The moon hung deeply in the night sky, without a cool evening breeze; the weather was sultry. Xue author sat in front of the hospital bed, listening to her mother recount stories from the past. Some of these stories she had told before, but for her, each retelling was a vivid and passionate experience.

The elderly woman asked Xue author to turn off the air conditioning, saying it was enough to run it for a while to save electricity. Xue author replied, "This is a hospital, and we don't have to pay for electricity." She pouted, "Is this your level? Is this your quality? No wonder you can't write works like 'The Burning Years of Passion.' If your father were still around, he would criticize you. True, the hospital is public, and isn't it a glorious thing to save electricity for the public? Besides, back then, we didn't have air conditioning. We didn't even have electric fans. Back then..."

The "back then" she referred to was 1948, when she was a student at the Third Team of the Corps' School. Life at the school was very difficult, with a shortage of logistical supplies. The one hundred and fifty female students all wore men's rubber shoes, which were too big, so they had to tie them up with thin ropes. It was too troublesome to tie and untie them every morning and evening, so often they would simply not take off their shoes while sleeping, making it easier to get up quickly during emergency roll calls. Due to the severe water shortage in the area, the students would line up every morning in front of a faucet. They would wet a towel to wipe their faces and sometimes run back to the dormitory to wipe their bodies. One morning, she saw the class leader, Ren Miaofeng, pick up an old toothbrush that was almost bald, and curiously asked, "What did you pick up?"

Class leader Ren pulled her aside and mysteriously told her that it was called a toothbrush. She even demonstrated by putting the toothbrush in her mouth and then handed it to her, saying, "You try it."

She took it, looked at it, and said, "I don't want it; the stuff in your mouth will dirty mine."

Class leader Ren encouraged her, saying, "It's not dirty; we can share it from now on. You don't understand, using this will make your teeth whiter."

She didn't believe it and said, "We never use this, and our teeth are very white. No one in our village uses this."

Class leader Ren further encouraged her, saying, "The leaders of our Corps all use this. It's called cultivation; it's refined. You'll understand when you marry a Corps leader."

She was half-convinced and hesitantly said, "Is that so? But... we aren't marrying a Corps leader; you are the class leader, so you should keep it for yourself."

Although she didn't use that old toothbrush, she gained a new understanding: people who use toothbrushes are cultivated individuals. She would study hard and work diligently, believing that one day she would also become a cultivated person, but she must have a brand new toothbrush that she wouldn't share with anyone, one that belonged only to her.

During the entire year of studying at the Corps' School, whether in the freezing cold or the scorching heat, she, like the other students, never took a bath, and lice grew on her body. She often sat in the sun like a monkey, flipping through her clothes to find lice, but no one complained; instead, they felt very happy and joyful, singing and dancing during breaks, and playing the "Throwing Handkerchief" game. She never expected that this "Throwing Handkerchief" game would inexplicably throw her into a marriage that felt like a game.

One noon, the female students were playing the "Throwing Handkerchief" game on the grass when a few Corps officials stood by watching. She noticed that the officials were all smiles, sometimes clapping enthusiastically and sometimes whispering to each other, but she didn't pay much attention, thinking that the higher-ups had come to inspect the school. She was fully engaged in the game, happily singing along with everyone: "Throw the handkerchief, throw the handkerchief, quietly place it behind the little friend, everyone don't tell him, hurry up and catch him, hurry up..." She ran quickly, agilely, but was still caught by someone. Later she learned that this was intentionally arranged by the class leader according to Instructor Wang's wishes, because once caught, one had to perform. She had a naturally good voice and could sing many Shanxi folk songs. Although she had not received professional training, her singing was still melodious and beautiful, drawing applause from the officials. One of the officials cast a burning gaze at her and said to others, "It's her."

Xue author interjected, "Mom, I know, the official who said that is my dad; he must have come to your school to choose a partner, right?"

The elderly woman was still immersed in a rosy dream, happily combing her silver hair, as if she wanted to style each strand into the vines of her youth and follow these vines to pursue her sweet marriage: "Of course, who else could it be but your dad? But at that time, I had no idea who he was. Hey, don't interrupt; let me continue. I didn't expect that the day your dad saw me, there was already something going on..."

It was after dinner when the team leader, Zhu Yali, notified her to go to the team office, saying that Instructor Wang wanted to have a private talk with her. On the way there, she felt a bit nervous because it was her first time having a private conversation with a leader in the team office. She was anxious, seriously recalling if she had done anything wrong in the past two days. Oh, she remembered two things—

The first thing was last night; she got up to urinate without a light and accidentally kicked over the large urinal placed in the dormitory, scaring her so much that she hurriedly held it in and tiptoed back to bed. Since the school didn't have beds, the students slept on the ground, and a full basin of urine flowed across the dormitory floor, gradually soaking the straw mat and then the bedding on top. Class leader Ren Miaofeng woke up and called all ten or so students in the class to line up, angrily shouting, "Who did this? Speak up! If I find out, you'll be in trouble! This is a case of sabotage, and I will get to the bottom of it. Speak!" No one dared to say a word. She was even more afraid to speak. The charge of sabotage was serious; if things went wrong, she could be expelled from school.

