Chapter 1211 Forever is an act of sacrifice (first update, please subscribe)
On the desolate coast, a dozen red houses stand alone, and behind the red houses is the ice and snow - although It's summer, but the snow has fallen, and there are some penguins on the shore.
This is "Yinglong Town" - the only human-organized town on the Antarctic continent!
When the "Dongfang Shuo" sailed near the bay, people all over Yinglong Town came out in full force, especially the children in the classroom. They even made a "boom" and rushed towards the coast. Wearing red down jackets, they stood crowded together on the bank as soon as they left the classroom, looking eagerly at the "Dongfang Shuo".
"The "Dongfang Shuo" is coming, the "Dongfang Shuo" is coming..."
For the first time, Bai Zhicheng did not cheer as he did a few months ago. Most of him and the teenagers around him looked worried.
Han Bingling looked at the "Dongfang Shuo" and said:
"The ship is coming."
Huang Tianqin nodded and said:
"Yes, the ship is coming. ”
Bai Zhicheng and others were silent for a while, and they just stared at the icebreaker "Dongfang Shuo" heading towards the berth.
When the "Dongfang Shuo" was moored, Mao Changxing on the ship looked at the people on the shore and said in surprise:
"Why are there children here?"
There are not only 11 or 12-year-old boys, but also some three- or four-year-old babies, even babies still in the arms of adults. Isn’t this the Antarctic?
“Yes, of course there are children here, and many of them were born here.”
I don't know when, Zhao Guozhu has stood beside them. Different from the past, in addition to wearing a thick down jacket, he is also wearing a uniform and a uniform cap.
“This is Yinglong Town. There is a primary school, a bank, a post office, an infirmary, a gravel football field, a cemetery, 1.5 kilometers of gravel roads and 24 family cabins. In contrast, the laboratory of the scientific research station only has two simple houses..."
Looking at the people waving to them on the shore, Su Zhijian introduced to the team members:
"On January 23, 1949, Navy Captain Wang Youde led 13 subordinates and their wives and children to come here and established Yinglong Town on the ruins of the old whaling supply station. Six months later, Navy Corporal Bai Dapeng His wife gave birth to Bai Zhicheng, the first native-born Antarctic. Between 1950 and 1952, 12 more immigrant families came here. They thrived here. Currently, there are about 200 children and their families who have settled here all year round. Here, this place can currently accommodate up to 300 people, most of whom are military personnel - by the way, including immigrants, they all receive salary from the Navy Department, even children, as soon as they are born, they receive salary - each 80 yuan a month."
Although it sounds unreasonable, no one is arguing. They all know that these children are actually "defending the border for the country" in this isolated place. .
Su Zhixian continued:
"According to the "Antarctic Treaty", scientific research personnel from various countries are not allowed to enter Antarctica. Currently, there are only three scientific research stations where people other than scientific research personnel live, except for Yinglong Town. , one is the Esperanza Station in Argentina near Hope Bay, and the other is the "Star Village" of the Chilean scientific research station on King George Island, because these three settlements were all established in 1959 by treaties prohibiting member states from raising It was established before the territorial claims, so it enjoys immunity.
The population of "Yinglong Town" is composed of soldiers and their spouses and children. The town has been expanded many times and is only this big, but it is here anyway. They are all part of our efforts to establish "sovereignty" in Antarctica.
As long as "Yinglong Town" is there, we have undisputed sovereignty over this land - because of them!"
Su Zhijian's eyes turned to the people on the shore. The white land, red houses, people wearing red down jackets, everything was red.
"It looks poetic and picturesque here, but living in such an isolated place for a long time is not always poetic."
Sun Songtao asked when the teacher's words fell.
"Teacher, why are there only 24 households? Shouldn't it be 26?"
"There is a cemetery here..."
The teacher's answer made Sun Songtao He was stunned for a moment and opened his mouth, but no words came out:
"There is also a small cultural relics museum here. After we get ashore, if we have time, we should go and take a look. Also, we can go to the cemetery to pay homage to the pioneers... Do you know why the houses in Yinglong Town are red? The residents paint the small houses here bright red so that they can be seen even in a snowstorm, and have their own creed here "Permanence is an act of sacrifice"
"Permanence is an act of sacrifice!" An act of sacrifice!"
Reciting these words silently, Zhao Guozhu said:
"Blow the whistle."
When the whistle sounded, he headed towards the town again. Salute, the crew members did the same, and the people on the shore did the same. With the sound of the whistle, the "Dongfang Shuo" entered the berth, but there is no port for it to berth. It can only rely on small boats to transport supplies back and forth or use helicopters.
Every arrival of "Dongfang Shuo" is a festival for "Yinglong Town", especially now, the Spring Festival is approaching, how can the people in the town be unhappy?
