It was a sunny afternoon, with no clouds in the sky and a gentle breeze.
Surrounded by mountains on all sides, there is a small square open space in the mountains, about one mile wide and long, with a flat terrain that is visible at a glance. In the middle of the open space, there are three dilapidated houses standing alone, lifeless and desolate. Most people don't know where this place is, only a few people call it: Sanjiaji.
Originally, there were several small markets in this endless mountain, but since the Japanese invaded the mountain, there are no more. If you want to do business, you can only go out of the mountain to the distant county town. Since this place is called Sanjiaji, it is a market. The reason why few people know about it is because this hidden and desolate place is not an ordinary market.
Initially, mountain bandits would occasionally trade here, or exchange goods with each other. Gradually, some shady people began to come here. Later, under the temptation of huge profits, merchants from some counties also quietly got involved. Finally, some people with a keen nose and bold courage also came here to trade.
As the number of people increased and the scale grew, it became a market. It was usually deserted and only held once a month, on the first day of each month. There was a reason for this date. There was no moon on the first day of the month and it was dark, so it was easy to escape secretly on the way back from the market. Many people who came here were not decent people, there were bandits, gangsters and thieves, but this market has been carried out peacefully until now, because of a man named Jinba, who was said to be the founder and manager of Sanjia Market, and set the rules here. Some people said he was a mountain bandit leader, and some said he was an ordinary merchant, but no one had ever seen him.
Ma Liang leaned against a tree at the top of the mountain, looking at the three dilapidated houses and the desolate open space far below the mountain, and asked the person next to him, "Sister Sun, are you sure there is a market here? There is not even a ghost, and it looks like it has been deserted for eight hundred years."
"Tomorrow is the market day, so of course there's no one here now. I've asked around, so this is definitely the case." The person who was speaking was Sun Cui, who was a little sweaty after having just climbed to the top of the mountain. She fanned her neck with her hands and said, "Tell me, what do you want? I'll reward you tomorrow after I've sold all the goods."
Ma Liang waved his hands quickly: "No, no, I don't have any work to do."
"I'm rewarding you because you're my brother, not giving you wages. Why are you refusing? Do you look down on me like that runny nose guy?"
"No, no, I don't. That's just the kind of person that Runny Nose is. He shows everything on his face. He even looks down on me. Don't bother with him."
"So what you mean is, you keep it in your heart?"
“Yes... Oh no... That’s not what I meant, I meant..." Ma Liang was confused and didn’t know what to say with a bitter face.
"Haha, I'm teasing you on purpose. Look how stifled you are. Come here, I'll wipe your sweat off."
“No, no.”
Seeing Ma Liang's face flushed and neck thickened by a few words, and he almost fell to the ground, Sun Cui finally laughed out loud...
On the grass behind the mountain stood a shoulder pole and two baskets. In the baskets were so-called goods that Sun Cui had collected from somewhere, including some medicinal herbs, mountain products, and a few animal skins. There were also bullet casings, grenade fragments, damaged gun bolts, and some broken iron and copper items. These kinds of things were prohibited from leaving.
Hu Yiyang lay on the grass, looking at the blue sky, thinking, since it is a market, there should be wine, Dr. Zhou wants this thing, I don't know what she wants to do. She is a very special woman, and also a very special doctor. No matter what identity, she feels free. I have to pay back the promise I owed to Sun Cui and the consultation fee I owed to Dr. Zhou.
A pair of pigtails suddenly appeared in front of her eyes and she asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"I was wondering... Can you braid your pigtails in front of a mirror? Do you know how crooked they will look?"
"I did it while looking in the mirror. I asked you to do it but you didn't care. What can I do? No one wants to see me anyway, so I'll just let it be ugly."
Xiao Hongying curled her lips and said, "I asked, and the mule said he had no money. Fox, what do you want the money for?"
"No money?" Hu Yi sat up and shouted to the distance: "Mule, come here."
When Luo Fugui heard the noise and ran over, Hu Yi asked directly: "You said you have no money?"
"Well, no money."
"Say it again."
Seeing Hu Yi's unhappy face, Luo Fugui quickly put his two big hands in front of his chest and shook them: "Boss Hu, please don't bring any money." He turned around and glanced at Liu Jianqiang in the distance, then turned back and whispered: "I hid all the money at home."
Xiao Hongying beside him laughed and said, "Is it buried under the honey locust tree?"
Luo Fugui was startled, staring at the cunning Xiao Hongying with his eyes wide open: "You... I'll change places when I get back."
Hu Yi didn't say anything else. He didn't bring any money, so he couldn't buy the wine.
In Dabeizhuang, the new recruits were training enthusiastically on the playground. Comrade Yang Dezhi had now become a pure instructor of the third company. He had moved out of the regiment dormitory and lived in the third company.
Ding Deyi was sitting in the regiment, peeling peanuts, wondering what happened this morning. Sun Cui came to the regiment and asked for leave from the ninth squad, saying that they were going to help her relative repair his house. Last time they repaired the house, and this time they repaired the house again. Is this house all made of paper? However, the other party was a commoner, not a soldier under his command, so Ding Deyi did not ask any more questions and could only agree without hesitation on the spot.
When she looked up, Su Qing, who looked unwell, was walking in. Since the meeting after the heavy rain, Su Qing had fallen ill and had not left her dormitory for several days, resting all the time.
"Su Qing, why are you here? I'm not busy these days, don't worry about work, go back and have a rest."
"I'm fine. I've rested enough. Political Commissar, I want to borrow your pen. I accidentally broke mine."
It was warm outside, but the door of the Political Work Department was closed.
The haggard woman sat behind the desk, staring blankly at the window.
After a long time, she finally opened the drawer, took out a form, gently spread it on the table in front of her, and then slowly unscrewed the cap of the pen in her hand.
She raised her fair and beautiful hand, the tip of the pen steadily touched the paper, and the beautiful handwriting began to emerge stroke by stroke...
Name: Hu Yi.
Born in the third year of the Republic of China... Born in poverty... Forced into the hands of bandits...
In the 19th year of the Republic of China, he joined the army and studied at the Northeast Military Academy. He graduated from the 11th class and was awarded the rank of major...
In 1937, he left the 67th Army of the National Revolutionary Army and took the initiative to escort our party intelligence comrades to Taihang...
In the 27th year of the Republic of China... I voluntarily joined the independent regiment of a certain division in the Taihang District...
During this period... Due to raising grain... Received the commendation from the regiment... Due to... Received the commendation from the division... Due to... Received the second commendation from the division...
Finally, the woman quietly signed her name on the file and stamped it. This time, her pen tip did not scratch the paper at all, making the lines of beautiful handwriting appear particularly clear and beautiful, as if they were her own eyebrows and eyes...
Soon, the smell of ashes filled the room, and the door opened...