Chapter 2576 - 2640: Brothers Reunited
The wedding couldn’t go through, and the biggest blow naturally was to Zhang Tianxing, but with the counseling of two brothers, he figured it out early on. Even with a disability, he’s still a member of the Flying Hawk Squad, so how could he worry about not having a wife? Even with disabled hands and feet, he can still use his skills.
As for the wedding banquet he had prepared, Zhang Tianxing treated it as a gathering of family and friends, and a time to drink with old war buddies and brothers. With this thought, he felt clear and open, and became more talkative, changing his gloomy personality from the past few years.
This is how it should be. In memories, Zhang Tianxing was always a chatterbox, cheerful and relaxed, only serious and focused during missions. Seeing his old brother’s personality restored, Zheng Mingrui was delighted, chopped firewood in one go, and received a call saying some other brothers had arrived.
These guys, upon hearing Li Yifei also came, couldn’t wait to grow an extra leg. However, last night’s heavy rain made the roads even harder, and they had gone through that cliff-like road. Without the courage to speed through, they could only take a detour, which is why they arrived just now.
But it’s not too late, it’s just in time for the meal. Li Yifei and the others were not shy, helping to arrange borrowed tables and chairs, set utensils, and even Na Yi and Lin Wanqing found tasks they could do, like washing dishes and organizing. Li Yifei and Zheng Mingrui simply draped towels around their necks, becoming food runners.
The Zhang Family’s parents didn’t expect Li Yifei and Zheng Mingrui to help with these tasks. After all, the Zhang Family had been upset by Lang Yonggan and his son’s disturbance. Just now, one of the Zhang Family members had dropped a dish straight onto the ground, so Li Yifei and Zheng Mingrui volunteered to help.
With their skills, serving dishes was effortless. If one had to describe it, it would be like butterflies weaving through flowers.
Tomorrow is the official day. Today, only five tables are set up, mostly family, plus neighbors from the village, so the numbers are small.
When the other brothers arrived, they saw Li Yifei serving dishes, laughed, shouted, and ran towards Li Yifei and Zheng Mingrui.
"Captain!"
"Boss!"
"Mingrui! And Tianxing!" A crowd of brothers reunited, embraced each other, a group of old men hugging excitedly, which might seem awkward to some, but it was entirely comfortable for them. Zhang Tianxing’s parents watched their son’s comrades with such genuine emotions, nodding happily.
"Boss!" They looked at Li Yifei, even more excited. Unlike Zhang Tianxing, they were coping quite well, some retired, some not, all doing decently. After all, coming from the Flying Hawk Squad, they were the cream of the crop, how could they do poorly? Yet, no matter high rank or wealth, it paled compared to Li Yifei—Ning Province’s richest man, with assets of billions. This identity deeply impressed the brothers. Admiration aside, they felt it was only right. If someone like Li Yifei didn’t succeed, then what hope would they have?
Seeing their brother thriving made everyone happy, not jealous. The idea is to learn from the successful; seeing a brother doing well motivated everyone to work harder and strive for success.
Among the brothers, Li Yifei led by example, after all, most Flying Hawk Squad members had ordinary backgrounds, relying on talent and effort to get in, surviving against all odds.
After hugging each brother, Li Yifei didn’t linger, took the towel off his neck, wrapped it around a somewhat small, dark-skinned man’s neck, and commanded, "Skinny Monkey, go serve the dishes!"
"Alright!" Skinny Monkey snapped a salute, took off his jacket, and quickly ran to help serve dishes. Others were equally unreserved, finding tasks to do.
Though there wasn’t much left to do, ultimately everyone sat at a table, visibly excited. Some even brought wives or girlfriends, women sat together, men sat together. Naturally, the focus was on Li Yifei and Zhang Tianxing.
"Boss, despite a few years out the service, you haven’t changed, still as handsome!" Skinny Monkey flattered.
Li Yifei pointed at him, "You haven’t changed either, still as sweet-mouthed!"
"Haha, Skinny Monkey, you’re stealing my lines, drink as a penalty, drink!"
"Drink it is, no big deal!" Skinny Monkey picked up a glass and downed a full cup of white spirit, seemingly bypassing the mouth, directly into the throat.
Others cheered, applauding. Drinking excessively is ill-advised, but letting loose with good brothers gathered is entirely permissible.
"After three rounds of drinks, everyone’s attention shifted to Zhang Tianxing, asking about the wedding plans. Zhang Tianxing briefly explained today’s unexpected events. Suddenly, everyone fell silent. Though they were brothers, they didn’t know what to say at this moment.
