Children of the poor must take on responsibilities early!
Their home was extremely impoverished, and the little grain harvested from the fields was far from enough to feed everyone. None of the matchmakers had approached his two older brothers because the family was too poor to afford a decent bride price. Fifteen-year-old Mo Junhua planned to go out and find a job, to supplement the family’s income.
There was a recommendation spot available from the village chief, which allowed the recommended person to directly join the army without a physical exam. Joining the military was hard and tiring, not to mention dangerous; the whole village knew this, and no one was willing to let their children suffer.
After learning about this, Mo Junhua thought it over for several nights and went to the village chief’s house to tell him he was willing to join the military. The village chief had been worried about this recommendation spot and he was also aware of Mo Junhua’s family situation. Since the boy had agreed on his own, it meant the village chief could fulfill his duty and make everyone happy.
Wang Guiyu found out Mo Junhua had secretly agreed with the village chief to enlist without telling his family. She went to the village chief’s house that night, wailing, making a scene, and even threatening suicide, adamantly refusing to let Junhua go. It was right during the busiest time for farming, and the family was short of manpower; Junhua was an expert in agriculture.
No matter how much Wang Guiyu protested, it couldn’t change the fact that Junhua was going to the army. If he didn’t, he would be a deserter, breaking the law, and would end up in prison. On the day of his departure, Wang Guiyu cried and saw him off to the edge of the village, watching as Mo Junhua left.
With little education and a humble background, he had to start from scratch in the military.
After the others finished their training and lay on their beds resting, he would head to the military library to read books. After lights out, he would practice the steps and military boxing he had learned that day in the parade ground. In the morning, while others were still dreaming, he was already up and running several laps around the parade ground, reviewing the characters he learned the day before.
No matter how difficult it was, he endured it with clenched teeth because he had ambition and always believed that only those who can endure the hardest struggles can rise above others.
Hard work always pays off. Before long, he was promoted to squad leader, and after a few years, to platoon leader, and later to company commander. He hadn’t been company commander for long when instability arose at the southern border, with the threat of war between two countries. Upon hearing this news, Mo Junhua knew his opportunity had come. Participating in this battle, as long as he came back alive, would give him a limitless future in the military. He submitted a report requesting to go to the frontline.
The frontline was in dire need of soldiers, and Mo Junhua’s proactive report to join the front was highly regarded by the higher-ups, who felt he had good conscience and morals and approved his request.
Two years later, their company tried to block the enemy at Boundary River, and nearly the entire battalion was killed in action. He too was injured in that battle and was sent back to receive treatment, where he met Zhou Yuwei.
A generous, beautiful, and kind-hearted girl.
A patient and a nurse, affection grew over time.
Zhou Yuwei was the first girl Mo Junhua had ever dated, and the first he had fallen in love with. Because of this affection, he laid down his pride as a soldier, his iron will, and like any other man, he willingly did many things for her.
Zhou Yuwei never asked him for anything, but with one look from her, Mo Junhua understood what she wanted, and he went out of his way to buy it for her.
When money was tight, he took on dangerous missions to get the reward money to buy her things. Fearing that his low rank wasn’t good enough for her, as soon as his body recovered, he volunteered for the frontline again.
The two corresponded through letters, and being on the battlefield with someone waiting for him back at the troop made Mo Junhua even more determined to advance his career.
When he returned from the frontline, what awaited him was Zhou Yuwei breaking up with him.
"Why? Yuwei, tell me what I did wrong, and I’ll change it, can’t I?" Mo Junhua grasped Zhou Yuwei’s hand, hoping she would stay.
"Mo Junhua, you can’t give me what I want, no matter how hard you try or how many military exploits you earn from the frontline. In the end, you’re just a battalion commander. I do like you, but what good is that? Reality is as such, even with your military merits, you’ll never reach his position for you’re just a man from the countryside. Mo Junhua, if you’ve ever cared for me, for my happiness, just act as though we’ve never met," said Zhou Yuwei, and left without looking back.
He’s a soldier who has slain countless enemies on the battlefield, a man who crawled out from a pile of corpses. The honor of a soldier, the pride of a soldier, does not allow him to stoop to desperation and actions unbecoming of military status.
His wholehearted affection, since you don’t want it, I’ll take it all back.