Chapter 910: Means

"Comrades and brothers present, I am Wang Yan, paying tribute to the comrades guarding the border!

When I came this morning, the comrade who picked me up at the regiment headquarters was called Qiu Fangjie. As soon as he saw me, he told me, Comrade Wang Yan, you finally came to our regiment. I thought to myself, I haven't been to our regiment, are you being polite to me? As a result, Comrade Qiu Fangjie told me that now my name has spread throughout our Yunnan Military Region, and those who haven't heard of it know that I tell stories well.

This made me flattered, but at the same time, I was proud. Why proud? Because I brought fun to the vast number of comrades, and at the same time let everyone know about our ancient, modern, and our Party's heroic figures. We will not forget the revolutionary deeds of the martyrs, and even more so, we must inherit their revolutionary spirit.

Although everyone knows me, I will still introduce myself... Today, the heroic figure we are talking about is still my fellow villager, he is one of the founders and leaders of our Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, his name is Zhao Shangzhi.

... Then another figure who is also a leader of the Anti-Japanese United Army, everyone should not be unfamiliar, or more or less have heard the name, that is our General Yang Jingyu..."

In the mountain col at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters, the red sun pierced through the clouds and mist, sprinkling on every soldier who sat listening to the story with his hands tucked into his sleeves. Their faces were red and cracked, their lips were peeling, their skin was rough, but their blood was boiling hot.

The soldiers formed a circle, they sat very close to each other, taking warmth and avoiding the wind, and even more so to hear the sound of the speaker in the middle clearly, getting rid of the annoying "da da da" sound of the diesel generator in the distance.

Wang Yan stood in the middle of more than a thousand people, holding the microphone, telling stories in a circle. From time to time, he had to interact with the soldiers.

His performance form was still very complex, which could be considered storytelling, or cross-talk, or even a talk show without offense. Because he both told stories, had the humor of cross-talk, communicated with soldiers at any time, and had the non-fixity of a talk show.

The soldiers were very welcome, mainly to increase their knowledge, know what kind of ruthless people the battle heroes were, and even more so know the fearless spirit of sacrifice.

Since leaving the Art Troupe for personal performances, a month and a half had passed, which exceeded the original one-month time. The main reason was that every place Wang Yan went, he received a very high evaluation from all officers and soldiers, which was fed back to the division, fed back to the army, and the army spread it to other divisions and other regiments under its command, and naturally spread to other armies.

This performance mission was in the 14th Army, but many regiments that were not originally on the performance list were all added as Wang Yan's performances unfolded. This led to this performance of Wang Yan becoming a real full-army tour. Half of the soldiers in the whole army had heard Wang Yan's stories, and the "We Soldiers" he sang better and better.

Wang Yan also told many heroic figures, Dong Cunrui, Qiu Shaoyun, Huang Jiguang, etc., needless to say, and the Five Heroes of Langya Mountain were naturally there. This was following the instructions of the Political Department leaders, telling less ancient ones, and telling more about the War of Resistance Against Japan and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. However, he did not mention the figures of the Nationalist Government, all of them were from the Red Army, Eighth Route Army, and New Fourth Army at that time, and they had to be safe.

The leader let him tell, not let him tell blindly, after all, the current environment is not right. Although Peng Zong had already left at this time, he dared to tell Peng Zong to try, and there were many other people. He naturally had this sensitivity, and would not find trouble for himself.

Here, today, is the last stop of Wang Yan's performance. After ending here, amidst the farewell of the regiment leaders, he sat on the truck he came in, swayed and bumped for two and a half days, and finally returned to the Art Troupe in Mencius in the evening.

"Report to the Political Commissar, the performance mission has been successfully completed, please instruct."

As soon as he returned, Wang Yan carried his equipment and went to the Political Commissar's office to report. He knocked on the door and entered, then walked with a "ka ka ka" sound, stepping on the floor with a "kuang kuang" sound, standing at attention and saluting crisply and powerfully.

"You step lightly, didn't you hear the floor creaking?" Ning Shan scolded, having already walked out from behind the desk, let Wang Yan sit down, and happily made tea for Wang Yan.

"You kid, this trip out really gave me face. The leader gave full affirmation and recognition to our Art Troupe's work, and gave praise to you personally.

