gnovel Chapter 0064: My Son Has Grown Up?
Chapter 0064: My Son Has Grown Up?
A group of soldiers surged toward the single bar.
When Gao Cheng passed by, he saw Xu Sanduo surrounded by people and couldn't help but go over—Gao Cheng was very satisfied with Xu Sanduo's performance today, so he decided to see what these kids were up to.
"Sanduo, you said before that you could do fifty laps, right?" Zheng Yingqi said with a smile.
"It's thirty," Xu Sanduo quickly corrected.
Zheng Yingqi chuckled and slapped Xu Sanduo on the back: "Just fifty! Do you know the biggest difference between a good soldier and a bad soldier? A good soldier is: I can do it! A bad soldier is: I might not be able to! Go be a good soldier, just fifty!"
The comrades from the third squad who rushed over, of course, were eager to see more excitement. Gan Xiaoning encouraged them, "Our Squad Leader Wu can do 120 loops with his eyes closed! The highest he's ever done is 200! If you can't do 50, Squad Leader Wu will still look down on you!"
Xu Sanduo looked at Wu Liuyi, who was lying on the ground, groaning but not making a sound. Bai Tiejun continued to coax him: "Sanduo, although you beat me in target practice today, you can't beat me in abdominal barbell wraps! Shall we have a competition today?"
"But this..." Xu Sanduo looked at the people on the playground: "There are too many people..."
Gao Cheng's voice came in: "Who cares if there are more people? Will they eat you up?"
"Good morning, Company Commander!" The soldiers hurriedly saluted, but Gao Cheng waved for them to lower their hands and said to Xu Sanduo, "Xu Sanduo, I order you to do fifty!"
"Yes!" Xu Sanduo answered subconsciously, but then felt guilty and instinctively looked for someone to lean on. He didn't see Zheng Yingqi, but only Shi Jin, who said to him, "Sanduo, you can do it!"
"What are you all standing there for? Charge! If you can't even get past fifty of them, what kind of soldier are you?" Gao Cheng urged. Bai Tiejun tried to back down, but Gao Cheng pointed at him and said, "Bai Tiejun, you go too!"
Bai Tiejun smiled bitterly. This was truly a case of losing both his wife and his army, but the company commander had given the order, so how could he not go? He had no choice but to bite the bullet and go—he could circle around forty-four times, which was his highest record.
Fortunately, with Xu Sanduo at the bottom, even if I can't do fifty, it shouldn't be shameful, right?
Zheng Yingqi slipped away quietly from the crowd and ran to find the instructor, who had a video camera.
As a top soldier registered in the company, Hong Xingguo went to find the video camera without hesitation when he heard that Zheng Yingqi wanted to borrow it, asking as he searched, "What are you recording?"
"Xu Sanduo is going to do abdominal pull-ups, I'm going to record it," Zheng Yingqi said, trying to sound calm. The instructor thought to himself that he wouldn't lend this machine to any other soldier—it's just abdominal pull-ups, why bother recording it? Even the record holder of 298 didn't bother recording it.
That's right, the highest record for abdominal barbell wraps in 702 is 298, and the holder is none other than the seemingly gentle instructor, Hung Hsing-kuo!
"Be careful, this machine is very valuable. Do you even know how to record?" The instructor regretted handing the equipment to Zheng Yingqi as soon as he did. Although Zheng Yingqi nodded confidently that he could record, he changed his mind: "Never mind, give it to me, I'll record it!"
"I'm so sorry..." Zheng Yingqi chuckled, then said earnestly, "This is too much trouble for the instructor."
Hong Xingguo laughed and pointed at Zheng Yingqi: "You... you don't seem embarrassed at all!"
When Hong Xingguo and Bai Tiejun arrived at the single-armed position, Xu Sanduo and Bai Tiejun were already in position, ready to fight—the commotion was quite loud, and the soldiers who had finished their assessments had gathered over to join in the fun.
"superior!"
