Chapter 1164: Adorably Foolish

"Uni~ty is stre~ngth, ready, sing!"

"Uni~ty is stre~ngth, this strength is iron, this strength is steel..."

"Louder, all of you! Haven't you eaten?"

At the canteen entrance, the new recruits of the new recruit company were singing military songs at the top of their lungs while waiting outside to go in for their meal. So they truly hadn't eaten yet...

They sang the military song twice; because someone spoke, they stood at attention for ten minutes. Because someone moved randomly, they stood at attention for another ten minutes. In short, the goal was to suppress these new recruits and grind down their little tempers and bad habits.

After being tossed around like this for half an hour, they finally entered the canteen, only to be told they still couldn't eat; instead, they began practicing 'sitting.' It wasn't until no one was speaking, and their seating posture was basically presentable, and the food had cooled to a warm temperature, that they were truly allowed to sit down and prepare to eat.

The rations were decent: shredded potatoes garnished with celery and shredded pork, chicken stewed with potatoes, pork stewed with beans, stir-fried cabbage—also known by the common name 'big-headed vegetable,' or 'gadabai' in the Northeast. Additionally, there was an egg drop soup. For staples, there were two options: noodles and steamed buns. The dishes were served in large basins, with very generous portions.

This bunch of half-grown boys who would eat Laozi bankrupt had just entered camp; after receiving supplies, standing at attention, and being 'adjusted' before the meal, they were already extremely hungry.

But the problem now was that they were still in the 'preparing to eat' phase; the meal hadn't actually started yet...

The new recruits didn't know this; one by one, they sat down, picked up their chopsticks, and started jabbing at the meat, the clashing of chopsticks sounding like a battle. With one stab per person, half a basin of food visibly disappeared.

"What are you doing? Did I give you permission to move your chopsticks? Huh?"

Gao Cheng shouted loudly, "Put your chopsticks down, all of you! Put them down!"

The veteran squad leaders circled through the ranks, glaring and clapping their hands to make the new recruits put down their chopsticks.

"Sit properly, all of you! Sit for ten minutes first." Gao Cheng walked back and forth with his hands behind his back. "As the saying goes, without rules there can be no order. We are a disciplined unit, so we must observe rules even more. Reveille has a bugle call, lights out has a bugle call, forming ranks has commands, and eating must also be done upon order. Otherwise, if you just sit here noisily scrambling to eat, where is the soldier's demeanor? Huh?"

"Remember this: do what you are told to do. If you aren't told to do something, then don't do it. How are you sitting? Huh? Look at you hunching your back; you don't have an ounce of a soldier's appearance. Is this appropriate? Chest out, stomach in, head up—sit up straight for me! Come on, everyone, correct your sitting posture."

Gao Cheng personally corrected one new recruit's posture, then directed the veteran squad leaders to take action.

This time the new recruits behaved, sitting upright and proper, staring at the food on the tables. But not everyone was well-behaved; someone suddenly let out a snort of laughter.

Gao Cheng immediately darted over: "What are you laughing at? Huh?"

This new recruit stood up: "Report, Company Commander, nothing."

"Nothing? I don't believe one can sit there and laugh oneself into giggles." Gao Cheng's gaze swept over the others at the same table; everyone averted their eyes.

"Report, Company Commander, I was just thinking of something interesting that happened during mealtime."

"Is that so? So interesting? Come, come, come, tell me about it, let me have a laugh too."

The new recruit fell silent, just standing there.

"Do you think standing there alone is enough?" Gao Cheng smiled slightly, then shouted loudly, "Everyone, add another ten minutes. Because this one person laughed, you are all dragged down with him. As for you, prepare for push-ups!"

"Yes, sir!"

The new recruit didn't know what else to prepare for regarding push-ups; he simply responded with an affirmative.

He stepped away from the table and stood in the aisle: "Report, Company Commander."

"Speak!"

"How many push-ups should I do?"

"They suffer your burden, staring at the food and sitting for ten extra minutes; how many do you think you should do? Naturally, you do ten minutes' worth!"

The new recruit paused for a moment, then loudly affirmed, dropped to the ground, and immediately began doing push-ups...

Anyone who has done push-ups knows that after several dozen, the arms begin to tremble, the pectoral muscles contract, and one can no longer generate enough strength to lift the body. This new recruit was in exactly that situation.

He gritted his teeth, trying to push himself up, but it was ultimately futile; he collapsed onto the ground, playing dead.

Gao Cheng, of course, knew this situation; he walked over and nudged the new recruit with his foot, saying, "If you can't continue, even if you have to stick your butt in the air, you must hold that position for a full ten minutes for me."

"Yes, sir!" The new recruit responded half-dead, then propped himself up on his arms again, holding the position, effectively entering a plank.

