My name is Wang Wei and I am a hospitable soldier. During my service in the army, my best comrade-in-arms was Li Ming. He was two years older than me, honest and hardworking. We were often on duty and training together, and we could see him running on the playground at all times. Although he is mediocre, he is sincere and friendly to others, and never has any conflicts with anyone.
Although life in the barracks is hard, the friendship between comrades-in-arms is the most valuable asset. Those of us who are soldiers are like a family in the barracks. No matter what difficulties they encounter, everyone always helps each other, and interprets the true character of soldiers with actions that "when one party is in trouble, all sides support".
Although life in the army is boring and boring, we can always find joy in each other's company. At night, everyone will get together, you and I will talk and laugh, as if you have returned to your carefree childhood.
It was on such days that I gradually approached the age of being discharged. On the eve of leaving the barracks, I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, he is full of anticipation for the imminent return to social life, and on the other hand, he feels reluctant to be separated from his comrades.
The night before I changed jobs, my comrades-in-arms held a small farewell party for me. Everyone gathered in the cafeteria, drank wine, and ate the best dishes in the barracks.
"Wang Wei, we are old rivals who have known each other since we jumped out of our mother's womb, you have to keep in touch often!" Zhang Jun patted me on the shoulder and said earnestly.
"Don't worry, there is a mobile phone, we are still afraid that we will not be able to contact us?" I responded with a smile.
Li Ming held a wine glass and kept glaring at me. I thought, and drank his glass, a look of pleasure flashing in his eyes.
After three rounds of drinking, Li Ming suddenly slapped the table and took out a stack of banknotes from his pocket, a full 5,000 yuan.
"Wang Wei, you have been discharged from the army, and there is still a long way to go. Take this money as a little bit of heart from me. He said with a sincere expression.
I was shocked by his approach for a while, and waved my hand again and again: "Brother, this is unacceptable, how can you take so much money?"
"Just take it, we will inevitably have some urgent needs in the future, and then you won't have to borrow money from everywhere. Li Ming insisted on stuffing the money into my hands.
I looked at the money in my hand and had mixed feelings. That's a lot of money, and I was really moved by Li Ming's affection at that time.
On that night, we talked until dawn. Everyone has endless words, and they are afraid that if they miss something, it will be difficult to reunite.
"Wang Wei, come back to see us often when you have time in the future, how many bad ideas have we eaten together!" Zhang Jun hugged me, his tone full of reluctance.
"Don't worry, I'll be coming back to see you. I patted him on the back, my eyes moistening a little.
Li Ming just stood aside silently, his eyes a little gloomy. I walked up to him and hugged him tightly. He hugged me hard and hugged me for a long time without saying a word.
After being discharged from the army, I returned to my hometown and found a decent job in a state-owned enterprise. To be honest, I was a little uncomfortable at first. In the barracks, we live in an orderly manner and have clear goals every day. And when it comes to the people, life seems to be much more idle.
But I quickly got used to it. Outside of work, I go for a walk in the nearby park and chat with some old friends. Slowly, I also put down roots in the city. It's just that in the dead of night, I still miss the days when I used to be with my comrades.
In the first few months after I was discharged from the army, I had been taking the initiative to contact Li Ming, thinking about the old friendship of the past. But the strange thing is that no matter whether he calls or texts, Li Ming just doesn't hear back at all.
I started to worry a little about what was going on, but every time I asked other comrades, they all said that they couldn't contact him. I had no choice but to give up for the time being, praying that Li Ming was all well.
In order to avoid getting stuck in endless memories of the past, I began to put more energy into my work. When I was in the army, I dreamed of starting my own business one day. Now that I finally have this opportunity, I started to prepare.
In this way, I put most of my mind on the development of my career and left Li Ming's 5,000 yuan behind.
Nearly half a year has passed since I was discharged from the army. One night, I was busy in the restaurant as usual. Business is booming and there are more and more customers. As it was about to close, the door of the restaurant was slammed open, and a suspicious man broke in.
I saw that the man's hair was unkempt, and his clothes were tattered. He looked left and right for a moment, then sat down in a corner seat. I wanted to go up and dissuade him, but when I saw that he looked too depressed, I gave up.