Didn't you submit the manuscript to Liberation Army Literature before you left? They specifically called, saying they wanted to open a special column for Chinese heroes, and your more than 300,000 words will be published in that column and spread throughout the army.

And the song "We Soldiers" you wrote, Old Liao sent the song to the General Political Department's Song and Dance Troupe, which gave high affirmation and has already been transferred to the Art Troupes of major military regions. At the same time, they invited Fang Hongmin to Beijing to record, Old Liao went to guide the band, and people have already returned, and it has already been played on the radio.

Finally, after the troupe's research and the Political Department's approval, it was decided to break the rules and promote you to the rank of platoon leader, with the treatment set at the 22nd grade."

"Thank the Party, thank the country, thank the Political Commissar and the Political Department leaders, I will definitely serve the people wholeheartedly, serve the vast number of soldiers, and create more works." Wang Yan stood up and saluted, saying loudly.

"Alright, sit down. You are still young, only twenty years old. Although you are an art soldier, treatment is treatment, and importance is importance. Work hard in the future, no one will treat you badly."

Ning Shan waved his hand, seemed to think of something, and said, "By the way, the troupe rewarded you twenty for that song, and the manuscript you wrote was issued thirty in manuscript fees by Liberation Army Literature. It was specifically mailed to you along with the publication, and Liu Feng took it for you, it's all in your dormitory."

Wang Yan nodded, put down his marching equipment, took out a thick stack of notebooks from a bag, and placed them on the table.

"This is the manuscript I wrote during the performance. Since the Political Department leader gave instructions, I must complete it. So this time I wrote mainly about the heroes of the Red Army period, as well as the Eighth Route Army and New Fourth Army period.

Political Commissar, didn't you want to keep a manuscript? I copied another one. But I have to tell you first, Political Commissar, I will absolutely not copy it alone in the future. This time I wrote more than 400,000 words, I didn't feel anything when writing, but it was really uncomfortable to copy. This time I made three copies, you see, send one to the leader for review. I'll keep one copy, and when the leader finishes reviewing, I'll mail it to Liberation Army Literature."

"How much? More than 400,000?" Although there was the matter of writing more than 300,000 words in half a month before, Ning Shan was still very surprised, "Oh my, others are launching satellites, you are really high-yielding. Good, I knew I didn't misread you, I'll send it to the leader tomorrow."

You know, Wang Yan's schedule was basically full, and he couldn't stay in one place for too long. He only had time to write when he was staying in various places every night.

Wang Yan nodded with a smile and asked: "I still have cigarettes, tea, canned food, etc., sent to me by regiment leaders everywhere, they were too enthusiastic, I couldn't refuse. Take some, Political Commissar?"

"Can I still miss your little things?" Ning Shan glared, got up and went to his desk to open the cabinet, took out a Zhonghua cigarette, "Take it, get lost."

"Then I won't be polite with you, Political Commissar. I have to hurry up and take a bath, although I can take a bath every ten days or half a month, my clothes are sour, I'm leaving."

Wang Yan was not polite, stuffed the cigarette into his bag, packed up and left directly.

Ning Shan watched Wang Yan leave, and went to make a phone call with a smile...

"Wang Yan? You finally came back, didn't you say a month, it's been more than half a month." Seeing Wang Yan open the door and enter, Liu Feng stepped forward enthusiastically to help, muttering with concern.

Everyone in the dormitory was there, and they were playing cards again. It was really because it was already cold outside, which did not contradict the temperature in Mencius, it should be cold, and people were not very willing to move. Unlike in spring and summer, every day after rehearsal, they would play table tennis, basketball, etc., and engage in some physical activities.

Others, including Chen Can and Zhu Ke, also greeted Wang Yan with a smile. Chen Can and Zhu Ke were still the same, fake, very reluctant, with a feeling of dealing with things, very insincere.

Wang Yan responded with a smile, handed the bag he was carrying to Liu Feng, took off his marching backpack, and replied: "It's just that the storytelling was so good, it spread, and the regiment leaders all asked me to perform, so how could we refuse? We are all serving the soldiers. So this time not a single regiment was missed, from beginning to end, the 14th Army was performed once."

