In the hot carriage, the charcoal fire was blazing, and the two solid wood tables merged together were filled with various heated cans and stewed venison. Of course, there were also grilled and fragrant slices.
Big Lieba, and only one glass of vodka per person.
In the center of the dining table, the 8-channel portable radio was playing the news program of Lighthouse Radio at maximum volume.
"What happened to the Soviet Union?"
Dr. Murat frowned and murmured to himself. The cup of vodka he held hovered in his mouth for a long time without being poured into his mouth.
In this snowy Siberian wilderness, this doctor was wearing a white shirt and tie on his upper body - even the 24-hour watch on his wrist was the same as the base cold-weather suit he was wearing on his lower body.
It doesn't match the shirt and tie that should be worn with the suit at all.
'The country is sick'
Dr. Pavel, who was also holding the wine glass, reached forward and touched it with Murat again. However, he also did not drink it into his mouth. He just said with suppressed anger, "I just want to cure this country.
Still a quack!"
Compared with Dr. Murat, Dr. Pavel's clothing seems a bit bohemian, wearing a slightly torn sea soul shirt, loose Afghan combat pants, and even a pair of high-waisted military boots on his feet.
If the young people around him hadn't called him doctor, Wei Ran would have thought that this muscular man was an elite guy.
"well!"
Dr. Murat drank all the wine in the cup as if accepting his fate, and then exhaled forcefully, "Taras, change the channel, change the channel to a happier one."
Hearing this, the blond student with glasses sitting next to Wei Ran immediately put down the piece of bread that had just been smeared with foie gras, reached out and twisted the knob on the radio, and there was a burst of tingling noise and intervals.
After a few words, the popular and exciting music of this era - American Boy - finally came from the speaker.
"I take back what I just said"
Pavel directly pulled Taras' hand away and said angrily while adjusting the channel himself, "This damn country is not sick, it is poisoned! Poisoned by the United States! Look at the good things those idiots have done!"
"Crack!"
Pavel simply turned off the radio, and the warm car fell into silence.
“Hurry up and eat”
Murat sighed and said, "After dinner, April and Victor will do some hard work, and we will rush back to the camp immediately for supplies. Then we have to return to the exploration site immediately."
"Should we continue?" a bald student asked in a low voice. Wei Ran had seen his photo and naturally knew that this bald student was Agavan from Latvia.
"You can stay in the camp and follow the camp's security vehicle to leave here."
The student named Taras said disdainfully, "Since September 6th when you decided to break away from the Soviet Union and become independent, haven't you always wanted to go back? Stupid Latvians?"
"But I didn't leave for a moment, right?" Agravan said angrily, "I'm not complaining because Latvia broke away from the Soviet Union, but because..."
"Okay, let's eat quickly."
Murat, the eldest in the carriage, tapped the small enamel pot filled with red cabbage soup with a wooden spoon, and said with great seriousness, "Children, the straight-line distance from here to Moscow is almost four thousand kilometers, regardless of whether this country is
Whether we are sick or poisoned, what can we do for the time being?"
"Murat is right"
Pavel continued, "Our job is to complete our sampling work as soon as possible before the permafrost melts. This has nothing to do with whether you are Soviets or Latvians. Here, you are all scientific research and exploration work on the Pickaxe.
By."
"And this may be our last chance to work together," Murat said quietly, "Cherish this opportunity, children, and cherish our friendship."
In the silent carriage, a student named Taras raised his glass and said, "Agwan, my friend, I apologize to you."
"You owe me a bottle of vodka." The bald-headed Agravan happily raised his glass and clinked it with him.
"If you can get a share of vodka when you return to the camp this time, I will give you my vodka." After Truss finished speaking, he also drank all the wine in the glass.
Compared with the two young men who had settled their differences, and the two doctors who looked angry and melancholy, the other two students and the driver April remained silent on both sides of the table.
However, compared to the worried look on Apolly's face, the expressions on the faces of the student named Sharip from Minsk and the student named Gennady from Estonia seemed a little indifferent, as if their classmates
Just like the teacher's troubles, they don't affect them at all.
The student named Gennady even took out a coin from his pocket and competed with Sharip, who was sitting across from him, for the small amount of vodka in the other's cup by guessing the heads and tails.
"You two seem very happy?" Wei Ran couldn't help but ask.
"if not?"
Sharip asked with a smile, "Can we make the big shots on the radio quiet down by crying?"
"Just like Mr. Murat said"
Gennady said in unison, "It's four thousand kilometers away from Moss. Since we can't change what's happening no matter what we do, why don't we work seriously and have fun, as Comrade Lenin said?"
Where is the rest of the heart?”
