Chapter 53: You can cook with a spoon and fight with a gun
When she is no longer needed, he kicks her out of the house; when she is needed, he comes to her house.
This calculation is really clever.
Jiang Aiguo's expression changed several times and he remained silent.
Jiang Yaozu stepped forward to smooth things over: "Sister, you've hurt Dad's feelings by saying this. After all, we're all family."
Jiang Xueyi looked at him and said, "Jiang Yaozu, tell me, why did you join the army?"
Jiang Yaozu's eyes flashed. "Well, he has made great contributions to defending his country."
In fact, it was because Jiang Aiguo and Huang Xiufen had always told him that after he joined the army, the country would assign him a wife, and she would be a female soldier from the art troupe, all of whom were well-behaved. Otherwise, he would not be willing to come, because being a soldier is so hard.
Jiang Xueyi sneered, "If you really want to defend your country and make great achievements, you should have worked hard on your physical fitness while you were at home. Otherwise, you wouldn't even meet the conscription requirements and have to ask your brother-in-law for help."
Jiang Yaozu looked embarrassed.
Jiang Aiguo glared and said, "How can you say that about your brother?"
"I'm not talking about him," Jiang Xueyi said. "I'm telling the truth."
Jiang Yaozu didn't want to talk about this anymore. As a grown man, he felt ashamed.
When the higher-ups came to recruit soldiers, many strong young men from the village went, but he was the only one who failed. It was so embarrassing.
He changed the subject: "Well, it's time for dinner, it's time to eat."
"Yeah." Jiang Xueyi replied lightly without any reaction.
Jiang Aiguo frowned and said, "Why are you standing there? Go prepare some food for your brother and me. We've come all this way, you can't just not even treat us to a meal, right?"
"Don't always bring up the fact that you came all the way here." Jiang Xueyi asked back, "Did I ask you to come all the way here?"
Jiang Aiguo choked and stopped talking.
Jiang Yaozu continued to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, stop talking."
Jiang Xueyi glanced at the two of them, turned and went into the kitchen. After a while, she brought out several dishes.
Jiang Aiguo took a closer look. There were stir-fried vegetables, shredded cabbage, and the only meat dish was a plate of scrambled eggs. His brows knitted together. "Is that all?"
He Chengze served Jiang Xueyi food: "Otherwise, three dishes are enough for the two of us adults."
The implication was that there was no food prepared for the two of them.
After all, they needed help from others, so Jiang Aiguo and Jiang Yaozu sat down to eat with their noses pinched.
Cooking at home is naturally not that simple, but Jiang Xueyi felt like vomiting when she saw the father and son, so she simply fried two vegetarian dishes to deal with it.
The scrambled eggs were added because I was worried that He Chengze would use up too much energy during the afternoon training.
She took a couple of quick bites, then went to the chest of drawers to get some pork floss, scooped a spoonful and mixed it into the porridge for the buns.
The little bun waved the little spoon and ate with relish.
Jiang Aiguo looked quite unhappy and could not help but retort, "This kid eats quite exquisitely."
What about this guy and that guy.
Jiang Xueyi raised her eyebrows: "Can you speak?"
Jiang Aiguo curled his lips and said, "What's wrong? I'm a grandfather, and I can't even say a few words to him?"
Jiang Xueyi wanted to argue with him as soon as she opened her mouth.
He Chengze interrupted her: "Grandfather? Grandfathers who come thousands of miles to see their grandchildren always know to bring some food and daily necessities for their children. What about you? You come here empty-handed, are you here to beg for money?"
Jiang Aiguo's face froze when his thoughts were revealed. He lowered his head and concentrated on eating.
After dinner, Jiang Yaozu asked, "Sister, where are we staying?"
He looked around the apartment excitedly. He had never lived in such a bright and spacious house in his life. Even without turning on the lights, it was bright. It was a world of difference from the mud house at home where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face even with the oil lamp on.
Jiang Xueyi said as she cleaned up the toys on the floor for the little bun, "Let's stay at the guesthouse."
When Jiang Aiguo heard this, he was about to lash out again: "What? Let us stay in the guesthouse?"
This time I know not to mention coming all the way here.
"What else can we do?" He Chengze said, "Our house is this big. As you can see, there is only one master bedroom. The other rooms are all used. If you want to sleep on the floor in the bathroom, that's fine."
