Origin

  After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lin Zhenhua followed He Haifeng and Lu Zhiqiang out of the police station and walked towards the only restaurant on the street. Lin Zhenhua finally had the opportunity to take in this world he had arrived in.

  The location of Hongshan Commune has only one street less than 200 meters long, with a police station, clinic, commune revolutionary committee, grain store, supply and marketing cooperative, restaurant and other units. The street is paved with bluestone, which is full of mud. On the walls on both sides of the street, there are some slogans with distinct characteristics of the times. There are not many people on the street, and most people's clothes have patches, showing a life of poverty.

  As he entered the restaurant, he saw that there were only four eight-immortal tables inside, with four long benches around each table. Although it was mealtime, there wasn't a single customer in the restaurant, and the little waitress with braids was sitting aside knitting sweaters. Lin Zhenhua knew that this wasn't because the food at the restaurant didn't smell good, but rather because ordinary people wouldn't go to restaurants to eat back then, and business would only pick up during special occasions. Anyway, the restaurant was state-run, so it was guaranteed a steady income regardless of whether it was busy or not, and the staff had grown accustomed to its emptiness.

  "Xiao Zhang, we have customers." Lu Zhiqiang shouted to the waiter.

  Xiao Zhang raised his head and saw Lu Zhiqiang, enthusiastically shouting: "Brother Lu, another leader has arrived?"

  Lu Zhiqiang replied, "That's right, the leaders from the provincial capital want to see Master Bai's skills." Then he turned around and smiled at He Haifeng and Lin Zhenhua: "Our small place usually doesn't have many visitors. But Old White's craftsmanship is pretty good."

  Four people sat at the four sides of an octagonal table, with one person occupying a long bench. He Lan was a little girl in heart and couldn't sit still, sitting for a while at this end and then that end, treating the long bench as a seesaw to play on. After Lin Zhenhua sat down, he habitually looked around for the waitress, waiting for her to bring over the menu to order, but after a while, he suddenly remembered that it was only 1979, there were very few dishes in the restaurant, and the only menu was written with chalk on a blackboard.

  As it was He Haifeng's treat, Lu Zhiqiang didn't dare to take liberties. He whispered a few words to He Haifeng before shouting to the waiter: "The usual, two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, and a bottle of De Shan Da Qu."

  The waiter came over and collected the money, a total of two yuan and eighty cents, plus one kilogram of grain coupons. Lu Zhiqiang made a gesture to pay, but was stopped by He Haifeng, who had promised to treat them to this meal. Lu Zhiqiang and Lin Zhenhua were both helping him out, so it wasn't right for them to pay. Lu Zhiqiang knew this too, and his earlier gesture of reaching for his wallet was just a polite formality, like a slow-motion shot in a movie.

  Lin Zhenhua seized every opportunity to search for the common sense of life in this era from his residual memories. He had just checked his own pocket, inside which there were over 100 yuan and more than 40 kilograms of national grain coupons. This money was his own demobilization allowance. In that era, an ordinary worker's salary was about 40 yuan, and a People's Liberation Army soldier's subsidy was over 10 yuan per month. Over 100 yuan was a huge sum of money.

  Vegetables and wine were quickly served, He Lan naturally had no qualifications to drink wine, so he could only sit on the side and eat quietly, from time to time finding a reason to argue with Lin Zhenhua. The three men poured wine for each other, exchanged pleasantries, and this meal was considered started.

  Among the three, Lu Zhiqiang is a retired soldier and has some sense of identity with Lin Zhenhua. He Haifeng is a department head in the Provincial Light Industry Department, a university student before the special period, and actually has more common language with Lin Zhenhua now. However, Lin Zhenhua dare not reveal his crosser identity, so he still participates in the conversation as a retired soldier.

  He Haifeng was returning home with his daughter to visit relatives, taking this long-distance bus back to the provincial city. Who would have thought that they encountered this incident on the way? Fortunately, Lin Zhenhua came to their rescue, and his daughter was safe and sound.

  "Come on, Xiao Lin, let me toast you another glass. Yesterday's matter would have been a big trouble if it weren't for you." He Haifeng said, holding up his cup.

  "Lao He, this is what I should do," Lin Zhenhua replied. He raised his cup and clinked it with He Haifeng before downing the liquor in one gulp. Dezhou Daqu was a famous local wine, and at that time, counterfeit liquor was not yet popular, so drinking it made him feel warm and comfortable inside. When Lin Zhenhua was studying at Huqing University, he wasn't very good at drinking, but now it seemed that the body he had inherited still had a decent capacity for alcohol.