“You’re right”
As Pavel spoke, he took out a pack of cheap-looking cigarettes from his pocket and distributed them to everyone, "What Gennady and Comrade Lenin said are right, we should work seriously and rest happily.
.Okay, kids, let’s eat quickly.”
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Having said that, it is obvious that because of the broadcast just now, or because of the brief conflict between Taras and Agravan, this meal is not finished yet.
Even a sumptuous dinner turned out to be a bit bland.
"I'm full. Just let me know when you decide to set off. I'll be in the cab."
The driver of the transport truck, Apolly, said the only thing he said since the meal was served. Then, without waiting for anyone to respond, he picked up the cup and drank it all, then stood up and left the carriage.
As the rear hatch of the car opened, the howling cold wind made everyone in the car shiver. By the time they reacted, April had already closed the hatch from the outside.
"Keep eating," Dr. Murat urged, but said nothing more.
After hurriedly finishing his own red cabbage soup, slices of bread, and two large pieces of thick and juicy deer steaks, Wei Ran stood up silently and walked to the bunk with his name on it.
This bunk is located against the wall. The small sign hanging on the bunk above the head reads Apolly's name. Under the bed, there are four long boxes placed side by side.
Not surprisingly, the crates also had their names written on them. I took out the two long crates that belonged to me and looked at them. In addition to toiletries such as toothbrushes and toothbrushes, one of them also contained a few thick pieces.
towel.
Pull out another one and take a look. In addition to a set of Afghan combat uniforms and matching boots, foot wraps and cotton hats, there are also a few pairs of socks and some close-fitting underwear, warm pants and the like.
In the middle of his clothes, he also dug out a Zenit 3M SLR camera produced by the Soviet Union in 1967.
What is quite special is that on the body of this camera, the red printed words "1917-1967" and the outline of a warship drawn with simple lines below undoubtedly prove that this camera is a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the "October Revolution"
Edition camera.
What is quite commendable is that this camera uses a Mir37/2.8 lens, which won the World Expo award that year.
The reason why he was able to recognize so many of them was all due to his brief study in veteran Leva's camera shop. Not only had he personally used the same camera, but Leva also specifically talked about it in detail.
And behind this lens, the Soviet Union’s once-ephemeral optical industry.
However, it was a bit too ironic to use a camera to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution to photograph these students, teachers, and soldiers against the background of the collapse of the Soviet Union. He even suspected that this was not the bad taste of the metal book.
This is why I am a passer-by who can watch calmly. If it were any of them, during this period, every time I press the shutter with this camera, I must have mixed emotions.
He rummaged through the layers of his clothes again and saw that there were two large boxes of at least a dozen films inside. After hesitating for a moment, Wei Ran finally stuffed the camera into his clothes again.
After bidding farewell to the six teachers and students in the carriage, and temporarily escaping from the dull atmosphere, Wei Ran, who was dressed neatly again, opened the car door, stepped on the snow-covered metal ladder to leave, and then helped Ta who was squatting at the door.
Russ pulled the metal ladder into the car and closed the door.
When he got back into the cockpit, Apoli also started the engine at the moment he closed the door. With the low roar of the engine, the huge transport vehicle began to move forward again.
"Victor" April suddenly asked after steering the car across a frozen river, "Is this really our last chance to work together?"
"I..."
After Wei Ran hesitated for a moment, he finally shook his head and responded in a slightly louder voice, "I don't know."
"Where are you from?" April asked, slowing down the car slightly. "I seem to have never asked you where you are from."
"Kazan, what about you?"
While Wei Ran was asking questions, he took out a pack of cigarettes from the wooden box between the two of them, opened it, took out one and handed it to the other person.
Unlike the six people in the back car, the driver named Apolly looked completely Asian. However, the Soviet Union was so large that it was impossible to tell by his skin color and hair color.
Where is the other person coming from?
"Guriyev"
"Guriyev?" Wei Ran thought for a while and finally asked, "Where is that place?"
"Kazakhstan" Apolly explained with a normal expression, "My home is on the shore of the Caspian Sea. You always know the Caspian Sea, right?"
"Know"
Wei Ran couldn't help but grin. Judging from the time and space he was in, the seven people in this car actually came from six countries. But at this time, most of them were still Soviets.
"I wonder if Kazakhstan will also choose independence." Apolly's voice was a little softer, but it was just enough for Wei Ran to hear.
"What do you think?"
"I don't have any opinion"
Apolly said calmly, "I joined the army just because I don't want to continue raising pigs, but I also don't want to serve in such a ghost place. But if Kazakhstan becomes independent, maybe I will go back to raising pigs."
"So, you don't like both serving and raising pigs?" After a moment of silence, April just shook his head and increased the speed of the car, but said nothing more.
