Chapter 1177: Rest

Wang Yan had finally settled in completely with the Seventh Company.

Life in the military was relatively monotonous, though there were cultural and recreational activities, such as basketball and table tennis; the political instructor also organized reading clubs for the soldiers to discuss and exchange ideas, and internal competitions were held regularly to test their skills. There were all sorts of activities too numerous to list.

Of course, what dominated remained the training of various military skills.

Everyone had heard about Wang Yan's awesomeness. During training alongside Wang Yan, the soldiers of the Seventh Company were convinced; no one was foolish enough to challenge him to a contest.

However, during joint training sessions involving the over three hundred men of the Third Battalion, it was inevitable that some would feel unconvinced and want to test themselves against Wang Yan.

Thus, from various sprints, obstacle courses, and weighted runs to qinna grappling and combat, Wang Yan crushed them all while driving an armored vehicle; especially in hand-to-hand combat, he utilized constant running and dodging on the parade ground to take down more than ten veteran soldiers single-handedly.

Since then, he had earned respect; in their Third Battalion building, people greeted him wherever he went, and he could bum a cigarette off anyone.

His life remained unchanged, consisting only of continuously learning various professional knowledge and honing various professional skills.

The stack of professional books Shi Jin had given him, over a meter high, was gradually diminishing. He had deliberately slowed his pace to make it easier for his comrades to accept; after all, standing out was fine, but standing out too much was not so good...

The requirements for reconnaissance soldiers were actually no less than those for special forces; it was just that their overall tactics differed somewhat, creating significant disparities. After all, special forces engaged in special operations, and their daily training pursued limits, making every one of them a great beast.

But to say that special forces completely crushed reconnaissance soldiers in specific subjects was not accurate; the main differences lay in their modes of cooperation and combat.

It was like on the battlefield: what awaited snipers was not other snipers, but fierce artillery fire; what awaited special forces was not reconnaissance soldiers, but encirclement and suppression by large army groups.

There was no opportunity for soldier against soldier or general against general...

Apart from armor-related matters, Wang Yan knew everything else. He still remembered that during the Vietnam War, he had played a role similar to that of a reconnaissance soldier, with the spearhead company conducting assaults, directing artillery fire, crashing directly into enemy deployments, and disrupting their defenses. Later, he had even helped establish the special forces of the Beijing Military Region, so he had truly studied the subject extensively.

Naturally, what he had researched, he also mastered, and even performed better.

After a month passed like this, finally, the first allowance since joining the army was issued: five hundred yuan. At the same time, the first leave was granted.

"Ah, finally able to rest a bit; tomorrow is a holiday, so I'm happy just today."

Bai Tiejun lay on his bed playing dead, then turned his head to ask, "Brother Yan, what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Going to the city to buy an electronic watch for Xu Sanduo."

"And then?"

"What 'and then'? Then I come back."

"Not doing anything else?" Bai Tiejun asked with a cheap grin, carrying a lewd air, looking anything but a good person.

Before Wang Yan could speak, Wu Liuyi cursed, "If you want to go, just go; why must you drag Wang Yan along? Let me tell you, if you corrupt Wang Yan, just see how I deal with you."

"No, I'm a year older than him, I call him 'brother'; how could I possibly corrupt him?" Bai Tiejun felt he had suffered an unearned injustice.

"That's hard to say." Wang Yan glanced sideways and shook his head repeatedly.

"We're all men; what's the big deal?" Bai Tiejun said. "Wang Yan, I heard from the veterans that the girls are getting prettier and prettier; you're still a virgin, right? Let me tell you, the feeling of that thing, tsk tsk..."

"What are you 'tsk tsk'ing about?" Shi Jin glared. "In principle, this is not allowed. But since we are all in the same squad, we understand; if you want to go, we can't say much. However, if you go, just go; don't shout about it blindly. Would it be proper if word got out?"

"But on the other hand, what is your family situation? Your monthly allowance is just that much. Shouldn't you save some? Bai Tiejun, take my advice: don't think about those useless things. Save some money, train hard, and strive to become a first-term non-commissioned officer. By the time you finish your five years of service, the money you've saved, plus your demobilization severance pay, and borrowing a bit more when you return home, will be enough to build a new house and take a wife."

"The squad leader is right; with just that little money, don't waste it blindly. If you must, go to the toilet and handle it yourself," Wang Yan said with a smile.

"Don't you want to?"

