Chapter 3: Make bad people good, and good people bad [Please read! Please vote! ] Zhao Weihong has been very close to his second uncle since he was a child. Zhao Yuejin, who has no children, has always treated Zhao Weihong as his own son. But Zhao Weihong knew very little about Zhao Yuejin's story in the army. She didn't even know how Zhao Yuejin lost his leg. But Zhao Weihong had heard her father mention it. If it weren't for the loss of his leg, Zhao Yuejin would not have chosen to take off his military uniform and return home. Zhao Yuejin himself didn't like to talk about these things, and his attitude towards the county cadres who came to visit him was even colder. He would drive them away after just a few words, which made the county cadres miserable, but they still had to bite the bullet and come to visit him during the holidays. "Wei Hong, take out the two bottles of wine from the cabinet." "Can we have a drink?" Zhao Weihong nodded, took down two bottles of Xifeng liquor from the bookshelf nearby, and poured a glass for him and Zhao Yuejin respectively.
Although they were chatting, neither of the uncle and nephew started a conversation. They just focused on eating and clinking glasses. Each one ate more ferociously than the other, as if they were competing to see who could eat faster. Until the three lunch boxes and two bottles of white wine were completely finished by the two of them. Zhao Yuejin then revealed a satisfied smile and gave instructions to Zhao Weihong. "Go, there's a small box under the bookcase, take it out." "Yes, that's it." I don’t know how long the box has been under the bookcase, and Zhao Weihong’s hands are covered with dust. "Ahem, Uncle, I'll clean up your room for you later." "What's in here? Why is it placed here?" Zhao Yuejin did not answer his question. He just motioned Zhao Weihong to take the box. Without even wiping the dust off it, he casually opened the lid of the box. The first thing that catches your eye is seven or eight long red boxes placed on the floral cloth, which look a bit shabby. Zhao Weihong looked at it curiously for a few seconds, and then was shocked. Because he saw some faded gold stars on the box, and the words "First Class Merit" and "People's Liberation Army"! But Zhao Yuejin did not show much concern about these boxes. He just took out the red box and threw it on the table. One box was even smashed open, and a golden medal rolled out of it. Seeing this, Zhao Weihong hurriedly picked it up. When he was about to put the medal back into the box, he couldn't help but be attracted by it and looked at it carefully. Perhaps because it was in a sealed state, the badge was not covered with dust. Instead, it looked as smooth as new, and sparkled brightly under the afternoon sun. In the center of the badge, the shining red star looks like a burning flame. The golden words "August 1st" on it give the badge a sacred and solemn atmosphere. After staring at it for a long time, Zhao Weihong finally remembered to put the medal back and close the lid.
Zhao Weihong was also able to see the words on the red box in full. 【First Class Merit Medal】 [Yanguo People's Liberation Army] "Like it?" "Take it back if you like it." "Anyway, this thing is useless to me, and it takes up space." "Uncle! How can I take this?" Although Zhao Weihong was not clear about the weight and significance of the first-class merit medal. But he knew very well that this must be something very important to Zhao Yuejin. How can I take it myself? Hearing this, Zhao Yuejin grinned and then lifted the floral cloth on the box. Zhao Weihong took a glance and almost jumped up! Under the floral cloth, there were several stacks of blue-black hundred-dollar bills! "Second uncle, you." "Wei Hong, come here, take it." While speaking, Zhao Yuejin took out two stacks of banknotes and handed them to Zhao Weihong. "I remember when I first came back, you were not even as tall as this table." "It's been so long." "My second uncle knows that you are just as strong-willed as I was when I was young." "But you have to be strong and score points." "It's just a failure on the list, it's no big deal. Looking at your previous behavior, I really want to kick you twice!" "Go back and give this money to your parents, and ask them to pay for your tuition for repeating your studies." "The rest is used to pay tuition, food expenses and other miscellaneous expenses." "If it's not enough, come and ask Uncle Er for help again." "Your uncle paid for your repeat year!" "Take it!" Zhao Yuejin's tone was firm, but his usually stern face seemed particularly gentle at this moment. Zhao Weihong stared at Zhao Yuejin with his eyes wide open, and suddenly felt dizzy.
