Chapter 211: Arrival

Before opening his eyes, he felt a bumpy ride and heard voices beside him: "I'm Qiushui, autumn's 'qiu', water's 'shui', a native of Jingcheng..."

Wang Yan opened his eyes to dim light; he wore camouflage fatigues and military rubber boots, seated at the very back of a truck. Following the voice, he saw a slouching young man at the front introducing himself, while a group of youths around him laughed and listened.

Seeing this, Wang Yan knew: this was exactly the opening scene of the drama—the bus carrying a group of students to military camp.

Confirming the surroundings were safe and ignoring the group's laughter and self-introductions, Wang Yan closed his eyes, pretending to nap, as usual beginning to receive the identity information assigned by his system dad.

Wang Yan, eighteen, registered in Jingcheng; his parents both fell seriously ill and died one after another in 1990... leaving him one ten-thousand-yuan cash sum and an old family home. With some family inheritance of traditional Chinese medicine and his parents' untreatable illnesses, he resolved to become a doctor.

His system dad still cared as always, giving him a ten-thousand-yuan household. It was only 1992; the national average monthly wage was just over two hundred yuan. Even in the capital city of Jingcheng, doubling that would still only reach five hundred yuan—it would take over a year of saving without spending to accumulate ten thousand.

The old home was naturally his residence in this drama's Jingcheng: a three-court compound beside Beihai.

The main reasons he was sent here were two: first, to adjust his mindset, since this world was set twenty years into the future, allowing him to adapt easily; second, to research the commercialization of artificial intelligence and his secret medicine, so he could return to the real world, study, and make big money—well, actually, to change the world and devote his life to the health of China's children...

"Hello everyone, I'm Gu Ming. Everyone calls me Mike Gu. I'm from New York, USA. My dad also graduated from Renhe."

"Hi everyone, I'm Xinyi, as in the xinyi flower. My family is from Gangdu, Liaoning Province. Both my parents are doctors. Please take care of me in the future."

"Hi everyone, I'm Houpu, 'hou' as in kindness, 'pu' as in simplicity. I'm from Pengcheng, Tongshan County, Mao Village, Jiangsu Province. My family includes my parents, four older sisters, and one old yellow ox."

"Hi everyone..."

………

While Wang Yan was lost in his own thoughts, everyone else had finished introducing themselves. All eyes turned to Wang Yan, who sat at the back, eyes closed, pretending to sleep.

Qiushui smiled and looked at Wang Yan: "Whoa, this guy's something else—can sleep through all this shaking. Wake him up, let's get to know him."

Xinyi adjusted his glasses: "Forget it. We're all classmates anyway. There'll be plenty of time to get to know each other."

Houpu added: "Xinyi's right. This guy can sleep through all this shaking—he must've had no rest last night. I was up all night in the hotel."

"Now that you mention it, I didn't sleep well either. This is the best medical college in the country, right? Just thinking about university life gets me excited. Did any of you sleep well?"

"I slept fine, no stress at all," Qiushui sneered dismissively. "Besides, we've been sent to military camp—what's there to get excited about?"

Huang Qi spoke slowly: "I didn't sleep well either. We've got a long way to go. I think we should all just nap a bit."

The others chimed in with a few more comments, their voices gradually fading as they nodded off, swaying drowsily with the bumps of the military truck.

Qiushui glanced at the group, then at Gu Ming grinning foolishly across from him, boredly watching the green trees and blue sky with white clouds flash past outside, and slowly drifted off too.

Wang Yan never opened his eyes, just dozed through the entire ride.

In fact, many in the truck were already closing their eyes to rest—few could truly sleep through such bumpy conditions; most were just dazed, influenced by the atmosphere. Since everyone was new and unfamiliar, unsure what to talk about, it was better to just close your eyes than force awkward conversation.

After an unknown length of time, he felt the truck slow down, then stop with a final engine cut-off in the military camp's parade ground.

Immediately, the truck's side was slapped with a "ding-gong," and a voice called out: "We've reached the camp! Wake up! Get out!"

Soon, a soldier in uniform came over and opened the rear ramp with a "gazhi" sound, still shouting instructions.

