Starting from the deputy company commander of the Soldier Assault Team

On the way to Bayi Academy, Wu Liu drove and said with some regret, "Deputy Company Commander, my squad leader and I couldn't participate in your award ceremony this morning. When we get back to the dormitory, you have to show us your medals."

Shi Jin chimed in, "Liu Yi is right. I wonder what it feels like to touch this first-class merit medal."

The two men were unable to go to the division auditorium in the morning because they had to lead their troops in the recruit training camp, which was a great regret for them.

"Okay, okay, I'll show you when we get back. See what it feels like to touch. It's made of copper, so it feels cool to the touch, right? See what it feels like."

"Deputy Company Commander, you, you..."

Shi Jin was speechless after Zhang Anbang's question, while Wu Liuyi burst into laughter.

The military jeep quickly turned onto Shayang Road and then headed straight for the Badaling Expressway.

According to the lunar calendar, it was just the beginning of the twelfth lunar month. Outside the car window, fields of farmland rushed past. The poplar trees on both sides of the highway had long since lost their leaves, and their bare branches stretched towards the blue sky like countless thin, bony fingers.

There weren't many cars on the highway, just a few large coal trucks slowly making their way in the driving lane. Another coal truck in the overtaking lane was trying hard to overtake, but ended up blocking both lanes side by side.

Beep— Beep!

Wu Liu pressed the horn a few times, but to no avail.

"The cars here are so disobedient; how can they occupy the overtaking lane for so long?"

Zhang Anbang didn't want to discourage him; this was nothing compared to what was to come. In later generations, if there weren't so many surveillance cameras and so many demerits, those who didn't follow the rules could completely block the road.

Two minutes passed, and the two coal trucks were still unable to determine a winner. Wu Liuyi turned the steering wheel to the right and veered into the emergency lane.

In this day and age, emergency lanes are mostly converted from the right-side hard shoulder. They are narrow and lack clear colored markings, separated from the driving lane only by a solid white line at the edge of the shoulder.

Some sections of the road are not even properly paved, making them prone to flooding and mud in rainy weather.

For civilian vehicles, the road is difficult, but for military jeeps paired with drivers trained in the military, it's almost like driving on flat ground.

The car arrived at the Shahe toll station smoothly. Wu Liuyi handed the three certificates and one form to the toll collector. After a quick verification, the barrier was lifted with a screeching metallic scraping sound.

After exiting the highway, not far along the road, Zhang Anbang was struck by the words "Shahe Meat Pie" on a large red metal sign by the roadside. "It's getting late, let's eat over there."

"Shahe meat pie, that's good, Deputy Company Commander. I've heard the Company Commander talk about it before. It's all freshly made, crispy on the outside and lots of meat inside. It's delicious."

……

The entrance examination for the correspondence courses at Bayi College officially ended at 3:30 p.m.

"How was the exam? Did you do well?" Zhang Anbang, who was waiting outside, asked as soon as Shi Jin and Wu Liuyi came out.

Shi Jin smiled and said, "It's alright. The questions are mostly in the materials you provided, Deputy Company Commander. I think passing shouldn't be a problem. How about you, Liu Yi?"

Wu Liuyi tugged at his collar and said, "There are two I don't know very well, but I filled in the blanks according to the answering techniques the deputy platoon leader told me. As for the specific result, I should pass."

In subjects like military topography, weapon principles, and basic tactical command, Wu Liuyi's grades were among the top in the company. His knowledge of weapon disassembly and assembly, and map reading and interpretation, seemed ingrained in his very being. While his answers to theoretical questions might not have been particularly eloquent, they were all packed with practical information.

However, when it comes to Chinese writing and political essay questions, well, everyone has their weaknesses...

"Okay, let's go back. We'll find a shop by the roadside to buy some things for our comrades. If we get back now, we can still make it for dinner."

Zhang Anbang waved his hand, signaling Wu Liuyi to drive. Although driving was fun, being a passenger was just as enjoyable.

……

Zhang Anbang originally planned to buy some roast ducks to take back and share with the soldiers. Although Zhang Anbang's salary was not low, more than a thousand yuan a month, even at the cheapest Likang Roast Duck Shop, a roast duck would cost seventy yuan.

With over a hundred recruits, even if each person only wanted some, they would still need to buy twenty or thirty roast ducks. Forget about Likang Roast Duck Shop, even the roast duck stalls in Zhixin Beili that sell them for sixty yuan a duck would be a struggle for them.

"June 1st, see that little shop over there? Stop the car and let's buy something."

Crunch!

The military jeep turned the wheel and came to a steady stop in front of the convenience store.

"Boss, do you have White Rabbit milk candy and hawthorn candy?" Zhang Anbang asked as he pushed open the door.

"Oh, it's a PLA comrade! We definitely have milk candy and hawthorn candy. We have bagged ones and loose ones. The bagged ones are 9 yuan per jin (500g), and the loose ones are 10 yuan per jin."

