Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 2793: Sleeping meeting at sea

When Tan Shuangxi woke up, it was still dark. Although based on the biological clock he had developed over more than five years of service, he could tell that it was just before five o'clock, and in about ten minutes the wake-up call would sound.

As soon as the reveille number rings, get up and clean up the house, then follow the assembly number and run to the playground for roll call. A day's life in the military camp begins without a hitch. But there was no need for it today, he could sleep until the dinner bell rang. He originally wanted to sleep for a while, but after turning over a few times, he couldn't fall asleep. The constantly shaking bed, the noisy waves and the occasional creaking of the ship's planks made it really not a suitable place to sleep. If the shaking and wet deck hadn't disgusted him even more, he would have preferred to get up and go for some exercise. The usually daunting five kilometers now inexplicably missed him.

The air in the cabin was dirty and damp. A lantern hanging on the beam emitted a weak light that swayed with the ship's hull, making everything visible blurry.

Judging from the sounds of coughing, yawning, farting and sighing all around, most people are already awake - as long as they stay in the army for a year, this biological clock will be set.

Tan Shuangxi looked around. Most of the people were like him. After waking up, they stared at the deck above their heads with their eyes open, or they turned around with their eyes closed.

The corporal in the next bunk tilted his head and glanced at Tan Shuangxi, "What? Can't you sleep?"

"Yeah." Tan Shuangxi reached out and touched the cigarettes in the pocket of the military uniform hanging beside the bed. Then he remembered that smoking was strictly prohibited on the ship, so he had to take a photo, "How many days have these been floating?"

It was already the fourth day when the company boarded the ship from Hong Kong. The weather was good all the way and we did not encounter any violent storms. However, the wind and waves increased on the second day of the voyage, and the soldiers began to get seasick and vomited. Because the wind and waves increased, even the ventilation on the upper deck was cancelled. The soldiers could only sleep, chat and play cards below the deck where the air was dirty and dark. Everyone was almost sick from the pain.

"Don't worry, we will definitely reach Lingao today." said the corporal. "We walked for four days when we set off, and it happened to be in the afternoon when we landed in Hong Kong."

It was nearly two years ago that the entire company landed in Hong Kong, but the memories are as clear as if it was yesterday.

"I don't know how long this break will last. I haven't been home for almost two years." The corporal picked up his military cap, dusted it off, and put it on his face, as if chatting with Tan Shuangxi or himself.

"At least it's okay to take a big vacation," a voice came from above.

"I heard from people at the battalion headquarters that I will take three months off when I go back this time!"

"Three months! Why don't you just say you're going back and get discharged?"

"It's true," the speaker said anxiously, "I heard it from Xiao Liu. He is the messenger at the battalion headquarters. He knows the news the fastest."

"If I really can take three months off, I will divorce my wife when I get back! Get a new one." Someone said.

The people around burst into laughter.

"Pull him down and divorce your wife. If your wife doesn't divorce you, she'll be in trouble!"

"That's right! After two years here, I'm sure my head will be a little green..."

Tan Shuangxi did not join in the banter, but silently stared at the upper bunk in a daze. I don't know which soldier posted a "Beauty Monthly Card" on the floor, and Xi Shi looked at him lovingly.

"Brother," a head stuck out from the upper bunk, "Did you go home and get married this time?"

"Getting married? Nonsense! It's a blind date." Tan Shuangxi smiled and cursed at the upper bunk. The upper bunk was Tan Ende, a new recruit who was recruited last year and a Shandong refugee who had been in high school for less than a year. Because of the same surname, Tan Shuangxi is always called brother.

With the restoration of Guangdong and Guangxi and the continuous influx of immigrants, the gender ratio in Lingao gradually began to become more balanced. The hot items in dating activities were no longer limited to senior officers and naturalized civilians. Ordinary sergeants also began to have access to women. Opportunities of favor. Every time he was discharged from the army, the condolence letters sent by the young women contained quite heartfelt wishes. This also makes many old bachelors who have served in the military for many years eager to try.

Tan Shuangxi secretly calculated that this time he had already been awarded the title of platoon leader. Just because he is not an officer, he can only be regarded as an "acting platoon leader" - such a sergeant is called a "sergeant in charge" in the army.

Although the "master sergeant" also performs the duties of the platoon leader, he is an "agent" after all. According to the wise saying, "the master sergeant makes the girl get the keys, but the master does not make the decision." When new officers are assigned to the company, they can be directly replaced.

The company commander told him to submit his diploma as soon as possible. As long as he has a Class B diploma, he can apply for the qualification of a candidate officer.

Although the candidate officer is only a "substitute", there are currently many officer vacancies in the army, and it is highly likely that it will not take long to be promoted to the rank of warrant officer. It can be considered that he has stepped into the ranks of officers. He is wearing a command sword instead of a non-commissioned officer's dagger. The appointment of the platoon leader is a real deal.

