After making the call, Sokov came out of the office with Asya, and saw the administrator standing in the snow not far away, chatting with a soldier carrying a gun. Maybe it was too cold outside,
The administrator kept tapping his feet while talking to the soldiers.
"Comrade General," seeing Sokov come out of his office, the administrator immediately stopped talking to the soldiers, jogged up to Sokov, and asked respectfully: "You have finished making the call."
"Yes, the beating is over." Looking at the administrator whose face was red from the cold, Sokov said apologetically: "Comrade administrator, I'm so sorry for letting you freeze outside for so long.
Already."
"Look what you said," the administrator said with a smile: "Compared with you crawling on the ice and sleeping in the snow on the front line, what does this mean?"
After what happened today, Sokov realized the importance of having a phone at home, and asked the administrator tentatively: "Comrade administrator, I would like to ask, can the phone at my home be installed tomorrow?"
"That's right, Comrade General." The administrator replied unhurriedly: "Originally, according to normal procedures, if you want to install a private phone, you need to apply to the telecommunications department. After getting permission, you will be qualified to install the phone. As for
The date on which the phone can be installed depends entirely on how many people queue up before you. But because of your special status, the telecommunications department is also doing special things, and someone will come to install the phone for you tomorrow."
After Sokov thanked the administrator, he and Asiya walked along the road to his home.
"Misha," Asia vaguely heard something while Sokov was on the phone with Lunev, and asked tentatively: "Did something happen to Marshal Zhukov?"
Sokov originally planned to wait until he got home before mentioning the matter to Asiya, but then he thought that if his home was bugged, what he said would be recorded. Now it may be
Nothing will happen, but if anything happens in the future, the words you said may become evidence against you.
It was based on this consideration that Sokov changed his mind and decided to tell Asya what happened on the road. No matter how pervasive the people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs were, they couldn't install bugs on both sides of the road in the community, right?
"Asiya, I'm telling you some bad news. Don't show surprise after hearing it, lest others see the flaw." Sokov reminded Asiya in a low voice: "Do you understand?"
Asiya has also been on the battlefield, and her mentality is naturally not bad. After hearing what Sokov said, she hummed softly, indicating that she understood what Sokov meant.
"Lunev just told me on the phone," although there was no one around, Sokov still lowered his voice and said to Asiya: "Marshal Zhukov may be idle in the near future because of health problems.
I’m going to stay in Moscow to recuperate for a while.”
Although Asiya had long known that what Sokov said was related to Marshal Zhukov, she was still shocked after hearing Sokov's words. She controlled her emotions well and tried to ask in a calm tone:
"What is the reason for leaving Marshal Zhukov idle?"
"Someone spoke ill of Marshal Zhukov in front of the Supreme Commander himself." Sokov replied with a wry smile: "The reason is that he took credit for the victory in the defense of Moscow, the defense of Stalingrad and the battle of Kharkov.
They all took it for themselves, taking the credit that originally belonged to the supreme commander himself."
When Asya heard this, she couldn't help but take a breath. She asked nervously: "Misha, if Marshal Zhukov is really idle, will it have any impact on you? After all, you are the person he values
.”
"That's not true." Sokov shook his head and said, "Although Marshal Zhukov thinks highly of me and has helped me a lot. But because my performance on the battlefield has satisfied the people above me, I believe I will not be criticized.
Implicated."
"Marshal Zhukov is a god-like existence in the minds of the commanders and soldiers." Asia sighed softly and said regretfully: "Misha, tell me if he is really idle during the holidays, will it affect the army?
Morale?”
"If this news spreads to the troops, it will definitely have an adverse impact on the morale and morale of the troops." Sokov said: "But if it is not idle for a long time, it can also be explained by the enemy spreading rumors."
"Then how long do you think this time will be?"
Sokov remembered that Vatutin was injured in an ambush on February 29, and Zhukov temporarily took over the command of the 1st Ukrainian Front. In other words, even if Zhukov is idle, he will come back in early March at the latest. Thinking of this,
He said to Asiya: "Marshal Zhukov's role on the battlefield cannot be replaced by others. I believe it won't be long before he can make a comeback."
