Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 348 The Most Meaningful Birthday, Countdown to Zhongpei

The camp was not far from the town. About half an hour later, Wang Jianyong slammed on the brakes, pulled the handbrake, and turned off the engine.

I parked the car in front of a shop in town.

Chen Mo was the first to open the car door and help Wang Lu out.

They were alright; they weren't seriously shaken. After all, the passenger seat has limited space, so even if it swayed, it wouldn't shake much.

However, the people sitting in the back of the train were thrown around and were completely disoriented.

Cheng Dong, Man Xuexi, Qin Xiaojun, and Xu Zhanqi are all company commanders, and they often train in armored vehicles, so their physical fitness is not bad.

After the vehicle came to a stop, he just held onto the frame, his legs weak, and got off cursing.

Wang Jianbin, who has a lisp, doesn't get much training as a technical cadre.

At this moment, he was completely limp, lying on the back of the car with a pale face, cursing, "You damn scholar, you did this on purpose, didn't you? Damn it, ugh!"

This guy vomited the whole way and had no strength to get out of the car.

Chen Mo chuckled and walked over to Lao Wang, patting him on the back: "Your physical condition isn't good either, you still need to train."

"Let's rest for a bit, and while we're at it, let's look at the cars. A few of us are going to buy some things."

"Damn it!" Wang Jianbin cursed weakly, turned over and sat in the carriage, leaning against the metal plate, panting heavily.

He didn't even have the energy to curse anymore.

They were all rough, hardened men in the field.

No one cared whether Lao Wang could recover or whether he was in pain.

Since they had the rare opportunity to come out under the guise of a visit, Cheng Dong and Man Xuexi didn't bother to cause trouble for Lao Wang. After getting off the bus, they went straight to the pie stall to buy some food.

Qin Xiaojun and Xu Zhanqi weren't interested in food, so they headed to a nearby clothing store to buy some clothes for spring.

Chen Mo then led Wang Luyi to the shop. During holidays, the political officers of the battalion would usually use public funds to purchase rice, flour, and cooking oil and deliver them to the families in need.

If we don't need rice or flour, we'll buy other things, like lamb as a substitute.

After all, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

However, this trip was not strictly speaking a visit to offer condolences; it was simply to let the new comrades experience the local customs and culture.

Therefore, Chen Mo did not intend to use public funds.

Since being transferred to the frontier, the treatment of all non-commissioned officers and cadres in the armored regiment has been improved significantly, especially Chen Mo, who now enjoys the treatment of a full battalion commander as a deputy battalion commander, plus housing subsidies and housing provident fund.

The northern frontier is bitterly cold, and with various other subsidies, my monthly salary has long exceeded a thousand, reaching about a thousand two or three thousand a month. After paying back a portion to Cheng Dong and the others each month, the rest is more than enough.

He spent twenty yuan to buy Wang Luyi a red agate pendant as a birthday gift.

He couldn't tell if the agate was real or not; they were all just stones that had been polished, so as long as they looked nice, that was fine.

Then I bought some canned goods, rice, flour, and local specialties, and moved them to the back of the truck.

After Chen Mo finished packing up all the gifts, he found that Wang Jianbin had taken the driver's seat. This guy, who had been half-dead just a moment ago, had become energetic in the blink of an eye.

Cheng Dong sat calmly in the passenger seat, showing no intention of giving up his seat.

"I've made up my mind. From now on, I'll take care of all the hard and tiring work like driving. You guys get in the car."

Wang Jianbin casually pushed up his glasses and spoke with a serious expression.

Chen Mo smiled and didn't argue with them.

He hadn't planned to take advantage of these guys for the rest of the journey; there was canned food in the carriage, as well as some compressed biscuits and other supplies brought by the logistics team.

If this gets broken, what's the point of offering condolences?

Chen Mo, Wang Luyi, Man Xuexi, Qin Xiaojun, and Xu Zhanqi sat in the back of the vehicle as it started moving.

Old Wang's driving skills are also quite good; he drove very steadily.

The military vehicle drove across the vast plains, with occasional dark brown mountain peaks appearing all around, looking particularly weathered.

Breathing in the free air of the grassland.

The veterans became excited, pointing out the scenery outside to those around them.

Since the information technology battalion was first established, these officers have been working like spinning tops every day, rarely having time to enjoy leisure.

