Red Moscow

When the wine was half drunk, Leonid offered: "Comrades, let's dance." After speaking, without waiting for everyone to express their opinions, he pulled Vera who was sitting beside him, and walked around the open space in the living room. circle up. Victor first got up and changed the record on the gramophone, and then started dancing with another young girl in his arms.

Sokov hadn't danced for many years, so when he saw Leonid and the others dancing, he didn't want to participate. But when Yakov also got up and started dancing with a girl in his arms, the remaining girl named Jalka got up and walked in front of Sokov, stretched out her hand and said actively: "Comrade major, can I please?" Do you have a dance?"

Seeing that the girl took the initiative to invite him, Sokov replied somewhat flusteredly: "Of course, of course, I am very happy." Then, he got up and grabbed Jalka's hand, and danced with her.

As soon as he took a step, Sokov, who was already unfamiliar with the dance steps, accidentally stepped on Jalka. Sokov quickly apologized to Jalka and tried to release him. Unexpectedly, Jalka held Sokov tightly, and said with a smile on his face: "Comrade Major, it seems that you haven't danced for a long time?"

"Yes, yes," Sokov, who was hugging Zalka, explained with an awkward expression, "I haven't danced for almost ten years, so the dance steps are a bit rusty, please forgive me."

Hearing what Sokov said, Jalka couldn't help but chuckled, and then said: "Major, I think you are only in your early twenties, how could it be possible that you haven't danced for more than ten years? Could it be that you haven't danced since you learned to walk?" Have you danced?" After she finished speaking, she saw the embarrassed expression on Sokov's face, and hurriedly added, "If you don't mind, you can call me 'you', don't always 'You' ah 'you', it sounds very awkward."

This was a girl he knew well. Sokov made a conclusion for her in his heart, and then asked, "Jalka, where do you work?"

"I'm at the cinema," said Jalka enthusiastically. "Comrade major, do you like watching movies? There are a few films by Valentina Serova in theaters recently. If you are not in a hurry to leave Nizhny Nov For Gorods, we can go and have a look."

Valentina Serova? ! When he heard this familiar name, Sokov couldn't help being shocked. He thought that this person was the movie star who was rumored to have an affair with Rokossovsky. Now Rokossovsky has been staying in the hospital for a long time, but it is not known whether the two of them have known each other. When I return to Moscow this time, I can go and find out.

"Major Sokov," Jalka saw that Sokov was in a daze, and quickly patted him on the shoulder twice to make him recover from his absent-minded state: "Are you okay?"

"It's okay, it's okay." Sokov shook his head and said apologetically to Jalka, "I just thought of something else, so I was a little distracted. I heard that Serova is a very famous actor. Presumably the movie she starred in is also very exciting. When I am free some other day, I will go to the cinema, and I hope you can watch a movie together with your face."

Jalka said happily: "Comrade Major, this is really great. There are two movies tomorrow afternoon. If you have time, do it tomorrow afternoon."

"Comrades," Leonid, who walked a little shaky, let go of his partner after dancing a few laps, pulled out a pistol from his waist, and said to Yakov and Sokov, "The dance has already been done." It's over, next, we should go to practice shooting."

Hearing Leonid's suggestion to go shooting, Yakov and Victor's reactions were normal, but Sokov was frightened into a cold sweat. He remembered that during the Battle of Stalingrad, Leonid was sent to a court-martial because he missed and killed his colleague while shooting a target while drinking. He also drank a lot today, if something happened during target shooting, he and Yakov would be full and walk away.

Thinking of this, he quickly let go of Jalka, and said to Leonid: "Leonid, you are drunk, you should go to bed early." After saying these two words, he turned his head and looked at Yakov said, "Yakov, look at how drunk Leonid is. What if there is an accident while shooting?"

"Misha, what's the matter with you?" Leonid walked over and put his arms around Sokov's shoulders, shaking the pistol in front of his face and said, "Don't you believe in my marksmanship?"

Seeing Leonid's muzzle dangling in front of him, the hairs on Sokov's body stood on end. He was afraid that the other party would accidentally fire, and he would give his life here. He hurriedly pushed Leonid's hand away, and at the same time said seriously: "Leonid, I don't think it's the first day you use a weapon, right? You should understand the principle that you can't point a gun at a person..."

Hearing what Sokov said, Leonid let go of the arm on his shoulders, took a step back, and said with a smile, "Misha, you are too timid. Let me tell you, the gun in this gun There are no bullets at all. If you are unlucky, I will try to show you." After speaking, he put the muzzle of the gun on his temple, and put on a posture ready to pull the trigger at any time.

"Don't!" The moment he pulled the trigger, Sokov suddenly lifted Leonid's wrist upwards, only to hear a "snap", a bullet flew out of the gun chamber, and the There was a small hole in the tapestry on the wall.

The gunshots stunned everyone. There was no sound in the room except music from the gramophone. Leonid's drunkenness was also awakened by the gunshot. After staring at his pistol for a while, he asked Victor angrily: "Victor, what's going on? loaded?"

"I, I don't know." The bullet almost grazed Victor's ear and hit the wall, so after hearing Leonid's question, Victor replied in a panic: "Maybe Your gun was loaded."

Seeing Victor standing there in a daze, Yakov hurriedly walked to the phonograph and removed the needle from the record, and after the room returned to calm, he said to Leonid: "Leonid, take care of yourself!" Come to think of it, was your gun loaded in the first place?"

Leonid put the pistol on the table and said with a wry smile, "Yakov, I drank a little too much just now, and I don't even remember whether it was loaded or not."