Before entering the unit door, Sokov felt that he needed to remind Asiya to be careful in his words and actions to avoid unnecessary disaster: "Asiya, I think there may be a bug in the house, so when we are at home, we must not
Talk about sensitive topics so as not to cause unnecessary trouble."
"Well, I understand." Asiya nodded and said, "If there's anything important, let's talk about it when we go out for a walk, so you don't have to worry about being heard by others."
Early the next morning, Sokov, who was still sleeping soundly, was awakened by a rapid knock on the door. He sat up straight and was about to get out of bed to open the door, but he heard Asiya's voice coming from outside.
The voice: "Who is it?" It turned out to be Asiya who was sleeping in the next room and had already gone out to open the door first.
Since Asya opened the door, Sokov was not in a hurry. He put on his nightgown and slippers, tied the belt of his nightgown and walked out of the bedroom.
"Misha," Sokov just opened the door, and Asya, who was also wearing a nightgown standing in the living room, saw him. She pointed to two men in military casual clothes and carrying tool bags.
To Sokov: "They're here to install our phones."
One of the middle-aged men knew Sokov's identity before coming here. When he saw Sokov appearing, he quickly straightened up and reported to him: "Hello, Comrade General, we are the telecommunications department.
.”
"Hello!" Sokov reached out and shook the other person's hand, then asked: "Where are you going to put the phone?"
The middle-aged man quickly replied: "Comrade General, the telephone is usually installed in the living room."
When Sokov heard what the middle-aged man said, he couldn't help but frown slightly. He thought that his leg injury had not yet healed. If the phone was installed in the living room, it wouldn't matter if he usually made calls. But if he answered the phone in the middle of the night, it would be inconvenient.
The middle-aged man noticed Sokov's inconvenience and guessed his difficulty. He quickly said with a smile: "Comrade General, are you worried that there will be a call in the middle of the night and it will be inconvenient to get up to answer the phone?"
"That's right." Seeing that the middle-aged man had guessed what he was thinking, Sokov didn't hide it. He nodded and said, "The injury on my leg hasn't healed yet. If the phone rings in the middle of the night, I guess it won't be there before I get there."
Next to the phone, the call has already been hung up."
"This is easy to handle, Comrade General." In response to Sokov's worries, the middle-aged man said with a smile: "I can connect an extension to your bedroom, so that no matter when the phone rings, you can answer the call at any time.
"
"Misha." Before Sokov could express his position, Asiya reminded Sokov: "The phone rings in the middle of the night. I'm afraid it will affect your rest. Why don't you connect the extension to my bedroom."
"It doesn't matter," Sokov knew very well that a call that came in in the middle of the night must be a very important call. If he received it in Asiya's bedroom, he would have to get up to answer it, which would be a waste of time. Think about it.
After this point, he rejected Asiya's proposal: "Just install it in my bedroom, it will be more convenient."
"Okay." Seeing that Sokov had already made a decision, Asiya did not argue with him and followed his arrangement: "Then install the extension in your room."
The two telecommunications staff were very agile and installed the phone in less than an hour.
After the phone was installed, the middle-aged man explained to Sokov: "Comrade General, the phone you use on the front line is a crank phone. Before each call, you must shake the handle first, and then pick up the phone to talk.
; After you end the call and put down the microphone, you still need to shake the handle a few more times. The phone we installed for you is a high-frequency phone, so you don't need to perform those tedious operations, but directly play the number plate on the phone."
In order for Sokov to figure out how to operate it, the middle-aged man also personally demonstrated to Sokov how to dial. Although Sokov, who came from a later generation, was very familiar with the use of this old-fashioned telephone, in order not to offend the middle-aged man's
Although enthusiastic, he still pretended to be open-minded and listened patiently to the man's introduction.
After the man finished the introduction, Sokov reached for the microphone to try out the call effect. Unexpectedly, before his hand touched the microphone, he was stopped by the man: "Comrade General, your call has not been connected yet.
