Chapter 2: Two Years of Conscription, a Lifetime of Military Sentiment?

Why hasn't he come out yet?

Dark clouds gathered thickly outside the examination building, as if it were about to rain.

Lu YongQiang paced back and forth on the steps, his mood as gloomy as the weather.

The youngsters who had gone in before Lu Yang had already finished their examinations and came out excited and elated.

But after waiting a long time, he still hadn't seen Lu Yang's figure, which left him feeling uncertain.

Could it be that his examination results were unsatisfactory and he really got washed out?

Lu YongQiang grew more anxious the more he thought, and just as he was about to go in to check the situation, he saw a figure slumped in the corridor, head hanging, walking out.

Seeing his son's downcast, dejected appearance, Lu YongQiang's heart gave a jolt; he already guessed the result.

But he didn't blame his son; instead, he quickly composed himself and comforted him with a smile.

If he doesn't pass, he doesn't pass; we can just keep studying for the retake—it's not like we absolutely have to join the army.

If you don't want to retake, that's fine too; otherwise we could go to a private college, spending a bit more money.

Or you could go to New Oriental to learn cooking—those ads say if you find a New Oriental chef, you'll get married, right......

Faced with his father's various consolations, the silent Lu Yang slowly lifted his head; his expression shifted from sorrow to joy, and he finally broke into a brilliant grin.

Dad, I passed the examination—I can join the army!

Really?!

It's true! Though the doctor said my color sensitivity is a bit low, it doesn't affect serving in the army.

Hahaha, that's great, that's great!

Lu YongQiang's feelings were like riding a roller coaster; he hugged Lu Yang tightly, overjoyed.

Application, political review, and examination all passed; next is waiting for the assignment.

In other words, Lu Yang now has one foot already in the unit—how could his father not be happy?

Come on, Dad will take you to eat something nice to celebrate!

Looks like it's starting to rain?

I brought a rain poncho.

The two jogged all the way to the bike shed.

Lu YongQiang shook out the raincoat and let Lu Yang sit in the back.

The raincoat was big enough to barely cover both of them, though the lower half would still get a bit wet.

The electric bike's wheels were like narrow little boats, gliding along the road and leaving ripples in their wake.

And that wrinkled, slightly leaky raincoat, dotted with mildew spots, was like a green sail, carrying Lu Yang as he slowly set sail on a life going against the flow.

Dad, did you just go the wrong way?

Haha, I took a shortcut, we're here.

The father parked the bike, shook off the water droplets from the raincoat, rolled it up, and stuffed it into the basket.

Lu Yang looked up at the sign, also arriving at another important point in his memory.

Huaiyang Tea House mainly sells soup dumplings, steamed dumplings, blanched vermicelli, and other local specialty breakfast snacks.

Business at the shop is quite good, and the decor is old-fashioned and charming; in the past, Father would only bring him here when Lu Yang scored well on exams or had a birthday.

But a few years later, the shop disappeared amid urban changes due to poor management, which is truly regrettable.

How many?

Two.

One bowl of meat-and-noodle soup, one bowl of dry-mixed green pepper and shredded pork, a basket of crab-roe soup dumplings, and four steamed dumplings.

They found a seat and sat down; the shopkeeper brought two cups of green tea.

After a short wait, dish after dish arrived—all specialties of the Huaiyang region—making the fasting Lu Yang, who had just undergone the examination, drool with hunger.

The soup dumplings have thin skins and plenty of filling, with broth bursting out; the dry-mixed noodles are smooth and chewy, with plenty of white chili pepper flavor; although called meat-and-noodle soup, it is actually wonton noodles, prepared quite differently from Guangdong's wonton noodles.

Father and son slurped the noodles, ate the soup dumplings and steamed dumplings, their smiles turning time back to the past.

Back then, the Huaiyang Tea House was just a small eatery, its environment far inferior to now.

During elementary school, Lu Yang was skinny and short, unable to finish even a bowl of wonton soup.

Each time, Father ordered a bowl; he took a small dish, poured in some vinegar, scooped out a few wontons from it, and that was enough to fill him.