In unspeakable silence, the transport truck passed through a snow-covered forest, crossed two riverbeds, and a snow-covered wasteland, and finally drove into a patch of coniferous forest.
's camp.
Outside the car window, in addition to two crawler transport vehicles, the camp also had a bulldozer and a snow wall pushed out by the bulldozer.
And inside the nearly two-meter-high snow wall, in addition to several large tents, there are actually two big red oil storage tanks with skids on the side. Next to the oil storage tank, there is a
There is also a large running fuel generator on the back of the MAZ537 heavy-duty tractor truck.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! It is the abundant power provided by this large generator that makes this camp almost brightly lit.
Seeing two groups of soldiers approaching, Apolly immediately stopped the car and turned off the engine under the guidance of the two small red flags in the other's hands. Seeing Apolly push open the door and jump out, Wei Ran quickly followed.
Following April's example, he went to the carriage behind to get toiletries and a change of clothes, and the two of them walked into a steaming tent one after another.
Behind them, Dr. Murat and Dr. Pavel, with their students, were busy carrying wooden boxes one after another from the cargo box.
After taking a final look at the busy teachers and students, Wei Ran got into the tent at April's urging.
After taking a comfortable hot bath, they followed Apolly to another connected tent and spent half an hour in the sauna. When they came out wearing clean clothes, Murat and others had just picked up toiletries.
Heading here.
"Would you like to get a haircut?" April asked as he walked.
"Let's go together," Wei Ran said without thinking. At this time, instead of running around, it was obviously a wiser choice to follow Apolly.
Under the leadership of the other party, I got my hair cut and shaved in a slightly smaller tent, and then went to a large tent where the aroma of food wafted for an extra meal, and blatantly took away more than a dozen apples and oranges.
, the two of them walked towards their transport vehicle again.
In just a short time, the transport truck had been filled with fuel, and even the warehouse was filled with various vegetables, frozen meats, cans, and even bread and bags of flour packed in cardboard boxes.
Not only that, even the living cabin at the back where people live has a dedicated person responsible for changing into clean bedding and blankets.
"Comrade Apolly, Comrade Victor"
A well-dressed soldier saluted and handed over a document, "The supplies have been completed. Is there anything else that needs attention?"
Apolly raised his hand perfunctorily in return, took the document and signed it without even looking at it, then said, "How about giving us two more barrels of fuel and getting us an extra box of vodka?"
"this..."
"One bear skin and five wolf skins," Apolly said in a low voice, "and get us some more cigarettes and candies."
“No problem with fuel and vodka”
The soldier who was wrapped up tightly said in a low voice, "The cigarettes are no problem, but the candies are gone, but we have a lot of new condensed milk."
"Where's the fruit?"
"Apples, we have enough apples." the soldier whispered.
"Since there are a lot of them, why not get us a basket of apples and a box of condensed milk?" Apolly said simply.
"I want to see how big the bearskin is first."
"no problem"
Apolly returned the folder in his hand to the other party, quickly climbed onto the roof of the cab, pulled away the snow, took off one bear skin and five wolf skins and threw them out of reach of the camp lights.
In the shadow.
After asking Wei Ran to help spread out the animal skins and display them, the soldier immediately nodded with satisfaction, "Two barrels of fuel, a box of vodka, five cartons of cigarettes, a box of condensed milk and a basket of apples."
"Is there any chili?" Wei Ran, who had been silent just now, asked before Apolly could nod.
"chili?"
The soldier was stunned for a moment, and replied in an uncertain tone, "I'll have to go to the kitchen and have a look to find out."
Apolly glanced at Wei Ran, and then said with a normal expression, "If you have any, help us get more."
"No problem!" The soldier shook the folder in his hand, "As usual, none of this will be recorded here."
"No need to remind"
Apolly took a step back as he spoke, letting the soldier and his companions roll up the animal skins and bury them in the snowdrift not far away.
"Get in the car," Apolly greeted in a low voice, then opened the door and got into the cab, which still had some residual warmth.
"What will they do with those animal skins?" Wei Ran asked curiously in a low voice.
"How do I know?" April responded, and then said, "But I guess it can be sold for a good price."
"Some people in Moscow must be thinking the same thing now..."
Wei Ran muttered to himself, but did not continue the topic. Instead, he just waited patiently in the dark cab.
Less than ten minutes later, the bulldozer came roaring over. Seeing this, Apolly immediately pushed open the sunroof of the prototype above his head. Weiran, on the other hand, leaned close to the car window and looked coldly in the rearview mirror.
Several soldiers used the rocker arm that came with the warehouse door to send two large barrels of fuel in.