Emerging now, wandering freely in this vast expanse of sky and earth, I immediately felt a sense of freedom regained.

Chen Mo was also looking outside.

He had long heard that the northern Xinjiang region was famous for its natural scenery, while the southern Xinjiang region was known for its diverse ethnic cultures, but unfortunately he had never had the chance to visit.

Now, I think the scenery of this grassland is no less beautiful than theirs.

The transport truck sped along the winding road.

The azure sky, occasionally punctuated by a white cloud that bursts like a white flower, stretches as far as the eye can see, with herds of horses and sheep appearing from time to time. The rolling mountains lead to the vast horizon, making one feel relaxed and carefree.

"Wow, Battalion Commander, look! There are some gray rabbits over there."

"There's also a strangely shaped basin. It would be great if our camp were stationed here."

Wang Lu clung to the carriage with both hands, finding every view fascinating and frequently exclaiming in amazement.

The remaining few weren't much better off. Man Xuexi and Qin Xiaojun got together and discussed which type of goat was more delicious, and that the camp should apply for a batch of military dogs so they could go out and hunt rabbits to improve their meals.

There's a reason they're discussing these things.

During live-fire exercises by the armored regiment's artillery company, villagers would often drive their flocks of sheep nearby. A single shot could kill more than a dozen sheep. Whenever this happened, the battalion was forced to improve their meals.

That's a good saying.

Every place has its own customs, and Chen Mo couldn't comment on these things, nor could he force his way into them. Occasionally, when the soldiers in the camp were craving something sweet, they would dig up shell casings and trade them with the locals for fruit or sheepskin sweaters to keep warm.

There were also people stealing sheep and geese.

A group of energetic guys, they're bound to cause trouble outside of training, and there's no way to completely prevent that.

Otherwise, how could that bastard Manxue possibly know which local lamb is delicious? He's just gained experience from eating it.

Seeing how excited they were, Chen Mo smiled and said, "Alright, don't get any funny ideas. Since we're free now, Lao Man, you start by singing a military song."

"We're here to offer our condolences, not to buy mutton."

With the battalion commander speaking, no one had any objections.

Man Xuexi stretched his neck, his dark face turning a purplish-red, and said in a deep voice, "Then let's sing 'Returning from Target Practice'."

"The sun sets in the west, and the rosy clouds fly; get ready to sing!"

"The sun sets in the west, and the rosy clouds fly!"

"Soldiers return to camp after target practice."

Wang Lu clapped his hands and joined in the tune, and everyone in the carriage sang along in unison.

The sound was loud and clear, echoing in all directions.

The lingering sound echoed along the long highway.

Singing loudly in this vast grassland wilderness has a unique feel to it.

While driving, Wang Jianbin heard the passionate singing coming from the car and his face immediately darkened: "Pah! Damn it, why don't you sing when I'm in the car? That damn scholar, he's just holding a grudge."

Regarding Lao Wang's insults.

Cheng Dong just smiled silently, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. These young men and women in the prime of their youth really made this old man nostalgic for the old days.

But when he was Chen Mo's age, he not only didn't have the position of a scholar he has now, but he also didn't have the generous treatment that the Ironclad Regiment has now.

Since the Ironclad Regiment and the Blue Army Battalion were to be entrusted to him, Cheng Dong secretly resolved at this moment that he must lead them well.

For nothing else.

Even if it's just for the sake of our own soldiers, we must protect this hard-working force and not let anything happen to the Blue Army battalion.

. . . . . . . . . . .

The place we visited was quite far away.

As the vehicle passed through other towns, they stopped singing whenever they passed areas where residents gathered, worried about disturbing the peace. The group sat quietly in the car.

Despite this, many passersby still looked at the transport truck with curiosity.

Chen Mo and Wang Luyi stared at the street corners and alleyways, looking at the shop signs while also quietly discussing the locals' clothing.

The two felt as if they had returned to their past lives, and everything looked new and exciting to them.

The two had crossed paths decades ago, and many things and relationships between them seemed to happen naturally, without anyone finding it surprising.

After a bumpy ride of about an hour, around nine in the morning, several yurts and a flock of sheep came into view in the distance.

