Past events in Beicheng

Chapter 21

On the way back, everyone didn't speak to each other again. After returning to the naval headquarters, Andre threw down the car, turned around and left.Ivan was silent for a moment, sat in the driver's seat, and started the car: "Where do you live now?"

"Temporary dormitory at the Kirov factory, exit the square and turn left."

"Is it cold? Do you want to pull up the hood?"

"No, we'll be there soon by car."

"..."

It was indeed a quick drive. In order to prevent air raids, the street lights on both sides of the street have been extinguished, and only the car lights illuminate the large iron gate of the factory.The heavy snow hasn't stopped yet, and the wind is blowing so hard that people can't open their eyes.Wang Yao opened the car door and stepped on the snow on the side of the road, which made a creaking sound.

Ivan sat in the cab, watching him, the snow and wind ruffling his hair, wishing he could say something to him, or at least look back.But he didn't, he just wrapped his coat tightly, stepped on the snow and knocked on the iron gate of the factory.

The iron door opened with a creak, and his figure was about to be submerged in the darkness.

"Wang Yao!" Ivan shouted.

Wang Yao didn't look back, the door closed.

Heavy snow fell on the ground, in the car, and covered Ivan's whole body.He lay on the steering wheel, trying to force himself to endure.He felt the bloody smell remaining in his mouth hadn't dissipated, and his rapid breathing made its presence more intense.

At this time, the radio on the car began to creak: "Listen... yes, please answer if you hear it."

Ivan wiped his face and took off the microphone: "Hear, please speak."

"The commanders of the 21th District, [-]th District, and [-]st District's armored forces, quickly gather at the headquarters, and please reply."

"Received in District [-]." Ivan put down the microphone and started the car.

The sound of the car gradually faded away. On the other side of the door, the old man watching the door looked at Wang Yao curiously: "Are you still going out?"

"No, thank you."

Until the sound of the car completely disappeared, Wang Yao finally took a step forward: "Thank you, I won't go out, please lock the door."

The factory area at night is very quiet, and the more I walk, the more lonely I feel.There was a gleam of light from the windows of the temporary dormitory building, which seemed to be the only popular place in the entire factory.Standing downstairs in the dormitory, Wang Yao sighed deeply, unable to tell whether he was happy or sad.At this moment, he should go upstairs, open the door, heat his room, and lie down.But he couldn't do it. After thinking for a long time, Wang Yao turned around and walked towards the factory building.

He didn't know what kind of day it was today, whether it should be counted as a reunion or a farewell.

Just like this, he stopped and walked, and unknowingly reached the door of the office. Wang Yao opened the door habitually, wiped off the snow on his body, and walked in.On the other side of the office, the lathes in the workshop may still be running, and the sound of creaking and creaking comes rhythmically.Wang Yao walked through the office, opened the door at the other end, and walked into the workshop.There was no one in the workshop, but the lights were not turned off. Wang Yao sighed and was about to walk over to pull the switch.

Suddenly he saw a man squatting beside a pile of shell casings—Stepan?

"What's wrong with you? Why don't you go back to the dormitory?" Wang Yao hurried over, trying to help him up: "Uncomfortable?"

Stepan raised his head with difficulty, and smiled: "Well, maybe...well, I'm...a little dizzy."

"I'll help you to the sofa!" Wang Yao grabbed his arm in horror.

"Wait... wait, I, little professor, I'm cold, I want to drink... hot water." Stepan's face was livid.

"Okay, wait!" After Wang Yao helped him to lean on, he quickly got up, ran back to the office, found a cup and poured some hot water.The water was very hot, and Wang Yao felt his hands were shaking all the time, he rushed back without even covering the lid.

"Water is coming! Stepan, water is coming!" Wang Yao knelt down and raised Stepan's head: "Come... have some water... come."

Stepan tilted his head into Wang Yao's arms, but did not open his eyes.

