In 1959, what's wrong with me pedaling a tricycle?

The air raid sirens wailed, the roar of bombers filled the air, the anti-aircraft machine guns rattled, and the bombs exploded not far behind him...

hum!

Wang Xingguo felt a buzzing in his head, and then he couldn't hear anything anymore.

The anti-aircraft machine gun positions were firing at full force to counter enemy aircraft in the sky, preventing them from getting close to the train station and dropping bombs.

Because Wang Xingguo's transport train had just arrived, and they hadn't had time to unload or transfer much of the cargo yet.

"Unload the cargo quickly! Hurry and deliver ammunition to the defensive position!"

Wang Xingguo shouted loudly, even though he couldn't hear the explosion of the shells that had landed nearby, he still shouted loudly, and then led his team to unload and load the goods onto the trucks.

As truckloads of ammunition were transported away, the combat effectiveness of the defensive positions was enhanced, and at least many anti-aircraft guns that were short of ammunition were able to fire again.

An enemy plane was shot down by anti-aircraft guns!

An enemy plane was damaged by anti-aircraft machine gun fire and flew away, billowing black smoke.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time, the air raid sirens stopped.

Blood was flowing from Wang Xingguo's ears and nostrils, but he was completely unaware of it.

Even though he couldn't hear anything, he continued to shout and direct, organizing the soldiers to move ammunition and load it onto the trucks.

"Comrade, you're injured! Go get it bandaged!"

A soldier tried to remind Wang Xingguo, but Wang Xingguo couldn't hear him at all.

Finally, someone noticed something was wrong and quickly stepped forward to pull Wang Xingguo away.

Wang Xingguo saw that the other person was clearly opening their mouth to speak, but he couldn't hear the sound, and then he realized that there was something wrong with his ears.

He was taken to be examined by the military doctors who came to provide support.

After the military doctor examined the ear, he cleaned the blood off the ear with a cotton swab and then plugged the ear with cotton.

Then he said to the soldier next to Wang Xingguo, "He was hit by a close-range airburst from a shell. The shockwave struck him, causing at least a medium-sized perforation of his eardrum, and his inner ear was definitely concussed. He needs at least a month of rest to allow his eardrum to heal on its own. He is strictly prohibited from going near the area of ​​the explosion and artillery fire again, and his ears must not get wet. If an infection or another concussion occurs, he may never be able to hear again."

The soldier nodded repeatedly in thanks. He knew that Wang Xingguo was deaf and could only write down the medical instructions and precautions for him by hand.

The doctor also wrote a medical order, along with the medical report, and handed it to Wang Xingguo.

Wang Xingguo nodded, knowing that he couldn't hear and didn't know how loud he was speaking, so he didn't dare to say thank you. He could only give the doctor a military salute.

The doctor smiled and returned the greeting, then went back to treating the other wounded.

When the bomb exploded, the momentary hearing loss made him panic a little, but Wang Xingguo calmed down later.

Under his command, everyone overcame their fear and rushed forward to unload shells and load them onto vehicles, transfer the wounded, and deliver ammunition to the defensive positions in a timely manner, which is how they repelled this wave of air raids.

When Wang Xingguo returned to Pingxiang military station, it was already December 7, 1965.

Since that road transport began, Wang Xingguo has been alternating between trains and trucks to carry out transport missions because the railway was frequently bombed.

Unfortunately, Wang Xingguo was out of luck this time because his ammunition reserves were critically low, so he had to risk transporting ammunition during the day.

Unexpectedly, they still encountered an air raid. The train entered the station under the cover of anti-aircraft fire, but a bomb was still dropped on the station. Wang Xingguo was leading people to unload the cargo at the time.

Actually, he was too lucky; he only suffered the impact of the airburst.

Several North Vietnamese soldiers were hit by shrapnel from the explosion and died instantly.

Several of the new recruits that Wang Xingguo was leading were also injured by shrapnel from the explosion, but fortunately no one died as a result.

Back at the office, Wang Xingguo could hear some indistinct sounds, but he still couldn't make out what they were.

The old commander arranged for him to be hospitalized for treatment, but Wang Xingguo refused. He took a pen and paper and wrote: "Commander, they are still greenhorns. I won't feel at ease if I don't take them with me. I'm fine. I just need to rest for two days."

The old commander glared at him and snapped, "Nonsense! Go to the hospital for treatment right now. It's not your place to hold up the sky if it falls. Focus on recovering from your injuries; that's an order!"

The staff officer next to him quickly said, "Sir, please stop talking. Team Leader Wang can't hear anything right now. He's practically deaf."

The old commander was stunned upon hearing this, then sighed and instructed his staff officer, "Arrange for someone to take him to the hospital for treatment. Make sure his ear is healed. Keep an eye on him and don't let him go on any missions."

The staff officer responded and pulled Wang Xingguo, who was still talking, away before Wang Xingguo could even react.

Watching his departing figure, the old commander was still somewhat uneasy and instructed the communications officer, "Make sure someone keeps a close eye on him. He absolutely cannot be allowed to go on a mission. This ear injury could be serious or minor; it's a matter of life and death. We can't afford to delay. Make sure to arrange for the best doctor to treat him."

The communications officer responded and went to make the call.

Wang Xingguo was really worried about the new recruits he was training. The situation there was so urgent; how could he let them take charge?

However, the old leader arranged for someone to escort him directly to the hospital for treatment.

Wang Xingguo had no choice but to follow the arrangements and undergo treatment.

After the doctor's examination, he breathed a sigh of relief because the wound had been treated in a timely manner. At least as long as the infection was controlled, there was a high chance of recovery.

After all, the leader had given instructions to do everything possible to treat Wang Xingguo's ear, so the hospital arranged for the best ENT doctor to be on duty.

It really comes down to Wang Xingguo being lucky, because he met a military doctor who knew how to treat this kind of wound.

The medic was from the 609th Regiment, and medics from anti-aircraft artillery units have more experience in dealing with airbursts of bombs.

If it were a regular doctor, they might prescribe the wrong medication to his ear, which could easily lead to an infection.

The most important point is that it should not get wet, because water contains bacteria, and once water enters the ear canal, it can easily cause infection, inflammation, and suppuration.

Therefore, it is very important to plug your ears with cotton balls to prevent water from entering the ear canal and thus avoid infection.

Wang Xingguo stayed in the hospital for half a month. He couldn't stand it anymore. His hearing had also recovered a lot. He wanted to be discharged to go back to work, but the doctor and the old leader disagreed.

But Wang Xingguo really couldn't stay there. He couldn't smoke or drink in the hospital, which didn't matter. The key issue was that the soldiers guarding him wouldn't even allow him to go out for a stroll...

Left with no other option, Wang Xingguo could only have someone bring him some books to pass the time.

A week later, it was raining heavily outside the window. Wang Xingguo was lying in his hospital bed, reading "How the Steel Was Tempered".

He suddenly realized that he hadn't understood the book before, and after reading it twice recently, he gained different insights each time.

Especially that passage: "The most precious thing a person has is life."

Life is given to each person only once. A person's life should be lived in such a way that when they look back on their past, they will not regret wasting their years, nor be ashamed of having accomplished nothing.

Wang Xingguo was deeply moved by this passage. He had experienced so much over the years, and he asked himself if he had wasted his life and accomplished nothing.