Chapter 5

“Shuying, how much allowance do you art soldiers get a month?” Lin’s mother asked during dinner.

Lin Shuying picked up a piece of fish, dipped it in chili sauce, and put it in her mouth. “How would I know, Mom? I haven’t gone to the army yet.”

Annoying. She wasn’t even working yet, and her mother was already thinking about her salary.

Lin’s father thought for a moment and said, “I heard Old Liu say that new recruits get six yuan a month in their first year.”

“That’s so little?” Lin’s mother was a little disappointed.

Lin’s father said, “It’s not bad. The army provides them with food, clothing, and housing. They don’t have anywhere to spend money.”

Lin’s mother said, “That’s true.”

“Shuying, Mom is telling you, when you go to the army, every month when you get your allowance, mail it back. Mom will save it for you as your dowry. If you get six yuan a month, mail four yuan back home.”

“You don’t have anywhere to spend money in the army. Two yuan a month is enough for you.”

She was a real penny-pincher. Lin’s mother was like Zhou Bapi.

She only got six yuan a month, and her mother wanted to take four yuan away.

But she was far away from home. Whether she mailed money back or not was up to her. Could Lin’s mother control her?

“Okay.” Lin Shuying reluctantly agreed.

The meal was relatively harmonious. After dinner, Lin Shuying went to the bathhouse to take a bath with her younger sister, Lin Shuyi.

Lin Shuyi sighed. “Second Sister, you’ve solved your job problem. What about my job?”

Lin Shuying said, “Why are you in such a hurry? You still have over two years before you graduate. It’s too early.”

“It’s not too early. Two years will pass very quickly. If I don’t have a job by then, I’ll definitely have to go to the countryside.” Lin Shuyi pouted.

Her second brother definitely wouldn’t have to go to the countryside. Maybe, as her second sister said, her mother would retire and give her job to her second brother.

Then, out of their five children, only she would be without a job.

Lin Shuying said, “That’s true. Sigh, we don’t have jobs and we don’t want to go to the countryside. So, the only option is to get married.”

Lin Shuyi said, “Get married? Even without a job, you still have to live under your husband’s family’s control.”

Lin Shuying laughed. “You’re so smart. You can marry someone rich, like the son of a factory director. Maybe he can even get you a job.”

“The son of a factory director? Where would I meet him?” Lin Shuyi mumbled.

Lin Shuying said, “Oh, you still have over two years before you graduate. You can take your time to choose and find someone. Or you can ask Big Sister, Dad, or Mom to introduce you to someone.”

Lin Shuyi thought about it seriously and nodded.

“Okay.”

Her second sister was right. If she didn’t want to go to the countryside, she could either find a job herself or find a partner who could get her a job.

It was an honor for their daughter to join the army. So, the next day, Lin’s father and mother took half a day off to see Lin Shuying off at the train station. New recruits wore military uniforms and had a big red flower on their chests.

When they arrived at the train station and it was time to leave, Lin’s mother actually cried.

“Take good care of yourself in the army. Don’t get sick or catch a cold…”

Lin Shuying felt a little… her mother was actually concerned about her!

Lin’s father said to Lin’s mother, “Okay, okay. Why are you crying on such a happy day? When you get to the army, write a letter home, daughter.”

“Okay, okay. Dad, Mom, go back. The train is about to leave.”

Strange. Lin Shuying actually felt a little reluctant. Could she have developed feelings for them after a few months?

The train left. Lin Shuying looked back. Her father and mother were still there. She turned around and sat down, taking stock of her small savings.

Then… then the feeling of affection she had for her parents vanished.

When she went to the army, her parents only gave her ten yuan. They said she wouldn’t have anywhere to spend money in the army. Ten yuan was more than enough. After she got her allowance a month later, if she didn’t spend it all, she should mail the money back to them.

Where the love is, the money is. Her daughter was going to work in another city, and she didn’t give her anything, only ten yuan. Lin Shuying scorned herself. She didn’t know why she had been touched just now.

It was good to have a space. Although it wasn’t big, it was enough to hold Lin Shuying’s things.

After taking stock of her savings, Lin Shuying looked around. She realized that their entire carriage was full of new recruits, both male and female, but there were more men overall.

Lin Shuying was sitting on a four-seat train seat. She was sitting by the window. A woman was sitting next to her, and a woman and a man were sitting across from her.

Since getting on the train, the woman next to her had been crying. Actually, everyone else was too. They were all reluctant to leave their families.

She was happy in her heart. Even though she was pretending, she wasn’t the original owner. And she had limited patience. If she couldn’t keep up the act, it wouldn’t be good if she argued or complained to her parents.

Now that she was joining the army and going to live in the army, she wouldn’t see her family for ten or eight years. No one in the army knew her, so she didn’t have to pretend anymore.

After the train had been running for a while, the woman next to Lin Shuying finally stopped crying.

“Hello. My name is Wang Yanlin. I’m going to the Fifth xx Division in Huhehot, Inner Mongolia, to report to the Art Troupe. What about you?”

The man sitting across from Lin Shuying introduced himself.

Lin Shuying said, “My name is Lin Shuying. I’m also going to the Fifth xx Division in Huhehot, Inner Mongolia to report to the Art Troupe.”

“My name is Li Jinyue. It’s ‘today’s’ ‘jin’ and ‘to cross’ ‘yue’. I’m also going to the Fifth xx Division in Huhehot, Inner Mongolia to report to the Art Troupe.”

The woman next to Wang Yanlin said.

Finally, the woman sitting next to Lin Shuying said, “My name is Su Xiangwei. I’m going to… Oh, right, what do you all do? I play the violin.”

Wang Yanlin said, “I play the flute.”

Lin Shuying said, “I sing.”

Li Jinyue said, “I play the accordion.”

The four of them were all going to the same place and working at the same unit. They would be colleagues from now on.

Their relationship instantly became closer.

Li Jinyue asked, “How old are you all? I’m twenty.”

Wang Yanlin said, “Hey, we’re the same age. I’m twenty too.”

Su Xiangwei said, “I’m nineteen.”

The three of them looked at Lin Shuying. Lin Shuying said, “I’m eighteen. But I’ll be nineteen in a few months.”

Wang Yanlin said, “You’re the youngest of the four of us.”

They were chatting when an officer came over. “Everyone be quiet. From Sichuan Province to Huhehot, Inner Mongolia, it’s a two-day journey… I remember we recruited a few new recruits for the Art Troupe.”

“Which ones are they?”

“Report, Commander, it’s us!”

Lin Shuying, Wang Yanlin, Li Jinyue, and Su Xiangwei quickly stood up and saluted the officer.

The officer’s name was Lu Feng. He was the unit’s instructor.

Lu Feng looked at the four of them and smiled. “Good. It’s a long journey. It’s boring to just sit here. Let’s sing a song. You four art soldiers, warm up the atmosphere first.”

“Yes, Commander!” The four of them answered loudly.

Wang Yanlin said, “Shuying, what song are you going to sing? We’ll play for you.”

Lin Shuying thought for a moment. “I’ll sing ‘I Love My Country’s Blue Sky.’”

“Okay.”

The three of them took out their violins, flutes, and accordions from their bags.

This was an ensemble. They needed to start together.

Lin Shuying looked at them and asked with her eyes if they were ready. The three of them nodded.

Lin Shuying slowly began to sing, and the three of them started playing.

“I love my country’s blue sky

The sky is clear and the sun shines bright

The white clouds pave the way for me

The east wind sends me flying forward

The golden dawn dances around me

Beneath my feet lies a land of beauty

Ah…”