Loose hawthorn candy costs 4 yuan per jin (500g), and bagged hawthorn candy costs 6 yuan per bag (each bag weighs 1 jin).

The shop owner looked to be in his forties and had a very kind appearance.

"How many of these milk candies and hawthorn candies are there per pound, boss?" Zhang Anbang didn't know how many of these things were per pound, so he could only ask the boss.

He can afford this. He's the deputy company commander of both the Steel Seventh Company and the recruit company. We can't favor one over the other.

"Well, I wouldn't dare to say exactly how accurate it is. There are about 75 White Rabbit milk candies per pound, while fruit leather candies are a bit heavier, with more than 20 per pound."

Zhang Anbang quickly calculated in his mind the quantity he needed to buy. "Boss, give me ten bags of this bagged milk candy and fifteen bags of the fruit leather."

The Steel Seventh Company and the recruit company each received two portions, and he still had some left over. He could then use that money to reward the soldiers who made the most progress, which would be just right.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper exclaimed, "Wow, this PLA soldier is so generous! He's a big customer!" He replied, "Alright, PLA comrade, I'll weigh it for you right away. Please wait a moment."

The shopkeeper deftly took out milk candy and hawthorn candy from the container. "Comrade PLA soldier, what will you use to pack them? I also have nylon mesh bags here, one yuan each. Would you like to buy one?"

"No need for that. I'll just go to the car and get my backpack on June 1st." Zhang Anbang had planned to buy some things to take back before he went out, and a backpack was the most convenient option.

Wu Liuyi returned quickly with the backpack. The 25-pound bag was still half empty. The Type 91 backpack has a capacity of 60 liters even without expansion, and the capacity can reach 70 liters after expansion, which is more than enough to hold this much stuff.

"Is there anything you two want to buy?" Zhang Anbang turned around and looked at the two of them.

Shi Jin shook his head, but Wu Liuyi spoke up, "Boss, give me two packs of Daqianmen cigarettes, the soft pack is fine."

Zhang Anbang looked in the direction Wu Liuyi pointed and surprisingly found the cigarettes from his hometown.

"Hey boss, you sell white-grade military uniforms here? That's quite rare in Yanjing."

"Oh, this isn't something I bought myself. A relative from Shandong came to Yanjing on business and gave it to me. I just left it here and haven't put it away yet."

"Sell me these two. How much do you think is a good price?"

"This..." The shopkeeper was a little embarrassed. He had heard of these cigarettes. Some sold for four and a half yuan a pack, and some sold for five yuan a pack. It wasn't his stock, and the people who wanted to buy them were People's Liberation Army soldiers. He really didn't know how to set a price.

"Is there something wrong with you, boss? I'm also from Shandong, and I haven't been back to my hometown in a long time. I suddenly saw this cigarette and thought I'd buy some. This kind of thing isn't easy to buy in Beijing, but if it's too much trouble for you, then forget it."

As the saying goes, a gentleman does not take what others like. Zhang Anbang did not know that the boss was struggling with the price, and thought that he also liked to smoke this cigarette.

"It's alright, it's alright, PLA comrade. How about this, I'll charge you 45 yuan per piece, plus milk candy and hawthorn candy, making it a total of 270 yuan."

"Including those two packs of Daqianmen cigarettes, it's a total of two hundred and seventy-four. Please count it." Zhang Anbang took the cigarettes, counted the money, and handed it over. Luckily, he had waited until the two of them took their exams to withdraw the money, otherwise he really wouldn't have enough on him.

Wu Liuyi chuckled, "Deputy Company Commander, I won't stand on ceremony with you then."

"Alright, let's go."

Zhang Anbang opened a carton of cigarettes, gave two packs to Shi Jin and Wu Liuyi respectively, and put a pack in his own pocket.

This General Bai is really strong. In his past life, he loved to smoke this cigarette when he was tired from coding, but he's never smoked it in this life.

"Hey, Deputy Company Commander, that General Bai from your hometown is really strong," Wu Liuyi said, blowing out a smoke ring as he drove.

"It's definitely strong, but there are quite a few people who aren't used to it." When it comes to cigarettes, everyone has their own preference; some like strong ones, and some like thin ones.

The two began discussing the topic of cigarettes.

……

Shi Jin sat in the back seat, listening to the two men's lively conversation. He also smoked, but he wasn't addicted. He mostly smoked when he was under a lot of pressure or emotionally unstable.

He initially participated in the discussion about cigarettes, but later gave up and started looking out the window.

Outside the car window, several children were playing on the ice of a river near the village. Shi Jin smiled as he watched. He was from Northeast China, and they did this kind of thing a lot in winter, even ice fishing.

Suddenly, one of the children was missing from the river. Shi Jin thought he was seeing things, so he rubbed his eyes and turned around to look. "Stop the car at Liu Yi, Deputy Company Commander, something's happened."