Chapter 1195: The Guardian of Seventh Company

"No, where are you two going without sleeping?"

Hearing the sound of the wake-up call, Gao Cheng, who had slept very late, woke up groggily and saw Wang Yan and Xu Sanduo folding their quilts and putting on their clothes; he sat up abruptly.

Xu Sanduo replied, "Morning drill, Company Commander. Wang Yan said that as long as one is a soldier for a day, one must stand guard for a day, strictly demand of oneself, and not slack off."

Gao Cheng paused for a moment, then turned his head to look at Wang Yan beside him; the latter nodded with a smile in response.

Gao Cheng let out a long sigh and rubbed his head vigorously.

"Damn!"

It was a powerless curse from him.

Wang Yan laughed, "Go out to breathe some fresh air. Life lies in movement; even officers cannot relax physical training. Let's go, Company Commander, run ten kilometers outside, and all troubles will vanish."

"How can I fall asleep then?" Gao Cheng said helplessly.

He had no choice but to get up, put on his clothes, and go out for morning drill with Wang Yan and the other person.

The three formed a single file, with Wang Yan at the front, Xu Sanduo second, and Gao Cheng bringing up the rear. Wang Yan slowed his pace and checked on Gao Cheng to ensure Gao Cheng could keep up.

In the first four hundred meters, as he increased his speed and then gradually slowed down, he had already grasped Gao Cheng's limit. So although he slowed his pace, he was basically pushing right up against Gao Cheng's limit.

Among the few people doing morning drill on the playground, the three were quite conspicuous. They ran around and around at that fast pace.

After ten kilometers like this, Wang Yan was unaffected, Xu Sanduo was sweating with slightly rapid breathing, but Gao Cheng was far worse off; he lay on the ground panting heavily, his hair soaked from the run.

"Company Commander, this won't do; your physical fitness has declined. I remember when I first arrived, you ran much faster than now."

"I'm not in good condition."

"That's a reason; I can't refute it."

"Get lost; I'm speaking the truth, not making excuses."

The three chatted and laughed for a while, then strolled in line to eat breakfast. Just like yesterday, Xu Sanduo sang the military song again. Gao Cheng endured that soul-shaking feeling and sang along with Xu Sanduo; no matter what others said, he insisted on finishing the song.

During the meal, they ate with the other officers. In the midst of it, Gao Cheng learned about Xu Sanduo and Wang Yan's persistence yesterday. He seemed fine on the surface, cursing Xu Sanduo and Wang Yan as fools, and joking with the other officers. But for a moment, his eyes were filled with tears, and the few words he spoke then trembled slightly. If anyone said anything even slightly heartbreaking, he was ready to cry at any moment.

However, no one spoke, so Gao Cheng held it back; it seemed as if nothing had happened, and the three never mentioned this topic again.

After breakfast, Wang Yan and Xu Sanduo continued their physical training as usual, while Gao Cheng, having nothing to do, followed along and did it with them. Training with two elite soldiers was extremely torturous; physically torturous, and even more so mentally.

Because everyone is human, how are those two so awesome? Gao Cheng was first a soldier and only second an officer; these two soldiers were each more awesome than the other, leaving him feeling both gratified and heartbroken.

Wang Yan and Xu Sanduo felt nothing, continuing their training just as in the past. Wang Yan knew Xu Sanduo liked training. As for himself, he was just making trouble for no reason.

After all, this level of training brought him no further improvement; it was merely to move his body and maintain vitality.

It went on like this until lunchtime; halfway through the meal, Gao Cheng was called away by someone sent by the regiment commander and did not return for the rest of lunch.

It was not until Wang Yan and the other person returned to the dormitory that they saw Gao Cheng again.

He had already packed the bedding he received last night for Third Squad, changed into his regular uniform, and put on his peaked cap.

"You're back," he greeted the two somewhat unnaturally.

"There's a transfer, right?" Wang Yan asked with a smile and took out cigarettes to light one for Gao Cheng.

Gao Cheng nodded, took two puffs of the cigarette, and said, "Deputy Commander of the Division Reconnaissance Battalion."

"This time you've truly reached the rank of two stars and one stripe; good news."

Xu Sanduo said nothing, silently keeping his head down.

Wang Yan patted him: "The Company Commander got promoted; say something, give an attitude."

Xu Sanduo raised his head and stared straight at Gao Cheng; that gaze made Gao Cheng feel uncomfortable instead.

He stammered, "Wish the Company Commander becomes a high official in the future."

"Look, Comrade Xu Sanduo has class; simple and direct." Wang Yan laughed heartily, "Wish you, the tiger cub of a general's family, surpass your father."

