Chapter 26

  I wronged my elder brother Guangming.

  I've wronged my instructor.I've wronged my brothers.

  As soon as I left, my comrades discovered that I was gone. Then the instructor knew without thinking what I had done and immediately divided the troops into two routes, one route escorting the prisoners back to the camp, and the other spreading out all over the mountain to search for me.

  I was warm and cozy in Tuluhe's old man's house, drinking wine and eating meat, when my brother Kuangming led a group of brothers to search for me in the wind and snow until everyone was exhausted from the heavy snow.

  So the next day, I and Tuerhong Lao Han drove the sheep and escorted the traitor for less than two mountains' distance, when I saw my brother Kuangming leading his brothers to search for me.

  My older brother is really infuriating!

  He came up and kicked me into a snow pit with one foot!

  Then he pulled me out of the snow pit and hugged me tightly, saying "You damned bastard, where did you go to die?"

  I was held by Gangming brother and then said, Brother, look at me catching a traitor, it's to avenge those sons from yesterday. The one who ran away asked me to clean up, I avenged Luo Han for those brothers!

  Turu Hong, an old man, came over and said, "I'll lead you to the stone crevice. I know you still need to search and sweep the battlefield."

  After a big commotion, we took the captive back to the base with the corpse on his shoulders.

  Turu Hong Lao Han left without even drinking a sip of water, saying he had to deliver sheep to the commune. The instructor didn't insist and arranged for a vehicle to take Turu Hong Lao Han down the mountain with the sheep.

  Before I could even see Turo's old man's car disappear from my sight, the instructor's dark face was already in front of me.

  I'm not stupid, I know what I did yesterday was a serious breach of discipline. So I quickly lowered my head and said to the instructor, "I was wrong, you can deal with me however you want." Anyway, I avenged my brothers, now I'm at peace.

  The instructor gave me a big slap in the face and then scolded me with a Henan dialect curse.

  "You little brat think you're all grown up? You're the only one who's tough, thinking about avenging your brother, being a lone hero? Battlefield discipline means nothing to you, does it? Screw that..."

  The second slap came up again.

  I won't hide, don't want to hide, and dare not hide; I also can't hide anyway.

  I then honestly took the second slap. But I felt that this second slap was much lighter...

  I quickly told the instructor that I also found this box on that guy, but I couldn't open it and didn't know what was inside.

  The instructor grabbed the box with a dark face and said, "You little kid, go hand in your equipment and stay in the confinement room to reflect on yourself! When I call you out, you'd better be honest about your thoughts and motivations!"

  I handed over the equipment and then ran to the isolation room by myself.

  The isolation room inside the plateau base is extraordinary.

  It's a cave dwelling dug halfway into the mountain, with steel beam frame and wooden board walls. Inside there is only one bed, a desk and a stool for writing inspection reports.

  Material saving and warm effect is obvious, also with a hint of semi-enclosed command post flavor.

  It is said that I was the first and only one to enter from the beginning of the isolation room. Moreover, the treatment inside the isolation room is even more unbearable.

  It's too comfortable!

  I had just sat down and my butt hadn't even warmed up yet, when the attendant came in carrying three quilts. He put down the quilts without saying anything, nodded at me, then turned around and left. Before long, he sent over two more quilts.

  Then the head of the cooking class came in with a small basket in his hand, inside which were large chunks of smokeless coal. Without even asking me to lend a hand, he helped me get the stove going and then smiled at me saying "You little rascal, you're really something! I'll serve you tonight! What do you want to eat? You Hunan roughnecks like spicy food, right? I'll make you some tiger-skin chili peppers!"

  I'm really a bit overwhelmed with favor.

  I won't mention the concept of old and new soldiers anymore.

  Those who have been soldiers all know that the cook in the cooking class is not easy to mess with, and your rice bowl and dish are all in the cook's hands.

  Usually, looking at the cooks not training with everyone and even the internal affairs of the cooks are relatively relaxed, but that's because they get up at 5 o'clock in the morning and sleep at midnight, they work hard!

  Get up at 4 am to start the stove and steam buns, still need to check on the stove at 2 am to prevent it from going out and delaying the brothers' breakfast. Everyone sees and tastes the hard work of the cooks.

  Who else would dare go find Master Zhuang and not be satisfied?

  So the cooks are quite awesome too.

  Now it's Master Huai's turn to help me, a new recruit, with the stove and even care about what I eat at night, whether it suits my appetite!

  I also can't be ignorant of courtesy I just said thank you, Sergeant You're being polite I'm just a new recruit, I don't dare to take it.

  The cook team leader smiled and nodded, saying "You're a good new recruit, you understand things and have quality, it wasn't a waste for the instructor to care about you! To be honest with you, it was the instructor who asked me to make a special dish for you, and he specifically told me that you're from Hunan and love spicy food!"

  My instructor, my bright elder brother...

  What else can I say?

  Just honestly sleep with a blanket and eat vigorously, so I didn't reflect on myself thoroughly. I really didn't think I was wrong. I thought the instructor was also saving face and couldn't follow the rules, so I had to clean up for others to see.

  If we all just think of ourselves from now on, this army will be impossible to lead.

  Two days later, the communicator came over and said that you should write a self-criticism that is profound, serious, meticulous, and digs deep into the ideological roots and the depths of your soul.

  I smiled and asked the communicator, is it that after writing the inspection, I will be released? These two days I have been eating well and sleeping soundly, but I haven't exercised, my whole body feels itchy.

  The correspondent on the spot made me laugh.

