Chapter 4 Examination

  "Kunling little brother, how are you? Are you doing well at home? How's your uncle and aunt's health?" Qiao Lianchang asked with concern.

  "Thank you for remembering me all along, my father and mother are in good health." Xiao Kunling (my eldest maternal uncle) said gratefully.

  "Kunling young brother, are you here to sign up?" Qiao Lianchang asked.

  "On one hand, it's been a long time since we last met. On the other hand, I'm glad to see you here, it feels like a reunion after a lifetime." Xiao Kunling said sincerely.

  "Is that so? I myself find it a bit unbelievable. At the time, I was shot in the chest by the Japanese devils' bullets and bled profusely, falling down after just a few steps. Originally thought to be dead for sure, who knew that when I woke up, I found myself sleeping on a grass mat in a broken hut in the mountains? It turned out that an old hunter from the mountains had saved me. I stayed at the hunter's home for over a month nursing my wounds, and before they were fully healed, I left. At the time, I searched for our troops all along the way, from Shanmen to Tangdu Port, and then from Tangdu Port to Baoqing Prefecture. Hearing that our troops had forced the Japanese to surrender in Yongfeng, I was overjoyed and didn't sleep all night, rushing to Yongfeng on horseback. When I arrived in Yongfeng, I heard that you had contracted malaria, and your brother-in-law, Vice Officer Zeng (my father, Zeng Zhongfan, served as the deputy officer of the 19th Division of the National Revolutionary Army during the Anti-Japanese War), had already sent someone to take you back home to recover. I thought you would return soon, but who knew that you were gone for over a year, almost two years? Kunling, my younger brother, you're really not very considerate! We hadn't even formally sworn brotherhood yet and you've already retreated!" Commander Qiao scolded.

  "I'm sorry, Commander Qiao. After I recovered from my illness, I wanted to return to the troops, but my parents wouldn't let me. They forced me to marry my cousin instead. I had no choice. Alas..." Xiao Kunling sighed heavily after speaking.

  "What are you going to do now? Are you going to defend your family and country or continue to indulge in the gentle village and waste your will? A man should have ambitions all over the world, why sink down for personal reasons of children. Kunling, as a graduate of Northeast Middle School, you should make something of yourself. How about it? Since you're here, are you willing to sign up for the special forces and cross the ocean to achieve your life goals?" Qiao Lianchang asked finally.

  "Of course, I'm willing to sign up, but whether I can get in or not depends on the situation. These two years, after marrying my wife, I've been busy with household chores every day, lacking motivation, and my studies have been neglected a lot." Xiao Kunling said with some embarrassment.

  "It doesn't matter, as long as you have the courage to participate, that's also a good performance. According to the examination procedure, we will first conduct an oral test, and only if you pass the oral test can you proceed to the written test. By the way, let me introduce our Recruitment Director Xiao, a top student from Huangpu Military Academy. Today is the last day of recruitment, and Director Xiao has come to Taohong Town to supervise in person. Younger brother, you also have the surname Xiao, and we are both from the same hometown, don't be afraid, just show off your talents, I believe you will definitely make it!" said Qiao Lianchang.

  "Little brother, we are actually fellow villagers and even from the same clan. My ancestral home is also in Baoqing. Who knows, maybe hundreds of years ago our ancestors were eating out of the same pot!" Director Xiao joked.

  "Yes, yes, yes." Xiao Kunling nodded frequently, indicating his agreement.

  However, to get back on track, this recruitment is mainly about selecting young talents from all over the country. The oral and written tests are strictly based on the standards set by the examination institute. I have to be impartial. Director Xiao said with a serious face.

  "I understand this principle. I will strictly follow the exam rules and never cheat, with no luck in my heart." Xiao Kunling said.

  "The first question I want to ask is: what if a person encounters five enemies at the same time, what should he do?" Director Xiao asked.

  "We can't win by brute force, we can only outsmart them, think of ways to paralyze the enemy, disperse their energy and find opportunities to defeat them one by one."

  "What would you do if you encountered a disguised enemy?"

  "Observe carefully, remain calm and composed, make no noise or movement. Use stillness to respond to all changes, use quietness to control the disturbance. As soon as possible, find out the opponent's weakness, see through their tricks, then strike with lightning speed, leaving the opponent no time to react."

  "There were eight birds on the tree, one was shot dead, how many are left?"

  "It's all gone."

  "Ten trees, planted in five rows, with four trees in each row, how were they planted?"

  Xiao Kunling hadn't said two words before he casually drew a five-pointed star on the tea table.

  "Hmm, the answer is quite good. Next step is a written test, there are four treasures on the desk, and the examination questions are in the pen holder, you can draw them yourself!" Director Xiao said, sitting by the tea table sipping his tea slowly.

  Xiao Kunling came to the table and sat down, drawing a topic from the tube: How to build a new China.

  Xiao Kunling was already familiar with this type of question, he picked up his pen and wrote in bold strokes on the rice paper, completing it in less than half an hour.

  Director Xiao graded the exam papers, carefully reading them, and couldn't help but exclaim: "Good article! Especially 'United as one, unbreakable like a city wall; the country is as solid as a boulder, the people are as safe as Mount Tai. This makes foreign enemies change color with fear, see it and their gallbladders turn cold, who dares to be an enemy?' These few sentences have spirit and insight."

  Director Xiao couldn't stop praising him, and Qiao Lianchang knew that Xiao Kunling had been admitted.

  "Little brother, congratulations! From now on, we brothers can fight side by side again." Qiao Lianchang said with a smile.