At the time of the summer harvest, all schools in the prefectures and counties under the entire town and national army were on a half-month agricultural holiday.

Each school under the Zhenguo Army also has its own public land, and there are still a lot of grain fields. There are some school workers who work on the school field, and the students also have a half-day labor class every week, taking turns to help with the farming. When it comes to the summer harvest and autumn harvest, classes will be suspended and harvested. The school fields are planted with vegetables, rice, corn, and wheat, and most of the land is produced for teachers and students.

With 10,000 students, Dengzhou Military Academy is considered the largest school, so they also have a huge piece of school-owned land. Guo Tao and other students took a break from class to go to the field for the summer harvest, and they were busy for almost ten days before completing the summer harvest and the subsequent planting of the second crop. Although it was tiring, no one was lazy.

After everything was done, there were still five days left in the half-month agricultural holiday, and the principal and military representatives announced that the students would be allowed to go home to rest and return to school after the holiday was over.

This day happened to be the weekend, and the brothers and sisters of Guo Tao's foster family would also go home together and have a reunion dinner according to the custom. Just a month before the grand and lively wedding banquet of Dashuai, Guo Tao's eldest brother Guo Wei officially married the daughter of the boss's team leader, Liu Shixiang. Speaking of which, Liu's family is just twenty this year, and Liu's former hometown was in Xuzhou, and he was from the same hometown as his adoptive father Liu Dayan. Perhaps it is for this reason that Team Leader Liu married his daughter, who has been in her teens for more than ten years, but is very virtuous, to his subordinate Wu Commander Guo Wei.

Guo Tao likes this sister-in-law very much, she is always smiling, and she is very diligent, and she is always busy all day long. The sister-in-law is not too beautiful, but she has a filial piety and virtue that everyone praises, as well as a thrifty housekeeper.

I heard that my sister-in-law used to work in Dengzhou Hospital. At the moment, I haven't gone to work since I got married. I heard my adoptive mother say that the eldest brother plans to let the sister-in-law have a child first. Therefore. During this time, the sister-in-law has been doing housework at home.

As soon as he got home and walked in the door, he smelled a strong fragrance. When he saw the broth tumbling in the steaming casserole on the briquette stove, Guo Tao immediately heard his stomach rumbling together. I couldn't help but reach out and pick up the spoon next to me, scooped a spoonful of soup, blew a few mouthfuls vigorously, and couldn't wait for it to cool, so I drank it in one gulp.

"Oh, Xiao Tao is back. If you're hungry, there's freshly cooked potato porridge, and if you like taro puree, there's also it. Daddy, they may have to come back later, so you should eat some food to cushion your stomach first. Sister-in-law Liu came over from the yard and smiled at him a little dotingly, just like she did with her younger brothers and sisters. Guo Tao has seen the people of the sister-in-law's family, Liu is in his early forties, the sister-in-law is the eldest child, and there are three daughters and three sons, all of whom are in their teens. The youngest son is also wearing open crotch pants.

Guo Tao was a little embarrassed to be alone with his sister-in-law, he was already a twelve-year-old junior scout. It is the time when I am ignorant about the affairs of men and women.

"No, I'll wait for everyone to come back together."

"Xiao Tao is already an adult, I forgot that you are the squadron leader, and you are in charge of a hundred people, and you are the biggest official in our family. Your eldest brother is the captain, and your second brother is only a private, and you will definitely be more promising in the future. Liu said with a smile while wearing an apron.

"My sister-in-law laughed, we are scouts, and we are not the same as the regular army. I still have to go to school for six years before I graduate, and when I graduate and enter the Zhenguo Army, I will only be a corporal. The eldest brother is now a corporal, and after six years, he may have crossed the non-commissioned officer and become an officer. ”

The smile on Liu's face was even stronger, "Although your eldest brother is now a corporal, he can't compare to you, he suffers from not being literate before." Although I am learning words every night in the army, I am too old to learn them. ”

Guo Tao also put his schoolbag, rolled up his sleeves to help wash the vegetables and light the fire, and half an hour later, Guo Tao's adoptive mother Wang and the two righteous sisters also came back together. The female workers in the Dengzhou workshop usually leave work a quarter of an hour earlier than the male workers in the evening, that is, they are allowed to go home early to cook dinner.

After the three of them went home, they also went to the kitchen to help get busy, and after a quarter of an hour, their adoptive father Guo Dayan also came back from work at the dock. When it was dark and the meal was ready, the brothers Guo Wei and Guo Xiong came back together while talking and laughing.

Guo Wei is very burly, tall and big, more than seven feet tall, Guo Xiong and Guo Wei are somewhat similar in appearance, but they are thinner, and their faces are a little yellow. Guo Wei has a red face, Guo Xiong has a yellow face, it is said that Guo Xiong had a serious illness when he was a child, and his body is much worse than Guo Wei.

