Chapter 3 Now

The girls in Xiaolian are under the unified management of the People's Liberation Army who has entered the city. Male soldiers or female soldiers hold meetings for them to publicize policies and talk about the greatness of the new regime. Yu Shouye can be said to have witnessed this incident. Lucheng had just been liberated, and the students had not yet resumed classes. The liberation army had entered the city, and there were beams of joy everywhere. Red flags and slogans filled the streets and alleys of the entire city.The people fleeing the war came back like a swarm. The People’s Liberation Army who entered the city had many things to do. They established a new government and resumed the production of industrial and mining enterprises.The people who watched the excitement, with their arms folded, saw the changing Xinlu City day by day, their faces were full of joy and anticipation.

The jubilant scene in Lucheng was only a small microcosm of the whole country in the early days of liberation.When the People's Liberation Army led the girls into the school, Yu Shouye's heart trembled, and he subconsciously groped for his waist, which was where he usually hung his gun. When he touched it, it was empty.When he came back to his senses, he saw himself wearing a long gown, and realized that he was no longer a lieutenant of the national army, but now a teacher of this school. Yu Shouye helped the mirror on his eyes, and saw himself in front of a glass window. His hair was a little messy, his eye circles were a little dark, and his old gown made it difficult for him to find the figure of the former lieutenant.Even so, when he saw the People's Liberation Army in front of him, his heart still shrank. This was the enemy on the battlefield in the past.Although he has not fought against the People's Liberation Army on the battlefield, the People's Liberation Army is opposed to the National Army after all. When the Kuomintang and the Communist Party cooperated for the second time, the People's Liberation Army in front of him was called the Eighth Route Army. .Even after joining the army, he never really fought a war. He first worked as a clerk in the division headquarters for a period of time, and then went to the military academy to study. When he graduated and was assigned to the secret service department, the Japanese had already surrendered. The People's Liberation Army in front of me.After the civil war broke out, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party finally broke completely, and the battlefield was the enemy of life and death.

This time, it was the first time for him to observe the troops of the People's Liberation Army at close range. This is indeed a well-disciplined army. Listening.When a female cadre was teaching those girls, many girls heard it and cried. Most of these girls came from hard backgrounds, and they engaged in this kind of livelihood by accident, with smiles on their faces and bitterness in their hearts.When it comes to suffering and bitterness, the girls are easily moved.Someone came to the stage and talked about his experience, which immediately brought back everyone's memories.The past is unbearable, the experiences of the girls are very similar, the misfortune that others talk about is their own misfortune, the speaker and the listener resonate for a moment, they all hug their heads and cry bitterly.With this cry, the layer of resistance that had wrapped around them disappeared instantly, and they finally reflected that they were still human beings, and should have the dignity that women should have, but the sluggish livelihood made them forget their dignity as human beings.How can we talk about dignity in the old days, luck or misfortune, pain or no pain, you have to put a smile on your face, not only sell your smile, but also sell your body to please men.That is their livelihood and the goal of their struggle. They usually wear gold and silver to whitewash themselves, just to make men smile.

At this time, with the help and education of the staff of the People's Liberation Army and the new government, they regained their confidence as normal women. They poured out their bitterness with snot and tears, and then poured out They took off their jewelry and put on ordinary women's clothes, and they looked like good women again. When Yu Shouye saw Xiaolian holding the changed red cheongsam, two tears rolled down the corners of his eyes.During this period of time, Yu Shouye has been focusing on Xiao Lian. When others came to the stage to speak and complain, Xiao Lian listened quietly all the time, but never came to the stage.When others cry, she still looks calm.Only when she changed the cheongsam, she shed tears.He also saw that Xiaolian carefully took off those jewelry and wrapped them in a handkerchief.Then, she raised her head and looked far away, her eyes were empty.

Before this, Yu Shouye and Xiao Lian had the opportunity to meet alone.After these girls came to the school, they lived and boarded in the school.Some teachers who have nothing to do are mobilized by the government staff to do some logistics work, give the girls a few cultural lessons, or buy vegetables, and do odd jobs in the back kitchen. Once when cooking, Xiaolian raised her eyes. Before that, Xiaolian kept her head down, not looking at others, but only at her own toes.Most of the girls are like this, they listen to other people's words, but don't look at other people's faces, their eyes only stay on the parts below the waist of the other person.That is caused by their inferiority complex.

