Chapter 27: “promoted” To Deputy Squad Leader
Cheng Cai is very skilled at speaking official rhetoric, with rhetoric that is extremely smooth and flowing.
He also used very fluent set phrases to express his thoughts to Chen Jun.
“Being able to help my comrade, I am very happy. Even though there is no rest time, I feel very fulfilled. Thank you, Platoon Leader, for giving me this opportunity.”
Hearing these words full of desire for performance, Chen Jun knew that Cheng Cai’s intentions were not very pure; it was not purely just wanting to help Xu Sanduo.
Rather, he wanted to gain more opportunities to showcase himself by helping Xu Sanduo.
Helping superior leaders with work and solving troubles could gain favor from superiors.
This is a common tactic in society!
Cheng Cai’s father is the village head, so he could barely be considered half a village official second generation. He grew up following his father around and learned quite a few interpersonal relationship tactics.
However.
Although he saw that Cheng Cai’s intentions were not pure, Chen Jun did not take it too seriously.
Cheng Cai was eager to showcase himself, with a strong competitive and ambitious mindset, which fit a young person’s temperament and was not a big problem in itself.
Which young person with drive and ambition does not compete in life and work.
Only aimless dead fish like being slackers.
In the original drama, Cheng Cai would lose his head and betray Seventh Company; the only problem was “too afraid.”
It was all trouble caused by “too afraid.”
In the new recruit company, he was afraid of not being able to be a “dark horse,” so he trained with all his might, successfully becoming the dark horse of the new recruit company, with top results in all training scores.
In Steel Seventh Company, he was too afraid of not being able to transfer to non-commissioned officer, so he chose to divide the company members into three tiers and tried his utmost to please the squad leader and company cadres.
Only when he discovered that Seventh Company itself was in peril did he abandon “never abandon, never give up” and run to Red Third Company to survive.
In old A, he was too afraid of not becoming a special forces soldier, so during the training camp he treated all cadets as opponents and failed to develop the essential team awareness, until the final assessment where he was eliminated due to fear and helplessness.
From beginning to end.
Cheng Cai, in various fears, under the pressure he put on himself, was forced onto the path of selfishness and becoming a team tumor.
The reason Cheng Cai finally awoke and became the old A that Yuan Lang acknowledged.
Was because Cheng Cai was kicked back from old A and returned to Grassland Fifth Squad, known as the grave of veterans; all his competitiveness and ambitions were crushed.
In this place with no hope at all, Cheng Cai, who had already become a non-commissioned officer, did not need to demobilize in the short term and had nothing left to fear.
No matter how much ambition, there was no place to use it; everything returned to mediocrity.
No longer entangled by obsessions.
No longer “too afraid”!
Cheng Cai naturally awoke and finally became a qualified soldier.
Tracing this entire thread.
In other words…
As long as he could grasp this core to solve it, let Cheng Cai no longer have excessive sense of crisis, let him settle down, and find the value and goal of struggle.
Turning Cheng Cai into the soldier Chen Jun wanted was much easier than awakening Xu Sanduo.
So Chen Jun placed solving Xu Sanduo’s problem before transforming Cheng Cai.
Now Cheng Cai wanted to actively showcase himself, and as the best-performing new recruit in the new recruit company, he indeed had the ability to help Xu Sanduo.
And in the process of everyone working together to help Xu Sanduo progress and grow, he could boil a frog in warm water to slowly influence Cheng Cai, letting him feel the strength of the team and the team spirit of mutual help.
This actually provided great help in correcting Cheng Cai’s excessive selfishness.
Chen Jun’s initial intention was just to help Shi Jin, while also achieving the purpose of helping Xu Sanduo; he did not expect it would indirectly influence Cheng Cai.
Unexpectedly achieving the great result of one move benefiting three parties, Chen Jun naturally would not dampen Cheng Cai’s enthusiasm.
Thus, in the following days of the second week, Chen Jun arranged for Cheng Cai to help Xu Sanduo, even coming up with the idea of three helping one.
Putting other new recruits on hold for the time being.
Cheng Cai grew up with Xu Sanduo since childhood and understood him very well in all aspects.
He was absolutely the person who understood Xu Sanduo the most besides Chen Jun.
Plus, he wanted to train Xu Sanduo well to let the platoon leader and squad leader know his abilities, so he could smoothly take the position of Fifth Squad deputy squad leader.
Cheng Cai was particularly attentive to helping Xu Sanduo and even made a targeted training plan.
The reason Cheng Cai knew about selecting the deputy squad leader was because he learned it while handing out cigarettes to the platoon leader and squad leader on usual days.
One step ahead of the other new recruits again!
When the training of the second week was completely over and it came to the evening class meeting on the weekend, each squad’s squad leader summarized the week’s training and finally announced a major event—
Selecting deputy squad leaders!
Nominally, each squad’s ten new recruits all had the qualification to compete for the deputy squad leader position, to become the squad leader’s capable assistant in the upcoming training.
The new recruits were all very excited upon hearing this news; everyone wanted to become second only to one and above ten others.
To make every new recruit convinced and acknowledge the selected deputy squad leader, the selection method was very fair, using anonymous voting.
Including the squad leader, all eleven people in the squad could vote for the person they thought suitable.
Each person had only one vote and could vote for themselves.
Chen Jun, as Second Platoon’s platoon leader, specially came to Fifth Squad to oversee the selection and personally handled the vote counting, with squad leader Shi Jin responsible for recording.
Finally, after counting all eleven votes, Cheng Cai smoothly took the deputy squad leader position with three votes.
Because it was anonymous voting, the vast majority of new recruits voted for themselves; for Cheng Cai to get three votes, Chen Jun could basically guess who they were from.
The remaining two votes most probably came from Xu Sanduo and Shi Jin.
Xu Sanduo had been helped by Cheng Cai for so many days; even without merit, there was hard work, and Xu Sanduo was a person with a simple mind, with no thought of competing for deputy squad leader at all—his vote would definitely go to Cheng Cai.
Shi Jin voting for Cheng Cai was even more natural.
Cheng Cai not only helped him improve Xu Sanduo’s results, but also contributed greatly to Fifth Squad keeping the advanced housekeeping mobile red flag; Shi Jin had no reason not to vote for Cheng Cai.
Finally becoming deputy squad leader to his heart’s content, Cheng Cai was so happy he was grinning from ear to ear, with unconcealable pride showing from his upturned mouth corners.
“Cheng Cai, congratulations on becoming deputy squad leader. Stand up and say a few words to everyone.”
Shi Jin was happy for Cheng Cai and took the lead in clapping.
The other new recruits all followed suit!
Cheng Cai was the most excellent new recruit in the new recruit company; having him serve as deputy squad leader, the other new recruits in the squad, though regretful, were all very convinced.
Amid the whole squad’s enthusiastic applause, Cheng Cai stood up laughing heartily and said: “Thank you, Platoon Leader, thank you, Squad Leader, thank you everyone for your trust.
I, Cheng Cai, am sincerely happy to become deputy squad leader today, and I also feel the heavy responsibility.
To live up to everyone’s trust, I will definitely carry forward the spirit of mutual help in the future, help the squad leader handle all kinds of matters well, and let our squad’s results go to the next level…”