Zhang Tianxing just smiled and said, "It’s just as well not to get married. You guys wouldn’t want to see your brother jump into the fire pit, right? But go ahead and eat and drink as you please. Treat it as a gathering at my place. Of course, if you want to contribute a gift, I won’t stand on ceremony!"
"Not getting married but still want the gift money? But let me tell you, I really did bring you several gifts, I’ll bring them over after we’re done drinking," said the guy nicknamed Dumb Guy. This guy was burly, standing at 1.97 meters, yet incredibly agile. When he first joined the army, he weighed over 300 pounds, looking like a Crusty Pancake, but was exceptionally nimble and strong. After training, his weight dropped to just over 200 pounds, running as fast as the wind, truly extraordinary.
This guy hadn’t retired, still in the army, but had been transferred away from the Flying Hawk Squad, now stationed in Xinjiang, having risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel. It seemed he might rise further in a few years.
His nickname, Dumb Guy, came from his habit of spacing out when idle, claiming to be contemplating life, but really just daydreaming. Nobody knew what he was thinking, but Li Yifei did—most of the time, he was thinking about what to eat for dinner or the next meal. Occasionally, he thought of his childhood sweetheart; they had a pact to marry after retirement, but he got sent to the Flying Hawk Squad, prolonging that goal by several years. Now he stayed in the military.
He had heard earlier that even Dumb Guy was getting married, planned for next year.
"I’ll take the gifts and don’t take the contribution money away. If not now, the wedding will happen eventually!" Zhang Tianxing laughed.
Dumb Guy pointed at him excitedly, saying, "Well then. You bullied me in the army and still want to bully me now. Let me tell you, the reason I don’t fight back isn’t because I’m afraid of you!"
"It’s because you like Tianxing?" snorted a guy nearby, nicknamed Wild Boar. His physique was similar to Li Yifei’s and was part of Flying Hawk Squad’s technical division. He was in charge of handling, maintaining, and connecting electronic devices, especially during specific tasks requiring electronic cracking, jamming, and information coordination. Wild Boar worked closely with a few others and coordinated with Li Yifei and the team.
The Flying Hawk Squad is China’s First Battle Team; its longstanding status is not just due to individual bravery but also teamwork and advanced military technology.
"Get lost, you stupid GA!" Dumb Guy rolled his eyes.
Everyone knew about Zhang Tianxing’s physical injuries. There was no need to hide such things, but they only mentioned it briefly. Li Yifei spoke first, and everyone understood it wasn’t appropriate to ask more.
Although they couldn’t attend the wedding now, the chance to gather was precious. Some drank, some reminisced; everyone cherished this opportunity.
Gathering from all over the place isn’t easy, especially once in society... everyone developed differently, social classes diverse. Reuniting without reservations became challenging. But gathering at Zhang Tianxing’s place allowed them to return to their original state.
Without reservations, without barriers, Li Yifei let loose, surprising Na Yi with his candidness; she even freely cursed and accepted drinks from everyone.
In total, eight brothers, including himself, talked about their early days when they first joined the Flying Hawk Squad, each reminiscing about that time. Naturally, they couldn’t avoid mentioning those brothers who didn’t make it to the end. Some didn’t pass the later training; Flying Hawk Squad’s rigorous training and high elimination rate was top nationwide, as was its sacrifice rate.
Being a squad leader here and retiring unscathed is very difficult. Some left early, some didn’t make it, and others remained remembered on the Flying Hawk Squad memorial plaque, where the fallen heroes’ names are inscribed.
As they mentioned this, a silence fell. Li Yifei filled a glass, raised it, and said, "Brothers, this drink is for the fallen comrades who dedicated their lives to the nation. They deserve this toast!"
"Boss, we should drink three cups. I remember that guy nicknamed Doggie; he died on Tianshan Mountain during our mission to hunt down spies. We fought several skirmishes with terrorists, but Doggie didn’t come back," said Dumb Guy, raising his glass with red eyes.
Li Yifei definitely remembered the guy named Doggie—it was his nickname in the army. He was a great soldier, unafraid of hardship or toil, only worried his training wasn’t good enough. Yet, that time, he sacrificed himself.
Indeed, sacrifices were inevitable; Doggie died there.
Li Yifei nodded forcefully. The others also had their memories. Considering the number of fallen comrades was truly many; the attrition rate was high. So, they all drank the cup together.
Just after setting down the glass, they heard a furious shout from outside: "All you Zhang Family people, come out. How dare you hit my brother? I’m gonna kill you all today!"