Chapter 2

After much effort, it can be considered that the matter has been clarified

As soon as the words left my mouth, I immediately regretted it

As for the new recruits sitting inside the train, they seem to be somewhat less dignified

The quality of those extra actors is absolutely several times better than that of the performers outside the Beijing Film Academy!

I haven't even met them yet, and I've already been labeled as trash. What kind of formidable troops are they?

In comparison, that Second Lieutenant seems to really indulge the instructor, that First Lieutenant: "Old Shang, Old Shang, what can we do? The cultural troupe said it was disbanded, can’t you just consider it a favor for a brother?"

I still remember that one of the lieutenants, who was about my size, spoke to me in a cold, deep Beijing accent: "Do you know what you're talking about? Rookie, are you tired of living?"

I truly do not know

I suddenly saw four or five lieutenants springing out from behind the instructor, all with the ranks of 1st Lieutenant and 2nd Lieutenant, their eyes ablaze with intensity

But that day, I will remember for the rest of my life; I was truly terrified, a fear that seeped from my very bones

My elder brother, Kuang Ming

After all, I was older at that time, having spent some days in entertainment venues, so I was considerably more experienced in certain matters than those brothers who were only seventeen or eighteen years old

At that time, I truly was quite reckless

Upon arriving in Turpan, I was jolted awake from my drunken stupor by several heavy slaps on the ear. Groggily, I followed the person in front of me and boarded a large passenger bus

I have never heard of such a unit before

Then, the instructor waved at me and said, "Come here!"

Everyone has seen in movies how the revolutionary martyrs, before facing execution, are met with a crowd outside that weeps like a mountain and roars like a tsunami, with handkerchiefs or towels covering their eyes as they wail at the top of their lungs

There is no other way; I can only grit my teeth and teach those brothers to howl

Ah?

When the three individuals were foolishly at a loss as to what to do, I saw my instructor

Damn it, if you have the ability to see what I wrote, come to Hunan. This time it's my turn to deal with you, right

After getting on the vehicle, I experienced what it means to bid farewell before setting off

As soon as the train started, my heart inexplicably swayed for a moment

I will remember him for the rest of my life

I have been navigating society for a few years now, and as for this... small fights and brawls, I have to say that with my build, I have never really been afraid of anyone.

Fortunately, the instructor was once a warrior under General Xu, known for his fighting spirit and fearlessness in battle. He shares the same standard of evaluation as General Xu—if one can drink, one can fight. Even if their skills are lacking due to insufficient training, at least they possess courage. This soldier is certainly reliable!

This Xinjiang seems to be at the edge of China, it is estimated that it would take about five or six days to get there

It was quite easy; a whole carriage of brothers had learned two songs. The train was approaching the borders of Xinjiang, and suddenly, that fellow Xia Mi's expression changed dramatically. He scurried back and forth in the carriage like a rat, and his gaze towards the three of us became unsettling.

At that moment, I felt that the guy at least first gathered his energy in the dantian, and then resonated through the chest cavity, abdominal cavity, and cranial cavity before letting out the first cry, much like the beautiful opening of that chubby guy who was afraid of the tiles falling. Moreover, even those few lines of scolding carried the flavor of Peking opera's rhythmic recitation, which is definitely a skill only a professionally trained Peking opera actor could possess

Ask Xia Mi, that fellow simply ignores me. Anyway, since getting on the train, Xia Mi has had a seriously punchable face, and he is no longer as enthusiastic, gentle, and understanding as he was when he was trying to persuade me to join the army.

Isn't that just the work of digging tunnels

Having hit a snag, and with nothing else to do, I turned to that giant fellow and said, "Brother, we are now in the same boat. At home, we rely on our parents; when we go out, we depend on our friends; but in the future, we will rely on each other. Please take care of me, brother. What is your surname?"

Looking at the elders, looking at brothers, looking at sisters, especially those with red eyes who are crying incessantly, looking at those brothers' eyes also turned red, and a few of them started to cry as well

Upon closer examination of that guy's overall style, one suddenly realizes a commonality!

What else?

Seeing that Xiami was not around, I quickly lit a cigarette for the guy who was crying and said, "Brother, are you a local from Cold River? Looking at your demeanor, you shouldn't be an ordinary soldier. Are you a literary soldier?"

It seems that this guy is just like me and that giant fool, both of us are long-haired freaks, at least we are not sporting that buzz cut hairstyle

That guy spent ten wonderful months with me in the same large room

Fine, I won't serve anymore! It's just the Xi'an Conservatory of Music, I don't care!

