1978: A Literary Giant Who Began His Military Service

Chapter 6 Leaving Home
A few days passed in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Xu has been persisting in writing, as this is his big plan to join the performing arts troupe! He can't afford to delay it even a little bit.

He has already written the manuscript and plans to submit it directly to "PLA Literature and Art" when he joins the army.

Before leaving home.

The village brigade called over several people from the commune's photography studio. Nowadays, many photographers and projectionists are from the commune, and they can be called over whenever needed.

The two of them were going to the military base, so they planned to take a photo beforehand to commemorate the occasion. After all, no one knows if joining the army would mean never returning...

To save money.

The two families stood together. The secretary's family had two sons, and a younger son who was less than ten years old.

The seven people stood in a row, and the secretary said, "Zhou Xu, you and Youcai are a little ahead."

Zhou Xu took a step forward with Zhou Youcai, while the two sets of parents stood behind them.

The photographer with the camera slung over his shoulder looked at them and said, "Don't move, I'm taking a picture."

"Click."

After one photo was taken, the secretary said, "Take another individual photo of each of the two children."

Zhou Xu smiled and said, "That won't be necessary!"

“Hey, we’ll keep you here so we can remember you. You’ve been gone for three years! Maybe five or six?” the secretary said.

Zhou Xu nodded.

The photographer over there looked over and asked, "So, which of you two will go first?"

"Let me go first!" Zhou Youcai stood up straight with a narcissistic smile on his face.

After a while, Zhou Xu stood over and smiled slightly.

Zhou Guoping asked, "By the way, how long will it take to develop the photos? Can it be today?"

"Today is definitely not an option! When developing the photos, all the film rolls are used up before we take them to the county office. Even at the fastest pace, it will take four or five days! When are you reporting for duty?"

"Four or five days! We're both going to join the army. Mom and Dad, you can keep these things for yourselves. We don't need them," Zhou Xu said.

After a while of fussing, both families, who weren't working today, had some time to help the two children pack their things.

Zhou's parents took out some money.

More than ten days ago, Zhou Guoping applied for a subsidy for demobilized veterans. Now he receives six yuan a month. He didn't ask for it anywhere. Today, he took the six yuan to the commune's supply and marketing cooperative.

"You don't need the toothbrush and towel anymore, the army will issue new ones!" Zhou Xu reminded his parents, seeing that they wanted to buy everything new.

"Are there any snacks here?"

"No need, it seems the military doesn't allow you to take it out, so you can keep the money for yourselves."

But he couldn't go against his parents' wishes, so they packed some things for him.

On the morning before he left, Zhou Guoping called Zhou Xu into the room. Zhou Guoping took out his wallet from his bedside table and pulled out three bright red ten-yuan bills: "Take this."

In this day and age, when a son starts working or joins the army, he needs to give four or five yuan of his ten yuan to the family.

It's rare to see someone like Zhou Guoping pull out thirty yuan from their savings at once. Zhou Xu said, "The army provides food and lodging, so I have no use for this money."

Zhou Guoping paused for a moment: "Dad knows... You'll need money to get into the army, won't you?"

“Take it… Besides, you have holidays and rest time! Going out to see the world and having a good meal will cost a lot of money, right? What if you meet a girl you like? Or want to buy something but don’t have the money?” Zhou Guoping sighed slightly.

Zhou Xu accepted the red bill. He was still in the entrepreneurial and writing stage and really needed some solidarity.

"Okay, Dad!"

Looking at Zhou Guoping, he didn't know what to say. The old man still really wanted him to stay in the army: "Dad does want you to fight and make meritorious contributions, but your mother is right, I won't force you... If you want to stay in the army, you can stay; if you don't want to, you can take the military academy entrance exam or apply for a job back home..."

“…Yes, I will definitely work hard in the army.” Zhou Xu looked at the old man and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He carried his luggage on his back and held snacks in his hand.

