Red Moscow

The other end of the phone was quiet, no one spoke, only heavy breathing was heard. After a long time, Stalin's voice came from the receiver again: "You, you are Yakov?! Did I hear you right?!"

"Yes, father." Yakov said with a choked voice: "I am Yakov, I am back!" Then, he emotionally spoke a long list of languages ​​that Sokov could not understand at all .

"Misha, let's go out first." Rokossovsky put a hand on Sokov's shoulder, and led him outside: "Let the father and son have a good chat."

Coming out of the back room, Rokossovsky closed the door casually, and saw a group of army chiefs still sitting at the table, waiting for him to continue assigning tasks. He reached out to pick up the weapon on the table, handed it to Sokov, and said to him: "Misha, we will continue to hold a military meeting, you go out for a while, and when the meeting is over, I will send someone to find him." you."

Sokov took the weapon in Rokossovsky's hand, raised his hand to salute all the chiefs, turned around and strode out. When he stepped out of the headquarters gate, he heard Rokossovsky say to his subordinates, "Commanders, I just received a call from Comrade Stalin, and he instructed us..."

"Where should I go now?" Sokov stood in the building and began to think about this question. He didn't know when the military meeting would end. If he left, the people sent by Rokossovsky might not be able to find him; if he stayed here, he didn't know how long he would have to wait.

Just when he was in a dilemma, he suddenly heard someone asking himself: "Major Sokov, have you reported to the commander yet?"

Sokov looked up and saw that it was the lieutenant on duty at the door, so he replied with a smile: "The commander and the others are in a meeting, and I have to wait until the meeting is over before continuing to report to work."

After hearing this, the lieutenant thought for a while and said to Sokov: "Comrade major, according to my experience, this kind of meeting will last at least a few hours. You might as well go outside and find a place to eat. Wait until the meeting is over." I'll send someone to find you again."

The lieutenant's words reminded Sokov that the driver who brought him and Yakov was still waiting in the parking lot of the square. If he didn't show up for a few hours, he should be in a hurry. Thinking of this, he smiled and said to the lieutenant: "My driver is still waiting for me in the parking lot. I will go to him first. If the meeting is over, please send someone there to find me."

"There is a coffee shop on the square, where you can have a drink." The lieutenant reminded Sukov kindly: "I will send someone to find you as soon as the meeting is over."

When Sokov walked towards the square, he was thinking as he walked: I don’t know what happened to Yakov, how Rokossovsky will deal with it, whether to send someone to send him back to Moscow, or to stay in Susinich ?

When he was thinking wildly, he suddenly heard a familiar female voice calling himself: "Misha!" Immediately, he felt someone holding his arm. He turned his head and saw that the person holding his arm was actually Asiya.

Just when he was about to ask Asiya why she appeared here, Asiya had already asked: "Misha, when did you come back? How did you come to Suxinich?"

"I came back this morning. Because I have something urgent to report to Comrade Commander, I rushed to Susinich immediately." After answering the question, Sokov asked curiously: "Assia, what are you doing again?" When did you come to Suhinich?"

"Didn't you seize a batch of medicines from the enemy's transfer station a few days ago? After the division commander knew about this, he said that the medicines in the division's field hospital were not enough and asked us to send some of them. The deputy battalion commander sent me to carry out the task of delivering medicines." When Asiya said this, she pouted and said with some dissatisfaction: "You don't even know if I'm in the nameless highlands. It seems that you don't care about me at all."

Sokov thought of returning to the unnamed heights, so he rushed to send Yakov to see Rokossovsky, so he couldn't care less about other things. Seeing that Assia was angry at this moment, she quickly persuaded her: "Assia, I have come to Susinich this time because I have an important matter to report to the commander. For the sake of confidentiality, I only communicate with the deputy battalion After a long meeting, I rushed here in a hurry."

After listening to Sokov's explanation, Assia didn't speak, and raised her hand to pat his buttocks twice. Her sudden action made Sokov confused: "Assia, why did you hit me?"

Assia snorted, pointed to the ground, and said, "Look, what are you stepping on?"

Sokov looked down and saw that his feet were stepping on a rectangular sewer manhole cover, and he replied casually, "Manhole cover."

"I heard from the old man that the manhole cover is a passage leading to another world." Assia said softly, "If you accidentally step on it, you should slap your butt twice quickly, or you will be pulled into another world by the devil." international."

The speaker was not interested in the listener, and Asiya's words made Sokov fall into deep thought: "If the manhole cover of the sewer is really a passage to another world, then if I lift the manhole cover and jump down, will I be able to return to the world that belongs to me? age?"

Assia took a few steps forward and found that Sokov hadn't followed. When she turned around, she found that he was still standing there, staring intently at the manhole cover on the ground. She stepped forward and grabbed his arm, and asked curiously: "Misha, what are you still looking at?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Asiya's voice woke up Sokov from his contemplation. He quickly shook his head and said in a panic, "You should be hungry. Let's find a place to eat."

"Okay, okay." Hearing Sokov say this, Asiya quickly took his hand again: "I happen to be hungry. I know there is a coffee shop in the square, and the things in it are good. Let's Just go there and eat."

Before they reached the square, a corporal trotted up from behind. When he saw Sokov walking side by side with Asiya, he hurriedly stopped from running, and asked breathlessly, "Comrade Major, are you Major Sokov?"

"Yes, I'm Sokov." Sokov looked at the strange corporal and asked, "What do you want from me?"

The corporal stood at attention and saluted Sokov, and said to him: "Comrade Major, Colonel Malinin, please return to the headquarters immediately and say that Comrade Commander wants to see you."

"Okay, I'll go right back."

After hearing Sokov's reply, the corporal raised his hand and saluted again, then turned and ran away.

After the corporal left, Sokov held Assia's hand and said apologetically, "Assia, I'm sorry. I wanted to accompany you to eat, but now I'm going to see the commander..."

Before Sokov finished speaking, Asiya said in an understanding way: "It's okay, the commander wants to see you. It's a big deal. Don't keep him waiting. Go quickly." There was a slight push on Cove's arm.

Sokov walked two steps, suddenly remembered about the driver, stopped again, turned to Assia and said, "The trucks in the battalion are parked in the parking lot on the square. If you see the driver, let me know. It took a long time, let him wait a little longer."

"Understood." Assia nodded, and urged: "Go to the headquarters quickly, don't keep Comrade Commander waiting for too long."

Sokov waved his hand at Assia before striding towards the headquarters.