Special forces soldier demobilization: Starting from the county government compound, a meteoric rise

In March, spring always arrives a little later in the city than in other parts of the country.

Those rows of once withered weeping willows have unknowingly sprouted tender yellow shoots. A pale green mist shrouds the shimmering pond.

Liu Ming has officially stepped down.

At this pivotal moment, he declined all the farewell ceremonies arranged by the central government and also refused the invitation to join the advisory committee to "contribute his remaining energy."

Amidst the complex gazes of his colleagues and the public, he simply carried a faded old military bag, held Xi Wanqing's hand, got into an extremely low-key civilian SUV, and disappeared into the morning mist outside the red walls.

He moved to a small mountain village on the outskirts of Beijing.

There's none of the heavy historical atmosphere of Zhongnanhai here, nor the suffocating prosperity of a mirage. The courtyard is an ordinary farmhouse, with blue bricks and red tiles. Several bundles of firewood left over from winter are neatly stacked at the base of the courtyard wall, and in the corner is a simple wooden frame that Liu Ming built himself, with several lush green vines hanging from it.

Liu Ming changed into a coarse cloth shirt, sleeves rolled up, and a pair of cloth shoes covered in mud. He was squatting beside a vegetable patch in the yard, holding a small shovel and carefully loosening the soil.

"Old Liu, you planted those chives way too densely."

Xi Wanqing came out wearing an apron, carrying a basket of freshly picked strawberries. The sunlight shone on her, softening the coldness in her eyes that came with years of experience as a high-ranking official. Now, she looked more like a leisurely woman enjoying a relaxing afternoon.

Liu Ming didn't turn his head, just chuckled.

"This is called high-density intensive farming. You don't understand. I've combined this with my experience from previous poverty alleviation sites."

"Come on, your experience is almost twenty years outdated." Xi Wanqing walked over with a smile and stuffed a strawberry into his mouth.

The sweet juice bursts in your mouth.

Liu Ming chewed on a strawberry, squinting her eyes in satisfaction. "This tastes much better than the special fruit supplied to the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. This is truly down-to-earth."

In this small courtyard, time seems to have been slowed down.

Liu Ming's daily routine is extremely simple now. In the early morning, he goes to the market at the village entrance to buy a few freshly baked sesame cakes. In the morning, he tends to his precious orchids and vegetables in the yard. In the afternoon, he appears on time at the wild pond behind the mountain.

Several unassuming old men were already sitting by the pond.

"Old Liu, be gentle! You've scared all the fish away!"

An old man wrapped in an old military overcoat, a hand-rolled cigarette dangling from his hand, gave Liu Ming a disapproving look. If an outsider saw this, their jaw would drop. This was none other than Old Wang, who had recently retired from the Central Military Commission, a man known for his fiery temper, so much so that he dared to slam his fist on the table at a joint meeting.

"Old Wang, don't blame me if you can't catch any fish." Liu Ming skillfully set up the folding chair, cast the rod into the water, and said, "Your fishing skills are only good for practicing in the bathtub at home."

"Hey! You little rascal, now that you're out of office, you're getting bolder and bolder." Old Wang was so angry he was blowing his beard and glaring. "Back when I was leading troops..."

"Here we go again." Another old man who was fiddling with a chessboard waved his hand. "Old Wang, there are no pieces for you to lead now. You should think about how to get me your bottle of Xifeng liquor that you've been storing for ten years if you lose the game later."

This old man is Chen, the former Minister of Finance. He spent his whole life dealing with numbers, but in his old age he became fascinated with this wooden chessboard with its horizontal and vertical lines.

"Minister Chen, his grandson has already secretly drunk half of that wine, so don't worry about it," Liu Ming interjected with a smile, but her eyes were fixed on the float on the water.

The afternoon sun was warm and inviting, making one feel lazy to the core.

There were no urgent ringing of red-line agents, no flurry of top-secret briefings, and certainly no transnational negotiations that required him to gamble with the fate of the nation.

