The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 555: The style of a retired veteran!!!
The three months of recruit training were truly miserable.

But even so, Zhao Dashan also deeply felt the responsibility of being a soldier.

No one will pamper you in the army. The discipline is very strict, and he also learned what the rules are.

If you follow a regular schedule every day, your body will become stronger.

Day after day of training filled Zhao Dashan with strength.

One night, Zhao Dashan was lying in bed and suddenly thought of things at home.

He thought of his parents and his childhood sweetheart Chunhua.

So Zhao Dashan took out the photo Chunhua gave him and looked at it in the faint moonlight.

Chunhua in the photo was smiling so brightly, but now, she no longer belonged to herself.

Zhao Dashan felt heartbroken and stuffed the photo back under his pillow, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes.

He secretly swore in his heart that he must be a good soldier, and must make a name for himself so that everyone would look at him with admiration.

Several years of military career completely changed Zhao Dashan.

Zhao Dashan retired from the army with all the honors and returned to his hometown despite his leader's attempts to retain him. When his parents saw him working proactively, they couldn't believe their eyes.

Is this still the same lazy, second-rate guy from before?

The day Zhao Dashan returned home, it was wheat harvest time in his hometown.

Without saying a word, he took off his military uniform, put on old clothes, and went to work in the fields.

Harvesting the wheat, packing it and transporting it to the threshing floor are all done in one go.

Dad was watching from the side, his eyes full of satisfaction.

At dinner time, mother picked up food for Zhao Dashan several times and said that he had lost weight.

Zhao Dashan smiled and said it was okay, it was like this in the army.

Zhao Dashan stayed at home with his parents for half a month, and then made an appointment with his comrade-in-arms Lao Li to go to Tianjin Port to make a living.

In fact, based on his performance in the army, he could be arranged a job when he returns home.

But Zhao Dashan refused, as he wanted to go out and explore the world.

On the one hand, he wanted to go out and work hard, and on the other hand, he wanted to see Chunhua again and let her see how he had changed.

On the day of departure, Zhao Dashan's mother packed a big bag of steamed buns for him, telling him to eat if he was hungry on the road.

Dad gave his old pocket watch to Zhao Dashan, saying it was a family heirloom and asked him to keep it for safety.

Zhao Dashan and his companion first went to Lao Li's cousin, and with his help they entered a company called Liujiazhuang Construction Group Tianjin-Hong Kong Branch.

At first, I just did odd jobs, like moving bricks and cement. Working in construction is really tiring, and I felt exhausted after finishing work every day.

When I returned to the small rented house at night, I didn’t even have the energy to speak and fell asleep immediately.

But Zhao Dashan was determined to do something.

Zhao Dashan told himself that this little bit of suffering was nothing, as he had suffered much more in the army.

Every morning he gets up before dawn and arrives at the construction site half an hour earlier than others.

He is always the last one to leave at night.

Seeing how hard he worked, the foreman began to look at Zhao Dashan with a different eye.

After working for less than two months, Zhao Dashan and his colleague were promoted to construction team leaders due to their outstanding performance, responsible for managing a construction site.

I remember the first day as the captain, he was quite nervous. His palms were sweating, afraid that something might go wrong.

But Zhao Dashan was determined to do something.

Zhao Dashan told himself that this little bit of suffering was nothing, as he had suffered much more in the army.

Every morning he gets up before dawn and arrives at the construction site half an hour earlier than others.

He is always the last one to leave at night.

Seeing how hard he worked, the foreman began to look at Zhao Dashan with a different eye.

After working for less than two months, Zhao Dashan and his colleague were promoted to construction team leaders due to their outstanding performance, responsible for managing a construction site.

I remember the captain was quite nervous on the first day.

My palms were sweating, afraid that something might go wrong.

But Zhao Dashan was determined to do something.

Zhao Dashan told himself that this little bit of suffering was nothing, as he had suffered much more in the army.

Every morning he gets up before dawn and arrives at the construction site half an hour earlier than others.

He is always the last one to leave at night.

Seeing how hard he worked, the construction site manager also looked at Zhao Dashan differently.

After working for less than two months, Zhao Dashan and his colleague were promoted to construction team leaders due to their outstanding performance, responsible for managing a construction site.

I remember that he was quite nervous on his first day as captain.

My palms were sweating, afraid that something might go wrong.

But when I thought about what I learned when I was a squad leader in the army, I felt a lot more at ease.

Zhao Dashan manages the construction site in an orderly manner and the workers all obey me.

