In his previous life, as short videos became popular, he followed many military bloggers. By getting to know them, he could alleviate his regret for not being able to serve in the army.
Without exception, these bloggers all emphasized that the biggest challenge after joining the army is stacking tofu cubes!
Chen Ming recalled the military documentaries he had watched before and tried to fold his quilt in the same way, trying his best to make his quilt neatly and squarely.
It’s a pity that it always feels a little bit short.
After folding the quilt in the morning, I start an hour-long morning run.
His physical condition is still too poor now. If he wants to adapt to the life in the army after joining the army, he can only start training in advance.
After the morning run, I had breakfast and headed to the village primary school before the weather got too hot. There were horizontal bars and some sports facilities for children to train.
Fortunately, it is summer vacation now and no one comes to disturb him in the empty school.
I train until one or two in the afternoon when the weather is hottest, and then I go home. After lunch, I don’t sit around either, but lie on the bed doing push-ups and sit-ups.
After nightfall, I would take out some extracurricular reading materials I had collected from under the bed, such as "Zhiyin Manke", "Reader", "Ghost Stories", "Story Club", "Yilin", etc., and sit in front of the window to read them.
The original owner had a lot of extracurricular books, and even if his parents were living a hard life, they would never refuse their son's request to buy books.
Before entering high school, the original owner also cherished these books that his parents bought with their sweat, and he treasured each one very well.
Unfortunately, he became addicted to the Internet when he entered high school, and all the money he got from his parents was spent on the Internet. These serialized extracurricular readings were also interrupted during his year of high school.
Sitting at a table by the window, Chen Ming looked at the books he had flipped through.
"If you don't get addicted to the Internet, study hard and get into a good university, your parents will be so happy."
Chen Ming muttered to himself, and he was talking to the original owner.
Feeling the breeze outside the window and listening to the cicadas chirping in the trees, Chen Ming lowered his head and looked at a "Story Club" from a few years ago.
Although this village is not as prosperous as a big city, there are not yet as many entertainment programs as smartphones, short videos, and game live broadcasts to enrich people's lives.
But here, he could feel a sense of comfort from the inside out.
I don’t know how long I read. As waves of fatigue came over me, Chen Ming closed the book, lay down on the bed, turned off the lights, and went to sleep. Another day passed.
The days that followed were a cycle that repeated itself every day.
The mother was naturally happy to see her son determined to change. In order to help Chen Ming supplement his nutrition, she bought him some meat every few days.
As time passed, Chen Ming was still very thin, but he was no longer skinny, and his muscles gradually became stronger.
That night, my mother cut half a pound of meat from the butcher at the entrance of the village.
During the meal, the couple kept putting meat on his plate but they didn't eat any themselves.
Chen Ming looked at their expressions and smiled helplessly. He quickly finished his meal and went back to his room to continue reading.
He knew that only when he was full would his parents eat the remaining meat because they didn't want it to be wasted.
After all, there is no refrigerator, and it will be wasted tomorrow if I don’t finish eating it in such a hot day.
As Chen Ming left the table, his father ate a few bites and then stood up. He carefully crouched down and walked to the door of Chen Ming's room. He put his ears against the door and listened quietly.
Mother Wang Yan looked at Chen Gensheng and was completely confused.
"Dad, what are you doing?" Wang Yan, who was cleaning up the dishes, asked in confusion.
Chen Gensheng quickly turned around, put his index finger in front of his mouth and made a hushing sound.
Wang Yan was even more puzzled, so she quietly walked up and listened together.
But after listening for a while, there was no sound from inside.
Seeing Wang Yan's puzzled look, Chen Gensheng quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her aside.
"Don't you think your son is a little weird?" Chen Gensheng lowered his voice, his eyes constantly glancing at Chen Ming's door.
Wang Yan scratched her head, "What's so strange?"
Chen Gensheng quickly said, "In the past, he wouldn't listen to anything we said to him. Even on holidays, he would sneak out to surf the Internet. But now, do you think he has any Internet addiction at all?"
Wang Yan rolled her eyes at him immediately, "Why, your son has done well in school, but you're not happy about it, right?"
"That's not what I meant." Chen Gensheng said, "You said he suddenly became good at learning. Did he suffer some kind of blow?"
He had heard that some big blows, such as a broken heart, could change a person's personality.
"Bah, what a blow! Your child is doing well in school and you're already worried about him. You can't wait to quarrel with you when you come back, right?" Wang Yan walked away with a pout.
