Chapter 11: Receiving Another New Assignment

Chapter 11: Another New Mission

(Part One)

“So that’s how it is? I knew it—Xiao Shanzi is such a good soldier, there’s no way he’d be a coward!” After hearing Guan Shan’s detailed explanation, Li Yunlong’s expression shifted from gloomy clouds to radiant sunshine in an instant, with no delay at all.

No wonder his old comrade Kong Jie once called Li Yunlong a dog-faced man, saying he could flip his expression faster than turning a page—he wasn’t wrong.

The matter wasn’t complicated and was soon cleared up.

A few hours earlier, the unit transferring the troops had met the reception team sent by the Independent Regiment. Considering Guan Shan was a new recruit and unfamiliar face, the regiment had specifically assigned several soldiers from Company 1, 2nd Platoon, 3rd Squad, who knew him well.

Because they were familiar, they were warm and friendly. When they saw Guan Shan carrying a Type 24 submachine gun slung over his shoulder, they teased him nonstop—something like “upgraded your gear,” “doing pretty well,” and joked that Guan Shan was just a rookie who had never fired a gun before.

Of course, these were all whispered privately. In front of the local comrades and the transfer troops, they still gave Guan Shan face.

That submachine gun naturally became a hot topic of discussion. Guan Shan didn’t hide the truth from his comrades; he simply recounted the story of how the county magistrate Wang had handed him the submachine gun the night before during patrol and asked for a single bullet in return.

While telling the story, Guan Shan vividly described the moment he saw Magistrate Wang take the grenade, which moved him deeply. He believed his comrades would empathize.

Everyone indeed felt emotional about those harsh times, but some mischievously teased that Magistrate Wang must have taken a liking to Guan Shan. They said maybe Guan Shan had guts—whether it was for the gun or the woman, they joked, spouting all sorts of nonsense.

Then, one soldier hurried back to Linjiaji to report to the higher-ups. However, during the report, the story about Guan Shan carrying the female county magistrate’s submachine gun got distorted as it spread.

“That big mouth!” Li Yunlong cursed, “His mouth runs like it’s got a hole in his shoe. Political commissar, you really need to keep an eye on this. Clearly, the ideological and political work isn’t up to par!”

“I say, Li Yunlong, are you some kind of dog?” Zhao Gang was so annoyed he kept cursing as well.

“Hehe, Xiao Shanzi, that’s enough, don’t take it to heart. Now that we’ve figured it out, all’s well!” Li Yunlong teased Guan Shan with a grin, “Almost made you piss your pants—look at you, such a loser!”

Guan Shan was speechless. Having survived the intrigues of a major factory in his past life, such petty trifles were hardly worth shedding tears over.

“All right, all right—later I’ll treat you to half a bottle of sweet potato liquor! Damn it, been with the monks just a few days and you’ve learned none of their virtues, but all their sly laziness and gluttony!” Li Yunlong grumbled.

Why was he suddenly labeled sly, lazy, gluttonous, and freeloading? Li Yunlong’s teasing almost made Guan Shan want to curse back.

After sticking the label, Li Yunlong abruptly said to Guan Shan, “Alright, go find a place to rest. I’ll call you if there’s anything. I’ve got to talk to the political commissar about something.”

(Part Two)

“Have a drink of water before you go—you haven’t had any yet! It’s not hot anymore, just the right temperature!” Zhao Gang lifted the water jug, felt it, and handed it over again.

Guan Shan drank the enamel cup of water in one gulp, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and left.

Good news doesn’t leave the house, but bad news travels a thousand miles; gossip and rumors spread even faster.

Guan Shan didn’t expect that in just one morning, several versions of gossip about him being favored by the female county magistrate to serve as her bodyguard, or that he was a rookie frog dreaming of swan meat, would be circulating wildly in Company 1. Even Battalion Commander Zhang Dabiao laughed and joked about how new the submachine gun looked when he saw Guan Shan.

Yes, it was all just jokes, no malice intended.

But if one were to truly analyze the psychological motives behind those who create and spread such gossip... forget it! Guan Shan shook his head, wanting to discard these complicated thoughts.

“Comrade Guan Shan!”

“County Magistrate Wang!” Guan Shan quickly stood and saluted, then took off the submachine gun and returned it.

“Thank you! I’m keeping the grenade,” Wang said with a smile as he took the submachine gun.

“Oh, okay.” Guan Shan hesitated but swallowed the second half of what he wanted to say.

He had wanted to say, “I hope you never have to use it,” but that sounded a bit awkward.

“I have a gift for you too!” Wang said, pulling a square package wrapped in oil paper from his satchel. As he opened it, he explained, “This is the dictionary I used in elementary school. I’ve always carried it. I heard you’re learning to read and write; I hope it helps you.”

It was a Republic of China-era student dictionary that seemed to have been with Wang for many years.

“Thank you, County Magistrate Wang!” Guan Shan carefully took it with both hands, glancing furtively around.

He felt countless eyes on him.

“I heard you have a mission this afternoon. Be careful. I hope we meet again!”

“A mission this afternoon? Oh, okay. You be careful too, County Magistrate Wang!” Guan Shan didn’t ask further.

Watching Wang’s retreating figure, Guan Shan carefully opened the dictionary. On the front page, the elegant handwriting read the name “Wang Tinglan.”

(Part Three)

“Wang Tinglan? Wasn’t it Wang Wanlan? Oh, it must have been changed after joining the revolution!” Guan Shan instinctively looked up. Just then Wang turned back, their eyes met, and Wang smiled faintly.

At that moment...

“Shanzi! Shanzi!” Wei Heshang’s voice called from afar.

“Hey! I’m here!” Guan Shan snapped back to reality and turned to see Wei Heshang beckoning him over.

Guan Shan carefully wrapped the dictionary back in the oil paper and put it in his satchel, then jogged towards the temporary team.

(Part Four)

“Commander! Shanzi is here!” Wei Heshang reported.

The temporary regiment headquarters was holding a meeting. Company Commander Zhang Dabiao and several familiar—but not yet named—platoon and squad leaders were present. Recalling what County Magistrate Wang had said, it seemed Li Yunlong and Zhao Gang were holding a meeting to assign tasks.

“Good, Shanzi, come over!” Li Yunlong called.

Guan Shan pushed through the crowd and stepped inside.

“Can you read maps?” Li Yunlong pointed at the map on the table.

Guan Shan glanced at it and looked up, “Isn’t this the same one that hangs on the regiment wall?”

“You rookie, not bad memory!” Li Yunlong laughed.

The room chuckled, but Guan Shan couldn’t figure out what was so funny.

Maybe it was a generation gap.

“Here, this spot!” Li Yunlong pointed to a blank area on the map and said, “Some locals say there’s a path here. They took it when hunting in the mountains, but it’s not marked on the map.”

Thank you for reading and recommending!

(End of chapter)