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

The late autumn sun slanted across the blue brick floor of the courtyard house. Most of the leaves on the grape trellis had fallen, revealing bare vines.

Liu Ming was lying on his favorite old rattan chair, holding a purple clay teapot in his hands, sipping tea casually. His gaze went over the courtyard wall, watching the few white clouds drifting slowly across the sky, enjoying this stolen half-day of leisure.

However, this tranquility was soon shattered by a powerful roar and pig-like screams.

"Straighten your back! What are you doing sticking your butt out like that?"

"Back in my day, I could carry a 200-pound ammunition box for five kilometers on the border without even breaking a sweat! Look at you, you've only been in a horse stance for five minutes and your legs are shaking like a leaf! Aren't you ashamed?"

Looking in the direction of the sound, in the open space in the center of the yard, Tank was shirtless, hands on his hips, glaring at a small, fleshy dumpling in front of him like an angry Vajra.

That was Tank's beloved son, nicknamed "Iron Egg," whose real name was Li Zhenshan.

The little guy just turned five this year. He inherited his father's robust genes, and has a chubby, round face like a ball of flesh. His favorite thing to do is follow Liu Ming's son, Liu Nian, around like a loyal lackey.

But at this moment, the little chubby boy was in a very awkward horse stance, his two short legs trembling violently. Tears mixed with sweat streamed down his chubby cheeks.

"Waaaaah... Daddy, my legs hurt... I can't stand up anymore..."

Tie Dan cried so pitifully that snot bubbles came out of his nose as he looked pitifully at the tank.

An ordinary father would have been heartbroken and comforted his son upon seeing him like this, but who is Tank? He is a king of soldiers who has fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the demolition expert and melee humanoid weapon of "Dragon Fang".

The phrase "spoiled and pampered" does not exist in his dictionary.

"It hurts? You'll have to bear it even if it hurts!"

Tank showed no mercy. Instead, he broke off a thin willow twig from the side and snapped it twice in his hand. His fierce appearance was enough to stop a child from crying at night.

"I, Li Zhenshan's son, will shed blood and sweat, but not tears! I'm the one who will follow the boss's son to defend our country in the future. How can you, a coward like you, be a vanguard? How can you carry the banner?"

"Hold your tears back! If you cry again, I won't even give you lunch!"

Tie Dan was terrified by this scene. He dared not cry out loud anymore and could only sob and hold it in, his little face turning red. Although his two chubby little legs were trembling violently, he still tried his best to maintain the horse stance.

"That's right."

Seeing this, Tank nodded in satisfaction, his tone softening slightly, "No pain, no gain. Your father is training your will..."

"Li! Da! Niu!"

Just as Tank was about to give his son a pep talk about being a "tough guy," a sharp, thunderous roar suddenly erupted from the threshold of the main house.

Tank shuddered, and the once majestic willow branch in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

His towering, iron-tower-like body stiffened instantly, and even the range of motion of his neck turned like a rusty gear.

At the entrance to the main house stood a woman wearing a floral apron, slightly plump, but with a fierce air about her. She was holding a large rolling pin covered in flour.

It was Tank's wife, Zhang Cuihua, who ran a noodle shop in Ningzhou and completely won over the heart and stomach of this elite soldier with a bowl of braised beef noodles.

"Wife...wife..."

Tank swallowed hard, his previously menacing expression instantly transforming into a fawning smile that looked more like a grimace. "You... why are you out here? Weren't you inside making dumplings?"

"I won't come out? If I don't come out, you'll torture my son to death!"

Zhang Cuihua rushed to the center of the yard and hugged Tiedan, who was still practicing his horse stance, into her arms. Looking at her son's face, which was covered in sweat and red from crying, Zhang Cuihua felt so sorry for him that she almost cried.

"Don't cry, my sweet boy, Mommy's here."

While coaxing her like a precious darling, she turned her head, her eyes practically spitting fire as she stared intently at the tank.

"Li Daniu! You think you're so capable now, huh?"

Zhang Cuihua waved the rolling pin in her hand, pointed at the tank's nose, and cursed loudly.

"He's only five years old! Do you even understand what five years old means? His bones haven't even fully grown yet! You want him to do a horse stance? Are you trying to cripple him?"

"Wife, let me explain..."