  "To be honest, when I saw the thug take out a bomb, as a father, I didn't even react in time. Xiao Lin immediately shielded Lingling with his body." He Haifeng said.

  Lin Zhenhua raised his eyes to look at He Lan, smiled and said: "I'm a scout, so I naturally react faster in this regard. At that time, I had an idea, such a beautiful little girl, if she was scratched by shrapnel, it would be a pity."

  He Lan heard Lin Zhenhua praise her for being beautiful, and she couldn't help but feel a little shy. In that era, people's evaluations of appearance were still relatively implicit, so directly saying that a young girl was beautiful was considered quite abrupt. However, it was precisely this abruptness that made the young girl feel delighted in her heart.

  "Come on, come on, eat something." He Haifeng finished his toast and continued to persuade him to eat.

  Everyone chatted while drinking, and gradually they talked about Lin Zhenhua's identity. He Haifeng was surprised: "Little Lin, I heard from Lu Suozhang that you are a retired soldier, but you're only 18 years old. At this age, you should be serving in the army, how did you retire?"

  Lu Zhiqiang looked at Lin Zhenhua and smiled: "I was just about to ask this question, Little Lin, you're a bit too young for this soldier."

  Lin Zhenhua searched his mind for a moment and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed: "This... I joined the army quite early, at 16 years old."

  At 16 years old, joining the army was also a thing back then, but Lin Zhenhua went to join the army so early completely because he really couldn't bear it at that time.

  Previously, Lin Zhenhua was very unfortunate. His parents died in an accident when he was 13 years old, leaving him and his 11-year-old sister to live on the consolation money from the factory. The uncles and aunts in the factory pitied the siblings' situation and took good care of them. However, Lin Zhenhua did not study well and indulged in smoking, drinking, gambling, and fighting. He was proficient in everything except for his studies. Su Yongsheng, the head of the security department at the factory, was a close friend of Lin Zhenhua's parents before they passed away. Seeing that Lin Zhenhua was only one step away from being sent to the police station, he used his authority to send him to the army, hoping that he could change his ways and become a new person in the military.

  Lin Zhenhua met a good company commander and a good platoon leader in the army. Under their strict requirements, Lin Zhenhua not only developed solid military skills but also made great changes in his personal character and behavior. If it weren't for this, he wouldn't have taken such a heroic action this time.

  In February this year, Lin Zhenhua's unit participated in the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam. His reconnaissance company became the first unit to attack Tuyên Quang. When clearing a hidden Vietnamese bunker, Lin Zhenhua's respected company commander was unfortunately shot and killed, and his platoon leader was seriously injured, leaving one leg on the battlefield. When the Vietnamese soldiers in the bunker finally came out to surrender, Lin Zhenhua couldn't hold back his anger and fired a burst of shots at the surrendering Vietnamese with a light machine gun, violating battlefield discipline. After the war ended, Lin Zhenhua's second-class merit was cancelled, and he was also discharged early.

  Lin Zhenhua simply told He Haifeng and Lu Zhiqiang about the past. He Haifeng said with a sense of injustice: "It's normal for young people to have some blood, credit is credit, mistakes are mistakes, how can the troops deal with it like this?" In fact, he was not clear what military discipline should be like, but Lin Zhenhua was his daughter's lifesaver, so he had to help say a few words.

  Lu Zhiqiang raised his wine cup and said, "Xiao Lin, after hearing you out, I have two words for you: admiration! If it were me, I would do the same. When your comrades have made the ultimate sacrifice, how can you not avenge them? Come, let's borrow He Chang's wine to toast you with a cup."

  Lin Zhenhua raised his glass and took a sip, saying to Lu Zhigang and He Haifeng: "It's okay to retire early, the company commander and platoon leader have both left, I don't see much point in staying in the army anymore. I still have a younger sister at home, I should go back and take care of her too."

  He Haifeng said: "Kobayashi is right, now is the time for economic construction. Vice Chairman Deng has said that in the future, we should focus on economic construction. Going back to the factory early can also achieve something. However, now is an era that emphasizes science and technology. After Kobayashi goes back, he needs to strengthen his cultural studies, otherwise, he will be at a disadvantage."

  He Haifeng just heard Lin Zhenhua say that his junior high school was also mixed, didn't learn anything, so from the perspective of a predecessor, he gave him some advice. Lin Zhenhua nodded repeatedly, expressing gratitude.

  He Lan sat to one side, listening to the adults talk. Lin Zhenhua's story about the self-defense counterattack war deeply moved her, and in her gaze at Lin Zhenhua, there was already a hint of admiration.