Gao Cheng laughed, "Damn, are you cursing me?"

"Sincere blessings." Wang Yan laughed heartily.

Gao Cheng waved his hand, went back to get his stereo and a pile of discs, and brought them over.

"Here, this is for you; listen to songs when you have nothing to do and cultivate your sentiments. Consider it a gift I leave for you."

By this time, he had already packed his backpack.

"Alright, that's enough. Big men shouldn't dawdle. If you have matters in the future, come find me; if I can handle it, I will; if not, I'll think of a way. I'm leaving; no need to see me off."

Having spoken, Gao Cheng suddenly turned around and quickly jogged away.

"Company Commander!" Xu Sanduo suddenly shouted out.

Gao Cheng stopped at the corner of the stairs, looked up at Xu Sanduo, paused in silence for a moment, then smiled and said, "Xu Sanduo, you are a good soldier; keep working hard."

Immediately, without stopping again, he ran straight out...

In the open space in front of the barracks, Wang Yan and Xu Sanduo watched the direction Gao Cheng left; there was only one road there, and Gao Cheng's figure was gone. Gao Cheng, the soul figure of Seventh Company, finally left his beloved Seventh Company, almost in a manner of escape.

Xu Sanduo let out a long sigh, "Wang Yan, only the two of us remain in Seventh Company."

"Don't say such things; everyone in Seventh Company is living well. Let's go, back to take a noon nap. Training continues this afternoon."

The two returned to the dormitory; Wang Yan held a book and flipped through it, while Xu Sanduo arranged his bed into the lower bunk, placed his hands behind his head, and stared at the bedboard of the upper bunk.

"Cheng Cai wrote me a letter a couple of days ago."

Perhaps he wanted to find something to say; Wang Yan replied with an "Mm" and asked, "What did he say?"

"He signed up as a non-commissioned officer; you definitely don't know where he is serving as squad leader."

"Fifth Squad on the Grasslands."

Xu Sanduo turned his head, smiled foolishly, and said, "Wang Yan, you are truly smart; before I even said it, you already knew."

"That's deduction. You said you didn't know, yet you told me, which means I know this place. Among the places I know in Third Company, the only one worth us talking about here is Fifth Squad."

"He is unhappy; he said Fifth Squad is not good."

"Definitely. Fifth Squad is remote and doesn't even issue bullets; Cheng Cai sharpened his head to climb up; if he were happy, that would be strange."

"I think Fifth Squad is especially good."

"I think so too. But people still say Company Five is a paradise for useless soldiers and a graveyard for good ones. You're the exception; you're a good soldier who walked out of the graveyard."

Xu Sanduo felt somewhat embarrassed: "It was all because the squad leader looked after me."

Wang Yan smiled and said nothing more.

"Wang Yan, when are we signing up to become non-commissioned officers?"

"Sometime in the next few days, more or less."

Xu Sanduo acknowledged with a sound, fell silent again, and continued staring at the bed board...

And so, Wang Yan and Xu Sanduo stayed together to guard Steel Seventh Company, even though the unit's designation had already been disbanded by this time.

On the morning of the third day after Gao Cheng's departure, Wang Yan and Xu Sanduo were conducting their routine physical training on the parade ground when Wu Liuyi came trotting over.

"Squad Leader's Assistant," Xu Sanduo greeted cheerfully.

Wang Yan also lifted his head and greeted him: "You're here."

"Not bad, you two, still training?"

"Just killing time; otherwise, we don't know what else to do," Wang Yan replied with a smile.

"Wang Yan, that doesn't sound nice," Xu Sanduo said.

Wu Liuyi laughed: "Then you say something nice."

"Serve one day as a soldier, stand guard for one day," Xu Sanduo said with an honest smile. "That's what Wang Yan said too; I think he's absolutely right."

"Good awareness." Wu Liuyi gave a thumbs-up, then reached out to search Wang Yan's person, pulling out more than half a pack of Huazi cigarettes; he lit one for Wang Yan, lit one for himself, and casually tucked the remaining cigarettes into his own pocket.

Before Wang Yan could curse, he immediately changed the subject: "I heard our company commander has been transferred to the Divisional Reconnaissance Battalion; he's a two-stripe-one now."

"He left at noon the day before yesterday," Wang Yan said. "Are you representing our old comrades, coming over to show concern for us veteran holdouts?"

"Is it that obvious?"

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "It's written all over your face."

Xu Sanduo said: "Squad Leader's Assistant, the two of us are doing just fine; no need to worry."

"That's what I said too, but the Squad Leader and the Political Instructor insisted I come check on you. Seeing you two like this, everyone can rest easy. Those who leave early suffer less; the later you leave, the harder it hurts."

