The dance started at seven o'clock in the evening. Although there were only 47 male soldiers participating in the dance, including Sokov and Belkin, those male soldiers who were not qualified to participate in the dance gathered not far away to watch the fun. Even the soldiers on the high ground, except for those on duty, stood in the trenches, looking towards the foot of the mountain.
With the lighting of the bonfire, the dance officially begins. After being carefully dressed, Liuba walked to the center of the venue and said loudly: "Girls, boys, comrades, our dance begins now. First, let's ask Katya, the leader of the row, to recite a song "Waiting" for everyone. Me!"
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a warm round of applause. Amidst the applause, Kajia walked to the center of the field and used her sweet voice to recite Simonov's "Wait for Me" for the commanders and fighters present: "Wait for me - I will come back. Just ask You wait painfully, wait until the sad rain arouses your sadness, wait until the heavy snow falls, wait until the heat is unbearable, wait until others no longer look forward to their loved ones, and forget about everything in the past. .…”
Kajia's poetry recitation made everyone listen with interest, but Sokov was on pins and needles. He looked at the three bonfires in the center of the field and thought to himself: "Although they are blocked by high ground, the Germans in the distance can only see the reflection of the bonfires and cannot use artillery to bombard them, but what if they send out night bombers?"
Thinking of this, Sokov raised his head, looked at the moonlit night sky, and continued to think: "For night bombers, these three bonfires are such good targets. As long as they aim at the bonfires and drop bombs, they can let people attend the dance party." The people were reduced to ashes."
Just when Sokov was thinking wildly, Kajia's poem recitation had ended, and the audience burst into cheers. Even though there were fewer male soldiers than female soldiers, their shouts still overwhelmed the female soldiers.
The next performer was Third Platoon Leader Lida. She sang the familiar "Little Road" for the soldiers. Accompanied by the accordion, as soon as she sang the first line, her heavenly singing voice attracted everyone. Regardless of whether the soldiers were male or female, all of them were fascinated by it.
After Lida finished singing, she bowed around and prepared to leave amid warm applause. At this moment, someone shouted loudly: "Our 'Nightingale', sing one more time!"
nightingale? ! Sokov was stunned for a moment, and then he remembered that nightingales are rare birds that sing at night. It is quite appropriate to compare Lida, who sings charmingly, to a "nightingale". Thinking of this, he put his hands to his mouth, fearing that the world would not be in chaos and shouted: "Nightingale, one more! Nightingale, one more!"
When the male soldiers heard the battalion commander taking the lead in shouting, they all shouted in unison: "Nightingale, one more!"
First, the male soldiers shouted, and after shouting for a while, the female soldiers also shouted. Then, the soldiers watching the excitement from the outside also shouted, and the atmosphere became more and more lively.
Seeing this, Lida knew that if she didn't sing another song, everyone would not agree to her exit. She walked up to the female soldier playing the accordion, leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words. The female soldier nodded and began to play the accordion. The soldiers who were making noises fell silent when they saw the female soldier playing the accordion and knew that Lida was about to sing.
After hearing the melody played by the accordion clearly, Sokov knew that the song Lida was about to sing was "Light". Sure enough, a moment later, Lida sang the familiar lyrics: "A young girl sent soldiers to fight. , they said goodbye in front of the steps in the dark night. Through the light mist, the young man saw that the light was still shining in front of the girl's window, and the glorious family on the front line greeted the young man..."
After Lida left the field, several male soldiers came on the scene. They performed the Ukrainian Gopac dance for everyone. Watching them squat on the ground and kick their legs, and sometimes spin in circles, the female soldiers on the field were very excited. screamed.
After the dance performed by the male soldiers ended, Liuba came to the middle of the field again and said with a smile: "Comrades, let's ask the battalion commander, Captain Sokov, to sing a song. Everyone is welcome!"
As soon as Liuba finished speaking, the soldiers applauded. Although everyone is under Sokov's leadership, no one has ever heard the battalion commander sing. With such a good opportunity now, everyone will naturally not miss this opportunity to feast their ears and ears.
After Lyuba waited for the silence to return, she walked up to Sokov, lowered her head and looked at him and said: "Comrade Battalion Commander, please!"
When Sokov was about to stand up, Belkin asked worriedly: "Comrade Battalion Commander, can you do it?"
"Don't worry, comrade deputy battalion commander, it's up to me." The confident Sokov stood up, walked quickly to the female soldier playing the accordion, and asked her with a smile: "Comrade soldier, can you play your accordion?" Can you lend it to me?"
The female soldier did not expect that Sokov would ask her to borrow the accordion, and she was at a loss for a moment. Fortunately, Sweeta beside her came to her rescue in time: "Give the accordion to comrade the battalion commander."
After thanking the female soldier, Sokov took the accordion, put it on his shoulders, pulled it twice skillfully, and tried the sound. He had learned the accordion from a friend who was studying at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, so he was no stranger to the instrument. Experts will know if there is one as soon as they take action. Seeing that Sokov seemed familiar with the accordion, the soldiers were full of expectations for his next performance.
Sokov also spent a lot of time thinking about what songs to sing at the dance. During the Great Patriotic War, a large number of popular and excellent songs were born, but he did not know which songs had already been sung and which ones were still in the process of creation. middle. If you sing a song that is popular, it doesn't matter; but if you sing a song that is being created, you will inevitably get into trouble in the future. After careful consideration, he decided to choose the later-famous "Evening on the Suburbs of Moscow". This song would not be released for more than ten years. Even if he said it was composed by himself, it would still fool others.
"Everywhere in the garden is quiet late at night, and the leaves no longer rustle; the night is so beautiful and fascinating, such a quiet night. The river flows quietly, with slight waves, and the bright moon shines on the water, making silver shine. I can vaguely hear someone. Sing softly, what a quiet night.…”
The soldiers sitting around the campfire just clapped their hands politely when they saw Sokov starting to play the accordion, but after hearing the lyrics he sang, they couldn't help but be deeply attracted by him. Liuba sat on the log with her chin in her hands, looking at Sokov with admiring eyes, and listened to the songs he sang with fascination. She did not expect that this young captain could not only command battles, but also sing. Singing so beautifully.
At the end of the song, there was silence. Seeing this situation, Sokov was a little embarrassed. Is his singing really that bad? Surprisingly, no one even applauded. He took off the accordion slung on his shoulder, handed it back to the female soldier standing next to him, and was about to walk back to his seat when thunderous applause suddenly erupted from the field. Some soldiers even shouted: "It's great, the battalion commander sang so well, can we let him sing another one?"
"Okay!" His suggestion was immediately echoed by the surrounding soldiers: "Comrade Battalion Commander, one more!"
Sokov had no intention of singing a second song. He raised his hands and pressed them down, signaling everyone to stop talking. After the court was quiet, he said loudly: "Young men, it's getting late, why are you still sitting still? Hurry up and invite the girl you like to dance!"
Sokov's words aroused the response of the male soldiers. They all stood up and walked quickly towards the target they had long been optimistic about, forgetting about asking Sokov to sing another song.
