Rejecting Qinghua Baoyan, I became a military officer

The fat boss was quite a character. After seeing that Xu Ye and the others had taken the liquor, he told his wife to bring up two cold dishes for them to enjoy with their drinks.

In Henan Province, not only during the Qingming Festival, but also in the dead of winter, there will still be cold dishes.

Cold dishes are the soul of Henan cuisine.

"Boss, let's grab a drink later!" Chen Chen said without hesitation.

One of the reasons we came here to eat was because of the chubby boss. When we were in school, the chubby boss was very enthusiastic and generous. He would take the lead without us even having to ask.

Stone Restaurant is a small eatery, run by a husband and wife, earning only a meager living through hard work. The only thing to say is that the chubby owner is generous.

It is precisely because of this that, despite the many small restaurants near No. 1 High School, the three of them still preferred Shitou Restaurant the most. The taste was secondary; they simply liked the chubby owner's character.

Several years have passed, and the chubby boss is still the same chubby boss, except that he seems to have gotten a little fatter, but nothing else has changed.

"Then I'll benefit from this!"

The chubby boss's cheerful voice came from the kitchen.

Clearly, he also noticed that Chen Chen had brought in all the good wine. After all, it's rare for a cook not to drink. The fat boss would drink a little when he had nothing to do, so naturally he couldn't resist the temptation of good wine.

"I'll be waiting for you!" Chen Chen shouted back.

"Alright, you guys drink first, I'll start cooking!" the chubby boss said loudly.

As a result, the sounds of woks being tossed around in the kitchen became even faster.

"Fill it up?"

Zhang Guicheng opened the bottle Xu Ye had bought, took out three disposable cups, and looked at Xu Ye, unsure of Xu Ye's current alcohol tolerance.

"I'm easygoing, you decide." Xu Ye said nonchalantly, "But are you guys going to work tomorrow?"

"It's alright, I can just take a day off!" Zhang Guicheng said.

There haven't been any major cases in the bureau lately, so if I've had too much to drink, I can just ask for leave tomorrow.

My master is the captain, so he has this little bit of privilege. At most, he'll get a few words of scolding.

"I'm taking leave too!" Chen Chen added.

Zhang Guicheng was worried about being scolded, but in their bureau, the section chief was practically on friendly terms with him, and a simple greeting was enough; he didn't even need to ask for leave.

"I'm not leaving tomorrow!" Xu Ye said with a smile.

Even if they could drink two jin of liquor, even if Xu Ye didn't cheat, he could still outdrink them with his own strength.

A capacity of two jin (1 kg) of liquor may seem like bragging, but such people are not uncommon in Henan Province.

"Alright, let's drink to our hearts' content!" Zhang Guicheng said, starting to pour the wine, filling each of the two-ounce disposable cups to the brim.

It's been years since we last met; everything is in the wine.

"By the way, Xu Ye, how many days can you stay?"

Zhang Guicheng put down the wine bottle and casually asked a question.

"We'll see, it's not certain yet!" Xu Ye reached for a glass of wine.

When he returned from the capital, he had already asked for leave from his division and was not in a hurry to go back.

Xu Ye served the wine quickly and steadily, without spilling a single drop.

In contrast, Chen Chen was extremely cautious, afraid of spilling it.

"Xu Ye, your hand is so steady!"

"A true expert can see the skill," Zhang Guicheng said with some envy. "Needless to say, your shooting skills must be very high."

"I'm not bragging, but when it comes to shooting, I should be number one in the country!" Xu Ye said casually.

That's no exaggeration. Xu Ye hasn't spent any time leveling up his shooting skills; he's earned them through sheer hard work. With his current skill level and the minimum skill requirement, Xu Ye truly deserves to be called the number one in the country when it comes to shooting.

While others can deliver exceptional performances, none are as consistent as Xu Ye. The key is that the consistently strong Xu Ye can also deliver exceptional performances, and he does so even more often. Who can compare to that?

"Great!"

"Brilliant!"

The two of them exclaimed in unison.

Suspect?
Without those news reports and those first-class merit plaques, it would definitely be bragging between brothers.

But that's not the key point!
Xu Ye's words are the truth!

"So, what does it feel like to shoot a gun?"

Before Zhang Guicheng could speak, Chen Chen asked curiously.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, many schools have eliminated live-fire shooting from their military training programs.

Clearly, Chen Chen missed it.

"Aim, fire, bang! Hit the target! That's it!" Zhang Guicheng said smugly.

He graduated from the Public Security University and became a policeman, so he was naturally familiar with shooting.