When the door of the warehouse was closed, Apolly got back into the cab. At the same time, Weiran also opened the door and silently took the entire box lifted by the soldier standing in the bucket outside the cab.
Condensed milk, a basket of apples and a carton of vodka.
When the last box was passed to Wei Ran, the soldier whose face was mostly covered by the mask put his hood close to the cab, pointed at the box that Wei Ran had just passed to Apolly and said, "I only found some
Dried chilies, so I bought you a few extra cans of tuna, a few cans of salou, and I think there’s also a can of tomato sauce.”
"You are so generous today," April said in surprise.
"Generosity comes at a price"
The soldier lowered his voice and said, "Apoli, if you want to buy something extra when you come back next time, be sure to prepare more things that can be traded."
"What's wrong?" April asked with a frown.
"Vasili told me that there seems to be some problems with logistics supply recently. Apart from basic material supplies, it may be difficult to obtain other things."
Having said this, the soldier took off the cotton hat on his head, took out two letters and handed them to April, "This is your letter, which was delivered with it the day before yesterday."
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Thank you"
Apolly took the letter and put it aside, then took out an envelope from the net pocket on his head and handed it to the other party, "Shagoli, help me send this letter."
"Shagoli?"
Wei Ran raised his eyebrows and subconsciously looked at the man who was about to take the letter. He remembered clearly that the owner of the apartment where the ID and the revolver were found was her husband's name!
"No problem." The soldier put the letter delivered by April into his cotton hat and put it on his head.
Watching the other person leave the cab and closing the door for himself, Wei Ran couldn't help but ask, "Is he Sha Geli?"
"Who else could it be?" April responded matter-of-factly, "Don't you know him?"
"I just didn't recognize it." Wei Ran deliberately yawned, "Maybe he was too tired."
"Don't try to be lazy"
Apolly tore open one of the letters as he spoke, "You will need to drive on the return journey later. Now let's sort these things out. I want to read the letters my mother and my wife wrote to me."
"You have a good relationship with Sha Geli?" Wei Ran asked while stacking the wooden boxes stacked on the seats into the space behind the seats.
"certainly"
Apolly responded matter-of-factly, "Before I carried out this stupid task, I was the chef responsible for driving the cooking truck and cutting up the meat.
Shagoli is the chef on the cooking cart who is responsible for baking bread. Of course, he is also responsible for the supply of ingredients.
If we didn't need a bread cook here at the camp, he would have driven the car with me."
"He is also a Kazakh?" Wei Ran continued to ask curiously.
"Uke a rotten person"
April shook the letter in his hand and said impatiently, "Victor, can't you let me concentrate on reading the letter my wife wrote to me?"
"Look, look." Wei Ran waved his hand nonchalantly.
"Change your position and wait for you to drive." Apolly stood up as he spoke.
Changing places with the other party, Wei Ran looked at the densely populated instrument panel and various switches but felt a little worried. He had never turned on this thing before.
I looked up and looked outside the car window. Fortunately, perhaps for the convenience of exiting, there was an entrance and exit not far ahead, and a transport truck was driving out from there at this time.
With the help of the reading light that Apolly had just turned on, Wei Ran took the time to study the functions of the switches and instruments, and then he felt a little more at ease.
After continuing to wait for about half an hour, Murat and others also walked back together. After a while, Dr. Pavel's voice came from the small speaker above his head, "Apoli, Victor, it's time for us to set off."
"Copy that." Wei Ran responded by picking up the microphone hanging at hand, and then fumbled to start the engine.
Contrary to his expectations, this big guy was much easier to drive than he thought - except that when he left the camp, he forgot about the long tail behind him, so he wiped off a piece of the snow wall.
Following the ruts left by April, Wei Ran steered the behemoth forward slowly and leisurely, while April, who was in the passenger seat, focused all his attention on the two letters in his hands.
After driving continuously for almost two hours, Wei Ran returned to the place where he was "born" and continued to walk forward. The ruts on the snow were still extremely clear, and April, who was next to him, also finished writing his reply.
"This is my son." Apolly handed a color photo to Wei Ran.
Taking the photo, Wei Ran glanced at the little guy in national costume and the maroon pony held by the little guy, and then asked with a smile, "How old is he?"
"Five years old"
Apolly pinned the photo in the net pocket above his head, looked sideways at the snowy scene outside the window and said, "I haven't seen this little guy for a whole year. If Hasa becomes independent, maybe I won't have to."
If you serve in this hellish place, you can come back to him and grow up with him."
"maybe..."
Wei Ran responded faintly, but for a moment he didn't know how to continue the conversation with this topic. After all, if he just missed his family and his children, there was no need for such a big excuse.
