mesbooks Chapter 124 Enthusiastic Villagers
Chapter 124 Enthusiastic Villagers
But that thin cloth could not keep out the bone-chilling cold, and everyone was still shivering.
Seeing this situation, Nan Qiao and Brother Wang hurriedly took out the thick clothes she had donated before, and distributed the few remaining thick clothes to several injured and weaker soldiers.
Night, like a huge black curtain, pressed down heavily, covering the entire camp.
The temperature grew colder as the night deepened, and the coldness seemed to turn into countless sharp ice needles, drilling mercilessly into the cracks between people's bones.
Nan Qiao stood in a corner of the camp. Although he had wrapped his clothes as tightly as possible, he was still frozen by the bone-chilling cold. His teeth clenched and his body trembled slightly uncontrollably.
At this moment, Wang Qi hurried towards her, holding a cotton coat tightly in his hands.
His steps were a little unsteady, obviously he was walking too fast in this cold night.
Walking up to Nan Qiao, he handed her his cotton-padded jacket, his voice trembling slightly from the cold: "Qiao Qiao, put on this jacket quickly. It's too cold at night. Don't catch a cold."
Nan Qiao looked up and saw that Wang Qi's hands were red from the cold. The red color, which was almost purple, looked particularly glaring in the dark night.
Her heart tightened, and she took the coat a little embarrassedly. She shook her head and said, "Wang Qi, your hands are frozen like this. You should wear it. I can still do it."
As the two men were in a stalemate, a young soldier ran over with a pot of wine.
He came to Nan Qiao with a concerned look on his face, handed the wine jug to her, and said, "Sister Qiao Qiao, it's very cold tonight. If you feel cold, drink some wine and you will feel much warmer."
Seeing this, Wang Qi grabbed the pot of wine without saying a word and said to the young soldier, "I have wine to warm myself up, but you have to keep this coat. It's so cold at night, you can't let it freeze."
As he spoke, he stuffed the cotton-padded jacket into Nan Qiao's hands again, his eyes revealing a firmness that would not brook refusal.
Nan Qiao looked at Wang Qi's red, frozen hands and his determined expression, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart. After hesitating for a moment, she finally took the cotton-padded jacket and said softly, "Well... well, thank you, Wang Qi."
Wang Qi then smiled. He raised the pot of wine and took a big gulp. The spicy wine flowed down his throat, as if a small flame was ignited in his body, making him feel a little warmer in this cold night.
The young soldier stood aside, his eyes fixed on Wang Qi, his mouth corners slightly turned down, and a dissatisfied sound came out of his nose: "Wang Qi, you are really good at taking advantage."
There was a sour taste in the words, and he was obviously dissatisfied with Wang Qi's actions just now, which had snatched away his opportunity to perform.
Wang Qi just smiled and waved his hand disapprovingly, saying, "It's all the same. Think about it, if I didn't have this pot of wine to warm myself, why would Qiaoqiao accept this coat?"
"Now, the most important thing is that Qiaoqiao can warm up and not be frozen by the cold night."
As he spoke, he glanced at the cotton-padded jacket that was already draped over Nan Qiao, a hint of relief in his eyes, as if as long as Nan Qiao could keep warm, this cold night would not be so unbearable for him.
After hearing what Wang Qi said, the young soldier curled his lips, but didn't know what to say. He just stood there with his arms folded across his chest, sulking, and secretly glancing at Nan Qiao and Wang Qi from time to time.
The darkness of night enveloped the earth, and the camp where the 233rd Regiment was stationed seemed a bit desolate in this cold atmosphere.
Just then, a rustling sound of footsteps came from far away, breaking the silence.
I saw a group of rural women from a nearby village, led by an older sister with a kind face and eyes that showed simplicity and enthusiasm, slowly walking towards the camp.
They were holding bulging bags in their arms or carrying them in their hands, but they walked with firm steps in this cold night.
Arriving at the camp, the leading woman wiped her face, which had turned red from the cold wind, cleared her throat, and said loudly, "Comrades of the Xingjun Army, the weather has really turned cold so quickly. There's no time to prepare at all."
"Many people in our village saw that you were still wearing summer clothes, and they thought that you were in such a hurry to march that you didn't have time to bring winter clothes. It must be so cold in this cold weather."
As she spoke, she looked at the thin clothes on the soldiers with eyes full of concern.
"So, our village spontaneously organized itself, and everyone hurried to sew cotton-padded clothes and make cotton shoes, hoping to send them to you so that you can spend the winter warmly."
As she spoke, she untied the bundle in her hand, revealing a brand new cotton coat inside. Although the stitching of the coat was not extremely fine, it was full of sincerity. Every stitch and every thread seemed to be sewn with the villagers' care and gratitude for the soldiers.
The other women nodded and echoed in unison: "Yes, yes, we can't let you get cold."
"What we sew may not look that good, but it's very warm." As they said this, they opened the bags they brought with them one after another, revealing pairs of thick cotton shoes and pieces of thick cotton coats. On this cold night, these clothes that carry the villagers' love seemed to emit bursts of warm light.
Seeing this, the regiment commander hurried forward a few steps, waving his hands in a serious and sincere manner, refusing: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is unacceptable. Our army has discipline and cannot accept a single needle or thread from the masses. We appreciate your kindness, but please take these clothes back with you."
The leading woman smiled and stepped forward, took the commander's hand and said, "Comrade Xingjun, please don't say that. Many families in our village have children who are soldiers. We are not ordinary people, we are military dependents."
"It's only natural to send something warm to your family."
The other women also echoed: "Yes, yes, we are just bringing some warmth to our relatives, how can it be considered a violation of discipline."
Having said that, they took action spontaneously without waiting for the leader to agree.
The women walked among the soldiers, handing out cotton coats one by one to the shivering soldiers, muttering to themselves, "Children, put them on quickly, don't get cold."
"Young man, this cotton coat is very warm, put it on quickly."
After a while, most of the cotton coats were distributed, but because there were so many soldiers, many people still did not get any.
These kind-hearted women made a plan and without saying a word turned around and ran to the village. After a while, they came back panting, carrying the quilts from home.