Chapter 2: 18. Colluding to cheat and deceive high school teams (2)

  Many years ago, a big black face and a small black face met, they sat on a rubber boat we called a speedboat, going downstream with laughter and chatter, the two black faces laughed so hard that they couldn't stop. The officer from Guangdong had an even darker face but was quiet and taciturn, operating the outboard motor of the rubber boat, not daring to say a word more than necessary, but often being teased by the two blacks until he couldn't help but laugh, looking at the big black with some surprise and comfort, as if thinking how long it had been since this big black laughed so heartily.

  Many years later, the little black saw the big black again, but this time it was on TV news. It was a military delegation from the Romanian Ministry of Defense visiting China, led by their Minister of Defense with a high-ranking entourage. Our People's Liberation Army Chief and a group of senior generals welcomed them at the Great Hall of the People, where they had friendly talks and expressed full confidence in the friendship between the two countries' militaries. At first, Little Black didn't notice because he wasn't interested in military affairs and was about to change channels. But when the camera panned across the entire scene, he was startled to see a big black face among the calm and composed PLA generals, who seemed unsure of where to put his hands. That black face really stood out, even though he was sitting several rows behind the Chief of Staff amidst a group of junior generals - it was so black that it shone like coal, and I mean coal is light in comparison.

  Later, Xiao Hei recorded this news and watched it repeatedly. Then he froze on that panoramic view, seeing that big black man looking uneasy and restless, his eyes wandering around, his whole body not feeling right, not knowing what to do. Among the young lieutenant generals who were all dressed up and had an absolute professional military demeanor, he looked so out of place, like someone who didn't know who to borrow clothes from and blended in. It's really not unjust to call him an old soldier, he really has that kind of feeling, without the straight and upright army lieutenant general's jacket, walking on the street you might think he's just a mountain wildcat, and if you ask him for directions, you might not even want to talk to him much. Moreover, his hair was already gray and white, Xiao Hei looked at it and felt heartache, wanting to cry.

  Then Xiao Hei saw the Guangdong officer, who was still an officer but had become a second-level officer. He stood behind the generals' seats, facing Xiao Hei's position, with a large wolf dog by his side. His attitude towards Xiao Hei was not servile just because Xiao Hei was a major general; he still had that cold and icy gaze, like a true wolf dog protecting its master, only wearing a neat military uniform instead of fur. Like the dozen or so lieutenants around him who also had the same loyal and fearless spirit in their eyes, he stood with his hands behind his back, motionless, but everyone's eyes were not idle, all looking in one direction. Although it was true that there was no need to do so from any angle, could professional habits be changed? Among those loyal wolf dogs, he was the only officer.

  Xiao Hei flipped through many newspapers from that time, searching for Da Hei's name inside. Just like many years ago when Xiao Hei was still a private in the army, he searched for Da Hei's name with equal sincerity and urgency in the piles of newspapers and war histories stacked up in the library. Although the two searches were separated by many years and yielded different answers, the name remained the same.

  At that time, Xiao Hei found a newspaper report about the visit of foreign military friends. At the end of a long list of attendees was Da Hei's name; In a series of military reports on this friendly visit, there was an article about Da Hei accompanying high-ranking Romanian military officers to visit the People's Liberation Army's special forces, with only one photo showing Da Hei holding a 95 automatic rifle that Xiao Hei was very familiar with, explaining something to the generals in the shooting range. His demeanor was completely different from his awkwardness at the Great Hall of the People, but rather like an old worker standing in his workshop, proudly showing off to guests, extremely confident and proud, or in a more colloquial way, he was "showing off". Behind his broad back, several officers with kevlar helmets and camouflage uniforms were silently pinned to the ground, their eyes and arm badges had been processed by POTOSHOP. The title was "Deputy Chief of Staff of the General Staff Accompanies Romanian Defense Minister's Delegation to Visit Our Base". I didn't read the article below because it was a worthless eight-part essay.

  Many years ago, when Xiao Hei was still a soldier, he also flipped through the newspapers and war histories of the late 1980s and saw Da Hei's name. At that time, the photo of Da Hei was not as wide, but the light in his eyes was the same.