Guo Wei wore a red and blue-edged uniform that praised the Japanese army, and in the summer, he only wore a robe with narrow sleeves and a pair of large-mouth pants, the sleeves were rolled up high, revealing his hardcover arms, and the collar on his chest was also pulled very open, revealing his broad chest with dense black chest hair. However, there was a yellow cowhide belt hanging from his waist, and a standard horizontal knife was hung from it. And the most striking thing on his body was not his iron horizontal sword, but the nearly fist-sized badge on his left chest, on which was his infantry rank. As an infantry commander who praised the Japanese army in Zhenguo, this is a dazzling symbol, at least in this residential area, Guo Wei has always been the object of envy and admiration of those young people.

Guo Xiong was wearing a unity army uniform with a blue background and white edges, and the uniform was neatly worn on his body, even if it was still steaming in the evening, but he didn't tear his collar open a bit. Especially on his feet, he also wears a pair of short-top cowhide boots.

If it weren't for the bronze medal on Guo Xiong's chest indicating that he was just a private in the infantry of the Unity Army, I am afraid that people who saw it for the first time would think that Guo Xiong was the highest-ranking of the three brothers.

As soon as he entered the door, Guo Wei handed over a net bag in his hand to Guo Tao, "Take it and open it, tonight's meal!" ”

"Canned braised beef, a canned orange and a canned coconut!" Guo Tao, who took over the net pocket, lit up his eyes, and his saliva was lured out at once. These are rare good things, and most people are reluctant to buy such good things. Usually, you have to hesitate to buy canned pig, and canned mutton is only given as a gift when you go to relatives. This beef is usually not eaten at all, and canned beef is even more precious. And tangerines and coconuts, I heard that they are only found in the extreme south.

Sister-in-law Liu glared at her husband, "I just got promoted to Wu Chief." The salary was not mentioned much. It's a lot of money. If you buy a canned beef, you can buy ten catties of pork belly. ”

Guo Dayan and his wife Wang both smiled, it is a good thing that a daughter-in-law can be careful in her calculations, such a daughter-in-law is a serious person.

"Second brother, what did you bring back?" Guo Tao stared at the bag Guo Xiong was carrying. There must be a lot of good stuff inside.

"These are for you!" Lin Wei put the bag on the table and opened it directly. The first thing that catches your eye is a polo moon staff with a slightly dark red color. Then there's a set of calfskin armor and a pair of calfskin boots. In addition, there are two sets of cyan summer clothes, a white linen middle coat and two boxer briefs. In addition, there was a sheep towel and a bar of soap. Except for the polo stick, the rest are the uniforms of the Unity Army, but the blue robe is missing.

The uniforms of the armed forces, the school uniforms of the students, the dark coats of the teachers, and the uniforms of the officials are strictly forbidden to be worn indiscriminately. However, such as leather armor, regular clothes, middle clothes, and boots, they are all in demand. Soap, in particular, is a dispensing item for officers and is also available in stores. But it is extremely expensive.

Guo Tao also distributes school uniforms in school, including regular uniforms and training uniforms. But at his age, he grows taller every six months, and he usually spends a lot of clothes. The second brother gave himself the items he sent, which made him extremely moved.

"I specially asked someone to change the clothes, they are all in your size, you are the squadron leader, and you have a hundred brothers. Wearing patched clothes, you can't beat the prestige of the squadron leader. And you also need a set of your own leather armor now, and I know that you like to play polo, and this club was bought for you by your eldest brother. The leather armor was bought by Aya A-Niang and Xiaolian Xiaohe, and the sister-in-law also had a share. Guo Wei said, a hand reached over and patted Guo Tao's shoulder a few times.

Guo Tao, whose nose was slightly sour, was even more grateful when he heard these words. He is only fostered in Guo's house, and even only one day a week is at home, plus holidays, he only spends three or four months at home a year. But the Guo family is so good to him, even comparable to his own relatives.

"Okay, okay, let's eat, let's eat, and the food is going to be cold. Tonight, there is pork belly, potato porridge, and taro paste roasted loach, plus a potato medicine leaf, and a potato medicine tender stalk, plus braised beef canned food, and a lotus root, in addition to the second child's favorite sour radish slices, Xiaolian's favorite carrot strips, and the eldest daughter-in-law's favorite pork rib soup! ”

Eight dishes and one soup, accompanied by potato and medicinal corn porridge, is indeed called unusually rich.

The family had a meal and enjoyed themselves.

"Aye, A-Niang, I have something to tell you." Guo Wei stopped his chopsticks, put down the bowl and said, "The military department has already issued a military order, and today the battalion owner has passed it down, let us get ready, our battalion will be driven to southern Liaoning these days." ”

"Is there going to be a war?" Guo Dayan became a little nervous, Wang also pricked up his ears, and Liu stared at Guo Wei tightly. "Is there a specific military order?"