He added, "When Jiang Xueqian came here, we also let her stay in the guesthouse. She's still a girl. You two grown men, if you don't want to stay in the guesthouse, where do you want to stay?"
Jiang Yaozu quietly tugged at the corner of Jiang Aiguo's clothes and whispered, "Dad, let's go stay at the guesthouse. The conditions there are pretty good, and it's better than sleeping on the floor here."
Although he likes this house, it doesn't mean he wants to sleep on the floor here.
Jiang Aiguo always listened to his son. After thinking about it, he felt that his son was right: "Okay."
He lingered in the living room for a while, and when he saw that Jiang Xueyi and He Chengze had no intention of paying him the rent, he left reluctantly.
As soon as they left, Jiang Xueyi let out a long sigh.
He Chengze hugged her and said with a smile: "Why are you sighing? Sighing will give you wrinkles, and you won't be beautiful."
Jiang Xueyi glared at him and said, "I sighed because they definitely won't give up." She added, "They came here for you, and they'll definitely keep pestering you for the next two days."
He Chengze pulled her to the bed to rest: "Just keep pestering me, I will take them to the military camp tomorrow."
Jiang Xueyi sat up suddenly and asked, "Are you really planning to give Jiang Yaozu a backdoor to join the army?"
"How is that possible? Am I such a tactless person?" He Chengze laughed, "Just wait and see. I guarantee they'll be crying and shouting about leaving within two days."
The next morning, He Chengze was having dinner at home. As soon as he walked to the door of the dormitory in the compound, he saw Jiang Aiguo and his son Jiang Yao waiting for him there.
Jiang Yaozu yawned repeatedly, obviously not used to getting up so early.
Jiang Aiguo dared to yell at Jiang Xueyi, but he didn't dare to say a harsh word to He Chengze. He nodded and said, "Chengze, look, about Yaozu joining the army..."
He Chengze glanced at them calmly: "Follow me."
Jiang Aiguo's eyes lit up: "So you agree." He patted Jiang Yaozu's shoulders repeatedly, "Hurry up, thank brother-in-law."
Jiang Yaozu: "Thank you...brother-in-law..." Another big yawn.
The three of them walked towards the military camp together.
Jiang Yaozu trotted to catch up with He Chengze and asked cautiously, "Brother-in-law, when I join the army, do I have to get up so early every day?"
"Every day? How about something else?" He Chengze raised his eyebrows. "This is still considered late. I go so late because I'm the superior. You're a new recruit when you first join the army. You live in the recruit barracks with other recruits and have to get up at four in the morning."
"Ah—" Jiang Yaozu stretched out his voice, "It's so hard."
“Everyone comes here this way.”
Jiang Yaozu continued jogging to catch up. "Brother-in-law, how are the conditions in the new recruits' barracks? How do they compare to the dormitories in your military compound?"
He Chengze: "The new recruits' barracks have eight people in a room, with bunk beds. It's definitely not comparable to the military compound dormitories. To live in a military compound dormitory, you have to be an officer of a certain rank and length of service."
"Is that so?" Jiang Yaozu's eyes lit up and he said, "Then brother-in-law, why don't you just arrange a position for me? I also want to live in the military dormitory."
He Chengze was amused. This was too fantastical: "Don't say I'm just a deputy brigade commander. Even if they were the commander or deputy commander, they wouldn't directly assign you an officer position. What are you thinking?"
Jiang Aiguo had been listening quietly until he heard He Chengze call him 'Deputy Brigade Commander' and then he spoke: "You got promoted?"
He Chengze said "hmm" lightly.
I accidentally let it slip, but it doesn't matter. When I get to the military camp, the secret will be exposed as soon as others call me by that name.
Jiang Aiguo was overjoyed. This way, Jiang Yaozu's joining the army would be a sure thing.
When he was happy, he forgot what He Chengze said about not assigning a position to Jiang Yaozu.
The distance from the military compound dormitory to the barracks is quite long, and it was already eight o'clock in the morning when we arrived.
It was summer, the sun was high in the sky, and the surface temperature was at least 30 degrees.
Jiang Aiguo and Jiang Yaozu were sweating all over after walking this short distance.
Jiang Yaozu gasped for breath and waved his hands, "Brother-in-law, are you there yet? I can't take it anymore."
