In fact it was simply Pu Yuanhui who should be to blame for this confinement due to his having a finger in He Qiming’s pie. It goes like this-the squad leader Lu Yuejin was actually bad-tempered, and was even more impatient in training recruits. He Qiming was tall but not strong enough and in drilling the kicking action of goose step, he was a bit crooked and even he was straightened up, he would be crooked again. The training competition of new recruits was about to be held soon, how could Leader Lu let the rotten apple injures its neighbors? In momentary impatience he cursed, “Fuck! How can you make an ass of yourself?” and he gave He Qiming a good kick that just hit his balls. He Qiming lost his balance and fell straight on the ground with his hands covering his crotch. Pu Yuanhui pounced on Lu Yuejin and gave him a heavy punch. “How can you beat him?!” Pu Yunahui knew He Qiming had been bullied after his mother’s death, so what he hated most was others calling him names. Lu Yuejin was an old campaigner and a leader but lost face in the presence of recruits this time. He angrily swept He Qiming on the face with a flying kick and at once He’s nose began bleeding heavily. Everyone stood still. Pu Yuanhui bound Leader Lu’s arms in the back and yelled, “Beat him!”
Finally though Lu Yuejin had his chin was skewed, the two fearless new recruits didn’t get much advantage. To go against your senior and to be insubordinate was a serious offend and caused serious result-to be locked in the confinement cell for a whole day and to write a letter of confession. What He Qiming wrote was just so so, while Pu Yuanhui had wrote a confession letter that made him rise to fame in the company.
The confession letter went from a touching description of the course of the incident to his own profound retrospection then to the actual final keynote on the harm on revolutionary comrades from body to soul by the leader’s barbaric way of training. And finally he extended to the spirit of Lei Feng, to the disadvantages of rebellious psychology on the battlefield, to the establishment of a person’s outlook on life and world. The letter made the Company political instructor the Company commander praise him greatly. Was it written by a new recruit?
Pu Yuanhui was quite good at writing when he was at school. As he went out of the cell, a new squad leader was in charge of the training who wouldn’t beat or scold the recruits. While Lu Yuejin was punished by transferred to the kitchen squad working as a kitchen assistant, which made Pu Yuanhui very guilty.
On someday in the second winter, the leader of the kitchen squad Dong Chao said to the two sneaky guys, “Why do you two keep peeping at the door? Isn’t it that you’re assigned to help by the political instructor?”
Lu Yuejin, who was kneading the dough, had long lost his prestige in the time of the training. He continued to make the dough and sprinkled some flour onto the kneading board, without raising his head.
No one knew where He Qiming managed to get three cigarettes and a bottle of Erguotou. They sat down face to face and began smoking, except Pu Yuanhui, who didn’t smoke. It was a rare idle moment. The four chatted and laughed. Previously they were hostile to each other, but when they met again, they laughed to forget their conflicts. But Pu Yuanhui still thought the way Dong Chao looked at him was a bit strange, who added “On your birthday next year I’ll prepare some delicious dishes for you.” at the end of this mini get=together.
Before he got drunk, He Qiming heard Dong Chao mentioned about his sister, who lived in the nearby village previously. She was a very pretty girl. So Dong Chao was unwilling to marry her to any local boy. He was going to marry her to a city dweller. So that was why he took special care of the soldiers from cities.
“Come to my home to have Jiaozi in the Spring Festival.” Dong Chao said casually. “And have my sister meet you.”
“And have she nitpick and choose between us?” Pu Yuanhui laughed.
“She can choose, but she dare not to nitpick.” Dong Chao began to tidy up.
In the second year of enlistment, Pu Yuanhui met the legendary Liu Manjing at last. On the first sight of her he began to love her. Suddenly some poetic sentences from “The journey to the West” occurred to him,
“Bones of jade under skin as pure as ice,
A creamy bosom revealed by her neckline.
Her willow eyebrows were black and glossy,
And silver stars shone from her almond eyes.
She was as graceful as the moon,
As pure as the heavens.
Her body was like a swallow in a willow−tree,
Her voice like an oriole singing in the wood.
She was wild apple−blossom enmeshing the sun,
An opening peony full of the spring.”
Her healthy, vivacious face and her hourglass figure simply made Pu Yuanhui have a sexual impulse at the thought of her, as if her reserved gentle smile would be kept in his heart forever.
Liu Manjing came over along the field ridge. It was drizzling that day. And Liu Manjing was a bit hesitant in the mizzle. She wore a pair of new shoes, if she couldn’t stride across the gap, her shoes would be covered with mud
Both Pu Yuanhui and He Qiming stretched out their hands to help her, one on the left, another on the right.
Pu Yuanhui felt Liu Manjing’s hand soft and smaller than his autie’s. He Qiming also did his utmost to please her and helped her to unload the basket from her back.
Liu Manjing was stir-frying a dish in the kitchen, wearing an old sweater. Sweat came down her face and she dried it with a smile. She turned around and said to the few people waiting at the table, “Just wait a moment. Can you eat spicy food?”
He Qiming said, “Yes, the more the better!” They drank a lot and ate a lot of meat. Liu Manjing sat aside, smiled and picked up food with chopsticks. She looked a little shy when she had a drink, but swallowed her drink in one gulp.
She had a good smell of green grass. And she said to He Qiming with a smile, “Were you scared by me that day when I leaned over the window? Actually I only wanted to have a look at your appearance. You’ve been mentioned by my elder brother.”
That night, He Qiming couldn’t go to sleep in his lower berth. He lit a cigar and invited Pu Yuanhui for a chat. “If you like her, I’ll give her up. I’m not for her.”
“It’s you whom she loved.” Pu Yuanhui could tell from Liu Manjing’s expression.
During many times of give-and-take, Pu Yuanhui dated Liu Manjing on several vacations, fishing, swimming, digging up potatoes.
Everything went on following the logical train and fell into place.
“Dear brother, will you pursue me after you retire from the army?” Liu Manjing lay naked in the sorghum field. It was in April, the spring was warm and all flowers were blooming. And her beautifully curved body was rising and falling with excitement.
“Of course I will, you’re already my wife.” Pu Yuanhui hugged her excitedly. The clean girl, the clean body.
In fact, the Company political instructor also had a sister who was in barracks right now. In the first week when his sister, Xiang Caihong, came here, the number of patients in the company suddenly increased. Many of them didn’t come to see the doctor at all. They came to see Xiang Caihong, including the two guys, He Qiming and Pu yuanhui. The princess had a lively character and a pleasant appearance, everyone liked her.
Xiang Caihong picked and chose repeatedly for many times, and she took a fancy to only these two-He Qiming was tall, humorous and more outgoing, but too slippery, while Pu Yuanhui tended to be introverted and looked a little timid. What’s more, he was said to be in a very good relationship with the village girl Liu Manjing. When young boys and girls were in good relationship they tended to became couples, not to mention they were in the army, where there was little personnel turnover. It would be a quite pleasant thing to have some minor sickness, for you could get a chance to have a rest and chat with the girl nurse.