Chapter 27

The rain stopped.

Lao Ma got up early for a change.

When he thought he was the first to get up, Feng Yuxiu had already run five kilometers and returned.

"Since you came here, have you always been this persistent?" Lao Ma found it unbelievable; he had never paid attention to Feng Yuxiu before.

Feng Yuxiu nodded, "Squad Leader, is there food? I'm hungry."

Lao Ma smiled, "Yes, I'll go cook it for you."

His heart was joyful; this cold soldier was finally willing to have contact with him.

Taking advantage of the time Feng Yuxiu was eating breakfast, Lao Ma pushed open the dormitory door.

It was pitch black and gloomy inside; the rain these past few days had made the room incredibly damp.

Li Meng and the other two were wrapped in quilts, sleeping soundly.

Lao Ma wanted to open his mouth, but in the end, his eyes dimmed, and he closed the door and left.

The moment the door closed, the snoring in the dormitory stopped abruptly.

Li Meng, Lao Wei, and Xue Lin opened their eyes at the same time.

The three climbed up and stood in front of the window, watching the two walk out into the morning light.

"Who's on guard duty today?" Li Meng asked in a low tone.

"Seems like it's me," Lao Wei replied.

"Still sleeping?" Xue Lin asked.

"Sleep, why not sleep? The construction of socialism lacks me, but it will still stride forward," Li Meng turned his head and dove back into the quilt.

"Then I'm going to guard duty," Lao Wei put on his clothes, grabbed an empty rifle, and walked out.

"Xue Lin, sleep! Build a road, build a road, how can you build a road in this godforsaken place? The Squad Leader is just having whimsical thoughts. Sleep! Don't tire yourself out!"

Li Meng's words made Xue Lin climb back into bed.

But the two couldn't fall asleep no matter what.

A feeling called panic spread through their hearts.

At this moment, they actually felt a bit of guilt growing inside them.

——

——

"Xu Sanduo, I've been in the military for so many years, I've seen many soldiers as desperate as you; most of them go very, very far."

In the morning twilight, Lao Ma watched him look for stones everywhere with a sack.

Feng Yuxiu gave a hum, his chest rising and falling slightly, every step taken with great effort.

The veins on his legs bulged and then hid away.

"Actually, I was also a strong soldier before, my shooting and physical fitness were top-notch in the group army, but I don't know what happened; after being in this place, my spirit and energy were all gone."

Lao Ma felt a bit tired, put down the sack, wiped the sweat on his forehead, and looked at the darkness in the distance.

"Now I understand, it was the line in my own chest that broke, and once it broke, it couldn't be mended."

"I might be retiring soon, and I can't just slack off, can I? When I leave, I must leave some traces for the military."

"Even when a person dies, they leave a smell on the ground; I can't leave without leaving anything behind."

Lao Ma let out a heavy breath, "Back then, I was also a Soldier King who was second in shooting in the whole regiment; how... how did I become this piece of shit now?"

Feng Yuxiu put down the fifty-jin stone and looked at this veteran full of twilight for the first time.

"Squad Leader, I came from a village with nine bends and eighteen turns, and I've always been desperate not just because of things inside me, but also because I don't want to go back."

"I think you're still in time."

Lao Ma paused upon hearing this, "I'm in time? Really in time?"

Feng Yuxiu stared into the distance with an expressionless face, "Didn't you say you were building a road? It's an existence that shocks in any era. Is the road you're building really just that road?"

"The road of life is also a road."

After speaking, Feng Yuxiu shouldered the sack of stones and turned toward the direction of the Fifth Squad.

Lao Ma was completely shocked, muttering to himself, "The road of life is also a road, right, build the road!"

——

——

"Lao Wei, it's already been ten days, that road seems to be built very neatly," Li Meng smoked, throwing a dozen cigarette butts under his feet.

"Yeah," Lao Wei hung his head.

"Do you think it can really be built successfully? That's a road, after all. Was the Squad Leader possessed by a ghost? Should we find a few old women to perform a ritual for him?"

Xue Lin grinned, "If you dare to do that, the Company Commander will blow you to pieces with an anti-aircraft gun."

