A boy's battlefield, a father's pride

A boy's battlefield, a father's pride

Day 20.

On the training field in the early morning, Lu Chen's movements were completely different from twenty days ago.

Every punch was precise and powerful, every kick was delivered with a tricky angle. The boy's figure moved swiftly in the morning light, creating a series of whooshing sounds as he moved through the air.

Lu Zhanting stood on the sidelines, holding a cup of tea, his eyes never leaving his son.

Twenty days.

This kid went from not being able to run even five kilometers at the beginning to being able to complete a ten-kilometer cross-country run in 45 minutes.

From being knocked down by him in one move to now being able to withstand fifty moves from him.

Even he found the speed of progress astonishing.

"Stop," Lu Zhanting said.

Lu Chen immediately stopped his attack and stood up straight.

Sweat streamed down his face, but the boy's breathing had become much more steady.

"The selection is tomorrow." Lu Zhanting put down his teacup. "No training today."

Lu Chen was taken aback.

"Go back, take a shower, eat, and then rest." Lu Zhanting turned and walked back. "Conserving your energy is more important than anything else."

"yes."

As the boy watched his father's retreating figure, he suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

For twenty days, my father has never said "you're great" or given me a hug.

But it was this silence that made him feel even more clearly the heavy expectation.

---

In the kitchen, Su Wanqing was preparing breakfast.

Lu Xi squatted by the stove, watching intently as her mother fried eggs.

"Mom, my second brother is going to the selection tomorrow." The little girl said with some reluctance, "If he passes, will he have to live at school?"

“Yes.” Su Wanqing flipped the page over. “Your second brother has grown up and has his own path to walk.”

“But…” Lu Xi bit her lip, “I will miss him.”

Su Wanqing stopped what she was doing, squatted down, and patted her daughter's head.

“Call him if you miss him. It’s not like the college doesn’t allow visits.” She smiled. “Besides, didn’t you say you want to be a doctor? You’ll have to go out and study there too.”

“That’s different.” The little girl pouted. “I’m studying medicine so I can take care of my family in the future, but my second brother is going to the academy to go to the battlefield.”

Su Wanqing paused for a moment.

Yes, the battlefield.

That place that she and Lu Zhanting were both too familiar with.

That place was filled with death and blood.

"Mom?" Lu Xi looked at her mother's expression. "Don't you want my second brother to go either?"

Su Wanqing was silent for a while, then said softly, "It's not that I don't want him to go, but... I hope that when he goes, he will be strong enough to protect himself."

She stood up and continued frying the eggs.

"Your father was so strict with him these past twenty days not to torture him, but to make him understand that there is no room for luck on the battlefield."

Lu Xi nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

At this moment, Lu Nian'an came out of the study.

The boy took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"Mom, I've finished revising my thesis."

"So early?" Su Wanqing glanced at the time; it was only 6:30.

"I can't sleep." Lu Nian'an walked to the refrigerator to get some milk. "My second brother is going to the selection tomorrow, and I feel like I should do something about it."

“You’ve already done it.” Su Wanqing smiled. “For the past twenty days, you’ve gone to your second brother’s room every night to chat with him and encourage him. That’s enough.”

Lu Nian'an pursed her lips.

He knew that he and his second brother were on completely different paths.

He loves physics and enjoys exploring the unknown world in the laboratory.

The second brother likes fighting and enjoys sweating it out on the training field.

But no matter what path they take, they will always be brothers.

"Mom, do you think my second brother will pass?"

"Yes." Su Wanqing's voice was firm. "Because he is Lu Zhanting's son, and even more so, my son."

---

10:00 AM, Xishan Courtyard.

The family of five sat together in the living room, a rare occurrence for them.

Lu Zhanting sat in the main seat, holding a document in his hand and reading it.

Su Wanqing was explaining acupuncture points to Lu Xi.

Lu Nian'an was reading a book on the sofa.

