50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 250 Son Joins the Army
Tong Jiajia didn't say anything more after hearing his comforting words. However, in the past few days, she has been preparing things for the child to take with her. Sun Zhiwei thought about it and let her have her way.

The next day, Sun Zhiwei rode his bicycle to the armed forces department, a place he was quite familiar with; the old captain who had wanted to recruit him was still there.

He found the old captain familiarly, but instead of discussing the matter, he took the old captain out for a good drink.

After everyone had had a good drink, the old captain casually mentioned his son's military service, which was no big deal to him.

Two days later, an "Enlistment Notice" arrived at our home. Everyone gathered around the notice, curious as it was the first time they had ever seen such a thing.

Sun Zhiwei did enlist, but he never saw the enlistment notice. At the time, the procedures were processed directly for him.

The notice looks a bit like an award certificate, with the following line at the top: "Without a people's army, there is nothing for the people."

Below is the stamped notification, with Sun Aiguo's name written at the beginning.

The troop movement happened very quickly, on May Day.

With only a few days left, everyone immediately split up to begin preparations. Sun Zhiwei took his son to the local street office to cancel his household registration, while Tong Jiajia and her godmother stayed home to pack his son's luggage.

When Sun Zhiwei returned home after completing the household registration procedures for his son, a large package had already been packed up. The weight of the package made Sun Zhiwei feel a little guilty.

"Mom, there's so much stuff, how am I supposed to carry it all?"

"Summer is almost here, so you don't need to bring any clothes. The army will provide them all."

"The problem is that the socks wear out easily, and the socks issued by the army are not enough. You should prepare some money and let him buy socks himself at the military service department."

"Also, bring plenty of insoles. You don't need to bring food; the army doesn't allow snacks."

"Patriotism, bring a few of your favorite books, a notebook and pen set, your graduation certificate, your Youth League membership card, and write down your family's contact information."

At this moment, the godmother interjected, "Bring a family photo to the child so he can look at it when he misses home."

The godfather wasn't idle either, offering suggestions: "The child is an adult now that he's in the army, we should prepare a razor for him."

We really didn't expect this. We've always treated Sun Aiguo like a child. Only now do we realize that he's already 16 years old, which would be considered a coming-of-age ceremony in ancient times.

Then I remembered the issue of medication. Although there are doctors in the army, there are also many comrades. During training, if someone gets bumped or bruised, it's impossible to go to the doctor for everyone.

So Sun Zhiwei took out his medicine box again and packed in the white medicine, safflower oil, and blood-activating and pain-relieving plaster. He also packed two bottles of the White Tiger Blood-Activating Plaster that he had gotten from his last trip to the south.

After everything was almost packed, Sun Zhiwei said to Tong Jiajia, "Take some time tomorrow to buy watches for the two kids."

"Buy a small alarm clock for Aiguo to take with him. It can be used in the army because it has a timer function."

The couple, Sun Zhiwei and his wife, had already prepared the watch tickets at home, and this time they bought them for both children's graduation.

Sun Hongying, who was helping to tidy up nearby, grinned from ear to ear when she heard that she would also get a share of the watch.

Only Tong Jiajia remained frowning, and even asked him which unit her son had been assigned to.

"Most of the new recruits in Beijing are trained at recruit camps in Daxing or Fangshan, and they are assigned to companies only after the training is completed."

"Where your son is assigned is not up to me. It depends on his training performance. The better his performance, the better the unit he can go to."

Actually, he knew where he was assigned because the battalion commander had already arranged it for him. He was to go to the battalion commander's old unit, which was in Harbin.

It's quite close to his younger sister Sun Ailai's house, so when he has a holiday, Sun Aiguo can go to his aunt's house for a treat.

He planned to send a telegram to Sun Ailai tomorrow to inform her that her beloved nephew was going to join the army in her area. However, there was no need to tell Sun Aiguo about this; he would consider it a pleasant surprise.

Amidst this reluctance, May 1st finally arrived.

Outside, a lively festival celebration was underway. Sun Aiguo was enlisting in the army today, and Sun Zhiwei and his entire family came to the train station to see him off.

Sun Aiguo, wearing a brand-new military uniform with a big red flower on his chest, was very happy and completely ignored Tong Jiajia's impending tears.

So Tong Jiajia started making trouble for Sun Zhiwei: "It's all your fault for insisting that our son join the army. If anything happens to our son, I'll fight you to the death."

Sun Zhiwei knew that women at this time were unreasonable, and he didn't have time to argue with her.

"It's alright, it's alright. I'll tell you a secret, I've already made arrangements. My son will go north to serve in the army, near Sun Ailai's place."

"Really?! I'll send a telegram to my sister then."

"Don't bother, I've already sent a telegram. Sun Ai will come to see our son when she arrives."

"You're thoughtful. I remember your brother-in-law is also in the military, right?"

"Yes, Lin Weiguo is now the head of the Harbin Armed Forces Department. He can definitely take care of things, so don't worry."

Just then, the whistle sounded, signaling all the new recruits to board the train. Tong Jiajia seized the last moments, talking incessantly to her son.

Although Sun Aiguo was a little impatient, he didn't dare to break free, as Sun Hongying was watching from the side.

If he angers his sister and she slaps him in front of so many comrades, he'll lose all face and be killed on the spot.

When the second whistle sounded, Sun Zhiwei still stopped Tong Jiajia, allowing his son to get on the bus.

They saw from the window that after Sun Aiguo got into the car and sat down, he waved to them and started chatting with his comrades next to him.

Sun Zhiwei was very happy to see that his son could become familiar with strangers so quickly. It was a good thing that his son was not afraid to communicate with strangers when he was out.

Only Tong Jiajia was a little unhappy: "Don't you think I'm especially happy that my son left me?"

Sun Zhiwei isn't stupid; this is a death trap question, so he can't just answer it carelessly.

"I think he's just faking it. He'll definitely start crying once the train is far away."

“Our son is all grown up now, and he’s too embarrassed to cry in front of his family. Let’s give him some face.”

Tong Jiajia wasn't blind; she only saw Sun Aiguo on the train, chatting animatedly with his comrades next to him, showing no sign of wanting to cry.

"Really? I didn't notice that."

Sun Zhiwei cursed his son for not cooperating in his heart, but continued to coax Tong Jiajia outwardly, and then gave Sun Hongying a wink.

Sun Hongying immediately understood, secretly pointed the glass of her watch at the sun, and then shone the reflected sunlight into Sun Aiguo's eyes in the carriage.

Now, that brat finally realized there was a problem.

He quickly switched places with his comrade at the window, opened the window again, and began to bid a tearful farewell to Tong Jiajia.

(End of this chapter)