Li Meng paced to the table.

The poker cards that had been on the table for a long time were finally put away and stacked up.

Lao Wei actually started folding his quilt.

Xue Lin grabbed a broom to sweep the floor.

Li Meng found the beginning he had written hundreds of times in the paper under the poker cards; he picked it up, looked at the hundreds of words, and secretly tore it up.

He meant not to let anyone see it, but unfortunately, Lao Wei saw it: "Great Writer, not writing anymore?"

"Writing, but it's better to write two thousand words of something substantial first."

Lao Wei was stunned for a while: "Then I'll have to call you Li Meng from now on."

The three words "Great Writer" were confiscated by Lao Wei without permission.

The three felt a bit dazed.

Standing in the corners of the dormitory, each lost in thought.

They didn't even dare to walk out of the dormitory door, just like three thieves who couldn't be seen.

They could only survive in the gloom of the dormitory.

Night.

Lao Ma washed his face, exhausted.

But he found that Feng Yuxiu hadn't followed him in.

So he lifted the door curtain to look.

In the night, Feng Yuxiu started his night run.

Lao Ma was shocked; they had been building the road for so many days.

His body was reaching its limit; if he sat on the bed now, he would definitely fall asleep in seconds.

"Is he even human?"

He didn't know where Feng Yuxiu got the strength and energy to insist on night running every day.

"Squad Leader."

Li Meng hurriedly stepped forward to help Lao Ma onto a folding stool.

Lao Wei and Xue Lin handed over steaming noodles mixed with soy sauce, vinegar, and chili.

"Squad Leader, eat, eat," the three stood close in front, grinning.

Lao Ma held his waist and sat up straight, "Speak, what do you three brats want?"

"You say it, Li Meng," Lao Wei stepped back two steps, hanging his head.

"Isn't it you who should say it?" Li Meng went to pull Lao Wei's sleeve but was shaken off.

"Squad Leader, let me say it."

Xue Lin walked up with his head down, gently kneading Lao Ma's shoulders, "Squad Leader, do you lack manpower to build the road?"

Lao Ma's whole body stiffened, and the three hung their heads in shame.

"You three brats, have you figured it out?" Lao Ma smiled.

"Figured it out, we don't intend to slack off like this anymore."

"Actually, we just can't stay here, we really can't stay here, Squad Leader, I feel uncomfortable all over," Lao Wei grinned.

"Alright, follow us to build the road tomorrow. By the way, this is hard work; if you quit, don't blame me for turning hostile."

"No, no, consider it as building a lighthouse for socialism, we definitely won't quit!"

Only then did Lao Ma pick up the noodles and eat them slurping.

"Oh, by the way, here's a word for you; it's best if you take it to heart, if not, just consider it as me passing gas."

"Building the road, you are building the road of your own life."

All three were stunned.

Bang!

The door was suddenly pushed open.

Feng Yuxiu walked in with the night wind, "Squad Leader, is there food?"

Lao Ma suddenly looked at the three, "What are you all stunned for? Go cook."

"Squad Leader, we feel smooth cooking for you, why should we cook for him? A new recruit," Li Meng grinned, not moving an inch.

"Yeah, why?" Lao Wei and Xue Lin also stiffened their necks.

Lao Ma's expression was a bit ugly.

Feng Yuxiu smiled slightly, "From the time I came here until now, you seem to have been unconvinced. Today I'll give you a chance, let's go out and spar? I won't bully you, you three come together."

"Come, come out."

The three were stunned and looked at Lao Ma one after another.

Lao Ma frowned, then smiled, "Go, three against one."

"Let's go, three against one. Squad Leader, if you get hurt, don't talk nonsense."

The three rolled up their sleeves and walked out.

Lao Ma put down his bowl and chopsticks; it was time to let these three slackers know what motivation was.

Building the road had brought out their sense of guilt; once the road was finished, they would go back to slacking off.

Only by forcing their competitive spirit out could they be pulled out of the quagmire.

"Three against one, I have to go out and watch. Xu Sanduo is so tired, can he win?"