"You are really powerful."

Hearing Wang Yan's bragging words, Guan Dongming echoed, and then said "hey".

"Hey, Wang Yan, you don't know yet, during the time you were away, Fang Hongmin and Old Liao went to Beijing to record the song, the song you wrote is now played on the radio station, Old Liao said, nationwide promotion."

Liu Feng took the words: "Right, Wang Yan, your submission to Liberation Army Literature also passed, they mailed a magazine with your article, it's on your bed, I heard from the Political Commissar that they also gave you thirty yuan in manuscript fees."

"Already knew, I went to report to the Political Commissar as soon as I came back. He told me a bit. Also said that the song is good, the troupe wants to reward me ten yuan. Look, also gave me a Zhonghua cigarette."

While speaking, Wang Yan had already unpacked his luggage, opened the bag he brought back, and took things out.

"This is the cigarette, tea, and some pork and beef canned food given to me by regiment leaders everywhere, they were too enthusiastic, I couldn't refuse. Come, come, come, don't be polite, one box of Zhonghua each, one can each. But don't spread it, the influence is not very good."

Wang Yan was quite generous, unpacking the Zhonghua, throwing one box to each, and putting the canned food there, Liu Feng assisted in distributing it. Chen Can and Zhu Ke didn't say words of refusal, and accepted it with a fake polite smile.

Others were generally the same, mainly Liu Feng was the most sincere, he was really considering for Wang Yan.

But after accepting, he was also very happy. Wang Yan didn't need his brain, which had gathered thousands of years of wisdom, to think, even if he used his heels, he could think of where Liu Feng's canned food went...

After chatting and laughing for a long time, and answering the questions of these people, Wang Yan also packed his things, and looked at the magazine and manuscript fee mailed to him by Liberation Army Literature.

As Political Commissar Ning told him, a special column called "Chinese Heroes" was opened, and the article published was exactly the article he wrote about Lu Xuemin. In addition, at the beginning of the edition, a introduction was written for him, which was his life experience and current work unit, and the address of the Art Troupe was written.

Although other people's submissions were also accepted, in the face of more than 300,000 words of manuscript, he was a special columnist, and this column was specially opened for him. Moreover, he still had more than 400,000 words of manuscript that had not been submitted.

As for the manuscript fee, it was purely the hard-earned money for his writing. If it were according to the manuscript fee system of the 50s and 60s, he would be able to live without worry with this book...

After packing up, taking a set of clean clothes, Wang Yan swayed to the bathhouse with a basin.

After a month and a half, the power of his manuscript and song had been completely displayed. The comrades he met on the road greeted him more warmly, and those with lively personalities even pulled him to talk.

It was much quieter in the bathhouse. First, it was the end of the bath time, and there were not many people inside. Second, it was naked in the bathhouse. Wang Yan had muscles like a knife and axe, and more importantly, he had thick capital, so others were a bit embarrassed to get close, still afraid of comparison and contrast...

After taking a hot bath, scrubbing a layer of dirt off his body, and washing his winter cotton military uniform and other clothes, the bugle for dinner sounded.

Wang Yan put on his clothes and walked back full of energy.

Not far from the dormitory, he bumped into a group of laughing female soldiers.

"I heard someone say you came back and I didn't believe it, you really came back?" Hao Shuwen greeted from afar with a loud voice.

"Why, can't I come back?"

"Hey, no good words when we meet, I'm redundant to bother with you."

"Alright, haven't seen each other for more than a month, why pinch as soon as we meet?" Xiao Suizi reached out with a smile, "Comrade Wang Yan, welcome home."

"Hey, it still has to be Comrade Xiao Suizi." Wang Yan laughed and shook hands with her, soft hands, touched and released.

"Pay attention to the influence, Comrade Hao Shuwen, there are so many people, what does it look like to pull and pull?"

Lin Dingding grasped the contradiction again: "That means it looks like something if there are not so many people?"

"You know it, and you have to say it? In broad daylight, under the bright sky, it's too unreasonable."

"Beat you to death, you stinky hooligan." Hao Shuwen blushed and punched Wang Yan twice on the arm.

