thus began the officers' repeated training and torture of the soldiers.Amidst the sharp whistle, the soldiers ran out of the barracks again and again, and rushed to their respective artillery positions. They were reprimanded by the officer more and more angrily again and again, and the soldiers became more and more tired and slower each time.But Du Zhiguo always fell to the bottom again and again, and was slapped more and more viciously by the officers.

When the urgent whistle sounded again, the soldiers rushed out of the barracks cursing, but Du Zhiguo was still lying motionless on the bed.There were red finger marks on his tired and sweaty face.On the other side of the antiaircraft artillery position, there were officers' scolding and soldiers' reports that they were in place.Du Zhiguo was tired and disgusted, so he simply closed his eyes. Not long after, a foot in a leather boot kicked him hard, and Du Zhiguo jumped up from the bed with an "ouch" in pain. He saw the officer standing in front of him fiercely, and before he had time to react, he He was pulled by the ears and dragged outside.

The soldiers returning from the position one after another stopped and stood on the playground outside the barracks, watching Du Zhiguo being pulled to the center of the playground.The officer let go of Du Zhiguo's ears and glanced back.A junior officer standing among the soldiers hastily shouted the order to assemble.The soldiers lined up and stood up. Although they were exhausted, they all braced themselves, not knowing what would happen next.The officer turned to Du Zhiguo again, and slapped him hard.Du Zhiguo suffered this sudden blow and fell to the ground.The officer followed up and kicked him in the stomach, shouting: Stand up!

Du Zhiguo stood up crookedly. The officer asked: What's your name? Du Zhiguo replied in a low voice: Du Zhiguo. The officer slapped him again: Louder! Du Zhiguo: Report to the company commander, Du Zhiguo! The officer looked angrily at the soldiers lined up: As a soldier, he dared to disobey orders, he must be severely punished!And let you all see what happens to those who disobey orders. He went to the front of the queue and randomly ordered four soldiers: you, you, you, and you.out! Zhang Xudong was also targeted, and he went out with three other soldiers. The officer glanced at the terrified Du Zhiguo, sneered, and said to Zhang Xudong and others: Take off his clothes.

The four looked at each other in a daze.The officer glanced at them majestically, before Zhang Xudong and the others walked over, hurriedly took off Du Zhiguo's military uniform, leaving only a pair of underpants.After Zhang Xudong and the others returned to the queue, the officer began to pace slowly between the queue and Du Zhiguo, and lit a cigarette as if nothing had happened. In the cold wind, Du Zhiguo soon shivered.The soldiers stood silently one by one, without making a sound, but their eyes were full of sympathy.Du Zhiguo's lips had turned blue, and he couldn't control himself anymore, he was shaking and crying.The officer continued pacing up and down, still impassively. Zhang Xudong couldn't stand it anymore, and shouted in the queue: Report! The officer stopped and looked at him. Zhang Xudong said loudly: Report to the company commander, Du Zhiguo is a recruit, please forgive him this time! The officer smiled and said to him: Get out! Zhang Xudong took a step forward and straightened his chest.The officer came up to him to look at him and slapped him suddenly.Zhang Xudong didn't blink, and stood upright. Du Lanxiang, who works at the Airport Soldiers Club, received a message from his father and hurried back to Heishizi's home, only to find out that his father wanted to meet a man introduced by the matchmaker.Du Shichao was in a hurry to marry his daughter, thinking that if his daughter agreed, the marriage would come to fruition.Unexpectedly, Du Lanxiang, who was full of spicy taste, threw the man out with a few sentences, even the matchmaker who came to propose marriage together.Du Shichao was so angry that his seven orifices were filled with smoke, but there was nothing he could do about it——his daughter was well-known in this village for her pungentness and stubbornness.During dinner, Du Shichao, who was still angry, didn't say a word, and the three of them muffled.After cleaning up the dishes, Du Lanxiang said