Without specialized training, people's core strength isn't that strong, so naturally, they couldn't hold it for so many minutes. Thus, everyone watched that new recruit shifting back and forth there, back arched, head lowered, shivering, and before long, he was drenched in sweat.

But Gao Cheng did not call a halt, and the new recruit dared not stop.

The new recruits felt time dragging endlessly, each day feeling like a year; they stared at the food before them, swallowing saliva, while cursing in their hearts that the person who laughed was an idiot.

Finally, Gao Cheng nudged the new recruit who was sticking his butt up with his foot: "Do you know to observe discipline from now on?"

"Report, Company Commander, I know!"

"Get up and go sit down."

"Yes, sir!"

The new recruit, looking as if he had just been fished out of water, got up and sat back down, sitting perfectly upright.

Gao Cheng swept his gaze around once more; seeing no one challenging him, he nodded satisfactorily: "Start the meal!"

The words had barely left his mouth when there was a chorus of chopsticks aligning, followed by the sound of chopsticks clashing in combat, and immediately after, a cacophony of smacking lips. And at this moment, the ten minutes Gao Cheng mentioned had not even been reached...

Xu Sanduo held two steamed buns, one in each hand, taking a bite from one then the other, muttering to Wang Yan beside him: "Delicious! Being a soldier is still better; this is much better than what we ate at my home. Wang Yan, eat quickly."

Actually, Wang Yan wasn't eating slowly at all; he was a genuine whirlwind with chopsticks and a forklift with a mouth, capable of eating and drinking immensely. However, he also knew Xu Sanduo feared he wouldn't grab enough, so he urged him to eat faster.

He smiled and said, "Do you think the unit would let us go hungry? If it's all eaten, they'll definitely add more; no need to rush so much."

Xu Sanduo smiled, still wolfing down his food, and the others were the same; whether they could get seconds later was unknown, but for now, it was definitely better to eat more. Even those new recruits who were originally quite talkative barely exchanged words, all busy eating...

Gao Cheng and the veteran squad leaders didn't cause any more trouble; even when the new recruits were halfway through their meal, past the peak of their hunger, and started buzzing quietly again, they didn't intervene, merely scolding a few soldiers who were speaking too loudly.

On the first day for new recruits entering camp, things were still somewhat gentle. If they really pushed the training of new recruits too far, with over a hundred people in the new recruit company and dozens clamoring to go home, that would be quite a headache for Gao Cheng.

After all, if one or two want to go home, that's the soldier's problem; if ten or twenty are clamoring to go home, that becomes the problem of Gao Cheng, the officer in charge of training these new recruits...

And so, after everyone had eaten their fill, the veteran squad leaders each took their new recruits aside to talk. At this point, the atmosphere was no longer serious; the main purpose was to tell everyone about life in the unit, the training tasks during the new recruit period, and so on. Unlike Gao Cheng's speeches, the squad leaders spoke in great detail. Anyway, since this wasn't training, even someone like Wu Liu Yi was chatting and laughing with everyone, full of mirth.

After chatting like this for a while, Wu Liu Yi said, "According to regulations, each squad must have a deputy squad leader. I propose Wang Yan serve as our squad's deputy squad leader. Does anyone have any objections?"

"No objections!" Xu Sanduo was the first to state his stance, grinning foolishly, extremely happy.

Wu Liu Yi glanced at him; it was simply unbearable to look at. In such a short time, he had already figured out what kind of people these two fellow villagers were: one was shrewd, the other was foolish, and the one under his command was the foolish one.

As a fellow villager, he felt ashamed to be associated with them, feeling they brought shame upon his hometown.

"What about the rest of you?" He looked at the others.

"Agreed!"

"If Wang Yan doesn't take the post, who could?"

"It's him then; I support it!"

Wu Liuyi nodded: "Good. Since no one objects, the matter is settled. From now on, Wang Yan is our squad's vice squad leader. When I'm not here, you all listen to him."

"Good heavens, as if we'd dare not listen..." someone muttered.

Wang Yan shook his head with amusement: "Spouting such blunt truths? You make it sound like I bully you."

"If you don't bully us, then next time someone does, we'll come to you."

"Hey, don't think of people as so bad. We're all in the same company, arrived together; what bullying is there to speak of? We're a bunch of grown men; isn't some scuffling and horseplay normal?"

Wu Liuyi pointed vaguely at Wang Yan and smiled: "You need to take the lead, understand? As vice squad leader, you must excel in every subject; only then will everyone be convinced from the heart and obey. Normally, you must guide the laggards with the advanced; if anyone in the squad trains poorly or their movements aren't up to standard, you must help them improve, understand?"

Wang Yan nodded: "It is my duty; I cannot shirk it."

