Liu Changgong did not dare to sleep again after Zhang Xiaoping and others left last night, so he squatted against the gate for half the night. After dawn, the rainy night stopped. When he walked out of the room, he saw two young soldiers, one tall and one short, standing at the door, drinking water from the kettle and eating dry food.
He swallowed subconsciously, and his stomach growled again. When the short boy saw him, he smiled and said, "Brother, I disturbed you last night. Come on, have a noodle cake." After that, he handed him a dry noodle cake as big as his face.
Liu Changgong was stunned, looking at the white flour flatbread that was stiff and cold, but still exuding an attractive taste, and swallowed again. Hesitating, guessing, not daring to reach out to pick it up.
That boy was the big-eyed baby-faced boy who came last night. He looked at him and smiled kindly and said, "Take it, there's not enough left. I'll ask you for help later. Let's eat first."
Liu Changgong tremblingly stretched out his hand to take the big cake, turned around suddenly and rushed into the house. He tore off most of the big cake and handed it to his daughter who was still looking at him longingly on the kang. He divided the rest into two halves and gave half to his wife. Mother-in-law.
He took a bite of the dough in his hand. I can’t remember how long it’s been since I’ve eaten white flour pancakes. The familiar aroma of wheat, with a sweet aftertaste, stimulates my numbed taste buds.
Looking at the girl who was choking on the kang and still swallowing big mouthfuls. Looking at my daughter-in-law who was crying, taking small bites and chewing slowly, reluctant to take a big bite. Liu Changgong shed tears. He turned around and walked out of the house again.
Before he could speak after he came out, the baby-faced boy took out a few big cakes from his backpack and handed them to him: "Brother, if there are more people in the family, just grab a few more. It won't be a problem."
Liu Changgong wiped his tears and said: "I have a boat. I can send you there. I have also been to the Hekou Village on the other side. Where are all the boats that I collected..."
It turns out that Liu Changgong used to make a living by ferrying, and his family had a boat. The boat was leaking a little while ago, so I asked the villagers to help drag it to the shore and repair it. After it was repaired, it was covered with dead branches and leaves, so it was not taken away by the other side.
Zhou Wen was overjoyed when he heard Zhang Xiaoping's report. He took Gao Xiaoshan and Miaohua and followed Liu Changgong to the place where the boat was hidden by the river. Several people opened the branches, and sure enough, a nearly eight-meter-long boat lay on the ground. Zhou Wen asked: "Brother Boatman, how many people can this boat transport at a time?"
“The water flows quickly during the rainy season, so only seven or eight people can be transported at a time.”
Zhou Wen thought about it, turned to Gao Xiaoshan and said, "Brother Shanzi, when the eighteenth regiment arrives, we will cross the river immediately."
Then he turned to Liu Changgong and said: "We have heavy equipment, five people at a time, and it takes ten trips back and forth. Brother boatman, how long do you estimate it will take? And can you operate the boat alone? If you need anything else, just tell me. "
Liu Changgong thought for a while and said: "Ten trips will take about one and a half to two hours. I can do it alone. The other thing is... I just hope that the superior can give me some food, so that the family can't open the pot." Looking at Zhou Wen expectantly.
Zhou Wen waved his hand and said: "No problem, not only will we give you food, but we will also give you the ocean. Go to the village and invite all the people who can make boats, and give them food and money. Let's do this, each family will give 60 kilograms of white flour, 5 An ocean. How about it?"
Liu Changgong was so happy that his mouth trembled with excitement. The whole family was saved, and the child was saved...
At noon, the autumn sunshine dispersed the dark clouds and once again shone on this vicissitudes of land.
The 18th Regiment following the transport team also arrived at Dahe Village. Seeing Zhou Wen and others coming out, Captain Zhao greeted them warmly from a distance: "Captain Zhou, I'm sorry, it rained too much last night, so we were a little late."
Speaking of which, Zhou Wen and the Eighteenth Regiment really didn't know each other until they fought. After the last martial arts competition, with Chief Gu's deliberate efforts to bring them together, Zhou Quan and Captain Zhao settled their differences.
Zhou Wen was also ready to return the winnings, but Captain Zhao firmly refused. He said that it was just a gift to the transportation team, and that he was looking down on people, etc. Zhou Wen had no choice but to appreciate it. In addition, Tieniu's relationship and the brothers deliberately made friends with several martial arts masters from the 18th Regiment. In the end, their relationship gradually became closer.
Zhou Wen was also particularly satisfied with Zhang Xiaoping's progress. Not only did he make many friends in the 18th Regiment, but this time he even moved Liu Changgong and volunteered the ferry to solve the difficulty of crossing the river. This just fulfills the principle of doing things that Zhou Wen has always emphasized: make friends widely and be low-key. Many friends lead to many paths, and few enemies lead to fewer walls.
After Zhou Wen introduced the situation to Captain Zhao, he continued: "Captain Zhao, I heard from the villagers that there are many confiscated boats in Hekou Village on the other side. It will be dark today and our transportation team will go to investigate first. If it is a small group of enemies, we will Eat it and try to get the boat back."
"Okay, after you pass, I will send a company to follow you and set up a defensive position on the other side, ready to meet you at any time. I will use the radio to report to the headquarters now." Commander Zhao agreed.
He now admires and envies Zhou Wen. This young-looking officer is truly capable, capable, and well-connected. He also took advantage of this opportunity to make friends with each other and fully supported and cooperated with Zhou Wen along the way.
...
Liu Changgong's experience from last night to today can be described as a world of ice and fire. There was fear and despair last night, but today there is joy and happiness.
Watching those kind-hearted soldiers carrying big bags of white noodles into their homes; watching five clinking oceans being carefully collected by the daughter-in-law who was smiling so hard that she couldn’t even see her eyes; watching my daughter eating a white mask in her mouth , looking cute with a white flour pancake in his hand.
Liu Changgong stretched out his hand and pinched his face hard, fearing that he was dreaming.
At five o'clock in the afternoon, Liu Changgong and a dozen villagers who knew how to operate boats were invited into the military camp at the entrance of the village for dinner. The hot white flour steamed buns and the oily meat and vegetable soup are delicious. Boating is a job that requires both skill and physical strength. Zhou Wen wanted to express his respect for these boatmen so that they could do their best.
In the evening, the sky has gradually become dark. Wearing iron-gray military uniforms again, the transport team with large caps began to cross the river one by one on the river bank. The heavy machine gun company of the 18th regiment behind them had already established a machine gun cover position.
After Zhou Wen led the first batch of Uncle Ma's machine gun team across the river, he established a machine gun position on the other side. Zhou Wen carefully observed the surrounding situation. It was quiet all around, except for the sound of the river flowing. It may be that there has been no fighting in this area for a long time, and no sentries or patrolling enemy troops have been found.
After the entire transportation team crossed the river, Zhou Wen looked at his pocket watch. It was nine-thirty in the evening, which was about the same as Liu Changgong's estimated time.
All the team members moved slowly in the dark to the edge of Hekou Village and hid themselves, waiting for the enemy to fall asleep.
