Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 731 Paying Tribute to Heroes

The train swayed along the tracks, and outside the window was a desolate scene: trees were shedding their leaves, grass was turning yellow, and the harvested fields looked like they had been gnawed by dogs. The sky was bluer and higher, and the river water was beginning to darken.

"A pair of 2s, want one? Don't leave yet, want one? Do you have a King?" Chen Hui held up a deck of cards and showed off to Wang Gang.

"What can he do if I beat him up? Go to Wang, hit him." Wang Gang couldn't stand being provoked and threw Wang out.

Chen Hui shook a card in his hand: "Come on, play it. I don't believe you don't have a single card."

Wang Gang scratched his head and asked his rival, Mi Le, "Can you take over?"

Chen Hui's opponent was Li Weibing, who kicked Wang Gang and said, "Are you even capable of playing? Show him your cards and see if you can play them!"

Xiao Wei was reading a copy of "The Biography of Su Ning" on the side, his body swaying with the train.

In the early 90s, two major appliance retail brands emerged in China: Suning and Gome. Gome originated in Beijing, while Suning originated in Nanjing. The entire 90s was a period of fierce competition and expansion between these two companies. Although there were many other well-performing appliance chains in other regions, such as Dazhong in Shanghai and Bafang in southern Henan, they were all eventually swallowed up by these two giants.

Both companies started from a small shop: Gome was a home appliance retail store of about 100 square meters, and Suning was an air conditioner specialty store of about 200 square meters.

The 90s were a magical era that can never be replicated. This decade saw the birth of countless legends. Money was easy to make, work was easy to do, and the market was virtually untapped. Making money back then wasn't just making money; it was like picking up money. As long as you were bold enough to take risks and take risks, you were almost guaranteed success, regardless of the industry. Profits were as plentiful as money falling from the sky.

However, the book "The Biography of Su Ning" that Xiaowei was reading had nothing to do with any of that; it was just a biography of a person.

Coincidentally, the character Su Ning in the Suning Chronicles was born in Nanjing, the birthplace of Suning. He was the son of a high-ranking military officer, but he grew up in Northeast China. He attended Xidu Bayi Primary School, then transferred to Bingcheng Bayi Primary School, where he studied at a teachers' college before joining the army.

In December 1990, Jinling Suning was successfully registered. In March 1991, Bingcheng Suning heroically sacrificed his life to protect his comrades.

It was a live-fire grenade test, and Su Ning, the regimental chief of staff, was leading the team. A company commander, due to carelessness, dropped a grenade that hit the edge of a trench, leaving him only 37 seconds. Su Ning shouted and rushed over, pushing aside two unsuspecting junior officers, and picked up the grenade. Unfortunately, the grenade exploded the instant he released it.

At only thirty-eight years old, a young colonel, he gave his life to save his comrades. This is the awareness of a son of a high-ranking military officer.

What people say is not really important; what matters is what they do first in a critical moment—that's the real them.

Suning's success in Northeast China is thanks to Suning. At the time, many people went there because of the name, thinking, "If it's a hero's name, it can't be bad."

Back then, my older brother was in the army as a regimental communications officer. At that time, the Fengtian Military Region called on the entire army to learn from Comrade Su Ning, and my brother was in charge of purchasing. My family had a lot of Su Ning cigarettes piled up.

My brother said that hand grenades are the most dangerous thing in the army, and accidents happen every year.

He also encountered an accident during recruit training. A recruit dropped the grenade, and their company commander reacted quickly, picking up the smoking grenade and stuffing it into the recruit's luggage. He then lunged upwards, and everyone saw the company commander's body jump up. The incident was over, but afterwards, the company commander was pale and sweating profusely. He rested for several days, but he was still shaken.

This is something that these former recruits might only talk about as a story; no one knows that the company commander was also a hero. There are countless unsung heroes around us, their shining lives hidden in the ordinary.

……

With more people, it gets lively, especially with a few fearless and rebellious guys playing cards with such fervor that the train conductor came by several times, and even the train police took a stroll over.

Xiao Wei sighed and said, "Can you guys quiet down a bit? Does playing cards have to be so noisy? Even when someone throws a grenade, they don't yell. Does the train conductor have to come over?"

Chen Hui was taken aback: "What kind of grenade?"

Li Weibing said, "He was reading that book, about the chief of staff of an artillery regiment in Harbin, from our military region. During a grenade test, he lost a grenade and sacrificed himself to save people. He was a true hero. The grenade was blown more than a meter away, and shrapnel hit him directly in the head."

Wang Gang said, "If this were an ordinary family, I would have gone to visit them and given them some money, no matter what. Unfortunately, their father is a higher-ranking official than mine, so they don't need us. Like father, like son, my dad lectured me about this for days."

Xiao Wei said, "I thought all the children of high-ranking officials were like you two."

Wang Gang said, "What's wrong with us? We don't steal, rob, or cheat. To be honest, we just didn't want to be soldiers, so we've just drifted along. What do we lack in other areas? Let me tell you, kids in the military are much better than those other kids in civilian life, you know? We have our bottom line, we know what we can and can't do."

Li Weibing said, "You have to be brave enough to do it; breaking your leg is the least of your worries."

Chen Hui asked, "I'm not from this area, am I? What do you two mean by this?"

Wang Gang said, "You can't calculate it. You just met the right person. The ratio is too low; there's no comparison."

Li Weibing said, "Many times, it doesn't really have much to do with family education. It's the environment, friends, and the people you associate with that are the main reasons. You're lucky to have met Xiaowei, really. Otherwise, you wouldn't be much better off in the future. A large group of people, everyone else is going and you're not? Everyone else is doing it and you're not? Unless you can stay at home all by yourself."

Chen Hui thought for a moment and said, "That seems to make sense. Before I was with Xiaowei, I used to go out singing, dancing, picking up girls, and drinking every day. But after spending more time with Xiaowei and Lao Xia, I didn't have time to go out and hang out with those people anymore, and it felt meaningless. Now it's so much better. My dad used to rarely praise me, but he's praised me several times in the last six months."

Wang Gang sighed, threw the cards on the bed, and said, "Oh dear, when will my old man ever praise me? I'd die happy if I did. We've been playing since we were kids, all I remember are sticks and shoe soles."

Chen Hui said, "Don't rush, we're still young. You should start doing business well now, and when Xiao Wei and I go to Xidu tomorrow, we'll take you with us. You can see how things go in a few years."

Wang Gang said, "Now we're counting on you guys. Hope you can get some scraps. I made over 100,000 yuan in Xingcheng this month, but I haven't told my family. I'm thinking of saving up enough to show my dad all at once."

Xiao Wei said to Li Weibing, "Keep an eye on him, don't let him waste money. Now is the time to save up. Wang Gang, watch your hands and mouth. Even if we need you guys in Xidu, how can we have fun if you don't have the money? Where am I supposed to lend you money? Things over there involve millions of dollars at a time."

Wang Gang said, "I understand, no need to explain. I've figured it out now. Showing off now will only earn me a minute of face, it's useless. I'll just keep a low profile for now and wait a few years to dazzle them."

Chen Hui laughed and said, "Other people's motivation for striving comes from their parents' and family's lofty goals and such, but he's just trying to show off."

Xiao Wei said, "That's a goal too. As long as you have motivation, that's enough. People can change, including their personality. Gradually, you'll settle down, control yourself, and know what to do and how to do it. Don't rush it."

(End of this chapter)