Go in spring

Vu's Company Command on the Shore had only 3 people. Thien - Company Commander, Tai - Deputy Company Commander and Vu - Political Commissar. According to the "three rem" regulations from above, this year only one person could go home for Tet. After discussing it, they agreed to let Tai go to the North because he had an appointment with his girlfriend. Who knows, if fate was right, Tai would end his single life this spring. He was already in his "thirties" and not a few years old. Feeling satisfied with that arrangement, Vu immediately called home to tell Thuy Ngan and her children that he could not go home. She continued to organize a birthday celebration for her mother on the scheduled date and time.

It took ten minutes of sniffling and sulking for his wife to happily accept her husband's assignment. She still had to bargain with him in a very womanly way:

- You take care of your mother's birthday celebration, and after Tet you should come back and take care of me and the baby. If you break your promise again, you'll be dead to me.

Vu put down the phone and smiled to himself. Cam Giang's daughter is different. No matter how gentle she is, she still has a bit of a temper. Thuy is 3 years old this year. She must be hinting at the idea of ​​having another grandson like his mother had wished for. Oh, if he hadn't been on duty during Tet this year, that wish would have been just a "mosquito". Even his unit has always been "100% accurate" when it comes to shooting live bullets. Just wait, I'll take care of it, my dear wife!

- What are you thinking about that makes you smile to yourself, Political Commissar?

Lost in thought, Vu almost bumped into Platoon Leader Tung who was walking in. Before the young officer's mischievous wink, Vu immediately counterattacked:

- I'm asking "you" why during office hours, you don't stick with the soldiers on the training ground but instead come here?

- Hey, hey, I didn't "search" anywhere on my own. This is an order from Captain Thien. And it seems like you're the only one who benefits from this!

Vu immediately smiled and asked for forgiveness:

- What case is it that only you benefit? Are you given special permission to go home for Tet?

Tung's eyes widened in surprise:

- Right! What a "holy" political officer. Do you have "telepathy"?

Vu laughed:

- What do you mean by "feeling"? Tet is coming, who doesn't want to go home and reunite with their family? It's just that we have to give in to each other because of our duties. Seeing you half-opened your mouth, I can only guess. Could it be that the superiors allowed the unit to have one-third of its troops on duty?

- No, no! The order from above is still the same. It was just that Tai's girlfriend suddenly insisted on "celebrating Tet with him". So "the order of the man is not as good as the gong of the woman". Tai happily stayed on duty at the unit. Thien's family was nearby, so he could fall down at any time. So the jackpot ticket naturally fell into his hands. What? This time, you are determined to "cast a stemmed eggplant", right?

- Cast, cast his head! If you're so good, get married and cast as much as you want.

Vu quickly tapped his friend lightly on the head and then rushed towards the battlefield. The wind blew in his ears, carrying the strong scent of wild roses. Oh, now he realized that spring in this hillside area was also quite poetic. The young shoots were blooming, the flowers and leaves were colorful, the newly painted landscape of the unit was shining brightly in the sunlight.

But look, at the 3rd battery, Captain Thien is telling a story that makes the young soldiers hug each other and giggle. He looks like a bit of a rascal but he talks charmingly. The unit commander is all young soldiers, he doesn't have to shout but he does everything right. Living with his comrades is always like a bowl full of water. That's why many times the unit has intense training, long-term high-point maneuvers, up to half a year no one can go home, and there is no room for any complaints.

The career path of the Grand Master Thien was smooth, but the matter of children was clearly late. Thien had been married to teacher Tham for nearly five years, his wife had longed for a mother but had never once been able to become a mother. Suppressing his sadness, Thien devoted all his energy to the unit's activities. For five consecutive years, the unit had achieved the Decisive Victory Award, and had maintained the title of excellent trainer, making his superiors very pleased. If nothing changed, after Tet Thien would go to advanced studies. Studying was a must, but he only felt sorry for teacher Tham who had to be lonely and far away from her husband. If only their family had a child... Oh well, children are a gift from heaven, and if you have a blessing, you will have your share. Oh, they will be so happy soon, you can't wait. Spring is so beautiful, there's no reason not to hope.

Seeing Vu running over, just looking at his joyful face, Thien understood the reason. He glanced at Vu for a moment then slowly said:

- I knew right away that Tung "wearing his heart on his sleeve" had already told you everything. Today is December 25th, you have 3 days to prepare everything for the troops to welcome the New Year. Tai and I will take care of the rest. On the afternoon of the 28th, go to the bus station to go home to celebrate Tet with your wife and children, okay?

- First of all. Thank you, thank you very much, teammates.

In the left corner of the battlefield, Tai suddenly popped his head up and shouted loudly:

- Hey, you should thank my girlfriend for her erratic temperament. With our goodwill, you've brought the cannon back, so you should do your job well. If you're alone with no goalkeeper and still can't score on the second try, don't blame me.

The entire battlefield seemed to explode with the laughter of the young soldiers. Vu had returned to the camp gate, but the laughter was still carried by the wind. He thought to himself: On this windy and sandy battlefield, if the soldiers could laugh, it was already a victory.

In that pure feeling, Vu quickly arranged everything. On the morning of the 28th of Tet, all preparations were completed. Tai's girlfriend had just arrived. With the addition of this girl named Giang, Vu's company on the shore of the waves seemed to have been breathed new life. The young soldiers shouted to each other to go into the forest to cut apricot trees and search for orchids. Some places wrapped banh chung, others trimmed trees and planted flowers. In the blink of an eye, the square stack of banh chung was completed. In Ho Chi Minh's room, the young couple Tai - Giang and a few young gunners were starting to decorate the altar of the Fatherland. Vu walked like a daze from one place to another. He was pleased with the agility of his young comrades. The way they carried out their tasks and their attitude towards their tasks truly moved him.