she wanted to leave, but her sister-in-law Xie Chengxia persuaded her left and right, and finally let her stay. At night, the two slept together in Du Zhiguo and Xie Chengxia's new house, and quietly set up a Longmen array with the light of the kerosene lamp.Xie Chengxia asked Du Lanxiang if he had already taken a fancy to someone, but Du Lanxiang denied it, but said that the battle was not over, and it was useless to rush to start a family. Xie Chengxia thought for a while, and then said: Lan Xiang, in fact, I also want to persuade you.We are country people, you can't spend your whole life in that airfield of the Air Force, can you?Are you going to have a family? Du Lanxiang: The Japanese planes came to bomb us one after another. We might be killed one day. What's the use of worrying about getting married? Xie Chengxia hurriedly said: Don't talk nonsense!to be punished. Du Lanxiang smiled: I don't believe this! Xie Chengxia sighed: In the final analysis, my father and I are most worried that you will find someone to serve as a soldier outside, so maybe one day... Du Lanxiang: Isn't my brother a soldier? Xie Chengxia smiled bitterly: That's why I know I can't marry a soldier! Du Lanxiang laughed: Do you regret it?Before you got married, I said, since my elder brother is going to be a soldier, I shouldn't rush to marry you. Isn't this hurting you?Sister-in-law, tell the truth, do you miss my brother? Xie Chengxia smiled shyly and blew out the lights: Don't talk nonsense, go to sleep. After a while, Xie Chengxia fell asleep.But Du Lanxiang tossed and turned on the bed, unable to fall asleep. The honest and slightly dull face of the man who came to propose marriage was entangled with the figure of the Air Force pilot in the base, and kept shaking in front of her eyes.After several hours of this, Du Lanxiang fell asleep in a daze. There was a light knock on the door.Du Lanxiang woke up first, sat up, and pushed Xie Chengxia beside her.Xie Chengxia also heard it, looked at Du Lanxiang, and then asked boldly: "Which one?" Du Zhiguo's voice came from outside: It's me, open the door quickly! Seeing Xie Chengxia getting up in a hurry with both surprise and joy, Du Lanxiang put on her clothes with a smile and said: I have to sleep in another place. As soon as Xie Chengxia opened the door, Du Zhiguo stepped in, hugged her, and said tremblingly, "I'm freezing to death!" Xie Chengxia asked: Why did you run back in the middle of the night? Du Zhiguo said angrily: I will never go again! Xie Chengxia broke free from his arms and looked at him in surprise: Have you deserted? Because of the humiliation he suffered during the day, Du Zhiguo ran home in the dark at night.But his wife's question made him feel ashamed.He was silent for a while, and then said angrily: "Go and make me something to eat!" Xie Chengxia stood still and asked: Are you deserting? Du Zhiguo: So what? ! Du Lanxiang, who had been standing behind them, finally couldn't help but blame: Brother, do you still look like a man? ! Only then did Du Zhiguo discover Du Lanxiang, and said angrily: You know what a fart!Go and try to be a soldier! Du Lanxiang said angrily: I have seen too many soldiers. I saw them get into the plane one after another and go to the sky to fight the Japanese. Many of them never came back.But I've never seen anyone who became a deserter like you! Du Zhiguo was stunned by the scolding, he looked at Xie Chengxia: You don't want me to come back, do you?Then I'll go! After speaking, Du Zhiguo turned around and walked out.Xie Chengxia looked at Du Lanxiang at a loss, then ran over and hugged Du Zhiguo: Zhiguo, don't be like this, just talk if you have something to say. Du Zhiguo stopped and looked at Du Lanxiang angrily.Without saying a word, Du Lanxiang turned around and went out the door, slamming the door hard. The next morning, Du Lanxiang left without even Du Shichao knowing.When Du Shichao was eating in the morning, he found out that his son had gone home on an errand. He was both happy and worried.On the contrary, Xie Chengxia kept persuading her husband to go back, but Du Zhiguo swore that he would not return to the army again. At noon, the sky began to drizzle, covering the black stones in a gray mist.Zhang Xudong and several soldiers were ordered to come to Du Zhi's country and prepare to take him back to the barracks.Zhang Xudong asked the