Her son has become a better person. This is what she had dreamed of every day. Now that her dream has come true, the old man has become suspicious.
Looking for trouble! This is Wang Yan's summary of Chen Gensheng.
Chen Gensheng glanced at the tightly closed door and smacked his lips, "This is too sudden."
A few more days passed.
Until one afternoon, when Chen Ming was lying in the room doing sit-ups, his mother suddenly called out from outside the room: "Son, there's a letter for you!"
It is not the busy farming season yet, and my parents stay at home taking care of the chickens and ducks they raise when they are free.
Chen Ming was stunned when he heard this, then he quickly jumped up and ran outside.
He has no pen pals, and there is no online shopping nowadays, so there is only one possibility for the letter to be sent to him at this time!
The enlistment notice has arrived!
The postman stood outside the gate with a piece of mail in his hand.
When Chen Ming signed for it, his father also came out from the inner room.
He also guessed that this was most likely the enlistment notice.
The whole family stared at the documents in Chen Ming's hand with burning eyes, just like a weasel that had been hungry for three days seeing a sleeping pheasant.
Chen Ming tore open the file bag in no time.
There was only one piece of paper in the briefcase.
Chen Ming carefully pulled out the piece of paper. The whole family held their breath nervously at this moment.
Although I knew that this was a foregone conclusion, I couldn't help but feel excited when I really got it.
Chen Ming opened the paper and read softly: "Comrade Chen Ming, you actively responded to the country's call for conscription and voluntarily joined the Longguo Army. You are brave enough to make contributions to the national defense cause. This is very glorious. Please report to the Hongrao County Armed Forces Department before 12 noon on September 15, 2008."
At the bottom of the letter is the official seal of the Hongrao County Recruiting Office.
"It's done!" The father could no longer contain his excitement and jumped up with joy.
The mother calmed down a little, counting the days with her fingers, and suddenly frowned: "The 15th? Isn't it just three days later? Are you in such a hurry?"
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Chapter 5: Arrival at the Armed Forces Department, New Soldiers Assemble!
A plate of poached chicken and a braised fish, plus a plate of farm-style stir-fried vegetables.
If it were in the city, this would not be considered a sumptuous meal, but in a small mountain village like this, it is a rare delicacy.
This was made after my mother received the enlistment notice. She quickly went out to buy a chicken and a fish, and spent a long time tinkering in the kitchen.
Father put a chicken leg into Chen Ming's bowl:
"Once you join the army, you must listen to your squad leader and train well, but you must not cause trouble easily, okay?"
The father said earnestly that since he knew his son's enlistment was a foregone conclusion, he took advantage of his free time to talk to several people in the village who had served in the army and learned some of the rules of the army.
Chen Ming gnawed on the chicken leg and nodded continuously.
My father continued to talk about what he had seen and heard from the villagers in the team in the past few days, and he talked all night long.
The mother stared at the child, and after a long silence, she squeaked and whined, "Son, now that you have learned well, can you... stop being a soldier?"
Chen Ming and Chen Gensheng were stunned and looked at Wang Yan in disbelief.
Wang Yan was stared at by them, and she said boldly: "I was planning to send you to the army before, just to help you get rid of your Internet addiction. Now that you have learned well, why don't you just stop being a soldier and find a good job so that you can come back to see me and your father from time to time."
These days, when Chen Gensheng was chatting with the veterans, she was also there. She learned that joining the army was not only hard work, but also that one had to stay there for at least two years. It was difficult to even see them, and it could be dangerous.
When Wang Yan heard this, she had already backed down.
Children are their mother’s own flesh and blood, so naturally she would not want to see them suffer.
Chen Ming couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "Mom, although the army is hard, it is also a kind of experience. Besides, there are also allowances."
"That's right. Didn't the old man in the village always talk about how men should have ambitions and go out to explore the world? That's all."
Chen Gensheng had always wanted his son to join the army, so naturally he didn't want Chen Ming to give up this opportunity.
"That's right, mother." Chen Ming also quickly agreed, "Besides, I am now a soldier. If I say I don't want to go, I will be treated as a deserter. Once I become a deserter, my life will be ruined."
Chen Ming knew that the crime of desertion was a very serious one.
Wang Yan looked at the two of them and let out a long sigh.
"Okay, but it hurts to think that I won't be able to see you for two years."
After finishing his meal, Chen Ming started to pack his things, but there was no need to bring anything with him, as the army would provide them with everything.
Just bring two or three sets of casual clothes and some daily necessities.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.