Guo Wei said: "I heard the battalion owner say that this time the commander will send the Tenth Army into southern Liaoning and launch a battle to recover Liaozhong. We are also among the Japanese troops to be dispatched, and now we are waiting for the specific date and military order to send troops. ”

The people at the dinner table suddenly put down their dishes and chopsticks, the battle of Zhenguo Army against southern Liaoning will be fought sooner or later, it was supposed to be fought last year, and it has been delayed until this year. They are all worried about their son going to the front, but they also understand the rights and obligations of soldiers that the government has been promoting. In the Zhenguo Army, being a soldier is the most glorious and honorable thing. Not only is there glory, but being a soldier is also the most convenient way to become an official and carp jump into the dragon gate in addition to studying.

Guo Xiong suddenly said at this time: "The Unity Army has issued a notice from above, and the 60 battalions of the Unity Army will send 15,000 people from 30 battalions to participate in Liao. My brothers and I in our battalion wrote a joint letter requesting to enter Liao. It is estimated that there is a high chance of passing, so I will inform you first. ”

Guo Dayan felt his heart blocked for a while, and the eight dishes and one soup on the table and the potato medicine corn porridge suddenly lost their attractive taste, he looked at the two sons who were taller and stronger than him in a daze, his eyes were a little warm for a while, and he wanted to say anything but couldn't say a word.

Wang wiped his eyes, "Master, you have something to say." Both sons are going to the battlefield, how can this family live! ”

Guo Dayan sighed and glared at his wife, "What kind of bastard are you talking about, they listen to the orders of the marshal to fight, and this is also how it should be." Without the marshal, without the Zhenguo Army, where did we come from today. Think about what our days were like when we were in Xuzhou, think about today's days, there are houses, houses and food, where did such a good day come from? Now that our son has grown up to be a soldier, it is time to go to the battlefield, even if you don't save it, you have to save it, you can't forget to dig wells, and you have to talk about conscience. ”

"But our two sons can send one to fight, not necessarily both of them, right?" The Wang family is still wiping tears there, the swords and soldiers on the battlefield have no eyes, which parent gives up his own son to go to the battlefield. Especially when I went to fight in that place in Liaodong, I heard that the Hu people were extremely fierce.

The eldest son has just been married for only a month, and the Wang family still thinks that after the summer, he will give the second son a good kiss in the autumn. Although the second child is not as handsome and majestic as the boss, he is only a second-class infantry archer in the unity army, but at least he eats public food. At the last eldest wedding banquet, many people inquired about the second child. There are also two daughters, who have also reached the age of marriage, and if they continue to delay, they will have to pay a fine for late marriage, and the public will be married. In the past two years, the two daughters have worked in the workshop, usually helping with housework at home, not only taking on some housework, but also earning a lot of money for the family. I think that if there is a good family, I can also marry out.

Seeing that the days were getting more and more prosperous, but suddenly there was going to be a war, and the two sons were going to go to war, the Wang family felt like they had lost their souls. But she also understands that this time she has to go.

However, the brothers Guo Wei and Guo Xiong were both calm and comfortable, and at this time, they comforted the Wang family and the Liu family.

"Aya A-Niang, in fact, fighting is not as terrible as you think. Our Zhenguo army has fought countless battles over the years, and with a marshal leading the troops, it has always been invincible and has never lost a profit. What's more, we mobilized a lot of soldiers and horses this time, and the total number of soldiers, auxiliaries, and civilians exceeded 100,000. And it's been preparing for more than a year, so there's nothing to worry about at all. ”

Guo Wei patted his daughter-in-law's hand and said: "The long is half a year, the short is three months, it is estimated that the war will be over, and my second brother and I will go back as soon as we go." Killing the enemy on the battlefield and making meritorious contributions is much better than the qualifications on weekdays. Maybe, when I see my second brother and I again, we will be directly promoted to captain, team deputy or something. At that time, our Guo family was also an official family! ”

Guo Tao's heart is also very complicated, on the one hand, he is looking forward to the two righteous brothers going to the battlefield to kill the enemy and make meritorious contributions, but on the other hand, he is also worried about their safety. After that, he got up and took out the leather armor that his family had just given him and sent it to Guo Xiong: "Second brother, you should bring this leather armor." ”

Guo Xiong patted Guo Tao on the shoulder, "Second brother has a better set of leather armor, this set was given to you by the family, you can take it well." After my second brother and I left, you will be the only son in the family, and you will have to take care of the empty people on our behalf. ”

"Don't worry, eldest brother and second brother, I will take care of the family and wait for you to come back!" Guo Tao said seriously. (To be continued......)