Wang Yan patted Xu Sanduo's shoulder: "He's the one hurting the most."

"I'm not hurting; I'm doing great."

"Stubborn mouth." Wu...?

And so Xu Sanduo laughed again.

"You're just a fool!" Wu Liuyi scolded with a laugh.

The three of them chatted happily together, yet they could not escape the sorrow. Because they were still talking about the past, and the happiness of the past made the people of the present unhappy, forcing them to pretend to be happy.

Wu Liuyi couldn't bear it; he felt depressed. So he didn't stay long before leaving.

And so Seventh Company was left with only Wang Yan and Xu Sanduo again...

The next day, Xu Sanduo received a letter from his hometown. After reading it while seated at his desk, he simply sat there in a daze, as if his spirit had been drained away, truly becoming 'Sanduo the Simpleton'.

Wang Yan noticed something was wrong and asked aloud: "What's the matter?"

"My father is coming to see me; he disagrees with me signing up as a non-commissioned officer and wants me to go home to get married."

"Didn't you tell your father those things I told you before?"

"I didn't..."

"It's fine." Wang Yan waved his hand. "When he arrives, I'll host him; once I have a chat with him, it'll be sorted."

"Will that work?"

"You still don't trust me? I guarantee there won't be any problem. Tomorrow, go tell Wu Liuyi; since he went to your home before, now that your father is here, let him come along to keep us company."

"I'll pay."

"Haggling over that kills the fun; we'll talk about it when the time comes."

And so the matter was settled.

Three days later, Wang Yan borrowed a vehicle and took Xu Sanduo and Wu Liuyi to the Zhangjiakou train station to pick someone up.

Old Xu, smoking a cigarette, wearing an old Western-style suit, and carrying a large bundle, actually looked quite dashing.

"Dad."

"Uncle." Wang Yan and Wu Liuyi also greeted Old Xu.

Old Xu smiled, revealing a mouthful of big yellow teeth, and looked at Wu Liuyi: "Liuyi, you're here too."

"Uncle, you came to the unit to see Sanduo; how could I not come?"

Xu Sanduo said: "Dad, this is the Wang Yan I wrote to you about. He's incredibly capable; he's about to be commissioned as an officer."

"Uncle." Wang Yan greeted him again, shaking hands with Old Xu.

"Thank you both for looking after our boy in the army."

"We're all comrades-in-arms; we're supposed to help each other," Wang Yan said with a smile. "Let's go, Uncle; get in the car. We'll head back to the base first, grab a bite at the service club, and then I'll share a few drinks with you."

"We're all poor folks; none of us have it easy. Just a simple meal is fine; I'm not picky, as long as there's wine, it's good."

"There will definitely be no shortage of wine; I must drink properly with you."

And so the group chatted and laughed as they got into the vehicle and returned to the garrison. First, they arranged accommodation for Old Xu at the guesthouse; after dropping off his belongings, they took him to the service club for dinner.

The head chef here was skilled; he didn't shortchange the soldiers, offering great value for money.

The four sat around the table, ordering a full spread of various dishes, while the wine they drank was Hengshui Laobaigan, a famous liquor from Hebei Province, drinking until they exuded masculine vigor.

After drinking half a cup of wine, Old Xu's face turned red, his eyes grew somewhat hazy, and the volume of his voice gradually increased.

He said: "I came this time specifically to take this boy back. After we finish eating, you two take me to see your leaders; I'm going to have a talk with them."

"Dad, I don't want to go back," Xu Sanduo said.

"I'll hit you!" Old Xu glared and slammed the table. "What's the point of the army being so miserable? Our family is counting on you to carry on the lineage, and you won't go back?"

"Uncle, don't get excited." Wang Yan smiled, patted Old Xu's arm to soothe him, and then said, "Uncle, you called Sanduo back home just to get him married and have children?"

"What do you mean 'just'? Isn't this a major matter? Our family's situation, Liu Yi knows; the eldest and second sons are useless, we can't rely on them in this life, but our family line cannot be broken."

"Uncle, what you said is absolutely right; there's not a single flaw in it. I've heard some about your family's situation from Sanduo, so I understand." Wang Yan looked utterly sincere. "So, you want Sanduo to demobilize and return home now; do you have arrangements made? Is the house ready? Is the betrothal gift prepared?"

"Uh..."

Old Xu was slightly stuck; after thinking for a moment, he said, "We still need to earn it. My idea is to let Sanduo go back first; he's young, he can learn a trade, and I'll save up some more for him. In three to five years, once he's mastered the trade and saved up the money, won't everything be easy to handle then? Don't you agree?"

