Chapter 92: Model Soldier
The matter of Bai Luochuan’s confiscated beef jerky quickly spread. The specific name was not mentioned, but everyone knew that a handsome boy in the first year of high school had refused to hand over a bag of beef jerky in the middle of the night and would rather run ten laps on the playground.
At first, everyone was interested in discussing who had given it to him, but then the topic shifted—just how delicious must that beef jerky be to be willing to run ten laps!
The boys in Mi Yang’s dormitory had also heard some of it and were discussing it. Someone even recalled the beef jerky Mi Yang had shared with them last night and smacked his lips. “Hey Mi Yang, do you think that legendary beef jerky is more delicious than the one you shared with us last time? I think the one your family made was already very delicious. I really want to taste the legendary delicacy.”
Mi Yang had just finished tidying up his internal affairs and was about to go to sleep. He knew what was going on just by listening and held back a laugh. “I think they’re probably equally delicious.”
The classmate in the dormitory was still smacking his lips and said with emotion, “No, I’m sure it’s different. I heard it was from some little girlfriend. Pfft! It must be a lie. How can love be worth ten laps? That’s ten real laps on the playground. Hey, you guys, how strong do you think that person’s physical fitness is? He’s probably on par with Bai Luochuan from the class next door, right?”
Everyone agreed. Mi Yang lay on the upper bunk, his arm pillowed behind his head, laughing secretly.
The lights were turned off at 11 p.m., and the dormitory was plunged into darkness. The military camp was quiet, with only the sound of insects. Not far from here, there was a small grove of trees and a shooting range. Even with just a few broken warning signs, you could smell the scent of gunpowder on them. Just looking at it from a distance felt solemn and respectful.
Mi Yang lay on the narrow single bed and suddenly felt a little nostalgic for his childhood. At that time, he and Bai Luochuan had also gone to the shooting range with the adults. They had worn earplugs and could only touch the cold firearms. Bai Luochuan was bolder than he was and had even tried to assemble a few parts. He probably had a natural talent for it and had actually assembled most of it. But they could only touch those few things, and the adults were watching, so they just let them touch them.
Thinking of the little Bai Luochuan with sparkling eyes at that time, Mi Yang couldn’t help but curve the corners of his lips into a smile. This time, when they came to the training camp, he had seen the shooting range when he had passed by. He didn’t know if Bai Luochuan’s heart was itching.
Mi Yang’s hand habitually squeezed the pillow, but the touch was a little off. He rubbed it a couple of times, then gave up, closed his eyes, and slowly fell asleep. Before he fell asleep, he was still thinking that the beds here were too hard and too small. He didn’t know if Bai Luochuan could stretch his legs and sleep comfortably. His young master usually wished he could lie sideways on the bed and hug him like a human doll to sleep…
At one in the morning, the sound of an emergency assembly whistle suddenly rang out from downstairs, loud and urgent!
The voices of the drill instructors of each class also rang out, each one with a loud voice, urging them to go downstairs, “All of you, assemble—!”
The students had been reminded before that they had to be dressed neatly and run downstairs to stand in their class’s formation within five minutes. After a chaotic scramble, a group of them rushed down, first from the boys’ dormitory, and then the girls also ran over. It was just that the girls were much more disheveled. Some of the girls’ hair was not tied properly, and their long hair was randomly stuffed into their hats. Some were holding their epaulets and hadn’t had time to put them on, their eyes red with anxiety.
This time, the drill instructors were not as strict with them as during the day. They just looked at their speed. The little drill instructor of Mi Yang’s class was particularly amiable and even said to the girls in the class, “Don’t be in a hurry, everyone. Come on, let’s give the girls in our class another minute to tie their hair… Is one minute enough? I’ve never had long hair. Let’s all be considerate, boys!”
The second class laughed in unison, and the girls also breathed a sigh of relief. They immediately nimbly tied their hair. It didn’t matter if it looked good or not; neatness was the first priority.
The black-faced drill instructor of the first class scanned them with his eyes and said with a stern face, “Bai Luochuan, step out!”
Bai Luochuan took two steps forward and stood out.
The drill instructor said, “About-face—!” He looked at the student soldier’s crisp posture, nodded slightly, and then said to the students of the first class, “All of you, look. This is what you call being dressed neatly! Look at your own collars. How are your collar buttons done! Now, I’ll give you one minute. Compare yourselves to Bai Luochuan and start to tidy up. After one minute, I don’t want to see this sloppy ’emergency assembly’ look again!”
After a period of emergency assembly in the middle of the night, there was nothing particularly important. It was just to see the student soldiers’ reaction speed. They were soon dismissed and sent back to the dormitory to rest. After all, there was more strict training the next day, and maintaining physical fitness was the most important thing.
A large group of people dragged their tired and sleepy steps back to the dormitory. After they were dismissed, the sound of talking also became louder. Mi Yang swayed his wrist and was also slowly walking back. Someone suddenly put an arm around his shoulder. When Mi Yang turned his head, he saw a handsome face half-hidden in the dark. Bai Luochuan smiled at him and raised his eyebrows. “What, you don’t recognize me after not sleeping with me for two days?”
His voice was low, as if he were joking. But Mi Yang himself had a guilty conscience, and the tips of his ears burned when he heard it.
Bai Luochuan saw him just say “mm” in response and was a little dissatisfied. He leaned a little closer. “Why are you so cold? Don’t tell me I was right? Hey Mi Yang, let me tell you, I’ll have my mom change my class as soon as the military training is over, and then I’ll also change my dormitory. I don’t care. You’re like this to me after just a few days. If we’re really not together for the three years of high school, you’ll forget about me, won’t you?”