The waiter quickly served him a light meal. The man devoured it, and it was extremely ugly. I looked at his familiar side face, and was suddenly surprised to find that this was not my old comrade-in-arms Li Ming!
I hurriedly stepped forward, and Li Ming obviously recognized me. I didn't expect his face to be so ugly, his eyes were red, and his face was haggard.
"Li Ming, what's wrong with you? I hurriedly asked with concern.
Li Ming lowered his head and didn't speak for a long time. Finally, he spoke in a hoarse voice: "Wang Wei, I am now in a very difficult situation, can you lend me some more money? I will definitely pay you back in the future." "
I was struck hard by his words at once. There has been no news for more than half a year, and now he looks like this, it seems that he has indeed encountered some great trouble.
"What the hell is going on? Tell me clearly, and I'll do my best to help you. I encouraged.
I was undoubtedly shocked by Li Ming's words. The honest comrade-in-arms in the past would have fallen to such a point. All at once, my inner emotions were replaced by anger.
"How can you do such a lawless thing? Aren't you a soldier? Why did you ruin our old friendship!" I asked, pointing to his nose and asking hoarsely.
"I'm desperate now, can't you help me anymore? Didn't you say you wanted to be my brother forever?" Li Ming's eyes were full of tears, and he looked extremely pitiful.
"Phew, do you still have the face to mention the past? You took my 5,000 yuan to gamble, and now you beat me up and ask me for money, aren't you too much?" I was trembling with anger and was about to do it.
Just when we were about to do something, Li Ming suddenly burst into tears. His cry was so heartbreaking that it even attracted several passers-by to stop and watch.
I was silenced by his cry and nodded for him to continue. Only then did Li Ming slowly tell what had happened.
It turned out that when he was discharged from the army half a year ago, his family did encounter some changes, and his relatives suddenly had a serious illness and urgently needed money for treatment. But he, a man who had just been discharged from the army, where did he get so much money? Just when he was completely helpless, a group of fellow villagers took a fancy to his honesty and tricked him into gambling money.
Li Ming was originally a layman who bet, and he won and lost mixed at first. But then he gradually fell into the quagmire of gambling, not only could not pay the medical bills of his relatives, but also took on a large amount of usury debts.
After listening to Li Ming's story, I had mixed feelings at the time. On the one hand, I feel sincere sympathy for him who has suffered such a change; On the other hand, I am extremely disappointed that he has fallen to this point.
"Li Ming, Li Ming, I took out my last savings and gave you the 5,000 yuan, but you wasted it. I shook my head and said helplessly, "I really never expected you to do such a foolish thing." "
"Wang Wei, can you give me another chance? I swear, as long as you lend me another sum of money, I will definitely start over!" Li Ming hugged my leg and choked up.
I looked down at his painful appearance, and my heart was conflicted like never before. But in the end, reason prevailed.
"Li Ming, we used to be best friends who talked about everything, but you betrayed our friendship. I can lend you money, but what about friendship? I ruthlessly pushed him away from my body, turned and walked away.
Li Ming was stunned in place, and his eyes gradually dimmed. And so the friendship between us came to an end.
When I got home, I couldn't sleep for a long time. Li Ming's pained face kept coming to mind.
Money is important, but friendship is always more important than money. The reason why I gave Li Ming the 5,000 yuan was completely out of sincerity to him. But now, this friendship has become his gambling capital, and I am really disappointed.
I couldn't help but wonder what true friendship is, is it the kind of unconditional tolerance and forgiveness, or should there be principles and bottom lines?
I started to put more energy into running the restaurant. Because I insisted on using the best ingredients and authentic military cooking, the restaurant soon saw a booming business.
Before I knew it, I had put down roots in the city. Occasionally, some young people would come to apply for jobs, so I would take them under my command and take care of the business together. Life passed like this, and I gradually left Li Ming's affairs behind.
Sometimes, I also reflect on my own life. I've dreamed of being a soldier since I was a kid, and now that dream has come true. In the future, I would like to create a new business. As long as you are willing to endure hardships, the road of life is always in your own hands.
