Chapter 210: It

Kang Changyi readjusted his backpack strap, dragging his tire tread, and left dejectedly.

The Cafeteria was silent, everyone had witnessed the previous scene.

Clearly, Kang Da Niang had previously been so hard on them, so disgusting.

But everyone now, rather than feeling any vent, felt a suffocating blockage in their hearts.

Perhaps because he was also wearing this uniform, or perhaps subconsciously everyone still regarded him as a comrade.

In short, this feeling was complex and uncomfortable, to the point that the food on the plates no longer seemed as fragrant.

Ma Qing'an set down his chopsticks, sighed heavily: "Lu Yang, by treating him like this, is it good or bad, could it be going too far?"

He Zhen Tao said nothing, but also felt the previous scene was overly hurtful.

He knew that Lu Yang wanted to crush his pride, shatter his arrogance, and then reshape him.

But a person who, in a single day, endures so many setbacks, and now is humiliated and isolated by the Whole Company, might, if unlucky, be knocked down and never get up again.

Lu Yang took a sip of soup, set his bowl down, and said calmly: "If we had let him in earlier, that would have destroyed him."

He Zhen Tao was surprised: "What do you mean by that?"

"Too easy."

"What is easy?"

"The easier something is to obtain, the less it is cherished. Kang Changyi's path has been too smooth, fostering a haughty, contemptuous character."

"Precisely because of that, he uses ordinary soldiers' sacrifices on the training ground to secure victory; and carelessly assumes it's just an exercise, not real combat."

"If I don't let Liu Ziqiang and Sun Chen deliberately make things difficult and humiliate him, but instead let him come in to eat; after he's full, he won't dutifully finish the last two laps, but will find a spot to sit down and slack off."

Lu Yang's words really hit the nail on the head; Ma Qing'an and the other truly felt that the kid could pull off such a thing.

After all, when a person is hungry, all they can think of is one thing: to finish training quickly and eat quickly.

But if you let him eat his fill, his thoughts become too many, and his mind certainly won't stay on training.

People differ; some are self‑aware, some are stubborn mules.

Give a whip, he walks two steps; without it, he stops in place.

And Lu Yang arranging Liu Ziqiang and others to deliberately make things difficult is like whipping his heart.

"Without breaking, there is no establishing; only after breaking can one establish." Lu Yang, somewhat helpless, said: "When he endures hardship, completes all training, and eats hot rice, that sense of achievement cannot be bought."

Ma Qing'an had previously worried whether Lu Yang could handle the Platoon Leader role.

Now it seems that worry was unnecessary; he is naturally suited to lead troops.

He Zhen Tao also felt the same; Regiment Commander Wang's points were truly spot‑on, containing great wisdom.

This move not only elevated Lu Yang, allowing his talent to be better utilized, but also served as a trial and redemption for Kang Changyi.

"Squad Leader Cheng is right; before joining the army, learn to be a person first."

"The current Kang Changyi has neither the outward appearance nor the inner core of a soldier."

"Consider it a re‑forging for him, hoping he'll become unyielding and tempered into steel."

Ma Qing'an rubbed his brow: "I'm just afraid that after all our hard work, what we forge will be a piece of junk, and that's the most headache‑inducing."

Lu Yang said confidently: "Don't worry, since the higher‑ups appointed me Acting Platoon Leader of a Platoon and gave him to me, I have the responsibility and the means to forge him successfully."

Lu Yang said confidently, "Rest assured, since the superiors appointed me as Acting Platoon Leader of the First Platoon and handed him over to me, I have the responsibility and the means to forge him successfully."

"What, you still have tricks you haven't used yet?"

"Tell me."

"Wait until tonight and you'll know."

"Is anyone there…?"

"Ahem, is anyone in the Cafeteria?"

"I've come to eat, I've completed training… Squad Leader Hong, Squad Leader Hong, are you there?"

After eight something in the evening, Kang Changyi finished all training, stumbling into the Cafeteria.

Inside the Cafeteria only one lamp remained; the dim light made his already pallid face look even more ghastly.

At this moment his limbs were weak, his steps unsteady; only by leaning on a table could he barely move forward.

Perhaps hypoglycemia struck, causing his head to spin and his body to lack any strength.

After much effort he forced himself to the small cart, lifted the stainless‑steel lid, only to find it empty, with nothing to eat.

