Wang Zhixiu was an odd sort of a bloke. Although he was only just twenty..........All that happened to them was that shrapnel tore some holes in the truck's canopy.

Wang Zhixiu was an odd sort of a bloke. Although he was only just twenty there were already two deep furrows in his brown forehead. He was quiet,unflappable, and always seemed to have the hint of a smile on his face. His eyesight was good and he worked with a will. The only thing wrong with him was that he was such a glutton for sleep. It made no difference where he was: whenever he had a moment to spare he would spread his greatcoat out on the ground and lie down on it. Within two minutes he would be right out, and neither wind nor rain could wake him.

There were two things that could shake him out of this habit. One was when something had gone wrong with the truck. This would fill him with so much energy that even the company commander or the political instructor would be wasting their breath telling him to go to sleep. His soft, warm greatcoat might have turned into a bed of nails as he climbed over the truck or lay underneath to repair it. If it was a minor fault he might take a nap when he had put it right; but if there was something seriously wrong he would work at it all day through till the truck had to be moving again at night. He could not be bothered to eat properly on the job. He would ask someone to fetch him a couple of steamed rolls, and if there were none of those to be had, he would wash a biscuit down with a mug of hot water. He never let Hu Wenfa have anything to do with day-time repairs because he felt that the driver needed sleep more than his mate did. He only asked Hu Wenfa's advice when the problem was one he could not cope with himself.

The other thing that could stop him from sleeping was an urgent assignment like today's. Hu Wenfa need not have worried on that score. When they came across enemy aircraft at night they drove without lights under a blanket of darkness. Wang Zhixiu would rock to and fro breathing lightly as he sat beside Hu Wenfa as if he were asleep, but at any moment he might suddenly shout, "Stop! Bomb crater!" then jump down from the truck to see how deep it was and whether it was possible to go round it. If it was not possible he would take his shovel from the truck without a word. Within ten minutes the hole would have been skilfully filled.

Hu Wenfa's character was the opposite of Wang Zhixiu's. He was an alert and active man of inexhaustible energy who wanted to get on with any job he was doing as quickly as possible, and was never happy when driving at less than sixty kilometers an hour. This often made Wang argue with him. Once when they had been crossing a zone under artillery fire Hu had wanted to go flat out, but Wang had been dead set against it. Instead of going into all the details he just said slowly, "However fast you drive you aren't going to be able to race the shells."

"What do you suggest then?" Hu had asked him.

"I'm all in favor of going fast along decent roads, but the ground in front of us is honeycombed with craters. If you drive like a madman a crash will be enough to write off the lorry even if we dodge the shells."

On Wang's advice Hu had taken it quietly. All that happened to them was that shrapnel tore some holes in the truck's canopy. 

    

Summary: Zhi Xiu loves to sleep whenever he is free. However, when the truck is faulty, he would get up to repair it. He always tries his best to repair it before night time so that it could be used. He even saves time by having quick meals to get the job done. He only consulted Wenfa, the driver when he could not cope with the problem as he thought that Wenfa needed more sleep to drive in the night. During emergency events like meeting an enemy aircraft, Zhi Xiu would be alert to look out for bomb craters. If they are unable to go round one, he would immediately fill up the hole, allowing the truck to drive on.