Deep down in his heart, he really wanted to personally take care of his mother's longevity ceremony. In addition, the image of his beautiful little daughter and gentle wife who were waiting day and night was always present. However, before the moment of saying goodbye to his comrades, Vu could not help but feel sad. After lingering for a long time, it was almost the afternoon of the 28th of Tet when Vu finished arranging everything to go to the bus station. He stood there hesitantly looking at the crowd of people with their backpacks and bags, not knowing how he would get on the bus. At this rate, even if he was quick, it would be the afternoon of the 30th of Tet before he got home. But anyway, being able to celebrate New Year's Eve with his family was his biggest wish. After 8 years in the army, this was also the first Tet Vu was home. His mother, daughter and her must be very happy. While he was lost in thought, Vu was suddenly startled by a strong pat on the shoulder:

- Mr. Vu, Chief Vu!

A big, tall, dark guy, smiling friendly:

- Is the boss going home for Tet?

Vu also shouted loudly:

- You're good, right? You're good at Platoon 2?

- It's me. I'm taking this bus from North to South now. I bet you won't be able to buy a ticket home even if you wait until tomorrow. Okay, you sit in my passenger seat for now and we'll see where we go. If we don't hurry, we'll be spending New Year's Eve on the streets!

Saying that, Thao pulled Vu onto the car, pressed him into the empty seat in the corner, then jumped down and ran away. After a while of noise, it was time to leave. The car slowly rolled, Thao swung himself onto the car, holding high a mountain apricot branch with brilliant flowers and buds:

- If a soldier on the peninsula cannot bring a mai branch home for Tet, he is doing his duty to the home front. This is a spring branch I give to you. Please keep it carefully.

Then, clinging to the front seat, turning to face Vu, Thao kindly asked each person. In the memory of this gunner, the years of military service were so sacred. At that time, Vu was a young officer who had just arrived at the unit to take up his duties, Thao was a new recruit who had just finished the specialized military class. The new commander, the new gunner, but they were already attached to each other, creating a successful live-fire season.

Being from Hai Duong, Vu and Thao had another hometown to remember. When they returned from their military service, soldiers like Thao planted a row of trees around the unit's campus as a souvenir. Over the past two years, the trees have begun to close their canopy. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even notice when the car left Cam Ranh City. Suddenly, Vu's phone rang. The voice of "Deputy Chief" Tai on the other end of the line was panicked:

- It's not okay, Mr. Vu. Ms. Tham, Mr. Thien's wife, had to go to the emergency room.

Vu frowned for a few seconds then resolutely said:

- Just calm down. Send someone to his house to see if he needs any help. I'll be back in the unit soon.

Having heard the whole story, Thao signaled for the car to stop and then kindly said to Vu:

- Please feel free to return to the unit. I will bring this apricot blossom branch back to give to your sister and the child. Please send my regards to Mr. Thien and his wife. I will definitely visit the unit on the first trip of spring.

It was not until 8pm that Vu caught a bus back to the unit. An atmosphere of anxiety prevailed. He went around to reassure his comrades before sitting down to listen to Tai tell the whole story. It turned out that Ms. Tham, the wife of Major Thien, had been pregnant for more than 2 months. She wanted to be absolutely sure and also wanted to give her husband a surprise, so she kept this a secret. Today, perhaps because she had been moving around a lot to clean the house to prepare for Tet, she had a miscarriage and severe abdominal pain. It was not until she was in the hospital emergency room that she asked someone to call her husband. Fortunately, both she and the fetus were safe. They just needed to rest and be monitored for a few days and they would be fine.

Tai ended the story with a question:

- With things going on at Thien's house, this Tet, perhaps we should let him stay home to take care of his wife and children. Let's stick with the unit, okay?

Vu laughed:

- It's good enough that his wife and children are fine. That's why I came back here. And your randomness is really bad. It makes people's hearts stop.

Tai clicked his tongue:

- I feel sorry for you. If it weren't for this sudden event, you could have just slept and been home tomorrow. In this case, the dream of casting "water bugs" will have to be postponed to next year's resolution, right?

Vu also ordered:

- It's all your fault. I'll punish you severely. Now you have to stay home and urge the soldiers to finish the work. Ms. Giang and I will go to the hospital to visit Ms. Tham and her child, okay?

- You order me to do it, I have to obey. But my "goods" are still intact, you can carry them however you want, if there is any damage or loss, I will die!

- This guy is really good at joking about anything. Tell Ms. Giang, I'll wait for her at the Command Center!

… A week later, when Vu was organizing a general cleaning for the troops after Tet, Thao drove a long-distance car and parked right at the unit gate. His wife led little Thuy out of the car, smiling. Vu suddenly stood still like a wooden statue. Little Thuy took off her big cotton coat and threw herself into her father’s arms. Her shrill voice echoed, disturbing the entire unit:

- Dad's house is so warm, Mom!

Vu hesitantly looked deep into his wife's eyes. The girl he loved whispered softly:

- There are still a few days off for Tet, so while Uncle Thao is on his bus, my mother and I will visit you and your unit. It's so warm here. If I had known, I would have brought my child to celebrate Tet with you for all 9 days.

Their hands found each other and clasped tightly. On the shore, the cannons still proudly raised their barrels.