Chapter 83: Military Training Underway

Chapter 83: Military Training Underway

The students finished their meal at 5 PM, and the loudspeaker outside blared, calling them to gather at the training ground.

Xia Li ran while holding her hat; her military uniform was a bit too big, so she had to make it work.

After standing in place, Xia Li whispered, "They’re not gonna make us run tonight, are they?"

Ye Xiaoxiao's uniform fit well. Standing behind Xia Li, she also whispered in response:

"Doubt it. We just ate; running wouldn’t be good for us."

Xia Li: "Get real, this is the military, not a hospital."

Ye Xiaoxiao was about to say something else when the instructor started barking orders.

First, they lined everyone up by height.

Ye Xiaoxiao was relatively tall among the girls, so she ended up further back.

Behind her were a few exceptionally tall girls and the boys from the class.

For example, there was a girl in their class they didn’t know by name, but her height of 1.75 meters made her stand out instantly.

Tang Xiuxiu, He Jing, and Ye Xiaoxiao were about the same height, so the three of them stood in the same row. Having familiar faces around made Ye Xiaoxiao feel more relaxed.

On the first evening, the instructor went over their appearance and taught them a few common commands.

Girls with long hair had to pull it all back, and any stray hairs had to be pinned back. They couldn’t wear their hair loose, and their bangs couldn’t cover their eyebrows.

Their uniforms had to be perfectly put together, with shoulder straps, belts, hats—nothing could be missing.

The boys couldn’t have hair that was too long, and the rest of the requirements were the same as for the girls.

On the first night, they only drilled for an hour and a half before the students were dismissed to rest.

The day had been a slog, from school to the base.

Back in the dorm, after washing up, everyone had to figure out how to meet the next day’s appearance standards.

Ye Xiaoxiao had long hair with almost no loose strands, and she didn’t have bangs, so she just tied her hair into a bun and tucked it under her hat.

He Jing had the longest hair, and getting it into a bun was a struggle.

However, after trying and failing to tie it up, she grabbed a pair of scissors and chopped her hair in half.

Xia Li: "You actually cut it?"

He Jing smiled: "I've been wanting to cut it for a while. What do you think? Does it look even? Someone might even buy this hair; it’s worth some cash."

Xia Li felt a bit sorry for her: "How much could that even go for? Look at my hair; it grows so slowly. I’ve always envied people with long hair."

He Jing: "My hair is yellowish and not great. Look at Ye Xiaoxiao's hair—it's so black and smooth. How do you take care of it?"

Ye Xiaoxiao was folding the clothes she would wear the next day and placing them by the bed.

This way, she wouldn't forget them in the morning chaos.

"My hair’s alright. I sometimes wash it with black sesame leaves."

Xia Li: "Then I’ll try it too."

Right after she spoke, the dorm lights went out.

Xia Li: "Oh no!! I forgot to get water."

He Jing: "Don’t go out now. I have hot water; you can use mine in the morning."

Xia Li: "Okay, thanks."

A whistle echoed in the hallway, urging students back to their dorms, and those still out rushed back.

Ye Xiaoxiao quickly got into bed.

But she didn’t lie down right away, just sat there, lost in thought.

He Jing asked, "What’s up?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I’m wondering if I should flatten the quilt."

He Jing: "What will you use to keep warm? It’s colder here than at school; you can’t sleep without a blanket."

Tang Xiuxiu also said: "Just leave it. I’ll fold it for you tomorrow."

Hearing this, Ye Xiaoxiao relaxed.

She decided she’d treat Tang Xiuxiu to breakfast for a week when they got back to school.

Relieved, Ye Xiaoxiao lay down and was out like a light.

The next thing she knew, she was jolted awake by the wake-up whistle.

Actually, it startled her awake.

Someone in the dorm mumbled, "What time is it?"

Ye Xiaoxiao fumbled for her watch under the pillow and squinted at it.

"Six-thirty."

What an ungodly hour.

"We’re up at six-thirty, half an hour to wash up and get ready, then assemble for morning exercises at seven. The instructor wants us lined up five minutes early."

He Jing rattled this off, then sat up to get dressed and fold her blanket.

In no time, Tang Xiuxiu and Li Meiru were dressed, leaving just her and Xia Li still groggy.

It felt like they’d been left behind in another time.

"How did they move so fast?"

"Isn’t this way too early?"

Ye Xiaoxiao had saved time by laying out her clothes and toiletries the night before.

When she went to fold the blanket, Tang Xiuxiu shooed her off the bed.

He Jing: "Back home, I’d be out cutting pig grass at this hour."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "..."

No, she couldn’t afford to fall behind either.

On the first morning of the assembly, both boys and girls were all over the place.

The instructor had asked everyone to gather five minutes early, hoping to have the team organized by the start time.

But after waiting for ten minutes, not everyone had shown up.

The main instructor for Ye Xiaoxiao's class was a stern-looking man over six feet tall, who looked intimidating just by his presence.

Now he was truly angry, and the students didn’t dare to make a sound.

Ye Xiaoxiao was already standing there, but she still felt like he might yell at her.

However, it wasn't just their class; other classes weren’t faring much better either.

So on the first day, all the students on the field were punished.

They ran laps for forty minutes, and before it ended, they were told that if anyone was late again the next day, the whole class would miss their meal.

The morning assembly time was at eight, leaving them less than twenty minutes for breakfast.

In the cafeteria, Ye Xiaoxiao poked at the steamed buns in her lunchbox with her chopsticks.

Li Meiru looked at her, "You’re not going to eat?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I can’t bring myself to eat."

When she’s stressed, she loses her appetite.

Li Meiru: "You can’t waste food here."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "..."

As they whispered, an instructor walked by and reminded them, "Keep it down during meals."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "..."

So intimidating.

After barely managing to finish breakfast, it was already time for the morning assembly.

In the morning, they practiced standing at attention, turning in place, and marching in formation.

Ye Xiaoxiao knew how to do these, but the process was grueling.

They got a fifteen-minute break every hour.

Ye Xiaoxiao was drinking from her water bottle when a boy sat down beside her.

Ye Xiaoxiao turned around.

Before the assembly, his folding stool hadn’t been next to hers.

"Classmate, what's your name?"

Ye Xiaoxiao put down her water bottle: "Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first before asking for my name?"

The boy was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting such a strong personality from a girl who seemed quite docile.

"My name is Zhang Dong, Dong, like in 'pillar of talent.'"

"Hello, I'm Ye Xiaoxiao."

The boy's behavior was what you'd call hitting on her, and Ye Xiaoxiao had already seen through it.

The bold get to enjoy the world first.

Too bad I'm not into anyone.

Under Ye Xiaoxiao's gaze, the boy blushed.

Before he could add anything, Tang Xiuxiu and He Jing, who had gone to the bathroom together, returned.

He Jing: "Why are you in my seat?"

The boy promptly apologized, "Sorry, I'll leave right away."

Before leaving, he gave a lingering look at Ye Xiaoxiao, but she didn't return his gaze.