"How did you get these things? Little Ivan, is it possible that some Fascist female devil caught you and kept you in bed, and then rewarded you with replenishing your body?"
"Hahahahaha, just him? Just like premature potatoes in Siberia, which blind fascist devil can like him? You want to laugh me to death."
"Shh... keep your voice down, be careful to attract the Germans. I was questioned by their patrols just after I came back."
Even in the darkness of despair, you have to find something to make people happy, maintain an optimistic attitude and have fun. If human beings want to survive, they must not only meet their material needs, but also spiritually. The spiritual world is also indispensable.
Despair can kill a person more easily than material despair.
After little Ivan, who had just come back from outside and understood the latest situation, reminded him, the other gentlemen present immediately stopped talking and stopped making dirty jokes. They laughed loudly. They got carried away and fell into trouble.
, and even losing one's life often happen in this hellish place, one cannot help but be careful.
After the atmosphere gradually calmed down, little Ivan, who was chewing dried meat in his mouth, whispered to the comrades gathered in a circle around the table.
"The Germans asked me to repair their train. There was something wrong with their locomotive. It was the train they used to transport corpses every day."
"I worked in the train factory in my hometown for two years before joining the army after the war broke out. I have still more or less forgotten my original skills. The Germans know that I can do this. I have proved to them that I have some special value, at least not
I will let them kill me casually and maybe get some benefits. Look, these are the rewards on the table."
"..."
Towards the end of the evening, when work was over, little Ivan didn't know what he was going to do when he was called away by the Germans, and neither did the co-workers and comrades who gathered around the table.
Now I heard that little Ivan used his own skills to get some benefits to share with the comrades instead of keeping them to himself. The comrades were moved in their hearts, but also felt a little uncomfortable.
"Sukka! We are Red Army soldiers! How come we are like this? We work for the Germans in exchange for some food, just like feeding dogs! I...I, I really can't understand
!”
Even soldiers who surrendered and laid down their weapons have a sense of honor, not to mention these veterans who have not forgotten that they were once glorious Red Army soldiers.
"Hey, stop talking. At least we are still alive, and there is hope when we are alive. Even if we have no choice now, we have to work hard to live. Little Ivan did the right thing. He did it for all of us, our collective, otherwise he himself would
Eat all these things. The only way to get out of this place alive is to have hope. No matter what you want to do after you get out, at least you have to live."
The dim kerosene lamp was blown by a gust of cold wind and shook violently twice. It was almost blown out on the spot and finally did not fall into the same cold and endless darkness as outside.
The comrades sitting around the table are not very willing to talk. Maybe everyone has different ideas in their hearts and should exchange opinions, but at least not now. Maybe it would be a good idea to wait until everyone has figured out their thoughts.
When the time comes, it won't be too late.
There is not much time left before the Germans stipulate turning off the lights and sleeping. No one in this room wants to be beaten up by the Germans for such a trivial matter. The gun butts and big leather boots of the fascist lackeys will never show mercy.
, even if you just helped them repair the locomotive that they are eager to use to transport the corpse.
After turning off the lights, it was time to go to bed. Lying on a cold and hard board that could hardly be called a bed, he tossed and turned all over and couldn't fall asleep. Roskov felt that he might have insomnia again tonight. Maybe it was due to his weak body.
It's related to fever, but I can't tell if it's because of something worrying.
"Hey, what's wrong with you? What are you thinking about?"
Roskov was not the only one who was not asleep. Little Ivan, who was lying next to him on the bunk and sleeping next to him, was also not asleep.
Roskov, who was feeling unwell, coughed twice, and was wrapped in a blanket even tighter by the cold wind blowing in through the rags on the bedside, even though it was just the thickest rag among all the rags.
.
"It's nothing, it's just... I don't think I can survive this winter. I didn't expect the first snow this year to come so early, ahem..."
Getting sick in winter is a terrible thing. Roskov remembered that half the people in the house died of colds last winter. Until this year, the number of people in the house has not been filled, and no new arrivals have been seen.
Many Red Army prisoners of war lived in this hut, and even today it is still empty with only a few people living there.
The Germans never kept Red Army prisoners of war with other people. Prisoners of war and ordinary people were kept separately. Even when they worked during the day, they were separated into different positions.
Roskov thinks this may be because the Germans are worried that the captured Red Army soldiers will incite people to revolt? Whatever, it is not important anyway, especially now that he feels that there is a high probability that he will not be able to survive this winter, who will?
Care about this?
"I don't have any medicine, but I have some good news that may help you cure your illness. Do you want to hear it?"
Can good news cure diseases? This is a strange thing. Roskov, who was curious but couldn't sleep, felt energetic.
"What kind of good news can cure illnesses? Tell me, and I'm listening."
It is very important for people living in such a ghost place to maintain a firm will to live. From this starting point, little Ivan feels that the gossip he brings can definitely cure the disease. This can at least make the disease better.
Haunted Roskov regains hope.
"When I was repairing my car on the platform, the German guards didn't pay close attention. They ran away to smoke, far away from me. They even sent two Poles to help me set up a gang. I helped them last time.
After having my car repaired once, he seems to trust me more."
Roskov, who was still feeling unwell, just lay down and smiled bitterly. He didn't think the news could cure anything.
"Then what? You can't finish telling the story here, right?"
"Of course not, just listen to me."
Little Ivan lowered his voice as much as possible. Others in the room were already snoring loudly. Only he and Roskov, two people who were not asleep in the small corner of the big shop, could hear the voices.
"Those two Poles are new here. They were just arrested. One of them can also speak Russian, but he doesn't speak it very well."
"He talked to me and asked me how long I have been locked up here. What should I pay attention to while living in this place? He wanted to gain some experience. I happened to also want to know what new things were happening outside, so we started chatting."
"Guess what he told me? I finally know why no new people came into our house. It turns out that the Red Army has already reached Warsaw, the capital of Poland. There is only half a fingernail's distance from here on the map. The Germans are no longer here.
There were no more prisoners of the Red Army, and they were beaten in such a miserable state that they kept losing."
"The Pole told me that before he came in, the city of Warsaw had been liberated by the Red Army. It seemed to be called... Yes, do you remember Malashenko? He was the tank hero! It was he who led the troops to liberation
Warsaw, maybe it won’t be long before we can liberate this place, and then we can get out alive!”