"We're here." He Chengze said, "That's not enough. You still want to join the army?"
Jiang Aiguo said unconvincedly, "Yaozu just got up too early this morning and is not in good condition. Let him rest for a while. He's in great shape."
The three of them stood under the shade of the tree until Jiang Yaozu recovered his strength.
Soldiers kept jogging over to salute and greet He Chengze.
Someone else asked who Jiang Aiguo and Jiang Yaozu were, and He Chengze casually said, "Distant relatives."
Jiang Aiguo opened his mouth and wanted to refute, but in the end he didn't dare to say anything.
He Chengze glanced at his watch and saw that twenty minutes had passed. He asked Jiang Yaozu, "Did you get enough rest?"
Jiang Yaozu nodded.
He Chengze pointed at a group of people who had just run past and said, "These are the new recruits who just arrived this year, Jiang Yaozu. Didn't your dad say that you're no worse than the new recruits? Then follow behind them and run some exercises first. Let me see."
Jiang Yaozu gritted his teeth and followed.
Jiang Aiguo was anxious and said, "Chengze, why are you letting Yaozu run in such a hot sun? He can't stand this kind of hardship."
He thought that when he arrived at the military camp, He Chengze would just wave his hand and arrange for Jiang Yaozu to work there and make him a small official.
He Chengze: "This isn't running, it's training. If you can't handle hardship, then don't join the army. In the army, everyone goes through this." He added, "Including me."
Seeing that Jiang Yaozu had only run half a lap, his face was already red and sweat was pouring down his forehead, Jiang Aiguo couldn't help but say, "I don't believe that in such a large military camp, there are no soldiers who don't need training?"
"Yes." He Chengze said, "The division commander, commander, and deputy commander can all stay in their offices."
"By the way, they are all higher-ranking officers than me. You can't possibly ask me to arrange for Jiang Yaozu to be an officer with a higher rank than me, right?"
Jiang Aiguo choked and remained silent.
After running a lap, Jiang Yaozu collapsed on the ground, waving his hands repeatedly: "I can't do it anymore, I can't do it anymore, I'm going to die if I keep running."
Jiang Aiguo looked at He Chengze: "Well, Yaozu has also run a lap, so he is considered qualified."
"One lap?" He Chengze raised his eyebrows. "On the military track, one lap is one thousand meters, or one kilometer. Running three laps is three kilometers, which is considered a warm-up. Otherwise, why would conscription require a three-kilometer run? It's a hard requirement."
"These are just new recruits. The training intensity for new recruits is the weakest." He Chengze said, "Once you officially join the army, the training intensity will be doubled. There will be strict requirements for five-kilometer weighted running, weightlifting, push-ups, and pull-ups. The number of push-ups will be at least double the number required during conscription."
With every item he counted, Jiang Yaozu's face became paler.
He Chengze glanced at him, secretly amused, and continued: "Even I have to train. The army doesn't keep idle people. Unless you really reach the position of division commander or commander, you are qualified to choose and can do more mental work."
Speaking of mental work, He Chengze asked, "By the way, Jiang Yaozu, what is your educational background?"
Jiang Yaozu hesitated: "I only went to the third grade of primary school, and then I stopped studying..."
He Chengze: "Tsk tsk tsk." He added, "Let's not talk about the commander. Our division commander is a high school graduate. He also improves his education in his free time. When I go to his office, I see a cabinet full of books. Can you do that?"
Jiang Yaozu shook his head.
Now he feels dizzy when he reads two words, let alone a cabinet full of books.
He Chengze glanced at his watch. It was eleven o'clock. "I'm going to the cafeteria to eat. You guys..."
Before he could finish his words, Jiang Aiguo interrupted him: "We'll go with you."
On the road, the father and son fell far behind.
Jiang Yaozu had a sad face and kept saying to Jiang Aiguo, "Dad, didn't you listen to what my brother-in-law said? Being a soldier is so tiring. I don't want to be a soldier anymore. It's not a job for human beings."
Jiang Aiguo lowered his voice and said, "Don't listen to his nonsense. He's trying to scare you."
Jiang Xueyi has a bad relationship with him, and He Chengze is on her side, so he will definitely not treat them wholeheartedly.