Undeterred, he went to the insulated bucket, but even that was washed clean, not even a sip of soup left.

"Not even a single bite left for me, you guys are too cruel......"

Kang Changyi collapsed onto the floor, feeling utterly desperate.

He thought everyone would at least leave him a bite, but no one remembered him at all.

If even one person had thought of him, they'd set aside a bun or two, not nothing.

It was only at this moment that Kang Changyi truly realized how poor his reputation was among the Sixth Company.

Just as he was wondering whether he could sneak into the back kitchen for two cucumbers or a carrot, he heard abrupt chopping sounds from the back kitchen.

Kang Changyi's eyes lit up; he leaned against the wall and hurried toward the back kitchen, and through the doorway saw a man in an apron cutting vegetables.

Potatoes were sliced, layered, then julienned; the knife work was crisp and efficient, the motion seamless.

They quickly rinsed the potatoes in clear water several times to wash off starch, then soaked them.

Heat oil in a wok, add minced meat, quickly stir‑fry, add minced garlic, chili, and onion, and sauté fragrant.

Then add the shredded potatoes, drain, stir‑fry with the meat over high heat, finish with a splash of vinegar at the wok edge, drizzle fragrant oil, and sprinkle scallions.

Finally, place the stir‑fried minced meat and potato shreds over a large bowl of rice, creating a plain yet unadorned meat‑potato rice dish.

Beside it, a sliced boiled egg and the Cafeteria's homemade radish‑dry pickles were placed.

Beside it, there was also a sliced boiled egg and the Cafeteria's homemade dried radish pickle.

He watched Lu Yang take off his apron and hand him the bowl of covered rice, while Kang Changyi swallowed several times but never reached out to take it.

"There were no dishes left tonight, and Squad Leader Hong and his men have also clocked out."

"Eat, I've been hungry all day."

Kang Changyi snatched the chopsticks and bowl, squatted on the ground and began to wolf down the food.

Lu Yang casually asked, "Is it tasty?"

"Mm, mm, delicious!"

Kang Changyi jabbed the chopsticks, not lifting his head as he shoved food into his mouth, looking like a starving ghost reborn.

He was too hungry, so he ate quickly and hastily.

As a result, he wasn't paying attention and almost choked, his eyes bulging out.

Lu Yang inserted a straw and handed him a bottle of milk, "Take two sips, it'll smooth things out."

Kang Changyi lifted his head as he took the milk, seeing Lu Yang's smile and the soft halo illuminated by the overhead fluorescent light.

Kang Changyi stared blankly for two seconds, then two streams of hot tears uncontrollably welled up.

Clutching the bowl, he plopped onto the ground and wept silently.

All his grievances and resentment turned into tears at that moment, gushing out like a breached dam from the fissure of his emotions.

"Platoon Leader, I was wrong, I was wrong, I shouldn't have looked down on others, I shouldn't have trained lazily, I shouldn't have lied, I shouldn't have treated the soldiers' lives as a child's play!"

"I'm trash, I'm a good-for-nothing, I'm unfit to be a commander, I'm a sissy, I'm an eggless sissy!"

Lu Yang crouched down, used a tissue to wipe his runny nose, his tears, and also brushed the rice grains and oil stains from his mouth.

Lu Yang said nothing, nor needed to say anything; he simply took his bowl and refilled it with rice and dishes.

"Eat, once you're full, your heart will feel steady."

Yet this simple, plain concern struck the softest, most guilty part of Kang Changyi's heart.

Taking the bowl Lu Yang handed him, Kang Changyi wept heart‑rendingly, his hoarse voice thick with guilt: "I've never, ever had such a delicious covered rice bowl; it's so good it makes me want to cry!"

Lu Yang gave a faint smile, "It's onion; I added onion."

In the Cafeteria Main Hall, outside the kitchen, everyone from the Sixth Company...

Everyone was immensely shocked by the magic of Lu Yang's covered rice bowl.

They hadn't expected that a single covered rice bowl could make someone eat until they wept and suddenly awaken.

Ma Qing'an and He Zhen Tao were so impressed they felt like prostrating themselves, wishing they could kneel and kowtow twice.

"The Platoon Leader appointed him, it's damn unprecedented, with no predecessor and no successor!"

"I told you Lu Yang hides the bearing of a great general—this magnanimity, this vision, this insight into human nature, truly leaves one in awe!"