The New Year is coming in a blink of an eye. This is the first New Year in the 1980s. It has special significance for me who has just entered the age of twenty. I will usher in my first New Year in the army.

Early in the morning of New Year's Eve, we finished morning exercises as usual, gathered in the playground, and held a routine flag-raising ceremony every day.

I originally thought that we were farm logistics soldiers, and we must be a sparse group of half-army and half-civilians. Unexpectedly, everything here was strictly implemented in accordance with the military regulations of the Military Commission, including morning exercises, early exercises, flag-raising ceremonies, veteran retirement ceremonies, welcome ceremony for new recruits to go to the company, etc., and of course, our farm's special spring plowing, double rushing and other mobilization ceremonies for the start-up of busy farming seasons.

Our entire company lined up neatly on the playground, and it is extremely rare that all cadres and soldiers carried weapons and equipment to conduct flag-raising ceremony. It is said that this is stipulated by the company itself, and they must be fully armed three times a year. The first is on the morning of New Year's Eve, which is to say goodbye to yesterday and prepare for a brand new New Year; the second is on the morning of the August 1st Army Day, which is the most sacred festival for soldiers in the year. The national flag-raising and flag-raising ceremony is held to demonstrate the true nature of soldiers and not forget the mission of soldiers; the third is the retirement ceremony of veterans, and the flag-raising ceremony is held before the list of retired soldiers is about to be announced, so that every veteran who has dedicated his youth to the army will always remember his military career.

When more than 100 people in the company stood on the playground in full arms, I stared at the company commander and instructor standing face to face with us, and my heart surged all over my body, as if the soldiers were about to go out to fight. I thought to myself: This is a real soldier, with a steel gun on his back, facing the bright national flag and military flag. Seeing the two red flags rising slowly, the feeling of boiling blood is unforgettable.

The company commander shouted: "Comrades, today is the end of the first year in the 1980s. We are about to usher in the New Year's bell. We must keep in mind the responsibility of a soldier, not only to defend the motherland, but also to build the motherland. Let us salute the national flag and military flag!"

The company began to arrange the festive atmosphere. The documents took out more than twenty colorful colorful flags from the warehouse and distributed them to each row. We inserted these colorful flags around the camp. When these colorful flags fluttered in the wind, a festive festive atmosphere suddenly arises.

The focus of the layout is the canteen where I have dinner at night. I was also invited to the canteen as an expert. Under the guidance of the document, I decorated the canteen with various ribbons and folded red lanterns sent by my superiors.

On New Year's Eve, the company carefully prepared a dinner party, which is one of the few days of the year when drinking some wine is allowed. For us recruits who have left home for the first time, homesickness is the most difficult feeling for everyone to let go. The company cadres and veterans are also very clear, trying to let us feel the warmth and close atmosphere of the army's family as close as brothers.

At 5:30 pm, when we lined up in the newly decorated canteen, a strong festive atmosphere deeply touched us. The dining table was filled with dozens of delicious dishes, each table was filled with bottles of white wine and Zhejiang's unique rice wine, and beer boxes were piled up in the corners of the wall. What surprised me the most was that all the companies serving as the trays were company cadres and company soldiers.

When the company commander, instructor, chief of the chief of the department, and platoon leaders were shuttled between the dining tables with white bibs to deliver dishes to us, we recruits were moved. Li Nan murmured excitedly, "How can this be done? It's too impolite to let the chief serve dishes for us." After that, he had to go to help. The squad leader grabbed him and said, "This is the tradition of the company. Every year during the Spring Festival and August 1st, meals are allowed, and party members and cadres usually go to help the kitchen."

The squad leader started pouring wine for everyone. Because it happened to be from 6:00 to 8:00 in the evening, I was about to go to work, so the squad leader did not pour me the wine, but poured me the

With a glass of orange water, I suddenly found that Lu Miaosheng, who was supposed to be on duty, was also sitting, and asked strangely: "Why are you here? I should take your post later. Who is taking your post for you?"

Lu Miaosheng said shyly: "It was the deputy squad leader who insisted on standing guard for me." Then I realized that Deputy squad leader Xie was indeed not here. I glanced at the fellow villager with contempt, and he lowered his head even lower.

Liu Xiao kept picking up food into my bowl and said, "I love the people, eat something quickly, I'm going to work soon."

The squad leader who was pouring the wine answered: "Don't worry about this. I will stand for his post for him. After the deputy squad leader comes back, the deputy squad leader will take over me to command the battle."

Fighting? My mind didn't turn around all of a sudden. What does it mean? Isn't it a dinner party? Is there a war? The veteran on the side stabbed me and said, "Drinking is also a battle, and each squad needs to compete."

I suddenly remembered what the squad leader said just now: "Squad leader, what did you say just now? You want to stand guard for me? Why should I help me stand at my post?" A veteran from Fujian stood up and said, "Stop talking, I'll go, you can't go, squad leader."