"I practice the Boy's Kung Fu; it is currently inappropriate for me to lose my virginity," Wang Yan lied through his teeth, then continued, "Besides, my time in the army will definitely be long. Once I participate in a grand competition or something and earn a San Deng Gong or an Er Deng Gong, I'll be able to get commissioned as an officer. I heard the company commander say that the army will solve marriage issues for officers and soldiers by issuing wives."

Seeing Bai Tiejun's eyes widen, Wang Yan waved his hand: "You actually believe that? Arranged marriages ended long ago; what are you thinking? It's just that they will organize social mixing events together with local governments, essentially large-scale blind dates. If you don't find a match the first time, won't you succeed on the second or third try? Looking at it that way, it's almost like issuing wives."

"That's you; I'd struggle just to become a first-term NCO," Bai Tiejun shook his head, lay there silently, and stared at the ceiling.

"You should learn from Comrade Xu Sanduo; look at his spirit," Wang Yan said.

"He's a stubborn fool; I'm so smart, how could I possibly learn from him?"

"Only you are smart; you possess all the traits of treachery, laziness, gluttony, and slickness," Gan Xiaoning laughed mockingly.

The two began messing around, giggling and laughing.

Wang Yan continued reading his book, minding his own business...

The next day, unlike others who sat up upon hearing the reveille only to lie back down for more sleep, Wang Yan got up decisively and tidied his quarters.

"Are you going out for drills?"

From the upper bunk of the adjacent bed, Wu Liuyi poked his head out to ask.

"Just to move around a bit."

"Wait for me; I'll go with you."

As he spoke, Wu Liuyi sat up and began getting ready.

Wang Yan smiled, went out first, and waited downstairs.

Before long, Wu Liuyi ran out: "You being like this puts a lot of pressure on me."

"It's just morning drills; I've been in the army for four months now, waking up at that time every day; I couldn't sleep even if I wanted to."

"Your energy is still abundant; why are they all still asleep?" Wu Liuyi punched Wang Yan lightly, put his arm around Wang Yan's shoulder, and said, "Why don't you try it today too? Be a man!"

"Cut it out; if I catch some disease or something, it's not worth it. What, do you want to go?"

"I'm still saving money to take a wife," Wu Liuyi waved his hand.

"Then what are you talking about? Don't I need to save money and take a wife too? Let's go."

Wang Yan started jogging with a bouncy step, and Wu Liuyi followed beside him.

The two simply ran ten kilometers on the parade ground. Although simple, for the other soldiers also doing morning drills, it was somewhat torturous. While others did warm-up runs, these two ran at sprint speeds, constantly lapping them. Since they were all soldiers, why was the gap between people so huge?

After eating breakfast in the canteen and returning to the squad room to wash up, the soldiers in the squad still had not gotten up.

Shi Jin, however, was up and was currently washing in the water room.

"Squad Leader, are you going out too?"

"Buying some things to send home," Shi Jin smiled.

"The squad leader is a man with a wife and children; he's different from us," Wu Liuyi said with a wink. "I've seen the squad leader's wife; oh my, thick eyebrows and big eyes, very good-looking."

"She's coming next year; I'll let you see her then," Shi Jin said, then looked at Wu. "You're not young anymore."

"I'm still early; no rush," Wu Liuyi replied.

While the three of them chatted and washed up, the others gradually got up. Of the ten in the squad, five were going into the city: besides Wang Yan and the other two, there were Bai Tiejun and Gan Xiaoning; they seemed to have reached a consensus and both looked somewhat expectant.

The other five included two staying in the barracks and three heading to a nearby town for some food and drink.

The base was still quite far from the city, and waiting for the shuttle bus until nine made round trips inconvenient. So Wang Yan went to borrow a vehicle from Gao Cheng to drive; the five of them could fit in one trip.

"You really have a lot of pull," Gan Xiaoning remarked with some emotion.

"Our company commander is pretty good; just go tell him. How would you know if you can drive unless you ask?"

"Just drop us off at a bus stop when we get into the city," Gan Xiaoning said.

"Sure, you even know how to save face," Wu Liu started teasing.

Bai Tiejun said, "I'm not afraid of losing face myself; I'm mainly afraid of bringing shame to our unit."

Shi Jin didn't say much; this was a personal choice, and he couldn't dictate to them. He had already said what needed to be said; whether they listened was beyond his control.

Once in the city, after dropping off Gan Xiaoning and Bai Tiejun, the three went to the market.

