50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 602 The Resilient Rose
After Sun Zhiwei left, the girls in the shop started making noise again.

"Who is this? Their eyes are scary."

"Exactly, did he just come back from the battlefield? He looks like a veteran at that age."

"Could he be some kind of leader? Captain, you should go and ask him right away."

The female soldiers' leader had no choice but to follow them out of the store.

"Comrade leader, I was just passing by outside and saw the soldiers getting their hair permed, so I came over to ask."

"As far as I know, there are rules against perming hair. I don't know if you are aware of this, but you are making a mistake in this situation."

"May I ask who you are?" Although the team leader disliked Sun Zhiwei for meddling, as a soldier, she couldn't lose her temper and could only ask for his identity first.

“I’m also from the military, this is my identification.” After saying that, Sun Zhiwei took out his military identification.

The team leader noticed that the identification document did not specify the military branch, and the name was just a code.

That was a leader! Which soldier wouldn't panic if they ran into a military leader outside? She quickly and stammered out the purpose of her and her fellow female soldiers' visit.

After listening to the female soldiers' leader's explanation, Sun Zhiwei realized that he had misunderstood.

Military regulations prohibit perming hair, but this was a special case, with special permission from above, allowing these female soldiers to come and get their hair done.

Because they were the first female soldiers to participate in the military parade since the founding of the People's Republic of China, they were all medics in the army, some were students of the "Bethune Health School", and some had even been on the battlefield.

Before they came, they didn't know they were going to get their hair permed, but the hairstyle was designed by Wu Yongliang, the master stylist at the shop.

The design requirements he received were that the designs be aesthetically pleasing and elegant, aiming to fully showcase the positive image of female soldiers.

Therefore, he ultimately decided to give each female soldier a perm with side bangs, cut her hair into a short, even style, and add some embellishments to create a uniform and aesthetically pleasing look.

These girls were not like the female soldiers who came later; at this time, they were trained according to the standards for male soldiers.

The selection criteria for this parade team were very strict: the height must be between 160cm and 170cm, and the facial features must be regular and the physique must be well-proportioned.

They also had to endure "training that felt like being nailed to the ground"—marching and standing at attention from morning till night, with blisters on their heels and knees swollen like steamed buns being commonplace.

To ensure precise movements, they even used pins to secure their collars to prevent themselves from looking down, tied sandbags to their legs to practice kicking, and stood at attention for two hours under the scorching sun, causing their uniforms to fade and their skin to become tanned.

At this time, we had already won three consecutive women's volleyball championships. People called the women's volleyball team "Iron Roses," but Sun Zhiwei felt that this group of female soldiers were the real "Iron Roses."

Therefore, upon realizing that he had misunderstood them, Sun Zhiwei immediately saluted and apologized.

"I'm sorry, I was rash. I came here without investigating properly. I want to apologize to you."

"Oh, no need, no need. The leaders are just showing concern for us, and we are very grateful."

Afterwards, Sun Zhiwei inquired about their training and learned that the female soldiers had arrived at the beginning of the year and had already undergone eight months of arduous training, and were confident that they would be able to successfully complete the parade.

Today is their only day off recently, but they will spend most of their time at the hair salon.

This time, Sun Zhiwei made a mistake based on past experience, and to express his apology, he wanted to give them some compensation. In the military, everyone's basic needs were taken care of, but most of these first batch of female soldiers came from urban families, and many of them were even unwilling to be transferred to officer positions.

Because, if they want to succeed, they can apply to nursing schools and vocational training programs; if they want to fail, they can take over their parents' jobs; and they can also catch up with the recruitment boom brought about by the reform and opening up.

Sun Zhiwei had no idea what they needed, and after thinking for a long time, he finally decided to treat the female soldiers to a meal.

At that time, the food in the army was just so-so. It was enough to fill you up, but there was no way to get something better to eat.

It just so happened that they were on leave today, so after saying goodbye to the female soldiers at the barbershop, Sun Zhiwei went to Bianyifang to order 100 roast ducks and instructed them to deliver the roast ducks to the gate of the barracks before the army's dinner was served, by which time the female soldiers should have returned to their unit.

The 100 roast ducks arrived on time before dinner that evening, which was a great surprise for the female soldiers and even caught the attention of the training camp leaders.

The female soldiers' leader was also called in for questioning, but in the end, they still couldn't figure out which leader they had met during the day.

In the final days before the celebration, Sun Zhiwei had already clarified the steps for going up the city wall and knew what items were not allowed to be brought.

Weapons are definitely not allowed, bags will be checked, but cameras are permitted, as many guests need to take photos.

The official parade started at 10 a.m. that day, but everyone had to enter the venue in advance in turn, otherwise, with so many people, it would really be chaotic.

Sun Zhiwei was required to arrive at the assembly point at 6 a.m., and then proceed to the city gate tower as a group. Sun Hongying's contingent, on the other hand, was required to assemble at 1 a.m.

Each team has a different meeting point, and then they head to the square and designated locations in the surrounding area to assemble according to the pre-arranged time sequence.

On the evening of the 30th, Sun Zhiwei and Sun Hongying were at home, checking over and over again what they would need for the next day, just in case they forgot to bring anything when they left.

Sun Zhiwei knew that it was impossible to have a good meal tomorrow, so he could only ask Sun Hongying to bring a pot of water, a box of chocolates, and a bag of fruit candies.

Water is used to quench thirst, chocolate is used to replenish energy, and fruit candy is the most useful. If someone faints due to low blood sugar, just pop one in their mouth and the problem is solved.

As for the camera, Sun Zhiwei thought for a moment and then took one out for her to take with her.

Moreover, he had already explained to Sun Hongying that very few people have cameras now, and once she brought a camera, many people would definitely ask her to take photos for them, and she would probably be extremely busy.

The girl didn't hear what Sun Zhiwei said at all; she was only focused on the camera she had just received.

This girl knows how to take photos, but she used to use government cameras; this is the first time she's using her own.

To reduce the trouble for his daughter, he only gave her two rolls of film, but before she could even go to sleep, she had already finished shooting one roll at home.

Finally, after the girl's persistent pestering, Sun Zhiwei had no choice but to give her three more rolls of film before she would stop.

Around 8 p.m., Sun Zhiwei forced the girl to go to bed early. They had to meet at 1 a.m. the next day, so they needed to get a few hours of rest tonight.

Although you can catch up on sleep after gathering, the square is not a good place to sleep at night, and it would be troublesome if you lost something you brought.

After settling the excited girl to sleep, Sun Zhiwei also rested for a few hours while half-lying down.

(End of this chapter)