red moscow

Chapter 2648

When Kopalova came to Sokov's carriage, Seryosha followed in with his luggage. He put the luggage in the corner and said with a smile: "Kopalova, you and Misha must have not seen each other for a long time. I think you have a lot to talk about. I'm in the next compartment. If you need anything, just call me."

After Seryosha left, Kopalova and Sokov were the only ones left in the box.

After a brief silence, Kopalova asked, "Wasn't there a major just now? Where is he now?"

"In the next box," Sokov replied. "He left, just like Seryosha, because he felt that his presence here might affect our conversation."

"There are a few people in the next room. Can they accommodate us?"

"Besides Seryosha and the major, there are also my two guards. It's a box for four people, so there's no need to worry."

Kopalova, who was sitting opposite Sokov, stood up, walked over and sat next to Sokov, resting her head on Sokov's shoulder: "Misha, you promised me many things, but you didn't fulfill any of them. Tell me, how should I punish you?"

Hearing what Kopalova said, Sokov felt a little embarrassed. When they were in Moscow, Kopalova invited him to watch a play and even bought the tickets, but he broke the appointment. He laughed dryly and explained in a pale tone: "Actually, I didn't break the appointment on purpose, but because something happened at home, I couldn't get away."

"By the way, according to the time calculation, Asia should have given birth." Kopalova sat up and tilted her head to ask Sokov: "Is it a son or a daughter? Can I be the child's godmother?"

Sokov didn't expect Kopalova to suddenly ask about his sad past. The corners of his mouth twitched violently for a few times, and he murmured, "It's gone. The child is long gone."

Kopalova was stunned after hearing this, and then asked back: "What's going on? Why is there no child?"

"On New Year's Day, Asiya went back to her parents' home in Khimki. On the way back, she was in a car accident and was seriously injured." Sokov said sadly: "Although she survived after rescue, the baby in her belly was gone."

"Misha, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." Kopalova didn't know about Asia's miscarriage. When she heard Sokov say that, she immediately realized that she had asked a question she shouldn't have asked. She quickly stroked Sokov's face and said apologetically, "I shouldn't have mentioned your sad past."

"It's okay, it's all over." Speaking of children, Sokov naturally thought of Kalina. She was due in more than two months, and he wondered if she could give birth to the baby smoothly and without any accidents.

"Misha, I heard something about you."

"About me?" Sokov asked in surprise, "What is it?"

"It is said that when you visited Marshal Zhukov on New Year's Day, you met Comrade Khrushchev and told him that Ukraine will suffer a severe drought this year, which may even lead to food supply problems." Kopalova looked at Sokov and asked, "Misha, is this true?"

Sokov did not expect that what he said when he wished Zhukov a happy new year would be known to Kopalova. He must have heard what he said. If the situation he said did happen in the next few months, it might not be a big deal. If the weather was good and the harvest was good, he might be accused of "spreading rumors" and imprisoned in Lubyanka Prison.

Thinking of this, he asked cautiously: "Kopalova, can you tell me where you heard this rumor from?"

"I also heard it from people in the newspaper." Kopalova explained to Sokov: "When I wanted to know more about the sources of information, others refused to tell me." Perhaps worried that Sokov would be suspicious, she added, "You know, we journalists have a wide range of sources of information. We have special channels to learn about news that ordinary people don't know."

Sokov smiled and asked, "Kopalova, since you said you have special information channels and can learn some things that ordinary people don't know, let me ask you, do you know what position I will hold after I go to Vienna?"

"Tsk, you thought I really didn't know." Kopalova said disdainfully, "Just now in the dining car, there were a lot of people around, I couldn't tell everyone about your affairs, lest the secret be leaked. In fact, before I got on the train, I knew you were appointed commander of the 4th Guards Army. At that time, I was still wondering if I needed to check every compartment after the train departed to see if I could find any trace of you. I didn't expect my luck to be so good that I actually met you in the dining car."

Sokov frowned, remembering what Kopalova said about the leader of the interview team putting her in the same box with three strange men, and wondered if this was an excuse Kopalova deliberately made up to get close to him.

"Then why did the head of the interview team arrange for you to be in the same box with three strange men?"

Kopalova was stunned at first when she heard Sokov's question, but then she understood what Sokov meant and quickly explained, "Misha, don't get me wrong. I stayed in a box with three strange men. It was the negligence of the people who booked the tickets in the newspaper's logistics department that led to such a low-level mistake." Then she said, "But it's good this way. I can move in with you legitimately."

Sokov teased her intentionally: "You and I are alone in a room, aren't you worried about something going wrong?"

"What could possibly happen?" Kopalova said, "Don't forget, we were in love a year before the war broke out. We did everything we should and shouldn't do. What should I worry about?"

Hearing what Kopalova said, Sokov broke into a cold sweat. Although he had taken over this body, he did not inherit the original owner's memory, so he suddenly had no idea what had happened between him and Kopalova. He planned to find a chance to slip out and ask Seryosha if he knew anything, otherwise he would be too passive.

"Kopalova, how long can you stay in Vienna this time?"

"It's hard to say." Kopalova shook her head and said, "There are two versions in the newspaper. One is that after covering the military exercise, the reporting team returned to Moscow. The other version is that the reporting team is stationed in Vienna as a branch of the newspaper. If it is the latter, I am afraid I will have to stay in Vienna for a year or two before I have the opportunity to return to Moscow."

"Ah, are you going to stay that long?"

Kopalova put her arms around Sokov's neck and asked with a smile: "Misha, if you also want to stay in Vienna for a long time, and I invite you out for dinner, movies, or opera, will you still refuse me?"