The drowsy passengers jolted awake, yawning listlessly, shuffling slowly out of the truck.

One nearby soldier saw this and walked over, bellowing: "What's with the dragging? Huh? Move faster!"

The soldier's voice was loud—this shout jolted everyone awake. Fresh arrivals in a military camp, still half-asleep, said nothing, just hurried to exit faster.

Wang Yan sat at the very back, so he was the last to get off.

He stepped down lightly, feet touching the ground, and glanced at the sturdy, silent soldier beside him, eyes wide, face earnest. This was the man who had just shouted to wake everyone—Wang Yan had seen the drama; he knew this kid was Dai Bingzhong, the training instructor here.

Once everyone was off, the line of military trucks fired up and drove away.

Looking at the laughing, chatting group before him, Dai Bingzhong glanced at the other instructor, Sun Army Supervisor, who stood beside the female students, nodded, and shouted loudly: "Renhe Medical College! Listen up! Men and women, form separate lines!"

Forming lines was basic since childhood—everyone knew how. And none of these people, regardless of how they acted in the plot, could have gotten into Renhe Medical College without brains. So without the instructors having to drill them, the group, still chatting, compared heights and automatically lined up by stature.

Wang Yan was 184 cm tall; Houpu and Huang Qi were about the same height.

Houpu, likely due to his village origins and the era's poverty, and being the first college student from his village—let alone attending the nation's top medical college—had long since internalized the drive to rise above. So he insisted on taking the lead.

But honestly, this drama really looked down on villagers. Even though Wang Yan had lived in the city for years, he'd only moved in at age ten and remembered village life vividly—including the villagers he'd met at work—none of them acted like Houpu.

The way Houpu behaved in the drama—petty, putting on airs, grinning like a fool—was that supposed to show village simplicity or just make everyone look ridiculous? And he'd lived in Jingcheng for eight years, surrounded mostly by locals—how come his accent hadn't changed at all?

And what about Gu Ming, the American-raised suck-up? Could he really speak fluent Mandarin? The occasional English phrases he dropped—were they just for the audience's sake? Like "Howareyou? I'mfihanou?"? And this military training—forget 1992, even twenty years later in 2012, no one would be this ridiculous. Not only did they provoke their instructors, they even beat them up?

As for Zhao Yingnan openly using connections to protect Qiushui, and Qiushui's messy entanglements with several women—it looked more like fate's garbage. And Xiao Hong, that uncultivated "authentic" character, Yang Yue, the arrogant "demon blade" who bullied Wang Xiuyu, and those gossiping old women who drove her to suicide...

And the whole drama: forty episodes total, fourteen devoted to military training, the remaining six years of university dismissed in a single line, two episodes killing off the other suck-up Xinyi, and the finale again reduced to a few lines... Did Xiao Hong's antics mean six years of university were wasted?

Wang Yan hadn't read the original novel, but he had to say: the director and screenwriter were quite good... Earlier, online, one comment stuck with him: "This drama truly insults 'To the Oak Tree.'"

Of course, as always, none of this mattered to Wang Yan—he was just watching from a god's-eye view. As long as others didn't bother him, he didn't care.

Back to the line-up: after Houpu's strong insistence, he took the lead, Wang Yan second, Huang Qi third, then Gu Ming, Xinyi, Qiushui, and behind them, the female line led by Zhao Yingnan.

Once everyone stood in place, Sun Army Supervisor shouted: "Right face—HOLD!"

The trick was tiny steps—everyone over this age understood it, except Gu Ming. The group tapped their feet in unison, automatically aligning.

"Front—HOLD!"

Everyone obeyed, stopped moving, stood at attention, facing the two instructors.

Dai Bingzhong glanced left and right, then shouted: "In the military camp, you must strictly follow regulations. Violations will be severely criticized. First: no whispering in formation..."

He'd barely spoken a few sentences when laughter erupted from the line.

Dai Bingzhong glared, stepped forward: "What are you doing?"

Gu Ming grinned: "Instructor, we're laughing."

The group burst into laughter.