  That year, Little Hei wrote a note in his diary, which was an introduction to the title page of a series of reports "Heroes of Reconnaissance in the Defensive War" from the Liberation Army Daily in 1988.

  "He Zhijun, 32 years old, is the captain of a reconnaissance battalion in a mechanized infantry division of the People's Liberation Army. He graduated from the PLA's military academy with a major in reconnaissance command. During the defensive war period, he was the commander of the third company of a reconnaissance battalion in a certain military region and was awarded first-class merits. The Central Military Commission conferred on him the title of 'Combat Hero'. This man is brave in battle and has led reconnaissance teams to complete important tasks many times without ever failing. Enemy special forces are terrified of him. He once led a 15-man reconnaissance team to operate behind enemy lines for a month, killing 40 enemies while suffering no casualties himself, and successfully completing the mission. After the task was completed, he withdrew smoothly, becoming a classic example of our army's reconnaissance operations during the defensive war period. He Zhijun has caused great intimidation to the enemy, with enemy special forces offering a reward of 500,000 yuan for his head..."

  Little Hei flipped through his old diary and couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Big Hei's antics back then. It was no wonder he became a general, that was just his usual self. But what really mattered was that he was now working in the General Staff Department, still using his signature phrase "Ma La Ge Ba Zi" (a colloquialism for "son of a bitch"). How did the department head tolerate it? Was it like with the deputy commander of the military region, where not only didn't mind but also enjoyed bantering with him? When receiving foreign guests, how did the translator translate for him? Those foreign military attachés were all fluent in Chinese and must have understood what he was saying. Who knows what they thought?

  It's hard to imagine Big Hei working in the General Staff Department, but given his personality, it's unlikely he would change his ways. Even if Mount Tai was submerged in the ocean and the Yellow River was filled with highlands, he would still be the same.

  Those young staff officers under him must have had a tough time, constantly being scolded until they were covered in sweat. Who knows if he organized them to run 10 kilometers of cross-country every morning before work? That beloved camouflage motorcycle of his, was it allowed to drive around the General Staff Department compound like a black whirlwind?

  As far as I know, all military compounds have strict speed limits, so it's unlikely that motorcycles would be allowed. And even if they were, it's not like Big Hei would let junior officers touch his precious motorcycle. They probably had to use Audis when going out.

  But with him in this position, the Chinese people can rest assured. This is a true hero and a real man, who has spent his entire career in special operations and could even give Patton a run for his money. Although he didn't drive tanks or assault vehicles, he would definitely dare to crash into Patton's tank head-on without batting an eyelid!

  What else?

  Xiao Hei saw a sentence he wrote back then next to the introduction and photo cut out from the yellowed military newspaper, absolutely powerful:

  "For him, we are willing to die!"

  All written on several sheets of paper, with very large characters, it's clear that the mood at the time was extremely agitated.

  Xiao Hei's nose suddenly felt sour, and many things came to mind. At that time, the little soldiers were spreading rumors about Da Hei Lian's story, saying that the most popular TV series "Black Panther Commando" was modeled after their unit.

  What else?

  Also, Xiao Hei used a red pen to repeatedly write out a sentence on that clipping:

  "The enemy troops all feared and called them 'Wolf's Fang'."

  Back to the Xiaoqing River. I vaguely saw that river flowing with water, stretching for thousands of miles, and didn't know where it was going. This road took more than two hours, but my enthusiasm was strong because I hadn't talked to an elder like this for a long time, so the conversation didn't stop. It was Dà Hēi Liǎn who didn't speak after I finished telling the story of Chen Pai, not knowing what to say, looking at the reeds on both banks, just silent, and then sighed: "What a real man!" Then he didn't speak again.

  I didn't think it was unexpected, because everyone would think that my speech is a true man. All the way down, the officer wouldn't look at me anymore, although he never spoke to me, but I knew he understood that I was also a small bird person, and estimated that he didn't dare to deal with me. I thought this was good, and let you dog-headed troops see our small mountain gorge's small reconnaissance company is not to be trifled with! Then the big black face stretched out his hand, and the officer hastily handed over the water bottle. The big black face twisted open the water bottle and silently poured wine into the river. I was astonished: "What are you doing?"