At Gao Cheng's command, Bai Tiejun and Xu Sanduo got on the bar together—Bai Tiejun did a pretty good job, but Xu Sanduo almost "kicked the bucket," actually hanging directly on the bar and trying to hold on, failing on the first attempt!
The soldiers of the Third Platoon were speechless, as were the soldiers of the Seventh Company who were watching—Brother, are you sure you're not here to joke around?
"Squad leader, can I start over?" Xu Sanduo said pitifully—he didn't even have the courage to beg Gao Cheng for mercy.
Hong Xingguo, who had just turned on the video recorder, couldn't wait to turn it off and leave. With this skill level, how could he possibly record it? How could he, the number one person in the 702 abdominal bar wrap, be allowed to record it?
Zheng Yingqi's lips twitched. He was still waiting for Xu Sanduo to break the record, but how come this kid just went soft?
Gao Cheng also became furious, and before Shi Jin could speak, he said angrily, "Xu Sanduo! Remember this, when things get serious, no one gives you a second chance! That's it, keep going!"
Zheng Yingqi, fearing that Xu Sanduo would be so frightened by Gao Cheng that he would fall off the horizontal bar, shouted, "Xu Sanduo, whether you become a good soldier or a bad soldier is up to you!"
Hearing Zheng Yingqi's shout, Xu Sanduo couldn't help but recall the scene from the assessment not long ago—the scene of being surrounded by onlookers, admired and amazed. He roared, "I want to...be a good soldier!"
He slowly made the first one, the second one, the third one...
They finally got started, and the soldiers began counting—Gao Cheng, actually unconcerned with this childish task, asked Wu Liuyi beside him, "I remember you made about 200?"
Wu Liuyi said casually, "That's child's play, I didn't remember it."
Gao Cheng sighed and said, "Let's start this guy at 50." Because of the road to the maintenance station, he had high expectations for Xu Sanduo.
As Xu Sanduo gradually managed to do more than thirty, everyone in the room began to guess how many more he could keep going—most people thought that it would be good if this kid could manage to do 50.
Only Zheng Yingqi knew in his heart that Xu Sanduo would create a record that would shock everyone today!
Bai Tiejun gritted his teeth and kept going, but when he got to the 47th one, he went weak and cried out, "I can't do it anymore..."
"Bai Tiejun, we only need ten more to reach the target! Can you keep going?" Gao Cheng asked with a stern face. Upon hearing this, Bai Tiejun gritted his teeth and started counting again: 3, 4, 5, 6...
When it came to the eighth one, he said he couldn't do anything anymore and got off the horizontal bar. He didn't dare to look at Gao Cheng's face, thinking he hadn't done enough.
"It's alright, look at Xu Sanduo. Hey, how many is he?" Gao Cheng commented casually, then curiously asked Shi Jin, who was counting. Shi Jin, without looking up, replied, "52!"
"Huh?" Gao Cheng didn't expect Xu Sanduo to still be making them. It looked like he could make dozens more. He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, leaving Bai Tiejun behind.
Zheng Yingqi stepped forward and hooked his arm around Bai Tiejun, praising, "Well done! You didn't disappoint the company commander, you did 54! I remember your highest was 44 before? You've improved!"
Bai Tiejun was surprised that he had unleashed his inner power and made ten more, and he couldn't help but laugh foolishly. But when he saw Xu Sanduo still circling around, his feelings became complicated.
The soldiers were increasingly surprised. The soldier who was circling on the horizontal bar had now found his center of gravity and was making the circular motion in a way that did not consume much energy. It seemed that he could do dozens more.
Hong Xingguo, who was recording, was also surprised. The reason why experts can do so many is that they have found this center of gravity and do not consume too much physical strength each time. Otherwise, how could there be a difference between him being able to do nearly three hundred while others can only do thirty?
But how did Xu Sanduo, who was initially struggling, suddenly become so powerful?
At that moment, not only Hong Xingguo, but everyone else was surprised that this soldier would set a record.
Zheng Yingqi didn't spend much time on abdominal barbell exercises, but she could still do 80 or 90.
