He was so persuasive that he actually practiced extraordinary

Zhang Beixing, who had been sent down to the farm, stretched lazily in bed, comfortably stretched his arms, rubbed his eyes, looked at the empty dormitory, and then slowly got up to wash up.

A month ago, Zhang Beixing returned to China from Bugangtiya and was immediately picked up by Fan Tianlei and taken to the military region.

Without saying a word, they imposed a two-week strict lockdown.

Following this, after investigation and deliberation by the military region, Zhang Beixing was given a major demerit. His military rank remained unchanged for the time being, but all his positions were revoked. This is why Zhang Beixing ended up at the farm.

However, Zhang Beixing was not upset, after all, he had left the country without permission, and the punishment was already light enough.

Moreover, with plenty of leisure time on the farm, Zhang Beixing, who hadn't had a chance to seriously enjoy reading for a long time, was even more delighted to have some free time.

The moment the transfer order was issued, Zhang Beixing happily packed his bags and left the Wolf Fang Special Operations Brigade.

He Chenguang and the others were reluctant to leave. If Zhang Beixing hadn't strictly forbidden it, they probably would have moved the entire Red Cell Base here.

Two weeks have passed in the blink of an eye.

What a wonderful and leisurely time...

Zhang Beixing filled a basin with water, washed his face, and then squeezed on toothpaste to start brushing his teeth.

At six o'clock sharp, just as the new recruits returned from morning exercises, Zhang Beixing, with a toothbrush in his mouth and a toothbrush cup in his hand, leaned against the door and greeted the squad leader with a smile.

"Squad leader, how many times have I told you? I'm here to be educated. Why didn't you call me for morning exercises?"

"Don't you consider me one of your own?"

Wang Wei walked over with an awkward smile and gave a salute.

"Sir, please don't joke with me. How could I dare? If I really dared to order you around, those special forces soldiers would have killed me that day..."

"How could that be?" Zhang Beixing raised an eyebrow and said, "Look at what you're saying. We're all brothers, don't be so formal. I'm just a new recruit now, I'll train the way I'm supposed to!"

Wang Wei smiled and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, you're right."

Smiling on the outside, cursing under their breath.

I don't believe you for a second, you're a really bad guy!
Zhang Beixing had no intention of giving him special treatment; it was just that the class monitor was too reserved, so Zhang Beixing didn't deliberately make things difficult for him.

"Forget about the training, but call me when you're working. It's too boring to just read all day. I've recently learned some new skills, but I haven't had time to try them out yet... By the way, what are you guys doing today?"

Wang Wei answered honestly, "The ducks in the duck shed haven't laid eggs for several days, and the yield has decreased by 30%. We invited an expert to come and take a look today."

"If you're interested, sir, how about we go together after breakfast?" the squad leader asked tentatively.

Zhang Beixing was bored, and upon hearing this, he immediately agreed with a cheerful smile.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

The farm has a dedicated duck farm, which also raises chickens and geese. The farm is quite large, and each area is divided into sections.

The problem this time involved more than 5,000 female ducks at the duck farm.

The special forces of the Southeast Military Region rely on the eggs laid by these local ducks for their daily protein intake, in addition to chicken eggs. Duck eggs are highly nutritious, and their production depends entirely on them.

Zhang Beixing and Wang Wei arrived at the duck farm together. Just by looking at Wang Wei's furrowed brows, it wasn't hard to guess that the recent drop in duck egg production was quite serious.

Production cut by 30%. Optimists might think, "It's only 30% less, there's still 70% left, what's the rush?"

Actually, that's not the case. If an average of four thousand female ducks lay eggs every day, and each duck lays two eggs a day, then that's eight thousand eggs a day.

A 30% reduction in production means 2,400 fewer duck eggs per day!
This amount is quite substantial, and it adds up to a considerable sum in money. But that's not the crux of the problem—currently only a portion of the ducks are not laying eggs, but the number of ducks not laying eggs is increasing every day.

If a large-scale production stoppage occurs, it would be a dereliction of duty on the part of the farm soldiers, and they would never have a future.

On the surface, it's a matter of duck eggs, but in reality, it's about one's future.

No wonder Wang Wei looked extremely anxious, with several blisters on the corners of his mouth.

The duck shed was huge, and as soon as you entered, a strong smell of duck manure hit you. It wasn't that the soldiers weren't diligent in cleaning; it was just that there were so many ducks that even a god couldn't keep up with the workload.

The two walked around the duck pen, Wang Wei looking preoccupied.

