Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 11: A solid foundation

After chatting with the elders at the village entrance for a while, Chen Mo made an excuse and prepared to go home.

No matter what, the People's Armed Forces Department suddenly came to visit and my parents didn't understand what was going on. I guess they are worried about it right now.

If you want to join the army, you must also pass this hurdle at home.

Wait until you walk into the main room.

Dad Chen Xuejun was standing by the square table, smoking one cigarette after another, looking a little excited.

As for mother Liu Fenglan, she was taking her sister to look through the gifts brought by the People's Armed Forces Department in the corner.

The leaders of the People's Armed Forces Department were quite generous.

In addition to two barrels of soybean oil and a piece of pork wrapped in oil paper, they also weighed some snacks such as melon seeds and sugar corners.

In the late 1990s, this was something that could only be eaten during the Chinese New Year in rural areas.

Today, it’s not a holiday or anything, but a leader brought it directly to my home, which made my parents, who have been honest all their lives, feel proud.

Seeing his son come in, Mr. Chen, who was originally smoking and looking at the pile of comfort supplies, hurriedly pointed to the stool next to him.

"The leader has left?"

"Yeah, they all went far away." Chen Mo sat on the stool with a smile on his face.

Chen Mo was really happy that he could bring comfort to the two elders because of his own reasons.
"That leader just now said that they came to our house because you wrote them a letter asking to join the army. Did you really write that letter?"

When asking these questions, Chen Xuejun was actually a little nervous.

He was afraid that he had heard it wrong.

"Dad, I wrote it. I wrote it at home last night and then went to town to mail it this morning."

"Haha, okay, okay."

Chen Xuejun happily took out the bag of tobacco leaves from his pocket and started rolling cigarettes.

As a father, you work hard all your life. Besides wanting your children to be healthy, the last thing you want is for them to have a bright future, right?

Old Chen is a carpenter and his health is not very good. He has never had anything to show off in his life, but today Chen Xuejun finally got a chance to show off.

If nothing else, it's because his children are serving in the army and his family doesn't have to worry about them. He can invite county leaders to his home with just one letter. This is what it means to be able to do something great.

He had heard that there was a kid in the neighboring village whose parents had gone to great lengths to send him to the army. They begged and pleaded with everyone, and their hair turned a few gray.

Even so, I almost didn't pass.

Now, Chen's father was happy, and Liu Fenglan was smiling from ear to ear.

She stood up and took some snacks from the distant table and stuffed them into Chen Mo's mouth, saying, "Come on, eat more."

"My little Mo has made it big. I originally bought this for your Fourth Master's family, but now it's all yours."

"Why didn't I realize before that my eldest son is so capable?"

"I want some too, I want some too. I have a promising future too." Chen Jing saw a bunch of snacks in her brother's hands and shouted that she wanted some too.

Liu Fenglan dotingly squatted down, picked up the little girl, scratched her nose and said with a smile: "Let brother eat first, our meal will be ready soon, you have to eat first before you can have snacks."

"Go and watch the pot quickly to make sure it doesn't get burnt. Bring it over when the meal is ready so the children don't go hungry." Chen Xuejun acted like the head of the family.

Liu Fenglan then seemed to have just remembered to cook and hurried towards the kitchen.

Watching his son holding snacks and feeding them to his little daughter one by one, Chen Xuejun sat aside smoking, with a smile of satisfaction in his eyes.

But if you observe carefully.

It is easy to see that Chen Xuejun is happy but also a little disappointed.

It’s not that he was unhappy, but his son’s performance today made Chen Xuejun realize for the first time that his child has really grown up and no longer needs to rely on him as a father for everything.

Parents are often self-contradictory. They hope their children grow up quickly so that they can work less hard, but when they see their children become independent, they worry that their children will drift away and eventually leave them completely.

When the children who have been with you since childhood suddenly leave home one day, the feeling of emptiness is probably only understood by parents.

"Little Mo."

"Ah, Dad, what's wrong?"

Hearing the sound, Chen Mo stuffed all the food in his hand into his sister's hands and moved a chair to sit in front of his father.

"Since you've decided to join the army, you're eighteen years old this year. You have to learn to take care of yourself. When you grow up and go out, you have to be sensible. Life outside is different from home."

"Dad, I know. I can take care of myself."

"it is good!!"

Chen Xuejun patted his son's shoulder, then stood up with his hands on his knees and left the main room.

But at this time, the father no longer smiled as brightly as before.

Leave that back to Chen Mo.

It was a broad shoulder and a spine like a mountain. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he always felt that his father's back seemed a little hunched.

Chen Mo stared at it blankly, and a feeling of sadness suddenly welled up in his heart.

Chen Mo had never shed tears in the past twenty years, but at this moment his eyes became moist.

Because he saw that his father was actually reluctant to let him leave home.

Father’s love is like a mountain, but he is never good at expressing it.

In his previous life, he was still young and only knew that his parents arranged for him to join the army, but he ignored how his parents felt when he left home.

"Brother, I want more."

The little girl didn't seem to be feeling sad at all. She stuffed her mouth with food like a squirrel, and didn't forget to reach out to ask for food.

Chen Mo didn't bargain. He stood up, grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the comfort bag and stuffed them into his sister's hands while she was holding the melon seeds in her chubby little hands.

Chen Mo took his sister in his arms and sat on the sofa, helping the little girl peel melon seeds.

Once I join the army and leave home again, it will take at least two years for me to come back. By that time, my sister will probably have finished the Yuhong class and started elementary school, right?

