1978: A Literary Giant Who Began His Military Service

Chapter 60 Enlightenment
Zhou Xu waved goodbye to Li Xiaopan at the door: "Um... Teacher Li, are you going with the hospital's medical team?"

Li Xiaopan waved back, "Almost, the hospital is short-staffed! Some soldiers are too physically fit to ride in vehicles, so our medical staff will be leaving later."

"So after you went back, you went straight back to the military region?" Zhou Xu asked.

"Yes, I'll go back to my dad's unit first!" Li Xiaopan smiled slightly. "See you later! I'll write to you."

Goodbye, Teacher Li!

Goodbye, take good care of yourself when you get back.

As for Song Zhipeng and Chen Hui, they left for the military hospital several days earlier than Zhou Xu, since their injuries were much more serious than Zhou Xu's.

Li Xiaopan will most likely return to the Guangzhou Military Region. Zhou Xu exchanged contact information with her, and there might be opportunities to keep in touch later.

Mai Sui and the others naturally followed Zhou Xu.

Mai Sui helped Zhou Xu to the car.

Zhang Lingxiao said, "Maisui, bring Zhou Xu over and ride in my jeep."

Nowadays, leaders mainly ride in military jeeps, among which the BJ-212 jeep is a relatively common model.

Mai Sui helped Zhou Xu into the back seat of the jeep. She patted the seat cushion and said, "This is my first time riding in a jeep! This seat is much more comfortable than that truck seat."

Sitting in the front passenger seat, Zhang Lingxiao said with a smile, "Comrade Zhou Xu is injured. He's a veteran of honor. How can he ride in a truck?"

In the car, Zhou Xu asked Mai Sui, "By the way, where's your boyfriend?"

Mai Sui said, "He's alright!? He's already gone back to the military region..."

"Then why don't you apply to go back?"

Mai Sui said, "I have to take care of the wounded on the front lines! How could I possibly have a chance to go back?"

At this point, she showed great concern for the wounded members of the performing arts troupe: "You are our troupe's only hero! How could I not take good care of you? Political Commissar Huang has called me three or four times already, and he's been talking about it the whole time!"

"Hehe, Lao Huang is just worried about us," Zhou Xu said.

After all, more than a dozen comrades stayed on the front line to continue propaganda. Even if they didn't receive a first-class merit, most of these cultural troupe members would probably still be awarded a third-class merit, right?

"Take more medicine! Get well soon and go back to the performing arts troupe, okay?"

"..."

"I won't be going back for now," Zhou Xu said.

"Why don't you go back?" Mai Sui asked Zhou Xu, also surprised.

Zhou Xu took a deep breath and said, "I'll finish writing my book here before going back to the art troupe. I might lose my inspiration once I get back."

Moreover, their command post and military hospital went to the 200th Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, where martyrs' cemeteries for the 54th Army and other armies were also built.

Zhou Xu thought he should take one last look before leaving.

Zhang Lingxiao said, "Alright, when we get back to the command post, I'll talk to your political commissar for you."

The jeep started moving, and Zhou Xu sat in the back seat looking at the gray, foggy sky.

Zhou Xu believes that it takes one or two major events for a person to change.

The emergence of a literary giant also requires one or two major events to catalyze it.

For example, after World War I and World War II and their timelines, literary giants from all over the world collectively emerged.

Ernest Hemingway, the author of "The Old Man and the Sea," was a veteran of both World War I and World War II and a representative writer of the "Lost Generation."

The Japanese war and the subsequent economic depression led to the emergence of "ruins literature" by figures such as Osamu Dazai and Taie.

In Europe and America, there's "ruin literature," "nihilism," "absurdist literature," and "existentialist literature." In China, at the beginning of the 20th century, a chaotic generation produced figures like Lu Xun and Shen Congwen…

These are all explosive expressions of human reflection on the fate of war during or after World War I and II.

Suffering is the breeding ground for literature. Zhou Xu felt that after experiencing the war, his understanding of words and the world had become much deeper.

……

Two or three hours passed.

We finally arrived at the press office's frontline command post.

Zhang Lingxiao and Mai Sui helped Zhou Xu into the office first, and Zhang Lingxiao immediately dialed the number of the cultural troupe.

Political Commissar Huang answered: "Hello? Old Zhang, is that you calling? Has Zhou Xu been brought back?"

Zhou Xu answered the phone and said, "Hello, Political Commissar."

"It's you? You've returned to the rear! That's good, that's good." Political Commissar Huang took a deep breath: "The order to withdraw the troops has been issued. Director Zhou and I discussed it and are planning to transfer you back to the cultural troupe from the front to recuperate in a few days!"

Zhou Xu said, "Political Commissar Huang called... I want to ask for a month's leave?"

"..." Political Commissar Huang was surprised, thinking about asking for leave: "You're going back to visit your family? But your injuries haven't healed yet! Why don't you come back to the cultural troupe to recover first?"

"It's not that I'm asking for that family visit leave. I'm thinking of not transferring back first. I'll stay on the front line for a month, and wait until... after the funeral arrangements are settled, then I'll go back to the cultural troupe!" Zhou Xu said.

At that time, Zhou Youcai and his parents will most likely come to the command post to receive their medals.

A few days ago, Company Commander Song Zhipeng provided the materials to his superiors.

Generally speaking, martyrs are posthumously awarded first-class, second-class, or third-class merits. Those who die from gunshot wounds usually receive second- or third-class merits, while those who have performed meritorious service receive first-class merits.

Zhou Youcai triggered the landmine while protecting his company and killed many enemies. He was posthumously awarded a first-class merit, which was approved by the higher authorities.

"The funeral arrangements are settled."

Zhou Xu continued, "Also... I've recently had some new creative inspiration, so I want to finish writing my new book at the command post before returning to the cultural troupe."

"Creative work?" Political Commissar Huang nodded.

Generally speaking, the creative needs of the members of the cultural troupe are usually met as much as possible. Since Zhou Xu said that he only has inspiration to write new novels at the command post, we can only satisfy his needs.

"Okay, I approve your suggestion. Take good care of yourself at the field hospital! When you come back to the cultural troupe, everyone will suggest throwing you a victory celebration banquet!"

"Thank you, commissar."

Zhou Xu hung up the phone.

Zhang Lingxiao asked in surprise, "You really want to stay here?"

Zhou Xu nodded.

"Okay, I'll go arrange your dorm room first."

The frontline command post was originally a tent on the border, but now the troops have withdrawn and are stationed in the county town. They no longer need to live in tents; finally, they can live in concrete houses!

Zhang Lingxiao led Zhou Xu to the two-story concrete building behind the news office and picked out a room: "You can stay here for the next month!"

"it is good."

"The original plan was to have you removed the stitches and have the medication applied when we sent you back to the cultural troupe to see a doctor at the Wuhan Military Region Hospital, but that's not possible now. I'll let the comrades at the military hospital know in advance, and you can go there in a week to have the medication applied and the stitches removed."

Generally, stitches are removed about half a month after surgery. Zhou Xu returned to Wuhan around the same time, so now he can only have the procedure done at the 200th Military Region Hospital.

Zhou Xu nodded: "Thank you for the arrangement, leader."

(End of this chapter)