Zhang Beixing was initially quite interested, but after walking around for a while, he became dizzy and lightheaded from the smell inside, and his enthusiasm was almost completely dampened. He decided to just continue slacking off.

When the two returned to the door, the livestock expert Wang Wei had mentioned finally arrived late.

"Squad Leader Wang, I'm so sorry, something came up at the duck farm back home, that's why I'm late."

Upon seeing the experts arrive, Wang Wei finally smiled and quickly went to greet them.

"It's not too late, it's good that you came. Old Li, come in quickly and take a look at me."

The middle-aged man, whom Wang Wei called Old Li, smiled and replied, "Okay, let's go in and take a look. But let me make this clear first, I'm not some big expert from the city, so I can't guarantee whether my assessment will be good or not."

"Hey, you're being modest, aren't you?" Wang Wei pulled Lao Li into the duck shed, not forgetting to flatter him as they walked. "You're much more useful than those so-called experts. After all these years, there's still something you can't figure out? If you do, I'll treat you to a special meal at the military canteen."

"Hey, good!"

The two walked inside, chatting and laughing.

Zhang Beixing looked up and realized that the expert Wang Wei had mentioned was actually a farmer who raised livestock in the mountains near the military region. The person he had sought help from was none other than Old Li.

Old Li seemed to have rushed over, and it was true that he had something to do at home. He was very approachable, wearing only a t-shirt with black grime stuck to his rolled-up trousers, it was hard to tell if it was feces or mud, and he didn't even have time to change his clothes.

But Wang Wei clearly trusted him completely. Over the years of serving in the army at the farm, the two had become close friends, sharing everything and developing a strong bond between the military and civilians.

It must be said that the development of China over the past five thousand years has always been inseparable from the wisdom of the vast number of farmers.

It seems that this old Li is really capable; otherwise, Wang Wei wouldn't have acted like he'd seen a savior the moment he saw him.

"Hey, this young man looks unfamiliar. Old Wang, are you a new recruit from your farm?"

Upon seeing Zhang Beixing, Old Li greeted him warmly.

When he heard this question, Wang Wei suddenly remembered that Zhang Beixing was still watching from the side. He looked embarrassed and didn't know how to answer.

New recruits?

Yes, he is indeed a new recruit, but his rank is many levels higher than that of his squad leader. How is he supposed to introduce him?
Wang Wei looked conflicted, unsure how to begin.

Zhang Beixing didn't care about these trivial matters. He reached out and shook hands with Expert Li to show goodwill, laughing heartily.

"Yes, Hello Teacher Li, I'm new here. I'm fortunate to learn from you two today, so please don't hold back. Our farm is counting on you."

"Haha, no problem, no problem." It was the first time Old Li had been called "teacher," and he was overjoyed.

Zhang Beixing's actions weren't intentional; he simply felt that the wisdom of farmers was inherently worthy of respect, and it was only natural. The three of them went into the duck shed together, and under Wang Wei's guidance, inspected each duck to find out where the problem lay.

Zhang Beixing has been free lately and has been exploring various topics, including reading books on aquaculture.

Inside the duck pen, the mother ducks huddled in a circle, pecking incessantly at the grains of rice in the trough, looking rather listless. However, as soon as the footsteps of the group grew louder, their pecking quickened noticeably, as if startled.

Zhang Beixing asked, "Could it be that there's something wrong with the feed lately?"

Old Li, who was inspecting a female duck, did not answer Zhang Beixing's question directly, but turned to look at Wang Wei.

"Old Wang, is this the same feed that Old Yang's family sent you?"

Wang Wei nodded: "Yes, it hasn't been changed. It's been used for so many years, it shouldn't be a problem with the feed, right?"

With a serious attitude, Old Li reached into the duck trough, took out a handful of feed, rubbed it in his hand, and then held it to his nose to smell it carefully.

After a long pause, he replied, "The feed is not damp, the ingredient ratio is normal, and the corn and soybean meal inside are good, so it shouldn't be a problem with the feed."

As he spoke, Old Li's brows furrowed tightly, looking somewhat troubled.

"It's hard to say, I can't figure out what's going on either."

Wang Wei was getting anxious: "Oh? What should we do then..."

"Don't worry, it's not a problem with the feed, nor is it a disease problem. This is a good thing."

Wang Wei nodded, breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "Oh, that's good. I'm relieved that you're not sick. But this can't go on forever."

Old Li glanced around the duck pen and sighed.