Wang Yan had a clear goal: mainly to buy Xu Sanduo an electronic watch for timing; there was nothing else he needed. After looking around, he bought a Casio electronic watch. At that time, Casio still led the trend in electronic watches. Because the price was moderate, the design was attractive, and sales were high, it naturally became the trend.

Shi Jin was different; he picked and chose, truly spending a long time shopping. Wu Liu followed along and bought a few things too, all planned to be mailed home. He had no wife or children, but he still had parents.

Thus, the three spent the morning shopping, found a post office to mail the items directly, and found a place to have a hearty lunch. It should be mentioned that Shi Jin treated.

If you didn't let him treat, he'd get angry; the old squad leader was very generous.

Regardless of Wang Yan's family background, it was no problem for the squad leader to pay for the first private meal. Although in reality, Shi Jin was likely more concerned for Wang Yan, thinking his parents had died early and his conditions might not be good. As a conscript now, he earned only five hundred yuan a month; Wang Yan also smoked, so he probably couldn't even cover his monthly expenses.

But in reality, Wang Yan was absolutely not poor. His living father was always so considerate; ever since he gained his abilities and could easily earn a lot of money, his deceased parents had left him a substantial inheritance.

This time was no exception; his allowance was five hundred, but that didn't mean he only had five hundred.

However, he didn't mention these things; after all, he was a soldier. Of course, some people knew; investigations were conducted during recruitment, and everything was recorded. Gao Cheng and Hong Xingguo should both be clear about it.

"Eat more meat."

Shi Jin served food to Wang Yan. "You should also save a bit; don't spend recklessly. Although you're only twenty, you're not young anymore; you need to prepare to marry a wife. You're alone now, but once you marry and have children, everything will change immediately. Your parents down below will be able to rest easy, won't they?"

Wang Yan nodded in agreement: "I don't have many expenses; I just smoke a bit. I often borrow from our company commander and the squad deputy."

"You're saving money at my expense?" Wu Liu glared.

"Don't say that; isn't it just the old squad leader taking care of me?"

"No way; today I'm smoking your cigarettes, so get me a whole box of good ones."

"No problem," Wang Yan said, unconcerned. "I only smoke Chunghwa."

"That's not necessary; that's too wasteful. Yuxi will do."

The three were in plain clothes, but they still stood out in the restaurant.

Wang Yan was fine; he was relatively relaxed. But Shi Jin and Wu Liu both habitually sat with straight backs; once seated, they looked like soldiers. They had been soldiers for too long; walking, sitting, and lying down had all become habits. Plus, all three had clean crew cuts, and their exposed arms looked strong; people wouldn't find it hard to guess their identities. Besides, the military vehicle was parked right at the restaurant entrance.

However, the three didn't care; they ate, drank, and laughed on their own, finished their lunch, and then returned to the base. As for Gan Xiaoning and Bai Tiejun, they said they would return themselves before the deadline.

Back at the base, Wang Yan found the person delivering supplies to Grassland Squad Five and asked them to help deliver the watch...

Two days later.

"Sanduo, come on, stop playing with stones; the supply truck has arrived. Come help unload," Li Meng called out to Xu Sanduo.

Xu Sanduo replied, "Coming."

The entire Squad Five waited by the roadside and saw a truck approaching in the distance, kicking up a trail of dust.

A person got off the truck, looked at the members of Squad Five, and finally stopped: "You're Xu Sanduo, right?"

"Report, I am Xu Sanduo!"

"No need to be nervous; I'm not a superior officer," the person said with a smile, pulling a box from his pocket. "Here, this is the electronic watch Wang Yan asked me to bring for you; keep it up."

"How much is it? I'll pay you; you can pass it to Wang Yan."

"I don't know; contact him yourself later. Alright, start unloading."

After a lot of busy work, the members of Squad Five unloaded the supplies and rested in the barracks room while Xu Sanduo fiddled with the watch back and forth.

Old Ma and the others were all watching Xu Sanduo.

"It's over; he's completely beyond saving," Old Wei shook his head repeatedly. "Don't you think that kid Wang Yan is quite annoying? Why does he always stand out?"

"He was already running with energy; now he's got an electronic watch. I saw it; that watch is even from the little Japanese. It must cost several hundred yuan," Li Meng said, cigarette dangling from his lips, looking melancholy.

Old Ma said, "What's wrong? You're doomed, but you won't let him improve?"

"Is it useful?" Yang Xue Lin blew out a puff of gloomy smoke.

"I know he's better than us; he's a good soldier!" Old Ma snorted, stood up, and walked out...