Chapter 308: Iron Bones, Unyielding!

ian Gong International Club in a suit and tie.At this moment, unbeknownst to Wang Dashi (the hitman), he had become an idol and inspiration for the waiter standing behind him.All private rooms at Tian...Chapter 308: Iron-willed and Steadfast!

Chen Kang was sitting in his courtyard basking in the sun. Since losing both legs above the knees, enjoying the sunshine had become almost his only leisure activity.

Nearly a decade of military service came to an end with him returning home as a broken man forever confined to a wheelchair. This situation dealt Chen Kang a severe blow.

He used to be the pride of his village, and from childhood onwards, he was always held up by parents as an example for their own children. Especially on that day when he put on military uniform and wore flowers of red silk ribbon, neighbors’ admiring and encouraging looks were forever etched in his heart. Whenever he returned home during leave, villagers would sincerely praise him, saying what a fine young man he was, bringing glory to the Chen family. With two sisters already married off, parents only had this one son; Chen Kang knew that he must do well to keep his old father smiling.

But fate had other plans: nobody could have anticipated such an unforeseen turn of events.

When Chen Kang, bearing so much hope and expectation, eventually returned home as a discharged soldier, the warm looks from villagers were replaced by countless whispers. After years in service, not only was he unable to rise to officer rank but also lost his legs; even government authorities had yet to give an explanation. Some would coldly observe, some would cross their arms and watch the spectacle like spectators at a theater, and many of Chen Kang's peers would murmur behind his back: "Look, what use is being in military service for so long What use was all that glory from years ago Now he’s just another cripple! He can't even walk with his legs gone!"

Chen Kang didn’t pay any mind to these remarks. He understood that the turbulent times and experiences they could never understand, and there was no need for them to try. As a soldier, he had successfully completed his mission; although sometimes recalling that day would chill him to the bone, whenever he dreamt of the battlefields filled with gunfire and smoke at midnight, Chen Kang found peace. Those bright memories, those wisps of war smoke that faded away, those shining rifles, those determined faces — all preserved in his heart.

No one knew that this seemingly dull-looking black-faced man, forever confined to a wheelchair, was once the most outstanding special forces soldier of the People's Republic of China’s military.

Among the people who secretly disparaged Chen Kang, no one would know that this man had once infiltrated enemy headquarters alone and, with just a dagger, slit the throats of 127 sleeping enemies!

Fortunately, compared to his fellow soldiers who had already passed away forever from this world, Chen Kang was very fortunate. During the second large-scale artillery attack by the enemy on the Dragon Scale Corps, Chen Kang’s legs were blown off by a shell; his calves below the knee bones were flung into the sky. Fortunately, Yang Ming, nicknamed Little Alexandre Dumas, carried him — this dying cripple weighing eighty kilograms and forty kilograms of field gear — through layers of encirclement for three days across mountains in Yunnan before bringing Chen Kang to a nearby clinic, by which time Chen Kang had already lost too much blood and fainted.

Later on, Yang Ming sent Chen Kang back home to Qing’an to recuperate. The good thing was that his wife, whom he married young and who endured many years of loneliness alone, remained faithful to him without complaint, taking care of him well every day. This made Chen Kang feel somewhat guilty towards her, but now all he could do was express warmth with his eyes.

Yang Ming would come by at intervals, chat a bit with Chen Kang and leave some money behind. In the view of these two men, they were probably each other's only brothers left in this world.

The last time when several children shouted from afar calling him a cripple, Yang Ming happened to be visiting and gave them a thrashing; although Chen Kang said he didn’t mind it, there was bitterness in his heart. But who could he talk about it with

“Oh, such hot weather, and you're still here basking in the sun! What if you get heatstroke” At this moment, a woman wearing a flower-patterned blouse walked into the courtyard from the gate; her skin was dark but her eyes were clear and spirited. She looked somewhat dusty as though she had just returned from working in the fields.

"It's fine." Chen Kang is usually taciturn. Seeing his wife come in, he handed her a bowl of cold boiled water and said, "Here, quench your thirst."

"Just sit down, I can manage these chores myself, understand" The woman felt a warm surge in her heart when she saw that Chen Kang had already prepared the water for her, but she scolded him out of concern.

"But always sitting around isn’t good either," Chen Kang sighed.

""This..." The woman fell silent and didn't know what to say.

"Come on, I'll push you under the tree at the door for some shade." The woman pushed Chen Kang's wheelchair out of the house.

