Chapter 43: Discharge

After the exercise, it was time to relax. Many soldiers on the vehicle opened the cabin cover and leaned half their bodies out to blow the wind, and some vehicles had neat singing. The 701 vehicle's cabin cover was tightly closed, and there was no human voice except for the engine sound.

A field oil pump truck was parked by the fuel pipeline, pumping fuel to the combat vehicle. Lao Ma and Li Meng, like country bumpkins in military uniforms, looked around and asked: "Is this the Seventh Company?"

The soldiers asked shook their heads.

"Do you know Xu Sanduo?"

The soldiers shook their heads one after another.

Finally, Lao Wei simply shouted loudly: "Who is from the Seventh Company?!"

Cheng Cai's vehicle happened to be nearby, and he poked his head out and shouted, "We are from the Seventh Company, the Steel Seventh Company."

Lao Wei hurriedly ran up and asked happily, "Do you know Xu Sanduo?"

Cheng Cai was stunned. "I know him, what do you want with him?"

Lao Wei chuckled and turned his head to look at Lao Ma, who was standing to the side, "Squad Leader, we found him, didn't we? I told you we'd run into him after the exercise ended."

"What do you want? We have to go back." Cheng Cai frowned and asked.

Lao Ma was somewhat uneasy. "It's like this, which vehicle is Xu Sanduo in? I'm going to be discharged. Once I leave, I might not see him for the rest of my life, can I see him?"

Cheng Cai felt suffocated instantly. How long had he been here, and he had already encountered someone being discharged.

This feeling grew from his heart. "He's in the back, do you see that 701 vehicle? He's right there."

After speaking, he drilled in, and the vehicle drove away, kicking up smoke.

Lao Ma hurriedly made way for the convoy and stared at the 701 vehicle with teary eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey, stop, stop."

Lao Wei hurriedly shouted.

The vehicle stopped.

Inside the vehicle, Shi Jin was sleeping with his eyes narrowed.

Even the iron man Wu Liuyi was somewhat exhausted at this moment.

Rumble!

The vehicle braked hard, making everyone stagger forward.

"Ouch."

Bai Tiejun rubbed his shoulder and hit the vehicle wall heavily. "Liu Sanha, how are you driving?"

"Is Xu Sanduo here?"

A familiar voice made Feng Yuxiu open his eyes instantly.

——

——

"Squad Leader, have you really decided to leave?" Feng Yuxiu stared at Lao Ma's smiling face and asked in a deep voice.

Lao Ma sighed, looking at the smoke and dust at sunset. "I'm leaving. The army, I can't stay anymore, discharge is my best choice, at least I leave with dignity."

Feng Yuxiu was silent for a long time. "Have you decided what to do after discharge?"

Lao Ma chuckled, "The Political Director said I should go to the local police station and become a public security officer; it can be considered maintaining social stability."

Feng Yuxiu paused. After 1998, there were many, many opportunities to make a fortune overnight.

But Lao Ma was a person who was content with stability.

Feng Yuxiu didn't tell him.

"Sanduo, develop well in the army. Your future will be very, very high. Walk your own life path."

After Lao Ma finished speaking, he looked at Feng Yuxiu seriously, then revealed a smile. "Work hard, I'm leaving."

Feng Yuxiu clenched his hands tightly. "Squad Leader, if you get to the local police, send a letter. In this era, you might not be able to contact someone for half a life after leaving."

Lao Ma turned and revealed his big white teeth. "Okay, I'll write to you when I get there."

Watching the background of this veteran at dusk, Feng Yuxiu felt somewhat strange.

It was the first time he had felt the feeling of parting.

The last time he had this feeling was when he personally smothered Chen Xue.

"Third Brother, your squad leader? Discharged? Don't be sad, everyone will have this day sooner or later, ouch..."

Bai Tiejun's words were interrupted, his body was instantly thrown down by Feng Yuxiu.

"Talk less, your mouth will harm you."

The vehicle drove toward the Steel Seventh Company.

As the garage door fell with a bang.

This exercise ended successfully, and this quarter's training came to a temporary end.

The soldiers of the Steel Seventh Company finally didn't have to be trained to death all day long.

Inside the garage.

Shi Jin and Wu Liuyi were wiping the vehicle.

Shi Jin hummed happily.

"Squad Leader, what's so happy?" Wu Liuyi asked, tilting his head.

Shi Jin chuckled, "The exercise was a complete success; we finally haven't let down all these days of hard work."

Wu Liuyi didn't feel it, but frowned instead.

"Hey, hey, hey, you could even pinch a fly to death." Shi Jin waved his hand and shook it in front of his eyes.

"Squad Leader, you say what did Xu Sanduo eat to grow up? Why is he so good at running? Just take this exercise, damn, carrying a Type 81 rifle and sprinting, that's sprinting! Isn't he tired?"

Shi Jin laughed: "Just say there are people outside people, heaven outside heaven. When the Political Director and I saw Xia Rongshu, you also know that place, it's a nine-turn eighteen-bend where you run your horse to death looking at the mountain."

"Right, I also came out from there, I didn't slack off, right? Huh? Squad Leader, I've been running for my life for so many years, training for my life, not daring to slack off for a moment, but..."

Wu Liuyi climbed onto the armored vehicle and pointed outside. "I just can't run faster than him, that's my limit and I still can't run faster than him!"

When these words were spoken, Wu Liuyi's eye sockets were permeated with tears, that was strong unwillingness.

Shi Jin leaned against the vehicle wall and laughed: "Know what talent is now? Your life-risking in front of talent still has a gap."

"Ouch, it's broken!" Shi Jin suddenly stood up.

"What's with the sudden surprise?" Wu Liuyi was startled, and the cigarette he had just lit fell to the ground.

"Today is the day Lao Ma is discharged, he is also my squad leader, I have to notify Xu Sanduo to go send him off with me."

Wu Liuyi nodded. "Every year soldiers come and soldiers go, it's hard not to remember some, that's friendship. In this era, once discharged, you might not see each other for half a life."

——

——

Recruits send off veterans.

Veterans send off discharged soldiers.

These are all traditional customs.

Of course, there is also a rumor in the army that the inspector soldiers are the type of soldiers discharged in the middle of the night.

Feng Yuxiu and Shi Jin stood in the recruit formation, watching the discharged soldiers.

They wore big red flowers on their chests when they came.

They still wore big red flowers when they left.

Entering the army plated a layer of diamond skin and a tenacious soul.

"Salute!"

Shi Jin shouted, and everyone stood straight and saluted.

Lao Ma was mixed in the group of discharged soldiers, his gaze slowly looking behind him.

He saw Shi Jin, saw the veterans he had trained.

He also saw Feng Yuxiu.

Different from before, Feng Yuxiu's eyes no longer had cold indifference.

There was an extra layer of something called emotion.

"Goodbye." Lao Ma put down his backpack, his eyes filled with hot tears as he saluted.

"Goodbye, my beloved army."

"Goodbye, my beloved comrades."

This parting is a permanent departure.

Perhaps...

"Squad Leader! Remember to write!"

Feng Yuxiu shouted. At this moment, his indifference turned into gentleness.

The sunset shone on Lao Ma's face, and the wrinkles on his face piled up into a genuine smile.

Goodbye. ===== CHAPTER 44 =====