The instructor glanced at me a few times and suddenly shouted at the several lieutenants near the map: "Get back! What business do you have here?"

The sky is overcast with thick gray clouds, and a gentle north wind blows, carrying a hint of chill, yet it fails to disperse the pervasive gloom.

On what basis is that justified

There is no need to mention those who are more talented and versatile than I am

Upon closer inspection of the luggage beside this fellow, in addition to the standard-issue military travel bag and similar items, there is surprisingly a large musical instrument case.

The vehicle arrived at Dachai Gou, and that fellow suddenly pulled us to the connection point of the carriage, looking serious as he said to us: "We have just received a notification that the art troupe is to be disbanded immediately. As compensation for you, you can choose the unit you will serve in. You can either join the engineering troops or... go to the special forces, but it depends on whether you can endure until the end of the training! Before the vehicle reaches Turpan, you must make a decision!"

But that is just a feigned cry; these common people are truly crying

First is that scene

It was only later that I realized, when I was on the street wielding a blade and attacking people, I thought I was quite formidable. However, compared to those uncles and brothers who had come down from the battlefields of the Vietnam War...

Have you ever seen a mouse that can strangle a cat

You scoundrel, Kuang Ming

I miss you, my brother

Isn't this a ghost?

But I do not know

The loudspeakers at the station were passionately broadcasting military songs, but it seemed that they had been operating beyond their capacity for many years. As a result, the voice was somewhat hoarse, lacking in strength, and it strained to sing the military songs to the point of being hoarse and hysterical

For example, tigers and the like, especially those that have consumed human blood

The art troupe has been replaced by the engineering troops

That giant's friend is surnamed Jiang and is called Jiang Kuan. His grandfather was a graduate of the Whampoa Military Academy, but he didn't get to fight in many battles before the nationwide liberation, and his grandfather ended up becoming a prisoner of the People's Liberation Army. Therefore, due to certain historical reasons, the elder of their family was unable to serve in the military. In this generation, in order to fulfill a wish of his grandfather, he has tried every possible means to wear a full military uniform

At that time, I truly did not understand the rules of the military! I actually rushed over with a straight face and shouted at the instructor: "Who are you calling trash? Did I, the literary soldier, step on your tail?"

This Xi'an Conservatory of Music, I fear, is rather mysterious

Roughly speaking, the farewell at the train station is akin to the behavior depicted in the illustrations of this book

If I had some basic knowledge about the military, or if I had known that my instructor was a fierce general who had once been honored with a drink by General Xu, I truly would not have dared to accept that jar of liquor

The old walls are either stained with water or cracked, and the trains transporting troops are filled with fresh recruits in brand new vests. Moreover, the trains themselves look as if they haven't been cleaned in ages, giving the impression that once they set out, they might not return.

You see, I won't stop until I knock you down and then give you a few hard slaps back and forth

I rely on ... ...

How can one describe that farewell scene

At the very least, I can still sit calmly in my seat, watching the show while also assessing which brother's fiancée is more presentable.

Except for a few older brothers who appeared to carry a somewhat melancholic expression reminiscent of the phrase "the winds are bleak and the waters of the Yi River are cold; a hero departs and may not return for years," the younger brothers were all stretching their necks to look out the window

I wonder if there are still people who can transform the sorrow of crying into an artistic expression

Fortunately, I drank that jar of wine, which poured down my throat with a full-bodied flavor reminiscent of boldness and bravado.

A long journey from Hunan to Xinjiang

They are all engaged in vocal music, and their vocal abilities are definitely superior to mine. Although they may not be as tall as I am, their confidence is clearly stronger than mine. ... After all, I come from a rough background and smoke a cigarette every day ...

I haven't spoken yet, when that big guy's brother quickly interjected, saying that both of us are! I dance modern dance, he sings, what do you do?

The farthest I ever traveled was during the winter and summer vacations when I accompanied my mother back to Shanghai to visit my grandparents. Even the two-day and one-night train journey made me feel quite uncomfortable.

I am a rogue who sings in a karaoke bar; do I know what an army is? Do I understand the hierarchy of military ranks, the distinction between veterans and recruits? Am I aware of the valiant warriors who have fought their way out of mountains of corpses and rivers of blood?

Those that are priced at 0.1 and 0.12 should not be considered cats; at most, they are just felids

Then the brother nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes, I am not an ordinary soldier; I am a literary soldier. Looking at your conduct and appearance, you are also literary soldiers"

At that moment, my heart felt completely cold

It has been many years since the victory in the War of Resistance, and the little devils have been driven away, probably never daring to come to China again. Should I go dig a tunnel?

