The power of family

The power of family

For the next week, Lu Chen became the most "special" person in the entire recruit camp.

While others were training hard on the playground, he was writing self-criticisms in his hospital bed.

A 10,000-word self-criticism sounds daunting, but when Lu Chen actually started writing it, he realized there was so much to write. He reviewed the entire operation plan from beginning to end, scrutinizing every step and every detail with the most demanding standards.

He realized that his father was absolutely right. His plan was indeed full of wishful thinking and wishful thinking.

What if you encounter a wild boar instead of a snake in the jungle?

What if the Red Team's command post is not located in the quarry, but elsewhere?

What if Qin Feng's main force has already returned to defend during the surprise attack?

Any one of these "ifs" could lead to the complete failure of the operation, or even result in casualties.

War is not a game.

By the fifth day, the 10,000-word self-criticism was almost complete, with only some finishing touches remaining. His leg injury, under Dr. Li's meticulous care, had also healed considerably, and he was now able to walk slowly.

That afternoon, he was strolling around the entrance of the infirmary with his crutches, treating it as rehabilitation training, when the messenger came looking for him.

"Lu Chen, there's a package for you!"

Lu Chen was somewhat surprised. Who would send him a package?

He followed the messenger to the mailroom and saw a rather large cardboard box with the sender's name written on it: Su Wanqing.

It was sent by my mother.

Lu Chen's heart warmed instantly.

He carried the box back to the ward and carefully opened it.

The box was crammed full. On top was a letter, with the mother's neat handwriting on the envelope: To my dear son Chenchen.

Lu Chen laughed. What era are we living in? His mother still uses such an old-fashioned term of address.

He opened the letter.

Chenchen:

It is as if we are meeting in person. This letter is for your reference.

How are you doing at the academy? Last time I visited, you seemed to be in good spirits, but you'd lost weight, and your father and I were very worried about you. Your father told me that you did very well in the exercise a few days ago, but you accidentally hurt your leg again, and I'm very concerned. He always says that boys getting injured is commonplace, but as your mother, I can't help but worry.

I've included some of your favorite snacks in the box, along with some blood-circulating ointment that I made myself. Remember to apply it every day. No matter how busy you are with training, take care of your health; health is the foundation of everything.

Your older brother published another paper a few days ago in an international physics journal, and the whole family is very happy for him. Your younger sister has also become quite good at acupuncture. Last time, when the housekeeper had a stiff neck, it was she who cured her with acupuncture. Now she keeps saying she's waiting for you to come back so she can show you her skills.

Everything is fine at home, don't worry.

The path you've chosen is tough, and your father is strict with you, but you need to know that he loves you. He's just not good at expressing it. That day after your practice, although he criticized you verbally, I could tell he was proud of you.

Take good care of yourself.

Mother: Su Wanqing

At the end of the letter was a small note with Lu Xi's crooked handwriting and a small, illegible drawing of a figure saluting.

"Second brother, you're the best! Keep it up! When I grow up, I'll join the army as a medic and treat your wounds!"

Lu Chen looked at the letter and the childish doodle, his eyes stinging a little.

He could imagine his mother's gentle demeanor as she wrote the letter, his younger sister's focused expression as she drew on the table, and his older brother watching from the side, pushing up his glasses with a smile on his lips.

The warmth of home, across thousands of miles, enveloped him instantly through these few thin sheets of paper.

The slight frustration I felt these past few days due to the penalty has vanished completely.

He carefully folded the letter and note and put them in his inner pocket. Only then did he look at the other things in the box.

Sure enough, the box was full of his favorite jerky, chocolate, and various nuts. Underneath the snacks were several small porcelain bottles, which must have been the ointment his mother had prepared herself.

At the very bottom of the box, Lu Chen also found a small envelope with no signature.

He opened it out of curiosity, and there was only a folded piece of paper inside.

Upon unfolding it, one sees several large, elegant characters written in Lu Zhanting's handwriting.

"To win a war, you must first learn how to be a good person. Only by preserving yourself can you defeat the enemy."

Those two short sentences, devoid of any concern, sent a shiver down Lu Chen's spine.

Is his dad...giving him some pointers?

He read those two sentences over and over again, and suddenly he understood something.

Only by preserving oneself can one eliminate the enemy.

His previous tactics involved sacrificing himself (and his comrades) to eliminate the enemy. This was the behavior of a reckless brute.

A true strongman, however, seeks out the enemy's weaknesses and delivers a fatal blow while preserving his own strength.

His father was teaching him the philosophy of war.

Lu Chen carefully put the note away together with his mother's letter.

He opened a bottle of ointment, smelled it—a familiar herbal scent. He took off his pants, applied the ointment evenly to his knees, and gently massaged it in.

The cool sensation penetrated my skin, and my knees, which had been a little sore, felt much better.

Just then, Wang Lei pushed the door open and came in.

"Brother Chen, what are you doing?" He immediately noticed the pile of snacks on the table, his eyes widening. "Wow, so much delicious food! Did your sister-in-law... Auntie send these?"

"Okay." Lu Chen smiled. "Help yourself if you want some."

"Then I won't be polite!" Wang Lei cheered, tore open a bag of jerky and stuffed it into his mouth, saying indistinctly as he ate, "Auntie is so good to you. You have no idea how much Instructor Lu has been training us like we're on fire these past few days. The brothers are practically skinned alive."

“He’s always been like this,” Lu Chen said dismissively.

“That’s different.” Wang Lei swallowed what was in his mouth. “He used to be ruthless to everyone, but these past few days, it feels like he’s taking it out on us. The brothers are all guessing that it’s because you got injured that he’s upset but is too embarrassed to show it, so he can only torment us.”

Lu Chen was stunned for a moment.

Is that really the case?

He recalled his father's unchanging, icy face, and it was hard to associate him with the emotion of "feeling sorry for his son."

But for some reason, a warm feeling flowed through my heart.

"By the way, Brother Chen, I have something to tell you." Wang Lei suddenly lowered his voice and leaned closer, "Next week, we'll be starting a new phase of training. I heard we'll be reorganizing into teams and implementing some kind of competitive elimination system."

"Competitive elimination system?"

"Yes, they shuffled us all into several teams and then had us compete in various contests. It seems like the team with the lowest score will have some members eliminated and sent back to their hometown."

Lu Chen frowned.

disuse?

They've only been in the camp for less than two months, and they're already starting to eliminate them?

“And I’ve also heard,” Wang Lei continued, “that the team leaders for this assignment are directly appointed by the instructors. Qin Feng will definitely be one of the leaders. Everyone’s guessing that the other leader is most likely you.”

Lu Chen remained silent.

If what Wang Lei said is true, then the training ahead will be more brutal than ever before.

This is no longer simple training, but real competition.

For his own sake and for his teammates' sake, he had to win.

"Brother Chen, if you become the captain, you absolutely have to choose me!" Wang Lei clung to his arm, his face full of anticipation. "I promise I'll do anything for you!"

Lu Chen was amused by him and patted his hand: "Alright, it's not even close to being settled yet. Hurry up and eat yours, then go back to training."

"Okay!"

After Wang Lei left, the ward returned to silence.

Lu Chen leaned against the bed, unconsciously playing with a nut in his hand.

Competition, elimination, rivals...

His gaze gradually hardened.

He picked up the pen on the table and wrote the last line on the last page of the self-criticism:

"I request to end my injury recovery early and return to the team for training immediately!"

After finishing writing, he neatly folded the self-criticism and application report.

He will personally hand it over to his father first thing tomorrow morning.

He has rested long enough.

He didn't want to be absent from the next battle.