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In early July 1955, Xiao Li received a notice to go to the Jingshi Military Region.
That day, Xiao Li wore the military uniform that Wang Han had neatly ironed, and with Old Man Xiao personally shaving off his already long hair, he rode a military horse to the military district.
It was a scarlet horse with a small white dot on its head. Its eyes were round and lively. It stood in the yard of the Xiao family, wagging its tail and not moving.
Xiao Li’s first impression was that it was great.
The horse was really tall, ten feet long from head to tail, and eight feet high from hoof to head. When he saw Xiao Li approaching, he neighed and roared, scolding Xiao Li for coming closer.
The soldier from the cavalry company blew gently into the horse's nose and said, "Tiedan, this is a comrade."
Xiao Li's head was filled with black lines: Tiedan'er...
A tall and mighty horse was given a common name.
Feeling rustic instantly...
Ruined!
Tiedan was very smart. After knowing that Xiaoli was a comrade-in-arms, he no longer felt repulsive towards him, and even cooperated silently when Xiaoli rode on him.
Xiao Li gripped the reins tightly, clamped his legs around the horse's belly, sat on it, patted its head gently, and said to the soldier who was also riding on horseback next to him: "Tiedan, you are so smart!"
When the young comrade heard Xiao Li praising Tiedan, a proud expression appeared on his face: "Of course, our Tiedan grew up in the army. He was trained by our cavalry company commander himself. He is very good."
The cavalry's horses are more than just animals; they are the soldiers' closest companions, cherished as if they were their own. Three "horse duty" visits are performed daily, rain or shine. At night, they take turns feeding, combing, and shaving the horses, providing them with delicious food and drink. Through early training, the horses gradually develop a bond with the soldiers, becoming aware of their duties and understanding battle orders.
Xiao Li's horse riding skills were not very good, in fact, they were very bad. He learned it after traveling through time. At first, he was afraid of horses, but later he was forced to learn to ride.
"Gee~" Xiao Li patted the horse's butt and the horse moved forward slowly.
Along the way, Xiao Li kept telling himself not to be afraid and to stay calm. After finally arriving at the military area, he breathed a long sigh of relief.
Feeling a dull pain on the inside of his thigh, Xiao Li vowed that he would rather run than ride a horse when he returned.
Riding a horse is too difficult for a novice like him!
After arriving at the military district, Xiao Li and a group of soldiers lined up on the training ground. A simple platform was set up in front of the training ground, and a banner made of red cloth was hung behind it. The banner read "XXX Commendation Conference"!
Very simple.
It was completely different from what Xiaoli had imagined, a meeting held in □□ Huaide Hall where he could see the big leaders in person.
But even so, Xiao Li was still full of anticipation, waiting nervously and excitedly.
His highlight moment is finally coming.
Not long after, a group of leaders with military medals came over. Xiao Li even saw his adopted father Xiao Xinghua among them.
Walking in the middle was an old general with gray hair who was as old as Old Man Xiao. His somewhat worn military uniform was hung with rows of neatly arranged military medals.
Xiao Li was so jealous that he could not stop watching.
How many wars must one have participated in to earn such a medal!
However, although Xiao Li was jealous, he did not have the urge to obtain so many military merits. He never wanted to experience the days of having to hang his head on his belt again in his life.
The commendation meeting was very simple. It was so simple that we just read out the names of the comrades who were commended this time, encouraged them to continue to work hard and make contributions in the future, and hoped that they could go further in the future.
Xiao Li's name was on the commendation list this time. When his name was called, he stepped forward and the old commander personally pinned on him a first-class medal of merit with the "August 1" logo, and he was awarded the title of first-class glorious hero.
The old commander patted Xiao Li and said, "Well done, young comrade!"
Xiao Li's eyes turned red as he looked at the military medal on his chest. This was the honor he earned with his life on the battlefield. With this small medal, his future life would be much easier.
Xiao Li is the only recipient of first-class merit in this commendation conference, which shows how difficult it is to obtain the first-class merit medal.
During the war, first-class merit was awarded to those who performed outstandingly in combat. Xiao Li spent a full four years on the battlefield from the time he joined the war until the end of it.
In four years, he made countless contributions and killed countless enemies. In addition, he had a high level of education. After discussion, the military leaders unanimously agreed that Xiao Li could be awarded the first-class medal.
With this small first-class medal, Xiao Li is really not on the same starting line as other soldiers. In the future, he will be trained as a key person, and will be promoted first and promoted faster if there are opportunities. When the army has any large-scale activities, his deeds will also be brought out to publicize.
Even if Xiao Li retires in the future, he doesn't have to worry about finding a job, as the local government will arrange a job for him because of this medal.
After the meeting, Xiao Li carefully put away the medal, rejected the kindness of the cavalry company soldiers, and took the bus back to the compound.
When he returned, Old Man Xiao was waiting in the living room. Seeing Xiao Li holding out his hand, he said, "Where's the thing? Let me see it, old man."
Old Master Xiao took the small box handed over by Xiao Li, opened it and saw the military medal. With a proud and gratified smile on his face, he touched it again and again and said, "Let's have a drink together today."
The old man has been in the army for most of his life. He has participated in many battles, big and small, and has received countless commendations. He never felt anything about those medals before. Today, when Xiao Li received his first medal, his heart was filled with pride. He wanted to find those old friends right away to show off and let them know which descendant of the third generation was the most promising.