"Alright, alright, don't make trouble, I'm hungry to the chest and back. Hurry back to dry clothes, get lunch boxes."

Wang Yan waved his hand with a smile and was about to leave.

Lin Dingding greeted: "Don't, we haven't welcomed yet. Comrade Wang Yan, welcome home."

Lin Dingding greeted him: "Don't go yet, we haven't welcomed you yet. Comrade Wang Yan, welcome home."

Although he said so, she still shook hands with Little Xiao Balei, Zhuoma, and others who were joining in the fun, and then walked away amidst the charming laughter of the female soldiers.

Not far away, Chen Can and Zhu Ke stood together, silently watching the liveliness of Wang Yan and the female soldiers...

In the corner without people near the canteen, Lin Dingding leaned against the wall.

She said coquettishly: "Liu Feng, why did you bring me here?"

"Have good things for you, look at what this is!"

"Ah, canned food! Still beef!" Lin Dingding didn't be polite at all, took it from Liu Feng's hand and looked at the words on it, surprised for a moment, and then blinked her large eyes and looked at Liu Feng, "For me?"

"Of course, I specifically left it for you." That blinking of the big eyes flashed into Liu Feng's little heart every time.

"Where did it come from?"

"Wang Yan performed outside, and the regiment leaders in various places saw him perform well and gave him some. Not just canned food, but also Zhonghua cigarettes.

He gave us one box of cigarettes and one can each, some pork, some beef. I don't smoke, so I didn't want it, I left the canned food for you.

But don't tell others, I see Wang Yan doesn't have many cans, he distributed them all to us, it's not good to spread it out."

"I love beef the most, thank you, Liu Feng, you are really good to me~"

"As long as you like it." Liu Feng laughed, "Pack it up quickly, don't let others see it. Let's go, let's go back."

"Hmm..."

The two turned out of the empty corner one after another, and this empty corner was like Chen Can's heart, damp, cold, and without sunshine.

Chen Can looked dejectedly at Xiao Suizi and Hao Shuwen walking away, standing there without moving, blowing the cold wind...

"Suizi, what did he look for you for?"

"Don't know where he got two cans of beef, I didn't want them."

Hao Shuwen was very incomprehensible: "What's wrong with you and Chen Can? Didn't you like him very much before?"

This was not just her, others had asked many times, but Xiao Suizi had always brushed it off.

In fact, in the month and a half that Wang Yan was not in the Art Troupe, Chen Can had been approaching Xiao Suizi very actively, but Xiao Suizi never gave him a good look.

This was naturally abnormal. If it were before, Chen Can would treat Xiao Suizi like this, and she would laugh in her dreams.

"What like or dislike, it's just having some good impressions." Xiao Suizi shook her head, "But don't spread it out, everyone says I like Chen Can, it doesn't matter, anyway I don't admit it."

"Then what's going on? I'm especially curious, tell me."

"Actually, it's nothing. Before, when we were eating lunch, wasn't the atmosphere at the male soldiers' table wrong? Actually, I discovered it that day, Chen Can had been hanging his face, as if he had encountered something.

Then after he finished eating, I followed him, and asked him what was going on..."

"Is that all?"

"Is this small? I didn't offend him, why did he lose his temper with me? Anyway, I saw clearly what kind of person he was from that day, so I must stay away from him.

At first, it was quite uncomfortable, after all, it had been such a long time. But later I got used to it, and found it was nothing, it's quite good now."

Hao Shuwen nodded: "You did the right thing, you didn't even get together and you took it out on you, if you really got married later, what would happen if you lived together? Now it's scolding, what about later, wouldn't you have to use your hands?"

"Alright, don't talk about him, it's annoying. Hey, hurry up, aren't you cold?"

They returned to the dormitory, and the process was the same. Pour some water, pour a basin of foot-soaking water. Then they went to bed, reading books, knitting sweaters.

A room full of female soldiers, lively for a while, quiet for a while, never knowing which sentence ignited the discussion boom.

Just as they were laughing and joking, the dormitory door was pushed open, naturally it was Lin Dingding who returned late.

"Why did you come back early today? Not flirting with Wu Ganshi?" Zhuoma teased.