  The big black face said in a low voice: "I don't know Chen Pai, but I'll drink a toast to him! In the next life, I'll be brothers with him!"

  I retorted: "You don't drink, so why bring wine?"

  The big black face is still pouring wine: "I don't drink."

  "I don't believe it!" I said with a sly smile. "I understand, you secretly drank it yourself! You didn't even dare to tell me, afraid that I would expose you! Don't worry, I'm not that kind of person, Little Zhuang!"

  The big black face didn't speak, immersed in his own melancholy mood: "The most terrifying thing is that there's nothing to be done about it..."

  I also want to say something funny, and then the officer who never spoke said:

  "We were just..." He thought he had misspoken and quickly changed his words, "He doesn't drink alcohol. His left leg was injured, with shrapnel from a landmine still inside. Whenever the weather changes, it hurts. This wine is specially approved by the medical department, when it's unbearable, rub some on your leg to dispel the cold air." Later, I realized that all the guards in the world are the same, although they are taciturn, but absolutely not stupid, their brains work extremely well, knowing what to say and what not to say. They also know that leaders are rarely happy, and if they spoil the leader's mood, they will be scolded, which is secondary, but it's too hard for them to bear. Why make the leader unhappy? Don't leaders have enough worries already? The relationship between guards and leaders, especially after a long time, is like the worms in the leader's stomach - how else could they stay by the leader's side for so long?

  I just laughed: "I don't believe you! You look like someone who craves wine, how can you not drink it? Tell me, I won't tell anyone else!"

  The big black face poured the wine and swung it over, the officer quickly caught it with a familiar gesture like a wolf dog catching a flying disc. The expression on the big black face gradually eased, and he smiled: "I said I wouldn't drink, just not drinking, we're men of our word, right? Do you know what's called special forces? What's called rapid reaction force? It's being on call 24 hours a day in this place, drinking, and if caught, it's going to be severely dealt with!"

  I was puzzled: "Brother of military industry..."

  The Guangdong officer didn't bother me this time, because he could see that I wasn't a threat and even made the big black face happy, so he just focused on rowing and observing the movements on both sides.

  "Huh?" Big Black Face smiled, "At my age, I'm old enough to be your father, how can you call me big brother? You should call me uncle."

  "That's not right!" I said seriously, "Comrades are like brothers, where is there a comrade who is an uncle and nephew?"

  Hehe, Big Black Face laughed: "Alright! You little brat is really something! Just call me Big Brother from now on."

  "Brother in the military industry, are you still on the front line? I've heard Miao Lian talk about the stories of the front line before, so I have some understanding."

  The big black face didn't say a word, as if many things were weighing on his heart, and his eyes hadn't recovered for half a day.

  "Is it driving or carrying the wounded?" I started showing off the little knowledge I knew.

  Da Hei Lian thought for half a day before saying in a low voice: "Lift the wounded."

  I just nodded, no wonder I stepped on a landmine!

  He looked at me and I saw something sacred on his dark face: "You have your brother, I also have my brother. Let me tell you."

  I nodded, knowing that the casualties in the front-line military industry were also very heavy back then. Then I changed the subject to make up for the sadness I brought him. I told him about Xiaoying and why I joined the army. He listened with great interest and said, "Good, good, good! A nurse paired with a scout is the best combination! You should be with her, don't change, young people keep changing until they have nothing left and then regret it, but that's too late." (I still think this sentence is classic to this day.) Later, I found out that his loved one was a nurse in the front line back then. He got injured and stayed in the field hospital, where he recovered from his wounds and also won over his wife. Everyone said they were a perfect match, and then they went to the front line to fight, leaving behind the 21-year-old nurse who was worried sick every time he came back, but couldn't sleep at night, staring at his dark face, afraid that when morning came, she wouldn't see him again, and he would go off to fight again without telling her. In fact, it was also impossible for him to tell her, as the military district reconnaissance unit's status was equivalent to today's special forces unit, and even going out to help villagers with farm work required secrecy, let alone military operations during wartime.

