?I gave him the nickname Brother Mazi because his face was covered with freckles, like a big cake sprinkled with sesame seeds. There is a saying to describe him, that is, he has a big head and a thick neck, and he happens to be a cook.
? That month, three squad leaders in the cooking class were all on vacation at the same time. When they were too busy, they called our company to help with the cooking. I didn't study well in my major, so I took care of business trips, helping in the kitchen, and even being on duty. I worked as a helper for a month. I beat eggs, washed vegetables, cut fruits and served dishes every day. Later, when I returned to the company from the cooking class, everyone disliked me because I smelled like oil fumes. It was at that time that Brother Mazi taught me to recognize the names of all the dishes, and my knowledge really improved.
Brother Mazi always likes to give out fruits to those of us who are helping the kitchen, as if he is the boss of the cooking class, but his squad leader really likes him. Brother Mazi asked, what do you female soldiers like? I said I like to eat as I am now. Brother Mazi stopped talking and asked us to take some more fruits back when he left. I gave some to my squad leader, saying it was a gift from a fellow member of the cooking class. The monitor said it couldn’t be the old prime minister, right? I'm so speechless, I really don't like his looks.
? Later, Brother Mazi would open a small oven for us, fry some steamed buns and fry rice. In my free time, I talked about past events, and he said he liked a little female soldier.
?The little female soldier was his classmate in high school. When she was in high school, Brother Mazi chased her relentlessly. He would stop her after school every day to chase her, but the girl still ignored him. The girl wanted to get into Nanjing University of Science and Technology, but if she didn't score enough, she was told that she would join the army. Brother Mazi has just passed the third level and thinks that the tuition is too expensive so he won't go to school. He also wants to work in the army for a few years. So we can all be considered comrades in the same age.
? Brother Mazi said he didn’t know where the little female soldiers were serving as soldiers. He had only heard of big units and asked me to check for him. Oh my God, the world is so big, but I was asked to investigate the little female soldier’s station. It’s terrible. Brother Mazi is still very smart. He said, don’t all female soldiers answer the phone and serve as the switchboard, just like your company? If I'm drunk, I'm not the female switchboard, I'm the female cook. I still investigated with the mentality of giving it a try, and got the switchboard number of her unit from my comrade in the switchboard class. Brother Mazi actually called and turned on the speakerphone, so he directly asked the switchboard: "Who is this little female soldier? Is this your switchboard?" The switchboard said the maintenance man was on duty. Brother Mazi told me what the number was, and the switchboard actually gave it to me. But Brother Mazi didn't call me. Instead, he gave me some fruit and said thank you.
? Later, Mazi brother sang while chopping vegetables every day, and his mood improved. I guess I secretly called the little female soldier. It was only in August that the company began to recruit the backbone of the troops, and Brother Mazi was the only new recruit to lead the newer troops. I thought Brother Mazi had cooked well and went to the cooking class in the new military camp, but I didn't expect that he would actually lead the troops. I still don't understand why the company asked him to lead the troops, and whether he was also giving the company commander a little extra time every day.
?He came back just over December. He has become much darker and is not even thin enough to look like a soldier in the cooking class, but his face looks even bigger, and he looks like he has a big head. My squad leader and I missed his fruits very much, but after the recruits joined the company, I had fewer opportunities to help in the kitchen, and all the work was done by the recruits. Every time I led a team to help cook in the cooking class and the recruits washed vegetables, I would brag and talk with the veterans.
Brother Mazi secretly gave me a few pieces of paper and asked me to read them and revise the manuscript. It turned out to be a love letter, but not to me. The content is probably a running account of everything that happened after joining the army, including the fact that she also led the army, and showed it to the little female soldier. She also reflected on how she was too young and didn't know how to love. It was written so realistically that I was moved. But he insisted that I go to the company to type it out on the computer and turn it into a written draft, making it look like a proposal to introduce my life resume. He also said that he should write his own signature because it looks more elegant. In the end, I had to stuff the photo of myself leading the troops into an envelope. It was simply terrifying. I didn't wear anything on my upper body to show off my muscles, but my big-headed face stole the spotlight.
There was actually a reply, but Brother Mazi didn’t show it to me. I guess he hid it under the pillow and hugged it to sleep every day. Brother Mazi said that the little female soldier praised him for being so awesome, and also talked about the pain and pressure of life.
Brother Mazi said that he would write letters to the little female soldier every week to comfort him. The station was not far away. It was in the same province and it should take half a month to reach him. Later, Brother Mazi wrote letters every day. Wrong, he practiced calligraphy every day. He would send whichever letter he practiced well.
Later, I sent 2 letters and waited for a month with no reply. It was already March. Brother Mazi's company commander and squad platoon leader were very optimistic about him and asked him to join the academic training team. The training team is far away and we have to drive there. Originally, Brother Mazi said that he would wait for a reply, but then he thought that the young female soldier also had to take the exam, so he might as well take the exam himself, and it would be nice if they could pass the exam together. Then Brother Mazi told me to go to the mailroom every day to wait for letters.
?Brother Mazi came back in June, but there was no letter. He called the female soldier directly. The female soldier was not on duty that day. The scores came out at the end of June and can be checked in the newspaper. He drew their names with a red pen. She was 376 and he was 276, a full 100 points difference. He smiled and the girl crossed the line. Wrong, she only passed the male soldier's line, and the female soldier's line was 426. She was still 50 points short, and neither of them passed the exam.
Brother Mazi said he wanted to make more calls, but most of the calls were answered by her monitor. Later, Brother Mazi beat him every night, and he didn't believe that she was not here. I guess the female soldier memorized his number. Usually her squad leader answers or hangs up. The angry Brother Mazi told her squad leader everything about him, and nothing happened anymore. One day he received a letter asking you not to disturb him anymore. There was no signature, but he was pretty sure it was from a girl. Brother Mazi stopped calling and wrote a final letter saying, "I am going to retire from the army." I asked him why he should not be pretentious and write "not to disturb". This was my last tenderness.
? In August, it was time to lead troops for training again, and the company commander asked Brother Mazi to go again. Brother Mazi said he wanted to retire and not lead the army. The company commander said this was an order, and he would be discharged after serving. Brother Mazi is gone. His name was not included in the order announced on September 7. I know he was forcibly detained.
A few days ago, the new recruit was discharged from the company. He called me and told me that the female soldier had also been discharged from the army, so he would stay in the army.
He must prepare well and study hard, and when he passes the exam, he will take a vacation to find a female soldier, he said.