"I'm not stupid, isn't it cold outside?" Lin Dingding rolled her eyes, closed the door and entered the room, poured some hot water into her basin, and then took out the canned food from her pocket and put it in with a "kuang dang" sound.

This sound attracted the attention of the women in the room.

Hao Shuwen looked at the bed next to her, stretched her neck and took a look, surprised: "Canned food, still meat, given by Wu Ganshi?"

Lin Dingding smiled: "No."

"Then it's Dr. Zhang."

"Not either."

She was mysterious, which made everyone curious. Little Xiao Balei guessed: "Liu Feng?"

"Hey, close, but not either."

"Hurry up, mysterious, who is it?" Hao Shuwen urged impatiently.

"Who is the most popular in our troupe recently, that's who!"

As soon as Lin Dingding said this, only one name flashed in everyone's mind.

Zhuoma, who was sleeping on the upper bunk, jumped down: "Wang Yan?"

Xiao Suizi, who was on the upper bunk, poked her head out, but she didn't speak. Hao Shuwen raised an objection: "Can't be, right?"

"What can't be?" Little Xiao Balei took the words, "Lin Dingding is so beautiful, her figure is good, which man doesn't look at her and get fascinated? Wang Yan can't be an exception either."

"Look at what you're saying, as if I'm a fox spirit."

"Go to hell."

Xiao Suizi asked: "Where did Wang Yan get the canned food?"

"He tells stories so well, regiment leaders everywhere gave him a lot of cigarettes, wine, canned food, etc. You guys don't spread it out, it's not good if others know."

Hao Shuwen asked hesitantly: "Are you two together?"

"Look at what you're saying, you're together just because you gave a can? Liu Feng also cooks noodles for me. It's all pure revolutionary friendship, don't talk nonsense."

Zhuoma wondered: "I haven't seen you say a few words, why did he give you canned food?"

Lin Dingding smiled without speaking...

"Suizi, you weren't like this before."

"Do you have something to say or not?" Xiao Suizi didn't take the bait.

This made Chen Can very sad, although he didn't know how long he had been hurt. No, he knew; it started after Wang Yan beat him up.

Every time he saw Xiao Suizi's expression as if looking at a stranger, and then thought back to the Xiao Suizi of the past, Chen Can felt an extra stabbing pain in his heart, which made him want to stab Wang Yan...

He said: "There are too many people here, come with me."

"If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."

"Wait." Chen Can hurriedly called her back and took two steps forward, "I have two cans of beef here, for you to eat."

It was already quite good that he could apologize to Xiao Suizi earlier. Now, offering his warm face to her cold shoulder was his greatest courage, and it already made him feel that his self-esteem was being trampled on for Xiao Suizi's sake.

"I don't want it, you keep it for yourself." Xiao Suizi glanced at him and turned away decisively...

In a deserted corner near the canteen, Lin Dingding leaned against the wall.

She said coquettishly: "Liu Feng, why did you bring me here?"

"I have something good for you, look at what this is!"

"Oh, canned food! And it's beef!" Lin Dingding wasn't polite at all. She picked it up from Liu Feng's hand, looked at the characters on it, and was surprised for a moment. Then, she blinked her big eyes at Liu Feng: "For me?"

"Of course, I saved it specially for you." Every blink of those big eyes flashed right into Liu Feng's little heart.

"Where did it come from?"

"Wang Yan was performing outside, and the troupe leaders everywhere saw he performed well and gave him some. It's not just canned food, there's also Zhonghua cigarettes.

He gave each of us a pack of cigarettes and a can of food, some pork, some beef. I don't smoke, so I didn't take the cigarettes, and I saved the can for you.

But don't tell anyone else, I don't think Wang Yan had many cans, he divided them all among us, it wouldn't look good if it got out."

"I love beef the most, thank you, Liu Feng, you are so good to me~"

"As long as you like it." Liu Feng chuckled, "Hurry up and put it away, don't let anyone see. Let's go, let's go back."

"Hmm..."

The two turned out of the deserted corner one after the other, and this empty corner was just like Chen Can's stabbed heart: damp, cold, and without sunlight.

Chen Can looked dejectedly at Xiao Suizi and Hao Shuwen walking away together, standing there without moving, blowing in the cold wind...