"That's true, Uncle, your thinking isn't bad," Wang Yan said again. "How old are my eldest and second brothers in our family?"

"The eldest is thirty-three, the second is thirty."

"You see, Uncle, how many three-to-five-year periods have passed by now, yet the eldest and second are still bachelors."

"Yes, I'm worried too, but there's no other way..." Old Xu suddenly jolted, glaring at Wang Yan. "Wait, are you beating around the bush to insult me, you brat?"

Wang Yan smiled and patted Old Xu's arm again to soothe him: "How could that be, Uncle? I'm just telling you the actual situation. Didn't you let the eldest and second learn trades before? Didn't you save money for them? Yet neither of them managed to get a wife."

"Those two are disappointing, each more rogue than the other; only this bastard son doesn't have those bad habits. Although you couldn't squeeze a fart out of him even with three sticks, he is diligent. As long as he is diligent, he can master a trade and save money."

Old Xu still had some sense; what he said wasn't wrong.

Wang Yan nodded: "Uncle, if you calculate it that way, Sanduo has a brighter future in the army than going out to learn a trade."

"Nonsense, a few hundred yuan a month isn't even enough for cigarettes and alcohol."

"Deputy Squad Leader of Fifth Squad, tell me, how much money do you make a month now?"

"Uncle, I currently make nearly four thousand a month. Additionally, they say our benefits will increase this year; by the second half of the year, I'll be making five thousand a month. Moreover, in the army, food and drink don't cost anything, so I can save quite a bit every month."

"Did you hear that? If you send Sanduo back to the village to work in your county and learn a trade, even after studying for several years and mastering it, could he earn that much? The army is better; food and drink cost nothing, and the state reimburses medical expenses. Even regarding getting a wife, if Sanduo performs well, the state will even assign him a wife."

"Can he perform well?" Old Xu glanced at the bastard son, his face full of disdain.

"Uncle, I must criticize you; don't judge people with old prejudices. Sanduo is genuinely a good soldier; we all call him the Soldier King. Last year, during our grand competition involving fifty to sixty thousand troops across the entire army, he ranked second. Didn't he write to you about it, Uncle? He even received a San Deng Gong."

"If he stays in the army, he'll sign on as a non-commissioned officer in a few days. We certainly won't earn as much as the Deputy Squad Leader of Fifth Squad, since he has served longer. But after we sign as non-commissioned officers, we'll also make two thousand yuan a month. Once he performs well, he'll earn even more. If he continues to excel, he could be commissioned as an officer, allowing him to serve in the army until retirement. After retiring, the state will pay him several thousand yuan in pension every month, and medical care will be free."

"Isn't that wonderful? You say let him go back to learn a trade; what could he possibly learn? We are currently eating the state's rice. Even if he isn't commissioned as an officer, if he serves long enough, upon demobilization and discharge, the state will arrange a job for him. Take Sanduo's former squad leader, for instance; he served twelve years. What do you think he does now? A police officer! With established staffing, a proper civil servant. If he performs well, he could become an official in the future."

"Uncle, think about it; how dignified that would be. At that time, at home, whoever you tell, 'My son is a police officer!' Right? Think it over carefully."

"Hey, you actually have a point." Old Xu took a sip of wine, starting to feel quite pleased.

"You see, would I lie to you, Uncle?" Wang Yan smiled. "Regarding getting a wife, that won't be lacking either. Sanduo is still young; if he works hard in the army, he'll definitely find a wife within three to five years. You don't need to worry at all. We comrades will arrange it for him."

"If you send him back, who can help him? If our family had anyone to help, wouldn't the eldest and second have gotten wives long ago? Don't you agree, Uncle? Ultimately, this matter boils down to money. If Sanduo stays in the army and works hard, he won't lack money in the future."

"If he becomes an official in the future..."

"Oh my, that would truly make the ancestral graves emit green smoke. I dare not imagine it, I dare not imagine it. Being a police officer is fine, being a police officer is enough. But looking at this bastard son, I just don't see him as police officer material."

"You've been disciplining him for twenty years; of course you can't see it. It's only you, Uncle, calling him 'bastard son' repeatedly. Let me tell you, if anyone else tried that, just watch how Sanduo would kick them flying with one foot."

"He wouldn't dare; he'd be rebelling if he did."

"Exactly, it's because he doesn't dare that I'm saying this. Uncle, as they say, a father knows his son best; Sanduo is the most hardworking among us. Let me tell you, Uncle, when we first arrived..."

Drinking wine and chatting, Old Xu was completely hoodwinked...