Once you join the army, you become an adult; once you're in the unit, you should be down-to-earth and conscientious......

Watching his father use a spoon to transfer all the wontons from his own bowl into Lu Yang's bowl,

listening to his father's nagging reminders, Lu Yang felt warm currents surge through his heart.

Father Lu YongQiang is usually a man of few words when out in public, not good at speaking.

He doesn't play cards, doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, and certainly doesn't seek attention.

Despite working for many years, with sufficient seniority and experience, he never managed to rise to any position.

Father always says he'll stay this way for life, hoping Lu Yang will study hard, get into a good university, find a respectable and decent job; don't follow his path, ending up a good-for-nothing for life.

Hope for one's son to become a dragon is the wish of all parents under heaven.

But who would have thought that, addicted to novels, his grades would plummet, causing his parents' expectations to fall from the clouds to the abyss in an instant.

Lu Yang felt deep self-reproach; the lessons and beatings from his past life also made him fully understand his parents' earnest intentions.

Precisely for this reason, he made up his mind to enlist, to let his family take pride in him!

Come, take this.

Dad, what is this?

Open it and see.

Father pulled a small box from the pocket of his work uniform.

This is a Nokia n95, the current best‑selling model, and it isn't cheap.

Seeing Lu Yang's stunned expression, Lu YongQiang explained, "When you're out, not having a phone is inconvenient. I asked your third uncle; his son, who used to be in the army, said they hand out phones on holidays so we can call home."

"I don't even know what you like, so I just bought one at random. The sales clerk said this phone can play music, display novels, take photos, and browse the web; see if it works for you."

Lu Yang was suddenly blinded by pepper spray; he hadn't expected his usually frugal father.

A man who would go to a farther market just to save a single yuan when buying vegetables.

He actually bought him such an expensive phone without a word?

They say a father's love is silent, like a mountain—absolutely true.

Lu YongQiang reminded, "We'll look into it later; eat quickly, or it'll get cold. Waiter, add a basket of soup dumplings and a basket of steamed dumplings."

Lu Yang waved his hand, "Dad, I'm already full, no need to—"

His father glared, "Just the two of us, your mother doesn't need to eat?"

Lu Yang, embarrassed, "Then maybe bring a few more buns and later give a portion to my maternal grandfather..."

On the weekend, Lu Yang got up early, slung some fruit, and went to his third uncle's house.

The third uncle's house was close, about five minutes on foot, and also a self‑built home.

But it looked far more imposing than Lu Yang's home: the exterior walls were tiled, the gate was bronze, and there was a sunroom on the roof.

"Little Yang, you're here?"

"Third Uncle, hello to your wife."

As a junior, Lu Yang politely greeted and then went upstairs to look for his cousin.

His cousin works at a state enterprise; it's said he got the job thanks to his veteran status, breaking through among many applicants.

Many employers prefer hiring veterans because soldiers are diligent, endure hardship, and are highly obedient.

That's also why, after being reborn, Lu Yang chose to enlist; whether active or veteran, they enjoy great advantages in future matchmaking, job prospects, and medical benefits.

Some veterans from remote areas receive discharge bonuses of several hundred thousand, easily afford a down payment on a house, and still have money left for a small car—far better than ordinary jobs.

It was the weekend, and cousin Lu Lin was still under the covers, sleeping in late.

His sleep disturbed, he still had a bit of morning grumpiness, and his tone showed impatience.

When Lu Yang explained his purpose and the cousin learned that his frail little brother wanted to enlist, the previously complaining cousin instantly sprang from the bed, eyes bright and wide.

"Are you serious? You really plan to enlist?"

"I could repeat school, go to a technical college, or find a job, but I don't want any of those—only enlist. The political review, physical exam, and home visit are all cleared; now I'm waiting for the enlistment notice."

"Oh my god, it's over, it's over, you're done, you're finished."

His cousin's reaction left Lu Yang a little baffled.