The second thing was that this morning it was her turn to clean the toilet. Because it was too cold, the filth in the pit had frozen solid. She was small and couldn't move it even with a shovel. Just then, the tall Wang Xiuying came over, told her to stand aside, and quickly cleaned the toilet with a few strokes of the shovel, then used a cart to take the waste outside the school, saying, "Next time it's your turn to clean the toilet, just call me; otherwise, I might get angry!" She didn't thank Wang Xiuying because she was worried that others would say she was being lazy or report her to the leaders; she still wanted to compete for being an advanced student. Class leader Ren Miaofeng happened to come by and told Wang Xiuying that she shouldn't do that, but Wang Xiuying stubbornly replied, "That's none of your business; I want to."

She pondered whether these two incidents would be discovered and reported to the school leaders. Her mind was filled with chaotic thoughts as she steeled herself to walk into the team office, only to find Instructor Wang smiling and greeting her as soon as he saw her: "Suolan, you little yellow-haired girl, you are quite lucky, aren't you? You have a benefactor helping you!"

She thought he was referring to the toilet cleaning incident and hurriedly explained, "I didn't ask Wang Xiuying to help me; she came over on her own..."

"This has nothing to do with Wang Xiuying; we won't mention her." Instructor Wang interrupted her, "Today we are talking about your personal matters; sit down and let's talk."

She sat down and noticed that Instructor Wang's expression was different from usual. Not only did he serve her a cup of boiled water, but he also looked at her with a smile, shaking his head and saying, "Even I didn't expect that you would be so lucky."

"I'm lucky?" She recalled a common phrase people in her hometown often said during social interactions and quickly replied, "Oh, it's thanks to the instructor."

"Of course, it's thanks to me!" Instructor Wang's eyes squinted into a line as he smiled, "You see, when you first came, you were pale and thin, and in less than a year, you've become fair and tender, turning into a beautiful young lady. Hmm, just your hair is still a bit yellow; if you strengthen your nutrition, once your hair turns black, you'll be the beauty of our Corps, loved by everyone. This is all my credit; don't you think?"

She didn't know how to respond and didn't dare to smile, just staring blankly at the blushing Instructor Wang, thinking, "Has he been drinking today?"

"Today, when I talk to you, I don't represent myself; I represent the organization." Instructor Wang's expression became serious, "Here's the thing, the organization is preparing to assign you to the publicity team of the Corps' direct training division. Before you report, you need to meet someone. This person is a Red Army cadre, surnamed Xue, currently the head of the first section of our Corps' security department, just appointed as the security minister of the 62nd Army, and hasn't taken office yet. Before he takes office, the organization, out of concern for the cadres, needs to quickly resolve his personal issues, which means establishing a family. Suolan, think about it; he is almost 30 years old, having fought for the revolution, and still hasn't settled down. How can he manage without someone to take care of his life? If our party organization doesn't care, should we let the reactionary Kuomintang care? So, after careful consideration, the organization has repeatedly selected from our female students and decided to introduce you to Minister Xue, which means letting you marry Minister Xue. What do you think about the organization's decision?"

The organization's decision is above personal will; she had no objections, but she truly didn't understand the meaning of marriage: "I firmly obey the organization's decision, but... what does marriage mean?"

"Marriage means... let me put it this way, marriage is when two people come together, learning from each other, helping each other, taking care of each other, revolutionizing together, fighting together, and progressing together!" Instructor Wang's clenched fist powerfully waved in the air, making the meaning of marriage feel so sacred and glorious.

"Then I will get married." She nodded seriously.

"So, you agree." Instructor Wang happily clapped the table, "I want to especially commend you; you haven't studied in vain here. Your political awareness has improved quickly, and your sense of organizational discipline is strong. Good, our army needs good comrades like you. So, I will be your marriage introducer and arrange for you to meet Minister Xue here one day. Remember to pay attention to etiquette and politeness; don't call him Old Xue or anything; you should call him 'Leader,' understood?"

"Yes! Understood!" She jumped up from the stool and stood at attention, saluting.

"This is the excellent student we have cultivated at our school." Instructor Wang sighed in relief.

When she returned to the dormitory, she was still puzzled. The school leaders had repeatedly announced strict discipline at meetings, prohibiting female students from having any contact with male comrades, let alone dating. Did Instructor Wang dare to violate the rules?

The next day, Minister Xue and his guard, Xiao Deng, came to the school on horseback. Xiao Deng led the two horses away, and she had already been called to the team office to wait. When Instructor Wang went out, he specifically closed the door: "Suolan, there's no one here; you two can say whatever sweet nothings you want."

There were no sweet nothings. Minister Xue asked about her family situation and age, then asked, "What are you studying now?"

"The history of human development." She answered, looking down.

Minister Xue became animated, opening up about how humans evolved from apes, how they learned to use tools, then discussing the formation of primitive society, slave society, and capitalist society, all the way to the prospects of socialism and communism. She felt that Minister Xue spoke even better than the school's instructors, though there were a few parts she couldn't understand due to his heavy Henan accent. But she didn't dare to ask or look up; throughout the meeting, she kept staring at the old cotton shoes that Minister Xue was wearing.

The elderly woman laughed as she recounted this: "At that time, my deepest impression of your dad was those old cotton shoes. Looking back, I guess that was the token he gave me. Ah, that old man."

Xue author smiled, "Mom, why do you scold my dad like that?"

She also laughed, "Your dad is indeed an old man; he is a full twelve years older than me. Son, I want to sing a song for your dad, as a way for us to celebrate Army Day with him; you can record it with your phone."

Xue author held up her phone to record her: "On that sunny day, oh, my eighteen-year-old brother..."

The song was filled with her nostalgia for her husband. Undoubtedly, in her heart, her husband would always be her eighteen-year-old brother.