Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 2816 Return to Dongmen City

Tan Shuangxi and Zhang Laicai set out from Daya Village before dawn, not that he had anything urgent to do. It’s just that the people in the village are too enthusiastic. If he didn't leave as early as possible, he would most likely be asked to stay and treat him to a meal and tell him about his "records of his experiences during the Northern Expedition." It would be nice to eat, drink and be surrounded by stars, but the two of them always felt it was inappropriate. Although it is the norm in the world that "relatives may be sad, others may also sing", but eating, drinking and having fun in the village makes people feel somewhat heartless.

They discussed leaving early in the morning. After leaving Daya Village, the two went to the last house. After the incident was over, the sun was already heading west when they left the village. Tan Shuangxi didn't have a watch, so he roughly estimated that it was about three or four o'clock based on the height of the sun.

"Let's break up here." Tan Shuangxi said at an intersection, "Go find your sweetheart."

"I've already met my sweetheart, what are you going to do?" Zhang Laicai said with a smile, "I'm going home too, and the house has to be tidied up."

"I asked you, shouldn't you start a family? How can you just be a bachelor looking for pornographic tickets?" Tan Shuangxi advised. Zhang Laicai was born as an immigrant and has only one son in his family.

"You'd better think about yourself first." Zhang Laicai said with a smile, "You are several years older than me! What's the point of marrying a wife? I also have a son. A dew couple can do it best. They can be happy with each other and have no worries. ”

Tan Shuangxi knew that it was useless to talk, so the two broke up at a nearby station.

I was originally anxious to complete the task and go home early, but now that the difficult tasks were completed one by one, I felt relieved, and my desire to go home became less strong.

When it comes to where to go, whether you go to Ma Niao or Bai Ren, there are bustling markets with all kinds of fresh and interesting things, as well as delicacies from all over the world brought by immigrants and elders from all over the world. He fought in the mainland for two years, and accumulated more than two to three hundred yuan from the "overseas deployment" allowance alone. Of course, this money cannot be used, and he has to keep it to start a family, so when he was resting in Guangzhou, As soon as the bank came to publicize it, they bought the central reserve bank's government bonds.

I bought a lot of government bonds, leaving only a few dozen dollars for pocket money. This is enough for him to live comfortably. Tan Shuangxi thought for a while, it would not be easy to come back, so he might as well go to the most prosperous Bairen City for some fun.

The decision was made up, and the steps could not help but become brisk.

Bairen City is the transportation hub of the entire Lingao, with both highways and urban railways radiating out in all directions around it. Tan Shuangxi took the city railway and arrived at Bairen City before dark.

In the twilight, Bairen City is full of lights, and the gas lamps are already lit. The more rare "electric lights" are gradually being promoted among merchants. In the past, due to safety and cost considerations, few gas lamps were mostly used for public lighting. Except for a few large shopping malls, night lighting relied entirely on kerosene lamps. This has also suppressed commercial activities at night to some extent. Many shops close after dark.

The promotion of electric lighting has greatly changed this situation, and most shops have extended their business hours. Although the neon light product has not been widely spread because the production of chemical materials and inert gases is not yet mature, shop owners have long covered bare light bulbs with lanterns of various materials and colors. At night, the electric lights illuminate the shops in the entire commercial street.

These days, due to the large-scale rest and recuperation of the troops heading north, a large number of soldiers on leave have poured in. The market is booming. The streets were full of Fubo Army, Navy and Army officers and soldiers who were either drunk or carrying large and small bags with loads. Correspondingly, the number of military policemen with chain tags also increased.

As soon as Tan Shuangxi got out of the car, he was interrogated by the military police. After checking his ID, he took the trouble to ask him what he was doing here. Tan Shuangxi knew that he couldn't joke in front of these guys who had to leave a few days early after being discharged from the army, so he honestly said that he was here for "consumption".

After leaving the station, he followed the bustling crowd to the main road of Bairen City.

Bairen City and Dongmen City outside the city are now integrated into one. In the past, it was heavily guarded, and only the elders and a few naturalized citizens could enter and exit Bairen City. Now only a part of it remains intact, serving as the residence of some agencies and the residence of some elders. The rest has been demolished. In terms of municipal management, Bairen City no longer has any special characteristics. Instead, it has become a "community" with specific house numbers in Bairen City, instead of the "green zone" that was like another country in the past.

Naturally, these "communities" are still heavily guarded. But for ordinary people, the past Bairen Town has become a legend. Tan Shuangxi didn't know the truth behind it. To him, Bairenshi was "New York" in the minds of soldiers like them, a world of flowers. Although it is very close to Ma Niao Fort, he has only been here less than ten times despite serving in the army for many years. I just remember that every time I come, it looks very different from before.

