Starting from the deputy company commander of the Soldier Assault Team

It wasn't just their table that was lively; the soldiers around them were also toasting and laughing.

Veterans clink glasses and chat about the gains and losses of mountain infiltration, while new recruits huddle together to complain about the bitter cold of standing guard at night during winter training.

Amidst the mingling aromas of meat, the harshness and tension of training faded away, leaving only the unique warmth and camaraderie of the military camp.

The cold wind swirled outside the camp walls, but the hot meals inside the mess hall warmed hearts. A return-to-camp feast brought this rigorous training exercise in the harsh winter to a solid and successful conclusion.

……

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, another ten days have passed. Before we knew it, it was already the Spring Festival.

The festive atmosphere of the New Year had already filled the entire division headquarters compound outside the window.

The strings of red lanterns under the eaves of the division office building were hung up as early as the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, and the colorful New Year's Eve ribbons of the propaganda team circled the entire corridor beam.

The red couplets at the entrance of each department were bright and shiny, and firecrackers went off intermittently throughout the afternoon in the family compound.

The aroma of the New Year's Eve dinner from the canteen wafted up through the ventilation vents in the corridors—the smoky scent of pork and cabbage dumplings, braised pork hock, and braised meat platters—mingled with the background music of the Spring Festival Gala pre-show in the auditorium, permeating every leisure corner of the camp.

The doors and windows of the division's general operations duty office were tightly closed, and the surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the old-fashioned CRT monitor and the communication wiring box emitting a continuous, low-pitched hum.

The cable runs through the dedicated landline phone, its sound echoing softly in the empty office.

Hanging in the center of the wall is a full-size military zoning topographic map covered with red and black magnetic markers, which correspond to the locations of the various units, ammunition depots and ammunition storage points under the T Division.

Red magnetic nails indicate that personnel and equipment are in place and ready for combat, while black marks indicate potential safety hazards. All statuses need to be moved and updated frequently.

If it were a few years later, the map on the wall wouldn't be like this; instead, it would be replaced by a large, partitioned war preparedness screen with a cold white light, which would be much more convenient than it is now.

In the quiet office, Zhang Anbang was dressed in a crisp winter uniform, the five-pointed star on his shoulder rank insignia standing out against the golden woven background.

He rested his elbows on the duty table covered with a dark green tablecloth, his fingertips holding a black ballpoint pen, neatly transcribing the third round of all-domain combat readiness inspection log.

As the deputy head of the training section, it was my duty to be on duty during the Spring Festival, as Uncle Wang would say.

In accordance with the rules agreed upon by the Party Committee of the Division before the holiday, two people will be on duty in the office all day on New Year's Eve, one deputy head of the department will be on duty and the other staff member will be on duty. They shall not leave their posts for more than ten minutes.

Meals are served in shifts, and every hour, a fixed-line telephone is used to conduct spot checks on the presence of all battalion and regimental commanders, the storage of firearms and ammunition, and the readiness of emergency response teams.

Even at midnight, a surprise roll call must be conducted across the entire region, and after the holiday, a summary of the New Year's Eve combat readiness report must be submitted to the group army's training department as soon as possible.

The military affairs staff officer on duty in the same group had just come downstairs with his insulated lunchbox and gone to eat New Year's Eve dinner in batches, leaving only Zhang Anbang on duty in the duty room.

Three ledgers were neatly stacked on the corner of the table: a record of the holiday combat readiness deployment plan spot check, a record of the winter training completion and supplementation, and a record of the division's holiday safety zero report.

The three items alone piled up into a thick stack. Starting from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, he worked overtime until 10 p.m. every night for seven consecutive days, and even the time he spent talking to his wife on the phone was very limited.

The sounds of laughter and chatter from downstairs pierced through the glass windows; although not exceptionally clear, they were still faintly audible.

Single cadres from various departments of the government office gathered in the canteen to share tables for meals, the crisp sound of beer bottles being opened, the laughter and chatter of exchanging New Year's greetings, and the clinking of glasses all mixed together.

The auditorium was already full of government officials, military dependents and children. The opening music of the Spring Festival Gala was played loudly, and people in the family compound were visiting each other and handing out candy.

During their shift changes, the young soldiers in the guard battalion would gather around the television in the guardhouse to catch a glimpse of the commotion.

Jingle Bell!

The internal telephone on the desk rang loudly. When Zhang Anbang picked up the receiver, he glanced at the number displayed on the screen: 8301.

He was very familiar with this; it was the extension number for the Division's reconnaissance battalion.

As soon as the call connected, Zhang Anbang spoke calmly, "Zhang Anbang, duty officer, please speak."

"Haha, I bet you're on duty right now. Hey Gao Cheng, what time do you finish your shift? Our canteen's dumplings just came out of the pot, and we've got all the braised dishes and drinks ready."

I've saved a seat for you, with hot dumplings and dishes. Come over when you're done with your work, otherwise you'll be lonely on New Year's Eve."

Zhang Anbang listened to the voice on the phone, his fingertips paused, and he looked down at the line of text that had just been written on the ledger: "At 7:00 PM, a spot check of the 702nd Regiment showed that the combat readiness rate was 100% and the equipment storage was in compliance with regulations."

He looked up at the densely packed point markers on the map, then at the "New Year's Eve Staff Substitute Shift Schedule" posted at the entrance.

In the next round of blackjack, he needs to go to the camp gate sentry post to relieve the sentry from the guard company who is watching the Spring Festival Gala and having New Year's Eve dinner. The schedule is clearly written down.

He leaned back in his chair, exhaled a long breath, and said with a hint of weariness in his voice, "Company commander, I can't go. I'm on duty right now. I'll have to cover for you later. I can only enjoy the food of your division's reconnaissance battalion in my mind."

Gao Cheng paused for a moment, the background noise receding slightly. "Hey, didn't you guys in the office stop working this afternoon to make dumplings? Besides, you're a newbie who's already on duty for the Spring Festival?"

Zhang Anbang smiled and said, "Yes, we made dumplings and ate them. We ate them in the duty room. They were big and had plenty of filling, and they tasted very good."

Company Commander, I used to think that the Spring Festival was pretty good. Rest, meals, fun, and relaxation were all part of the year. I looked forward to the Spring Festival to take a break and thought that the cadres in the headquarters had it more comfortable than those at the grassroots level.

I only realized how tough it was when I arrived at the headquarters. From the 23rd to the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, the entire department worked overtime non-stop to determine the combat readiness level and arrange the duty roster for the whole division.

They regularly work until midnight, checking fire prevention and ammunition at each regiment, rectifying potential hazards during training, and finalizing winter training materials.

On New Year's Eve, two people are on duty without being absent. They are required to make a check-in call every hour, register the dynamics of all locations in the entire division, and report the combat readiness of the army group on time.

At night, we also have to take turns standing guard in the compound to let the soldiers celebrate the New Year. After midnight, we still have to work through the night to compile the day's combat readiness report, which must be filed and submitted first thing on New Year's Day.

Gao Cheng sighed, then smiled and said, "Well, government agencies are never simple. But you can't say that. Important departments are busy from the beginning to the end of the year, while less busy departments are relatively more relaxed."

"But it's good to be busy, the busier you are, the more lively it is, and the busier you are, the more you can contribute."

"It's lively," Zhang Anbang said with a hint of mockery. "Company commander, the liveliness is yours. I only have duty, duty, and more duty."

There are two telephones on my desk now, one is black, and the other is also black.