Beside the light brown yurts, white sheep graze, occasionally lowering their heads to eat the hay piled on the ground. The surrounding terrain is flat, meaning the grass hasn't sprouted yet in spring. If it were summer, this pasture would surely be lush and green.

Wang Jianbin also knew that this trip was not for visiting and comforting people, but simply to bring new comrades to experience the local customs and culture of the grasslands.

Therefore, he deliberately chose a family that he and the scholar were familiar with and that they got along well with.

The transport vehicle stopped in front of the yurt.

Chen Mo led Wang Lu out of the car and specifically asked her to carry some nutritional supplements, while he took the rest himself, so that no one would compete with them for the credit.

Cheng Dong and Wang Jianbin, being very familiar with each other, walked up to the flock of sheep to look at them, while the rest of them wandered around nearby.

Clearly, they were all familiar with this family.

Even the sheepdogs nearby didn't bark; they just glanced at the crowd a few times before lazily lying down again by the sheepfold.

Chen Mo carried the gifts, followed by Wang Luyi. The two walked to the largest yurt. He didn't go in, but called out through the curtain, "Is Uncle Batur home?"

It didn't take long.

An elderly man dressed in ethnic minority clothing lifted the curtain and glanced at Chen Mo.

Upon recognizing who it was, the old man smiled and said in heavily accented Mandarin, "Little Chen is here, come in quickly."

Wang Lu looked around curiously, then followed closely behind Chen Mo, carrying the nutritional supplements as they went inside.

The old man's kind smile deepened when he saw that a girl was with him. However, seeing that both of them were carrying things, he said with some helplessness, "You're here, why did you bring gifts?"

"Is this little girl also on your team?"

Chen Mo chuckled and said, "I just bought it on the spur of the moment, old man. This is Wang Luyi, a new soldier in our battalion. I brought her to our home to meet us."

"Okay, okay!!"

The old man said "good" three times and then told the people inside to greet the guests.

The yurt doesn't look very big from the outside, but once you go inside, the space is quite spacious.

There is a stove and a brazier inside.

"Xiao Chen, you've come all this way, why did you bring anything? You're too kind."

A middle-aged man in his forties came forward, turned around and called out, "Tuoleyigan, Xiao Chen is here. Get some things to serve our guest."

Wang Luyi watched in a daze as the old man took the gift from her hands, and then watched the battalion commander sit cross-legged on the colorful carpet. She just sat there blankly.

Watching the only middle-aged woman in the house take out a fruit platter from the cupboard, which contained dried meat, dried fruit, pastries, and sugar cubes.

At the beginning of the century, this was considered a very lavish hospitality. The old man and a middle-aged woman sat down, and the group sat around the table, the host and guests getting along well.

Just sat down.

Chen Mo then paid his respects to Batur, offering his congratulations and chatting about many family matters.

When they saw Wang Lu sitting there blankly, just holding a few raisins without eating them, it seemed he was not used to such enthusiastic hospitality.

Chen Mo smiled and lowered his voice to explain, "Old Man Batur's family are all Uyghurs, a minority within a minority group, and belong to a nomadic family."

"This is the old man's son and daughter-in-law, Kerim and Mayisa."

"Hello!!"

Upon hearing the introduction, Wang Luyi quickly greeted everyone with a smile.

Generally speaking, nomadic families migrate with the availability of water and pasture, primarily raising their own flocks of sheep.

Some nomadic families migrate twice a year, and Batur's family is no exception, but Chen Mo comes to a fixed place, and the officers in the camp occasionally come to visit him.

This was Wang Luyi's first time visiting a herdsman's home.

While Chen Mo was chatting with others, she picked up raisins, dried fruit, and some snacks and stuffed them into her mouth. At first, she just wanted to try them, but after eating the dried fruit and snacks, she found them to be particularly sweet.

They grabbed a handful every now and then, in less than half an hour.

Only a small portion of the dried fruit remained in the several plates.

Since there were more than just the two of them present, after chatting for a while, Kerim went outside to chat with Cheng Dong and the others.

Old Man Batur also went to check on the sheep. Mayisa took out a lot of dried fruit from the cupboard and invited Wang Lu to eat it with a smile.

Then, she turned around and busied herself making other food.

Perhaps feeling embarrassed that he had eaten too much, Wang Luyi pointed to the plate and stammered, "These dried fruits are too sweet. I've never eaten anything this sweet before."