All that could be heard was the faint sound of fish blowing bubbles, and the shouts of a few old men arguing heatedly over whether it was a "take-back" or "cheating."

Liu Ming leaned back in her chair, a gentle breeze carrying the fragrance of earth.

He recalled the day he was demobilized, in that torrential rain, clutching a crumpled demobilization certificate, his heart filled with murderous intent and hatred. Later, he traversed the muddy roads of Qingyun County, witnessed the lights of Ningzhou, dominated the peak of Haishi, and finally achieved unparalleled merit in the city.

For those decades, he was like a fully drawn bow, stretched to its limit.

Now, the string has loosened.

This relaxation gave him a sense of fulfillment he had never experienced before.

"Boss."

A steady voice sounded from behind.

Tank, dressed in ordinary civilian clothes, appeared silently on the slope. Although Liu Ming had retired, Longya and his brothers still took turns settling down nearby. They were nominally villagers, but in reality, they were the most terrifying sentinels within a five-mile radius.

"How many times have I told you, call him Lao Liu." Liu Ming didn't turn around.

"I'm used to it, I can't change it." Tank chuckled and walked over, carrying a bag of homemade salted duck eggs. "My sister-in-law said she's making noodles with soybean paste tonight, and asked me to bring some pickled vegetables over. I just glanced at the village entrance and saw a stranger there."

Liu Ming's eyes narrowed slightly, then relaxed again.

"Is this another attempt to persuade me to come out of retirement?"

"I guess so." Tank squatted down beside him, also staring at the water. "I heard there's a big project stuck in the northwest, and they want you to take the helm. I saw that young man standing at the village entrance for ages; he seems pretty sincere."

Liu Ming looked at the distant, undulating mountain range, which was once barren but is now filled with modern wind turbines, their blades turning slowly.

That was a project he personally approved when he was at the National Development and Reform Commission.

Go tell him that I can no longer count.

Liu Ming pointed to a circle of ripples in the pond, her voice light and cheerful, "My only task now is to catch this grass carp. With the country at peace and the people prosperous, there are plenty of capable young people out there; there's no need to torment this old man."

"Alright, I'll send them away now." Tank stood up with a smile.

Before leaving, Tank looked at Liu Ming's slightly hunched yet unusually calm back, and his eyes welled up with tears. He had never seen his captain smile so cleanly before; he had truly let go.

A legendary figure, now retired to the countryside.

This is not a compromise, but a sense of calm after achieving one's goal.

As dusk fell, the setting sun bathed the entire pond in a shimmering, golden light.

Liu Ming, carrying an empty fish basket (as expected, she hadn't caught a single fish), slowly pushed open the gate to her yard.

Xi Wanqing had already set out a small table with a large bowl of fried noodles with soybean paste, accompanied by bright green cucumber shreds, and a steaming pot of wild ginseng stewed chicken.

"Where are the fish?" Xi Wanqing asked teasingly, looking at his empty fish basket.

"You don't understand." Liu Ming washed his hands, sat down at the table, and casually picked up a large mouthful of noodles. "What I'm fishing for is my state of mind, not the fish. The fish swimming happily in the water shows that the ecology here is well protected, and that's an achievement."

"You're retired and still talking about achievements?" Xi Wanqing rolled her eyes at him, but still put the chicken leg into his bowl.

Liu Ming chuckled as he ate his noodles with gusto, his cheeks bulging.

He looked at his wife's face, which appeared even softer under the lamplight, and listened to the sounds of cattle and sheep returning to their pens coming from the neighboring yard. He let out a long sigh of relief.

"Old Liu, come with me to the mountain behind tomorrow," Xi Wanqing said softly, putting down her chopsticks. "The apricot blossoms on the back mountain are in bloom, and they're especially beautiful."

Liu Ming slurped up a mouthful of noodles and gave a muffled reply.

"Sure, it just so happens that my orchids need some fresh soil anyway. I'll go dig up a couple of loads while I'm at it."

He raised his head, his eyes shining like stars.

"Wanqing, don't you think this life is much more exciting than when you were a high-ranking leader?"