So he planned to take advantage of this break to enroll in a cram school in the army and take the class B diploma exam.

When an officer goes on a blind date and a sergeant goes on a blind date, the people they can come into contact with are naturally very different. After all, in the eyes of the common people, sergeants are just "soldiers" who get a few more dollars. How can they be compared with "officers"?

While he was daydreaming, Tan Shuangxi's daydream was interrupted by a burst of laughter from around him. He didn't know what they were laughing at. He also laughed a few times. The laughter gradually dissipated, and almost all the soldiers in the cabin were awake. They could not go to the deck to wash up, and it was not time to eat. The soldiers were lying on their bunks chatting about what they planned to do after returning.

He heard a weak voice speaking intermittently:

"...I was ambushed in Shaoguan, and he was the only one left in the class with a broken leg. I went to see him, but he just cried and said he didn't know what to do when he went back. I didn't know what to say, so I could only comfort him. The Senate will always give him a bite to eat. He said that he came to serve as a soldier to honor his ancestors. Now if he goes back like this, he is afraid that his wife will not be able to find him..."

"Oh, this is life!"

Tan Shuangxi sighed silently. Life! This is life! Bizarre, yet elusive life!

He tilted his head and asked the sergeant in the next bunk: "Old Ma, what are you going to do when you go back?"

"Me?" the sergeant lowered his voice, "I plan to apply for discharge."

"What?" Tan Shuang was so surprised that he almost fell off the bed. Like him, the horse sergeant was promoted recently. He is an honest and friendly fisherman's son, a well-known good old man in the company, a kind uncle in the eyes of the soldiers, and a dull sergeant in the eyes of the officers. He is actually going to retire at this time.

"You have fought for two years and earned this little future. Why do you want to retire?" asked the soldier next to him.

"My family is a fisherman, and our family has been doing well in the past few years. My father and several uncles sold all their old boats, took out loans, and scraped together the money to buy a new boat to go fishing in the deep sea. The extra money came in. That's it. There are not enough manpower, and everyone is uneducated, so they are not able to do the work well, so they asked me to go back early and work together.”

"Isn't that a pity..." Tan Shuangxi felt regretful.

The horse sergeant turned over, changed his posture, and continued: "It's not a pity. I first came to serve as a soldier because I was sent by the village, and then I attacked the bandits and the army. These are all good things to keep the peace of the place. We can't Hide. Now that Guangdong has been liberated, the world will soon be at peace. Just like Lingao, we can work and live peacefully. I just thought, we are not made to be soldiers, no matter what we do in the army. Even though I am a sergeant, I would not dare to be given the job of a company commander. I should go back to sailing and fishing. I just like fishing."

A soldier asked curiously: "You really don't want to be an officer?"

"It's impossible to say I don't want to. I also want to wear a command knife. How impressive. If I see that new recruit walking unsteadily, I'll go up and kick him." The corporal's exaggerated tone attracted the laughter of the nearby soldiers.

"But we are not this material. It is already difficult to command a class, but to command a hundred and eighty brothers, you still have to rush. This is a responsibility that I cannot bear."

"That's right. I don't think I'm a soldier! If I could retire, I would have found a job early! Many factories in Guangzhou are recruiting people. If I hadn't been allowed to retire, I would have stayed in Guangzhou to recruit workers."

"Retired from the army, you are thinking too well!" Someone sneered, "You think that if we are transferred back to Lingao, we will no longer fight?"

"If you want to fight, just stay in Guangdong. Why are you transporting us back so far?"

"If you have any inside information, please tell me!"

"I don't have any inside information, but if the Ming Dynasty loses Guangdong and Guangxi, can we just let it go?" The soldier who spoke was a clerk in the company. "The emperor can't make up for it? I think this battle can be fought. Returning to Lingao is just to replenish the team. . After all, we have lost too many people in the past two years, and we are still short of recruits after so many recruitments.”

"But the company commander said last time that those who want to retire can do so."

"Only those who have served for more than three years and have been injured twice can apply. It depends on whether Lao Ma can retire." The clerk is well-educated and is a "core" member of the company, so his words will naturally have weight. The surrounding area immediately became cold.

"This time of rest will definitely require a long vacation. What are your plans? Let's talk about it." Tan Shuangxi said to the people around him, secretly wondering if this would be a cold one.

"I just want to go home and help my father open up wasteland. He has been saying it for a long time..."

"My family has told me about a daughter-in-law, and they want me to meet her. If she's suitable, I'll go with her!"

"I want to go shopping in Dongmen City with Erya from the village..."

"Platoon commander, what about you?" someone finally asked.

Tan Shuangxi laughed and replied: "On vacation, you must go to bed first, sleep until you wake up naturally, and then eat rice, salted fish and vomit until you vomit." This answer caused an even bigger burst of laughter. With Fu Bojun's food supply, there was no People will regard these two as life goals. "Take my parents to Dongmen City and have a meal at the cooperative," Tan Shuangxi still gave his plan.