Chapter 56 Conflict "Either go wash your hands, or don't sit across from me..."
End of July 1989.
The college entrance examination has just ended, and the candidates are still having fun while waiting for their college admission notices.
Ji Yu's academic performance was average, but his physical fitness was quite good. In addition, his father was still in the army, so his family had long planned for him to join the army, which could be considered as him following in his father's footsteps.
He was just not very willing to be arranged by his family, but of course no one cared about his little feelings.
His father was very much looking forward to him joining the army, and his mother was even more succinct, saying, "If you can get into university on your own, you can do whatever you want in the future. If you can't, then you'd better go and join the army."
Chen Mubai was bright and his grades were always the best in the city for all three years of high school. Everyone was expecting him to get into Tsinghua or Peking University, but he was indifferent and took things as they came.
But ever since the college entrance exam ended, he has been having the same dream over and over again.
In my dream, there was a towering tree whose shape I couldn't make out, and a white cat.
Sometimes the cat scratches around in the tree, and sometimes it meows in his direction, which annoys him.
When the county began conscription at the end of the month, Chen Mubai accompanied his classmate to register, and as if by some strange twist of fate, he also stepped forward and wrote down his name.
It was as if a voice in his head kept telling him, "This is where you should be."
In September of the same year, a new batch of conscripts, wearing big red flowers, were assigned by train to troops stationed all over the country.
Although Chen Mianmian and her family didn't quite understand why Chen Mubai suddenly wanted to give up his studies to join the army, they didn't interfere much. In those days, being selected to join the army was a very honorable thing.
The only concern is that Chen Mubai is quite young, and I'm afraid he might be bullied if he goes there.
The Seventh Corps of the Kashgar Army, recruit company.
"Hey, you know what? I heard that so-and-so in our company got into Tsinghua University, but he didn't go. He insisted on coming to this godforsaken place to join the army."
"Who is it? I don't know them."
"Who else could it be but Chen Mubai, the vice-monitor of Class Three!"
"Oh, him? No wonder he looks so scholarly."
"And then there's Ji Yu, I heard he's the son of an official, always wearing that sour face, so arrogant..."
A group of new recruits had just finished training, their clothes and pants covered in mud from the ground. They quickly brushed it off and headed towards the mess hall in small groups.
Chen Mubai had a gentle personality, and naturally, several young men surrounded him, chatting and laughing. Only Ji Yu lagged behind, but he didn't seem to care much.
Seeing that he had been left behind, he hurried over the people in front of him to wash his hands at the sink, hoping to finish his meal as soon as possible and go back to rest.
The cafeteria was noisy with people. Ji Yu quickly got her food and found a quiet corner to sit down.
He had been eating the same communal meals in the army canteen for over a decade. No matter how good the food was, he couldn't stand eating it every day and got really tired of it.
He wouldn't even bother eating if it weren't for the need to maintain his stamina for training.
Chen Mubai and several other comrades went to the other side.
Wang Xinjun arrived late, and there were hardly any empty seats left. He looked around with his food tray in hand, then walked towards where Ji Yu was.
Just as Ji Yu put down the stainless steel plate she was holding, she heard a noise, glanced up, and frowned, saying with disdain, "Did you wash your hands before you came to eat?"
Wang Xinjun has a large appetite. He was still holding two white steamed buns in his hand. He hadn't washed his hands, and there was dirt under his fingernails. The steamed buns in his hands looked like they were covered in dust. But he wouldn't admit it. "It's none of your business whether I washed them or not. I didn't eat your food."
Ji Yu frowned and put down her chopsticks: "Either go wash your hands, or don't sit across from me."
Wang Xinjun instantly felt that he was being mocked. "This place isn't owned by your family. Just because you're a young master from the city doesn't mean you're so great. What's wrong with me sitting here!"
He twisted his buttocks and sat down, casually wiping his dark hand on his pants before picking up a steamed bun to eat.
Ji Yu stared at his actions for a long time, but still couldn't convince herself, so she grabbed his arm and said, "Go, wash, your hands."
"Get out of the way, young master. If you can't stand it, you can go somewhere else. That's how we country folk are. If you don't like it, go home and continue being your young master."
Wang Xinjun tried to break free of Ji Yu's arm, but he didn't expect Ji Yu's grip to be so strong; he couldn't pull her back even after two attempts.
He rolled his eyes in annoyance and lowered his head to pick at his food with his other hand.
Ji Yu said impatiently, "I said, go wash your hands!"
Seeing that Ji Yu was determined to cause him trouble, Wang Xinjun slammed his chopsticks on the table with a "bang," and said, "Want to fight? What's with all this fuss?"
After saying that, he stepped forward and grabbed Ji Yu's collar. Ji Yu looked down and saw the black fingers on her collar, which made her even angrier.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense, as if the two were about to start fighting at any moment.
"Both of you sit down. Xinjun, go wash your hands. Jiyu, you continue eating."
"You all want to fight, huh? I'll be there to keep you company at the training ground later." Chen Mubai, carrying a plate, passed by and casually intervened in the matter.
Wang Xinjun snorted, deciding to give the deputy squad leader face, and turned to go wash his hands.
Ji Yu looked at Chen Mubai with great interest and agreed to the sparring match, "Alright, I'll wait until you lose and acknowledge me as your elder brother."
The delicate-skinned scholar wanted to see how many punches he could take, hoping he wouldn't end up crying.
