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

As the sun sets, the golden afterglow filters through the sparse branches of the old jujube tree in the courtyard, casting dappled light and shadow on the blue brick floor.

On the stone table in the center of the courtyard, there were no delicacies or fine wines. There were only a few simple side dishes—smashed cucumber, peanuts, and a steaming pot of lamb spine stewed by Xi Wanqing herself.

But tonight's wine is as strong as fire.

That was a bottle of "Shaodaozi" that Liu Ming had specially brought back from the cemetery of his comrades-in-arms and had treasured for thirty years.

Several elderly men with gray hair and faces etched with the marks of time sat around the table. They were dressed in the most ordinary casual clothes and looked no different from the old men playing chess and walking their birds at the entrance of the alley.

But anyone who knows even a little about the political scene in Jiangnan Province would be so frightened by this table that they would probably kneel on the ground.

Sitting to Liu Ming's left is Lu Chen, the former mayor of Ningzhou who has retired to a less prominent position and is now a visiting professor at the Central Party School.

The man on the right with a loud voice who slaps his thigh every three sentences is Lei Tie, the former director of the Ningzhou Public Security Bureau, who has also retired.

And that fat old man, who was gnawing on a lamb spine bone with his mouth dripping with oil and showing no regard for his image whatsoever, was Zhang Dapao, Liu Ming's "best friend" from the provincial party school and the former vice mayor of Linjiang City.

These people were all old brothers who had fought alongside Liu Ming back then, emerging from the mire of Qingyun County and stirring up a storm in Jiangnan Province...

"Come on, Lao Lu! Don't just drink tea!"

Lei Tie, his face flushed, shoved a two-and-a-half-ounce glass directly in front of Lu Chen. "You have to drink this today! If it weren't for you, old bastard, protecting us at the Standing Committee meeting back then, Brother Liu and I would have been skinned alive by those bastards Li Yuankui!"

Lu Chen waved his hand with a wry smile. He had never touched a drop of alcohol in his life, but Lei Tie, this brute, had made him so drunk that his face turned red.

"Old Lei, you're kidding me." Zhang Dapao spat out a bone and curled his lip in disdain. "If it weren't for Brother Liu kicking Secretary Li's precious son away back then, you, Director Lei, would still be someone's watchdog right now."

"You're talking nonsense!" Lei Tie glared. "I was just assessing the situation!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Laughter echoed in the small courtyard, washing away the last trace of autumn chill.

Looking at these noisy old friends in front of her, Liu Ming's eyes also became slightly hot.

He picked up his wine glass and stood up.

"Alright, stop arguing."

His voice wasn't loud, but it instantly drowned out all the noise.

"This first glass of wine."

Liu Ming's gaze swept over everyone present, her eyes filled with emotion and nostalgia.

"Let's pay tribute to the boasts we made back in the day, in that godforsaken place of Qingyun County."

"A tribute to the blood we shed in that ruthless, cannibalistic bureaucracy of Ningzhou."

"I have even greater respect for us old folks; after half a lifetime of hard work, we've finally brought light to that area!"

"Let's do it!"

"Dry!"

Several old men stood up in unison, their wine glasses clinking together loudly.

The pungent liquor rolled down my throat, burning my chest.

That passion, which had been dormant for many years, seemed to reignite at this moment.

"Let me tell you, the most dangerous event back then was that Feast at Hongmen!"

Zhang Dapao got carried away with his drinking, slapped his thigh, and spittle flew everywhere.

"You didn't see it! That old bastard Li Yuankui had over a dozen executioners in the private room! My legs went weak! But guess what? Our Brother Liu was all smiles and laughter! He turned that treacherous banquet into his own victory celebration! He was incredibly domineering!"

"That's nothing!" Lei Tie retorted, not to be outdone. "If we're talking about sheer power, it has to be the demolition in the south of the city! Hundreds of thugs surrounded us, throwing Molotov cocktails and bulldozing at us! Brother Liu, all by himself, with just a gun and a car, managed to intimidate those desperados! And that last line, 'Let's see who dares to violently resist the law,' I'm telling you, I got goosebumps listening to it from the command vehicle! That's what real men are!"

The past is like smoke.

One pile, one piece.

Those life-or-death struggles that once terrified them and kept them up all night are now just topics of conversation that can be laughed off at the dinner table.

They laughed, joked, and sang old military songs.

"...Smoke rises, the land stretches northward, dragons rise and swirl, horses neigh, swords flash like frost..."

That hoarse, off-key singing voice sounded both desolate and heroic under the bustling night sky of Yancheng.

Kitchen doorway.

Xi Wanqing, Nangong Yao, and Lin Xiaoxiao leaned against the door frame, watching the group of old men in the courtyard who were drunk and staggering.

"See? Men, no matter how old they are, are still children at heart." Nangong Yao shook her head with a smile.

"Yes." Xi Wanqing's eyes were full of tenderness. "But it's only in front of these old brothers that he shows such a relaxed side."

Lin Xiaoxiao didn't say anything, but just quietly watched the man who was tilting his head back and chugging wine.

she knows.

This man seemed to have reached the pinnacle of power, and seemed to have everything.

But what he misses most is probably that period of passionate youth when he could fight alongside his brothers, sharing joys and sorrows...

……

The drinking party went on until late into the night.

The old men had already drunk quite a bit.

Lu Chen leaned back in his chair, still muttering something about "conversion between old and new growth drivers".

Zhang Dapao crawled under the table, hugged a lamb spine bone as a pillow, and snored loudly.

Only Liu Ming and Lei Tie were still drinking together, one cup after another.

"Old Lei."

Liu Ming's eyes were somewhat unfocused, but her mind was exceptionally clear.

"Tell me, was our life worth it?"

Lei Tie was taken aback upon hearing this.

He looked at his hands, calloused from years of holding a gun, and then at his old buddies in the yard who were already drunk and unconscious.

He suddenly grinned, revealing an extremely bright and also extremely honest smile.

"value!"

He picked up the last glass of wine and clinked it heavily with Liu Ming's.

The sound was crisp and clear.

"I'm willing to follow you, Liu Ming, and personally send those bastards who bring disaster to the country and its people to hell one by one!"

"We can see that our land has truly become cleaner, and the people can finally live with their heads held high!"

"value!"

"Damn, that was totally worth it!"

Liu Ming smiled too.

He tilted his head back and downed the last sip of strong liquor in his glass.

Heroic spirit.

It remains as good as ever.

"waiter!"

Lei Tie suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs, startling Zhang Dapao who was under the table.

"Bring the wine!"

"Today, nobody's leaving until we've drunk this old bastard under the table!"