Once, a worker was caught slacking off.

Zhao Dashan did not criticize him directly, but talked to him and asked him why he was lazy.

It turned out that he was having difficulties at home and was feeling upset.

Zhao Dashan understood his situation, but still told him that work is work and he should not let personal problems affect everyone else.

After the project was completed, Zhao Dashan was transferred to other construction sites as a supervisor.

During this period, he learned a lot and it was obvious that the company was interested in cultivating both of them.

Zhao Dashan and his colleagues did not disappoint the expectations of the company's leaders and have been working diligently.

Once, there was a small problem on the construction site. Zhao Dashan rushed over to deal with it without saying a word and solved the problem satisfactorily...

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhao Dashan went to see Chunhua once.

She heard from her family that Zhao Dashan had joined the army and was surprised by his change.

You have to know that Zhao Dashan used to be a person who would rather lie down than sit.

Zhao Dashan was still nervous when he saw Chunhua. She had become prettier, wearing decent clothes and looked like a city girl.

Zhao Dashan couldn't help feeling a little inferior and looked down at his work clothes which were covered in mud.

Chunhua asked him: "Brother Dashan, have you really changed so much?"

Zhao Dashan scratched his head embarrassedly and said, "Yes, I was too ignorant before."

Seeing him like this, Chunhua couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The laughter was still as clear and crisp as when he was a child, making Zhao Dashan feel warm in his heart.

Zhao Dashan mustered up the courage to ask her, "Chunhua, does our previous engagement still count?"

Chunhua blushed and said "hmm" softly.

Zhao Dashan was so excited that he picked her up and spun her around several times, feeling very happy.

But at this moment, a man in a suit came over.

Chunhua hurriedly broke free from his arms and her face turned pale.

"Xiao Zhang, why are you here?" Chunhua stuttered.

Only then did Zhao Dashan realize that Chunhua was already engaged to someone else.

She couldn't bear to tell me the truth, so she agreed to my request.

At that moment, Zhao Dashan felt like the sky was falling.

Zhao Dashan suppressed the pain in his heart and said to Chunhua, "Chunhua, I wish you happiness." After that, Zhao Dashan turned and left, fearing that she would see the tears in his eyes.

That night, I, Zhao Dashan, was walking aimlessly on the streets of Tianjin Port alone.

Passing by a pub, Zhao Dashan walked in and ordered a bottle of "Taihang".

He poured it into his mouth one mouthful after another. The taste of alcohol made him cough and tears kept flowing down.

Zhao Dashan recalled every little detail about him and Chunhua, her smile, and the expression on her face when she said she wanted to break off the engagement with him.

Zhao Dashan felt like a joke. He had put so much effort into changing himself, but in the end, it was all in vain.

The next morning, Zhao Dashan went to the construction site with a hangover headache.

Seeing that Zhao Dashan looked unwell, his fellow workers came to show concern for him.

Zhao Dashan forced a smile and said it was nothing, maybe he had a stomach upset last night.

Zhao Dashan worked extremely hard that day, as if he wanted to vent all his pain.

This incident gave Zhao Dashan more motivation. He vowed to work hard and prove his worth.

A year later, the group's business was growing bigger and bigger, and Zhao Dashan became a core employee of the Tianjin-Hong Kong branch of the "Liujiazhuang Construction Group" and became a supervisor.

Zhao Dashan's salary and benefits increased rapidly, and his monthly income was equivalent to what others earned in several years.

Because of my outstanding performance, the company also provided me, Zhao Dashan, with a special car.

Every time he goes back to his hometown, Zhao Dashan brings some gifts for the villagers.

Seeing their envious eyes, Zhao Dashan felt an indescribable sense of pride in his heart.

Although Zhao Dashan was very sad about Chunhua's matter, he was able to cheer up quickly.

I met my wife Xiaoling at work. She is the company's accountant. Xiaoling has a gentle personality and always cares about me, Zhao Dashan, silently.

I remember one time when I worked overtime until very late, I returned to the office and found a hot meal on the table, along with a note: "Don't always forget to eat."

Zhao Dashan felt warm in his heart and looked up to see Xiaoling smiling at him.

It was at that moment that Zhao Dashan felt that he had new hope.

Slowly, they fell in love.

On the day Zhao Dashan proposed to Xiaoling, he specially bought 99 roses.

He hid the flowers in the office, and when she got off work, he suddenly showed up and proposed to her on one knee.