Jiang Aiguo tended to believe that He Chengze was lying to them.
There must be some easy parts in military service!
"Really?" Jiang Yaozu said doubtfully.
"That's for sure," Jiang Aiguo said. "You only heard him say that being a soldier is tiring, but how could you possibly know the benefits of being a soldier? Not to mention the high salary and benefits, but also the fact that during their free time, the female soldiers from the art troupe come over to perform and dance to liven up the atmosphere. What a wonderful thing."
He inquired about these from Jiang Daming.
Jiang Aiguo said, "There's a saying that goes, 'Don't look at what a person says, look at what he does.'" He added, "Your brother-in-law said being a soldier is bad, tiring, and requires daily training. Why haven't we seen him retire? There must be benefits to it. It's just that the boy is very bad and is hiding it from us."
"That's right." Jiang Yaozu wailed, "But there are no female soldiers here. Look for yourself, Dad. They're all male. I guess even the pigs in the army are male."
"I've already told you, this is our free time, and the female soldiers in the art troupe are not for you to see casually?" Jiang Aiguo coaxed, "Just bear with it and be obedient."
He Chengze didn't know how Jiang Aiguo coaxed Jiang Yaozu, but he saw the father and son leaning against each other, whispering for a while, and then followed his pace.
Jiang Yaozu no longer looked dejected as before, but now looked full of energy.
He Chengze sneered in his heart.
He took Jiang Aiguo and Jiang Yaozu, father and son, to the cafeteria and got their meals.
Anyway, they were about to leave, so He Chengze didn't mind treating them as a farewell meal.
Jiang Yaozu was quite happy to see that he could get a free meal.
As soon as he put it in his mouth, he started to complain: "Why is this rice a little undercooked?" He stirred the scrambled eggs with tomatoes with his chopsticks and said, "And this scrambled eggs with tomatoes, the tomatoes are cut into such big pieces and there is only a little egg, how can I eat it?"
He Chengze took a quick look. The food in the cafeteria has always been of good quality, but there are a few new cooks this year, so it is estimated that the food was prepared by them.
As a newbie, it is normal that the food you cook is half-cooked and the dishes you stir-fry taste bad.
He said, "Even if you can't eat it, you have to eat it. People have worked so hard to make it. Don't waste a single grain of rice."
Jiang Yaozu swallowed his anger and finished his meal. He felt thirsty and said, "You don't even deserve a bowl of soup."
"Yes, mung bean soup in summer and seaweed egg drop soup in winter. If you want, get a bowl and get it yourself." He Chengze pointed him in a direction.
Jiang Yaozu looked over and saw that he had to walk at least fifty meters, which was a bit far.
He had just finished running and his calves were shaking. It was fine if someone else brought it to him, but if he had to walk over, forget it. He quickly waved his hand and said, "Forget it, I don't want to drink anymore."
Jiang Aiguo felt sorry for his son's thirst, so he ran over and made him a bowl of mung bean soup.
Jiang Yaozu felt his thirst quenched only after he finished drinking it.
Jiang Aiguo glanced at He Chengze's face and said, "Well, Chengze, what do you think? Let Yaozu join the kitchen team and be a cook?"
No wonder Jiang Aiguo didn't say a word during the meal just now. It turned out that he was waiting for him here.
He Chengze raised his eyebrows and said, "Become a cook?"
"That's right." Jiang Aiguo said, "A cook only needs to cook, right? I think this job is suitable for Yaozu."
He thought the job of a cook was very good, it was just like the chef wielding a big spoon in a state-owned restaurant.
The chefs in state-owned restaurants all eat greasy food, and they don’t have to work when there are no customers.
How many people can afford to eat in a state-owned restaurant? It's really a leisurely job with a high salary.
I guess it’s the same for the kitchen team. Yaozu went in there just to enjoy himself.
When He Chengze heard him compare the cooks to the chefs at state-owned restaurants, he almost laughed out loud: "Do you think that cooks don't need training?"
"What else?" Jiang Yaozu said, "A cook's job isn't just to cook for other soldiers."
He Chengze: "Then let me tell you, you think too much." He added, "Cooks also have to participate in training, and they get up earlier than ordinary soldiers because they have to cook."
He kindly added, "However, the training requirements for cooks are less stringent than those for ordinary soldiers. After all, they have to prepare meals from a large pot and provide meals for the entire camp."