Just as Chen Jing was sitting obediently on Chen Mo's lap, waiting to eat the melon seeds, her younger brother Chen Feng rushed into the house like a wild donkey. He had been running around for a long time, and when he came in, he wiped his face and said excitedly, "Brother, I heard someone from our family is joining the army."

"Did the letter you wrote work?"

"Brother, have you joined the army?"

"Well, that should be fine." Chen Mo nodded in response.

Just seeing his father's lonely expression just now, Chen Mo was no longer in high spirits and had no intention of saying anything more.

In fact, when I think about how willful I was in the second half of my previous life, my discharge from the army wore away my fighting spirit. I insisted on my own way and wandered around for more than ten years, rarely going home.

Although he often called home and video chatted to report his safety at that time, he still caused his parents so much worry and felt lonely for so long.

"Let me use this life to make amends. But for now, my son still has to leave, because the army is where I can truly realize my ambitions."

Chen Mo thought helplessly.

Compared to the warmth at dinner last night, the atmosphere at the dinner table tonight was much more depressing.

After their joy just now, Chen Xuejun and Liu Fenglan realized that once their child joined the army, they might not see him for a long time.

There are few people in the village who join the army, but that doesn’t mean that no one goes. Think about other children who are away for several years and can’t even come back during the holidays.

It would be strange if the two elders were happy.

I just wanted to entertain the leaders of the People's Armed Forces Department, so I fried a lot of eggs.

Now, even the plates were brought to the place closest to Chen Mo.

Liu Fenglan held Chen Jing in her arms and supervised her little daughter's meal. Chen Xuejun sat at the dining table with his head down, smoking one cigarette after another without saying a word.

Even Chen Feng, who usually had corns on his butt, felt that the atmosphere at home was not right. He sat there quietly drinking his soup and didn't even dare to take more dishes, for fear that he would be scolded if he did something wrong.

Chen Mo was the first to break the atmosphere and said, "Dad, Mom, why aren't you eating?"

Hearing the question, Liu Fenglan hesitated and said, "Xiao Mo, I just remembered that there's a kid from the family at the west end of our village who's also a soldier. I haven't seen him much in the past five years."

"How about you talk to your boss and tell him we don't have to go?"

"Even if you don't go to school, it's okay to learn a skill from someone in the city. It's better than being a soldier. The main thing is that I don't want you to be gone and not see me for several years."

Hearing his mother's advice, Chen Mo was suddenly at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

"Mom, even if you go to the army, you can come back in the middle."

"Besides, the leaders from the People's Armed Forces Department didn't come here to ask me to leave immediately. Even if they let me join the army, there are still physical examinations and political review, which will take at least a month."

"I'm sure I'll be back after I go to the army. And if I go to school in the county town, I'll be back once a month, right? I can take care of myself."

"Don't worry, Mom."

"That's different." Chen Xuejun shook his head and threw away the cigarette in his hand: "You are still your family's child when you go to school. No matter how long you stay at school, you always have to go home."

"But once you join the army, you become an adult. Even if you go home, you won't be able to stay for long."

"It's a good thing that you want to join the army. Dad won't stop you. If you want to go, then go."

"Can't we wait a little longer? It's okay to wait until the child graduates next year." Listening to the conversation between the father and the father, Liu Fenglan couldn't help but suggest.

Women are always emotional.

Thinking of her child going on a long journey, Liu Fenglan couldn't help wanting to cry. She turned half of her body, trying her best not to let the child see her red eyes.

Even Chen Jing, who was eating, was frightened by her mother's appearance. She huddled in her mother's arms, staring at her brother and father, not daring to move.

Both of Chen Xuejun's parents are uneducated country people, but he at least has a skill. He comes into contact with many people while working, and his mind is more active.

I can quickly adapt and adjust to the fact that my children are going far away to serve in the army.

But Liu Fenglan is different. She has lived with her family for half her life, and every child is the apple of her eye. How can she bear to see her eldest son go?

His mother was reluctant to let him go, and Chen Mo was also distressed when he saw this. He moved a stool and sat in front of Liu Fenglan: "Mom, I am an adult this year."

"It doesn't matter if he studies for half a semester or not. Your son will definitely be able to take care of himself if he joins the army. The army will provide him with food, accommodation, and clothes."

"Even the leaders of the People's Armed Forces came to our house because of a letter I sent to them. I'm sure I'll have a good life even if I join the army. I won't be hungry or cold."

"Eat, Mom. Look, my little sister isn't eating properly. Even if I go to the army, I'll have to stay at home for at least half a month."

Chen Mo is here to liven up the atmosphere.

My parents' mood finally improved a little, and they started to eat while chatting.

Not as dull as it was at the beginning.

The next morning, Sunday the 13th.

There was no movement from the county's People's Armed Forces Department, but instead the village chief ran to Chen Mo's house to find out what was going on.

Wow, I caught Chen Mo and praised him again.

The news that the county leaders came to Chen's house last night spread throughout the village.

Everyone knows that the eldest son of the Chen family wanted to join the army and called all the county leaders to his home. It was a big deal.

Wait until the afternoon.

Chen Feng went to school carrying a cloth bag, and Chen Mo should also go to school according to school rules.

But since he had made up his mind to join the army, it was impossible for him to go to school. He simply moved a chair and sat in the yard to wait for news.

Because Chen Mo knew it clearly.

There is no way the People's Armed Forces Department would give up on recruiting him. Considering the time, the higher-ups should have conducted a thorough investigation into his family.

Chen Mo was not worried at all about things like early political review. His Chen family had been poor peasants for several generations, and there had never been a landlord in their family.

He really has a good family background, what does he have to worry about?

Besides, he passed the political review in his previous life, so there’s no reason why anything would go wrong this time.

(End of this chapter)