I grabbed the veteran and said, "What are you doing? Whoever wants you to stand guard for me, I will go to my post by myself."

At this time, the company commander's loud shout interrupted our dispute: "Comrades, don't wait for us, the seat is on." But no one took off his chopsticks and sat in unison, quietly waiting for the cadres in the company to take their seats. Finally, the company commander and the instructor stood in the middle of the canteen with white rice bags, holding a tea jar filled with wine in his hands, and the company commander signaled the instructor to speak.

The instructor shouted: "Comrades, today is a good day. It is our first Spring Festival since the 1980s. Let us celebrate the Spring Festival together. Come and cheer us!"

More than a hundred people in the entire company made huge cheers, and the cups of the enamel teapots were clinking one after another.

When I saw that the time was almost over, I got up and prepared to go to the dormitory to get weapons and equipment. The squad leader and the veterans were competing to stand guard for me. While I was moved, the New Fourth Army was in my blood.

The stubbornness of the veteran son emerged.

Why do I want you to stand guard for me? It’s my whistle, and I must stick to it myself.

Our dispute attracted the attention of the entire company, and everyone looked at our class. With my insistence, the squad leader patted my shoulder and said, "Okay, we respect you and prepare to go to work."

The company commander came over and looked at me with praise and said, "Good person, he is worthy of being the descendant of the old revolutionary." After that, he carefully helped me to sort out the military postures of the upper and lower troops, and told me to wear more clothes. The platoon leader and the squad leader accompanied me to the dormitory to put on military coats and check the weapons and equipment. I straightened my chest and said, "Report to the platoon leader, the sentry Huang Aimin is ready to go to work, please instruct me!"

The platoon leader shouted with a majestic order: "Listen to my order, turn right, target: watch the patrol line, and walk in step!"

I walked onto the post where I stood guard with powerful steps.

There was no bright moon in the quiet night sky, and the whistling wind roared past my ears. Behind me, the laughter of my comrades in the cafeteria celebrating the Spring Festival, I cheered up and went to the post office.

There was no one in the booth. I was about to shout when a shout came from behind me: "Who is the command!" As soon as I heard that it was the deputy squad leader, I went up to him and said: "Deputy squad leader, I'm here to take over the post." The deputy squad leader walked up to me and said: "Remember to answer the command first. This is the discipline of the sentry. Do you understand?"

I smiled embarrassedly and said, "Yes! I remember."

The deputy squad leader took care of me and could not just hide in the guard booth. He had to patrol the prescribed areas regularly according to the duties of the sentry. When the deputy squad leader left, he looked at the sky and said, "It will snow soon. Be careful. You should not stay in a certain place for a long time. You should walk back and forth frequently, otherwise it will freeze."

I walked slowly along the patrol area of ​​the camp. After a while, snowflakes really floated in the sky. A whirring wind blew by my ears, and the biting cold wind blew my cheeks red. I patrolled the cordon in the wind and snow.

At this moment, my blood was boiling, and the song "I stand guard for the great motherland" kept ringing in my ears, and a satisfied smile appeared in front of my eyes.

The falling snowflakes gradually became heavier, and the goose-feather-like snowflakes fell down. The whistling wind made me unable to open my eyes and I couldn't stand steadily. Every step forward took a lot of energy.

I gasped heavily, gritted my teeth and moved forward...

Suddenly, a beam of light shone behind me. When I looked back, I saw that it was the company commander, instructor, and our platoon leader and the squad leader were searching all the way.

I approached the company commander and his party in the face of the wind and snow, and shouted according to the prescribed sentry requirements: "Command!" After receiving the order from the squad leader, I stepped forward and stood attentively and saluted: "Report to the company commander, sentry Huang Aimin is standing guard and patrolling, please instruct!"

After returning the gift, the company commander shouted: "Thank you for your hard work, sentinel!"

I answered with my chest: "Serve the people!"

The instructor took a few tea jars from the squad leader. The two company leaders and platoon leaders poured wine, and poured drinks for me and the squad leader and said, "Come on behalf of all the officers and soldiers of the company, we will respect our sentry, do it!"

I smelled the drink in the cup and still didn't dare to drink it. After all, I was standing guard, so I still had this common sense. The squad leader held a teapot and clinked the cup with me and said, "It's snowing heavily tonight, and the leader of the company took care of me. After drinking this glass of blessing wine, I will stay with you to stand guard. Come and do it for the health of your parents and family!"

I looked at the company commander, instructor, platoon leader and squad leader with tears in my eyes, and touched the teacup with their teacup. With the sound of the five teacups, the five soldiers shouted in unison: "Damn!"

The company commander and the others left, and the squad leader said to me loudly: "Be careful, turn left and walk in unison!"

I followed the squad leader and embarked on a patrol journey again, leaving a series of deep footprints in the snow behind me.
Chapter completed!