two soldiers who came with him to wait outside, and he persuaded Du Zhiguo in the main room.Du Zhiguo, who had already taken off his military uniform, squatted on the ground with his head in his arms, looking exactly like a farmer.Xie Chengxia and Du Shichao stood beside Du Zhiguo in a panic. Zhang Xudong: Du Zhiguo, don't embarrass us anymore, go back with us. Du Zhiguo squatted on the ground and shook his head vigorously: I don't want to be a soldier anymore. Du Shichao looked at the rifle in Zhang Xudong's hand, and asked tentatively: "Brother, running the country is really too much for me. Can I just let him go home and farm?" Zhang Xudong: Soldiers who deserted, were caught on the battlefield and would be shot. Du Zhiguo: I won't go back if I'm shot! Zhang Xudong was patient: Du Zhiguo, you go back with us now, and the confinement will be over after two days at most.Why ask for trouble? Xie Chengxia also advised her husband: I think it is better to go back to govern the country.Lan Xiang also advises you to be a soldier. Du Zhiguo glared at his wife: Shut up! Zhang Xudong saw that Du Zhiguo was going to play tricks to the end, so he said, "Du Zhiguo, the company commander asked us to come here last night, but I wanted you to reunite with your sister-in-law, so I resisted."I didn't expect you to be too mean!In this case, we have no choice but to be blunt! After speaking, he waved impatiently to the soldiers outside.Two soldiers with rifles on their backs came in, tied up Du Zhiguo, who was struggling and shouting, with a rope, and dragged him out of the yard. Du Shichao didn't dare to stop him.Xie Chengxia hurriedly took out Du Zhiguo's military uniform, chased after it and handed it to Zhang Xudong. Zhang Xudong: Sister-in-law, don't worry, nothing will happen. Xie Chengxia: Brother, you won’t be shot when you go back to govern the country, right? Zhang Xudong smiled and said comfortingly: That's not going to happen. As soon as he returned to the artillery position, Du Zhiguo was locked up.Zhang Xudong was also thrown into the confinement room and locked up with Du Zhiguo because he did not immediately carry out the order to take Du Zhiguo back to the camp that night.Du Zhiguo originally wanted to make amends to Zhang Xudong, but seeing Zhang Xudong's terrifying expression, he didn't dare to say anything. After dinner, Gu Guosong returned to his and An Fuyao's dormitory hungry.The food served in the cafeteria was really difficult for Gu Guosong who had just arrived.The dark rice was mixed with pieces of sweet potato, which made Gu Guosong lose his appetite just by looking at it.As soon as he returned to the room, Gu Guosong searched around in his luggage, but in the end he only found a few biscuits brought from abroad. He had already eaten up all the cans brought from abroad a few days ago. There was already a row of eaten cans on the windowsill.Although helpless, Gu Guosong had no choice but to lean on the bed, eat biscuits, and look out the window lazily. Half a biscuit fell on the ground, Gu Guosong hurriedly got out of bed to pick it up.When he bent down, he accidentally found a rough ammunition box under his bed. Gu Guosong dragged the box out curiously.It was a small box containing a pair of worn-out boxing gloves. He picked up the gloves, revealing a few military cans underneath.This made Gu Guosong happy. He moved all the cans to the table, quickly opened one with a knife, and began to eat.This unexpected discovery made him sing while eating to his heart's content. An Fuyao came back, holding Gu Guosong's unfinished meal in his hand, and said: I brought your meal back. Gu Guosong shook the can in his hand triumphantly: No more! An Fuyao asked: "Where did you get it... Before he finished speaking, he found the opened wooden box under Gu Guosong's feet."An Fuyao's face suddenly changed, and he threw the job bowl in his hand at Gu Guosong.Gu Guosong dodged in a hurry, and his rice bowl fell on the head of the bed.Before the astonished Gu Guosong could react, An Fuyao had already rushed forward and pinned him on the bed, with his hands stuck around his neck.Gu Guosong looked puzzled and struggled desperately. An Fuyao pinched his neck, shook him vigorously, and cursed: You damn young master!I strangle you to death! Gu Guosong finally broke free from An Fuyao's body, jumped aside, and hurriedly argued with