"If only ducks could talk. I'm at my wit's end. I'll see how things go in a few days."

what?
Can ducks talk?

Upon hearing this, Zhang Beixing was taken aback.

He hadn't thought of this before, but after Lao Li mentioned it, a flash of inspiration struck Zhang Beixing.

Speaking of which... ducks also have two wings, so they can be considered a type of bird, right?

I guess so? Maybe, yeah, definitely!

Old Li, whom Squad Leader Wang Wei regarded as a lifeline, frowned. After circling the duck shed several times, he still had no clue. He only said that he would go home and prepare some medicine to help the female ducks digest their food, and then see how things went in a few days.

Seeing that even Lao Li, whom he had been clinging to as a lifeline, was at a loss, Wang Wei's face grew even more gloomy.

Zhang Beixing accompanied Wang Wei to see Lao Li off. After they were out of sight, Squad Leader Wang simply plopped down on the ground and couldn't help but sigh.

"Sigh, looks like I'll have to call someone from above to handle this. But if that happens, I probably won't be able to leave the farm before I'm discharged. I can't even do this kind of work well, how can I have the nerve to apply for a combat unit..."

Squad Leader Wang sighed and lamented for a long time, feeling sorry for himself and complaining about the unfairness of fate.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Beixing couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Squad leader, I didn't realize you had such a strong desire to be a soldier."

Upon hearing Zhang Beixing address him as class monitor, Wang Wei was startled and immediately snapped to attention. He jumped up from the ground and waved his hand at Zhang Beixing.

"Sir, what time is it? Please stop making fun of me."

Wang Wei said with a resentful look, "You're a colonel, and you always make me the squad leader. Is that appropriate...?"

Seeing that Wang Wei was genuinely worried and anxious about the reduced duck egg production, Zhang Beixing felt embarrassed to continue teasing him. However, Wang Wei continued answering the question from before.

“It’s not a matter of ambition or not. It’s mainly because I’m a man. If I’m going to join the army, I’m definitely not here to raise ducks.” Wang Wei sighed wistfully. “What if, when I’m discharged and go home, the villagers ask me what high-ranking officer I was in the army? I can’t exactly say that I was a duck herder for ten years, can I?”

"puff……"

Zhang Beixing couldn't help but burst out laughing.

No, wait, the word "duck farmer" actually sounds quite sophisticated.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zhang Beixing caught a glimpse of Squad Leader Wang staring at him with a resentful expression. Feeling a little embarrassed, he waved his hands repeatedly and patiently explained.

"Well, I don't usually make fun of people unless I can't help it..."

It would have been better if he hadn't explained; hearing this explanation only made Wang Wei, who was already full of worries, turn even darker.

Zhang Beixing scratched his head and gave a slightly apologetic smile.

Oops, I think I just accidentally hurt someone's feelings again.

However, Zhang Beixing genuinely didn't mean to mock him. Being a duck farmer is fine, what's wrong with that?

It's a skill I learned in the army, after all!
Are you afraid of being laughed at for making a living with your own skills?
Although Wang Wei was full of worries and somewhat resentful of his usual position and work, Zhang Beixing didn't think much of it.

As the military says, all officers and soldiers at the grassroots level are equal, and there is no distinction of rank or status.

Besides, even after elite soldiers in combat units retire, they may not necessarily live a more comfortable life than ordinary people. They might even envy technical soldiers like Wang Wei.

Getting back to the point, Zhang Beixing suddenly looked at Wang Wei and said seriously.

"Alright then, I won't call you squad leader, and you shouldn't call me commander either. This farm is so big, we see each other all the time, what's the point of calling each other like that?"

Wang Wei muttered to himself, "It's pretty boring..."

Zhang Beixing laughed heartily and patted Wang Wei's shoulder forcefully: "That's right, the most important thing is for us marginal people to be happy."

Edge, periphery, people, things!

Upon hearing these words, Wang Wei's recently cheerful mood was once again stabbed, and he fell silent again.

Although I knew Zhang Beixing was joking, sometimes, the truth that is unintentionally revealed in a joke is more hurtful!

Zhang Beixing coughed lightly. He didn't know why, but lately he seemed to be going down a path of hurtful words with no turning back. So he quickly changed the subject.

"Old Wang, do you think a female duck counts as a type of bird?"

Zhang Beixing asked this question simply to change the subject, not wanting to hurt Lao Wang's already wounded heart even more.

Unexpectedly, Wang Wei became incredibly energetic upon hearing this question.

"Of course! Let me explain in detail!" (End of Chapter)