Jiang Yaozu's face paled. "You mean, if I became a cook, I would have to get up in the morning to wash vegetables and cook, steam buns, and porridge. When everyone went to training, I would go with them. Then I would finish training early and rush back to the cafeteria to cook the big pot of rice. After everyone finished lunch, I would wash the pots and dishes, and then continue training with everyone. The same thing happens for dinner."
"That's right." He Chengze looked at him approvingly. This kid does have some understanding.
He patted Jiang Yaozu's shoulder and said, "But you still need to practice your arms. For efficiency, the pots used in the kitchen are all specially made large iron pots. With your small arms and legs, you probably can't swing them."
"Ah!!" Jiang Yaozu screamed, "I don't want to be a cook. I absolutely, absolutely don't want to be a cook."
He looked at Jiang Aiguo pitifully: "Dad!"
Jiang Aiguo glared at He Chengze and comforted Jiang Yaozu, "Don't worry, your brother-in-law is just scaring you."
He Chengze raised the corner of his mouth: "Whether I am trying to scare you or not, you will know if you go and see for yourself."
Jiang Yaozu continued to look at Jiang Aiguo for help.
Jiang Aiguo gritted his teeth and said, "Go!"
Now that we are here, we can’t give up so easily.
He just didn't believe that a small cook could be so tired.
He Chengze waved and called the squad leader of the kitchen team: "These two are my relatives from my hometown. Take them to visit your kitchen team."
He has something to do in the afternoon, so he can't waste his time on this father and son.
The cook squad leader saluted: "Yes, Deputy Brigade Commander."
He glanced at Jiang Aiguo and Jiang Yaozu and said, "You two, follow me."
He Chengze watched the father and son leave and went to the office.
Seeing that He Chengze was not there, Jiang Aiguo had a secret idea and quietly asked the squad leader of the kitchen squad: "Hey, do you soldiers have to train every day?"
The kitchen squad leader looked at him in surprise. "What else?" He patted the muscles on his arm. "The human body is like a machine. If you don't practice it for a day, it will become loose. We, the soldiers in the kitchen squad, need training too. Otherwise, how can we swing the big spoon?"
"If we don't train, what will we do during the war? We have to run with the pot on our backs. This is what we use to eat. When we rest, we have to adjust immediately, put down the pot and start boiling water and cooking. If we don't train, how can we get the strength to run?"
A cook nearby chimed in, "Squad Leader is right. We can cook with a spoon and fight with a rifle. Being a cook isn't that easy either."
Another cook said, "Washing rice, cooking it, washing vegetables and preparing the dishes, everything has its own skills and requires efficiency. If you are slow, the soldiers won't be able to eat and their legs will be weak, which will affect the battle."
Jiang Yaozu's face turned pale. "So, cooking is like fighting a war?"
"Of course we do. We also have assessments. Those who are slow..." The kitchen squad leader chuckled, "We'll do extra training. If ten push-ups aren't enough, we'll add fifty more."
When Jiang Yaozu heard this, he fainted on the spot.
Jiang Aiguo quickly pinched his nose and woke him up.
The squad leader of the kitchen team looked at the two of them and curled his lips in disdain.
Even with this, you still want to join the kitchen team?
Even if the commander agreed, he would not agree.
He also knew in his heart that these two were definitely not high-profile people, otherwise Deputy Brigade Commander He would not have let him take them to visit the kitchen team, and would have taken them there himself long ago.
At exactly five o'clock in the afternoon, He Chengze slowly walked to the kitchen.
After looking around, I didn't see Jiang Aiguo and Jiang Yaozu and his son.
He couldn't help but ask the squad leader of the kitchen team: "Where is the person I entrusted to you?"
The kitchen squad leader wiped the sweat from his forehead. "They just took a tour and ran off. No matter how I called them from behind, they didn't even turn back." He sneered, "I guess they're afraid we'll actually assign them to the kitchen squad."
He Chengze nodded: "How was their visit?"
"Don't mention it." The squad leader of the kitchen team waved his hand. "When I brought them to the kitchen, it was just time for afternoon cooking."
"I asked him to try chopping wood first. He couldn't even lift the axe. After chopping only three pieces of wood, he told me he was tired and his arms were sore."
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