a confused face: I didn't know it was yours!really do not know!I pay, I pay... An Fuyao also calmed down a little at this time, he took a hard look at Gu Guosong, then took out a letter from under his pillow and threw it on the table: If you are so greedy, Just eat this too! Gu Guosong took the letter over and took a look, it was the suicide note that Lao Luo handed over to An Fuyao.An Fuyao didn't speak, but just stared at him.After Gu Guosong finished reading it, he realized where An Fuyao's anger came from, but he didn't know what to say, so he silently moved the wooden box on the ground to the table, and put the remaining cans and boxing gloves back went back. An Fuyao suddenly sighed sadly: that was the only thing he left behind. Gu Guosong looked at him, and finally said "I'm sorry" softly. An Fuyao left alone without saying a word. In the military club of the air force base, the middle-aged pianist is still sitting there playing.Although it was a peaceful night, not many people came here, so the pianist also looked lazy.Gu Hongyuan didn't know that Gu Guosong had arrived in Chongqing until he received his son's message, so he rushed here to meet his son.Immediately after meeting, a conflict broke out between the two, because Gu Guosong secretly left Manila without telling his mother the truth. Du Lanxiang carried two glasses of wine on a tray from the counter, walked past several soldiers who were drinking heavily, and came to the table of Gu Guosong and Gu Hongyuan, and put the wine in front of them.Gu Hongyuan gave her some banknotes, and Du Lanxiang looked at Gu Guosong casually, put away the banknotes, and left them.Gu Guosong's tense expression suddenly softened a lot, and his eyes followed Du Lanxiang back to the counter. Gu Hongyuan took a sip from the wine glass, and continued the topic just now: ... So, your mother doesn't even know that you have arrived in Chongqing? Gu Guosong said a little bluntly: If I let her know, I won't be able to go anywhere! Gu Hongyuan stopped talking, and the atmosphere was a little tense. At this time, An Fuyao came in alone, and he still sat down in the old position.And this location is actually next to Gu Hongyuan and his son.Gu Guosong and An Fuyao ignored each other, as if they didn't know each other. When Du Lanxiang saw An Fuyao coming in, he brought two glasses of beer without asking, one was still placed in front of him, and the other was placed opposite him.Then, she pulled the chair out from under the table that no one would sit on and put it away. An Fuyao said in a low voice: Thank you. Gu Hongyuan and his son looked at An Fuyao who was drinking silently, wondering why he was drinking like this, exchanged eyes with some curiosity, and said nothing. Gu Hongyuan finally broke the silence and brought the topic back to family affairs: Then how are you going to explain it to your mother? Gu Guosong: I don't know.Maybe you can write her a letter for me? Gu Hongyuan resolutely refused: This is your own business.From my point of view, I also object to your coming here. Gu Guosong: Why? Gu Hongyuan: Because a war is happening here, it is full of dangers!And your mom needs someone to stay with her, too. Gu Guosong asked back with sarcasm: Then why did you leave Manila? Gu Hongyuan restrained himself: I am a reporter from The Times, and I was sent here by my boss.And you could have stayed at home! Gu Guosong: I can't stand her nagging all day long! Gu Hongyuan scolded him angrily: Don't talk about your mother in such a tone! Gu Guosong also raised his voice: Well, let me tell you what I saw, maybe you will never imagine it... Gu Hongyuan: What did you say? ! Gu Guosong bit his lip hard, holding back the words that just came to his lips. Gu Hongyuan looked at his son puzzled: What exactly are you trying to say? ! After a while, Gu Guosong said: If you insist on me writing to her, I will write right away!I'll tell her I've become a soldier!Has entered the Chinese battlefield against Japanese aggression!I am willing to sacrifice my life in this great war!Are you satisfied? ! Gu Hongyuan gave him an annoyed look: Are you trying to piss her off? !You... Forget it!It's useless to say anything now!Or let me tell her. After finishing speaking, Gu Hongyuan drank up the wine in the glass, and left angrily without saying hello.Gu Guosong didn't care about his father's resentful