"It's alright, eat up. The temperature difference between day and night is large here, so all the fruits and vegetables grown here are sweet."

Chen Mo smiled and didn't seem to care.

"I'm sorry, they're too hospitable." Wang Lu lowered his head, saying he wouldn't eat, but then grabbed another handful.

He stuffed some into his small cloth bag.

Seeing her sneaky behavior, Chen Mo was speechless. He took the initiative to grab some snacks and put them into her cloth bag.

He then stood up and said, "Maisa, let's go for a walk. We don't need to prepare any food."

"Okay, you guys go take a look around. I'm fine. Prepare more, the girl loves it." Ma Yisha was cooking the food without even looking up.

We arrived outside the yurt.

From afar, you can see Man Xuexi, Wang Jianbin, Qin Xiaojun, and Wang Jianyong lying sprawled on the dry grass in the distance, their faces covered by their hats, sunbathing.

Only Cheng Dong and Xu Zhanqi chatted with Kerim and Batur.

Wang Lu took a deep breath, somewhat awkwardly spread his arms, and gazed into the distance with a smile on his chubby face.

Even though it's early spring, the grassland scenery is still spectacular, with endless withered grass merging with the distant mountain shadows and cloud light.

A gentle breeze blew by, making it exceptionally comfortable.

"This place is great, and the fruit is delicious. But, Battalion Commander, why do all the Uyghurs have different names?"

“It’s not surprising, Uyghurs don’t have surnames,” Chen Mo explained seriously.

"Oh."

Wang Lu nodded slightly, but after a short while, she asked like a curious child, "Then Kerim's wife is called Mayisa, so why did Uncle Kerim keep calling her Tuoleigan?"

"This is a form of address, similar to terms like 'wife,' 'lover,' or 'wife' in Chinese."

"Okay, you know a lot."

Wang Lu glanced at the battalion commander and even offered a compliment.

But soon, she was drawn to the flock of sheep and dragged Chen Mo to the vicinity of the sheep.

A black and white Border Collie lying on the ground glanced at the two of them. It probably recognized the military uniforms and Chen Mo, but didn't say anything. Then it continued to keep a close eye on the flock of sheep, and if it saw any sheep walking away, it would immediately rush up and bleat.

This wasn't Chen Mo's first time here, so he naturally wasn't interested in the sheep.

But this was the first time Wang Luyi had ever seen such fat-tailed sheep. They were covered in smooth wool, and even with people standing in front of them, the flock did not panic.

It just swings its legs and nibbles on the hay.

She squatted on the ground, watching intently as the sheep ate grass, observing how the sheep rolled up its tongue to put the grass into its mouth and then kept chewing.

"Wow, Battalion Commander, this sheep eats grass like it's chewing gum; it keeps chewing."

Wang Luyi pointed excitedly at the big-tailed sheep closest to her, as if she had discovered a new continent.

Chen Mo nodded: "Sheep are ruminants. They eat grass first, then occasionally spit it out to chew and digest it slowly, just like cows."

“Oh, I see. Rumination is a special ability of herbivores.” Wang Luyi suddenly realized, “In dangerous wild environments, in order to avoid being hunted by predators, sheep can eat quickly without chewing slowly, thus improving the utilization rate of food.”

Having gone to university, Wang Luyi has a decent amount of knowledge.

But just as she was speaking freely...

Old Man Batur walked to the edge of the flock, picked out a fat sheep with a big tail, and dragged it a distance away. Cheng Dong and Wang Jianyong both looked conflicted.

Even that bastard Manxue stopped sunbathing and stared blankly at Old Man Batur slaughtering a sheep, clearly intending to treat them to a meal.

Strangely, no one around, including Chen Mo, stepped forward to greet him politely; they all just watched quietly.

Hearing the big-tailed sheep squealing and bleating, Wang Luyi looked a little panicked. She pulled Chen Mo's arm and whispered, "Battalion Commander, let's not eat the sheep, okay?"

"Don't herders raise sheep to make a living?"

"There's no need to entertain us."

"You do not understand."

Chen Mo shook his head slightly: "Old Man Batur's family originally had a grandson, who was a little older than you and me. He had an accident while on a mission at the border two years ago and never came back."