The earliest time they came was when Fubo Army called the Lingao County Security Group. Tan Shuangxi had been in the army for less than two months when he was sent to Dongmen City to "strengthen the vigilance". At that time, there was a huge buzz in the county, saying that the imperial court was about to come to destroy the Senate. People everywhere were panicked, and there were frequent security incidents on the streets. occur.

Tan Shuangxi is no exception. Although he responded to the call to join the army, his motivation had nothing to do with defending the Senate. He went purely for military pay and rations.

Chen Kefa was right. Before the Senate came, they had nowhere to sell their lives if they wanted to. After the Senate came, at least there was a place where he could work hard for food and clothing. Tan Shuangxi's family's village is very close to Ma Niao, and they have seen with their own eyes the good times the salt farm has enjoyed since it became attached to the Australians. Naturally, there is more trust in the Senate than in the recruits from other villages.

When I came to Bairen City, the Dongmen market was in a state of depression. More than 80% of the shops were closed. Some shops even had their money-making tools and signboards removed, leaving only a hollow shop. Most of the open storefronts are also owned by Australians. Soldiers were sent to maintain order on the streets. Tan Shuangxi still remembers the long queue in front of Delong Rice Store. The people were standing next to each other, holding stacks of grain circulation coupons in their hands. Their eyes widened in fear, and they craned their necks to look at the shops. Whenever a person comes out carrying a bulging grain bag or pushing a cart full of grain, the team will breathe a heartfelt sigh of relief, and then wait for the screams inside with fear and nervousness. Number.

Scenes like this can be seen in front of almost all shops that are still open. People are rushing to buy everything they can buy, holding the circulation coupons that they had carefully hidden under their pillows and in their waistbands not long ago. Copper coins that had disappeared have reappeared on the market.

The military pay that Tan Shuangxi and the others received were not currency notes, but free money. This somewhat stabilized their emotions: even if the Senate was defeated, the money they received would not turn into waste paper. But someone else quietly advised them: "Hurry up, drop your guns, take off your clothes and run away! Don't work for the bandits, the imperial army will be here soon!"

This does scare some people. On the second day after arriving in Bairen City, three people from his platoon became deserters. After only two days, these people were captured.

What will happen if you run away from battle? I mentioned it when I was preaching combat discipline when I joined the army. As expected, these three men were hanged at the crossroads that day.

He still remembered that their entire company lined up at the main crossroads of Dongmen City, watching the three unlucky men struggle to die amidst the sound of military drums. The weather was gloomy, and the faces of the people and soldiers were full of gloom. Even though they think the omnipotent elder still shows a rare gloominess...

Of the three deserters who were executed, two were refugees. They had no relatives or friends in Lingao and were completely forgotten after their death. Tan Shuangxi could not remember their names at all. There is also a kitchen household in Yanchang Village. He still remembered that before the invasion of the mainland and before the troops were preparing to leave for the mainland, he followed the recruiters to Yanchang Village and heard someone mention this name in the village office.

This crossroads still exists today, but the scary gallows has disappeared. The original Delong Grain Bank has been renovated and is now the location of Delong Bank Lingao Branch. Those shops that were originally closed with planks have almost completely changed their appearance during the renovation and renovation in recent years.

The second time I came to Dongmen City was not long after the first time. The Chengmai War was a great victory. As a member of the participating troops, Tan Shuangxi came to participate in the victory parade with great enthusiasm. The troops also marched through this street and went to the stadium - just like this time, the people gathered beside the street and cheered like a tsunami. The troops wore torn and blackened clothes, and the people also looked poor. The shops on the street were still shabby and depressed. But people's hearts were jubilant. Tan Shuangxi was originally just a "food eater" who was ready to run away "when he saw the situation was not good", but at this time, he had another idea: the world has changed! The Senate is going to rule the world!

Later, I seemed to come to Dongmen City more often. He always goes to Dongmen City two or three times a year, especially when he is on vacation. He will bring his parents and brothers here to "eat Australian meat", see the "Australian scenery", and eat a few meals. All kinds of new dishes that he has never tasted in his life, such as "Kaifeng cuisine", "Korean cuisine" and "hot pot"... He used the money he saved to buy clothes and daily necessities for everyone. Although his parents always blame him for "spending money indiscriminately", he knows that they like it.

Yes, who doesn’t like delicious food, who doesn’t like to dress decently and warmly, and who doesn’t like those beautiful and useful daily necessities?

Being able to let his parents and family enjoy this, he felt that his service as a soldier was worthwhile. For him, Dongmen City is not only a bustling street market, but also the embodiment of prosperous life.

He and his family struggled out of the mire with their heads held high.

(End of this chapter)