departure. He also drank his own wine, walked to the piano, and took over the job of the pianist to play. An Fuyao heard the content of the conversation between Gu's father and son just now, and he has a little bit of affection for Gu Guosong.He came to Gu Guosong with a wine glass, patted him on the shoulder reconcilingly, and said without thinking: Good job! Gu Guosong turned his head and saw that it was An Fuyao, so he suddenly stopped playing, stood up coldly and walked outside, leaving An Fuyao there in embarrassment. Air-raid sirens rang through the antiaircraft artillery positions in the suburbs.Along with the sound of the siren, the officer's whistle sounded quickly, and the soldiers ran out of the barracks, and rushed towards the artillery positions on the hillside in the light rain.The playground outside the barracks was suddenly empty. No one thought of Zhang Xudong and Du Zhiguo who were still in the confinement room. In the confinement room, Zhang Xudong knocked on the door impatiently and shouted loudly: Let us out!Come on, let us out! Du Zhiguo sat on the ground numbly, watching Zhang Xudong slapping and shouting without moving, as if it had nothing to do with him. Zhang Xudong looked back at him, and asked very puzzled: Why don't you move?Get up and shout! Du Zhiguo just blinked his empty eyes. After a while, the roar of Japanese bombers in the sky overwhelmed the sound of sirens.Zhang Xudong looked out of the window, but he couldn't see the plane, he could only hear the roar of bombs falling and the sound of explosions in the distance.Immediately afterwards, intensive artillery sounded from the antiaircraft artillery position.Zhang Xudong was so anxious that he kicked the door hard, but he couldn't open it.In desperation, he grabbed a bench in the room and swung it round towards the window.The glass windows shattered sporadically. Zhang Xudong happily jumped onto the window sill, and turned to greet Du Zhiguo: Hurry up!Go to battle!After finishing speaking, he jumped off the window sill without looking back, rushed all the way up the hillside, and quickly entered his gun position. Near the artillery positions, bombs fell from time to time. Amidst the huge explosions, the soldiers were completely unmoved and bravely fired into the sky.Zhang Xudong, who came out of the confinement room, didn't even wear a helmet on his head, and he was extremely brave.After running past him, the officer commanding on the ground suddenly remembered that Zhang Xudong should be in the confinement room, so he turned around and came to him.While skillfully operating the cannon on the emplacement, Zhang Xudong made a face at the officer and shouted: "Company commander!"I'll go back to the confinement room after the battle is over! The officer smiled for the first time rarely, and patted him on the shoulder: Good job! The sky was drizzly and the clouds were low.The anti-aircraft shells exploded above the clouds, and the gunners couldn't see the enemy plane at all, only the roar of the plane mixed with the roar of the anti-aircraft guns.It was an encounter in which neither side met.It was also because of the bad weather that it was difficult for Japanese bombers to find targets in the air and drop bombs accurately, and the bombs dropped were quite sparse and scattered.After a hasty round of bombing, the Japanese plane returned. Everything calmed down again, and the soldiers withdrew from the anti-aircraft artillery positions and walked back to the barracks, cursing.Zhang Xudong, who was covered in gunpowder smoke and rain, didn't see Du Zhiguo among the soldiers, and became a little uneasy, so he stopped two soldiers around him and asked, "Did you see Du Zhiguo?" The soldiers all said they hadn't seen it. Zhang Xudong even became a little nervous, and asked, "Is he injured?" A soldier said: Where is anyone injured today? Another said: No one saw him go to battle! Zhang Xudong hurried to the confinement room at the end of the barracks.Through the window, one could see Du Zhiguo still holding his head in fright, crouching in the corner.Zhang Xudong was furious at Du Zhiguo's bear, and he could no longer conceal his disgust and contempt for this useless guy. He kicked open the door and cursed: What the hell are you doing alive like this? ! Hearing the scolding, Du Zhiguo slowly raised his head, his thin face turned pale with fear.