  Then we reached the shore, I and Da Hei Lian went ashore, he was still holding me, his hand was so big, so thick, so warm and so powerful! It's really like my father. The officer then deflated the rubber boat.

  He helped me walk up, and I saw a jeep with a dog head painted on it parked in the woods by the river. There was no license plate, but there was a warning light on top, and a pass sticker on the window with a dog head and the number "001" written on it. Even if I was stupid, I knew this was the team leader's car! I was stunned, finished, the team leader didn't know me, but he must have known that I was the rookie who came to be scolded! The car was here, so the person must be nearby, and if they saw this mistake, I would be caught, don't even mention next year, 100 years later you can't come again, thoroughly don't appear in Dog Head Team again! I just stood there, not knowing what to do.

  "What's wrong?"

  I said: "That damned platoon leader wants to see me cheat and I'm done for?"

  Big Black Face looked around: "What's with that damn great captain over there?"

  "Isn't that Little Wang Ba's Jeep? He must be around here somewhere. Brother Military Industry, I'd better get going myself, if someone sees you helping me like this, I'll be completely finished, and I won't be able to come back for the rest of my life!"

  "Ah! You're talking about this car! I'm from the vehicle repair shop, that damn platoon leader's little Jeep broke down and was sent to me for repairs. After I fixed it, I took it out fishing!"

  I couldn't help but exclaim: "You're really bold, daring to take out the captain's car for a spin!"

  Big Black Face squeezed his eyes: "Am I not an old military factory? What kind of bird is the big captain who is a mother's bastard?"

  I chimed in: "That's right, that platoon leader is nothing! The old military factory big brother is better than him!"

  The officer was folding up the deflated rubber boat, and when he heard this, he couldn't help but burst out laughing. He looked up at Big Black Face, Big Black Face winked at him, and he held back his laughter and continued to fold up the rubber boat.

  "Let's go!" The big black face supported me as I walked, "I'll take you to sit in that damned company commander's little turtle jeep!"

  I was walking with him when he suddenly stopped: "No way, no way, I have to go back!"

  "What's wrong? Didn't we agree on this?"

  My face turned red with anxiety: "The orchid is gone!"

  Big Black Face: "What orchid?"

  I quickly explained. Da Hei Lian nodded: "Oh, that? That kind of wild orchid is everywhere in this damn place! I'll get someone to pick a basket for you! Let's go!"

  "No, no, this is what I picked for Xiaoying! I want to pick it myself! Thank you, Brother Jun! Even if I come back next year, I must find the orchid!" I pushed his hand away and insisted on walking by myself.

  Big Black Face looked lost: "Hey! You stop right there! What am I supposed to do if you leave?"

  "What's going on?" I stopped and turned back in confusion, "What should we do now?"

  "Who am I supposed to talk to now?! It's finally Sunday today, and I had someone to talk to. Now you're leaving, who am I going to talk to?!"

  I pointed at the officer and said: "Him!"

  "He can talk, can't he?! If he could speak I'd be driven mad all day! He's like a shadow that follows you around and won't speak!" Da Hei Lian was anxious, "You can't leave!"

  "That won't do!" I said stubbornly, "The flower was picked by me for Xiaoying! I must get it back!"

  The officer wanted to speak but the big black face glared at him and he didn't dare say anything, lowering his head to carry the last stack of rubber boats on his shoulder.

  "You can't go!" The big black face stood with his hands on his hips, in a commanding posture. I'm not going to take this! Don't think that just because you're nice to me, I'll let someone order me around. As a soldier, it's normal for me to be ordered by my superiors, but what are you? A military engineer? What do I have to fear from you?! Besides, those were the flowers I picked for Xiaoying. Even if the big grey wolf came, I'd rather die than lose the flowers. Why should I go find them just because of you?!

  I'm leaving.

  "Hey!" Big Black Face yelled at me from behind, "Where are you going?"

  "Go!" I gritted my teeth and walked on.

  "Aren't you going tomorrow?"

  "I'll leave by next year!" I made up my mind. "I can't abandon Hua'er, she's the one I gave to Xiaoying!"

