Chapter 89

In response to Xiong Mingyang's question about the source of the tap water, Xiaokawa Yoji replied, "The dormitory manager said that the waterworks is built nearby."

"Let's go and take a look." Xiong Mingyang became interested. At the People's Party meeting, Chen Ke had once mentioned that tap water would be introduced to the party's base. At the time, everyone just listened. Xiong Mingyang actually had no idea how to build a waterworks. Although he did not like the British, he thought that it was not practical to build a waterworks in such a small county. However, he did not expect that during his absence, the comrades left in the county had managed to achieve such a feat. He was determined to see it for himself.

Following the bamboo pipes to the back of the dormitory, they did not walk far before seeing a fence ahead. At the gate, a guard was standing watch. Seeing two figures approaching in the darkness, the soldier with a red-tasseled spear immediately shouted loudly, "Who's there?"

"I am the first squad leader of the second company, Xiong Mingyang," Xiong Mingyang quickly responded.

A moment later, Xiong Mingyang and Xiaokawa Yoji arrived at the gate. A sign stood next to the gate, and in the darkness, they could make out the words "Fengtai County Waterworks." Two guards with red-tasseled spears stood at the gate, watching Xiong Mingyang and Xiaokawa Yoji with alert eyes.

In the darkness, it was hard to see clearly. Xiong Mingyang raised his head and could only vaguely see some dark shadows standing in the waterworks.

"Entry to the waterworks is not allowed," the sentry shouted.

"Brother, uh, comrade, I am the first squad leader. I want to see the water tower," Xiong Mingyang said with a smile.

"First squad leader? I don't know you. Do you have an order?" the guard asked.

Xiong Mingyang naturally did not have an order and did not recognize the guard. Since the guard said he did not know him, it was difficult to communicate. However, Xiong Mingyang did not give up. He said, "Comrade, our second company just returned from transporting grain. Let us in to take a look."

Hearing that Xiong Mingyang was from the grain transport unit, the guard's tone became much friendlier, "Comrade, the unit has ordered that no one, whether from outside or inside, can enter the waterworks without an order. Anyone who lets someone in will be punished. A few days ago, someone let someone in privately and was severely criticized at a meeting. I really can't let you in."

"We are all comrades, and I won't say anything. Just let me take a quick look," Xiong Mingyang continued to plead. The more he was refused, the stronger his curiosity became. As he spoke, he moved forward, thinking he could talk his way in.

"Don't move forward! The unit has ordered that no one can enter without an order. If you move forward, I will call for help," the guard's voice became stern. He took a step back, and the red-tasseled spear, which had been held straight, began to tilt forward. It was clear that he would not let Xiong Mingyang enter the waterworks.

Xiong Mingyang became angry. What did this mean? It was one thing to not let outsiders in, but why not let comrades in to take a look? Seeing the guard's stance, he wondered if the guard would really use the spear on him. Just as he was about to move forward to see if the guard would really do it, Xiaokawa Yoji pulled him back.

"Platoon leader, let's get an order tomorrow. It's dark, and we can't see clearly. We'll come back tomorrow, we'll come back tomorrow," Xiaokawa Yoji said, pulling Xiong Mingyang away without giving him a chance to argue.

This gave Xiong Mingyang a way out, although he was still unwilling. He followed Xiaokawa Yoji, muttering, "Damn, being a guard, you don't even know who I am." He turned his head and shouted at the guard, "We'll talk about this tomorrow."

This was just a vent of frustration. Young people often have short tempers. As a squad leader with fifty men under him, Xiong Mingyang's temper had grown. Just as he finished speaking, he heard the guard shout, "What did you say?"

The insurance group did not allow officers to insult soldiers, which was a rule. This was discussed at every meeting. Xiong Mingyang had only shouted in the darkness, but seeing that the guard was really angry, he did not have the courage to provoke him. In the insurance group, everyone had to take turns as a guard. Despite his anger, Xiong Mingyang knew the consequences of insulting a guard, and he did not dare to argue with the guard.

In the military regulations of the insurance group, "No one shall infringe on a guard" was the primary rule. If the guard's post was breached, it could mean death. Xiong Mingyang remembered all the strict orders when he was on guard duty. During wartime, guards had many options.

After quickly leaving the guard's range, Xiong Mingyang returned to the dock. With a ready place to stay, the rest of the tasks were much easier. Cooking, changing shifts, and eating. Everyone even took showers with tap water. Such a clean water source was something the comrades had never seen before. They were all very curious about where this water came from.

"Tomorrow, I will take everyone to visit the waterworks," Xiong Mingyang confidently told his comrades. This announcement was met with cheers. In those days, soldiers had never seen tap water, and they had not seen such clean water for weeks. The curiosity about how the water was produced and how the faucets worked was intense. Everyone was excited to visit this new wonder.

The first squad was divided into four shifts, from 9 PM to 5 AM, with each shift lasting two hours. Each squad had a pocket watch, and the People's Party never skimped on such equipment. On command, those not on duty lay down to rest. The pocket watch was temporarily handed over to the duty squad leader to facilitate shift changes. Each shift change required the transfer of the watch, and a third party had to be present. The People's Party believed in comrades but also ensured that rules were followed to prevent mistakes. Humans are susceptible to temptation, and without rules, it is hard to resist.