He wondered, isn't enlisting great? In many places you have to pay someone to pull strings to get in?

His cousin pinched Lu Yang's thin arm and said irritably, "With your frail build you'd collapse at a breath; in the troops you'd be beaten to death by veterans, believe it?"

"No way?" Lu Yang exclaimed, "I looked it up online; isn't modern military leadership civilized and scientific? They even say the squad leader washes new recruits' feet daily, as gently as a mother?"

"That's pure bullshit!" his cousin thumped his thigh, heated: "Do you know what 'pulling the trigger' is, what 'hanging bar' is, or what it means to want stars versus squares?"

"When someone gets sick, the whole unit gets a shot; you must have heard of that, right?"

Lu Yang's head bobbed like a tambourine; he knew nothing at all about the military.

If he weren't half‑informed, he wouldn't have specifically come to ask his veteran cousin.

His cousin gave a mischievous smile, refusing to explain in detail, and told him to experience it himself later.

Then he briefly gave him a basic rundown of military rules.

For example, stacking tofu trays, singing before meals, not wasting food, naps being merely decorative, and lavish weekend banquets.

Lu Yang listened intently, as if a new world's door had opened, and he grew more eager for the upcoming military life.

"Brother, what branch did you serve in?"

"I was in the Air Force ground crew."

"Impressive?"

"Just so you know, without us ground crew, the planes won't even get off the ground!"

The cousin lifted his head; his eyes were filled with eye crust and pride.

He also showed Lu Yang the photos he had taken back in the unit.

They were all permissible shots kept as mementos, not violations.

In the photos, his cousin wore a blue Air Force uniform, shouldered two crutches, and saluted in front of a majestic J10 fighter jet.

Lu Yang's eyes were full of envy, because he was truly handsome; indeed, a military uniform is a man's best cosmetic.

But his cousin took a deep breath, his face showing only memories.

"Back where we were, soldiers lived especially hard—no water, fierce sandstorms, a bath only once a month; on weekends we had to carry iron shovels up the mountain to dig pits and plant trees."

"Enlist and also plant trees?"

"Yeah, we also grew vegetables and raised pigs; it was considered a production task."

"When I first joined, it was truly torment; from the New Recruit Company onward I stared at the calendar every day, hoping to get discharged early."

Lu Yang asked, "What happened next?"

The cousin gave a wry smile: "Later, when the discharge was almost here, I spent night after night sleepless. I don't know why, but suddenly I didn't want to go. I was exhausted like a fool all day, yet I just couldn't bear to leave…"

"When you were discharged, did you cry?"

"There was none at first; at the farewell party everyone was laughing, but some idiot played 'Camel Bell', and then nobody could hold back…"

"If you had the chance to return to the unit, would you go back?"

"Of course!"

His cousin answered without any hesitation, very decisively.

That was the place he had countless times wanted to escape from, yet it was also the place he had countless times dreamed of in his sleep, yet could never return to.

Although he had taken off his military uniform and become a civilian, he has always been proud of his former identity as a member of the People's Liberation Army of Dragon Country.

"If there is war, I will answer the call; even after discharge, my colors do not fade."

"Is this what they say online—two years as a conscript, a lifetime of military sentiment?"

"Get lost, you bastard! By the way, I'll give you something good."

His older cousin jumped off the bed, opened the wardrobe, and from the pocket of the military uniform he had brought back, fished out an object.

Lu Yang took it and discovered it was a copper shell casing, with an opening at the top and a rope tied to its tail.

Lu Yang exclaimed, "Is this the last bullet left for me?"

His older cousin picked it up and blew on it; a sharp, piercing sound immediately rang out: "This is a retirement gift my squad leader gave me; now I give it to you, hoping you will serve well in the unit."

"Don't be like your brother, who slunk back after two years as a conscript. When you later join the unit, whenever you miss home, blow a long-short signal toward home."

"It's best to blow it at night, standing on the rooftop, so the sound carries far..."

Lu Yang stared at the metal shell casing in his hand, his expression extremely complex: "Brother, am I the fool, or are you?"