  "Alright, you come back, I'll think of a way!" Da Hei Lian yelled at me.

  I turned back: "What can you do?"

  Big Black Face: "Anyway, there's a way, you can't go back like this!"

  "Then you drive me back?"

  "I'm not going back either, let's drive and have some fun! The woods here are really beautiful, I guarantee you've never seen anything like it!" Da Hei Lian coaxed me like a child.

  "I'm not playing, I'm going to find flowers." I turned around and left.

  "Come on, I'll find it for you!" he shouted at me.

  I turned back: "How can I find it? You won't drive me there, and you won't let me go by myself. What do you want me to do?"

  The big black face pointed at the officer: "He's gone to find!"

  The officer had just carried the rubber boat onto the car and was startled by what he heard. I looked at him: "Not suitable, why make others run so far?"

  Big Black Face said, "He's been idle lately and wants to exercise. His hobby is rowing a boat. Today, he didn't have fun saving you. Let him go play." He looked at the officer, "Is that right?"

  The officer was embarrassed: "...... is." The big black face glared: "What's wrong?! You're not happy?!"

  Officer: "No, who drove me there?"

  Big Black Face clapped his hands on his waist: "I won't open it?"

  "It's not that... Auntie specifically told me you can't drive, didn't your heart condition get worse again recently?"

  "Are you a blockhead?! I'm finally happy for once and you're still picking on me?! Ah?!"

  The officer stood up straight and said: "I was wrong!"

  Big Black Face: "You know you're wrong, it's like talking to a wooden head! Give me the key!"

  Officer: "No way! I promised Auntie!"

  Big Black Face was anxious and didn't know what to do: "I've never seen you compromise with me! You took away my motorcycle and said I wasn't performing well, now I can't even ride a bike? Ah?! Am I still Big... Big Black Face?! My famous Big Hei is always listening to your orders?! Give me the key!"

  The officer gritted his teeth: "No way! You can beat me and scold me, but the car is not going to move!"

  Big Black Face anxiously exclaimed: "Is there still no freedom for me?!"

  Officer: "Anyway, even if you're going to shoot me dead tomorrow, I won't give it to you!"

  Dahui's face turned black and he was at a loss for words. Seeing me standing there, staring blankly, he asked: "Can you drive?"

  I hastily nodded, I had thought about getting over my car addiction a long time ago. During the reconnaissance company's training, after finishing my training, I would go to the garage and drive our reconnaissance company's big-ass jeep around the playground. There was no one to train me, and the vehicle management officer in the company let me drive as I pleased as long as I didn't leave the compound. After coming to this place, all games were gone.

  The big black face pointed at me and shouted to the officer: "Are you going to give him the key but not me? Can I just grab a soldier on the road to open it for me?"

  The officer was still hesitating. Da Hei Lian got angry: "You don't believe in the military region's reconnaissance soldier who came out of the martial arts competition, what are you afraid of? Haven't you taken the complex terrain vehicle driving test?"

  The officer thought for a moment: "Yes!" He ran over, handed me the key and grasped my hand tightly. A thousand words were conveyed in that grasp. For half a day, he didn't let go. Only then did he look into my eyes and say: "Be careful! If anything happens, I'll definitely come to your rescue!"

  I was so scared that I didn't dare take the key.

  "Are you trying to scare my kid to death? Am I made of paper?! Hurry up and get out! Go find that flower for me! If you can't find it, don't come back, go feed the wolf cubs in the mountains!"

  The officer saluted: "Yes!" He quickly took down the inflatable boat, air pipe, and oars from the vehicle and started inflating them with a hissing sound.

  Big Black Face came over to support me: "Let's go! Go play driving!"

  I hesitated and looked at the officer: "Is this appropriate? This monitor..."

  "He just wants to exercise and play with the boat." Big Black Face squeezed his eyes and asked Shi Guan, "Is that right?"

  The officer stood at attention: "Yes!" Surprisingly, there was no reluctance! I was puzzled, these two hours of rowing by myself were not a pleasant thing to do! My butt hurt from switching places back and forth, not to mention that nobody spoke along the way!