"Come... drink some water, Stepan... drink some water!" Wang Yao tried to straighten his head, trying to pour hot water into it.But Stepan didn't respond again, his body gradually became cold, just like the glass of water in Wang Yao's hand.

"Wake up! Wake up!" Wang Yao put his arms around his shoulders: "Stepan, wake up!"

In the empty factory building, no one could respond to him.

The wind and snow were still howling, and Wang Yao felt the coldness go straight into his heart.Finally, the people in the next workshop heard Wang Yao's shout and came over. That person also had a weak face. He looked at Stepan, then at Wang Yao, shivered, and went out to call someone. up.

Wang Yao supported Stepan with difficulty, and carried him from the ground to the office.After finally putting him on the sofa, Wang Yao wanted to take out a handkerchief to wipe his face, but he didn't take out anything, only took out a small toffee.

"I'm sorry!" Wang Yao hugged his head and knelt down: "Stepan...I'm sorry..."

After a long time, several cadres from the factory came over, and they pulled Wang Yao up: "He is dead, get up, and go back to the dormitory."

An old cadre accompanied Wang Yao out: "Wait a minute, when Lake Ladoga freezes, food will come in."

Wang Yao had no choice but to nod: "I'm fine, thank you."

Stepan's body was carried away, and Wang Yao saw them slowly disappear in the dim light of the factory building.

"What about his family?"

The old cadre shook his head: "Let's wait for Lake Ladoga to freeze and go back, young man, it's too cold outside, take your hat off."

Wang Yao took the hat and put it on. He suddenly felt tired, too tired, as if his whole body was exhausted: "Leader, I may have to ask for leave tomorrow."

Professor Belyayev has not been here for two days, and Wang Yao is suddenly more concerned at this moment.

"Okay, young man, go back and rest." The old man patted him on the shoulder and pushed him forward.

In the speakers above the factory, the tempo of the metronome suddenly picked up. Another air raid?Wang Yao glanced at the loudspeaker wearily, instead of running to the air-raid shelter, he just shuffled towards the dormitory.

Lying on the bed, the sound of explosions in the distance came through the cracks in the curtains along with the firelight.Looking at them, Wang Yao remembered that Christmas night, big fireworks bloomed in front of the window, gorgeous and colorful, and he was still by his side at that time.

It's not far away.

The next day, the factory was still operating normally, and the newly produced shells were still being shipped to the front line continuously.No one talks about Stepan, no one talks about the air strikes, no one talks about anything.

When the bell rang for the end of the day shift, dinner finally arrived in the workshop. Fortunately, there was still 120 five grams of bread. Unfortunately, the bread tasted like tree trunks.

Maybe there really are tree trunks in it?Wang Yao found a piece of sawdust from his mouth.

"It's edible, it's the edible part of the wood fiber left over from the banknote printing factory." The worker on the side reminded Wang Yao kindly: "It will be fine when Lake Ladoga is frozen. The Germans can't pull such a big one." The encirclement, when the time comes, food will come in."

"It's a pity that Lake Ladoga has never been frozen." Another worker said coldly: "Besides, Lake Ladoga is so stormy that barges can't be used at all. The port has never been repaired before, and the current port is a temporary one. , the draft is very shallow, it is useless at all.”

Lake Ladoga, the largest lake in Europe and the source of the Neva River, is very windy and turbulent. Before that, the transportation of materials in Leningrad was all by rail. No one had ever thought of sailing on this lake.Since the siege of Leningrad, the government has organized barges to deliver supplies many times, but wind, waves and air raids have caused many difficulties, and the supplies transported cannot cover the consumption of millions of people.

Lake Ladoga has never been frozen, and it has been so for hundreds of years.

The German army believed that this was a self-deceiving expectation of the Soviets, but this was Leningrad's last hope.

