Chapter 48 - 23 Director Fang’s Prophecy of the Emperor

o’clock, Hao Chengbin came back from washing up and checked the Internal Affairs.

Three blankets were thrown out, and each was christened by Hao Chengbin with a name.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, these blankets, I can’t bear to show them to the Regiment Department’s leadership! Truly the ’eight culinary masterpieces,’ each with its own character!"

Picking up the first blanket.

"This, the Peng family blanket! Folded like something from an old grandma! Loose and flimsy!"

The second blanket.

"This must be the Yue family blanket! Indeed! Being lazy and sleeping out has its qualities! Yue Tao, your dream is to be a tank soldier, right? I can tell from your blanket! It’s half taller than the others! The side seam is 8 centimeters, the middle seam is 16 centimeters, haven’t I mentioned this? I’ve provided you all with rulers in your desks. As a man, have you no sense for the unit of centimeters at all?! Well, let me clarify it for you! 16 centimeters! Your fingers stretch out to roughly 20 centimeters!"

Everyone started to laugh with ill intent when they heard this. Sun Lianhai and Liu Yue whispered something to each other and began giggling while playfully attacking each other’s lower bodies.

The third blanket.

"Aiyo, this must be Hu Deli, Brother Hu’s blanket, right?

His is a tank, and yours... a submarine?

How did you come up with folding something so long and short? Haven’t you noticed your blanket sticks out a long way past Zhao Bing’s bunk below mine? The bunk across is his top bunk and mine’s the bottom, don’t you ever compare?"

After a bout of sarcastic comments, the second person in the class to acquire a nickname appeared.

Hu Deli, Brother Hu.

The three blankets were forcefully stuffed through the window grille’s gaps by Hao Chengbin.

Hao Chengbin checked his watch.

"After breakfast, you have more than half an hour. Pick them up yourselves and fold them again! Zhao Bing, Fang Huai... Chen Zhongqiang, each of you guide one blanket! Help them redraw the lines! If you fold a blanket incorrectly from the start, the result will never be correct! I see you’re all following Fang Huai’s example, carrying your blankets back first thing in the morning. He might be an old hand, but you are not! I advise you to keep your feet on the ground and firm up the step of folding blankets first! Before leaving the squad, all blankets must be scrubbed before folding! Did you hear that?"

"Heard it, squad leader!" After a morning of "thought reform," everyone seemed considerably more spirited.

Jiang Peng felt a chill in his heart.

He felt sidelined by the squad leader.

Even though his blanket was folded the best, the squad leader completely ignored him while instructing the other three "poor students."

His talent was thus buried.

Fate, wistfully adrift, has not yet met a discerning leader...

Unwilling!

Hao Chengbin turned his head but still did not look at him.

"Right! Today’s a minor duty day; follow the schedule! Starting with Lu Zexian!

Lu Zexian, I’ve arranged this opportunity especially for you! Later, if you think of running after doing the dishes, I suggest you climb over the back wall of the canteen, not go through the dog hole on the playground! The Chief of Staff likes to take a couple of laps around the playground after breakfast and you might easily get caught!"

Before leaving, Hao Chengbin took another parting shot at Lu Zexian.

Lu Zexian, with a speechless face: "Reporting to the squad leader! I won’t run!"

The whole class roared with laughter.

Once Hao Chengbin had left, Chen Zhongqiang immediately approached Fang Huai.

"About the cigarette thing... can you talk to the squad leader for me?"

Fang Huai scratched his head, somewhat speechless.

"No, bro, I’ve told you, you better quit ASAP. Don’t even think about it, it makes it harder, you know?"

"The squad leader agreed! Let me smoke one and then I’ll stop thinking about it!" Chen Zhongqiang pleaded.

Fang Huai rolled his eyes: "Damn, if you lived eighty years ago, you’d definitely be a regular at the opium den!"

Saying so, he stopped paying attention to him.

...

This morning, they ate steamed buns.

The white and plump pork-filled buns.

When entering the canteen, the Duty Officer said that every Wednesday, aside from noodles, everyone could have a meal with buns and pickled vegetables, egg drop soup, or possibly dumplings. Help yourselves, everyone should take what they can eat, and not waste.

No matter how much was said, it could not compete with the allure of the fragrant buns. As everyone passed the basin of buns, they each took at least four or five large buns, and got a bowl of pickled vegetables.

The recruits from First, Second, and Third Companies, who came in first, all took a lot, and many behind them didn’t get any buns.

When Fang Huai and his group came in, there were no more buns left.

"Damn! These people are inhumane! They took all the buns!" one new recruit complained indignantly.

People around started to grumble.

"Exactly! They have no public conscience at all! Taking so much, can they even finish it?"

"I just saw someone take six! He ran off towards First Company!"

An uncle from the canteen came out and quickly gestured for everyone to quiet down.

"There’s more coming soon, we’re already steaming them! There will be enough!"

Fortunately, the second batch of buns came out quickly.

The recruits from Fourth Company and those after started to line up eagerly, waiting for their buns.

Seventh Company, who came in later, didn’t get any buns, but they did each get a bowl of pickled vegetables and soup.

In Squad Nine, Lu Zexian stood up proactively: "Squad leader, those lining up over there seem to be on minor duty. I’ll get the buns for our class, too!"

Hao Chengbin nodded: "Hmm, take as much as you eat! Count the numbers!

Today is a special situation; the canteen needs to steam batch by batch. Mealtime can be extended. No rush!"

Everyone started to calm down and wait patiently.

Lu Zexian began to count the numbers.

Almost everyone wanted three, or else four or five.

"Fang Huai, how many do you want?"

Fang Huai looked at the scene before him and suddenly remembered something.

That morning, the memories from his past life were deep.

"I... I’ll just have two!"