Chapter 411: Two‑Sided Needle: The Miraculous Herb that Clears Heat, Dispels Toxins, and Extinguishes Fire

"Wow, it smells so good~!"

In the Sea Training Base's Third Battalion, the spacious and bright Cafeteria.

Approaching dinner time, the rain outside had eased a bit, but because of the typhoon, the wind still howled.

The soldiers swarmed into the Cafeteria, immediately catching a peculiar aroma.

Soon, Hong Squad Leader carried a small steaming pot and placed it before Zhou Kaidong and the others.

"What dish is this? It smells so good!"

"Let me introduce it: this dish is called Five‑Finger Hairy Peach Old‑Fire Chicken Soup!"

"What's Five‑Finger Hairy Peach?"

Many soldiers looked at each other, having never heard of it before.

Hong Squad Leader chuckled, "I learned it from the local veterans; the local old‑fire clear soups are all made like this. It's said to dispel dampness, and it also contains poria, yam, and coix seed."

"The seaside is very damp, the tide is heavy, and with today's wind and rain, this tonic is most suitable."

He lowered his voice, "I also added an old mountain ginseng root to this pot; you won't find that elsewhere. It was sent by my fellow Northerners, and it can replenish your vital energy."

Zhou Kaidong's eyes lit up, "This is medicinal cuisine, shouldn't we have a couple more bowls?!"

Hong Squad Leader rubbed his apron, "Eat the meat, drink the soup; there's more if you need it."

Everyone didn't hold back; each person ladled a bowl of soup.

First they brought it close to their noses and sniffed, detecting a faint coconut scent.

After asking, they learned that the unique fragrance came from Five‑Finger Hairy Peach; the old Guang people not only love simmering soups but also add it to braised chicken and stewed ribs.

A sip, warm and soothing, instantly opened the pores, and the sticky, rain‑soaked feeling on the body vanished at once.

"This soup is unbelievably delicious!"

"The old Guang people are really masters at making soup!"

"I truly love this place; there's good food every day, and the Navy's three‑class kitchen lives up to its reputation!"

The soldiers ate the exquisite dishes and drank the Five‑Finger Hairy Peach‑infused de‑dampening, vitality‑nourishing chicken soup, their faces full of satisfied joy.

For soldiers, nothing is more comforting than a hearty meal.

If there is, it's sipping an authentic old‑fire clear soup during a thunderstorm‑riddled typhoon.

"Whoa, the meat's all gone?"

"What you picked looks like a tree root?"

"Ginseng, maybe?"

"That's Five‑Finger Hairy Peach; the coconut aroma in the soup comes from it."

"Whoa, then we have to try it; why can't my tongue move?"

"Ugh, so bitter!"

The wind and rain on the island eased a bit.

Three squads, drenched to the bone, braced the biting cold wind, rubbing their arms.

They looked like big rats that had just emerged from a submerged tunnel, hurriedly searching for food and collecting rainwater.

They couldn't stay hidden in the shelter forever; they had to find a way to solve the food problem.

Tu Hongwei unearthed a small segment of tree root and insisted it was the Five‑Finger Hairy Peach from their old Guang region, saying it was edible, tasty, and could dispel dampness.

The other two didn't believe him, so he rubbed it with his hands and tossed the mud‑slick segment of root into his mouth.

After just two bites, his facial features twisted in bitterness as if wearing a mask of pain, his whole body trembled, looking like a monster materializing.

Xu Ce felt his head heavy, yet he looked at him sympathetically, "If you can't, just spit it out. Even if it's Five‑Finger Hairy Peach, it's not meant to be chewed raw; at most it's for simmering soup to lend flavor."

Jiang Dahai pitied him, "We're all comrades here; don't force yourself. If you can't swallow it, don't force it."

Tu Hongwei, with a strong pride, scooped up a handful of rainwater and forced the small root segment down.

Then he stuck out his neck and shouted two words: "Delicious, delicious!"

