Having good habits on Nanjing Road

In April 2009, shortly after Lu Xiaohui, a new soldier, was assigned to the Eighth Company, his father came to visit him. In just two days, Xiao Lu’s father said three "unexpected things" in a row: having dinner with his son; When I saw my son picking up the rice grains that fell on the table and eating them, I sighed, "I didn't expect it." I went out with my son on the street and wanted to buy some snacks for him, and my son said, "The company food is very good, no need for it," which was also an "unexpected thing." I wanted to buy a new shirt for my son, but my son repeatedly waved his hand and said, "The army issued it, no need." This was another "unexpected".

In the scorching heat, field construction work began.

"Before he joined the army, he was not like this. He often went to karaoke bars, dance halls, and hotels with some classmates and friends, sometimes spending thousands of dollars without blinking an eye. It had only been a few days since my son joined the company, and he seemed to have changed. It's like a person. The Eighth Company really has special powers." Xiao Lu's father couldn't contain his excitement and thanked the company repeatedly.

“Basically every parent of a soldier has feelings like Xiao Lu’s father.” Zhang Jingdong, political commissar of the regiment, told reporters that the superior living conditions can easily cause young soldiers to develop some bad habits before joining the army. However, as long as a soldier enters the Eighth Company Gate, he will become a "standard" Eighth Company member within a few days: he who originally spent money lavishly has developed the habit of spending "abacus"; he originally did not understand A person who respects his parents becomes a good son who knows his father and loves his mother; a person who used to be idle and lazy becomes diligent and hard-working; a person who used to be free and careless becomes a model of honoring rules and observing discipline!

Source of change Ziyu Company insists on integrating the tradition of hard work into daily work and life. The officers and soldiers of the Eighth Company have long adhered to the "four good practices" of grooming each other's hair when they grow long, sewing their own torn clothes, repairing their torn shoes, and repairing their damaged camp tools. The "five good habits of using a little, honoring your parents and sending a little, donating a little to the Hope Project, and saving a little for your own spare time" symbolize the Eighth Company's tradition of diligence and thrift. The barber box has been passed down to 34 generations, and the carpentry box and shoe repair box have been passed down to 34 generations. To the 34th generation. The squad's newspaper rack, the company's blackboard, and simple training equipment are all made by ourselves, and we don't spend a penny where possible.

In the past two years, the company installed solar water heaters. When the shower head is turned on, cold water is released first. In order not to waste this cold water, the company placed a water-saving bucket under each nozzle and used the remaining water to wash mops and flush toilets.

In the Eighth Company, the atmosphere of diligence and frugality is very strong. The slogan "Time is money, please cherish every second" is printed on the side of the company's phone box; the computer printer is posted with the slogan "Each person saves one dollar." A piece of paper, hoping that primary school students will have multiple exercise books"; on the wall of the canteen, hanging aphorisms such as "You must know that every meal on the plate requires hard work." There are more than 20 warnings like this in the company, which makes the spirit of hard struggle change from invisible to tangible, and the soldiers' behavior changes from passive to conscious in a subtle way.

Chen Xin, a new soldier from college, worked in a company before joining the army, with a monthly salary of more than 4,000 yuan. Although he earns a lot of money, he is a typical "money earner". Sometimes his salary is not enough and he still reaches out to his parents. At the end of last year, he enlisted in the army. The mother was worried that the monthly allowance of more than 300 yuan would not be enough for her son when he arrived in Shanghai, so she specially applied for a bank card for him and sent him money regularly.

After Chen Xin came to the Eighth Company, he had a new understanding of spending and saving money. The company cadres and comrades around him could tell many of the company's good traditions of diligence and thrift. Instructor Huang Sen's words at the company history museum impressed him even more: In the early days of liberation, 90% of the company's officers and soldiers' monthly wages and allowances were deposited in banks, and their pocket money averaged 50 cents per person per month.

The instructor's words made Chen Xin extremely ashamed: All his comrades had savings, but he was lavish and asked his family to remit money to him. It was really inappropriate. Back in class, he planned his 302 yuan allowance: after deducting 30 yuan for daily necessities, 27 yuan for books and periodicals for his hobbies, 30 yuan for phone cards, and 15 yuan for other pocket expenses, the remaining 200 yuan was deposited in the bank.

After making up his mind, Chen Xin got rid of bad habits such as eating snacks, buying high-end daily necessities, and making random phone calls, and strictly followed the subsidy consumption plan. Before the Spring Festival, he took out 200 yuan from the remaining allowance and sent it to his mother, expressing his filial piety for the first time.

Chen Xin’s mother burst into tears after receiving the filial piety from her son’s savings allowance. She couldn’t help but marvel: “My son was not like this originally. He has only been in the army for a few days, but how did he change so quickly! The army is really a training exercise.” A melting pot of people!”

After listening to Chen Xin’s introduction about his changes in the Eighth Company during the discussion, the head of the Military Commission repeatedly praised: This is not a small improvement!