Honestly, Wang Yan thought Gu Ming had strong inner confidence—he came from the U. S., decades ahead, from New York, a pure banana, so advantage was natural. But maybe he'd also received proper American liberal education and simply didn't know the rules, acting a bit reckless.

"Get serious! I just said what?"

"Instructor, we don't know."

"You don't know, but you answer so boldly?" Feeling his authority challenged, Dai Bingzhong stepped back in front of the line and barked: "You three—step out!"

Once the three stepped out, Dai Bingzhong continued: "I just said: no whispering in formation. Frog jumps. One hundred."

Seeing they still stood there talking, Dai Bingzhong glared: "What are you waiting for? Want another hundred? Start around the formation—now!"

Immediately, Qiushui led, Xinyi followed, and Gu Ming brought up the rear, all three beginning frog jumps around the formation. After completing one lap and returning before the line, Qiushui slammed straight into Xiao Hong as she ran over, dropping to her knees; the two behind didn't look where they were going and collided one into the other, squatting down before Xiao Hong.

Xiao Hong grinned like an idiot: "It's not a holiday or festival—why are you paying me such a grand bow? Rise." As she spoke, she gestured with her hands for the three to get up.

Dai Bingzhong watched as these three were still chatting, pointing at them: "What are you staring at? Keep jumping."

Qiushui glanced back, stood up to resume jumping, but unluckily bumped into Xiao Hong again…

After the commotion died down, Xiao Hong walked up to Dai Bingzhong with a camouflage training uniform, smiling: "Instructor, about this…"

Dai Bingzhong frowned tightly: "Why aren't you wearing your training uniform?"

"My training uniform is way too big—I'm small-built. Could I get a different size?"

………

Xiao Hong wore a uniform several sizes too large, flapping around in front; some in the crowd couldn't help laughing at this conspicuous sight, while Qiushui and the other three peered through the gaps behind.

Seeing Xiao Hong flapping about, Qiushui said: "Is she brain-dead? Total idiot."

Xinyi nodded in agreement.

Gu Ming grinned and said: "She's so cute. I love China."

Noticing the three of them, Dai Bingzhong barked again: "You three—keep jumping."

Wang Yan watched from start to finish, especially that line from Gu Ming—"I love China"—which really made him want to curse. It wasn't that he overanalyzed; normally it'd be fine, but saying it now, it clearly targeted the girl?

As for Dai Bingzhong, Wang Yan stood by him. He was just overly serious and burdened with responsibility—he was genuinely pure. Calling him a good soldier wasn't an exaggeration. In fact, he hadn't done anything wrong; he strictly followed regulations.

People like Qiushui and Gu Ming might've thought such behavior harmless—or even funny—in school, but after entering the workforce, it wouldn't fly. No one likes rule-breakers, whether openly or through hidden, so-called unofficial rules.

He'd led troops before. Even if he hadn't, he'd still respect discipline. Dai Bingzhong was speaking about discipline—the discipline of this military camp.

Compared to Dai Bingzhong, the other instructor, Sun Army Supervisor, fell short—he had a bit of cleverness, but nothing more. And his cleverness always ended up making Dai Bingzhong take the blame…

Of course, this refers to personality, not that Sun Army Supervisor was deliberately sabotaging Dai Bingzhong—they were comrades-in-arms, perhaps acting without malice, or well-intentioned but misguided.

Afterwards, Dai Bingzhong arranged Xiao Hong's uniform issue, explained the camp's regulations, then led the group with Sun Army Supervisor to the classroom in the comprehensive building.

Everyone silently found seats and sat quietly, watching the two instructors ahead. Wang Yan's seat, of course, was the back corner by the window…

Once everyone was seated, Sun Army Supervisor said: "Now, each of you will introduce yourselves—get to know one another. Let's start with… the boys. Who'd like to go first and set an example?"

No sooner had he finished than Gu Ming raised his hand cheerfully and volunteered: "I'll go first."

Sun Army Supervisor nodded approvingly: "Good. Come up front and introduce yourself."

Gu Ming walked up, waved his hand: "Hello everyone, I'm Gu Ming. Everyone calls me Mike Gu. I'm from New York, USA. My dad graduated from Renhe…"

Then Qiushui, Xinyi, Houpu, Du Zhong, Huang Qi, and others gave their introductions, nearly identical to their earlier ones on the bus—leaving only Wang Yan.