When Yakov and Leonid were discussing whether the pistol was loaded or not, Sokov was sweating from the sidelines. He thought to himself: It's so dangerous. Fortunately, Leonid didn't pull the gun when he pointed it at himself. Trigger, otherwise I have already gone to see Marx by now.

Yakov picked up the pistol on the table, handed it to Leonid, and said to him: "Put the gun away, and be careful not to accidentally fire it." After speaking, he raised his wrist and looked at his watch with a serious expression. Said, "It's getting late, Misha and I are leaving."

If it was normal, maybe Leonid would try his best to save him, but just now he almost shot his head off with a gun, and he couldn't say anything to save him. He stretched out his hand to Sokov and said in a grateful tone: "Misha, thank you for saving my life. I will always remember your kindness."

When Sokov heard Leonid say this, he just took it lightly, then reached out to shake his hand and said, "You're welcome, it's just a matter of effort."

After Yakov and Sokov came out of the building, they walked silently towards the place they had discussed with the driver. After walking for a while, Yakov suddenly said, "Misha, thank you so much just now. If it wasn't for you, Leonid probably would have died."

"It doesn't matter, it's just a little effort, we are friends, so there is no need to say such polite words." Sukov thought that the house he just went to was quite large, so he asked curiously: "Yakov, where we drink , is it Leonid's own house?"

"No, his house is in Kuibyshev." Yakov shook his head and said, "The house just now should belong to the wingman pilot Lieutenant Victor. The two of them just came here from Kuibyshev on business. So it’s not surprising to invite friends to dinner there.”

The two arrived at the agreed place, but since the agreed time had not yet arrived, there was no trace of the driver. Taking advantage of no one around, Yakov took out the cigarette case, took out a cigarette from it, and put it in his mouth, and motioned to Sokov again, seeing the other party waving his hand to refuse, he put the cigarette case back into his pocket inside.

Yakov lit his cigarette, took a puff, and said, "Misha, if something really happens to Leonid today, I'm afraid it will cause a great blow to Uncle Khrushchev..."

Sokov agrees with Yakov's statement in his heart. In the posts he read in later generations, he has repeatedly mentioned that after Leonid, who defected to the German army, was captured by a secret team sent by the Soviet army, Khrushchev tried to save his son from death. , and personally ran to Stalin himself to intercede, but still failed to save his son's life. As soon as he came to power later, everyone who participated in the trial of his son suffered bad luck.

Yakov threw the cigarette butt on the ground, crushed it with his toes, looked at Sokov and said, "Misha, when the time is right, I will personally tell Uncle Khrushchev about this matter, and I believe he will definitely respond to it." You see it differently."

After waiting for Yakov to finish speaking, Sokov said, "Yakov, although I saved Leonid's life today, no one can guarantee that similar situations will not happen again in the future. I can save him once , but couldn’t save him a second time.”

Hearing what Sokov said, Yakov said hesitantly: "Misha, you are too worried. I think after what happened today, Leonid can definitely be taught a lesson. I believe he will not do things again in the future. So reckless."

Sokov wanted to say something in his heart: the country is easy to change, and the nature is hard to change. But the words came to his lips, and he swallowed them back harshly. He could only echo Yakov: "I hope so."

"Misha, what are your plans for the next step?" Yakov didn't want to keep talking about Leonid, so he took the initiative to change the topic and asked, "Are you planning to stay in Moscow or go back to the front line?" ?”

"I think the front line is more suitable for me." Sokov said: "After this mission is completed, I will apply to return to the front line immediately." Thinking of the home in Moscow, there is a nurse named Anne waiting Himself, he added, "when can we go back to Moscow?"

"This needs to be notified by the superior." Yakov said to Sokov: "The purpose of the superior to send us to Nizhny Novgorod this time is to improve the propulsion system of the new rocket; A new rifle suitable for the army. Although the new rifle has been formed, it will not be long before it can be used in the army, but before that, we still have a lot of tests to be done to improve those deficiencies."

Since the two were talking, no one noticed that the jeep from the engine factory had already appeared at the intersection and was heading towards where the two were standing. The driver was free, so he drove out an hour in advance for a stroll, but when he was a few hundred meters away from the agreed place, he saw two officers standing there chatting. He took a closer look and found that the two officers were the ones he was going to pick up, so he accelerated the car and rushed over.

After the driver stopped the car, he got out of the car and walked to the right side of the car. He opened the rear door and said to the two people respectfully: "Comrades, two commanders, please get in the car."

After both of them got into the car, the driver turned his head and asked politely, "Two commanders, where are we going next?"

According to Yakov's original idea, he wanted to drag Sokov around the city and let him see the beautiful night view of Nizhny Novgorod. But after Leonid's incident, he immediately lost interest. Hearing the driver's question now, he said angrily: "There is nowhere to go. You should take us back to the guest house."

Back at the guest house, when passing the duty room, Sokov suddenly stopped. He bent down and asked the waiter sitting inside: "Comrade waiter, can the phone here be connected to Moscow?"

"No, Comrade Major." The waiter shook his head and said, "The phone here can only make calls to the city. If you want to make long distance calls, you can only go to the post office."

When the waiter mentioned the post office, Sokov couldn't help shaking his head secretly, because he knew very well that the phone signal in the post office was too poor, and sometimes the same words had to be repeated several times before the other party could barely hear them. For Sokov, who is used to mobile phones in later generations, he would rather not make this call than suffer that foreign crime.

Seeing Sokov shaking his head slightly, the waiter asked politely, "Comrade Major, is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, Comrade Waiter, I just asked casually, thank you!" Sokov finished and followed Yakov up the stairs.