"Fine, that's all for now. This afternoon, I'll explain our rules and regulations, along with other disciplines, confidentiality protocols, and so on. Also, those with phones at home should call to report they're safe; those without should write letters, which the unit will send out uniformly. In short, let your parents know their sons have entered the barracks and become soldiers.

The remaining time is for interior duties; quilts must be folded properly, and belongings put in order. That's it; go back for your afternoon nap. You've all traveled from far away, so rest well. Dismissed."

"You all go back first; I need to discuss our squad's future training and daily life with the squad leader." Wang Yan waved his hand, and Xu Sanduo and the others left, puzzled.

Wu Liuyi was equally puzzled; he asked, "Discuss what? What is there to discuss?"

"Scrounge a cigarette," Wang Yan said with a grin.

"How old are you, touching both smoke and liquor? That's not good."

"Smoke and liquor are inseparable; hurry up."

Wu Liuyi chuckled, leading Wang Yan to a corner where they lit up.

"Smoke less," Wu Liuyi advised while smoking himself, "Smoking isn't good."

"When did you start?"

"Uh..." Wu Liuyi thought for a moment, then shook his head with a smile, "Back during recruit training; I picked up bad habits from those kids and never managed to quit over the years."

"See? You're lecturing me," Wang Yan said. "I started at home; back then it was to show off, but now it's just a habit. After a meal, I crave one."

"Don't your family mind?"

"That's funny; who smokes right in front of their parents? Besides, even if they wanted to mind, they can't anymore. Car accident; they're all gone."

Wu Liuyi fell silent for a moment before asking, "When did that happen?"

"Three years ago, right when I started high school. It hit me hard; my grades plummeted. Otherwise, I could have gotten into university."

Seeing Wang Yan's smiling demeanor, Wu Liuyi knew he wasn't so sorrowful anymore; he shifted the topic: "Didn't you say you've wanted to be a soldier since childhood?"

"Isn't that thinking too small? Getting into university doesn't prevent one from enlisting. A college graduate enlisting versus a high school graduate like me enlisting—are those the same? If I had tested well and entered a military academy directly, wouldn't I have become an officer? Both are soldiers, but are officers and NCOs the same?"

"Then study hard. If you truly excel, you can still attend a military academy within our forces. Moreover, with your personal qualities, getting commissioned later is equally possible."

"Old Squad Leader, are you just talking? Does it happen just because you say so?"

"It's because I have faith in you; just perform well. Never mind the rest; first, PK everyone notable in our regiment, then those in the division, then the army. During exercises, capture a few commanders alive. If you do that, who else would get commissioned but you?"

"Enough; keep talking like that and I'll soon be a Central Military Commission commander. I'm off." Wang Yan crushed his cigarette butt on the ground, tossed it into the bushes, and rose decisively to leave.

Back in the barracks, the recruits' novelty hadn't worn off; everyone was chatting, still as lively as ever. However, there was one downside: the new recruits had all taken off their shoes, and the smell in the barracks was quite pungent...

"You're back, Wang Yan," Xu Sanduo said, poking his head down from above.

Someone nearby asked, "What did you and the squad leader talk about?"

"Why are you so credulous? Aren't you tired?" Wang Yan lay on the lower bunk, looking left and right; everyone was paying attention.

"Tired? Yes, but I still can't sleep. Listen, everyone's talking; there are over a hundred people here. How can anyone sleep?"

"It's not even night yet. Wait until tonight with the teeth-grinding, farting, snoring, and sleep-talking; you'll really be unable to sleep. In my opinion, you're just not tired enough. Once formal training starts tomorrow, I guarantee you'll fall asleep the moment your heads hit the pillows."

Someone said, "Hey, Vice Squad Leader, you have an imposing presence; why not shout once to quiet them down?"

"Just say straight out that you want me dead. Yes, I have an imposing presence, but I can't beat over a hundred people alone. Everyone's chatting warmly; who am I to stop them? If I speak, will they listen?"

Wang Yan smiled, "Comrades, this is collective life; we all must adapt. If you can sleep, sleep; if not, just doze. If you want to chat, then chat. It's our first day; discipline is relatively lax. It will probably only be this relaxed today; tomorrow, strict requirements begin."

As everyone else continued their separate conversations, Xu Sanduo leaned over from the upper bunk, poking his head down to speak: "Wang Yan, you've become vice squad leader; that's great."

"Then you must give me face and support my work."

"Rest assured; I support you the most!"

Wang Yan clasped his hands behind his head, looking at Xu Sanduo, who was grinning foolishly with joy: "Is being a soldier good?"

"Good! The lunch today was really good!"

"Just the food was good?"

"I'm stuffed; isn't that good? They also issued clothes, basins, quilts..."

The current Xu Sanduo had few worries in his mind; he was very simple, and also very infuriating.

Wang Yan laughed, laughing at Xu Sanduo's cuteness, his foolish cuteness...