He might be able to do 120 or 130 if he tried his best, but Zheng Yingqi knew he couldn't keep doing what Xu Sanduo did—he thought that at this point, Xu Sanduo's world was probably just filled with a stubborn obsession.
"One hundred and ninety-nine!"
"two hundred!"
When the soldiers counted to 200 in shock, Xu Sanduo failed to get around to the 201st spot and ended up hanging on the horizontal bar like a roast duck.
"He's tied your record!" Gao Cheng said to Wu Liuyi in surprise. Wu Liuyi thought for a moment and said, "I can probably do 250 now."
Zheng Yingqi wanted to spit on Wu Liuyi. He had just been nonchalantly labeling Wu Liuyi as a childish thing, but now that his record had been broken, he had shown his true colors.
The hanging roast duck—no, it was hanging upside down—Xu Sanduo, eyes tightly shut and groggy, asked, "Squad leader, is that fifty enough?"
Zheng Yingqi quickly interjected, "No! It's still early!"
Everyone could see that Xu Sanduo had reached his physical limit, but everyone wanted to see if this soldier could break through it, so they all shouted together, "It's still early! Hang in there!"
"what!"
Xu Sanduo roared, and his body, which had been unable to move just moments before, began to move again, one after another, and yet another!
Gao Cheng was surprised, and Wu Liuyi also became serious. The soldiers all gaped in astonishment. This soldier had actually started moving!
Hong Xingguo was also excited, and even the footage being filmed started to shake!
Today, Xu Sanduo has given them so many surprises. Many times they thought Xu Sanduo would not be able to hold on, but he has repeatedly broken their expectations. And now, he has even broken through the limit!
Xu Sanduo continued circling, and as he circled, he roared—he couldn't roar in the recruit company, he couldn't roar in the third company, third platoon, and he couldn't roar on the grassland, but now, he could roar. Countless thoughts turned into roars, and the roars shook the world.
The soldiers watched the man circling the horizontal bar, silent and still.
"This... can he be considered a god?" Gao Cheng's definition of a god is someone who can do things that humans cannot do. And the feeling that Xu Sanduo gives Gao Cheng right now is that he is a god!
Wu Liuyi was also stunned: "More than me."
He said there were more than me, meaning there were more than the 250 he had expected.
"Record it! Quick, get the instructor to bring the machine over! Record it!" Gao Cheng jumped up and down; this was a record.
"It's recording!" Zheng Yingqi said, and Gao Cheng noticed the instructor carrying the equipment. He immediately asked someone to make more space for the instructor.
The soldiers began counting again in a deafening voice; they were witnessing the birth of a miracle.
Shi Jin's eyes were a little moist. He had finally waited for this day, the day when Xu Sanduo would shine—whether in literature or martial arts.
He believes that Xu Sanduo will do better and better in the future!
"three hundred!"
After the soldiers shouted out the number, they suddenly lost the courage to continue shouting. At that moment, all they felt was reluctance.
This was a deception, a group of people deceiving one person. Although it was a well-intentioned deception, they now regret it and realize they shouldn't have carried out this deception, especially seeing Xu Sanduo struggling more and more.
"Let's just forget about it?"
That's what some people say.
"No!" Zheng Yingqi refused forcefully. "Let him do it! Let him know he can do it better than anyone else!"
Many people were looking at Zheng Yingqi, and in their eyes, they were protecting Xu Sanduo. Zheng Yingqi, who was protecting his son like a father, was full of pride at this moment!
Gao Cheng also looked at Zheng Yingqi. He thought of how Zheng Yingqi had told him in basic training that Xu Sanduo was a tiger at heart. Zheng Yingqi was so certain back then. Until recently, Gao Cheng didn't actually believe that Xu Sanduo was a tiger at heart. He always thought he was a cat.
At the maintenance station, after seeing that road, he felt that even if such a soldier was not outstanding in combat, he was still worthy of respect, so he abandoned his prejudice. But at this moment, Gao Cheng knew that this soldier who was still stubbornly circling on the horizontal bar was truly a tiger in his heart!