"Maybe, probably, possibly." Sokov didn't expect Kopalova to ask this question suddenly. He didn't know how to answer in a hurry: "We'll see what happens then."

Kopalova chuckled, loosened her arms around her neck, stood up and walked to the bed opposite to lie down, and said to Sokov: "I was busy selecting photos all night yesterday, and now I feel a little sleepy. I will take a nap first, and call me when it's time for dinner." Sokov was just looking for an opportunity to sneak out of the box and find Seryosha to find out what was going on. Hearing Kopalova say this, it was like someone gave him a pillow when he wanted to take a nap. He was immediately delighted and nodded quickly, saying: "Well, you have a good rest, and I'll call you when it's time for dinner."

When he saw Kopalova covered herself with a blanket and turned sideways to sleep, Sokov did not rush to leave the box, but took out a book to read.

After reading for about half an hour, Sokov thought Kopalova might have fallen asleep, so he put down the book in his hand and tiptoed out of the box.

Arriving at the next private room, Sokov opened the door and was immediately intoxicated by the smell of cigarettes. He took two steps back, fanning his hands in front of him to disperse the smoke, and said unhappily, "How many cigarettes did you smoke? I thought there was a fire in the private room."

Seryosha came out of the box first and said apologetically, "Misha, I'm so sorry. We forgot to open the window when we were smoking, and the whole box was filled with smoke."

Vaserigov also came out, straightened up and asked: "Comrade General, do you have any instructions?"

"I have no instructions for you," said Sokov. "I just came to see Seryosha and ask him something."

Seryosha didn't expect that Sokov came here specifically to see him. He glanced at the closed door of the box next to him and asked tentatively: "Should we go in and talk, or go somewhere else?"

"Let's go to the dining car," Sokov said. "There shouldn't be many people here at this hour."

The two came to the dining car, where there was no one except a female conductor.

Seeing the two of them looking for a place to sit, the female conductor hurried over and asked politely, "What would you like to order?"

"Two cups of coffee, please." Sokov ordered, "One cup of black coffee, no sugar cubes; one cup of milk coffee, two sugar cubes."

Soon, two cups of coffee were placed on the table. The conductor guessed that the two must have something important to discuss, so he retreated to the other end of the carriage.

Sokov pushed the black coffee in front of Seryosha and said, "Seryosha, I called you out because I have something important to ask you."

Seryosha took the black coffee and asked in surprise, "What's the important matter?"

"What was my relationship with Kopalova in the past?"

"What else could it be? Of course they are lovers." Seryosha looked at Sokov and said, "You asked this question before. I explained it to you in detail. How come you forgot it again?"

"Yes, I forgot again." Sokov said with a wry smile, "I don't know why, but now I seem to be very forgetful. There are many things that I completely forget in a blink of an eye."

"You and Kopalova were lovers during college, and originally planned to get married on October Day in 1941. However, with the outbreak of the war, your wedding was postponed." Seryosha told Sokov about the events of that year while drinking coffee: "After joining the army, you performed outstandingly, and in just three months, you were appointed as the squad leader of the Khimki Town Guard.

Shortly before the counter-offensive began, the town of Khimki was bombed by enemy planes, and you were knocked unconscious in the bombing. When you woke up, you seemed to be a different person. You used to call Kopalova every other day, but since that day, I have never seen you call Kopalova.

I thought something went wrong between you two and you broke up quietly. It wasn't until the Battle of Stalingrad that Kopalova and several reporters entered the city to interview and met you again. I could see that she looked at you with deep affection, and the way you looked at her, apart from being amazed by her beauty, was like looking at a stranger. "

Sokov scratched the back of his head and said, "Seryosha, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. Since I was knocked unconscious by the German bombing, I have lost a lot of my memories. I don't even remember someone as important to me as Kopalova."

"Misha, I was just talking to the major. You are going to Vienna to serve as the commander of the 4th Guards Army, and the newspaper's interview team will stay there for quite a long time. Maybe something will happen between you and Kopalova. I also reminded him that he only needs to know about this matter in his heart, and must not let Asia know when he returns to Moscow, otherwise it will cause you a lot of unnecessary trouble."

"Seryosha, I know Major Vaserigov. He is a very tight-lipped man. Even if he knows something is going on between Kopalova and me, he won't tell Asia. You can rest assured about that." Sokov picked up the coffee and wanted to take a sip, but found it was too hot, so he put it down again: "Seryosha, I've thought about it. With my authority, I can appoint you as a lieutenant. When we get to Vienna, do you want to stay with me or go to the grassroots troops?"

"If possible, I still want to stay by your side." Seryosha said, "You know, during the entire war, I basically stayed by your side. I rarely had the opportunity to go to the front line, and I didn't have much combat experience at all."

"Since you want to stay with me, then I will do as you wish." Sokov said, "When we arrive in Vienna and I officially take over the position of Army Group Commander, I will arrange a suitable position for you."

"Misha, thank you." Seryosha's eyes turned red when he heard this, and he said gratefully: "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to return to the army."

After they finished their coffee and walked back slowly, Sokov asked again, "Do you plan to stay in the next room with the major and the others, or go back to the original room and live with us?"

"I'd better stay in the same box with the major and the others." Seryosha showed a smile that everyone understood: "This way, there will be enough space for you. No matter what happens during the rest of the journey, you don't have to worry about being disturbed."

Sokov returned to the box and unexpectedly found Kopalova sitting on the bunk reading a book. He was surprised: "Didn't you say you were going to sleep? Why are you up?"

"I stayed up all night. Although I was very tired, my mind was in an excited state. I couldn't fall asleep. I just got up and read a book." Kopalova looked at Sokov and asked, "Misha, where have you been?"

"Seryozha and I went to the restaurant and had a cup of coffee."