"Hua Hong, you've been through a lot," Chen Kang extended his left hand and gently placed it on top of his wife’s hand.

Hua Hong, who was usually not good at expressing emotions, had her large eyes instantly fill with tears at this unexpected show of affection from her husband.

Wiping her eyes to push back the tears, Hua Hong said, "Old couple like us, why say such things"

Just as they reached the courtyard gate, a group of men and women accompanied by a bunch of children approached them from the road. The adults had an aggressive look on their faces.

"Chen Kang, your son beat up our kids! Take a look!" A plump woman said with her hands on her hips.

"How do you educate your child Look at my Dog Egg's face, it’s all scratched up!"

"I want to know how Chen Kang and Hua Hong are raising their children. Chen Lin is so young yet already enjoys fighting; what kind of trouble will he cause when he grows up"

Seeing the bruised faces of the children with streaks of blood, and the angry glares from their parents, Chen Kang’s eyes instantly turned cold.

"Chen Lin, what happened"

Chen Kang asked sternly, directing his question at a boy who was lagging behind and slightly lowering his head.

Chen Lin looked to be about seven or eight years old, taller than the other children with a robust, energetic appearance.

Hearing his father's question, Chen Lin lowered his gaze without saying anything.

"Speak up! What happened !" Chen Kang smacked the wheelchair armrest, startling those children!

"They said my dad is disabled and useless. Of course I had to hit them!" Little Chen Lin’s eyes were full of anger; clearly, he didn’t feel any remorse.

Hearing this, Chen Kang was stunned for a moment, at a loss for words.

Flower Red was enraged and pained, her hands gripping the wheelchair slightly trembling.

"Your dad is disabled!" At that moment, a childish voice piped up. "Look, he's sitting in a wheelchair. What else could it be"

"That’s right! He doesn’t even have legs; of course he’s useless! We didn’t say anything wrong!" Another child plucked up courage to shout.

The parents present saw their children speaking like this but not a single one spoke up to stop them, instead watching with sneering expressions.

"I’ll hit you. I’ll make you talk! Let’s see you say anything!" Chen Lin stubbornly furrowed his brows and balled his fists, ready to charge forward again.

"Chen Kang, don’t let your son run wild like this!" That plump woman shrieked loudly once more.

"Chen Lin, apologize," said Chen Kang. Immediately, Chen Lin stopped in his tracks, large eyes staring at his father, full of stubbornness and defiance.

"Dad, I didn’t do anything wrong!" Chen Lin’s neck stiffened; it was clear he was a defiant child.

"Apologize!" Chen Kang raised his voice again and slapped the wheelchair's armrest.

"Dad!" Chen Lin stubbornly glanced at his father, who had lost both legs, as tears slowly filled his big eyes.

"I'll say it one more time, apologize!" This time, Chen Kang's voice was much lower; perhaps he didn't notice that his voice was trembling slightly.

This dogdamn life has even forced Chen Kang, who once stood at the forefront of the People's Republic of China's military forces, to bow down to life now.

Yes, Chen Kang had no choice but to bow down.

When other people’s children tell his son "Your dad is a cripple", not only can he not protect his son's emotions, but he even has to make him apologize. Such a father truly feels humiliated.

But if not like this, what else could Chen Kang do In the past, faced with such incidents, he would definitely have punched them! But now, after losing both legs and being in someone else's territory, he has no choice but to bow down!

All of them had been neighbors for many years; his legs were crippled, and there will certainly be more matters requiring their assistance in the future. Chen Kang stared at the ground ahead with blood dripping from his heart.

Meanwhile, Hua Hong's face was already streaming with tears.

"Apologize, Chen Lin. A man must take responsibility for his actions," This was probably the longest sentence that the usually taciturn Chen Kang had spoken recently.

"I did nothing wrong!"

Chen Lin raised his little head, with a stubborn expression on his tear-streaked face, and shouted loudly: "Mom always tells me that my dad is the greatest man in this world. She says when I grow up, I should be like him too!"

Looking at his father's legs, Chen Lin's eyes flashed with a painful struggle: "Even if you can't stand up anymore, you are still the greatest man! I did nothing wrong; if they continue to insult you, then I will hit them again!"

Hearing this, the tough and resilient man who never cried even when his legs were blown off finally couldn’t hold back any longer, shedding tears he had suppressed for nearly five years.aring this: "This is a state secret. How can you know about it What kind of person are you"Li Jianlun was well aware that he had already seriously violated the rules by privately participating in unde...