“I also have a granddaughter, who is the same age as you. Two years ago, she met a group of city people who came to visit. I don’t know how those people tricked the little girl, but she insisted on going to the city with them, despite her family’s objections.”

"Three years have passed now, and there has been no news at all."

"There is only my father-in-law left in the family, and Kerim and his wife. Without children, they have long lost their hope for life."

“These sheep were purchased and delivered by the local military region. Our battalion often comes to visit and offer condolences. When I first came, their family was very depressed, but they are much better this time.”

"Eat candy if you want later. They're slaughtering a sheep to treat you, so eat as much as you like. They probably treat you like their own child."

"We have to support the old man's family to keep living, no matter how reluctant we are to do it. It's the only thing they can do and they are willing to do."

After Chen Mo explained it this way...

Wang Lu suddenly realized why the battalion commander had been stuffing candy into her small bag, forgetting even the Three Main Rules of Discipline and the Eight Points for Attention.

No wonder the deputy company commander and the others were so relaxed here, not helping with the work, but instead sunbathing. It's because they were there to offer their condolences and deliberately act like they were not strangers.

What the Batur family needs is this sense of belonging.

"battalion commander."

Wang Luyi's eyes were filled with tears as she felt sad for Batur's family.

"It's okay. Just act like you like eating, talk to them more, and don't feel pressured."

Chen Mo smiled and comforted him.

He hadn't originally planned to bring so many people, and the Batur family wouldn't slaughter a sheep, because it wasn't worth it with so few people.

Let Wang Luyi experience local life.

But now that so many people have come, the sheep has to be killed whether we like it or not.

However, let them kill. Sometimes, besides time to heal the knot in one's heart, what's needed even more is companionship.

As it turns out, Chen Mo's approach was correct.

Beyond discipline, it all boils down to the deep bond between the military and the people.

Old Man Batur was in charge of slaughtering the sheep, while Kerim was in charge of lighting the bonfire and clamping the processed sheep carcass between two rows of iron frames.

He controls the roasted lamb business, brushing on a layer of oil every now and then.

Chen Mo, Wang Luyi, Cheng Dong and the others sat together, watching the mutton grow increasingly golden and reddish-brown, and then sprinkled it with various spices such as cumin and chili powder.

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, fresh and delicious.

As the young people gathered around, eagerly eyeing the mutton, Old Man Batur proudly recounted the various origins of the roasted lamb.

Wang Luyi was treated to a feast by Ma Yisha, with freshly brewed, authentic Uyghur milk tea and various dried fruits, which he simply couldn't refuse.

At first, she was embarrassed to eat, but Chen Mo told her quietly that according to Uyghur custom, it is disrespectful to the host to eat too little or waste food offered to guests.

Wang Luyi completely let go.

While enjoying roasted mutton and milk tea, we listened to the battalion commander and the old man recount local customs and traditions, as well as interesting stories that happened among the young people in the military camp.

My 19th birthday.

It was Wang Luyi's happiest birthday ever, not only because of the food, but also because of the warm hospitality of the Batur family, her status as a soldier, and the battalion commander who brought her out to broaden her horizons.
The bonfire burned bright red, reflecting off her rosy cheeks.

Everything is so beautiful, everything is so reassuring.

Chen Mo was enjoying his meal.

And the other side.

A notification from Kyoto reached the armored regiment's combat readiness duty room.

Inside the camp office.

Instructor Fang Peijun was idly leaning back in his chair, staring at the ceiling to kill time.

The staff officer on duty in the combat readiness room quickly came to the office and pushed open the door.

"Instructor, the notice regarding Chen Yingzhongpei has arrived."

"What the hell? Now?!"

Fang Peijun was startled when he heard this. He had always known about Zhongpei's situation, but he shouldn't be leaving at this time.

There are still many things that haven't been sorted out in the group.

If the scholar leaves, I'm afraid the rest of us won't be able to handle it.

"No."

The staff officer on duty hurriedly shook his head and handed the faxed notice to Fang Peijun.

"The military command ordered us to report to the Shicheng Army Command Academy by March 10th, bringing our luggage and the notification."

December 3rd?
Fang Peijun was stunned for a moment, then let out a long breath.

That's good. There are still twenty days left, enough time to get the group's affairs basically arranged.

It won't be too rushed.

(End of this chapter)