  That big black face pulled me: "This damn place from that damn captain to the bottom is not a human being! Go! Drive and play!"

  The officer suddenly stood up: "Wait!"

  "What else do you want to do?"

  The officer took off the pistol and holster from his waist and handed them to Big Black Face: "You take it, I won't be able to use it even if I have it."

  "Alright! Let's go! I'll take you to hunt rabbits! There are plenty of them in these mountains!"

  I followed him and drove the car, which was really amazing! It went into four-wheel drive in an instant! Don't look at its appearance like a small turtle, but it's absolutely not slow, its speed is like a wild rabbit! We drove through the woods, laughing loudly and shouting. The big black face kept yelling "faster, faster", as happy as a child, and I was originally a kid, so I was even happier!

  We turned onto the highway, and all along the way, the checkpoints saw that car from a distance and didn't even try to stop us, hastily raising the red and white striped barriers. We drove smoothly without any obstruction! Those damned checkpoint guards were wearing big helmets like those worn by German devils in World War II movies, with dog-head armbands, camouflage clothing, and big leather boots, and they had a kind of ammunition box hanging from their automatic rifles that I had never seen before. At that time, the garrison troops were just newly formed! Who has ever seen this? It wasn't even declassified in magazines, but as soon as they saw it was the 001 car, they hastily stood at attention like nails and saluted early on the side of the road. I thought to myself that this dog-head battalion was really well-trained, showing such respect for the commander's car, and it was clear that they would unconditionally carry out their superiors' orders without any discount.

  But at that time, I was also puzzled. The discipline of the troops is so strict, how did the military factory drive out the battalion commander's car? Moreover, they casually took the officer's pistol and bullets to take me up the mountain to hunt rabbits? It was just a thought, after all, I was a child, and my playful mentality prevailed, so I didn't ask any questions and just focused on driving fast. Along the way, all vehicles saw 001 coming and hurriedly pulled over, and all drivers and cadres jumped out to salute.

  I watched with great pleasure, a thrill of teasing the dog-headed officers and non-commissioned officers. But if I had paid attention, I wouldn't have missed their puzzled eyes. But how could I have noticed? What do you worry about when you're under 18? Isn't it just playing around?

  I hung out with Big Black Face until it was almost dark, we hunted rabbits and mountain chickens, and even went sightseeing. He's incredibly familiar with this area, knowing every place and pointing out the heights of various locations. His marksmanship is also top-notch, on par with mine. I thought to myself, "This guy is amazing!" Even his military skills are impressive, I really underestimated him before! Then he sent me off to a location less than 2 kilometers from the new training team, and even found a riverbed for me to roll around in, getting completely covered in mud and water. He said, "Alright, you're good to go now, hurry back or you'll be eliminated!" And told me he'd send the flowers my way later. I nodded and took off, walking a few steps before turning back to see 001 still there, with Big Black Face standing on top of it, looking at me longingly. I waved goodbye and smiled, saying "Military Brother, I'll come find you at the vehicle repair shop later!"

  He just smiled and waved at me to hurry up and leave. I left, feeling especially relieved and great, not only did I cheat and fool that damn high school team and get revenge on him once, but also got to know such a good military big brother! From now on, I won't feel lonely in the Dog Head Troop, although Ma Da and them are nice to me too, but they can't take me out to have fun like this military big brother can! I walked really far away, that dark-faced man was still sitting in the car, quietly looking at me, and waving goodbye, truly reluctant to part ways.

  After I grew up, I slowly came to understand a truth called "the higher you climb, the colder it gets". Of course, I passed and the Dog Head High School team didn't notice, my passing wasn't anything special, everyone thought I would pass for sure. But in my heart, I was wildly happy, I really gave you and your Dog Head Big Team a slap in the face! I felt like I won a round.

  Then the Guangdong officer quietly came to find me and returned that bunch of flowers to me. I was very happy when I saw the flowers, he just smiled and left without saying anything.

  I didn't think it was strange afterwards, because I knew that those old military workers in the army were still the main officials and had to give them three points. Let alone such a bird dared to drive out the 001 dog head car, an old military worker who had been on the front line?