It was getting colder and colder, and hunger made the cold more stinging, but every Leningrader hoped that it would be colder, and colder.When Wang Yao walked out of the factory, a man with a strange expression glanced at him, turned a corner and disappeared.After walking a short distance, Wang Yao saw a person walking in front suddenly fell down on the street.Before he had time to shout, he saw a man rushing out of an alley and dragging the fallen man into it.

The street without street lights was very dark, but Wang Yao could almost tell from experience that the person who fell was dead.what is that person doingWang Yao walked forward a few steps quickly and arrived at the entrance of the alley.

"..."

"..."

A man with a scarf covering his face was holding a saw, and blood was dripping from his hand.

"Quiet! Quiet!" The man gestured to Wang Yao in horror.

Wang Yao took a step back.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle sounded, and two people dressed as policemen ran from across the street: "Stop! What are you doing??"

The man in the scarf bounced up from the ground, he held the saw, and with something in the other hand, he quickly ran to the depths of the alley.The two policemen chased after him for a few steps, but they couldn't run anymore and turned back.

"Are you a foreigner?" One policeman came over and asked Wang Yao, while the other went to examine the body.

"Ah, yes." Wang Yao took out his ID on his own initiative.

"Back, let's go." The police deliberately blocked Wang Yao's sight.

Wang Yao probably guessed it, and didn't want to watch it: "Okay."

The policeman was quickly thrown behind him, Wang Yao didn't dare to slow down, a strange nausea made him uneasy.The fuel in Leningrad was running out, and all the fuel was to support the front line first. There were no cars on the street. Wang Yao walked for about an hour before finally seeing the shadow of Professor Belyayev's house.

Wang Yao knocked on the door for a long time before Tatiana came to open the door: "Wang Yao? Oh, why are you here?"

"You didn't come to pick up the bread today, I helped the professor get it." Wang Yao took out the paper bag in his arms.

"Thank you... I'll give you food stamps later." Tatyana looked very tired.

The corridor is very dark, there are fewer and fewer rooms with lights, the heating supply has been cut off, the handrails are as cold as ice, and the hoarfrost on the carpet is hard and slippery to step on.

"Wang Yao is here." Tatiana pushed open the door of the room: "Father, Wang Yao is here."

"professor."

"Ah, you're here." Belyayev curled up on the bed: "I'm really useless. I slipped and twisted my foot when I was going out."

"I got you the bread."

"Come here, there is no heating now, we can only burn the fireplace, so only the kitchen is warm, come here, we dragged the bed here."

Only then did Wang Yao see clearly that it was in the kitchen.

"Dad, you need to rest and stop chatting."

Tatyana returned to the living room, Wang Yao had no choice but to follow: "Are you sharing the bread?"

"Yes," Tatiana carefully locked the paper bag brought by Wang Yao into the cabinet, and then took out another paper bag: "We are okay, at least my father and I have food stamps, and you, you are okay Is it?"

"Don't worry about me, I'm alone."

"Hey, food stamps, thank you so much for today."

"No, you can keep it."

Tatyana put the food stamp into Wang Yao's hand: "You still have to go to work, you can't be hungry all day, pack it up, can you wait for me here for a while? I'll bring the bread in."

Wang Yao didn't know what to ask him, Tatiana came out soon after entering the room: "Please come with me."

This is Tatiana's bedroom. When Wang Yao saw the piano, he recalled the embarrassment of that day.

"Sorry, there is no electricity in places other than the factory, please sit down." Tatiana came in with a kerosene lamp, took out the key from her pocket, and opened the drawer of the dressing cabinet.

"Can you help me get some food from the black market? Anything is fine." Tatiana stuffed a velvet box into Wang Yao's hand.

"Diamond ring?"

"My wedding ring, I was very proud at that time. Of course, because Anthony dotes on me very much, this diamond ring has one carat."

The diamond still looks dazzling under the faint light of the kerosene lamp: "Your husband really dotes on you. This color is very expensive, right?"