In her previous life, Zhao Weihong couldn't stand those so-called "insults" and was particularly resistant to going out. After delivering meals twice, she refused to go out again. A few days later, Zhao Weihong left a letter and boarded a train heading south, and naturally did not experience today's conversation. "Second uncle." "Take it!" "Are you still being so distant with your second uncle?" "Or are you just going to let me hold it like this forever?" Seeing that Zhao Weihong had not responded, Zhao Yuejin's tone became even tougher. "." Zhao Weihong silently reached out her hand and took the two stacks of banknotes. Seeing this, Zhao Yuejin's face suddenly showed a relieved smile, and when he was about to speak, his face suddenly changed. "What are you doing, little brat?" As Zhao Yuejin roared, Zhao Weihong pulled the box in front of her, silently put the banknotes back into the box, covered it with a floral cloth, silently put the red boxes carefully back to their original places, and finally silently covered the box. "Second uncle." “Although I don’t know where the money came from.” "But I can feel that this money is as important to you as those medals." "Don't get me wrong. I mean, the money and medals are important." "Or is it a memory? A thought?" "What you do with these things is your business." "But I can't take away your thoughts, Uncle." "It's been more than ten years since I came back, and I still have these bullshit thoughts!" "If it's for these so-called thoughts, my legs won't..." "Second uncle." Zhao Weihong suddenly raised her voice and looked directly at the somewhat hysterical Zhao Yuejin, drowning out his voice. "Tell me about your time in the army." "What on earth is the army?" He stared at the nephew whom he had watched grow up with complicated eyes. Zhao Yuejin suddenly felt that in just one morning, some changes had been discovered in Zhao Weihong. Although it was unclear where the changes had taken place, Zhao Yuejin still felt a strange feeling, similar to "being looked at with new eyes". "You want to know?"
"Ah." Zhao Yuejin took a deep breath and started talking to Zhao Weihong about the army for the first time. "When you were in school, did you ever hear that the military is a melting pot?" "I heard." Hearing this, Zhao Yuejin smiled faintly, with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. “That’s right.” "But the second half of his sentence is wrong." "The army is a melting pot, forging us, the iron, into the steel that the people need." "But until now, I'm not sure if I have become that piece of steel." "And I've been a soldier for more than ten years, and I've never seen many people who could be called 'iron' before joining the army." "I still remember what my squad leader in the recruit company said to me, and I can use it to answer your question." The smile on Zhao Yuejin's face gradually disappeared, replaced by his usual serious expression. "The army is a place where bad guys become good and good guys become bad." "." In the sunlight-filled room, the uncle and nephew chatted for a long time. One is speaking carefully, the other is listening attentively. And the dusty box was placed in the corner of the table. Until the chat ended, the uncle and nephew didn't even look at the box again. On the way back, Zhao Weihong was digesting the content of the conversation, with a lot of thoughts in his mind. Especially the sentence "make bad people become good, and make good people become bad" was very difficult for Zhao Weihong to understand. Just when Zhao Weihong had a vague idea. The shouting coming from not far away brought Zhao Weihong back to reality from his thoughts. "Don't tell me this, you two!" "Difficult? Who doesn't have a difficult time these days?" "Anyway, I'm telling you, don't even think about procrastinating!" "When will the money be returned? You must give me a definite answer today!" "Second sister, I will definitely pay you back when I have money." Listening to the deep weakness and fatigue in the familiar male voice, Zhao Weihong's eyes became a little sore.
"Rich? What do you mean by rich?" "I expect your family to be rich? Just say you don't plan to pay it back." Zhao Weihong couldn't bear it any longer, so she strode into the yard and opened the door with a creak. Seeing Zhao Weihong suddenly come back, Li Ping, who had always had a blank expression on her face, suddenly became a little flustered, as if she didn't want Zhao Weihong to face such an occasion. "Wei Hong is back" "Go back to your room first, mom will call you for dinner soon." Beside Li Ping, Zhao Weihong's father was looking at his growing taller son with a silly smile on his face. "You're back? That's great." "Dad, Mom." Zhao Weihong's voice was not loud, but it was enough to drown out the incessant noise beside her. He withdrew his emotionless gaze from this relative whom he should call "Second Aunt". Zhao Weihong looked at her parents, whose expressions could not hide their haggardness, and suddenly a bright smile broke out on her face. "I'd better join the army." The first update of today is here! There will be another update later, around 4pm! Please support me by voting for me! (End of this chapter)
