After Sokov and Asiya parted ways, they pushed the stroller alone towards the location of Asiya's parents' home.
He hadn't been here for more than a year, and Sokov really couldn't recognize the way. Just when he was in a dilemma, an old lady carrying a cloth bag came over. He quickly put down the trolley in his hand and stepped forward.
Asked politely: "Grandma, do you know where Bakanidze's home is?"
After the old lady looked Sokov up and down, she asked warily: "What are you doing with their house?"
"I'm here to visit relatives." Sokov said with a smile: "But I haven't been here for a long time, and I couldn't find my way for a while, so I asked you for directions."
Hearing that Sokov was here to visit relatives, the old lady told Sokov in detail the location of Asiya's parents' home, and finally said with envy: "Young man, you are really good, come here
I brought so many things with me when I visited relatives."
Sokov knew that the cart he was pushing was indeed eye-catching to outsiders, so he picked up two tomatoes from the cart and stuffed them into the old lady's hands: "It's hot, eat two tomatoes to relieve your pain."
heat."
The old lady did not refuse the tomatoes Sokov handed her. After taking them, she carefully put them into the cloth bag she was carrying. Then she thanked Sokov repeatedly: "Thank you, young man, you are such a great person."
What a good person."
Following the old lady's guidance, Sokov came to the door of Asiya's parents' house. Seeing that the door was closed, he went up and knocked on the door several times, but there was no movement inside. It was obvious that no one was at home. Sokov
Then he walked to the door of the unit, sat down on the bench outside the door, and waited patiently for Asiya's arrival.
After waiting for a while, Sokov saw a man wearing a peaked cap and dark blue canvas overalls walking towards him. Sokov took a casual look and found that it was an unfamiliar face, so he looked away and continued.
He looked into the distance, expecting Asiya to appear.
"Young man," when the middle-aged worker passed by Sokov, he stopped and asked in a wary tone, "Who are you looking for?"
Sokov was already absent-minded. He didn't expect that the other party would suddenly ask him, and he couldn't help but stutter a little when he answered: "I...I'm looking for...Bakanidze."
"Looking for Bakanidze?" The worker stared at Sokov and asked: "Who are you to him?"
"I am his son-in-law." Sokov quickly recovered from his panic, stared at the other person and replied, "Do you know him?"
"Of course," the worker nodded and said in a positive tone: "I have known him for almost fifty years. I have long heard that his daughter married a soldier. If you are a soldier, why don't you wear a military uniform?
"
There is a reason for the workers to ask this. For Soviet soldiers, wearing military uniforms is a sign of honor, so they wear military uniforms not only in the military camp but also at home. Unless they are performing special tasks, they will not wear military uniforms easily.
Taking off his military uniform, Sokov naturally understood this truth. He quickly explained to the other party: "Now that the war is over, I am just here to visit relatives. It is more convenient to wear casual clothes."
Hearing what Sokov said, the worker laughed and said: "This is the first time I have heard a soldier say that it would be more convenient not to wear military uniforms. To be honest, who are you and what are you doing here? If not
Tell me clearly and I will ask the militia to arrest you."
"I am really the son-in-law of the Bakanidze family." Sokov pointed towards the closed door and said: "Well, there is no one at home, so I will wait here. My wife Asya comes to the bakery at the moment
I've gone to find her mother Nina's house, and I think it won't be long before I can get the key back."
When the worker heard Sokov say the names Asiya and Nina, his expression softened: "What's your name?"
"My name is Mikhail Mikhailnovitch Sokov." Sokov replied truthfully: "If you know Bakanidze, you should know that what I say is true."
Unexpectedly, after Sokov finished speaking, the worker laughed: "Come, get to know me, I am Asiya's father Bakanidze, also your father-in-law."
When he learned that the worker who had been questioning him for a long time was actually Asiya's father Bakanidze, Sokov hurriedly stood up from his seat, stretched out his hands to hold the other person's hand: "Hello, Bakanidze.
I have never seen you before, so I couldn’t recognize you just now, so please forgive me.”
