Chapter 70: The waterfront pavilion gets the moon first; rich water never flows to outsiders' fields

At 6:10 a. m. on a gray dawn, the sky outside was dim, showing no hint of brightness.

Zhou Kaidong was woken by a full bladder, lifted the blanket and sat up.

He let out a sleepy yawn, glanced at the bunch of cheeky monkeys in his squad, all still in dreamland,

During the night, there were six emergency assemblies, which not only left the new recruits exhausted, but also made this veteran want to curse his mother.

Usually when training new recruits, night drills are just one or two token calls, but this time it was like being struck by a gale,

especially since last night they had just showered and slipped comfortably into the blankets, which greatly lowered everyone's alertness.

However, considering that at noon higher‑ups would come to inspect the battlefield first‑aid subject,

to avoid affecting the inspection, the Company Commander delayed the wake‑up whistle, letting the new recruits sleep a bit longer.

Zhou Kaidong brushed his left leg against his right calf, slipped on his slippers, sat up, and prepared to go out to urinate.

Passing the water room, he happened to see a familiar figure inside filling a thermos with hot water.

"Li Jiang?"

"Squad Leader Zhou!"

Seeing the other person, Zhou Kaidong was quite surprised.

The kid's name is Li Jiang, and he's in the same company.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, I came to cover the th Class Squad Leader's shift. In the middle of the night, just after the whistle, I got into the blankets, and the Instructor yanked me out of bed."

Zhou Kaidong laughed; he hadn't expected this kid to be filling in for the th Class Squad Leader.

Although they're not in the same squad, within the Company their relationship is good; they often play basketball together.

This time, in the New Recruit Company, he finally has an old acquaintance.

"Squad Leader Zhou, have a cigarette."

Li Jiang, still very considerate, took out a cigarette and lit it for him.

Being a newcomer and having taken over the squad leader role midway left him feeling rather insecure.

He was about to find someone to ask and get some insight when he ran into Zhou Kaidong.

"Why did you come down to get hot water? Doesn't your floor have a machine?"

"It broke down; it only dispenses cold water, no hot water."

Li Jiang nudged him with his elbow: "How is it, this batch of new recruits, easy to handle?"

Zhou Kaidong exhaled a puff, shook his head: "Harder to manage than previous batches; more mischievous ones, but your Fourth Class overall is still fine."

"By the way, your deputy squad leader Zhu Yangyang is a slick one who asks veterans for cigarettes."

"The others are okay, well‑behaved, doing whatever they're told."

Li Jiang now had a clear picture; he turned to enforce class discipline, first using this slick deputy squad leader as an example to warn the rest.

Then he asked about training progress, the achievements and development of each squad.

Learning that Zhou Kaidong's Third Squad ranked among the top in the Whole Company's overall scores, he immediately gave a thumbs‑up.

"In our Company you're an outstanding model soldier every year; now in the New Recruit Company you continue to perform consistently stable!"

"When this basic training ends, the title of Excellent Model Squad Leader seems destined for you!"

"Cut the flattery," Zhou Kaidong laughed scoldingly. "If you have anything you don't understand later, come find me; I'm right downstairs."

"Got it!"

After saying that, Zhou Kaidong went to the adjacent restroom.

It was quite cold in the morning; he was in slippers and underwear, not suitable for idle chatter.

After urinating, just as he was about to return to the blankets for warmth, Li Jiang, carrying a thermos, stopped him again.

"Squad Leader Zhou, to be straight with you, I actually came this time on a mission."

"What mission?"

Seeing the other's mysterious demeanor, Zhou Kaidong became interested as well.

Li Jiang whispered, "Mission codename: Talent Introduction Plan! Before boarding, the Company Commander specifically called me aside and instructed me to find a way to recruit more good seedlings."

Zhou Kaidong was not surprised at all; the various companies have always been competitive.

Any grassroots company commander, upon seeing good soldiers, can't help but act.

If it comes to the time of splitting troops to lower companies, the company conference room would definitely explode with offers.

Li Jiang asked, "What good seedlings are there in the New Recruit Company that we can approach; does your squad have any?"

"Yes."

"What's his name?"

"Lu Yang."

"Then, have you talked to him? Would the lower company want to take him with you?"

"No, haven't."

Zhou Kaidong shook his head, leaving Li Jiang at a loss.

The saying goes, "Those on the waterside get the moon first; fertile water does not flow to outsiders."