To be precise, her eyes followed his hand holding the spoon and climbed to his face.She froze for a moment, with a look of surprise, her lips moved, but she didn't make any sound.Then he lowered his head and hurriedly walked in front of him.After discovering him, he noticed that Xiao Lian would raise her head frequently, looking for something in a hurry, and when she saw him, her eyes would hurriedly slip away again.For a long time, I didn't see her raise her head again. He has been watching her, observing her.In the days when he and Xiaolian were dating, at the beginning he had elements of playing around, but it was also because he liked her and was attracted by her special temperament.Gradually, he realized that he couldn't do without Xiaolian, and whenever he had a chance, he ran to Yixiang Pavilion. Only when he saw her did his heart feel at ease.He hugged her and even kissed her, and she found that every time like this, she was also emotional, with revealing eyes.Just when he was so bewitched by her that he couldn't help himself and wanted to go further, she pushed him away and said very soberly: If you want to marry me, I will accept you.After hearing Xiaolian's words, he just stood there in a daze, not knowing whether to advance or retreat.

From the bottom of his heart, he really planned to marry her.Later, he mentioned the matter of Xiao Lian several times to his elder brother, who was not only his leader, but also his only relative in this world.The elder brother looked at him with his hands behind his back for a long time, then he let out a long breath and said: Don't mention this matter again, the girl in Yixiang Pavilion is not good enough for you. He blushed and explained: Xiao Lian is clean, she is a showman rather than a woman, really. When my brother heard this, he immediately turned up his face, and roared: You are a lieutenant in the national army, and your future is boundless.If you want to marry this girl and come in, where will you put your brother's face, and where will your face be.

From then on, he never dared to mention Xiaolian in front of his elder brother and sister-in-law.That is, from then on, his brother and sister-in-law have been arranging marriages for him non-stop. There are nurses from the hospital, students who are studying in school, and the teacher's daughter --- he was forced by his brother to meet him, but alone He didn't like it either, when he kept seeing these girls, Xiao Lian's image was always shaking in front of his eyes.Before his marriage was finished, the army that liberated Lucheng was approaching the city. In those days, because of Xiaolian, he suffered through pain. Thinking of Xiaolian playing and singing for other men, reciting poems, or being forcibly hugged by others, his heart was on fire.He was both in love and angry with Xiao Lian, and the feeling in it was indescribable.

Once, at school, he and Xiao Lian happened to walk across each other.Xiao Lian walked with her head down. When he saw her, he stopped and called softly: Xiao Lian. She raised her head, her footsteps stopped for two seconds, and his eyes communicated with hers for a moment.When Xiaolian walked over, she said: Why are you here? His heart flickered again, it seemed that Xiao Lian didn't believe his identity at this time.In the past, when he appeared in Yixiang Pavilion, the girls called him "Boss Yu", and Xiao Lian also called him the same way. Later, when the two got acquainted, she called him "Mr."I remember once, when he hugged her, she asked him: What on earth do you do?He didn't answer directly, but just smiled and said: You will know when the time comes.Xiao Lian sighed, he hadn't dreamed of marrying Xiao Lian at that time, although the dream was a bit hazy.

At this time, Xiao Lian repeated the old story again. It seemed that she did not believe that he was the teacher of this school.His heart was beating wildly at that moment, Xiao Lian didn't believe him, so how could the People's Liberation Army and the newly established government not see through his identity? In those days, he was on pins and needles.He tried to get out of the school and walked around the street, but found that no one noticed him. The newly established government had a thousand things to do, and the pedestrians on the street were all in a hurry, waiting to be done. look.