All kinds of supplies were unloaded from the "Dongfang Shuo". While the crew on the ship and the men in the town were helping to move the supplies, in a glass building near the town, Bai Dapeng is busy there. Unlike the freezing cold outdoors, the temperature here is a full 20 or 30 degrees. It is full of various vegetables. Red tomatoes hang on the branches and vines. This is a Greenhouse, with a construction area of 800 square meters, a variety of vegetables are grown inside.
The transparent appearance makes it the "face value" of this place. Many people who come here for the first time will be amazed by this greenhouse. After all, being able to grow vegetables and fruits in Antarctica is really a bit... It is unexpected, but for people in the town, this is their only source of fresh vegetables and fruits besides dehydrated vegetables, canned vegetables and frozen vegetables.
And Bai Dapeng works here - in Yinglong Town, everyone has a job, except for the children, who need to go to school. Bees are flying around in the greenhouse, so they cannot pollinate the fruits, and A small amount of honey is also available.
While Bai Dapeng was busy, Bai Zhicheng walked up and said as soon as he saw his father.
"Dad, the boat is coming."
Bai Dapeng, who was busy, was stunned for a moment, and then responded.
“Oh, everything is packed away.”
“Yeah,”
Bai Zhicheng nodded,
"Go back and see your mother and tell her that you are going to Nanyang."
Bai Zhicheng responded again, looking at his silent father, he said :
"Dad, I am leaving Yinglong now. In the future, you must take good care of your health and take care of yourself."
"Yes."
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Bai Dapeng responded, and then the father and son fell into silence. Bai Zhicheng followed his father's side and helped him do things just like in the past. I don't know how long it took before the father and son left here, but they did not go home. , but went to the cemetery, where his daughter-in-law and child mother was buried.
Even in Nanyang, people cannot escape death. They may die from accidents or diseases. This is the case in any human society. Like many scientific and educational team members, Sun Songtao went to the cemetery with his teammates. , there are thirteen tombstones in the cemetery. The simple tombstones are engraved with square characters. Although the characters on the tombstones are different, they all face the north, as if they are looking back at their hometown.
When they arrived at the cemetery, Bai Dapeng and his son were standing there. As usual, Bai Dapeng looked at the tombstone without saying a word. Ten years ago, after his wife died in an accident, he was used to this. Stand here.
"Mom, I am going to Nanyang, um, to go to Chang'an to go to school, middle school, university, and come back to see you in the future..."
Listening to his son's words, Bai Dapeng did not speak. , just looking at his son, his eyes showed reluctance, but no matter how reluctant he was, he couldn't stop his son's future.
After all, children always need to study. There is only one primary school here, and all middle schools and universities need to go to Nanyang to study.
Looking at the father and son not far away, Sun Songtao took a few more glances. They must be Antarctic people!
The Nanyang people who protect this Antarctic land!
None of them bothered each other, they just looked at each other and showed some kind smiles. Three days later, in the auditorium of the small town school, a lively farewell party was held to send off the children. , people found rich food, not only whale meat, Antarctic lobster, but also fresh fruits that had not been seen here for a long time. This was sent by the "Dongfang Shuo". Now those fruits are stored in cold storage and will be used in the coming years. During the month, they would live off these rations as they did every winter.
The atmosphere here is joyful. The school band is playing music there. Parents and children are reluctant to leave. Sometimes they sing, sometimes dance, and sometimes people drink. When the atmosphere reaches its peak, As the mayor of the town, Major Wang Youde stood up. He walked onto the stage and looked at the people in the auditorium. People stopped what they were doing and stood in front of the stage.
Wang Youde turned his attention to those children, with reluctance in his eyes. They were about to leave here and go to a distant homeland. Then he said:
"Well, at this time of year, there will always be children. Some children left here and went to the mainland of Nanyang. In the past, you only learned about it from books and TV. But soon, you will be able to see Nanyang and our country with your own eyes. Perhaps as you grow up, for the sake of your career , love and life, you are likely to stay there, but I hope you can always remember one thing - you are a child of Antarctica, this is your homeland where you grew up, and we...all of us will look forward to your return home in the future. Look..."
A week later, the icebreaker "Dongfang Shuo" left Yinglong Town in the winter storm. When the ship left Yinglong, Bai Zhicheng looked at his father on the shore and kept waving, He yelled.
"Dad, wait for me, I will definitely come back, I will definitely come back..."
Bai Zhicheng's shouts echoed on the boat, and most of the friends who were traveling with him also heard the same. So, but soon, cries started to sound on the deck. Among the cries, I don’t know who sang first. The song contained the longing for a better life, but more of the melancholy of parting.
(End of this chapter)