Chapter Sixteen

  Want to talk about rewards in the military.

  As for merits and rewards, those are all clearly stipulated, so let's not mention that. Anyway, I've also forgotten the specific rules, and it's pointless to ramble on about them.

  There is a kind of reward, I think it's another way for superiors to affirm you, a mode that can't be helped.

  For example, our instructor.

  At that time on the Vietnam War battlefield, the instructor was really fierce to the extreme. At that time, I didn't know if it was because the instructor's eyes were too good or not, but the instructor led a group of old soldier brothers and charged all the way through the clouds and mist, and saw the city wall of Hanoi.

  Then, on the way back to withdraw troops, I happened to run into a full-strength regiment of the Vietnamese army. They probably had no experience with Chinese soldiers fighting and thought that one full-strength regiment could easily take down half a company, thinking they could gain an advantage.

  The instructor led a group of veteran brothers all the way to charge and kill, and as many people went back as they came, not even losing a single hair.

  But...

  Anyway, sometimes there are some considerations on the surface and in the overall situation. Anyway, it's hopeless to report merits to the instructor, then I heard that...

  Look carefully!

  It is said that General Xu grabbed half a bottle of leftover Moutai and drank it himself, saying - Such soldiers are the ones who are truly mine! Can't remember their merits? I'll reward them myself! Reward them with wine!

  To say half a bottle of wine is still what others have left over, and when brought to the table it's really hard to consider it as any kind of reward.

  The soldiers just ate this set.

  There's another reward!

  That's probably an honor commonly recognized by soldiers.

  At that time, there was a soldier named Mo Chunfeng in the army who was one year younger than me.

  That guy is a Xinjiang soldier, not too tall and with a rather special appearance. Those big eyes blinked and shone like they were talking, and the eyelashes were about one centimeter long and slightly curled upwards.

  If these eyes were on a girl's face, they would absolutely be electrifying and stunning!

  Ke Chang's face was a bit downcast, and his eyes were somewhat embarrassed. Moreover, it made Mo Chunfeng look like he had an inexplicable sense of shyness.

  Mo Chunfeng is a cook in the army, every day getting up at 5 o'clock and sleeping at midnight, calling on his brothers to eat. Especially Mo Chunfeng's uncle is a national-level chef, that is a family-transmitted culinary skill, all the big pot dishes are called Mo Chunfeng stewed into the standard of state banquet.

  People are particularly diligent and quick.

  I don't know if other troops have this tradition, but in our troop, the cooks are not responsible for cleaning the toilets and they are generally not asked to do small tasks.

  Others have worked hard enough already, and for food hygiene, can't let the cooks be covered in dust and dirt?

  Perhaps spring breeze is not like this.

  When others get up in the middle of the night to watch the fire, they also sweep the toilet with a light hand and foot, without even alerting the sentry. By morning, after kneading dough and steaming buns, they still find time to grab a broom and quickly sweep the playground.

  In two years' time, Mo Chunfeng didn't even take a single day off.

  Everyone slowly came to know that Mo Chunfeng was indeed a good brother, even the instructor said he was a good soldier!

  Just thinking of giving Mo Chunfeng a complete set of materials to report as a Lei Feng-style model soldier.

  Estimated that the materials have gone up and the batch that came down is quite large, everyone started calling Mo Chunfeng to treat them to food. Mo Chunfeng smiled and said "Alright, brothers, since you think highly of me, I'll treat you then."

  Then we had a meal that wasn't anything good, it was the cook team leader who went to the warehouse and chopped off a pig's leg, everyone roasted it on the fire pit and ate.

  Isn't it just for the excitement?

  It's been only a few days since the food was finished, and the instructor came back with a gloomy face. He locked himself in his room, pounding on the table and scolding. Then the news spread that Mo Chunfeng, the model soldier who studied Lei Feng, was gone!

  I said that in the army, it's not all iron-clad, sometimes there are just a few people like small officials and idle idlers who don't have real skills but harm their comrades.

  There was a certain official who wanted to directly promote the right person and just needed an excuse, plus several officials with crooked minds fabricated a bunch of materials, and Mo Chunfeng's model soldier for learning from Lei Feng was actually replaced.

  Mo Chunfeng was probably the last one to know about this, and after hearing the news, Mo Chunfeng seemed quite calm. The toilet was still swept as usual, and the playground was still swept as usual.

  The brothers then helped Mo Chunfeng feel wronged and wanted to appeal.