Soon, the large army left Lucheng again and continued southward, leaving only a small number of troops to maintain the newly established new regime.When he walks on the street, he always keeps his head down, for he is afraid that people will recognize him.Although he used to only deal with the military, but if he went in and out of the military camp, it was impossible for ordinary people to have an impression of him.After a while, no one recognized him, and his heart finally became more stable. The letter of commission given to him by the colonel was placed under his bed. Every day when he went to sleep, he would reach under the bed to touch the letter of appointment. It was hard and a little prickly.So, he had a nightmare, dreaming that the People's Liberation Army found the commission and shouted: He is a Kuomintang spy, arrest him.Startled, he woke up.In the darkness, he opened his mouth wide, panting anxiously.In the dead of night, he thought that the letter of commission could not be kept by his side anyway, so he got up, pushed open the door, saw a sentry walking in the school yard, and closed the door again.He leaned against the door for a while, feeling more and more dangerous, and saw the questioning in Xiaolian's eyes. Although only Xiaolian knew him here, he ran to Yixiang Pavilion again and again. A little clue.It seems that he can only find a way in the house he lives in. He looked around the corners of the house over and over again, and finally found the bricks under his feet.The letter of appointment was finally sealed by him and hidden under the brick.When he lay down on the bed again, he couldn't fall asleep. At this moment, he thought of Xiaolian, and Xiaolian thought of himself.At this time, I am a lieutenant of the national army with a special mission, and now I am a lieutenant, but if one day the national army comes back again, he will be the major general commissioner of Lucheng, from the lieutenant to the major general, one in the sky and one in the ground.Thinking of this, he became sleepless, and a layer of cold sweat broke out all over his body.In the liberated Lucheng, there was joy everywhere, and the newspapers in Lucheng were full of news about the PLA's operations.When it comes to the People's Liberation Army, one cannot fail to mention the national army. According to newspapers, the national army has completely retreated and has all crossed the river.Nanjing in the south of the Yangtze River is the presidential palace of the Kuomintang.The newspaper also said that the Kuomintang wanted to rely on the Yangtze River to fight to the death with our army.The newspaper also said that Chiang Kai-shek proposed peace talks and wanted to use the Yangtze River as a boundary to divide and rule with the Communist Party.Later newspapers also reported that the People's Liberation Army was going to fight across the Yangtze River to liberate the whole of China... The news in the newspaper made Yu Shouye feel confused. He hoped that the KMT would fight back one day, and then he would be a major general commissioner.If the Kuomintang fails completely, his sacrifice and efforts will be worthless.He was looking forward to a miracle in his heart.He wanted to see news about the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in the newspaper, but was afraid to see it. After all, there was almost no good news about the national army in the newspaper. He also saw with his own eyes the suppression conference held by the new government, those heinous capitalists or traitor lackeys, with signs around their necks, were executed after parading the streets.His hanging heart was raised again and again.In those few days, he often had nightmares, dreaming that he was being paraded through the streets in chains, and was finally executed under a tree.When the person was startled, he woke up and found that it was a dream, his heart was beating "chug", and he was covered in cold sweat again.He looked at the dark night and regretted accepting the task assigned to him by the Central Statistics Bureau, but under the circumstances at the time, could he not accept it?He is a soldier, and obeying orders is a soldier's bounden duty. The girls left school, some were sent back to their hometowns, some married locals, and in short, they returned to society, but it would be a brand new society for them.They have to learn to be human again, to be good wives and mothers in peace and contentment. As for the past experiences and what changes will be brought to their lives in the future, only they know. Xiao Lian naturally also left the school. On the day she left the school, she had already looked like an ordinary woman, with a burden on her back and another in her hand.She stood at the gate of the school with a dazed look and a hesitant demeanor, but this time was very short.She glanced back, and with this glance, Yu Shouye actually saw that he had been paying attention to Xiaolian's every move.He watched all this through the window of the dormitory, ever since he saw the trace of doubt in Xiao Lian's eyes, he was afraid of seeing Xiao Lian.Xiaolian is his fond memory, but also a ticking time bomb buried in his heart.He didn't know how much Xiaolian knew about his past, he missed her, but was afraid of her. The last time