Chapter 15: Deputy Chu Ban!

On a bright afternoon in March at the southwestern border, a gentle breeze caressed the land under the blazing sun. At times like this, lying down on the grass would be an unparalleled pleasure.

And right now, there was someone indulging in exactly that in front of Chu An.

“Want to lie down? It’s really nice to soak up the sun!” Sergeant Wang glanced sideways at Chu An, who stood nearby.

“Well... Sergeant, I don’t think it’s appropriate,” Chu An scratched his head awkwardly.

The grassy area was just at the edge of their dormitory zone, and old soldiers or recruiting officers would occasionally pass by.

Sergeant Wang was a veteran; he could lie there all he wanted, but if Chu An did the same, it would look bad if other veterans or recruiting officers saw him.

“Heh, alright then!” Sergeant Wang chuckled, sat up, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket—“Economy” brand, which Chu An had only seen and learned the name of in the past two days.

Eight cents a pack.

Why did he know the price? Because just yesterday afternoon, Chu An had helped him buy some.

He had given Chu An ten cents to go to the canteen for a pack of cigarettes and a box of matches—exactly ten cents.

“Want one?” Sergeant Wang asked, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he looked at Chu An.

“Well, Sergeant, I don’t smoke!” Chu An lied without conviction.

Actually, he somewhat wanted to smoke.

In this life, Chu An was a model student who didn’t smoke, but before he was reborn, he had smoked.

The addiction to cigarettes was more psychological than physical; it was more of a habit than a nicotine dependency.

Because of this, Chu An couldn’t just say he had quit cold turkey after his rebirth.

But now he dared not admit to Sergeant Wang that he used to smoke.

He already knew from the train ride that new recruits were forbidden from smoking.

“Nonsense! If you don’t smoke, then why did you buy cigarettes?” Sergeant Wang glared at him.

“Huh?”

“Don’t ‘huh’ me,” Wang scolded with a laugh. “You think I didn’t notice you bought two packs when you went to the canteen for me?”

“...” Chu An was speechless.

The trap was deep.

He felt completely ensnared.

“You’re not allowed to smoke now; smoking during basic training affects your fitness. If you really want to smoke, show me what you’re capable of after you’re assigned to a squad. If you impress me, I might let you have a cigarette once in a while!”

Chu An was at a loss for words again.

He didn’t want to argue anymore.

Had he fallen into a trap?

Sergeant Wang, still smiling, lit up another cigarette and continued, “Remember, when they pick soldiers later, if any other sergeant tries to recruit you, just don’t go!”

“Uh...” Chu An was stunned again, and couldn’t help but ask, “Sergeant, do I have the right to refuse?”

“No, but you can lie. If they ask what you did back home, just say you did nothing. And if they ask whether your family is from the countryside or city, say city!”

Chu An was speechless once more.

“Sergeant, isn’t that obviously lying?”

“Haha, what’s there to be afraid of? Unless you don’t want to be with me, kid,” Sergeant Wang stared at him.

Chu An hurriedly said, “No, of course I want to be with you!”

To be honest, Chu An only knew a handful of veterans and recruiting officers since arriving at the unit.

Recruiting officers didn’t lead squads themselves. For example, Platoon Leader Ma was only temporarily helping out and would return to his old unit after the new recruits were assigned.

As for the others, Squad Leader Liu, who had visited Chu An’s home, was nice but only responsible for the neighboring dorm, not Chu An’s.

Besides that, Chu An only knew two other veterans he’d met while helping in the kitchen, but they didn’t lead troops either, so sticking with the more familiar Sergeant Wang was fine.

“Hmph, smart kid!” Wang snorted. “Alright, that’s settled. You’ll be in my squad from now on. Other sergeants may lie to you, but who can blame you? If they want to, they have to get past me first, right?”

He smiled again. “Besides, I’m the one the company commander trusts to take care of you!”

“Company commander?” Chu An was shocked again.

Sergeant Wang nodded, “Yeah, it’s no secret. Captain Tong will be one of the company commanders at our future training camp!”

Chu An was silent.

Seeing his expression, Wang chuckled and lay back down. “Alright, go back and help me watch them fold their blankets!”

“Yes, sir!” Chu An saluted and turned away.

He had been helping with folding blankets in the dormitory anyway; Sergeant Wang’s sudden call was what led to this moment.

Time passed again.

After another day, Chu An and the others had spent three nights at the unit.

During these nights, they still lived in dormitories with only straw on the floor.

The new recruits didn’t know how many more days they would stay there.

When asked, Platoon Leader Ma and Sergeant Wang said everything depended on orders from above.

With that, even if they wanted a bed, they had to hold back for now.

...

“Deputy Squad Leader Chu, check if these blankets are folded properly?” Inside the dorm, Chu An sat on a small stool. Li Guoping, after folding his blanket, smiled over and called to him.

Chu An rolled his eyes, “Stop calling me that—there’s no deputy squad leader here!”

---

After three days, Sergeant Wang had explained some things about army life to Chu An and the others.

For example, the position of deputy squad leader Li Guoping mentioned.

According to Wang, once the recruits were officially assigned to squads, one deputy squad leader would be quickly chosen among them.

Since all they had learned so far was folding blankets, many sergeants used that as the main test.

At that time, Wang had even said Chu An would definitely become deputy squad leader after assignment, which was why the new recruits in their dorm had stopped calling him “intellectual” and started calling him “Deputy Squad Leader Chu” instead.

“Well, it looks barely passable!” Chu An commented on Li Guoping’s blanket, about to add another remark when suddenly—

“Beep beep~”

“Everyone pack up your bags, grab your luggage, and assemble!”

Captain Tong’s voice sounded outside abruptly.

“Huh?”

Everyone inside was stunned, then hurriedly started packing.

“Is this the squad assignment?”

“Definitely!”

While packing, they quickly chatted but only exchanged a few words.

When the door opened, Sergeant Wang stood at the entrance.

“Move quickly!”

After a prompt, Chu An and the others hastened their pace.

In just three or four minutes, everyone had packed their bags and filed out.

Soon, Chu An’s group and the new recruits from the neighboring dorm assembled before Captain Tong.

Nearby, new recruits from other regions were also gathering.

“Attention... at ease!” Platoon Leader Ma lined them up.

Then, under orders, the group marched toward the square where they had first arrived and disembarked from the bus.

Chu An had noticed three unfamiliar officers waiting there.

No one knew who they were or could guess.

Nowadays, officers wore identical uniforms without rank insignia or distinguishing marks.

After reorganizing in front of these three officers, the new recruits, led by the recruiting officers, split into lines.

...