, it is not yet available for use.”
"How long will it take before I can use this phone?"
The middle-aged man raised his hand to check the time, then looked up at Sokov and said: "Comrade General, let's rush back to the telecommunications office now. In about half an hour, you will hear the phone ringing. You don't need to answer this call.
, when the phone rings, it means that the phone has been officially activated, and you can use this phone to call others."
"If the call doesn't work, who should I contact?"
"You can call the telecommunications bureau directly and say that your phone call quality is not good. Then someone will come to provide maintenance for you." As he said that, the middle-aged man took out a cigarette case from his pocket and put it on it.
After writing a number, he tore it off and handed it to Sokov: "This is the telephone number of the telecommunications bureau."
"Thank you so much!" Sokov saw from the corner of his eye that Asiya had boiled the tea, and he greeted the two of them warmly: "It's still early anyway, why don't you sit down and have a cup of tea?"
"Thank you for your kindness, Comrade General." But the middle-aged man politely rejected Sokov's kindness: "We need to rush back to the telecommunications office immediately. There is still a lot of work waiting for us."
Seeing that the man was unwilling to stay for tea, Sokov did not force himself, so he and Asiya sent the two to the door.
After returning to the living room, Sokov sat on the sofa, staring at the phone on the coffee table, thinking about who should be called first after the phone was officially activated.
After thinking for a while, Sokov felt that the only person he could call now, besides Yakov, was Lunev. His nominal mother had died in a German air raid a year ago.
"Misha, what are you thinking about?" Asiya put a cup of hot tea in front of Sokov: "You drink some tea first, and tell me what you want to eat, and I will make it for you."
"I'm not hungry, just drink some tea." After Sokov asked Asiya to sit down, he said to her: "I am thinking about who to call first after the phone is officially opened."
"Who do you want to call first?" Asia asked curiously.
"I don't have many friends in Moscow now." Sokov replied with a wry smile: "If you want to call, you can only call Yakov or Runev."
After a pause, he looked at Asiya again and asked, "Who do you want to call?"
Asiya thought for a while, then shook her head and said: "Almost none of my classmates and friends are staying in Moscow now, they are all on different fronts."
Sokov suddenly remembered Asiya's father. He and Asiya had known each other for more than two years, but they had never met his father-in-law. Taking advantage of his free time now, he planned to pay a visit, so he tentatively called
Ask Asiya: "Don't you want to call your father?"
"I want to fight too, but I don't know where he is now."
Sokov asked with some surprise: "Isn't he in Moscow?"
"Yes, it is said that he joined the maintenance team accompanying the army." Asiya said with aggrieved face: "I have no idea where he is now."
Seeing that Asiya was unhappy, Sokov thought for a while in order to make her happy, and then said to her: "Then we will go to Khimki in the afternoon and inquire about the instrument factory to see if they know the whereabouts of your father.
"
Asiya once went to the instrument factory to inquire about her father's whereabouts, but the people in the factory only said that she went to the front line, but the specific whereabouts were always kept secret from her. Now she saw that Sokov was willing to help her inquire about her father's whereabouts.
, nodded vigorously and said repeatedly: "Okay, okay, we will go to Khimki after lunch."
The town of Khimki has extraordinary significance for both Sokov and Asya.
Sokov became famous in the first battle there because he blocked the German reconnaissance force. It was from then on that he relied on one victory after another to go from an unknown corporal to the general he is today. And Asya
, it was after that battle that she met Sokov and became his wife.
The sudden ringing of the phone startled the two of them. Asiya stood up instinctively and wanted to go forward to answer the phone, but as soon as she took a step, she remembered what the middle-aged man had told her and stopped.
Step by step, patiently waiting for the ringing to end.
After the phone rang for more than a dozen times, it stopped. Asiya turned to Sokov and asked: "Misha, our phone is officially open. Who are you planning to call first?"
"Needless to say, I must have called Lunev." Sokov explained to Asiya: "It is too far from here to Khimki, and there is no direct car, so I can only ask Lunev for help.