bestfiction Chapter 262 Returning to Beijing from Visiting Relatives!
Chapter 262 Returning to Beijing from Visiting Relatives!
Zhong Yuemin sighed, "Sigh..."
Li Ming felt a chill run down his spine, and his face paled.
"What's wrong? Did you talk back to the commander? What did I just tell you? To sincerely admit your mistakes and lower your stance. I know you have powerful connections, but you can't act recklessly like this, or try to push any problems onto me..."
Zhong Yuemin looked at the worried company commander and was somewhat moved. He said:
"Company commander, it's nothing serious. The commander just wanted to have a chat with me. You can go back now."
"Really?"
"That can still be fake!"
"...No, then why are you sighing?"
"I asked my superior to take credit for me, but he refused, saying that merits and demerits cancel each other out," Zhong Yuemin said, shrugging his shoulders, looking quite aggrieved.
"You know, we few traveled a long way, wiped out the 'enemy's' stronghold, and made the Red Army achieve a stunning reversal, turning defeat into victory. We deserve both credit and hard work, but in the end we got nothing. You can't help but sigh."
Li Ming was so angry that he punched someone.
"Are you doing this on purpose? You've made such a huge mess, and you still want to take credit. It's only because the commander is so magnanimous that you're fired. If I were the commander, you would have been out of a job long ago."
It turned out to be a false alarm. He was so scared. That kid is no human.
"Come on, you've got to treat me to a good meal," Li Ming said, pulling the man away.
"I've been so worried about you these past few days, I can't eat or sleep. I've never been this anxious, not even when I argue with my wife. Look at me, I've lost four or five pounds..."
Back at the company, Zhong Yuemin recounted the incident to Zhang Haiyang and the other two. Man Tun visibly breathed a sigh of relief. If he had been discharged early because of this, he didn't know how he would face his family, especially his parents and younger siblings who were all relying on him for support.
Zhang Haiyang is reckless and unruly.
“Yuemin, you know, Uncle Li is so stingy. We did him such a great favor, and he was so proud of himself. I heard that when Uncle Li met with the leaders of the Blue Army, he was beaming with joy, his smile was so wide it reached his ears, and he was all smiles. In the end, we didn’t get anything.”
"Alright, what kind of merit do you want?"
Zhong Yuemin said:
"They're all just ordinary soldiers. If I offered you the position of company commander, would you dare to take it? We're not doing this to compete for credit. We're just here to curb the arrogance of the Blue Army and let them know that there are always people more capable than you. However, I mentioned Man Tun and Ning Wei to the commander, which is a way of showing my face. It will be beneficial for you two to stay in the army as sergeants in the future."
Mantun chuckled.
"Yuemin, thank you!"
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Time flew by, and it was now the latter half of 1973. Their two-year military service in the army was over, and unsurprisingly, all four of them stayed in the army. Zhong Yuemin became Squad Leader Zhong, Man Tun went to the fourth squad as squad leader, and Ning Wei became his deputy, the deputy squad leader. Their two years in the army consisted of nothing but constant training, training, training, shuttling back and forth between the dormitory, the mess hall, and the training ground.
With the Spring Festival approaching, those serving in the military can't go home, but staying in the army means they get leave to visit family. Having not been home for two years, who wouldn't miss home? Everyone's making preparations to go back. In the dormitory, Zhong Yuemin and Ning Wei are packing their luggage, preparing to go home for this year's Spring Festival.
Mantun came over for a visit.
"Yuemin, Ningwei, you're leaving tomorrow. I'll see you off. I just talked to the cafeteria staff and asked them to borrow your tricycle for hauling vegetables. We can load your luggage into the truck bed and head straight to the station."
"Buy it all up, no need for all that trouble!"
Zhong Yuemin said:
"We don't have much luggage. Our train is at five in the morning, so you should get some rest."
"It's alright, just let me go!"
Mantun said, "Since you came to the army, I have received a lot of care from you. I don't have any great abilities and can't repay you in any way, so I'll just do what I can."
Zhong Yuemin put his luggage aside.
"Mantun, you're being too polite to us. There's no such thing as repaying us. You washed our bedding and mended our clothes, and we didn't even say thank you. We're all brothers, don't stand on ceremony."
"That's right, Master!"
Ning Wei said:
"You even teach me boxing every day."
As they were talking, Zhang Haiyang arrived at the dormitory. Upon entering,
"Hey, you guys are all here!"
He swaggered in, saying, "You guys are quick on your feet, already getting things sorted out."
Zhong Yuemin glanced at them, and the three of them remained silent, ignoring him.
"Hey, what's with this attitude?"
Zhang Haiyang said:
"I'm a cadre from the military region headquarters, is this how you treat your superiors? When leaders come to visit their comrades in the company, they don't even offer them a cup of water. Is this how you treat a guest?"
Zhong Yuemin scoffed and gave the man a once-over.
"Comrade Zhang Haiyang, you've really gone corrupt. Look at your belly, it's gotten so round. You should drink less water and lose weight."
You sit in your office all day, drinking tea and reading newspapers, flirting with the female soldiers there, completely oblivious to the world around you. You've probably forgotten all about us brothers, haven't you?"
"Go to hell!"
Zhang Haiyang was annoyed.
"Yuemin, don't slander people. It's true I work in an office, and I'm busy as a beggar every day. I even have time to drink tea and read newspapers. There are female soldiers, that's true, but they're all middle-aged women in their forties and fifties. They're always nagging me, 'Xiao Zhang, sweep the floor, Xiao Zhang, go get some water, Xiao Zhang...'"
My ears are ringing. I can't sleep without this little Zhang. To be honest, I'd rather stay in the company. I'm suffering terribly at headquarters.
Zhong Yuemin smiled and said, "Who can you blame? It's because you have a good father."
Mantun said:
"Haiyang, do a good job. So many people are scrambling to get into the military headquarters. You've trained in the company and have office experience. You're both literate and skilled in combat. The army is grooming you to be an important officer."
"Full stock, not bad. You've really impressed people after just three days. You've got a whole set of skills."
Seeing that no one offered him a seat, Zhang Haiyang sat down on a bunk bed and said:
"Yuemin, I have something important to tell you. Li Yuanchao has joined the political department. In terms of rank, he's a deputy company commander. He joined the army at the same time as me and Mantun. His promotion speed is like a rocket."
Zhang Haiyang said:
“I’ve figured it out. The military is just like the outside world, like state-owned factories. If you have connections, everything is easy. If you don’t, you can only stay at the bottom.”
Zhong Yuemin said calmly:
"Li Yuanchao is indeed not a very good person, but he is still quite cunning. He is good at winning people over and is quite shrewd. He knows who is useful to him. When he makes friends, he is always scheming and utilitarian. However, everything has two sides. If you are too concerned about gains and losses, can you have true friends? Don't be fooled by the number of people who are around him. They are just lackeys and monkeys. When he falls, they will scatter like leaves in the wind. They might even stab you in the back and kick you when you're down."
"Whatever, he's become a division commander, what's it to us?"