"All good things must come to an end," a truth we all seem to understand, but when the seemingly ordinary departure arrives, I find it hard to face it calmly. A flood of longing
washes over me. Our meeting was perhaps destined, or perhaps just my good fortune. On September 10th, the day we met, a gentle breeze blew, the sun shone softly, and in the picturesque campus, on a leisurely afternoon with flowers in bloom, we met you in our camouflage uniforms. You, tall and imposing, marched with firm steps, perfectly aligned. Your serious expressions reflected the rigorous and serious lifestyle of soldiers. When some began to discuss your appearances, you, the head instructor, commanded, "Quiet, or I'll teach you a lesson!" We were terrified by your threatening tone, yet secretly pleased by your righteousness. Then you commanded again, "Everyone squat down!" I knew this was our punishment for speaking out. Squatting was indeed a bit uncomfortable for us, and you said again, "If you move again, don't get up." I remember that day, we squatted until each instructor led their squad away. That day, I forgot how much my feet hurt... Having never had military training before, I was really looking forward to an unforgettable experience. Now, my mood is starting to feel heavy and scared, as if I've already anticipated that this military training will be particularly tough and tiring.
Everything is as I expected. We started by practicing military posture. In our usual standing at attention, standing at attention and standing at attention are two different concepts. Military posture requires head up, chest out, stomach in, arms straight and close to the trouser seam, and you can't pull them apart, eyes wide open, leaning forward... standing like that for half an hour at a time. This was incredibly difficult for someone like me who hadn't stood for long periods in a long time, especially with all these requirements. Sure enough, several classmates fainted, which angered the instructors. "How come you're all so physically weak?" one instructor remarked. "I didn't collapse while standing, but I was completely exhausted. I even considered faking it to rest, but I was afraid of feeling guilty and persevered." As the military training progressed, standing at attention became a daily requirement, and gradually it became a habit, and it didn't seem so difficult anymore.
Later, we entered the fancy formation drills and met you, with your elegant and lovely demeanor. For the first few days, we all seemed very relaxed; while other formations trained, we rested. I even suspected we were the ones doing it. Wasn't it good enough? They singled us out just to avoid bringing shame to the school. It wasn't until a day later that I understood—Instructor Li and Instructor Liu were planning our performance. You were exhausted, while we were resting. To catch up with the other teams, we trained hard.
We spent the last two days rehearsing…
On the last day, it was drizzling, breezy, and a little chilly, as if foreshadowing this farewell. Today is the military training performance; we gave our all to showcase our teams' brilliance. Just as the show was about to end, I saw your smiling faces as you walked into the corridor, and then I never saw you again… You left so quietly, without even saying goodbye. My heart inexplicably ached, and tears streamed down my face. Goodbye, my dear ones…
“You'll understand us later.” Perhaps so. Goodbye, thank you for giving us so many profound memories. May we meet again someday! •ᴗ•
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