I know that only by letting go of the regrets of the past can we lead to a better future. In this way, I regained my energy and put all my mind on the development of my career.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, a few years of time have passed quietly. My restaurant has become more and more prosperous, and now it has become a well-known local long-established restaurant.
It was a sunny afternoon, and I was busy in the store as usual. A suspicious person suddenly pushed the door in, it was the down-and-out Li Ming a few years ago.
Only this time, his appearance has changed drastically. His hair was neatly combed back and he was dressed in clean civilian clothes. His eyes were a little evasive, and he seemed to look at me embarrassed.
I just nodded faintly at him and went back to my work. Li Ming sat in the store for a while, but finally didn't come forward to say hello, and left silently.
Looking at Li Ming's back, my heart was mixed. If a few years ago I held a grudge against him, that sentiment has now dissipated. In its place, there is an inexplicable melancholy.
I can't help but feel nostalgic for the friendship we had in the past. Although it ended in failure, it was the happiest and most carefree time of my life. Now that I see Li Ming again, I have a trace of joy in my heart.
However, everything is already wrong. Just like the friendship we once had can only say goodbye to now. I can only silently wish Li Ming, hoping that he can start a new life again and not repeat the mistakes of the past.
Looking at the back of Li Ming's silent departure, my heart was full of mixed feelings. The past flashed in my mind like a marquee.
All these good memories are now reappearing in my mind, and there are some indescribable emotions. The friendship that used to be can only be a soludy for me when I am lonely.
The more I thought about it, the more I fell into the quagmire of contradictions. In the end, I had to put these distractions behind me for a while and continue to focus on the business in front of me.
In order not to be bound by the regrets of the past, I put more energy into the management of the restaurant. Over the years, I have developed this restaurant into one of the most famous and time-honored restaurants in the area.
I attach great importance to the freshness of the ingredients and the authenticity of the cooking techniques. With this, my restaurant quickly gained word of mouth and business was booming.
However, it is not enough to do it alone. So, I started looking for some young and promising employees to take care of the business together.
Gradually, our restaurant became a force to be reckoned with in the local area. Not only did we start to have our own local supply channels, but we also became self-sufficient in the cultivation and processing of ingredients.
It was in the process that I grew into a qualified entrepreneur. I began to learn various advanced business concepts and management methods and put them into practice. It can be said that my restaurant is a microcosm of my life and has witnessed my growth step by step.
Although my career is thriving, I am often haunted by the past. In the dead of night, Li Ming's painful face would come to my mind.
Sometimes, I even regret why I didn't give Li Ming another chance to be a new person, even if it was out of pity, I should have reached out to help, not simply turned away his pleas.
Mixed thoughts swirled in my mind, and I was deeply immersed in it, and the regrets of the past haunted me like a nightmare that I could not let go. I began to realize that if I couldn't let go of the past completely, I would never be able to truly liberate my life.
In order to get rid of the gloom of the past, I was determined to let it go completely. After all, the time of life is limited, and it would be a pity to always dwell on regrets.
I started to devote more time and energy to the development of my career. Not only did I expand the size of the restaurant further, but I also started to venture into other industries.
Through these years of hard work, I have initially gained a firm foothold in the local area, and I have a certain foundation of funds and contacts. So, I started to look for bigger breakthroughs and set my sights on other industries.
I first ventured into agriculture and set up my own farm base in the area to supply fresh produce to restaurants. Next, I invested in a food processing plant to produce some specialty snack foods.
In this way, before I knew it, I had already built a small industrial cluster. These industries are interdependent and interlocking, forming a virtuous ecological cycle.
Through this development model, my career has expanded and my wealth has increased day by day. However, these are not my ultimate pursuits. I hope that with the help of the development of my career, I can create more employment opportunities for the local people and make my due contribution to the development of society.
In the process, I gradually left the gloom of the past behind. In its place, there is an infinite vision and pursuit of a better future. I made up my mind to do the best I could in my career, and this was my redemption for the past and a new meaning for me to bring to my life.