NOVEL NEXT Chapter 657: Kind-Hearted Businessman
Inside a house on the southern edge of Mosul…
Amir, a veteran soldier with the Iraqi Government forces in charge of monitoring the situation in Mosul, was leading a team to observe the conditions within the city of Mosul from afar.
As the first rays of the morning sun spilled over Mosul, Amir muttered a few words at the window, symbolically completing his prayer, and then turned his attention to the road behind their house.
A young man with curly hair approached Amir and said, "Dad, when is our breakfast going to be delivered? I love the mutton soup and scallion pancakes.
"The tall guy said there would be new dishes today. What do you think they will be?"
Licking his dry lips, Amir replied, "I'm not guessing. I like anything as long as it's hot.
"Those people from P·B Company are really capable. It's a pity they only handle food deliveries. Otherwise, we could have ended this damned war sooner and gone home."
The curly-haired youth showed a ferocious look on his face and said, "No, I want to kill some ISIS members myself; they killed my family.
"Those bastards are utterly inhuman!"
Amir glanced at the young man with his weathered eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded slightly, "It's not bad to harbor hatred toward ISIS, but don't let vengeance consume your entire life.
"Karnahan, you can't stay in the army forever. If you get the chance, go to school. Life must go on…
"You can find a job in Baghdad and then marry a woman you like."
The young Karnahan shook his head and said, "No, I want to continue staying in the army. I want to see ISIS wiped out.
"Blood debts must be paid in blood!"
Hearing this, Amir didn't continue to persuade him but shook his head and said, "ISIS will be gone, but others will emerge…"
As Amir spoke, several trucks suddenly drove out from within Mosul City…
When he heard the call from the sentry on the rooftop, Amir rushed out, grabbed a pair of binoculars to take a look, and then waved his hand, shouting, "Don't shoot; I recognize the driver—he's one of our own…"
Not long after Amir finished his words, two trucks arrived near the outpost in an open space, and then several soldiers jumped out of the vehicles, starting to move bodies from the vehicle with numb expressions…
Amir knew at a glance that the situation inside the city was not good; this was the second batch of bodies he had seen being transported out in the last three days.
Patting the slightly dazed Karnahan on the arm, Amir called the soldiers at the outpost to help unload the bodies from the trucks, line them up neatly on the ground, and then cover them with white cloths…
There were over forty bodies in total. Having grown accustomed to such scenes, Amir paused for a moment at the head of each body, uttering prayers to bid farewell to these comrades-in-arms…
Influenced by the mood, Karnahan held his hands over his chest, lowered his head to gaze at his palms, and murmured a few verses of scripture.
While they were dealing with the bodies, an armed Humvee arrived from behind, escorting a pickup truck…
Seeing the P·B logo spray-painted on the door of the truck, a smile spread across Amir's face…
He found a bottle of water to wash his hands, then called over a few soldiers who had been moving the bodies, and said, "Come with me, our breakfast has arrived…"
Karnahan felt uncomfortable with the 'indifference' Amir displayed, as if the solemn Amir he saw just a second ago were merely an illusion.
Young people could never understand the numbness that Amir felt. Karnahan followed Amir and said, "Dad, are we just going to eat now? What about them…"
Amir turned back to look at Karnahan, a smile forming on his wrinkled face, and said, "Let them stay there. Someone will come to take them home."
Sniffing, Amir added, "I think I smell the mutton soup, oh, and beef with potatoes.
"P·B's chefs don't use curry in this dish, but it tastes even better.
"Hurry up, let's go and help. P·B's people are willing to stand guard for us. Let's take this opportunity to rest a bit."
'Sugar' got down from the Humvee and saw the neatly arranged bodies on the ground not far away…
He frowned and gestured to several Xiao Heis, who then moved two stainless steel drums down from the truck…
As Amir approached, 'Sugar' handed him a brand-new military lunchbox and said, "You mentioned you've never had one. I got an extra. This one's for you."
Amir joyfully accepted the all-stainless-steel lunchbox marked with the P·B logo. He ran his calloused hands over it gratefully and said, "Thank you, son. Allah will bless you!"
'Sugar' didn't believe in that; he just found it difficult to adjust to the idea of a sixty-something-old man still going to war, which was unusual for this cook who had grown up under the Red Flag.
Young people from China often feel uncomfortable with gratitude from the elderly. He waved his hand and said, "Today we've made mutton soup, scallion pancakes, and beef with potatoes. The vegetables will take another couple of days to arrive, so make do for now.
"You're the last stop. The remaining food should be enough for you for two days.
"Give me back the drums you left here last time, and I'll come again the day after tomorrow."
Amir, feeling moved, called his teammates to carry the two clean, sparkling stainless steel drums out and voluntarily helped load them onto the pickup truck. Then, rubbing his hands together, he looked at 'Sugar' and said, "Son, could you bring a little more food next time?