Mom, I Want to Enlist

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three short, forceful knocks sounded, shaking white dust loose from the ceiling inside.

"Coming, coming."

The woman cooking set down the dish she was working on, wiped her hands on her apron, and left the kitchen to open the door.

A towering figure ducked and stepped inside.

He stood three or four heads taller than an ordinary person, with shoulders broad and muscles like boulders. His imposing presence was impossible to ignore.

The doorframe looked tiny beside him, as though he could easily smash through it.

"Little Treasure's home! How did your test go today? Driving should've been easy for you, right?"

"Come on, your mom made all your favorites today: braised pork, lion's head meatballs, sweet-and-sour pork, iron-pot stewed goose, chicken and mushrooms..."

"Mom! You made so many dishes today! I'm going to eat a lot!"

Lü Qinglong grinned. He crouched down to change into his extra-extra-large slippers before entering the room.

"You cheeky boy. I asked how your driving test went."

Mom Lü sounded a little displeased.

Even so, she went to the kitchen first, filled a huge iron basin with rice, and carried it over to Lü Qinglong.

"It went fine, Mom. I'm a seasoned driver, obviously. The examiner sitting in the passenger seat during the road test kept offering me cigarettes."

Lü Qinglong answered while chewing noisily.

"By the way, Mom, there's something I want to talk over with you."

Mom Lü paused, then smiled.

"What is it? You want to talk something over with me? Did someone bully you? I heard things aren't very safe in Yangcheng these days."

"Listen, Mom just saw a story about someone hurting people with a utility knife! Little Treasure, did someone bully you? Tell me, and I'll stand up for you!"

As she spoke, Mom Lü stormed into the kitchen, grabbed a cleaver, and waved it around.

Her son was already over two meters tall and weighed just over three hundred kilograms.

Still, he was a delicate boy!

Besides, he'd only just turned eighteen, and he was a bit introverted. If someone bullied him, he might not speak up.

She'd heard that street thugs loved picking on well-behaved students like him!

"Mom! No one's bullying your son."

The fat on Lü Qinglong's face quivered as he looked at his mother with an innocent expression.

"Oh, no one bullied you? Looks like my decision to make you work out at the gym after class every day was the right one."

"Then are you dating someone? Be honest with Mom. Which girl do you like? Is it that little Qinghan?"

"That girl's too skinny, hardly any meat on her bones. She might have trouble bearing children. I'll invite her over more often and fatten her up."

Mom Lü's face was full of gossip.

"Mom, what kind of nonsense are you making up? Didn't I just turn eighteen yesterday?"

"And I'm about to start college, but I feel like I'm too naïve right now, and college life will be too comfortable. So I was thinking..."

"Mom, I want to enlist."

Mom Lü's chopsticks froze in midair. The smile vanished from her face before his eyes.

"Enlist?!"

"What do you mean, enlist? Have you forgotten that your dad only comes home once every year or two?"

"So what if you go to college? After you graduate, your dad can find you a job at a state-owned company. Wouldn't it be better to stay by Mom's side?"

Mom Lü was nothing like the kind woman she'd been a moment earlier. It was as if someone had stepped on her tail; she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Mom, I'm serious. Just let me enlist. It's the only path forward for me."

Lü Qinglong took her hand and patiently tried to explain.

"I won't agree! Absolutely not!"

"If you enlist, I'll be left here all alone, waiting for you. Could you really bear to do that to me?"

"If you won't listen, go ask your brother! See if he agrees!"

Mom Lü shrieked and slammed the door shut.

"Bang!"

The sound echoed, leaving Lü Qinglong sitting alone at the table.

"Sigh..."

Lü Qinglong sighed. He set aside enough food for one person, emptied the rest into his huge iron basin, and bent over his meal.

He'd been different from everyone else since birth. Most babies weighed only a little over six pounds, or seven or eight if they were big.

But he'd weighed a full ten kilograms when he was born.

His mother had passed out several times while giving birth to him, but fortunately, she'd pulled through in the end.

Since his family had a military tradition, his mother had made him work on his fitness from a young age.

By the time he was eight, he was already 1.8 meters tall and weighed just over a hundred kilograms.

The downside was that his appearance matured a little earlier than other kids his age.

After finishing dinner, he left a note on the table, then headed out to KFC to buy an egg tart.

Strangely enough, Lü Qinglong felt that society was becoming more and more harmonious. It wasn't like the short videos on his phone claimed, with people growing increasingly impatient. Instead, people were considerate and polite.

When an older man standing ahead of him saw him waiting in line, he asked if he was in a hurry and kept insisting that Lü Qinglong go first.

The line should have taken twenty minutes, but he got to the front in less than one.

"It's been a long time since I bought my big brother an egg tart. He always liked sweets."

"Never mind, I've bought him sweets, so that counts as a little bribe. Hopefully, he'll agree to let me enlist."

With that thought, Lü Qinglong quickened his pace and ran toward the outskirts.

"Grandpa Gao, having dinner?"

He knocked on the glass of the guard booth. Grandpa Gao, who was eating noodles inside, jumped at the unexpected voice.

"Good grief!"

"Erlong, you're here! Why haven't you left for college yet?"

Grandpa Gao patted his chest and looked at the fearsome face before him, letting out a long breath.

Good grief, Lü Qinglong gave him a fright every time he came by.

The first time he'd visited, Lü Qinglong had been just fifteen, with a buzz cut.

Grandpa Gao had thought some hardened criminal had escaped from prison. He'd nearly dropped dead on the spot and gone to join his late wife in heaven.

"Hehe, it's not time yet."

"Go ahead and finish your dinner, Grandpa Gao. I'm going to see my brother. We can talk later."

Lü Qinglong waved and turned to walk farther inside.

"That second son of the Lü family is a sight to behold. It'd be a real shame if he didn't join the military. If he ever made it to the battlefield, he'd be a fearsome general!"

"It's just a shame the Lü family can't be left without an heir."

Grandpa Gao watched Lü Qinglong's retreating back and muttered to himself.

Lü Qinglong climbed the steps and, knowing the way by heart, made his way to his brother.

"Big brother, I came to see you. I brought your favorite egg tarts."

He set the packaged egg tarts down in front of the gravestone.

New writer, new book. Please take good care of me!