"It's expensive, it's expensive, it's expensive to me." Tatiana looked away: "Take it, I can't find such a place as a woman, you will at least be better than me."

Wang Yao put away the diamond ring, suddenly he had mixed feelings and couldn't find a topic.

"You are well-bred, sometimes you remind me of him, that's why I was so indifferent to you at first, sorry." Tatiana finally spoke.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, you're already very strong."

Tatiana dimmed the kerosene lamp: "Excuse me, can you give me a hug?"

Wang Yao hesitated for a moment, but still hugged her.

"Anthony, I love you." Tatiana buried her head in Wang Yao's arms: "I love you."

Wang Yao silently looked at the faint light in front of him, he felt that Tatiana's tears kept flowing, even wet his shirt along his neck.

"Don't let go, wait a little longer." Tatyana finally stopped sobbing: "I'm sorry, wait a little longer."

Tatiana paused: "What about you? Wang Yao, are you staying for the one you love?"

Wang Yao didn't know how to answer him.

"Is that the female nurse?"

"what?"

"Lisa, my dad said it might be Lisa, you went to her dance."

"...Ah." Wang Yao thought of that Christmas again.

"Do you love her?"

"……I have no idea."

"If you are willing to stay for her, you love her. For a reserved Oriental, this is love."

"..."

"What color is her hair? Blonde?"

"No, it's not gold, it's lighter than gold."

"She must be very gentle."

"It's not gentle, well, sometimes it is very gentle."

"Are her eyes blue?"

"His eyes were purple."

"You love her." Tatiana leaned forward and wiped her eyes.

"I..." Wang Yao said unconsciously, "You are talking nonsense."

Tatiana laughed suddenly: "Oh, Wang Yao, you are really interesting."

Wang Yao recalled what he said just now, and couldn't help laughing: "The professor is just talking nonsense..."

"However," Tatyana wiped her tears while laughing, "If I see her, I must persuade her to take the initiative, you are like a piece of wood, alas, poor girl. Also, Wang Yao, you should also Take the initiative, don’t you? Are you too shy, or are all orientals so shy? You can’t compare to Soviet boys like this. As long as they set their sights on a girl, they will definitely chase after her and you will lose.”

"It's not shy, it's impossible to be together..." Wang Yao suddenly realized that he was a little slip of the tongue: "I..."

"Impossible to be together?" Tatyana's eyes softened: "In fact, it is impossible for me and Anthony to be together. He is the son of the professor, and I am just a village girl in the Ukrainian countryside. No pair of lovers is the same. They should be together, and there is no pair of lovers who cannot be together."

"I'm tired." The light in Tatiana's eyes dimmed.

"Take a good rest, you are too tired." Wang Yao helped her back to the kitchen.

"Honey, we made your bed, it's too late for you to walk back like this," Belyayev said in a low voice.

Tatyana also smiled and said to him: "It's too late, and it's safer to sleep on the floor than to go back. Nastasya and I will sleep on this side of the fireplace, and your bed over there will be very difficult." warm."

"Can you kiss me?" Nastasya and her mother got out of the quilt after kissing her mother good night.

Wang Yao leaned over and kissed her forehead: "My dear, good night."

"Good night."

This time, he slept very deeply. If it wasn't because of hunger, Wang Yao felt that he could sleep longer.There is no morning sun in this season, and the temperature of the fireplace is unbearably thirsty.Wang Yao struggled to get up from the quilt and touched his coat.

Nastasia might have been woken up, she opened her eyes: "Uncle Wang Yao, you're awake."

Wang Yao put on his coat, smiled and nodded to her: "Want to drink water?"

"think."

Wang Yao touched Nastasya's face, and Nastasya stretched out her hand to say good morning to him. Suddenly, Tatyana, who was holding her in her arms, rolled aside.

"Mom!" Nastasya cried out in horror.

"Ah... my god..." Wang Yao covered his mouth: "ah! my god!!"