Chapter 67 - 30: Ghost Singing in Front of the Taoist’s Door

Hao Chengbin was utterly confused.

It’s normal for a household where everyone is a soldier to have undergone physical training.

It’s also normal to know a bit about the common knowledge of the troops.

But to say that Fang Huai’s father had even made him memorize "Regulations", that’s somewhat insane, isn’t it?

"Fang Huai, you go ahead tonight. As for memorizing the book, we’ll talk about it when you come back tomorrow. However much you can recite will be counted."

"Yes, squad leader!"

...

In the afternoon, the sky was even clearer.

But Lu Zexian’s frown was getting deeper.

The soldiers on the training ground, dressed in regular uniforms and wearing wide-brimmed hats, finally looked like soldiers, their faces all serious and earnest, not wanting to dishonor their newly changed clothes.

"Lu Zexian, marching, one command after another, I told you to lift your head and puff out your chest. What are you looking at the sky for? You’re the point man. With your chin held so high, how can the others use their peripheral vision to align?"

"Snap."

Lu Zexian got his head smacked by a wide-brimmed hat.

Yue Tao couldn’t help but laugh with a "pfft."

"Squad leader, ever since Fang Huai said he’d offer his life to the heavens, the sky has started to clear up! He’s calculating how many years he has left to live!"

The other new recruits couldn’t hold it in anymore, their bodies began to shake.

"Snap, snap!"

This time two wide-brimmed hats were smacked.

"Yue Tao, How are you? How old are you?" Hao Chengbin also felt like laughing but still kept a straight face, ready to erupt.

"Wow, squad leader, you can speak English? What does that mean?" Yue Tao, clutching his head, was as fearless as a dead pig is of boiling water.

Those who understood burst into laughter.

Hao Chengbin immediately kicked Yue Tao with another stern sentence.

"I’m saying!"

"What!"

"Your mother!"

"It’s you!"

Everyone laughed out loud; in fact, even Fang Huai had started to change his initial impression of Yue Tao over the past few days.

This guy, though deserving of a beating, didn’t really merit a harsh one. His optimistic attitude and his ’go with the flow’ nature really made it hard to stay mad at him.

The joker in the revolutionary ranks.

You strike him on the left cheek, and he offers the right one with a smile, with a life attitude that he can’t get on without being a little cheeky.

"I’m telling you guys! In the new recruit group, we only do three things!"

Hao Chengbin felt the atmosphere was too relaxed, walked to the front of the formation, and held up three fingers with a hint of severity.

"First, develop formation discipline."

"Second, foster living discipline."

"Third, develop a consciousness of obedience to commands!"

"In the formation, when I let you relax, it’s not to let you be presumptuous! I reiterate, as long as you are in formation without a dispersal command, laughter is only allowed in your heart!

Any action visible or audible to others, even a fart, needs to be reported!"

"Report!" Yue Tao shouted loudly.

"Speak!"

"Squad leader, doesn’t the new recruit group train every day? Why do we only do three things?"

Hao Chengbin sneered, "Aren’t you all looking forward to being dismissed every day? You’ll know what intensity the training is here once you’re dismissed!

Of course, there might be some Ridiculous Dragon soldiers among you, those who can’t handle the training, who will go on to become sentry gods or join the Cooking Squad. As long as you’re not irritating and contribute nothing while always causing trouble, you too can happily get through two years in the troops.

Not everyone in the troops can handle training. If you handle personal relationships well and are diligent and dedicated to doing your job well, you can be likable too!

All of this must be based on obeying orders!"

Saying this, he gave Jiang Peng another look.

"Report to the squad leader! I obey, sir!" Jiang Peng shouted wrongfully.

Hao Chengbin placed his hands behind his back, smiling, "Kid, let me tell you another principle: I don’t need evidence to doubt you. Don’t give me one thing behind my back and another to my face. If you can make my eyes, which have been in the troops for ten years, comfortable and pleased to see you, it means you’ve grown."

Actually, Hao Chengbin had spent quite a bit of time watching Jiang Peng, partly for fear he would spread rumors outside and partly because he somewhat valued his potential.

If Jiang Peng did well in the troops, he would also be a promising sprout. On any single count, he was decent enough, but he was just one of the more outstanding in the new recruits. It was hard for him to stand out when always compared to Fang Huai.

Fang Huai’s broader perspective and his calm in facing things were qualities even Hao Chengbin felt inferior to.

To his surprise, Jiang Peng retorted again.

"Squad leader, Fang Huai is only ahead because his family are soldiers and they’ve trained him. He has had more training time than us. Comparing us with him is inherently unfair!

I came to the troops to make my family proud too. My uncle is in Firefighting; he told me to do well when I came here! I also want him to see my achievements. Why can he fight for that pride, and I can’t?"

Jiang Peng was probably desperate, laying everything out in the open.

Fang Huai comes from a military family; so do I, what of it?

The eyes of the new recruits held a bit of surprise.

We have personnel with special relationships in our squad too!

Upon hearing these words, Hao Chengbin narrowed his eyes, recalling in his mind for a moment, his tone turning cold.

"That day when I had a conversation with Fang Huai outside the squad, you eavesdropped, didn’t you?"

Lu Zexian immediately disclosed, "Squad leader, every time you talk to Fang Huai outside, Jiang Peng runs to the door to listen!"

Hao Chengbin nodded with a cold sneer, walked up to Jiang Peng, looked him in the eye, and said coldly, "Who gave you the right to eavesdrop?"

Jiang Peng started to panic.

He wasn’t foolish; if things didn’t go well, he might get beaten, and he said in a panic.

"Squad leader... I didn’t eavesdrop! I overheard it unintentionally!"

Hao Chengbin stared at him for a while, suddenly smiled, walked back to the command position, and shouted loudly.