The stubborn figure on the horizontal bar slowly lifted up, then slowly rolled down again. This time, he struggled for a long time but failed to successfully roll up once more.
"Xu Sanduo." Gao Cheng slowly walked up to him. Xu Sanduo stopped moving and asked, "Squad...leader...are...there...fifty...people?"
His voice sounded like someone on the verge of death. And he was completely unaware that the person asking him the question was the company commander he feared most.
"That's enough. You've done better than anyone else," Gao Cheng said solemnly.
"353!" Gan Xiaoning excitedly added, "Xu Sanduo, you did 353! More than everyone else!"
Xu Sanduo heard this, and then, losing all his strength, he fell off the horizontal bar, but Gao Cheng caught him. Gao Cheng picked up this soldier he hadn't particularly liked before and shouted, "Give me a hand and carry this to the dormitory! Water! Glucose! First aid kit! Medic!"
Shi Jin rushed forward and, together with Gao Cheng, carried the person to safety.
The crowd surged back into the dormitory, leaving only Zheng Yingqi and Hong Xingguo behind in the previously noisy area.
Hong Xingguo turned off the machine and then noticed Zheng Yingqi's blank expression.
"Zheng Yingqi, what's wrong?"
"Instructor, do you know how long I've been waiting for this day..." Zheng Yingqi said wistfully. "I've been waiting for Xu Sanduo to be taken seriously. I've always thought that when everyone finally recognizes and believes in Xu Sanduo, I'll proudly tell them, 'See? You're all blind!' But now, I realize I don't feel proud at all—Xu Sanduo created an unimaginable record, a record that shocked the entire company. I should be the proudest one."
But I feel this is how it should be. Like... water flowing into a channel.
Zheng Yingqi's words were actually quite incoherent—he knew that Xu Sanduo would shine brightly, that Xu Sanduo would ultimately outperform everyone else, and he knew it from the very beginning.
He thought he could save Xu Sanduo a lot of time and effort, but in the end he found that it was all in vain. Not only did he not save any time and effort, but he also added more steps and almost deviated from the original plan.
In the end, his efforts seemed futile, because Xu Sanduo ultimately followed the original path and blossomed.
The only difference is that in the original story, Xu Sanduo did 333, while now he has done 353.
This seems to be my own achievement?
Hong Xingguo couldn't understand Zheng Yingqi's complex feelings, but as his instructor, he would say something like, "Zheng Yingqi, when everyone thought he couldn't do it, you always supported him, encouraged him, and guided him. Now that he's doing well, your efforts and achievements are part of that. Now you suddenly feel it's all meaningless. Doesn't it feel like your own child has grown up?"
Can a son in my family be allowed to "steal" cabbages?
Zheng Yingqi shook his head. The instructor wouldn't understand how he felt, but he still smiled and said, "Yes, the instructor knows more."
But Zheng Yingqi thought to himself: From now on, Xu Sanduo will no longer be that soldier without confidence or self-respect.
what about me?
He felt a sense of powerlessness, as if he had temporarily lost his purpose.
(The author also has a feeling of raising Xu Sanduo. After writing 16 words, there is actually a feeling of raising him - Xu Sanduo has been raised, and the next step should be the raising of the protagonist himself as a "soldier".)
The free part is fine, I'm not afraid to say it's easy, that's why I dared to train Xu Sanduo, it's that simple.
On a side note, everyone is definitely reading this book because of its title. But without Xu Sanduo, is it still "Soldiers' Assault"? How many people have been moved by the seemingly simple and honest Xu Sanduo? How many tears have been shed by that persistent soldier on the grassland, that strong soldier, that soldier who did meaningful things?
In other words, a protagonist who directly understands and witnesses Xu Sanduo's growth is more interesting. After all, the future is exciting and cruel. Without Xu Sanduo's perseverance and naivety, how can the story be exciting in more episodes?
These are just my humble opinions, which could also be considered the reason for writing 16 words! Finally, please vote for this story!