  You little scoundrel! They're very interested in the details of this mission and have even set up an investigation team to investigate and summarize. You just don't cause any more trouble, you honestly stay put and write your report.

  Before leaving, the messenger turned back and threw out three words.

  "It's gotta be deep!!!"

  Deep?

  I'm not bragging! I wasn't a good student when I was young, if it weren't for the last teacher I met who was as kind and virtuous as my own mother, I reckon I would have been able to write that test until the very last minute before graduation.

  I'm not good at anything else, but writing tests is my specialty! I say I'm the number one test writer in the world and no one dares to disagree!

  I started writing as soon as I set up my desk.

  It's true what they say: "One becomes proficient through diligence and indolent through indulgence."

  It's been so many years since I last wrote an exam, and my hand has become rusty. After thinking for half a day, I managed to squeeze out more than ten words, but then I couldn't write anymore.

  I'm right!

  I really think so!

  No way! The communicator repeatedly said that I had to be deep and I could only grit my teeth and hold back!

  I ate three big bowls of rice with the tiger skin chili pepper that my brother-in-law sent over, and then I took a deep breath and recited from memory a long composition I wrote when I was young.

  Anyway, this inspection is just a waste of myself. Whatever unpleasant words are given to me, it's all the same. Anyway, after writing more than 5,000 words, I took a look at it from start to finish and scared myself!

  Even if I were shot for the mistakes written in this inspection report, it would be too lenient.

  Isn't this profound enough?

  Just after finishing writing this, the door of the isolation room opened and two 1.2 meters tall men and three 2.3 meters tall men came in.

  My heart skipped a beat.

  Our team leader's military rank is like this, and there are not many high-ranking officers in our troops. Those who have been promoted to the rank of two pips are just a few, and I know them all.

  These few people who came are definitely those officers from the inspection team, right?

  Attention! Reporting for duty, sir! I am a soldier from a certain company, a certain platoon, and a certain squad. My name is Guang Tou. I am currently reflecting on my mistakes and reviewing my actions!

  Those officers looked at me and then at the bowls and chopsticks I hadn't had time to put away, nodded with a smile and said, "So it was you who finally captured that prisoner?"

  I'll just say it with respect!

  He slowly sat down in his chair, looked up at me and said: "Tell me carefully about your situation at that time, especially the pursuit and capture!"

  I stood up straight and began to report one by one, ten by ten. I didn't hide any details of what happened at that time. I even didn't hide my motives.

  I wasn't thinking of catching any stray fish, I just wanted to kill that son and avenge my brother!

  That Er Mao San's face was a bit off, staring at me and saying that this is purely undisciplined and unorganized, the battlefield discipline in your eyes is just XXXXXXXX.

  I was absolutely standard at that time, standing upright with head straight, neck straight, chin slightly retracted, and eyes looking forward.

  But I felt a bit unconvinced in my heart!

  I'm not saying that the discipline on the battlefield is wrong, but I think that at that time anyone would have had the same idea as me, it's just that I was the one who put it into practice.

  I just glanced at that two-bit three's mouth opening and closing with the corner of my eye, and I thought to myself, "You're just bullshitting, aren't you?"

  Who can't make a good official article? Who can't say nice words on the scene?

  If relying on sweet talk could guarantee victory, Master Ma Ji and Master Houbao Lin would not be performing crosstalk in Beijing. Let's go to the East Sea coast and try a segment!

  Maybe some crappy island that produces nothing but turtle eggs just sank?

  It's not easy to get that, didn't the nonsense of Er Mao San make you realize your mistake with just one sentence? As a final statement, I stopped and nodded hastily. At that time, I thought to myself that I would rather take a few more slaps from the instructor than suffer this kind of nonsense torture!

  I guess it's because he saw the inspection on my desk, which still had some thickness to it. After glancing at it for a few seconds, he stood up, nodded and said that the inspection was quite profound but still needed to be further reflected upon, deeply reflecting from the root of one's thoughts!

  As soon as the door of the confinement room was closed, I lay down on the bed and looked up at the sky.

  I'm so tired...

  I just don't get it!

  How is it that some officials, like our team leader, can speak in a way that makes people love to listen, even when scolding others, and still make them feel convinced?

  But some officials, like this old man, speak in a way that sounds like it's following the rules of eight-part essays, but somehow makes people feel sick to their stomachs.

  Maybe it's just an old saying?

  Too many words can be counterproductive!

  My heart wasn't feeling great, and at the time I didn't even know if it counted as inspiration or not?

  He happened to tear up the well-written self-criticism and rewrote it, which was as many as 10,000 words!

  The next morning, the inspection team had just left when the communicator pulled me out of the isolation room. Outside, everyone was already gathered and waiting for me to go up and make a report.

  Oh, time for self-reflection!

  I won't go into details about what I wrote in my self-criticism at the time.

  Anyway, from the moment I started reading my self-criticism, there were people snickering and then sparse applause. Finally, my self-criticism was actually called a stand-up comedy routine, and the applause lasted for 30 seconds at a time, with laughter never stopping!

  I guess there aren't many people in this world who can produce such a high standard of work.

  From then on, my self-criticism became a reserved program for our company. Every time I did it, there was laughter and applause nonstop. If we added a vendor selling cigarettes, melon seeds, and fruit candies, it would be like a theatrical performance!

  The instructor made me angry on the spot.

  Is this what you call self-reflection?

  Are you kidding me? This is just a show-off in front of everyone, right?

  Nothing to say, close for three more days!

  Are you kidding me?!

  At that time, I didn't know if I was mistaken or not?

  Anyway, I saw the instructor's mouth twitching and convulsing violently?