Xiaolian looked back, she seemed to want to see his figure, but she didn't know that he was watching her from behind the window. When Xiao Lian left, his heart was empty, empty for a while, then solid for a while, he didn't know where Xiao Lian went, maybe Xiao Lian took everything he had in the past. The girls left, and the school returned to its former tranquility.The new government calls for schools to resume classes. Education is the foundation of society. No matter what party is in power, education will not be ignored.Some teachers came back, and some teachers who escaped from the city did not come back. There were not enough teachers, so a new batch was recruited.Everything is ready and the students are back in the classroom.Under the clear sky, the sound of reading books came from the campus again. Yu Shouye was arranged by the principal to teach Chinese and mathematics in the first grade of elementary school.Yu Shouye is very unfamiliar with teaching, but he is still competent for elementary Chinese and mathematics, and he can only do so whether he wants to or not, after all, his current identity is a teacher. Lucheng experienced the noise and chaos when it was just liberated, and now everything is on the right track. The stable Lucheng is waiting to be rebuilt. People are busy with their own jobs, and everything seems to be in order. Yu Shouye's teacher career is stable, but his heart has never been at ease.He has been paying attention to the news of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, and finally one day, he saw a big news in the newspaper-a million troops broke through the Yangtze River and successfully planted the red flag of revolution on the gate of the presidential palace.When he saw the headlines in the newspaper, he could hardly believe that everything in front of him was true, but when he saw the news photo, he believed it, and his heart cooled a lot.The Kuomintang lost the Nanjing base camp, and it was really a collapse.He originally hoped that the national army could adjust its strength, recharge its energy, and fight back one day.But in front of everything, the national army is getting farther and farther away from him, and there is a feeling of being abandoned.He wants to cry. During those days, the headmaster would often find him.The principal is in his forties, wears glasses and Chinese-style clothes, making him look like an intellectual.The principal's surname is Liu, and his name is Liu Xiwen.Every time Principal Liu Xiwen found him, he always had a smile on his face, and then exchanged news from the newspaper with him.President Liu always referred to the PLA as "our army".Principal Liu said with a smile: Our army broke through the natural moat of the Yangtze River and liberated Nanjing. Lao Jiang didn't even have a nest this time. Yu Shouye hurriedly responded, "That's it, that's it. It seems that the national army is really dying, and it will be defeated if it is hit." Principal Liu just laughed, patted him on the shoulder heavily, and said: Be your teacher with peace of mind, let's make a living. He was introduced to Principal Liu on the eve of the liberation of Lucheng.Principal Liu took him in without saying a word.After arriving at the school, he heard that Principal Liu has not been here for a long time.The original principal left the city with his family when the People's Liberation Army was approaching the city.The former principal was said to be a businessman who later invested in the school. He slipped away because he was afraid that the Communist Party would attack local tyrants.So, Principal Liu came, and someone who knew the details of Principal Liu said that Principal Liu Xiwen used to work in the government of Lucheng. Principal Liu said this, as if he could see that he didn't want to work with peace of mind. When he thought about it, his heart tightened again.When he came to school, the person who brought him introduced him as a student, desperately trying to find a place to make a living.He didn't know the introducer either. He heard that he was an acquaintance with President Liu. After bringing him here, he left in the dark.At that time, he only knew that all of this was arranged by the people from the Central Statistics Bureau. Later, he found that Principal Liu Xiwen was always watching him intentionally or unintentionally. Many times, his eyes met those of Principal Liu, and Principal Liu fled away in a panic as if nothing had happened.From then on, no matter what he was doing, he always felt that a pair of eyes were following him.This discovery surprised him, sometimes breaking out in a cold sweat.Who is Principal Liu?When he asked himself this question, of course he had no answer.But when I think of Principal Liu, I feel uneasy.Normally, Principal Liu and his relationship are no different from others. He walked over with his hands behind his back and asked him about his work and life with a smile.Once, Principal Liu patted him on the shoulder and said: You are smaller than you, you are not too young, you should have a home in Lucheng. As soon as he mentioned home, he thought of Xiaolian again.How is Xiaolian?where did she goThinking of Xiaolian, his heart tightened and twitched, and scenes from the past appeared before his eyes one after another.