Under the witness of Xiaokawa Yoji and the deputy squad leader of the first squad, Xiong Mingyang handed over the pocket watch to the first squad leader. The first squad leader spent a minute confirming that the watch was still running before acknowledging the transfer.

The most challenging shift was from 1 AM to 3 AM, and Xiong Mingyang assigned himself to that shift. He was truly exhausted from the recent days of rowing upstream, which required a lot of energy. He fell asleep as soon as he lay down. Just as he was sleeping soundly, he felt someone shaking him. He opened his eyes groggily to see that the room was lit by a candle. He saw He Zudao, whose face showed signs of fatigue and a hint of helplessness, either due to the candlelight or his own exhaustion.

"Did you insult the guard?" He Zudao asked directly.

"Guard? What guard?" Xiong Mingyang asked groggily, wanting to go back to sleep.

"The guard at the waterworks said that the first squad leader who just returned was insulting people. The soldiers were very upset, and the squad leader there came to tell me," He Zudao, who had also been woken up in the middle of the night, explained.

"You can't even say a word to him?" Xiong Mingyang finally remembered his visit to the waterworks.

"Two options: either apologize to the soldiers now or apologize in front of everyone tomorrow. You choose," He Zudao said, not wanting to waste time.

"Why should I apologize to him!" Xiong Mingyang's sleepiness faded, and his voice grew louder.

"Let's talk outside," He Zudao said, following the training manual. He needed to enforce discipline but also maintain basic human decency. If they argued and woke up the others, it would affect everyone's rest and Xiong Mingyang's leadership.

The room was warmer than outside, and although he did not know the time, the cool, humid air outside refreshed him.

"I said a lot of nice things, but the guard wouldn't listen and even threatened to use his spear on me. Now he thinks he's in the right. Hmm!" Xiong Mingyang subconsciously chose to present his side of the story. Although he said this, he still felt guilty and was very annoyed with the "tattletale."

"So, you are very upset that the guard did not let you in?" He Zudao asked.

"Why shouldn't he let me in! I didn't have time to get an order. And I was going to apply for an order as soon as it was light and organize the squad to visit the waterworks."

"So, the guard was right to say you insulted him," He Zudao pressed on the key issue.

"I just said a few things casually, and he took it seriously!" Xiong Mingyang's mind was still not clear, but he spoke the truth.

"We have rules, and you can't insult people. Your words show that you still have a sense of hierarchy. Just because the guard's rank is lower than yours, you think you can use your position to insult him. Should the guard be happy to listen to your insults?" He Zudao initially wanted to handle the issue more lightly and hoped Xiong Mingyang would sincerely apologize. Now, he realized that the problem was not just a moment of anger but a deeper sense of superiority based on rank. This was a more serious ideological issue, and He Zudao did not want to resolve it with a simple apology.

"Commissar, what do you mean? Are you saying someone is backing him up?" Xiong Mingyang was also getting angry. Being woken up in the middle of the night for such a small issue was frustrating. He did not realize that He Zudao had also been working hard, transporting grain, and had even less sleep.

"I understand. Let's talk about this tomorrow. You've worked hard, go back and rest," He Zudao did not want to continue the argument. Since it was an ideological issue, a simple apology would not solve it. He needed to address it more seriously.

He Zudao escorted Xiong Mingyang back to his quarters to sleep and then returned to the county base. It was around 12:30 AM, and Chen Ke was still awake. In fact, He Zudao had not slept either. As soon as he returned to the county, the comrades immediately convened a meeting, and he was called out to handle the issue.

The People's Party had built new quarters in the county, not far from the waterworks. When he returned to the meeting, Chen Ke was concluding the meeting.

"We are about to start work in the countryside. The key to working in the countryside is to mobilize the masses. We need to let the masses come to us, not speak for them, but let them speak for themselves. In times of great disaster, the tyrants and bullies will only think of themselves and ignore the lives of others. This is the most intense period of social conflict. Normally, the people are accustomed to being deceived and bullied, and they endure it. Only in times of great disaster do the people, in order to survive, have to speak up. This is a critical moment. We must mobilize the masses and let them speak first, and then we must stand up for the people."

The attendees were military and political cadres of the People's Party, including Yubawu and other newly developed local comrades. Hearing Chen Ke's summary, many nodded in agreement, while some frowned slightly.

Chen Ke clearly knew what the frowning comrades were thinking. He smiled and said, "Comrades, is it wrong for the people to want to live? Who thinks the people should die, please stand up."

Most of the frowning comrades sighed but did not oppose.

Chen Ke, seeing no one stand up, continued, "I know many comrades think that by doing this, we will offend the rich and have intense conflicts with the local bullies and landlords. We might even have to fight. But I ask, if we stand with the bullies and landlords, what are we? Their accomplices? We want a revolution, we want to save the people. Who do we rely on? We have discussed this before, haven't we?"

The discussion was now at its most intense. Even He Zudao, who had quietly returned to the meeting and sat down, went unnoticed. Everyone's attention was on Chen Ke. He Zudao secretly observed the comrades' expressions. Those from the city looked enthusiastic, while those from the countryside looked more complex. It seemed that the views on this issue were indeed "clearly divided."

Class background influences one's stance. For some reason, He Zudao suddenly remembered a phrase Chen Ke had once said.