Chapter Nineteen: The First Day at the Base

The bus stopped at the training field of the military training base. Lu You bid farewell to Li Yu and the others and, along with three classmates sharing the ride, headed toward their own class bus to retrieve their luggage.

Meng Yi trailed closely behind Lu You, incessantly grumbling.

“You traitor, you traitor…”

Lu You initially ignored him but soon grew weary of the constant nagging and finally responded, “Alright, why don’t you tell me exactly how I betrayed you?”

“You promised we’d sit together.”

“When did I ever say that? I only agreed to let you ride the bus with me from another class; I never said we had to sit together.”

“Uh…” Meng Yi was momentarily speechless but quickly recovered. “You said you’re single, no girlfriend, yet you chatted with those girls the whole way.”

“I may be single now, but that doesn’t mean I can’t talk to girls. Is that betrayal?”

Thinking of the two girls who had chatted with Lu You on the bus, Meng Yi’s eyes reddened. “I’m so jealous. Can you introduce me to them?”

“No way,” Lu You refused outright. “If you really want to meet them, go up and talk to them yourself. I won’t play matchmaker or share their personal info.”

“So stingy. You haven’t even become their boyfriend and you’re already guarding them so carefully,” Meng Yi muttered.

“It’s not about stinginess,” Lu You’s tone grew serious. “Sharing someone’s personal information without their consent can cause trouble for them. That’s a basic principle I live by.”

Seeing his serious demeanor, Meng Yi stopped arguing, ran a hand through his bangs, and confidently said, “Fine, I’ll just walk right up to them. If you can talk to them, then with my outstanding charm, I’m sure I can make friends, maybe even more.”

Lu You turned to him with a faint, amused smile. “You’d better not say you’re my deskmate when you approach them. If they ask me, I’ll just say I don’t know you.”

“Tch,” Meng Yi scoffed. “When did I ever need to rely on someone else’s reputation to flirt?”

“That’s good.”

One minute later.

“Lu, can I at least say I know you?” Meng Yi asked humbly.

“‘When did Meng ever need to rely on someone else’s reputation to flirt?’” Lu You repeated his earlier words.

“Just kidding, Lu, don’t take it seriously.”

Lu You sighed. “If you really want to meet them, just walk up normally, say hello, and speak respectfully. Girls aren’t demons; as long as you don’t act grossly, it’s fine to talk normally.”

Meng Yi was touched. “So you’re agreeing—”

“Nope. Stand on your own two feet,” Lu You interrupted before he finished.

“I wasn’t done—”

“Then don’t say anything.”

Soon, everyone retrieved their luggage and gathered at the flag-raising platform to find Class Three’s formation. Lu You instinctively stood at the front alongside the vice class leader, fulfilling his duties as class president.

After a while, a group of teachers and instructors dressed in military uniforms approached.

A somewhat stout man in uniform stepped onto the flag platform, holding a megaphone in his left hand and a stack of papers in his right.

“*Ahem*,” he cleared his throat and began reading through the megaphone, “Greetings to all students and teachers from Chunhua. I am the person in charge of your military training this time. My surname is Fu. You can call me Commander Fu. Don’t ask why there’s no full commander—don’t ask such childish questions. First, welcome to our military training base…”

He then launched into a long list of rules and arrangements. Lu You wanted to zone out, but his sense of responsibility forced him to listen carefully and distill any useful information.

In general, the routine was: wake-up call at 5:50 a.m. via the megaphone, gathering at the flag platform by 6:00 a.m. for the flag-raising ceremony and national anthem. After dismissal, meet at designated points assigned by instructors at 7:00 a.m. for training. Dormitory tidiness must be maintained and will be inspected. In the afternoon, assemble at 2:00 p.m. and again at 6:00 p.m. Lights out at 11:00 p.m.

Commander Fu droned on for over half an hour, covering everything from rules to stories about his own military days.

Though a few white clouds shielded the sun, the temperature still hovered at thirty degrees Celsius, leaving Lu You drenched in sweat down his back. He stood upright, careful not to let his backpack touch his skin, sweat beading on his forehead.

Lu You looked as if he was about to collapse, and the students began to stir slightly in the heat.

Sensing he had spoken too long, Commander Fu hurriedly wrapped up. “That’s all for today. Each class, follow your instructor. Now dismiss in an orderly manner from both sides.”

A stern-looking young man and Teacher Zeng approached Lu You.

After scrutinizing Lu You and Li Wo Meng, the young man asked, “Are you from Class 1-3?”

“Yes,” Lu You replied.

“Lead your team and follow me.”

The entire class walked to a dormitory building, where two other classes were already gathered downstairs. Lu You spotted Tang Wan and Li Yu among the crowd.

The young instructor stopped and turned to address the class. “Here we are. Remember this spot; this will be our assembly point from now on.”

After everyone had memorized the location, he continued, “Let me introduce myself. I’m Instructor Liu. The basic schedule and rules have been covered by Commander Fu, so I won’t repeat those. But I need to clarify some details. We are Class Three, here known as the Third Company, part of the Performance Battalion alongside Companies One, Two, and Four. The specific performance will be arranged tomorrow.”

“Regarding dorm inspections: hallways must be clear of any items. Your luggage and such should be stored under the beds. Bedding and mosquito nets must be folded according to standard; I’ll teach you how to fold them this afternoon.”

“As for the bathrooms, each dorm has four clotheslines: the first near the windows for hanging uniform tops, the second for bottoms, and the rest you manage yourselves. There are some other details I can’t recall now; we’ll address them as they come.”