  I will remember for a lifetime how Mo Chunfeng walked into our room.

  That brother stood at the door, looking at us several brothers writing letters with flashlights, saying "Brothers, don't be embarrassed for me, and don't tell on me." I swept the toilet and floor. I never thought about learning from Lei Feng. My family raised many head of cattle, and when I was at home, every morning I had to sweep the floor and clean up cow dung. It became a habit for me. I felt that it was just making the environment cleaner and making myself feel more comfortable. I really didn't think about learning from Lei Feng.

  Mo Chunfeng's face was a picture of calmness and normalcy taken to an extreme.

  After retiring, there was a time when fellow soldiers were chatting, and a fellow soldier who was still serving in the army mentioned Mo Chunfeng. He said that on the eve of Mo Chunfeng's retirement, the old soldiers pressed him into a house, and several old soldiers who could cook made a meal for Mo Chunfeng to eat.

  Mo Chunfeng has cooked for several years, and there are few opportunities for others to cook for him.

  The peach blossoms were all eaten by the spring breeze.

  At 4:00 am, four hours before Mo Chunfeng left the troops, Mo Chunfeng swept the barracks' toilet for the last time and then took off his rank badge and left.

  It's been almost ten years since then, and the name Mo Chunfeng is still circulating in our troops!

  I think this kind of praise and approval that has been in people's hearts for a long time is more valuable than anything!

  As for military medals and honors, in my personal opinion, they are not as good as a pat on the back from my superior and a cup of wine.

  Of course, there is also a prerequisite.

  That official is someone we truly admire!

  Anyway, we hadn't been back for long when the team leader's camouflage jeep suddenly arrived at the company headquarters. Then the instructor came out and Clerk Li Jun came over to say, "Yang Guang, Jiang Kuan, Yang Ke, you few change into your uniforms and follow the instructor."

  He quickly changed into a clean set of clothes and got on the team leader's camouflage jeep, heading straight to the cafeteria.

  I hadn't even gotten off the bus when I saw someone I absolutely didn't expect to see.

  I saw our team leader and deputy director standing at the entrance of the cafeteria, chatting with that skinny guy who had just punched me.

  My heart at that time...

  It was really cool, and the feeling of guessing and worrying was gone. With a plop, I fell headfirst into the big puddle of water in winter!

  Hurry up and get off the bus, stand at attention and salute, then turn around with a smile and wave your hand to say let's go in and talk while eating.

  Let me say one more thing here.

  In the army's canteen, if you say that pulling out a few is the standard for several levels of chefs, it's definitely nonsense. But if you say that two out of them can catch one, at least they can catch a bunch of second and third level chefs.

  Anyway, when I saw the dishes on that table, I immediately forgot that skinny guy was still smiling at me. It felt like my mouth was flooded with a burst of Yellow River water and icebergs melting in the sun, causing a flood.

  I'm starving!

  Ten months of boot camp plus some time after the transfer, meals are absolutely guaranteed to be full and abundant. Such a rich dish is really rare. Moreover, those dishes can only be made by chefs in large hotels, carved dragons and phoenixes, stir-fried, braised, fried, roasted...

  I'm looking forward to Team Leader saying a word and I can immediately jump onto the table and start eating.

  Take another look at Jiang Kuan Yang Ke, his Adam's apple was bobbing up and down like a pile driver, his mouth pursed into a thin line, the whole thing looked like a hungry ghost that had just emerged from prison.

  My brother is a military family with a long history, and he's also someone who has seen blood and played with his life, so he's not someone who can be liked by superiors at first sight. This scene is probably something he's seen many times before.

  His face didn't move, but he hummed a sound in his throat, meaning that you three new recruits should not make fools of yourselves!

  The three of us stood up straight and didn't dare to look away, but honestly if you asked me to take another look at that dish I really would have pounced on it...

  Then the squad leader pulled that skinny kid down and sat down, facing us several new recruits, saying "Old Shang, Xiao Kuang, and you several new soldiers, sit down and talk."

  Why is it said that the military emphasizes actual strength?

  I saw the instructor take off his military uniform and sit down, then pour himself a cup of wine and drink it in one gulp. Only then did he turn to the team leader and say, "This wine is not bad, is it from your hometown?"

  Tuan Tou nodded and said, "Yes, yes, Old Shang, your damn mouth is really poisonous, one bite down and you can taste it!"

