Starting from the deputy company commander of the Soldier Assault Team

Zhang Anbang also stood up. "Liu Yi, I remember you two are from the same hometown, right? Let's chat a bit more and catch up."

After saying that, he walked out of the small canteen.

Around the military green dining table, only three people remained: Shi Jin and Wu Liuyi on the left, and Cheng Cai on the right.

Shi Jin smiled and said, "Hey Cheng Cai, you're the host here in Class 5 of the Grassland, why don't you show us around your territory?"

Wu Liuyi agreed, "The squad leader is right. I've only been here a few days and I've already heard about 936's reputation. Back when we were being selected, we even hid in the kitchen here in the middle of the night. We should really take a look around."

Cheng Cai nodded. "Okay, if you two old squad leaders are interested, I'll take you around and give us some feedback so we can make further improvements."

Upon hearing this, Wu Liuyi burst out laughing, "Haha, it's actually a bit strange to see you like this now."

Cheng Cai led the two around all the Fifth Squad's camps, talking slowly as they went. Shi Jin and Wu Liuyi also offered some small suggestions based on their own experience.

Cheng Cai is doing very well now, but Shi Jin and Wu Liuyi, having served in the army for many years, naturally noticed some minor flaws.

Finally, they arrived at the fifth squad's kitchen. Looking at the much tidier kitchen, Wu Liuyi couldn't help but ask, "Chengcai, do you remember the steamed buns from that night?"

"I remember, how could I not remember?" Cheng Cai gave a bitter smile. "Squad Leader Wu, I will never forget that steamed bun in my life. When I first came back, I ate steamed buns, and sometimes, sometimes I felt like I was choking on them."

Wu Liuyi patted Cheng Cai on the shoulder and changed the subject, saying, "Let's go, let's go take another look at the road that Xu Sanduo built back then, and see what it looks like now."

As the three talked, they walked to the five-pointed star that Xu Sanduo had built.

Wu Liuyi rummaged in his pocket. "Chengcai, you're really not smoking anymore? Let me tell you, this is a cigarette that the deputy company commander got from his father-in-law. It's Yellow Crane Tower Soft Treasure. You can hardly buy it in the capital."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Cai recalled his naive act of offering cigarettes to the company commander and platoon leader.

Honghe was given to squad leaders, deputy squad leaders, and key non-commissioned officers, while Chuncheng was distributed to fellow soldiers and ordinary comrades.

Because of this, Bai Tiejun often teased him with his words, but he didn't care at all. Instead, he told Bai Tiejun, "Give it back to me if you don't smoke it."

Looking back now, Bai Tiejun was right to say that Gan Xiaoning looked down on him, but he simply didn't understand at the time.

In the military, especially in frontline units, they don't care what kind of cigarettes you smoke; what they care about is whether you're willing to lend a hand to your comrades on the training field.

When faced with urgent and difficult tasks, are you willing to shoulder some of the burden for others? When on guard duty, do you remember to change shifts and tuck in your comrades' blankets? Do you not hold grudges or discriminate based on rank when it comes to matters?

He used to think that good cigarettes were a stepping stone, and that by offering them out in three different tiers, he could win the favor of his superiors and pave his own way. But he forgot the rule ingrained in the Seventh Company: never abandon or give up.

Cigarettes may be expensive or cheap, but comrades are equal regardless of rank. Nobody cares about the pack of Tashan cigarettes in his pocket. What people value is honesty, reliability, and the confidence to entrust their backs to someone they can trust.

Xu Sanduo's willingness to open up to him and his constant concern for him were never based on his cleverness, but on their genuine friendship built up over childhood.

He divided the people around him into different classes by offering cigarettes, seemingly being shrewd and resourceful, but in reality, he built a thick wall between himself and the company.

What disheartened everyone was never the quality of the cigarettes, but the calculating nature of the treatment of people based on their status, the focus on those who were useful to him, and the treatment of ordinary comrades as insignificant strangers. That's why he never made any friends.

The bonds forged in the military are never built on cigarettes and alcohol, but on the strength to lend a helping hand when someone falls behind during a five-kilometer run, and the responsibility to shield the other from falling rocks in a tactical ditch.

It's about sharing a meal, whether you're a new recruit or a veteran, an officer or a soldier, and taking on all the hardships together.

Now, having suffered a great loss and stumbled badly, he has come to realize his true self in the face of life and death. He finally understands that no matter how good the cigarettes are, they cannot buy the trust of sharing life and death, and no matter how clever the politeness, it cannot compare to a real act of protection in a moment of crisis.

Bringing himself back to reality, Cheng Cai waved his hand. "Squad Leader Wu, I've really quit. I'm not smoking anymore."

"Alright, then I guess I'll miss out on the good food," Wu Liuyi said without insisting. He lit a cigarette, smoked it, and looked at the scenery in the distance.

Shi Jin looked at Cheng Cai, who was squatting on the ground and not talking, but instead writing and drawing on the ground, and asked, "Cheng Cai, what are you thinking about? The company commander said that if he reports you as an outstanding marksman, he will definitely report you."

"Anything the company commander said was no longer under discussion, I haven't seen any changes so far."

"Old squad leader, I know," Cheng Cai stretched out his finger and drew on the ground, which was his own name. "Cheng Cai, Cheng Cai, my name is Cheng Cai, I don't know what kind of talent I want to become."

In the past, I was always thinking about being better than others. Whoever was better than me, I had to surpass them. I was already better than others, but I still wanted to be even better. I was always tense, and the tension kept getting tighter and tighter.

Returning here, I've learned two words: contentment. I've discovered that the sky is actually blue, the air is fresh, and the grasslands are actually green. Before, I lived a life that was so barren and unrealistic.

Wu Liuyi smiled. "That's right. It seems you've really settled down there. What are your thoughts on that place now?"

"That's all," Cheng Cai shook his head. "I used to hate him for kicking me out. I felt that the deputy company commander was heartless. I said they didn't understand me. Now I realize that they understood me too well."

"That's good," Wu Liuyi stubbed out his cigarette. "Chengcai, you're doing well now, really well, but you still haven't fully grasped those six words."

Never abandon, never give up – this applies not only to comrades-in-arms, not only to one's own bottom line, kindness, and principles, but also to oneself.

After you suffered a major setback, you rediscovered your bottom line and principles, but then you decided to retire and go back to your hometown. Isn't that also giving up on yourself?

Alright, think it over carefully. The army needs excellent marksmen, and the company commander has recommended you. Just do your job well and don't embarrass yourself. Remember, you came from the Steel Seventh Company.

Alright, I'm going now, going back to sleep.

Shi Jin and Wu Liuyi gradually walked away, leaving Cheng Cai still squatting in the same spot. After a long while, he nodded heavily and said almost imperceptibly, "Okay, I'll remember."

Halfway there, Shi Jin turned to look at Wu Liu and smiled happily.

This left Wu Liuyi a little confused. "Squad leader, what's wrong? What did you remember? Why are you laughing so happily?"