Pick off the sparkling stars
Wang Minghong. Star Bay, is a faraway place.
After the recruits leave the company, they often hear this name coming out of the veteran's mouth. I guess it must be an idyllic place.
Squad leader, have you been to Star Bay, isn't it beautiful?I couldn't help but be curious, and I asked the squad leader softly. "Yes, it's beautiful!It's where the stars rise!The squad leader said without hesitation. Looking at the broken snowflakes flying outside the window, I began to look forward to the training in Star Bay one day earlier. Finally, after 4 months, we left the camp and headed for Star Bay.
I didn't think about it, Star Bay disappointed me. There are no mountains, no rivers, no flowers and no trees, and the night sky rarely sees stars, and we are greeted only by endless desolation and wind and sand. We lived in tents in shifts. In the middle of the night, the cold wind blew against the tents, making all kinds of strange noises. I was worried that the tent was in danger of collapsing, because on several occasions I had seen the squad leader rise up to reinforce the nails.
Star Bay, how could this place have such a romantic name. I told the squad leader about the doubts in my heart, and the squad leader was silent for a few seconds and said, "Why isn't it beautiful?".As long as there is a sea in the heart, it is all the Maldives. I pursed my lips, disapproving. The squad leader loves to read books on weekdays, and he can always name some lofty reasons. But I don't have the sea in my heart, and this is not my Maldives.
My enthusiasm was gradually exhausted by the high-intensity training, and I just looked forward to returning to the camp as soon as possible. One Saturday night, the company did not arrange specific matters, and the squad leader walked to the listless me: "Let's go out for a walk, I'll take you to pick stars." "Pick the stars?.""I was amazed. "Yes, pick the stars!The squad leader said firmly.
In the bright moonlight, I followed behind the squad leader in disbelief. On a meadow not far from the tent, we stopped. "This is it. The squad leader said lightly. When I looked closely, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was a little light in the grass, like a little star blinking in its eyes. The squad leader took out the convenient bag in his pocket and squatted down to pick up the "stars" on the ground. It turned out that the "picking up stars" that the squad leader said was "picking up stars". I squatted in the grass and made sure that the "stars" were small glass balls and shards. The squad leader said: "This place used to be a glass factory. Since the troops came here for training, they found that these glasses scattered in the grass looked like stars in the moonlight, and they called this the ...... of Star Bay"It dawned on me.
After a while, the squad leader picked up a bag of glass balls. I'm also trying to find it, but most of what I can find are shards of glass. After a busy while, I was a little discouraged. The squad leader pointed to a nearby rock and sat down. I sat next to him, looked at the "star" in his hand, and felt envious. The squad leader seemed to sense my thoughts, and said cheerfully, "These are for you." "Give it to me?This is the determination to overcome difficulties, this is the perseverance that is not afraid of setbacks, and this is the confidence ...... to challengeIt's all up to you. The squad leader said seriously.
I lowered my head, took the heavy "star" of the squad leader, and was silent for a long time. The squad leader said meaningfully: "Your military service has just started, and you must not be intimidated by these insignificant difficulties in front of you. Although the training is hard, there is joy in the suffering. Those who abandon themselves can't be helped, and those who are self-reliant can't be defeated!Listening to the words of the squad leader, I clenched those small crystal "stars". Looking at the distant sky, I said word by word: "Squad leader, I know, thank you!".That's what I need right now. ”
When I returned to the camp, I put these little "stars" in bottles of mineral water and placed them under my bed. Countless nights, they came into my dreams, twinkling and flashing, illuminating my path. Under the careful guidance of the class leader, I regained my strength and overcame one difficulty after another.
Before the second year's training, many recruits asked me about the training site. I pondered for a moment and said firmly, "Star Bay is where the stars rise!".The new comrade-in-arms looked pleasantly surprised, and his eyes were full of anticipation. I think that maybe everyone has a star bay in their hearts, which gives us the courage, fearless wind and rain, hard work, and pick the shining stars.
This article is excerpted from the "Great Wall" edition of China National Defense News on August 10, 2023
The People's Liberation Army Daily was released on WeChat
Editor: Liu Yan.