Since there's a good seedling, why not try to approach him, in case he turns out promising?

One should know that the basic‑training squad leader is the one who interacts most closely with the new recruits, has the best rapport, even more intimate than the Company Commander or Instructor; isn't that a perfect time to play the sentiment card?

But regarding that, Zhou Kaidong's explanation was just two words: "Useless."

Li Jiang was startled: "You haven't even tried, how do you know it's useless?"

Zhou Kaidong raised three fingers: "The Company Commander, the Instructor even the Regiment Commander have their eyes on this soldier; can I outcompete them?"

"What the hell, you're kidding me? He's just a recruit, how can he be that impressive?"

Seeing the other's shocked expression, Zhou Kaidong briefly described Lu Yang's strengths.

Being steady and ambitious, diligent and eager to learn, proactive and striving upward are all the basics...

Especially hearing that this rookie can also shoulder a lot of work for the Squad Leader—making bulletin boards, teaching first aid, sewing clothes, mediating class conflicts—Li Jiang's jaw almost hit the floor.

Comprehensive development in virtue, intellect, physique, aesthetics, and labor?

What kind of rookie is this, practically a decathlete?

Zhou Kaidong didn't just appoint an Assistant Squad Leader; he clearly found another Squad Leader!

"Squad Leader Zhou, you're being foolish; missing such a good soldier would be such a pity!"

"This kid hasn't even been to the training unit yet, yet already shows the shadow of a squad officer; a soldier like this will have to fight his way everywhere, and will definitely become the backbone of the Company!"

"Moreover, you also said his learning talent is frighteningly strong; if he later gets into the military academy and emerges as a Platoon Leader, he'll be a pillar of the Company!"

"If we manage to get him back, even the Company Commander and Instructor would be grinning ear to ear; it would definitely be a great merit!"

"Later, if we can cultivate him into talent, your chance of staying for the fourth term next year will increase greatly!"

"By then, the Instructor will write a retention application for you; that will be the best material and will surely outshine the other competitors!"

Zhou Kaidong naturally knows this principle: cultivating an excellent soldier is not easy.

If he can be cultivated into an officer, that would be a great contribution to the grassroots unit.

The veteran Squad Leader, besides leading and training troops, has the most important duty of uncovering promising rookies.

This continuous digging process is like a relay baton, a transmission and continuation of the soldier's spirit.

But Zhou Kaidong is actually a bit troubled, because he's the most clumsy and not good at doing these.

He's also not accustomed to proactively intervening, forcibly planning others' futures.

In his own words: I haven't even figured out my own soldier role yet, how can I give others advice or ideas?

Therefore, even though Lu Yang is a soldier he leads, he doesn't want to proactively interfere with Lu Yang's future choices.

Assigning to the next Company is a big deal, just like choosing a university major after the college entrance exam; once set, it's set, and can't be changed.

Moreover, Zhou Kaidong's unit is not the strongest in the whole regiment; its overall strength is only mid‑range, even inferior to the armored Seventh Company led by Gao Feng.

Thus, subconsciously Zhou Kaidong feels that Lu Yang deserves better and should develop in a more outstanding place.

Besides, he's not a person with delicate emotions, nor good at communicating and opening up.

Precisely because of this, in handling the earlier Ding Tengfei incident, he was so stiff and pedantic.

In the end, it still falls to Lu Yang to patch things up from behind and completely resolve the conflict.

So, both emotionally and logically, he doesn't want to bluff; let him choose his own future path.

Li Jiang knows what kind of temperament Zhou Kaidong has, and stops urging further, instead proactively suggests.

"How about this: later I'll find a chance to talk with him. I'll speak plainly, no exaggeration, no bluffing; if he really doesn't want it, then that's that."

"That works."

"If it works, the credit later will be yours."

"How can that be?"

"What's wrong with that? When I first joined the Company, I knew nothing; you gave me a few pointers, and you really took care of me. Now, being new, I still need your help; we have to rely on each other for warmth in the unit."

Li Jiang chuckled, "Besides, I'm also doing this for the good development of our Company, right?"

"By the way, what does that Lu Yang you mentioned look like? When we run drills later, can I take a look first?"

"Refined and scholarly, looks like a bookish person, delicate features..."

Before the sentence finished, a slender, thin figure appeared in the corridor.

Carrying two hot water bottles in hand, he was walking toward the water room this way......