Tank raised his hands and backed away step by step, trying to argue, "This...this is basic skill. The boss said back then that martial arts training should start from childhood. This kid has gotten too fat lately, I'm doing this for his own good, to help him stay healthy."

"To improve physical health?"

Zhang Cuihua sneered.

"Do you think this is your special forces unit? Going around killing and setting fires?!"

"Let me tell you, Li Daniu, the world is at peace now! My son is going to get into Tsinghua or Peking University, and he'll be sitting in an air-conditioned office! Who wants to be like you, some lousy pioneer!"

"If you don't massage my son's legs properly today, I'll take this rolling pin and break your legs!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Zhang Cuihua, like an enraged tigress, swung her thick, long rolling pin and smashed it down on the tank!

"Oh dear! Wife! Have mercy!"

The tank let out a strange cry, covered its head with its hands, and turned to run away.

A fearsome man who is two meters tall and can overturn an armored vehicle with his bare hands is being chased all over the yard by a slightly overweight young woman who is less than 1.6 meters tall and is wielding a rolling pin.

This scene is truly surreal.

"Stop right there! Why are you running? Weren't you so cocky just now? Weren't you going to be court-martialed?!"

Zhang Cuihua chased after her relentlessly, wielding the rolling pin with great force.

"I was wrong! I was really wrong, honey! I'll never practice again!"

The tank dodged and weaved around the yard in a flustered manner.

He dared not fight back, and he didn't even dare to run too fast, for fear that his wife would not be able to catch up and would fall. As a result, he was often accurately hit on the back and buttocks by the rolling pin covered in flour, making a dull "thump thump" sound.

Although the force was no different from a tickle to his body of steel, he still pretended to be in excruciating pain and grimaced.

"Ouch! Someone's being killed! Boss! Help!"

Tank screamed in agony as it circled the large jujube tree in the yard like a bear being herded.

Sitting in the rattan chair, Liu Ming watched this scene. Instead of offering any advice, he picked up his teacup, blew away the foam, and leisurely watched this dramatic family drama unfold.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Finally, Liu Ming couldn't hold back any longer. He leaned back in his chair and let out a hearty and unrestrained laugh.

This laughter lacked the shrewdness of the past, the majesty of someone high above; it contained only the genuine, carefree joy of an ordinary man seeing his old friend suffer a setback.

"Old Niu, you should be content."

Liu Ming put down his teacup and shouted at the tank that was still running around the tree.

"Cuihua's rolling pin is much gentler than the bullets from those mercenaries back in the day. This is called 'beating is a sign of affection, scolding is a sign of love.' You'd better take it."

"Boss! That's so disloyal of you! I'm about to be beaten to death and you're just standing there laughing at me!"

The tank dodged while protesting indignantly.

Upon hearing Liu Ming's words, Zhang Cuihua stopped what she was doing and glared at Tank.

"Did you hear that? Even General Manager Liu said so! What else do you have to complain about?"

The tank immediately stood at attention, like a schoolchild who had done something wrong, head drooping:

"I'm completely convinced."

Just then.

The door to the main room opened.

Xi Wanqing, Nangong Yao, and Lin Xiaoxiao, wearing aprons, came out carrying several plates of steaming dumplings.

"What's all this commotion about?"

Nangong Yao smiled as she glanced at Tank, who was covered in flour, and then at Zhang Cuihua, who was panting heavily. "Sister Cuihua, don't mind this silly guy. The dumplings are ready. Come and bring Tiedan over to eat. Today, I, his godmother, made the shrimp filling myself."

"Here it comes!"

Tie Dan, who had been crying his eyes out just moments before, burst into laughter the moment he heard there was food. He then pounced on Nangong Yao with his short little legs, moving at a speed more than ten times faster than when he was practicing his horse stance.

"What a useless piece of trash..." Tank muttered.

"What did you say?"

Zhang Cuihua glared and brandished the rolling pin in her hand.

"No... I just said this kid runs really fast, just like I used to be."

Tank quickly put on an apologetic smile.

Liu Ming smiled and shook his head. He stood up and walked to the dining table.

Looking at the steaming dumplings on the table, at the brothers who were playfully fighting over a shrimp dumpling, and at his woman and child.

An unprecedented sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.

There was no more bloodshed, no more intrigue.

Only this courtyard filled with the warmth of human life—this is what he truly wanted to protect after conquering that magnificent land.

"Dinner is served."

Liu Ming picked up her chopsticks and shouted with a smile.