Xiao Li grinned and nodded: "Okay, I will definitely accompany you for a few more drinks."
That night, the Xiao family’s dishes were more sumptuous than ever before, just like Chinese New Year.
The next day, Xiao Li couldn't wait to find Wang Xuemei and share the news with her. His face was full of boasting, which was really disgusting.
I almost said to Wang Xuemei directly, "Praise me soon."
Seeing Xiao Li begging for praise like a child, Wang Xuemei sighed inwardly: He is such a grown-up, why is he still like a child?
After all, it’s the person you chose, so pamper him/her.
"Our Captain Xiao is truly amazing. First-class merit isn't easy to come by."
Being praised by Wang Xuemei for the first time, Xiao Li's nose almost turned up, "When we get married, these will all be yours."
"That's not necessary." Wang Xuemei said, "I have one too, but it's only a third-class merit."
She was a skilled battlefield doctor who performed brilliantly in saving lives and treating the wounded on the front line. After returning, she was commended and awarded the third-class individual merit, which was a great achievement for a military doctor.
Xiao Li originally wanted to show off, but it turned out that the other person was no worse than him. He touched his nose in embarrassment.
No wonder some people always say that a woman who is too outstanding will make a man feel inferior and powerless. In the past, he thought it was because the man himself was rubbish, but now he finally understands where that feeling of powerlessness comes from when facing an outstanding woman.
To find an outstanding woman, you must be equally outstanding to be worthy of her.
Xiao Li felt that if he didn't want to face his wife's inferiority complex in the future, he had to work harder.
With so many talented people around you, why should you work so hard on your own?
It’s too difficult... It’s really too difficult to be a salted fish!
A week after the commendation meeting, Xiao Li's transfer notice arrived. He was promoted four levels from a small company commander to a deputy regimental cadre of a regiment.
What a mess...
Xiao Li was shocked and scared when he received the transfer order.
He knew his own strengths and weaknesses very well, he was just too self-aware. He never thought that he would have any great abilities in the future. If he hadn't fallen in love with Wang Xuemei, he would even think that being a small company commander for the rest of his life would be nice.
What to do now...
Xiao Li could only ask for help from Grandpa Xiao: "Grandpa, what's going on with this transfer order? Why was he promoted so suddenly and so quickly? This doesn't make sense."
"What's the big deal? You have the qualifications and education now, so it's hard for you not to get promoted." Old Man Xiao took a bite of peanuts and continued, "Why do you think I insisted on sending you to school before?"
"Even though people aren't keen on studying these days, we still need educated and cultured people. Even recruits who have only finished junior high school can become instructors. If you've studied more than them, why can't you be promoted faster than them?"
In fact, the most important point that Mr. Xiao didn’t mention is the background.
Xiao Li is only 24 years old this year. No matter how high his academic qualifications are, his experience is not too deep. At most he can be a battalion commander. The reason why he was directly promoted to deputy regimental commander this time is mainly because he has a grandfather who is an army commander and a father who is a division political commissar.
With these two people around, Xiao Li was promoted to deputy regiment commander as an exception. However, Xiao Li's current superior is already in his fifties and had already informed his superiors in advance that he wanted to retire from the army and change his career.
After Xiao Li had been gaining experience for a few years, his immediate superior happened to retire, so he was promoted directly from deputy regimental commander to full regimental commander.
Old Man Xiao did not tell Xiao Li about these things. Instead, he praised him happily and told him not to be proud and to keep working hard.
Xiao Li's vacation only lasts for 3 months. He will go to his new unit to join the army at the end of July. Now it is July 10th, and there are only more than ten days left before he returns to the army.
"Your mother and I will go to the Wang family to ask for you in the next few days. Let's get the wedding done quickly while you are still at home." Li Cuihua was anxious, fearing that Xiao Li would not come back for a few years and delay the marriage.
Wang Han no longer objected and nodded in agreement, saying, "I think five days from now will be a good day. Let's go to the Wang family to ask for the person tomorrow."
Although Xiao Li felt that it was a bit too fast, he still nodded and agreed. He was also afraid that something unexpected would happen in the future, and he would not be able to ask for his wife back if she left.
The two women were very efficient and the next day they really went with the matchmaker and gifts to ask for the daughter of the Wang family's hand in marriage.
"In-laws, we know it's a bit rushed for us to come here today, but we have no choice. Xiao Li's vacation is about to end, and we want to have them hold the wedding while he's still home. What do you think?"
Wang Xuemei's mother was a very traditional woman with bound feet. She was a lady from a noble family. She was eager for her daughter to get married as soon as possible. After all, in her heart, Wang Xuemei was already an old maid, and she was afraid that if she didn't get married and missed the Xiaoli ceremony, no one would want her.
Now that the Xiao family came to ask for her hand in marriage, how could she refuse? She nodded and agreed immediately, and personally looked up the old almanac: "My dear, you see, the nearest auspicious day is in five days, how about we set the date five days later?"
This was exactly what Wang Han wanted. Countless thoughts of agreement flashed through his mind, and the two of them hit it off and set the wedding date for five days later.
When Wang Xuemei returned home and saw her family happily discussing the dowry, she realized that she would be getting married in five days.
Wang Xuemei: ...So I am just a tool without any ideas.
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