He was deliberately saying willful things, whining as if he were being cute. Mi Yang smiled. “I won’t forget.”
Bai Luochuan looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.
Mi Yang was still smiling. “Running ten laps for a bag of beef jerky, how can I forget?”
Bai Luochuan ground his teeth and said angrily, “I just couldn’t bear to eat it all in one go. The drill instructor of our class is too much. You don’t know. I just glanced at your side, at most the brim of my hat moved a little, and he could immediately see it. So annoying!”
Mi Yang said, “I think it’s alright. You, as the model soldier, should do a little better.”
Hearing him say that, Bai Luochuan became happy again. “You saw it too? How was my posture? Was it particularly handsome?”
Mi Yang nodded and coaxed him, “Handsome.”
Bai Luochuan talked to him all the way to the dormitory and really wanted to go in with him, but he still gave up. “Forget it. Let’s wait until we’re back at school.”
Mi Yang was about to go in when Bai Luochuan called out to him again, “Hey! Mi Yang.”
Mi Yang turned to look at him. “What’s wrong?”
Bai Luochuan, wearing a smart military uniform, was also looking at him. He reached out and touched the slight dark circles under his eyes, and asked in a low voice, “Did you sleep well?”
Mi Yang pulled the brim of his hat down a little and smiled. “You should take care of yourself. You have so much exercise every day. Don’t get cramps in your legs again.”
Bai Luochuan chuckled, stood there and talked to him for a bit, and when he saw that it was about time, he left.
The two of them’s dormitories were not far apart, but if they wanted to see each other every day, besides at mealtimes in the canteen, there was also a little time after they were dismissed at night.
Although Bai Luochuan’s class had not yet chosen a class monitor, during this period of military training, he was the most eye-catching. Whether it was because of his appearance or his ability, all the classmates had nothing to say about him, and a small group had vaguely formed around him. Sometimes, when the drill instructor had something to do and had Bai Luochuan supervise, he would also do a very good job, and all the classmates in the class would listen to him.
The little drill instructor of the second class would sometimes see this and joke a couple of times, asking, “On duty again? How is it, Drill Instructor Bai? Are you adapting?”
Bai Luochuan raised his hand in a salute. “Report, drill instructor, I am!”
The little drill instructor then nodded. “Alright then. I just have to go and buy something. You can also watch over my side for a bit!”
Bai Luochuan actually agreed, without any awkwardness. He first shouted a command and had the people of the second class also goose-step over. The two classes were lined up side by side, standing at attention. He walked back and forth, watching.
Bai Luochuan was watching the people of the second class, and the students of the second class were also curiously watching him. Although the person standing opposite them was also a new student like them, he had adapted too well. He was like a fish in water in the military camp.
When Bai Luochuan walked over to Mi Yang’s side, his footsteps paused for a moment, and he looked for a little longer. The boy next to Mi Yang was so scared that he puffed out his chest and sucked in his stomach, for fear that he was not doing something properly. Although this Bai Luochuan from the first class was not a regular drill instructor, his aura was not much worse. The boy was so stared at that his calf was about to cramp.
Bai Luochuan stood there and watched them for a while. His gaze only lingered for a moment, then he slowly walked away.
The boy had just relaxed a little when he heard Bai Luochuan’s voice from behind them, “Straighten your legs.”
The boy was startled, but he didn’t feel his shoulder being patted or anything. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and, on the contrary, saw Mi Yang, beside him, sway a little, then stand firm again.
There was sweat on Mi Yang’s forehead, and now his face was even redder from the sun. He pursed his lips.
Bai Luochuan’s voice was still there, “Shoulders back a little, back… also straighten it, chest out, head up, stomach in!”
Hearing the few light patting sounds from the side, the boy felt as if he had also been hit and quickly stood a little straighter.
Bai Luochuan said, “Not bad.”
Then the sound of footsteps gently sounded again, and he continued to walk to the back.
The boy relaxed and looked at Mi Yang. He moved his lips and said in a low voice, “Hey, Mi Yang, I think you’re very standard. You’re already the best in our class. Is that person deliberately picking on you…”
Mi Yang’s skin was fair, and now his face looked a little flushed. He was still looking straight ahead, and his two lips were slightly parted. “Don’t talk. Stand properly.”
Bai Luochuan “raided” a few more people in the back, all with a sudden kick to the back of the knee. It didn’t hurt, but there was also some force. It was just to see if the person was standing steadily.
A few of the students were not prepared, and some from both the first and second classes were told off by him in a cold voice. Perhaps because of his aura, he looked cold and didn’t say much. The order was even better maintained than when the drill instructor was there. The students of the two classes were a little afraid of him just by hearing his footsteps approaching.
The little drill instructor of the second class soon returned. He was carrying two large bags of iced drinks. After he came back, he first asked the acting drill instructor, “How is it, Drill Instructor Bai? Are the students of our class doing well?”
Bai Luochuan nodded. “Very good.”
The little drill instructor was then satisfied and took his class back to their original position, giving them a few minutes to rest in place, and then gave each of them a bottle of drink.
The people of the second class cheered, and the sound of them opening their drink bottles made the eyes of the few classes next door turn red.
When the black-faced drill instructor of the first class returned, the students of the first class all looked at him with expectation, but the drill instructor was only holding a document in his hand, and there were no drinks.
The black-faced drill instructor said, “Due to the limited space at the shooting range, the number of participants is limited. The people whose names I call now should get ready. In a few days, we will go back to the shooting range for shooting training.”