“Finally, your dorm is this building. Boys are in rooms 206 to 208, girls in 507 to 508. Your bed assignments are posted on the doors. You must strictly follow these assignments and align yourselves accordingly. Now, you have ten minutes to find your beds, put away your luggage, and then return here for assembly. Dismissed!”

Everyone hurried toward the dormitory building with their luggage.

Lu You was lucky; he found his name on bed 208, the first upper bunk on the right as you enter.

Upon entering, Lu You was stunned.

“No fan at all? Seriously?” he exclaimed.

Several others complained immediately.

“The bathroom is even worse than middle school!”

“Why’s the door rotted at the bottom? Won’t people see you using the toilet?”

“I’ll wait until lights out to go.”

…

Soon, the whole class regrouped at the designated spot.

Instructor Liu, still stern, checked his watch and nodded approvingly. “Good, you all gathered within ten minutes. Now line up. After lining up, follow me to collect your uniforms, buckets, and small stools. Once you’ve got your gear, you’re free to do as you please until 2:00 p.m., when you’ll assemble here again, all dressed in uniform.”

By the time Lu You returned to the dorm carrying a bucket of uniform items and a small stool, it was almost half past eleven.

He plopped down on the lower bunk, exhaling deeply.

“Ah, it’s really hot and exhausting.”

Meng Yi’s bed was right next to Lu You’s lower bunk, and he sat beside him.

“Wanna grab some food? Together?”

Lu You shook his head, “Not eating with you.”

“Eating with girls again?” Meng Yi clenched his fists.

“Otherwise what?” Lu You shot him a glance and stood up. “I’ll go ahead. See you later.”

…

Lu You and Li Yu queued up, got their meals, and found a corner to sit. As for the girls, they weren’t close enough yet to eat together.

The two stared silently at their food: clumps of rice hard as bricks, a few overly long water spinach stalks, and chunks of what looked like pork fat and meat stuck together.

Li Yu broke the silence first. “What do you think?”

“No comment. I expected bad food, but this surpasses my worst expectations,” Lu You said grimly.

Li Yu poked the alleged pork with her spoon and got goosebumps. “Damn, I can’t eat this. Let’s buy something else from the store.”

Lu You rummaged through the box and, after great effort, found a small piece of lean meat coated in some sticky, gelatinous sauce.

Staring at the tiny piece no bigger than a fingernail, he hesitated, then said, “I’ll try it first. If I can’t eat it, I’ll go to the store. I can’t skip the cafeteria all week.” He put the spoonful in his mouth.

After two chews, Lu You’s face twisted.

“How is it? Can you eat it?”

Lu You closed his eyes and swallowed. After a moment, he said, “I’m curious how they manage to make lean meat taste as greasy and fishy as fat.”

“Your verdict on the cafeteria?”

“Physically survivable, mentally torturous,” Lu You replied after some thought.

“Let’s go. We should hit the store.”

They stood, carrying their filled meal boxes toward the trash bin.

Lu You sighed, “My first attempts at cooking tasted better than this.”

“Ah…” Li Yu recalled the beef brisket and tofu he had cooked at his place. “I want to eat your food.”

“We’ll see after training. There are still several days left.”

“How do we survive until then?” Li Yu looked a bit down, as if life held no light.

Lu You could only reply bitterly, “How? Just survive. Buy some dried fish, chili sauce, and preserved olives to get by.”

“Nothing else to do,” Li Yu responded listlessly.

After washing their boxes, the two left the cafeteria and headed to the small store.

Near the dorm, they ran into Tang Wan and Xu Nian coming toward them.

“Finished eating already? That was fast!” Xu Nian greeted Li Yu and Lu You.

Tang Wan smiled and waved. “Hello.”

Looking at Tang Wan’s delicate features and warm, spring-like smile, Lu You suddenly found the strength to endure the hellish cafeteria.

“Sort of finished. Now we’re heading to the store,” Li Yu hesitated slightly.

Xu Nian didn’t sense anything odd and continued, “You eat so fast; we’re just about to go. How was the food?”

Lu You immediately adopted a serious expression. “It was delicious. I highly recommend it. It’s nowhere near as bad as people say.”

“Really?” Xu Nian looked puzzled. “I remember it was just average when we were here in middle school.”

Li Yu matched Lu You’s expression. “Three years can change things. The dorms are still as bad as ever, but the cafeteria has improved. Definitely worth a try.” She glanced at Lu You.

The two exchanged a look and nodded simultaneously.

Hearing this, Xu Nian’s heart lifted slightly with hope. He took Tang Wan’s wrist. “Wanwan, let’s go. I’m curious to check out the cafeteria.”

“Alright, let’s go.” Tang Wan then said, “We’ll go ahead. Bye.”

“By the way, Tang Wan, what kind of instant noodles do you usually eat? Recommend some?” Lu You quickly asked.

Tang Wan found it strange but answered, “Not spicy. Like mushroom chicken stew, pork bone ramen, that sort of thing.”

Lu You nudged Li Yu to speak.

Li Yu quickly asked, “What about you, Xu Nian?”

“Me? Pretty much the same as Wanwan.” Xu Nian looked puzzled, not understanding their intent.

“Better get to the cafeteria soon before it gets crowded,” Lu You urged.

Though still confused, Xu Nian prioritized eating and led Tang Wan toward the cafeteria.

Lu You and Li Yu watched the two girls’ backs with pity.

“Let’s go buy some cup noodles to make up for it,” Lu You patted Li Yu’s shoulder.

“Yeah, after buying, wait here to show sincerity. Plus, with more people around, we won’t have to worry about them getting violent,” Li Yu was already planning damage control.