"Tch, I already know all that even if you don't tell me!" Chen Chen retorted, then looked at Xu Ye with some eagerness: "Xu Ye, could you..."

Few men dislike firearms, especially someone like Chen Chen who has no worries about making a living; he's even more curious about them.

Chen Chen didn't have the chance before, but now that Xu Ye was right in front of him and the topic had come up again, he naturally didn't want to let it go.

"Xu Ye, could you come to our bureau to ask about this? You can bring Old Chen along too?" Zhang Guicheng asked quickly, a thought suddenly crossing his mind.

Xu Ye is so awesome, if he really wants to go, his master will definitely agree.

Upon hearing this, Chen Chen looked at Xu Ye expectantly, hoping he would agree.

"Go ahead and ask, but we need to hurry!" Xu Ye didn't object.

Anyway, this isn't the first time I've done something like this; it's just something I did on a whim, and I have to give my good brother face.

When he was in school, Zhang Guicheng, who was a day student, often helped him bring breakfast and buy things.

"That's great! I'll go talk to Master tomorrow!" Zhang Guicheng exclaimed joyfully. "I won't say thank you, let's have a drink!"

With this incident, my future career path within the bureau will likely be smoother.

"Let's divide it into three!" Xu Ye picked up his cup.

Before they'd even taken a bite of food, Xu Ye was worried they'd collapse from exhaustion.

“Yes, we’ll split into three. It’s been so long since the three of us have seen each other, so we’ll mainly chat and drink as a side activity,” Chen Chen chimed in.

"Okay, cheers!"

Zhang Guicheng was the first to bump into Xu Ye.

Although neither of them said it, they had already implicitly agreed that Xu Ye was the one in charge.

However, just like when they were in school, neither of them had any trouble adjusting.

Xu Ye was the best student at the time, so it was only natural that he was the eldest among the three, not because of age.

"Bah!"

After taking a sip of thatch, both of them gasped for breath.

Nowadays in Henan Province, drinking alcohol mainly involves low-alcohol beverages of 38 or 42 degrees, while 53-degree Maotai is naturally a bit too strong.

"Drink, drink, drink!" Zhang Guicheng put down his glass, which was only half full of wine, and quickly offered a bite of cold dish to calm his nerves.

This was his first time drinking Maozi, and he drank half a cup in one gulp, which was perfectly normal.

In contrast, both Chen Chen and Xu Ye were much calmer.

Xu Ye, in particular, reacted as if it were nothing, his expression remaining completely unchanged.

"It tastes just like before!"

Xu Ye picked up a piece of cold tofu skin salad, savored it carefully, and remarked with some emotion.

"Of course! After graduating, Lao Zhang and I ate here twice. If the taste had changed, we wouldn't have chosen this place." Chen Chen put down his chopsticks and handed out cigarettes to the two of them.

“Yes, when I was in college, I often thought about this place and the three of us eating here. Now we’re finally all together again,” Zhang Guicheng said with some emotion.

Although both of them studied in Beijing, Zhang Guicheng's school was special, and Xu Ye had become somewhat withdrawn due to the shock of losing his parents in an accident. As a result, the two did not see each other often. Later, after Xu Ye joined the army, they saw each other even less. Zhang Guicheng's situation made Chen Chen, who was studying at a university in Zhongzhou, even more anxious.

So tonight is the first time the three of them have reunited since graduating from high school, and their friendship remains as strong as ever.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the chubby boss took a break to drink a glass and insisted on serving a few more dishes. Xu Ye and his companions couldn't refuse, so they had no choice but to accept.

When a new customer entered the shop, the chubby owner apologized and went back to the kitchen to get busy.

"Xu Ye, do you want to go see our old teacher later?" Chen Chen put down his chopsticks and suggested, "Our old teacher's child..."

Students with good grades are always the apple of their teachers' eyes, and Xu Ye is no exception. Especially after Xu Ye's parents had an accident, his teacher took even better care of him.

However, Xu Ye was so preoccupied with the passing of his parents that he somewhat overlooked these things.

Later, when he went to university, he deliberately cut ties with his past and never went back to see his former homeroom teacher, only sending greeting text messages during holidays.

Recalling all this, Xu Ye was somewhat speechless but also expressed respect. If you haven't experienced someone else's suffering, then don't condescendingly offer advice.

"We should go and take a look!"

Recalling the memories of the past, Xu Ye readily agreed.

"By the way, you just mentioned the teacher's child. What happened to the teacher's child?" Xu Ye asked.

In his memory, Xu Ye had eaten at his old teacher's house more than once, and naturally remembered that very quiet elementary school student.