"Look what you said." Bakanidze said with a smile: "There is nothing to forgive or not to forgive, I didn't recognize you either."
When Bakanidze saw that the trolley at the door was piled with the things Sokov bought, he couldn't help but frowned slightly: "Misha, you and Asiya come here, buy it."
What are all these things for?”
Sokov chuckled and said: "I come to see my father-in-law and mother-in-law, so I can't be empty-handed. It would be too rude. By the way, when I came last time, I heard the factory director say that you have gone to the front line.
I don’t know when you came back?”
"I came back in mid-May." Bakanidze asked: "When did you and Asya return to Moscow?"
"It's also around mid-May."
"What, you have been back for a month and a half?" After hearing what Sokov said, Bakanidze said with a straight face: "You have been back for such a long time, it's fine if you don't come to see us, why don't you even have a phone call?
Hit one? It made Asiya’s mother and I think you were still in Germany.”
"This matter is very complicated to talk about." Sokov looked to the left and right, and then said to Bakanidze: "This is not the place to talk about it. Let's talk about it somewhere else."
Bakanidze felt that what Sokov said made sense, so he took out the key to open the door, and helped Sokov move everything on the trolley into the room one by one.
After all this was done, Bakanidze asked Sokov: "Misha, which store does this cart come from? I will send it back to others later."
"It's from the military store." Sokov said: "The manager said that it won't be too late to return the cart whenever we are free."
"Okay." Since Sokov said this, Bakanidze no longer continued to worry about the problem of the trolley, but was concerned about why Sokov and the others did not contact him for so long after returning to Moscow: "Now you can tell
I, it’s been so long since you returned to Moscow, why haven’t you contacted us?”
Sokov hesitated for a moment, secretly wondering whether he should tell Bakanidze the truth. After thinking for a long time, he decided to tell him the truth: "Actually, we have been staying in a sanatorium outside Moscow during this period. The reason why we didn't
We are in contact with you all because we have been ordered not to communicate with the outside world, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble. Now that Asiya and I can finally leave the nursing home, we hurried over to visit you two.
.”
Seeing that Sokov was somewhat vague, Bakanidze guessed that there must be some confidential matters involved, so he did not continue the interrogation, but stood up to boil water, "Misha, do you want tea or coffee?"
Sokov didn't know much about whether to drink tea or coffee. When Bakanidze said this, he casually replied: "Both are fine!"
"Then let's drink tea." Bakanidze said: "Yesterday, a friend gave me a bag of black tea. You can try this tea when you come over today."
Before the water boiled, Asiya and her mother Nina walked in from the outside. Seeing that her father was also at home, after a brief surprise, she stepped forward and gave him a warm hug, mouthing
Li also said: "Dear father, I miss you so much."
After Sokov stood up and greeted his mother-in-law Nina, he then pointed out the things placed in the kitchen to her and emphasized that this was something he and Asya felt.
Nina saw the things piled up in the kitchen and kept saying: "Too much, too much. Every time you come, you bring us so much. How can the two of us eat it all?"
Nina's words reminded Sokov. He thought that since Asiya was pregnant now, her superiors might not arrange a specific job for Asiya in two or three years. Therefore, whether she lived in her own home or her parents'
It doesn't matter if she's at home. But if she stays here, she can ask two or two to take care of her.
Thinking of this, Sokov said to Nina and Bakanidze: "I have something to trouble you two."
"We are all a family. If you have any questions, just ask us. If you have any trouble, don't worry." Nina said carelessly.
"It's like this. Originally, Asiya and I received orders from our superiors to go out to perform tasks for a period of time." Sokov said to the two of them, "But I didn't expect that Asiya was pregnant, so naturally we could no longer accompany us.
I'm going on a mission, so I plan to leave her here with you and let you take good care of her."
"Asia, is what Misha said true?" Nina had an expression of ecstasy on her face after hearing what Sokov said. She grabbed her daughter and asked excitedly: "Are you really pregnant?"
Yet?"
Hearing her mother ask this, Asiya blushed immediately. Under the expectant eyes of everyone, she nodded shyly and acknowledged the matter.