Xu Ce glanced at the handful of root remaining in his hand and asked, "Delicious, you already ate it all?"

Tu Hongwei stared, refusing to admit, "I'm saving it to eat slowly, isn't that okay!"

"Alright, alright, no one's competing with you."

"Hey, look what I discovered now?"

Tu Hongwei quickly fetched another small grass.

"What's this?"

The two leaned in, looking for a long time but couldn't recognize what it was.

Tu Hongwei explained, "It's Two‑Sided Needle, you know? It's rare; I found it. It's a miraculous herb that clears heat, dispels toxins, and extinguishes fire!"

He lifted it toward the two, offering them a taste; they quickly shook their heads and stepped back, "No need, you take it yourself. We don't dare eat unknown herbs recklessly."

"Don't believe me!" Tu Hongwei said, "If you won't eat it, fine; such a fine medicinal material, I'll take it myself."

He tossed it into his mouth and chewed earnestly, "Exactly, that's the flavor—ugh, it's quite sharp, quite refreshing!"

Xu Ce and Jiang Dahai exchanged helpless looks, their rain‑soaked faces showing uppercase embarrassment.

From his earlier challenges to the instructor, it was clear this guy was a hard‑headed kid.

Now he wasn't sparring with the instructor, but pushing himself.

He dares to shove anything into his mouth, truly unafraid of causing trouble.

"Looks like it's pouring again?"

Jiang Dahai looked up at the sky.

Xu Ce shook his increasingly heavy head, exhaled, "Let's hurry, we'll head back to rest soon; catching a cold in this weather would be bad."

Tu Hongwei sighed, "Ah, if only we could take a hot shower. This place really isn't fit for people!"

Really comfortable, taking a hot shower is really comfortable~

In the Sea Training Base bathroom, hot water poured down like pillars from the showerhead with a splashing sound.

After eating, the soldiers comfortably took hot showers, washing away the day's fatigue.

The Sea Training Base camp was newly built in recent years, and its facilities were much better than when they were in the Army.

Because they needed to rinse off salt after swimming, they could basically take a shower every day here.

In the rising white mist of steam, the soldiers' sturdy figures appeared faintly; Liu Ziqiang and Sun Chen scrubbed each other's backs, and LiMin styled her hair with shampoo foam.

Kang Changyi and Zhang Jiaheng flanked Chen Panpan, playing a rather novel game where losing at rock-paper-scissors meant pulling a little chicken.

"Zhou Kaidong, help me scrub my back."

Ma Qing'an threw over a loofah, Zhou Kaidong caught it and scrubbed his back.

Ma Qing'an leaned on the tiles with both hands and asked: "What were you just thinking about, spacing out while taking a shower?"

Zhou Kaidong: "I'm thinking, even though we've been adapted, even though we've crossed a thousand miles, it seems nothing has changed; everything is still as it was."

Ma Qing'an laughed and said: "The Sixth Company has never been a fixed place; the spirit of the Iron Foot continues because of each soldier's effort. From now on, this place will be our new home."

He suddenly raised his voice and shouted: "Everyone must work hard, bring out even greater enthusiasm than before, and together build our new home even better!"

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison, laughing happily.

Zhou Kaidong felt a bit wistful: "We're just missing one person, sigh......"

He Zhen Tao poked his head from the side: "Don't worry, Lu Yang keeps his word; he said he'd come back to find us, and he surely will. Who knows, next time he appears before us, he might be completely different from before."

"Hmm."

"Give me some soap."

"Okay."

Zhou Kaidong took the soap, just about to help the Instructor apply it to his back, when his hand slipped and he couldn't hold on.

The soap slid along the tiles all the way to where Kang Changyi, Zhang Jiaheng, and Chen Panpan were playing and laughing.

At that moment, the water in the bathroom was shut off completely, and everyone stared straight at the three, their expressions odd.

The three looked at each other, suddenly feeling that the earlier game had been too philosophical, causing none of them to have the courage to be the first to bend down.