Xiaoling covered her mouth in surprise, tears welling up in her eyes. She said, "Silly boy, I do."

At that moment, Zhao Dashan felt that he was the happiest person in the world.

They got married the following year and later had a lovely daughter.

After having a daughter, they bought a house in Tianjin Port.

Although it is not big, it is more than enough to accommodate their family of three.

Later, Zhao Dashan's performance became increasingly outstanding and he was transferred to the Liujiazhuang Group headquarters in Yanjing.

There Zhao Dashan met his old leader in the army, and his fate changed drastically again, which we will not discuss for now.

The transformation from a "second-rate guy" is not unique to Zhao Dashan. His old comrade-in-arms Lao Li was in a similar situation.

Otherwise, these two people would have the closest relationship!

Mr. Li’s name is Li Dawei.

Speaking of which, Li Dawei and Zhao Dashan were exactly the same before they joined the army!
Before joining the army, Li Dawei was a well-known "second-rate guy" far and wide.

He was idle all day long and did not work. In the words of later generations, he was a "homebody".

Whenever people in the village mentioned him, they all shook their heads and said that this guy had a good-looking face but was a useless piece of mud.

Li Dawei's parents' hair turned white with worry, and his two sisters got married early, leaving him, the "darling", at home to rely on his parents for support.

Speaking of Li Dawei, he was very smart and good at studying when he was young. His teachers all praised him for his promising future.

But he changed since junior high school, he started skipping classes, fighting, climbing over walls, and doing all kinds of bad things.

Later, he simply stopped going to school. He slept at home all day and did not do any work. He would get annoyed when his parents scolded him.

But this boy actually has a soft spot in his heart, and that is his childhood sweetheart Hongmei.

Hey~ Does this sound familiar?

Hongmei, this girl, has been beautiful since she was young and is good at studying. She and Li Dawei are from completely different worlds.

But she just liked to follow Li Dawei and call him "Brother Dawei". At that time, everyone in the village joked that they would definitely be a couple in the future.

Li Dawei was also very happy and felt that he would marry Hongmei in this life.

Unexpectedly, Hongmei was admitted to the county high school and her horizons were broadened.

Every time I go back to the village, I can still see Li Dawei's sloppy look, and I feel very upset.

Later, Hongmei was even more amazing and was admitted to university, becoming a phoenix on the tree, completely distancing herself from Li Dawei.

That summer, Hongmei returned to the village and found Li Dawei, his face pale and his eyes red.

"Brother Dawei, let's... cancel the engagement." As soon as Hongmei said this, Li Dawei felt like the sky was falling.

"Why? What's wrong with me? Tell me, I will change it. Isn't it okay?" Li Dawei grabbed Hongmei's hand, anxious like an ant on a hot pan.

"You have no future like this... I want to live in the city..." Hongmei said and ran away without looking back.

Li Dawei stood there stupidly, feeling as if his heart was being cut by a knife.

Hongmei's departure completely awakened Li Dawei from his daze.

It turns out that every mature man is because of a woman.

He locked himself in the room and thought about it for a whole day and night, and finally realized that he could not go on like this.

The next day, recruiters came to the village and shouted on the loudspeaker, "It is glorious to join the army and defend the motherland! Joining the army will change your destiny!" Li Dawei's heart moved, thinking that this might be an opportunity.

Li Dawei told his parents that he wanted to join the army. They were stunned at first, and then his mother hugged him and cried for a long time.

"Dawei, do you really want to go? It's so hard in the army!"

"Mom, I know. I want to change myself and don't want to worry you anymore!" Li Dawei said in a firm tone, his eyes filled with unprecedented light.

That winter, Li Dawei and Zhao Dashan boarded the green train to the army.

When he arrived at the army, he realized that this was no joke.

The training in the recruit company is so hard!
I get up at five o'clock every day, run, do push-ups, and stretch. I'm tired as a dead dog at the end of the day.

Several times, Li Dawei wanted to back out, but when he thought of Lan Zi's disappointed eyes, he and Zhao Dashan encouraged each other and persevered with gritted teeth.

Life in the army is like a melting pot, which completely reshaped Li Dawei and Zhao Dashan.

They learned to obey orders, to endure hardships and more importantly, they understood responsibility and accountability.

Once during a training exercise in the snow, a comrade sprained his ankle and was in so much pain that he couldn't walk.

Haha, before the squad leader could say anything, Li Dawei carried him on his back and left without saying a word.