The boys remembered Wang Yan well—after all, everyone else had spoken, and he was the one asleep. Plus, he wasn't short, so he stood out. Now that everyone else had spoken, all eyes turned to him.

Wang Yan stood, walked forward, glanced coolly at the girls below, nodded to Zhao Yingnan, then spoke: "Wang Yan. Wang as in emperor, Yan as in 'words become law.' From Jingcheng. Ancestral home in Liaoning Province. Thank you."

When he finished, no applause… Regardless of the crowd's reaction, Wang Yan returned to his seat.

This self-introduction was indeed a bit showy, but he was young—he had to stand tall. His mindset now was far coarser than that of his former "Grand Master" self. Sometimes being the fool others laugh at, amusing himself, was just fine.

Hearing Wang Yan's introduction, the girls below clearly shuddered; some gossipy ones exchanged glances, confirming he was an idiot.

Zhao Yingnan didn't exchange glances or discuss anything. Wang Yan's nod to her earlier had been utterly baffling. They clearly didn't know each other—so why nod? Was it polite eye contact? Or… was he interested in her?

"This guy's bold…"

"Yeah, real cocky…"

Qiushui, Xinyi, and others whispered among themselves, glancing at Wang Yan with mixed expressions.

They'd just met—who knew if this cocky idiot would be hard to get along with? If he was difficult, the thought of spending eight years with him was unsettling.

Sun Army Supervisor froze—he hadn't expected anyone to give such a bold self-introduction.

Though Dai Bingzhong also disliked it, he paid it little mind. He looked at Wang Yan once, then boomed: "Good. Boys' introductions are done. Now it's the girls' turn—who's first?"

This interrupted Zhao Yingnan's thoughts about Wang Yan's nod. She blinked, stood up: "I'll go first." She walked forward, glanced at Wang Yan—still grinning at her—and quickly looked away, speaking clearly: "Hello everyone, I'm Zhao Yingnan. Ying as in 'majestic,' Nan as in 'man.' From Jiangcheng, Hubei Province. Both my parents are military personnel. I've been deeply influenced by my mother—she's a military doctor…"

Watching Zhao Yingnan boldly introduce herself, the boys below couldn't help exchanging opinions.

"This girl's great."

"Very poised."

"Big eyes."

"Big chest."

After Zhao Yingnan finished, Xiao Hong strode up, grinning. Dai Bingzhong stopped her to straighten her crooked cap, showing his big teeth, eyes crinkled into slits, and introduced: "Hehe, hi everyone, I'm Xiao Hong, from Jingcheng, my family lives in Fengtai. My mom's a music teacher, my dad's a sailor, and I love learning Northeastern dialect…"

Qiushui looked on indifferently, slightly impatient.

Gu Ming sat upright, beaming at Xiao Hong. When she returned, he nudged her, waving happily.

Honestly, though she was a star in reality, Wang Yan didn't find her particularly impressive.

Then You Yue, Gu Xiaoman, Liu Tingting, Yang Yue, and other girls stepped forward one by one to introduce themselves. During this time, Dai Bingzhong and Sun Army Supervisor stepped out to discuss class monitor selections.

After all girls finished, the boys' class monitor was chosen as Houpu—Dai Bingzhong thought him honest and humble. Perhaps he saw a bit of his younger self in him, even though Houpu was far superior. The girls' class monitor was Zhao Yingnan—because her father was a chief of staff, and she herself was clearly capable.

After selecting the monitors, Dai Bingzhong straightened his posture: "Our unit is Third Company, Second Platoon. Girls are Class One, boys are Class Two. Everyone understand?"

"Understood~~" The crowd below responded weakly.

Hearing the noise, Dai Bingzhong wanted to push them harder—but considering most were spoiled, exhausted from the day—he held back, instead shouting: "Alright, that's enough for now. The two class monitors will lead you to line up and collect toiletries, then return to your dorms to settle in. Understood?"

"Understood!" They were all worn out—this time the response was loud, eager to get it over with.

"Let's go…"