allonlinenovel Chapter 241 Comrades-in-Arms!
Chapter 241 Comrades-in-Arms!
"Alright, take a break!"
Zhong Yuemin said:
"I thought you were a tough guy in Beijing, but you're in the army. Don't get too cocky, or you'll be discharged early. Your old man will really teach you a lesson. And Ningwei, you too. Your older brother is counting on you to make something of yourself in the army. Don't follow your brother Haiyang's nonsense and behave yourself."
Ning Wei nodded, "Brother Zhong, I'll listen to you."
"Hey, Leap People!"
Zhang Haiyang said, "What are you saying? What do you mean I'm making a fuss? And Ning Wei, what's wrong? Now that Brother Zhong is here, you're not listening to me anymore?"
"No, I'll listen to both of you."
Ning Wei asked, "Brother Zhong, how are my master and Brother Xiao Yang doing in Hong Kong?"
"Everything is fine. Your brother Xiaoyang is filming over there, preparing to become a martial arts star. Maybe we'll even see him on TV someday."
"Really?!"
“Ning Wei, are you envious?” Zhang Haiyang said, “Then you shouldn’t have enlisted last year. It wouldn’t have been difficult for your brother Zhong to arrange for you to go to Hong Kong.”
“I’m not going. I like being a soldier. It’s a pity there’s no war now. Otherwise, I could do what Brother Zhong did on Zhenbao Island and kill the Russians to avenge the people on the border who were killed by the Russians and become a hero.”
"Is war a joke? People will die."
"That's even better, they can become martyrs!"
"You've got quite the nerve, kid. You're so young and you want to be a martyr. Just live your life... Come on, let's do one together."
The three of them raised their glasses and clinked them together.
Zhang Haiyang picked up a peanut and put it in his mouth, saying:
"Yuemin, have you seen Li Yuanchao?"
"Ok!"
"How about it?"
"What else can I do? If he doesn't provoke me, I won't mess with him. It's all in the past. This is the military, not the outside world. Do you think he'll dare to cause trouble here?"
Zhong Yuemin said:
"This kid won't stay long. He'll work his way up in the ranks for a while, and once he's qualified enough, he'll probably be transferred."
"Yuemin, who is this Li Yuanchao? Didn't you understand him back in the capital?"
Zhang Haiyang looked around, then leaned forward slightly.
"Let me tell you, after that battle at Beizhan Square outside Xizhimen in Beijing, didn't you stab this guy in the back? Neither of you ended up in the army. You went to work in the countryside in Shaanxi, and he went to the Northeast. Before joining the army, he slept with a female educated youth he was working in the countryside and then dumped her. That woman was also from Beijing, and she even went to the National People's Congress compound to make a scene. Later, that woman also returned to Beijing and is now working in a government agency. Do you see anything? This is some kind of deal, exchanging your body for a job back in the city."
"Once he got to our unit, he couldn't control his 'thing' in his crotch. There are quite a few female soldiers in the propaganda department of the military region, and he hooked up with one of them. He went there every few days; I've caught him there several times."
Zhong Yuemin took a sip of wine.
"As long as they don't mess with us, let them do whatever they want. Even if it's a dead woman's belly, it's none of our business. Hey Haiyang, you've run into people several times. What are you doing running to the military headquarters all the time? Don't you have someone else on your side?"
"I'd like to, but I don't have your shamelessness when it comes to chasing after women!"
Zhang Haiyang said:
"You know my family situation. My dad has a lot of comrades and old subordinates in the C Army. My dad can't come over to catch up with them, so he took me out for drinks and a chat. I'm not bragging, but our company commander and regimental commander, who don't get to see the division commander and army commander, drank with them at the table until they were all red in the face."
During that time, Li Yuanchao came to see me several times, implying that he wanted me to follow him, just like when we were gang leaders in Beijing, and we all had to listen to him. He wanted me to play this game in the army too. I ignored him. Yuemin, you should be careful too. Li Yuanchao isn't a straightforward guy; he's quite cunning, but he's got some tricks up his sleeve. He's been here for over a year, and he's got a lot of connections among the soldiers. They all want to be his friend and consider him their boss. Many of them are old gang leaders from Beijing; they know people from there.”
Zhong Yuemin nodded confidently:
“If he wants to settle down and live in peace, or if he wants to cause trouble, then so be it. Last time in the capital, I gave him a big thrashing. If he can forget the pain in his leg so quickly, I don’t mind letting him relive it all.”
"Yuemin, you've been a director before, you've got guts!"
Zhang Haiyang said:
“If you need anything, just let me know. Your father is out now, working in a confidential department, holding a high position and wielding great power. Plus, Xiaobai’s father is backing you up. You don’t really need my father’s help; you can handle things on your own.”
Zhong Yuemin smiled, and the three of them bumped into another person. At this moment, Wu Mantun entered the small restaurant and went straight to the kitchen's food delivery window.
Zhong Yuemin waved and greeted them.
"Mantun, are you here to eat? Don't order anything, eat here!"
Wu Mantun replied honestly.
"Yuemin, you guys eat. I've already eaten. I'll get some food for Yuanchao and the others. They're waiting for us. You guys eat, don't worry about me."
About ten minutes later, Wu Mantun left, and Zhang Haiyang said:
"Yuemin, are you very familiar with this Wu Mantun?"
"Familiar with what? I just arrived!"
"Then why are you so enthusiastic? Just because he's a vice class monitor, you don't need to fawn over him, right?"
Zhong Yuemin smiled,
“I’m trying to curry favor with you, Deputy Chief of Staff Zhang, so I can eventually become a squad leader or company commander. Wu Mantun is from the countryside, from the Yimeng revolutionary base area in Shandong. He’s the eldest in his family with six younger siblings. It’s not easy for him. You see, I’m also a farmer from northern Shaanxi. I understand what you’re going through.”
"Who do you think you are, a farmer?"
Zhang Haiyang said disdainfully:
"Everyone else is working in the fields, and you're sitting in the office, surrounded by women. Hey, Yuemin, don't be angry, but this Vice Class Monitor Wu in your class is really funny. I heard about him from someone else. They said that when he first came here, during a class meeting, when it was his turn to speak..."
"Thanks to [the Japanese], I also became a member of the Eighth Route Army. Before I left, my mother told me not to come back to see her unless I killed a few Japanese soldiers," which made several comrades in the squad laugh so hard they almost fell over.
There are plenty of funny stories. One guy went to the toilet to poop, and after a while he came out with his hand covering his butt. He ran all over the training field. The squad leader saw him, called him over, and asked him, "Why are you running around with your bare butt exposed?"
Guess what he said? He said, "Squad leader, I was looking for a clod of dirt to wipe my butt. I've only been in the army for less than a month, but the whole company already knows about this guy. He's got a real 'reputation'."
Zhong Yuemin only took a sip of wine, without laughing, and asked:
"Does this Li Yuanchao often make Man Tun do the work?"
"Of course, you just saw it yourself. He's even getting food for others. He takes care of all the dormitory chores by himself, mending quilts, washing sheets and bedding, cleaning toilets, sweeping the yard, he does it all. I really don't know what he's thinking. People say he's crazy."