"Blessed Mother!" Nina crossed herself on her chest, and then asked Asiya nervously: "Where did you get the test, and are the results reliable? Otherwise, I will take you to the factory hospital for a test later.
Come on, I’m quite familiar with the doctors and nurses in the obstetrics and gynecology department there.”
"No, no need." After hearing what Nina said, Sokov hurriedly waved his hands and said: "The person who examined Asiya is an authority in the medical field. If there are problems with his diagnosis, other doctors may
There is no test result."
Maybe care leads to chaos. Even though Sokov had already said this, Nina still said stubbornly: "No, Asya, after lunch later, I will accompany you to the hospital in the factory.
Check it out. Without confirmation in person, I still feel uneasy."
"Mom, please stop making trouble." Asiya became a little anxious and blurted out the words as soon as they came to her lips: "The person who examined me is Comrade Stalin's personal doctor. If his diagnosis is not accurate, what else can he do?"
Is the doctor’s diagnosis accurate?”
The room fell into silence for an instant. Both Nina and Bakanidze stared at their daughter with their eyes widened in surprise, unable to believe what they had just heard.
After a while, Bakanidze came back to his senses and asked with some stuttering: "Asia, is everything you said true? Was it really Comrade Stalin's personal doctor who made the diagnosis for you?"
"Yes, father-in-law!" Sokov quickly came out to help and said, "What Asiya said is true. How can you just joke about this kind of thing?"
"Oh my God." Bakanidze said in surprise: "How is this possible? How could Comrade Stalin's personal doctor perform a physical examination on Asya?"
"The reason is very simple." Taking advantage of the fact that there were no outsiders here, Sokov told Bakanidze and Nina about entering the Kremlin yesterday, and finally said: "Because while eating, Asya suddenly
Morning sickness occurred, and Comrade Stalin was worried that she was suffering from an emergency, so he called his personal doctor to examine her. Who would have expected that during such an examination, Asiya was unexpectedly found to be pregnant."
After listening to Sokov's story, both Bakanidze and Nina breathed a sigh of relief and said, "So, Asya is really pregnant?"
"That's right." Although he had to keep repeating these words, Sokov was still happy in his heart: "Asia is indeed pregnant."
"Asia," Nina still had some worries in her heart: "When you had morning sickness in front of Comrade Stalin, he wasn't angry, right?"
"No." Asiya shook her head and replied truthfully: "I think if he was angry, he wouldn't call a private doctor to examine me."
"Asiya, this is your first child. You must not understand many things." After Nina put down the huge stone in her heart, she said to Asiya as an experienced person: "Don't do strenuous exercise during this period.
, if there is nothing to do at work, I will ask for leave to raise my baby here. Misha, you don’t object, right?” Her next sentence was asked to Sokov.
"No objection." Sokov shook his head and said, "I just said that I will leave Moscow soon and go on a mission abroad. Let Asiya stay here. With your care, I won't be able to do anything."
No worries anymore.”
I heard that Sokov was going to perform a mission abroad, but neither Bakanidze nor Nina asked about it. This shows that the sense of confidentiality in this era is still quite strong, and the rhetoric prepared by Sokov was of no use at all.
land.
"Misha, Asya is my daughter." Nina said to Sokov: "Taking care of her is what I should do, so you can rest assured and go on the mission. I think when you come back, maybe you can still
Just in time for the birth of the child."
Seeing that Nina had agreed to his request, Sokov felt at ease. This way, he no longer had any worries and could safely go to the Far East and command the troops to teach the Kwantung Army a lesson.
"Misha," Bakanidze asked tentatively, "I wonder how long it will take you to perform your mission abroad this time?"
Bakanidze's question really stopped Sokov. He knew that it only took a very short time for the Soviet army to completely defeat the Kwantung Army. But as the commander of the group army, he was not the one who surrendered as soon as the little devil surrendered.
If he can return immediately, his superiors may order him to stay in the Far East for a period of time. Therefore, he can only say euphemistically: "I think I should be able to return to Moscow before the spring of next year."