"There was something growing in my brain. Fortunately, it was discovered early and it's benign, so it's not a big problem. I've already had surgery in Beijing."

Fearing that Xu Ye might misunderstand, Zhang Guicheng glared at Chen Chen and quickly explained.

This guy always only says half of what he means; I wonder where he learned that from.

"That's good, that's good!" Xu Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

He was knowledgeable in medicine and naturally knew how dangerous it was for something to grow in the brain; even if it was benign, it was hard to say.

After all, the medical level in the Dragon Kingdom at that time was far less advanced than in later generations.

Twenty years later, while China has not yet reached world-class levels in drug development and medical equipment, its surgeons are undoubtedly among the best in the world in the field of surgery.

Nothing more than doing a lot!

However, considering that the medical insurance in the Dragon Kingdom is not as comprehensive as in later generations, even if it is benign, it is still a huge expense for the Lao Ban family, who rely on the fixed salaries of the two of them.

Unfortunately, teachers' salaries aren't high these days, and in some places they're even frequently in arrears. But since this is a key provincial high school, there's no issue with arrears.

As far as I can remember, our teacher never took advantage of his status as a key teacher at a top high school to accept money or gifts, nor did he tutor outside of school. He lived a frugal life.

"Evening self-study is almost over, let's eat quickly, and then we'll go check it out!" Xu Ye urged hurriedly.

Right now, Xu Ye was eager to see the little girl who would sweetly call him "Brother Ye" every time he went over. Oh, what a pain!
"Okay, let's stop drinking after this. We'll go to my place and continue after we finish watching Teacher Lao."

"It's settled then, you'll sleep at my place tonight, just me alone."

Zhang Guicheng naturally wouldn't object. After finishing the rest of the wine in the bottle, he made the decision directly.

"Are you sure anyone can live in that doghouse of yours?" Chen Chen asked, feigning disdain.

Chen Chen hadn't been to Zhang Guicheng's new house yet, but it was just a single man's home, so it was pretty obvious what that meant.

"Bullshit, I'm very hygienic, okay!" Zhang Guicheng quickly retorted.

However, under their scrutinizing gazes, he stammered, "My mom often comes over to tidy up for me!"

"Ha, I knew it!" Chen Chen said sarcastically, as if he had expected it all along.

"Alright, let's do as Lao Zhang says. Come on, bottoms up!" Xu Ye picked up his cup.

Only two bottles were opened in total, and the fat boss even drank a glass, so each person only got a little over half a jin (250ml).

It has to be said that working really toughens you up; after half a jin of baijiu, neither of them was seriously injured.

Of course, it's also possible that they developed their drinking capacity during their university years.

After entering university, people's repressed personalities are released, and most of them will follow the adult example, including drinking alcohol.

About ten minutes later, after the three insisted, the fat boss finally managed to recoup his costs.

Excluding the cold dishes, the other ten or so dishes were all main courses, and the chubby boss only charged 100 yuan.

You might not lose money, but you definitely won't make any profit.

That's right, nowadays, 100 yuan has such strong purchasing power in small cities.

Well, Los Angeles has long lost its glory from a thousand years ago; it's just a small city now!
"Wait a moment, I'm going to get some money!"

As they walked outside the restaurant, Xu Ye spoke.

Although he always kept a considerable amount of various currencies in his system space, he needed to find an excuse to take them out.

Fortunately, ATMs were already becoming more common in China by this time, and even in "small places" like Luocheng, there were several banks around the No. 1 High School.

"How much? I have some in my car!" Chen Chen asked.

The two had already visited and given red envelopes before, so there was no need to give any more this time.

"how much do you have?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Ye stopped in his tracks.

"Twenty thousand, is that enough?"

As he spoke, Chen Chen opened the car door, rummaged through the glove box, and took out a large envelope.

He taught him to hide some money in the car; it was something his father taught him, so he could accomplish great things in a critical moment.

"enough!"

Xu Ye reached out and took it. "By the way, you guys... never mind, let's not compete."

After all, of the three, the old teacher was the best to him.

"I'll use this money first, and I'll give it to you when I get it tomorrow." Xu Ye casually put it in his pocket.

"Use it as you like, no need to rush to give it to me." Chen Chen waved his hand dismissively. "By the way, Lao Zhang, did you bring your ID?"

"If we didn't bring it, we'll have to call the teacher."

The management of Luocheng No.1 High School is very strict; outsiders are not allowed to enter without permission.

"I always carry it with me!" Zhang Guicheng understood what he meant; with his ID, a quick flash of it would get the school security guards through. (End of Chapter)