"Suizi, what did he want with you?"

"I don't know where he got two cans of beef, I didn't want them."

Hao Shuwen was very confused: "What exactly happened between you and Chen Can? Didn't you used to really like him?"

It wasn't just her; others had asked many times, but Xiao Suizi had always brushed it off.

In fact, in the past month and a half that Wang Yan was not in the art troupe, Chen Can had been very actively approaching Xiao Suizi, but Xiao Suizi never gave him a good look.

This was, of course, abnormal. If it were before, if Chen Can treated Xiao Suizi like that, she would have laughed in her dreams.

"What like or dislike, it's nothing more than having some good feelings." Xiao Suizi shook her head, "But don't go telling people, it doesn't matter if everyone says I like Chen Can, I won't admit it anyway."

"Then what exactly is going on? I'm especially curious, tell me about it."

"Actually, it's nothing. Before, when we were eating lunch, wasn't the atmosphere at the male soldiers' table weird? Actually, I had already noticed that day, Chen Can had been wearing a long face, as if he had encountered something.

Then, after he finished eating, I chased after him and asked him what was wrong..."

"Is that all?"

"Is this a small matter? I didn't offend him, why was he losing his temper at me? Anyway, from that day on, I saw through him as a person, so I definitely had to stay away from him.

At first, it was indeed quite painful, after all, it had been such a long time. But later I got used to it and found it was nothing. It's quite good like this now."

Hao Shuwen nodded: "You did the right thing. You weren't even together yet and he was taking it out on you. If you really got married and lived together in the future, would that be okay? If he's scolding now, wouldn't he be using his hands later?"

"Alright, let's not talk about him, it's annoying. Oh, hurry up, aren't you cold?"

They returned to the dormitory, and the routine was the same. Get a mug to air out some water, pour a basin of foot-washing water. Then they got into bed, some reading, some knitting sweaters.

A room full of female soldiers, lively for a while, then quiet for a while, never knowing which sentence would ignite the heat of discussion.

Just as they were laughing and joking, the dormitory door was pushed open; naturally, it was Lin Dingding, who often returned late.

"Why are you back early today? Not being lovey-dovey with Wu Ganshi?" Zhuoma teased.

"I'm not stupid, how cold is it outside?" Lin Dingding rolled her eyes, closed the door, and entered the room. She poured some hot water into her basin, then took the can out of her pocket and put it in with a clatter.

This sound drew the attention of all the women in the room.

Hao Shuwen was on the bed next to her, stretched her neck to take a look, and said in surprise: "Canned food, and it's meat, did Wu Ganshi give it to you?"

Lin Dingding smiled: "No."

"Then it's Doctor Zhang."

"Not him either."

Her manner was mysterious, which made everyone curious. Little Xiao Balei guessed: "Liu Feng?"

"Hey, getting close, but it's not him either."

"Hurry up, being all mysterious, who is it exactly?" Hao Shuwen urged impatiently.

"Whoever is the most popular in our troupe recently, that's who!"

When Lin Dingding said this, only one name flashed through everyone's minds.

Zhuoma, who was sleeping on the upper bunk, jumped down: "Wang Yan?"

Xiao Suizi, on the upper bunk, poked her head out, but she didn't speak. Hao Shuwen raised an objection: "That can't be, right?"

"What's impossible about that?" Little Xiao Balei chimed in, "Lin Dingding is so beautiful and has such a good figure, which man wouldn't be fascinated? Wang Yan can't be an exception either."

"Look at what you're saying, as if I'm a vixen."

"Then what do you think?"

"Get out of here."

Xiao Suizi asked: "Where did Wang Yan get the canned food?"

"He tells stories so well that troupe leaders everywhere have sent him quite a lot of cigarettes, alcohol, canned food, and the like. You guys better not tell anyone, it wouldn't look good if others found out."

Hao Shuwen asked hesitantly: "Are you two together?"

"Look at what you're saying, are we together just because he gave me a can? Liu Feng is always cooking noodles for me too. It's all pure revolutionary friendship, don't talk nonsense."

Zhuoma wondered: "We haven't even seen you two say a few words, how come he sent you canned food?"

Lin Dingding smiled and said nothing...