Great Power Long Sky

In the dormitory, under the tungsten filament lamp, Li Lu laid out the letter paper, picked up his pen, and began to write:

Dear Comrade Niu Jun...

It's not appropriate; we haven't established a romantic relationship yet, so we can't use "darling."

Li Lu looked up at the window and saw the roar of turbojet engines coming from outside. Soon after, a streak of orange-red exhaust flame pierced the night sky.

The comrades on night duty are urgently taking off and rushing to the airspace where the air situation has occurred.

Li Lu rewrote the following on the new letter paper:

Dear Comrade Niu Jun:

How have you been lately?

Seeing these words is like seeing the person in person. When I pick up my pen, my heart is filled with reluctance and longing. I have so much to say, but I can only express it slowly.

Today, the military officially issued the transfer order, and I will be transferred to work in a certain place in central Sichuan. I will be setting off soon.

Since joining the troops in 1993 and arriving in the East China Sea, I have worked here for three full years. During these three years, I have always kept the revolutionary mission in mind, stuck to my post, trained hard, accompanied the warplanes, and taken off to patrol at sunrise or starlight, bravely fought the enemy, defended the motherland's sea and airspace, and lived up to the expectations of the Party and the people.

My comrades and I all shared the same unwavering loyalty to the revolution and Chairman Mao, helping each other and making progress together.

Not long ago, a high-altitude reconnaissance plane belonging to the puppet army attempted to intrude into our airspace. I was ordered to take off urgently and shoot it down before it entered our airspace, effectively thwarting the puppet air force's conspiracy.

There are countless similar stories. My comrades and I have never forgotten our original aspirations, and we have carried forward the fighting spirit of revolutionary soldiers who are not afraid of hardship or death, building a Great Wall of the motherland's sea and air.

In my spare time, my comrades would always tease me about the time I "hanged myself from a tree in the southeast," saying that I had turned misfortune into blessing.

I know that the "blessing" they are referring to is the fact that I met you.

I heard you've become a teacher at the village primary school; that's great.

Children are the future of our country. You are doing a great job. We salute you.

How I long to meet you face-to-face and learn about the revolutionary spirit together! But alas, military orders are absolute. I think that after this parting, I don't know when we will meet again.

I am an air force pilot. Obeying organizational arrangements and sticking to my revolutionary post is my duty and my responsibility as a revolutionary soldier.

Please believe that no matter where I am transferred, I will stay true to my original aspiration, train hard, and complete every flight mission conscientiously, so as not to let down the trust of the Party and the people, nor to let down your understanding and waiting.

At this very moment, warplanes roar as my comrades take off once again to defend the dignity and territorial integrity of our motherland's airspace and seas.

I am about to leave all of this behind, and I am about to leave you behind as well.

But please believe me, even if we are thousands of miles apart, I will never forget the day we first met, and I will never forget you.

Revolutionary work has no personal feelings; obeying orders is our duty.

In the future, when the revolutionary cause achieves greater victory, when we are no longer separated by thousands of miles, when I no longer have the means to fly...

Please take good care of yourselves and stay at your posts. We are all working hard in our respective positions and fighting side by side for the revolutionary cause.

The letter paper is limited, but it cannot fully express the longing and instructions in my heart.

May the spring breeze carry my greetings, may the starlight illuminate your path, may we meet again soon, may the revolutionary cause flourish, and may we all stay true to our original aspirations and live up to our youth.

Sincerely,

salute

In the spring of 1996, Li Lu, a soldier of the great leader Chairman Mao, was at an air force base.

Li Lu put down his pen, picked up the letter, and carefully read it from beginning to end. Then he let out a soft breath.

"Is this a love confession or a breakup letter?"

Startled, Li Lu stood up and turned around, his right hand landing on the holster of his quick-draw pistol at his waist.

Xue Shuang and Chen Qi stood behind him, smiling mischievously.

Li Lu cursed, "Damn it, you scared me to death! What are you doing? Don't you know how to respect other people's privacy?!"

Xue Shuang scoffed and said, "Do you think you're some young hoodlum? Your letter still needs to be reviewed by the political department before it can be sent out."

"Yeah, Sixth Brother, it'll spread sooner or later anyway, so it's okay for us to see it first, right? Besides, your vigilance is too poor; we've been here for a while already," Chen Qi chuckled.

Li Lu gave up, took out the envelope, carefully put the letter inside, and left it unsealed—the political department would tear it open for inspection, so there was no need to waste an envelope; if he accidentally tore the letter, he would be in even more trouble.

"Get out of here, you two," Li Lu snapped angrily.

Xue Shuang said seriously, "Old Li, I need to remind you, what about Officer Gu?"

"What? What should I do?" Li Lu put the envelope in the drawer and said without looking up.

Chen Qi said, "Sixth Brother, everyone at the station is saying you and Officer Gu are dating, and now you're corresponding with Comrade Niu Dali. It won't sound good if word gets out!"

Xue Shuang warned, "Is it something unpleasant to hear? It's a matter of lifestyle."

Li Lu was stunned, and said aggrievedly, "I'm innocent! When did I start dating Gu Ya? She's been working here since then, and I've never met her privately! Which bastard is spreading rumors?"

"No, Sixth Brother, what's wrong with Officer Gu? She's beautiful, talented, and has a great personality. She's a perfect match for you. If you have to say what's wrong with her, it's just that she's three years older than you. 'A woman three years older is like a golden brick!' What are you after if you're dating Niu Dali? Is it because she's young?" Chen Qi advised with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Li Lu said, "That's right, Niu Dali is only eighteen years old. I just like young people, is that wrong?"

Chen Qi was stunned and speechless.

"Alright, alright, Lao Li, revolutionary soldiers are free to love. It's your business who you want to date. We're telling you this mainly to remind you of two things: one is to clarify your relationship with Gu Ya, and the other is to figure out whether Niu Dali wants to date you. Don't just be a one-sided fan."

Li Lu looked at Xue Shuang, narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Hey, when did Comrade Xue Shuang switch careers to become a political commissar? This leader is really earnest and persuasive."

He suddenly glared and cursed, "At least Chen Qi is well-educated and has read a few books, what are you, Xue Datou, pretending to be, a Marxist-Leninist professor with your glasses?!"

"Old Li, you!" Xue Shuang was so angry she was practically steaming.

Chen Qi paused for a moment, then said, "Sixth Brother, 'knowledgeable and courteous' is mainly used to describe women, but I'm a man..."

Li Lu waved his hand impatiently, "Alright, alright, stop talking nonsense here, get out of here, all of you, get the hell out of here!"

"Old Li, you son of a bitch, biting the hand that feeds you! Old Chen, let's go!" Xue Shuang pointed at Li Lu's nose and cursed, then turned and left.

Chen Qi took two steps towards the door, then turned back and said, "Sixth Brother, we're all doing this for your own good..."

Li Lu's eyes widened.

Chen Qi shrank back, turned tail, and ran, shouting, "Sixth Brother, we're leaving!"

After the two left, Li Lu calmed down and thought about it. What Xue Shuang and Chen Qi said made sense. Sometimes rumors are quite powerful; if they are passed on, falsehoods can become truths.

After much thought, he decided to report his thoughts to Fang Zhenwei.