Chapter Six: On the Road

For Long Bisheng, five years old, this was the first time in his life leaving the army compound, venturing to somewhere else—not just to a nearby military station, but to another province altogether, Lanzhou in Gansu! The headquarters of the Lanzhou Military District, one of the seven great military regions of the country!

This prospect filled him with excitement. No child could remain indifferent to such novelty. Seated in the roaring military vehicle, Long Bisheng watched the scenery flying past the window with keen interest. Though he saw Xinjiang’s landscape every day, it never ceased to fascinate him.

Accompanying him were two or three dozen other curious children from the compound, including Fan Pengfei. This was a significant event for their community, so a modified large military vehicle had been dispatched, carrying the entire group in one trip.

The team leaders were Deputy Battalion Commander Long Yuyun and Political Instructor Fan Yuhan, the only senior officers with leisure time at the moment—and as two of their sons were participating in the selection, it was only fitting they took charge.

The two sat at the rear, keeping watch over the children, who clustered in the middle of the truck, faces pressed to the windows, all gazing outward in near silence.

Only one behaved unusually—Fan Pengfei sat in the center, not greedily watching the passing scenery like the others, but leaning back against his seat, deep in thought like a small adult.

“Old Fan, your son’s so precocious,” Long Yuyun remarked to Fan Yuhan.

With glasses and a gentle expression, Fan Yuhan smiled. “I don’t know why—he’s been like this since he was little. Maybe it’s because everyone in my family works in political affairs. If he didn’t love football so much, perhaps he’d follow in my footsteps as an instructor.”

“Come on now, Old Fan,” Long Yuyun chuckled. “Your son just prefers being alone, doesn’t he? That kind of temperament won’t make a good instructor.”

“He’s still young—he’ll change with time. You weren’t born a major in the army either, were you?” When it came to eloquence, Deputy Battalion Commander Long Yuyun couldn’t quite match Political Instructor Fan Yuhan.

Over an hour later, the vehicle arrived in Urumqi. After a brief rest, Long Yuyun and Fan Yuhan led the children aboard a train bound for Lanzhou, where they would spend a day and a night on the journey, arriving at noon the next day.

Their spirits soared even higher on the train, especially when they left Xinjiang and entered the Hexi Corridor. They crowded by the windows, exhilarated by the changing scenery outside.

Reading ten thousand books cannot compare to traveling ten thousand miles. What is described in a book rarely feels as vivid as seeing it with one’s own eyes—especially for children, most of whom were still in elementary school or even kindergarten.

As the vibrant landscape flashed by, the children chattered excitedly, even Fan Pengfei, previously aloof, widened his eyes and hungrily watched the scenes slipping past the window.

But this excitement lasted only through the morning before vanishing entirely.

Travel is tiring, after all. The drive to Urumqi had been bumpy, and though the children’s physical fitness was above average for their age, the jostling left them weary. After lunch on the train, most succumbed to fatigue, nodding off in their seats, their deep, steady breathing undisturbed by the train’s rumble.

Long Yuyun and Fan Yuhan, accustomed to strenuous activity, felt no exhaustion—such minor fatigue was nothing to them.

“Old Long, your son’s got stamina. All the other kids are worn out, but he’s still as lively as ever,” Fan Yuhan said with a smile.

Indeed, among the group, only Long Bisheng remained awake, still gazing out the window. Though the youngest—even younger by a few days than Fan Pengfei—he showed no signs of boredom, his spirits undimmed, even when left alone.

“Strong limbs, simple mind,” Long Yuyun commented, though his eyes shone with irrepressible pride.

Such is the nature of parents: any small virtue in their child is magnified endlessly. To most parents, their own child is always the most outstanding in the world.

Long Yuyun truly was thrilled by the scenery outside. For him, everything seen and heard beyond the army compound was a revelation, and the Hexi Corridor was a place of incomparable charm.

From Wushaoling in the east to ancient Yumenguan in the west, every stretch of road was steeped in stories, every corner rich with history.

The corridor had always been the vital route connecting the western regions; here lay the Silk Road, the mighty Jiayuguan, the Yangguan of “Beyond Yangguan, no friend is seen,” the Yumenguan of “Spring winds never cross Yumenguan,” the Qilian Mountains lamented in “If Qilian is lost,” and the world-famous Dunhuang Mogao Caves.

Wuwei, Zhangye, Jinchang, Jiuquan—cities whose names date back to the Han Dynasty. The skies here are truly the skies of history. Listen closely to the wind roaring above the Hexi Corridor, observe carefully, and you might sense the traces left by ancient people and events over the centuries.

Long Bisheng knew nothing of these things; he was still just a kindergarten child, drawn instinctively to the unfamiliar scenery outside, different from anything he’d seen before. In his young, sluggish heart, everything new sparked his curiosity.

It was much like when he played ball alone—stepping onto the field to play, he could immediately sense the difference.

The vast world was shaping his spirit. At this moment, Long Bisheng could not know how this journey would profoundly affect his future. Though, as he grew, the sights along the way would fade from memory, the feeling would remain forever in his heart, stirring a lifelong yearning for new experiences on every journey ahead.