Lu Chen sat by the window, staring blankly at the training ground outside.

"What are you thinking about?" Lu Zhanting suddenly asked.

The boy came to his senses.

"I'm wondering... what tomorrow's selection will be like."

"nervous?"

“A little,” Lu Chen said honestly.

Lu Zhanting put down the documents.

“It’s normal to be nervous, but don’t let it affect your judgment.” He looked at his son. “Remember, the selection process is just the beginning; the real test is yet to come.”

"I know."

"And one more thing," Lu Zhanting paused, "no matter the outcome, you will always be my son."

Lu Chen suddenly raised his head.

This was the first time my father had expressed himself in such a straightforward way.

"dad……"

"Go pack your things." Lu Zhanting picked up the documents again. "We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

"yes."

The boy stood up and walked upstairs.

But when he reached the top of the stairs, he looked back.

My father was still sitting there looking at the documents, but his back view was more reliable than ever.

---

At dinner, Su Wanqing prepared a table full of dishes.

These are all foods that Lu Chen likes to eat.

"Eat more." She put food on her son's plate. "You have an exam tomorrow, you need to have energy."

"Mom, that's enough, that's enough." Lu Chen looked at the mountain of food piled up in his bowl, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Second brother, you must keep up the good work!" Lu Xi said earnestly, holding up her chopsticks. "When you become a great hero, I'll brag to my classmates that my brother is amazing."

"What great hero?" Lu Chen ruffled his sister's hair. "I'm just going to school."

“That’s amazing too.” The little girl’s eyes sparkled. “Many people want to get into the academy but can’t.”

Lu Nian'an pushed up her glasses.

"Second brother, actually, I've always wanted to ask you this."

"What?"

"Why do you have to go to the academy?" the boy asked seriously. "With your talent, you could have taken other paths."

Lu Chen remained silent for a while.

"Because... I want to be like my dad."

He looked up at his father, who was sitting in the main seat.

"I want to know what my father went through back then to become the way he is now."

"I want to know what the battlefield is really like."

"I want to know just how far I can go."

The boy's eyes were bright.

"Therefore, I must go."

There was a few seconds of silence at the dining table.

Then, Lu Zhanting put down his chopsticks.

"Have a meal."

His voice was calm, but a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

Su Wanqing looked at her husband, then at her son, and sighed.

This father and son are truly cut from the same cloth.

---

At night, Lu Chen lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

There was a knock on the door.

"Enter."

Lu Nian'an pushed open the door and came in, carrying a cup of hot milk.

Can't sleep?

"Um."

The boy sat down by the bed and handed the milk to his younger brother.

"Drinking this will help you sleep."

Lu Chen took the cup and took a sip.

"Big brother."

"Um?"

"Do you think... I can pass?"

Lu Nian'an looked at her younger brother.

This boy, who usually seemed fearless, actually looked a little apprehensive at this moment.

"Yes," he said firmly, "because you are my brother."

Lu Chen smiled.

"Brother, if you go into scientific research in the future, you will definitely become a great scientist."

“Then you must become a great general in the future.” Lu Nian’an pushed up his glasses. “I will do scientific research, and you will protect the country. When the time comes, the two of us brothers will be invincible.”

"good."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Lu Nian'an stood up and suddenly stopped when she reached the door.

"Second brother."

"Um?"

"No matter what happens, remember you still have family."

After saying that, he walked out.

Lu Chen lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

family.

Yes, he also has family.

He has a strict but caring father.

She has a gentle yet strong mother.

He has a smart and reliable older brother.

She has a quirky and mischievous younger sister.

With such family support, what is he afraid of?

The boy closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

---

Five o'clock the next morning.

When Lu Chen woke up, he found his father already standing at the door.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

The father and son went downstairs, where Su Wanqing had already prepared breakfast.

"Eat more." She placed the porridge in front of her son. "You have an exam all day today."

Lu Chen nodded and ate his breakfast heartily.

