A carefree soldier king in the city

Chapter 688 Questioning

From his powerful and passionate words, it was clear that he was truly determined to fight for his ideals. From his resolute expression, everyone present could easily feel his burning determination.

Chao Bufan stood up, gazing into the distance with expectant and hopeful eyes, and with that charming smile, said: "Ostrovsky once said: Life gives us a huge and infinitely noble gift, which is youth: full of strength, full of expectation and ambition, full of the desire for knowledge and struggle, full of hope and confidence."

Ge Dawei got up and came to Chao Bufan's side, saying, "Goethe once said: To do something great, one must start in youth."

Wang Zi stood up, walked over to Ge Dawei, and said, "George Bernard Shaw once said: 'The greatest regret of life is that the passions of youth are never realized, and the recollections of old age are never experienced. Courage is the most beautiful adornment of youth. If one were born middle-aged and then gradually grow younger, one would cherish every moment and never waste oneself on trivial matters. The prime of life brings peace to the elderly and hope to the young.'"

Zhang Yi came to Wang Zi's side and said, "La Bruyère once said: 'When we lament our youth that has passed, we should consider our future old age, so that we will not regret not cherishing our prime years.'"

Zhou Weihua came to Zhang Yi's side and said, "Thomas Carlyle once said: 'Youth is the happiest time of life, but this happiness is often entirely because it is full of hope, not because of what you have gained or what you have escaped.'"

Yang Qin came to Zhou Weihua's side and said, "Belinsky once said: Youth comes only once in a person's life, and the period of youth is the most vigorous and beautiful than any other period. Therefore, never let your spirit become rigid, but keep your youth forever."

Wang Dakeng got up and went to the other side of Chao Bufan, and said with the same serious expression: "Shakespeare once said: Youth is a raw material, which will eventually be shaped."

"Alright, let's ride our horses and gallop across the west wind, clapping our whips and venturing to the ends of the earth!" Chao Bufan felt a surge of emotion; these were true friends, these were true brothers.

An indescribable feeling lingered among the seven people.

After a long silence, Chao Bufan said, "Now that everyone has made their decision, it's time to put it into action. Everyone go back and prepare. We'll meet here in three days. See you then."

"Bufan, why three days later instead of now?" Wang Dakeng asked him immediately, because he was eager to make this bold attempt, the first of its kind in history, even if it meant just setting off on a whim.

Wang Dakeng's words naturally represented the opinions of others.

Chao Bufan smiled slightly and said, "You have to let me go back and take care of what I need to do first!"

"Ha! I can't wait! I really hope the three days will pass in the blink of an eye." Wang Dakeng's words expressed the shared feelings of all six of them.

"Yes! That way, life won't be truly exciting."

"that is!"

"Alright, everyone go about your business. Don't forget our appointment in three days."

And so, the seven parted ways amidst laughter, and what awaited them was a spectacular youthful journey.

……

"What time is it? Look at you, what have you done to him? If you continue like this, you'll spoil him rotten."

Seeing that his son hadn't come home so late, Chaowei started blaming his wife again.

“What’s wrong with me?” Liu Yan retorted without backing down. “Our son is back from the army, what’s wrong with him going out for a bit? Do you want to lock him up at home?”

“Yan’er, why don’t you understand! Why did I send him to the army to train back then? Wasn’t it because he was always slacking off and not doing anything productive?”

“Those were those years, and now is now. Our son has been in the army for so long and has changed a lot. Don’t always try to make him do this or that according to your own wishes. You think you’re the only one who’s upset about his discharge from the army? Our son is the most direct victim. Have you thought about how he feels? What’s wrong with me letting him go out and clear his head?” Liu Yan said confidently, with an air of sophistry.

Upon hearing this, Chaowei felt a sudden pang of unease. It was indeed true; he had never considered his son's feelings. But wasn't it all for his own good?

After a three-second silence, Chaowei sighed softly and then continued reading the newspaper.

Not long after, Chao Bufan returned and saw that his parents were still awake so late. Knowing that they were waiting for him, he called out to them.

"Dad, mom."

"Son, you're back." Upon seeing her son, Liu Yan's face immediately lit up with a loving and tender expression.

Chao Bufan sat down next to his mother and asked, "Mom, why aren't you asleep yet?"

Liu Yan smiled and said, "It's still early! Son, did you have fun today?"

Upon hearing this, Chao Bufan nodded and smiled, saying, "It's alright."

Liu Yan then asked, "Did you call Qianqian?"

Chao Bufan shook his head and said, "No."

Chaowei suddenly appeared and asked, "What exactly is going on between you and Qianqian?"

Chao Bufan said, "Dad, Qianqian and I are nothing."

Chaowei said reproachfully, "Nothing? Then why does Old Tang keep asking me about your situation? If you don't have anything to say, then don't keep him waiting."

"Dad, I..." Chao Bufan was at a loss for words.

Liu Yan smiled and said, "Son! Your dad is right. If you like her, then tell her. There's nothing to be ashamed of. If you don't like her, then don't ruin her life. But then again, Qianqian is indeed a very nice girl. You should make the best of it."

“Call her tomorrow and make things clear,” Chaowei said. “If you like her, you like her; if you don’t, you don’t.”

It seems that Chao Bufan was born with a sense of fear towards his father. In front of his father, he was always afraid of doing something wrong or saying something wrong, so he obediently said "Oh".

After a three-second silence, Chaowei asked, "Your performance in the army was alright. What mistake did you make that got you discharged?"

"Dad, I...I..." Chao Bufan was most afraid of his father asking this question. He thought he would never be asked again, but he still asked.

"You killed someone?" Chaowei asked.

"No." Chao Bufan was startled, not expecting the city to ask such a question.

"So what mistake did you make?" Chaowei asked again.