Spring is full of vitality, and the strong smell of spring is intoxicating. Bright sunlight shines into the living room through the window. I sat alone on the sofa, looking through the photo album. When I saw the photos when I was a soldier, I brought my mood into endless reverie and deep memories.
Time flies, I have been discharged from the army and returned to my hometown for more than 30 years. In these 30 years, the history of being a soldier in Ali, especially in the last year or two, is the most urgent and unforgettable.
In more than two years, I will retire, and the leaders are very concerned. The main work at hand is given to young people, who do some unimportant things. Therefore, the natural heart is no longer busy and nervous for work, and you can write some memories that you want to write most when you have time.
In my mind, I have always regarded Ali in Tibet as my second hometown. I have never left my hometown for such a long time except for being a soldier for more than five years in my life.
Tibetans are very honest with people. Once we went to Ali Zada County to do business. After that, I went to play in Tibetan tents with some comrades. Fortunately, this Tibetan can speak Chinese and his host family is very friendly to us. At present, highland barley wine, butter tea, Tibetan milk peaches and milk residue are served to us. We can't resist the host's enthusiasm, so we have to do it ourselves. We drank, talked and laughed. We know the folk customs in Tibet. We met the host as if we had known each other for a long time. The host's wife keeps pouring wine and tea. After drinking wine and tea, we left them. I thought to myself at that time that I would never see each other again in my life. Whenever I think of this family, I feel depressed and worried.
In Shiquanhe City, Ali, according to the plateau, the climate is normal, but it is very different from the mainland. The wind on the plateau is extremely sharp, blowing on the face and slightly stinging in summer. In the severe winter, the wind blows on the face, and it has a biting feeling. Where there are houses or buildings, you can often hear the harsh sound of "whoosh, whoosh", and sometimes even the whistle. This is all the wind that blows through the house.
I remember there was a mountain behind my camp. Think of it as a huge sand dune. We often climb up and down. Sometimes in the company, we go to Shiquanhe City to perform stilts. We practice, and then we practice walking up and down on stilts. Now that I think about it, it is really the ultimate practice. Everyone didn't fall, but they were comfortable and handy.
The tiny grains of sand on the mountain are actually very clean when you look closely. Every grain of sand is crystal clear, so playing and crawling on the mountain always keeps my clothes clean, which I will never forget.
Speaking of walking on stilts, I played a Korean girl in that performance. After putting on makeup, dressing and practicing performances, it's really vivid. After performing in the city, when I took off my makeup, I was surrounded by many Tibetan compatriots. After I took off my makeup, everyone saw them dressed as women, which caused a burst of laughter, and I also felt a sense of satisfaction.
Tibetan compatriots living in Ali, because they were born here, the environment is not suitable for them.
Staying here for a long time seems to have adapted to everything here.
I haven't been to Lhasa, and I don't know how cold it is in winter. In Ali, it is very cold in winter, more than 40 degrees below zero. You have to wear a fur coat when you stand guard in winter, otherwise it will be very cold.
Once a mountain was blocked by heavy snow, which hindered the traffic between people in several villages in a county and the outside world. My superiors asked me to help clear the snow barrier and clear the road in a place called "Osaka, Laozi". I haven't seen it before when I went to the local area. It is hard to imagine that the snow to be cleared in the mainland is more than three meters thick. We dug for four days and finally got the road through. That smell is fresh in my memory and unforgettable.
The place where the snow is dug is more than 4500 meters above sea level, and the air is very thin. There is a comrade-in-arms named Li Lin in my class. After arriving at the place where the snow was dug, he felt unwell. Later, according to him, it was a bit like death.
I am the monitor and take care of him like a brother. He retired two years before me and lived in Xinjiang Construction Corps. Later, I heard that his family had settled in Lianyungang. I think he will remember this past.
We sleep in the snow cellar at night, and the snow under the mattress is not warm at all, which shows how cold it is.
In daily life, in addition to vegetables, we also supply canned food and tin cans, which are various, including fruits and vegetables and meat. My favorite food is canned lunch meat and steamed buns with sliced lunch meat. It's really delicious.
In Tibet, at that time, our living standard in the plateau was much higher than that in the mainland, but it was far from being comparable to that in the mainland. The main reason is that the price difference is too big, even the instructors are careful, afraid that everyone will not eat well and try their best to adjust.
At that time, the salt that Lian Li ate was dug by our car in a salt lake hundreds of miles away. Once we dig up the salt, we can eat it for years. ?
Your company bought a flock of sheep. Comrades let them go quickly. They usually eat and kill, which is much cheaper than going to the market to buy meat. The tutor really put a lot of thought into living for your company.
On the way to dig salt, we happened to meet a Tibetan Jockey Club, which really showed me the tenacity of Tibetan compatriots.
Tibetan compatriots have the habit of eating raw yak meat. I really envy watching them eat raw meat. I always think this may be the reason why they are strong.
Tibetan comrades can sing and dance well. I have seen such a song and dance in Ali, Tibet. They planted highland barley, men and women stood in a row, holding labor tools, singing and dancing, beating the land rhythmically and burying highland barley seeds.