Lu Nian'an and Lu Xi also got up.

"Go, Second Brother!" the little girl shouted, waving her fist.

"Um."

After breakfast, Lu Zhanting took Lu Chen out.

Su Wanqing stood at the door, watching the backs of the father and son.

"Mom, are you worried?" Lu Xi asked.

"Don't worry," Su Wanqing smiled. "Because both father and son are the strongest."

---

The college selection venue.

Lu Chen stood out among the group of teenagers.

It wasn't because he was the tallest, but because of the aura he exuded.

Calm, composed, with a touch of wildness.

Lu Zhanting stood outside the court with his hands in his pockets.

"General Lu." A middle-aged man approached. "Your son?"

"Um."

“Looks good.” The man smiled. “It has a bit of you from back then.”

Lu Zhanting didn't speak, he just looked at his son in the arena.

The selection process begins.

The first item is the physical fitness test.

Lu Chen passed easily.

The second item is a combat test.

The boy's every move was precise and powerful, leaving his opponent with no chance to retaliate.

The third item is the tactical test.

Lu Chen's reaction speed and judgment impressed all the examiners.

The last item is practical simulation.

The boy is thrown into a simulated battlefield and needs to complete a mission within a specified time.

Lu Zhanting stood in the monitoring room, looking at his son on the screen.

The boy's movements were clean and efficient, and every decision he made was decisive and swift.

That look, that posture, are exactly the same as his back then.

“General Lu,” the examiner beside him said, “your son…is very outstanding.”

Lu Zhanting's lips curled into a very faint smile.

"He is my son."

On the screen, Lu Chen completed his last task.

The boy stood in the center of the simulated battlefield, covered in sweat, but his eyes remained bright.

He looked up and gazed in the direction of the surveillance camera.

That look seemed to say:

Dad, I did it.

Looking into those eyes, Lu Zhanting suddenly recalled many years ago.

He had the same look in his eyes when he first went to the battlefield.

It is filled with longing for the future and fearlessness in the face of the unknown.

"Pass," the examiner announced.

As Lu Chen stepped out of the simulated battlefield, the first thing he saw was his father standing at the door.

The boy ran over.

"Dad, I—"

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Zhanting grabbed his head and pressed it down.

"good."

The man's voice was soft, but the strength of his hand conveyed an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

Lu Chen felt a lump in his throat.

All the hardship and exhaustion of the past twenty days of training have been worth it at this moment.

"Let's go home." Lu Zhanting turned around.

"dad."

"Um?"

"Thank you."

Lu Zhanting paused for a moment.

"Silly boy."

The father and son walked out side by side.

The setting sun cast their shadows long, long.

---

When Su Wanqing got home, she was preparing dinner.

Upon seeing the two enter, she immediately went to greet them.

"How about it?"

Lu Chen grinned.

"It's approved."

"I knew it!" Lu Xi rushed downstairs. "Second brother is the best!"

Lu Nian'an also came out of the study, pushing up his glasses.

"Congratulations."

Su Wanqing looked at her son, her eyes reddening.

"Okay, okay." She turned and walked towards the kitchen. "Let's make a big meal to celebrate."

At dinner time, the family sat around the table.

Lu Zhanting, unusually, opened a bottle of wine.

"Lu Chen".

"exist."

“From today onwards, you are a student of the academy.” Lu Zhanting raised his glass. “Remember, once you enter the academy, you are no longer a child. You represent not only yourself, but also this family.”

"yes."

"But no matter what you encounter outside, remember, this will always be your home."

Lu Chen's eyes reddened.

"dad……"

"drink wine."

The father and son clinked glasses.

Su Wanqing looked at this scene and suddenly smiled.

This home is wonderful.

Outside the window, the sun is setting.

Smoke curls from chimneys, and the twilight deepens gently.

In this small courtyard, the family's laughter drifted far, far away on the evening breeze.