Zhou Guoping and Zhang Qiutian followed behind. Zhang Qiutian cushioned his backpack from behind, afraid that he would get tired: "My dear son, you must be careful when you go to join the army. I've seen some people get injured or disabled after they finish their service. Don't run around recklessly!" "I know."

“When you get to the unit, listen to your squad leader. If anything happens, call me. Dad… Dad still has some friends.” Zhou Guoping patted his shoulder.

The two escorted him to the threshing ground.

The tractor on the threshing ground started up with a clang, waiting for the two glorious new recruits to get on. Zhou Xu turned around and said, "Mom and Dad, it's so early in the morning, you should go back and rest. Don't catch a cold."

“It’s alright, it’s alright, your mother can’t bear to part with you!” Zhou Guoping said.

Zhang Qiutian wiped away her tears; she was still very sad. After all, she hadn't seen anyone for three to five years.

"Little brother, come up here quickly!" Zhou Youcai stretched out his hand.

Zhou Xu grabbed him and followed Zhou Youcai onto the tractor.

The old man who owned the tractor smoked a cigarette and watched as all the luggage was loaded before he started the tractor with a whoosh.

Hey! Remember to write back!

"I remember everything. Take care of yourselves..."

The tractor wasn't particularly fast, but it still disappeared around the bend in the mountain stream in no time. The two children wiped away their tears.

Zhou Youcai looked ahead, his heart pounding. He said excitedly, "Joining the army! Zhou Xu, let me tell you, you can shoot guns and drive tanks! There's even a chance to be promoted to officer!"

For rural children in this era, there are only a few ways to change their fate, and joining the army is a relatively simple one.
Previously, there was an opportunity for worker-peasant-soldier college students, but that opportunity has now been completely eliminated.

Zhou Youcai naturally understood this principle. After joining the army, he would not give up any opportunity as long as there was hope of climbing the ranks.

"Hmm." Zhou Xu looked at the rising sun.

His eyes held a deep sense of melancholy and confusion. What would the future hold?

Online articles are full of grand pronouncements and lofty ideals, but when it comes to a real era like this, in a vast country like China, people often feel lost...

Arrived at the county town.

A group of workers, peasants and soldiers stood guard in the auditorium. There were many people and they were untrained, so it was quite noisy. They were all excited because it was their first time serving in the army.

Soon, leaders from the Armed Forces Department arrived, followed by representatives from the Wuhan Military Region. They exuded a powerful aura, the unwavering resolve of soldiers.

Upon seeing their leader, the group of greenhorns felt curious, and then, as if foreseeing the future, were too afraid to speak.

The military region leader said: "Ahem, thank you for the support of all the leaders and comrades, and also thank you for the support of all the comrades in the township and county. This recruitment mission has been very successful! You will be the new recruits of our Corps from now on. Let me say a few words."

……

Finally, it was Old Wei's turn to hand out uniforms and big red flowers to the recruits... so that these new soldiers could proudly walk in front of the villagers!

In some places, uniforms are issued first, while in others they are issued after enlistment. Here, they are issued first.

A group of raw recruits looked at their new uniforms with curiosity, curiosity, and even more curiosity...

Seeing their leaders dressed so smartly and with such an imposing presence makes them feel uneasy.

The veteran walked over with a set of clothes: "How tall?"

“1.8 meters tall!” Zhou Xu said.

“Then you want the biggest one.” He walked over and picked up the biggest set of clothes, then another set of cotton-padded clothes… Winter was coming soon, and these thick clothes were all distributed by the team.

With a slap, the object landed on Zhou Xu.

The clothes were brand new, with a slight smell of machine oil, characteristic of machine manufacturing.

"Change your clothes here and put on your big red flowers! You'll be paraded around the streets for a bit, then get on the bus!" The old commander's voice boomed.

A bunch of boys weren't embarrassed at all. What's there to be ashamed of these days? They all grew up with their bottoms exposed.

Zhou Xu took off his original clothes, put on his military uniform, and put on his hat... He put the rest of his things in his backpack.

After a group of people changed their clothes, the entire auditorium became noisy and chaotic...

(End of this chapter)