Tibetan compatriots singing and dancing are unique to men and women. They are beautiful and durable. ? Their cheerful and beautiful songs are like a labor song. They never seem to get tired, which really makes me feel that art comes from labor.
Compared with nature, people cannot be smaller. When you look at Tibet, you can see the mountains close at hand. If you want to reach the heel of the mountain, it's not easy. Legs alone can't get there in a day.
Tibetans and livestock in pastoral areas need to go to salt lakes hundreds of miles away to get salt. Herdsmen have their own ways to get salt, that is, when grazing, they should catch up with the sheep and be on the road themselves. A few days later, each sheep brought back tens of thousands of kilograms of salt. Needless to say, the hard work of herders.
We even had three Tibetan soldiers, Phuket Wu and Tsering Duoji, and I can't remember the other one. They are all Ali natives, and they are all very smart. They speak Chinese very well, almost no different from us. Who can say that we are not a country? Phuket Wu is in my class and is very studious. I usually teach him many Chinese characters.
The place where Ali trees grow the most is Hongliutan, which I have been to. Most parts of Liu Hong are very lush. Walking in the forest of Liu Hong, I couldn't help touching the willow. If I don't reach Liu Hong Beach, I dare to think where there is such a big forest.
Indeed, seeing an oasis in Ali is a great enjoyment for American soldiers from the mainland. In the alpine region, there are few places where trees grow, so we are very happy to be here. We really don't want to leave, and we have an unspeakable feeling.
Shiquan River flows not far from my camp. We often walk by the river, and sometimes I sit quietly by the river, as if the river had taken away all my reverie.
Whenever my comrades and I come to the river in the evening, the sunset shines obliquely on the river and the fish jump out of the water. It's really a beautiful plateau landscape, which makes people beautiful.
I still remember, on the bank of Shiquan River not far from my camp, about one kilometer away, there is an open field in Ma Pingchuan. The wind has blown away the floating sand on the surface and the underground is very hard. Looking forward at the foot of the mountain, people can imagine how precious this piece of land in vast expanse is in my memory.
Maybe it will become a city with high-rise buildings, maybe it will become an industrial zone, maybe … maybe … In short, I think my dream will come true one day, because it is too close to Shiquanhe City.
My five-year military career has made me deeply understand the kindness, courage and hard work of Tibetan compatriots, and also made me deeply understand the meaning of "Tibetan-Chinese family".
I miss my five-year military career. On the roof of the world, there is a brave army like us, guarding the border defense of the motherland from generation to generation.
I don't know how many excellent soldiers have been cast in the frontier defense of Ali, Tibet. After retiring from the army, how many of them have become the best in the industry in the construction of the motherland, and have re-cast glory for the construction of the motherland.
During my five years in office, more than 30 years have passed now. I still remember the leaders who worked in thy company for a long time. The most impressive ones are instructor Yang Yangang, company commander Wu, and later company commander Bai Zhen, my platoon leader, Gun Yoon and other leaders. I can't remember their names.
Comrades who fought together, not to mention local villagers, provincial health workers like Li Tiancai, Li Lin and Chen Min, can also name two Tibetan comrades-in-arms, and some people know people. Quite a few comrades from other provinces can't remember their names.
It is because of the crush of time, the waste of time and vicissitudes of life, the rush to make a living and the busy work that they forget their names. Now that I think about it, it's a pity that I didn't write down the names of every comrade-in-arms.
We all work and live together from distant hometown, and their words and deeds have a deep impact on my later work and life, which has benefited me a lot.
Instructor Yang Yangang is knowledgeable. When writing an article, every word between the lines should be scrutinized repeatedly and must not be sloppy.
Wu, the company commander, gave me a lot of truth about being a man, and I was calm when things happened.
Wu Hongbin, the platoon leader, gave me many ways to do the ideological work of the soldiers in the class, which is also a magic weapon for the ideological progress of the soldiers.
Yin Jian, a platoon leader, has been a writer for a long time, and his writing has a great influence on me, which is why I keep publishing my works today.
Comrades have given me persistence and endurance in doing anything.
Although I don't have a magnificent life, all this is priceless to me and will benefit me for life.
I once wrote a song "Hometown Far Away"
The tile-blue Bangong Lake,
Shining in the wind,
The bright sunshine is scattered on the lake.
The lake rippled gently.
Eagle! Spread your wings and fly,
Seems to be kissing the tempting sky.
The girl rides a horse on the vast grassland.
Take good care of yaks and sheep.
Mountain peaks in the sun,
A permanent and solid iceberg!
In the mist,
Reflect a charming light.
The song echoed in the air,
In my heart!
Hiding a beautiful picture,
It depicts my distant hometown.
Ali.
I haven't forgotten the days there, the land there, the mountains and rivers there. What impressed me most was the comrades who fought side by side there. Every familiar face, whenever I think of it, will slip through my mind like a movie. Although they have left their distant hometown, I believe that everyone is still attached to everything there, and the soul of the army remains in their hometown-Ali. ?
Personal profile
? Li Xuejun, pen name Xia Chu, served in the Ali Army Division in Tibet, enlisted in 1980, and retired in 1986. After retirement, he arranged to work in a government agency. In recent two years, he has published many novels, essays, poems and other works, and has been hired as a contract writer by China Contemporary Writers' Union.