Li Dawei carried his comrade on his back and walked in the snow for more than five hours without saying a word.

At that moment, he felt the friendship between his comrades, which was stronger than that between brothers!
A few years later, Li Dawei retired from the army and returned home.

When his parents saw him, they were shocked. This was no longer the idle and second-rate guy he used to be!
It's like he's a completely different person, full of energy and spirit.

Li Dawei is no longer as lazy as before. He takes the initiative to help with housework and is filial to his parents.

Li Dawei had no plan to stay at home. He and his comrade Zhao Dashan made an appointment to go to Tianjin Port in the north to work.

Through their relatives' connections, they came to work at the "Liujiazhuang Construction Group Tianjin-Hong Kong Branch", which is a nationally renowned and largest private construction group in the country.

This group is very powerful and they have branches in major cities across the country.

The company's business includes real estate development, infrastructure projects, water conservancy projects, environmental protection and greening projects, national defense projects, public affairs, equipment manufacturing... It is a large diversified group.

Li Dawei and his colleagues believe that working in such a large group has broad prospects and development potential.

So they settled down and started as laborers on the construction site, willing to do all the hard and dirty work without complaint.

In less than two months, Zhao Dashan and Li Dawei, who came from the military and had strong organizational discipline and obedience, attracted the attention of the construction site manager.

After reporting to the company and obtaining its approval, they were promoted to team leaders, each managing 50 people.

Zhao Dashan's situation was relatively better. After all, he had served as a squad leader and had experience in managing a dozen people.

But Li Dawei was different. He was just an ordinary soldier before. When he first took on the role of squad leader, he was really busy and confused for a while.

Fortunately, his good friend Zhao Dashan was always by his side.

With the assistance of Zhao Dashan, Li Dawei gradually made progress in management.

A year later, Li Dawei and Zhao Dashan each became middle-level managers of the company.

Li Dawei was diligent and hard-working, and was soon recognized by his superiors. Half a year later, he became the warehouse supervisor of a branch company.

Fate is so wonderful.

One day, Li Dawei ran into Hongmei, whom he hadn’t seen for many years, at the company gate!
After not seeing her for a few years, Hongmei has become more beautiful. Wearing a professional suit, she looks capable and intellectual.

Both of them were stunned and couldn't speak for a long time.

"Brother Dawei, you... have changed so much!" Hongmei looked at Li Dawei, who was dressed in a suit and looked full of energy, and broke the silence first.

"Yes, people always change!" Li Dawei scratched his head and chuckled.

The two chatted for a long time. Hongmei told Li Xiaowei that she was also very sad when the engagement was broken off, but she didn't want to see Li Dawei continue like that.

Now seeing that Li Dawei has become so responsible, Hongmei is sincerely happy for him.

Li Dawei looked at Hongmei and mustered up the courage to ask, "Hongmei, I haven't seen you for so many years. Are you... married?"

Hongmei shook her head: "Brother Dawei, I haven't yet, how about you?"

"Neither do I. So... does our engagement still count?"

Hongmei blushed, lowered her head and nodded slightly.

The subsequent story is like a fairy tale.

Li Dawei was promoted step by step in the branch company, became the deputy general manager, and also bought a house in the city.

Speaking of which, Li Dawei's love is luckier than his old comrade Zhao Dashan.

He married his childhood sweetheart Hongmei, had a lovely son, and the family of three lived a happy life.

No one could have imagined that the despised "second-rate guy" back then would actually become the envied winner in life.

Li Dawei and Zhao Dashan are in exactly the same situation. If they had not gone through the hardships in the army, their lives might have been completely different.

Many years after retiring, the two of them often recalled the trivial past events in the army, and their hearts were filled with gratitude.

I am really glad that I made the decision to join the army, and I am also glad that I met a good teacher and friend like Liu Wu.

If it weren't for the strict teaching and careful management of their former company commander Liu Wu, their achievements today would probably be unimaginable.

Liu Wu is quite similar to his father.

He is like a replica of Liu Zhiye when he was young.

Likewise, he was fearless and courageous on the battlefield, fighting bravely, and would not leave the front line even if he was slightly injured. He was willing to take on responsibilities, and was dedicated to his duties and treated the soldiers under him as brothers.

Whenever a soldier's family was in trouble, Liu Wu would use his allowance to support them.

When the families of the fallen or disabled comrades are in trouble, Liu Wu will actively contact welfare departments such as the "Liujiazhuang Military Welfare Foundation" to help them.

(End of this chapter)