  Then everyone sat down, and that thin guy looked at me with a smile and said: "It can't be seen that this bald-headed soldier really has some skills. The little song is sung quite well, and the kung fu on his hands is also quite authentic. That punch was hit so well, it's wonderful!"

  I felt my face burning at the time.

  I'm just a dead man, I've also come back to taste it.

  How did they know when and where the target would appear, how many guards there were, and where to make their move without having an insider?

  This skinny guy is definitely an insider!

  That little widow going to the grave is absolutely what this skinny guy wants to create an opportunity, so I can get close to that fat guy who's about to be caught. I just didn't expect that fat guy to find his own death and coincidentally invite me over for a drink.

  But I still...

  I stood up with a red face and said, Comrade, I didn't do it on purpose. It was just a moment of confusion. I lacked collective consciousness and had serious personal interests. That was the behavior of a socialist stumbling block!

  Then the thin man smiled.

  There's the team leader, there's the participant, and there's the instructor. Even Kuang Ming, that brother, is grinning from ear to ear.

  Then the squad leader winked at me and Ah Ming's older brother grabbed a large cup, poured a full cup of wine and handed it to me.

  The squad leader said that this time, you, a new recruit, performed quite well. However, this little thing can't be considered a meritorious deed, so it's not worth any reward. Today, I'll just give you a cup of wine and let's continue to work hard! This guy is also one of your seniors, you new recruit, go ahead and offer him a toast!

  I'll just drink.

  At that time, I really couldn't think of any words to apologize or anything, and there was no hope of getting any reward. Anyway, I just felt my face burning with shame and a bit of pride. The team leader offering me a cup of wine was already a great honor for a new recruit like me, so I downed the whole cup in one gulp.

  That skinny guy said okay! With the style of Old Shang, it's no wonder he's a soldier who can fight and drink, born from Old Shang's violent ways.

  The instructor didn't even lift an eyebrow, just stretched out his chopsticks to pick up food and held a cup to drink wine, saying "You think you're some kind of good bird? You've forgotten that when you weren't in a certain department, you were competing with me to drink at the training class?"

  That skinny guy eats and drinks, saying you'd better not forget! You said back then that if I came back alive, you'd treat me to a drink. You still owe me one! Today's doesn't count, next time you'll have to treat again!

  I was shocked!

  After causing a commotion for half a day, this skinny guy is also a fierce man who emerged from a mountain of corpses and a river of blood!

  For someone like that, let alone a rookie like me who has only been training for a few days, even someone as experienced and battle-hardened as Ming Ge wouldn't be able to easily say "let's fight" and start fighting, right?

  It's this kind of warrior, that's what makes him cover his eyes, he can still sense where the danger is coming from. And this kind of warrior must know how heavy and ruthless a trained special forces soldier's blow is!

  He knew that once he dodged or counterattacked, I, a new recruit, might get flustered and make mistakes in capturing him!

  He just sat there stiffly and took a punch from me!

  An old soldier who has come down from the battlefield, an old soldier of my uncle's generation, an old soldier who is familiar with hand-to-hand combat and attack and defense, was punched by a new recruit who didn't know what he was doing!

  There isn't even a dodging movement!

  I remember that after retirement, I went out for a drink. At the dinner table, there was a **fucker who calmly and academically analyzed from a physiological perspective, saying that Qiu Shaoyun was burned alive by fire without moving at all, because some muscles and nerves were paralyzed by the fire and couldn't move even if he wanted to, not due to subjective consciousness or spiritual strength.

  I rushed up and gave those five or six guys a good beating, they couldn't stop me, I beat that thing until it was begging for mercy, until in the end it couldn't even beg for mercy anymore!

  Niang Xi Pi read books for several days, all of which were memorized by the dog's belly. I've only seen people who don't care about their own lives for the sake of a task!

  Everyone knows that getting beaten hurts and being shot can be fatal, so why are there still so many men rushing forward with their chests facing the muzzle of guns and bayonets?

  That is relying on a kind of spirit.

  The Chinese people have stood upright for 5,000 years in the forest of nations with this spirit, and will continue to stand tall under its support!

  The wine was finished, and the old man from a certain department had more than two catties of white wine, but he was still spirited and quick-witted, with swift actions. It's unknown when he left without a trace.

  And then we several returned to the company after, this name also just went out at once.

  It's said that a new recruit was summoned by the regiment commander and treated to a big feast, which is also something worth boasting about among fellow soldiers.

  My nickname for being bald has become quite loud.

  Naturally, I have also become one of the elite.