Chen Mubai raised an eyebrow: "I'm not interested in being your older brother."
Ji Yu had been trained by his father since he was a child and boasted that no one among his peers could beat him. However, he did not expect that Chen Mubai, who looked weak and had a gentle smile on his face, had actually been in many fights.
To be precise, Chen Mubai should be considered a martial arts practitioner. His maternal grandfather's ancestors ran a security escort agency. Although we live in a civilized society now, martial arts have not been forgotten and passed down.
If Chen Mubai joined the army, the happiest person in the family would be his maternal grandfather.
His kung fu skills were definitely worth teaching.
In short, Ji Yu did not win.
He lost the first time and excused himself by saying he had underestimated his opponent; the second time, he barely managed a draw; and the third time, he finally accepted defeat wholeheartedly.
To be honest, Ji Yu's fighting ability is already above average, while Wang Xinjun is just average and didn't even make it past the first round.
"Big brother." He slumped to the ground, utterly exhausted.
Chen Mubai sat down as well, he was also at his limit, he supported his body with his hands behind his back, "Really, there's no need, I'm younger than you."
Ji Yu: "?"
"Didn't you just finish the college entrance exam?"
“Yes, but I started school early and even skipped a grade,” Chen Mubai said.
Ji Yu asked incredulously, "So how old are you exactly now?"
"sixteen."
Ji Yu snapped out of her reverie and punched the man next to her, "You didn't get promoted again, did you!"
Chen Mubai took out a cigarette from his pocket, smelled it, and said, "Major."
"It was all bought with the lives of our brothers..."
Ji Yu snatched his cigarette and put it in her pocket. "When did you pick up this bad habit?"
"I don't smoke. I just smell it when I'm stressed. Mianmian doesn't like guys who smoke."
Ji Yu teased, "What's there to be so stressed about? Before, I was there to compete with you, but after I left, Sharp Knife is all yours to do."
Chen Mubai lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes casting shadows, and leaned against the wall, saying in a low voice, "I've been dreaming about Xinjun lately, and it makes me uneasy."
Back then, when Wang Xinjun and Ji Yu were arguing in the cafeteria, it was he who went to stop them.
In the days that followed, the three of them often trained together. When the first year of the elite team selection took place, Wang Xinjun was not selected and even cried.
He worked hard silently for two years before joining the elite unit, just so he could continue to be with the two of them.
Ji Yu also recalled the honest, simple country boy from her memory, patted her friend on the shoulder, and added years later, "I really didn't look down on him because he was from the countryside, I just felt a little..."
"A little germaphobe." Two voices rang out at the same time.
Ji Yu paused, then exchanged a smile with Chen Mubai. "It's good that you know. I'm planning to visit his house in a few days to see if there's anything I can do to help."
"Okay, take me with you."
Ji Yu clapped her hands: "Let's go back and have some drinks and dinner."
Inside the restaurant, Chen Mian only ate a few bites of pastries, waiting for the two to return.
Seeing that Ji Yu and her brother were unharmed, she finally felt relieved.
The three ate and chatted, and after a few rounds of drinks, it was the first time Chen Mianmian had heard them truly tell stories from their time in the military.
Unlike the easy way her older brother talks about it in front of the family, and unlike the glamorous stories Ji Yu casually mentions, this is a story full of flesh and blood, and tears.
The two men wouldn't let her drink baijiu (Chinese liquor), so she could only listen with great interest while enjoying the sweet mare's milk wine and the food on the table.
It's wonderful that they dedicated their youth to the frontier of their motherland.
Even when I'm old and telling this story to my children and grandchildren, I still feel the same high spirits.
Chen Mian silently wondered to herself, "Will I have the opportunity to do something big in the future? It doesn't have to be anything big, just something that people can talk about and feel that their trip was worthwhile."
Chen Mubai had probably been suppressing his emotions for too long; he barely ate any food, but drank quite a bit of alcohol.
After downing another glass of baijiu, he suddenly whispered, "I'm just a little tired, I can't fight anymore." He didn't want to watch his brothers die before his eyes, powerless to do anything about it.
Ji Yu knew he was upset, so she raised her hand to clink glasses with his and tentatively asked, "How about I ask my dad to pull some strings and get you transferred back?"
There's nothing good in the army either; it's all fighting and killing on the front lines, it's boring.
It's better this way; I can go to work and still enjoy my own little life.
I just don't know when I'll be able to live the life of "wife, kids, and a warm bed".
"No need, that would look bad." Chen Mubai refused Ji Yu's offer.
"I want to come back. I can come back on my own." Chen Mubai lay on the table, looking up at the window in a daze. He didn't know what he was waiting for by staying in the army.
Subconsciously, someone told him that only by staying in the army could he possibly see the outcome; if he left, he would never see it again.
"Let's drink! Let's drink!"
"drink!"
A few days later, the city of Umek introduced a new policy.
They encourage outsiders to contract land in Urumqi, and I heard the prices are very favorable, with the option to contract for thirty years at once.
Credit unions also followed suit with their own loan policies, keeping pace with the government's lead...
-----------------------
Author's Note: The older brother's story will be published as a separate book later. Please check out my author page for the pre-order novel "Cats Run a Kindergarten in the Military Compound." It's a very cute and adorable couple: a proud and picky cat god and a gentle but cat-loving pine tree. Please add it to your favorites!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