After thinking it over, I can only recall a bit about studying Lei Feng and similar topics from wwwhetushu.com. That fool Yang Ke actually laid down on the table and wrote down the lyrics, even managing to produce the simplified musical notation. It seems he intends to give those brothers a thorough review of music theory.

It is truly strange; looking at those brothers, they all seem quite intelligent, yet singing appears to be something they cannot quite master. Especially the few tall and strong brothers, one wonders whether their lack of pitch is intentional or simply a natural inability. Upon returning from target practice, they turned their howls into heavy metal rock, transforming the victorious feeling of returning from the shooting range into a tragic and desolate scene reminiscent of defeated soldiers meeting their doom.

I do not know if you brothers have ever seen the gaze of an eagle? That gaze of an eagle that has been kicked by an ignorant rabbit?

At that time, I was just a rat, living in the city without ever having seen the blue sky or green fields, and I had never even seen cows or sheep, just a rat in the sewer.

This is quite far from home...

This is quite good. Among the three artistic soldiers, two joined the army due to women, while the other, Jiang Kuan, donned the military uniform to fulfill the dreams of the elders in his family. Strictly speaking, the motivations for the three of us to enlist are truly worth pondering deeply.

The person in front of me is exactly the one who speaks fluent Beijing dialect with a distinct accent

To speak honestly, the local customs in Hunan are fierce, and young people full of vigor often resort to brandishing machetes in the streets over minor disagreements

Then the giant grandson hadn't spoken yet, and the guy who was almost crying suddenly shouted, "What am I supposed to do... I fear my cousin might be pregnant with my child..."

Fortunately, that fellow Xia Mi discovered the problem early and simply told us that we could just teach it without making it so formal. Then the two of us stood at both ends of the carriage and began to shout.

It is estimated that at that time the instructor did not see the three of us, and even if he had seen us, he would not have known that we were the artistic soldiers with the bird feathers. The instructor was currently engaged in a stare-down with someone who had the rank of 22nd Army.

I do not know about Jiang Kuan, but that giant grandson of a guy has always refused to reveal what he felt at that moment. In any case, Yang Ke later told me that at that time, he felt a sudden darkness before his eyes and almost fell right in front of that shrimp fellow.

Throughout the journey, there was hardly any conversation, as everyone was still not very familiar with each other. We simply sat in the car and transferred vehicles. That fellow, Xia Mi, is truly a cunning businessman. He saw that both Yang Ke and I are involved in vocal music and suggested that we teach those brothers some military tunes during the trip, even specifically asking us to sing some revolutionary songs.

At that moment, every hair on my body stood on end, and my teeth involuntarily began to chatter.

I must say that the train station back then, along with the weather at that time, was truly suitable for filming a television drama depicting farewell scenes

The guy who keeps crying is named Yang Ke, and his family is considered a prominent family in the local area. Moreover, this young man is the only male heir in the family, with thirty acres of land and a single seedling. If it weren't for the fact that he somehow got involved with a girl six years older than him, which his family vehemently opposed, they would have had to resort to sending him to the military to sever ties with her. Otherwise, it is likely that this fellow would never have donned a military uniform.

That brother took my cigarette but didn't bring it to his mouth. It seems like he smokes, but he smokes less to protect his throat. He said that my main profession is playing the erhu, and I can also play the saxophone. At the same time, I am a singer

Amidst the rhythmic clanging of the train, the instructor's accent from Henan was particularly clear: "No! I absolutely refuse! What kind of artistic soldier is this? If they can last three days under my command, I will write my name backwards! Originally, there were not many new recruits this time, and yet you send me these nonsensical things. Do you think my place is a garbage dump?"

Special Forces

I took the jug of wine in one hand and downed it in one go

I followed the instructor to another compartment, watching as he picked up a bottle of Jian Nan Chun, took the lid of an iron thermos, filled it to the brim with liquor, and handed it to me, saying: "Drink!"

Especially when that guy Xiami was shouting that the train was about to depart and everyone should close the windows and pay attention to safety, I casually forcefully pushed aside a girl hanging on the arm of a brother who was almost crying, and after closing the window, I arrogantly lit up a long Jian brand cigarette, only to have it snatched from my mouth by that rascal Xiami.

I remember that it did not depart from the city where I lived, but rather from a place called something like Cold River. It is said to be related to some recruitment quotas or similar issues

So, after I lay down, the instructor, grumbling, grabbed the files of Jiang Kuan and Yang Ke along with mine, and while continuing to grumble, pointed at me, who was already dead drunk, instructing someone to cover me with a coat to prevent me from freezing to death