Chapter 32: A Public Slap in the Face—Read the Newspaper!

Barely half a day into the squad assignment, Chu An had already seen through the first person in the squad.

Xu Ji'an was absolutely a slacker. He had only joined the military to secure the status of a veteran. Chu An understood the general situation of these times. With the cities overcrowded and a lack of job placements, the policy of sending educated youth to the countryside had been implemented. However, not everyone was willing to go, so many young people set their sights on joining the army. By enlisting, one could receive priority for job placement upon discharge, sparing them from idling at home with nothing to do.

Of course, if that were his only goal and he kept it to himself, Chu An wouldn't think less of him. It was true that serving in the military meant protecting the country, but with no ongoing wars, most recruits had their own personal motives and pursuits—whether it was to change their residency status from agricultural to non-agricultural or simply to ensure they had enough to eat. Chu An’s original self had joined for the same reasons: to have a full belly and a chance to change his status. Planning for a post-service job placement was, after all, official policy.

But Xu Ji'an’s current words, tone, and attitude were clearly wrong. He had been punished for being lazy and cunning, and now he wanted Chu An to help him lie. Chu An was not his father; he wouldn't indulge him.

"Come on, man, I’m really tired!" Xu Ji'an tried to plead, but Chu An looked toward the other two recruits instead. "Keep going. The faster you two finish, the sooner you can get up."

He paused, then added, "I’m not trying to make a big deal out of nothing, but we are in the military now, and we are wearing these uniforms. As soldiers, we should be upright and responsible."

Chu An continued with a serious expression, "As your deputy squad leader, and since we are in the same recruitment class, I will help you when it doesn't violate principles. But I cannot do this kind of deceitful thing, nor do I want to help you fake it, only for us all to face even harsher punishment later!"

Although Chu An’s words were directed at the two recruits doing push-ups, they were meant for everyone to hear. Li Guoping, one of the other recruits, immediately chimed in to show his support: "Right, Deputy Squad Leader, I support you!"

"I support you too!"

Following Li Guoping’s lead, the recruits in the squad expressed their agreement one by one. Even the two men on the floor spoke up: "Deputy Squad Leader, you’re right. We don’t need to be dishonest either!"

Xu Ji'an’s face turned sour on the spot. Chu An was not giving him any face; he was essentially slapping him in front of everyone. He felt a surge of anger, but the moment he thought about the consequences if Old Wang found out, he immediately deflated. Still, he couldn't help but mumble with dissatisfaction, "You're taking this way too seriously. Is it really that big of a deal?"

Chu An glanced at him but said nothing this time.

"Fine, fine, stop looking at me. I’ll do it, okay?" Although he felt humiliated and embarrassed to back down, he knew one thing clearly: he had to serve three years to secure his job placement. If he caused a scene now, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but he wouldn't be able to answer to the squad leader once he returned. If others reported him, he would either be heavily punished or forced to continue his defiance until he was sent home without completing his service. If that happened, not only might he be labeled a deserter, but his chances of a job placement back home would certainly vanish.

So, he had no choice but to concede. He slowly resumed the push-ups, arching his back as he went up and down. Chu An glanced at him again but left him to it. If he wanted to act this way, he would only be bringing trouble upon himself. Chu An didn't need to discipline him personally; Old Wang wouldn't be so lenient. It was only the first day, after all; there was plenty of time, and with his slacker mentality, he would surely be broken in.

Time ticked by, and after about ten minutes, the rain outside stopped. At the same time, Li Guoping, who was keeping watch at the door, whispered, "The squad leader is back!"

The men in the dormitory quickly scrambled to their feet. In truth, they hadn't been doing much; after the three finished their punishment, they had taken out the notebooks and pens issued that afternoon to start writing their reflections. The others were sitting on stools pulled from under their beds or leaning against the bed frames on the floor, chatting. Naturally, in that state, the reflections weren't much of anything, especially for a slacker like Xu Ji'an, who hadn't even finished a single line.

Soon, the half-open dormitory door was pushed wide. Old Wang walked in, holding a folded newspaper and a book with a red cover.

"Quite obedient, aren't you?" he said with a smile as he saw everyone standing on both sides of the beds.

He then looked at Chu An. "Deputy Squad Leader, is the work I assigned you completed?"

"Report!" Chu An faced him and saluted. "The three of them have completed one hundred push-ups and have begun writing their reflections!"

"Good," Old Wang nodded, then looked at the three men. "A reflection is not just a formality. You need to clearly recognize your mistakes and write them with depth, understand?"

"Yes!" the three replied honestly.

"Alright, everyone get your paper, pens, and stools and sit down!" Old Wang ordered.

As he spoke, he placed the red-covered book on his bed, then looked toward Chu An, who had just pulled out his stool.

"Deputy Squad Leader!"

"Here!" Chu An quickly stood up to respond.

"Come here. You are the intellectual of our squad, as well as the deputy squad leader. The task of reading the newspaper today falls to you."

"Yes!" Although Chu An was surprised that the newspaper had to be read aloud instead of being passed around, he didn't say anything else and stepped forward to take it.

After handing the paper to Chu An, Old Wang looked at the others. "We cannot be disconnected from the outside world just because we are soldiers. In fact, because we are soldiers, we must stay informed about the situation at home and abroad at all times."

He paused and continued, "From now on, every night at seven o'clock, provided there are no special circumstances, we will organize a newspaper reading session. Deputy Squad Leader Chu will go first today, and then it will be your turn. This is also a process to build your courage and get you used to speaking in front of people."

After saying this, he looked at Chu An. "Deputy Squad Leader Chu, come here."

"Yes!" Chu An walked to his position and looked down to unfold the newspaper.

Meanwhile, Old Wang added from the side, "Listen carefully. Take notes if you need to. I will ask questions later, and I may even have you summarize what you heard. Whoever isn't paying attention and can't answer will be copying this newspaper three times before they can go to sleep tonight!"

As soon as he said this, the remaining ten recruits sat up straighter immediately. They weren't joking! A newspaper this size, with its dense columns of text, was terrifying to contemplate. Copying it three times? That would be a nightmare.

"Deputy Squad Leader Chu, you may begin!"

"Yes!" Chu An replied, then faced the recruits sitting on both sides and began to read aloud.

"People's Daily, Friday, March 10, 1978..."

It was only when Chu An read this that he realized the paper was two days old. He looked at Old Wang.

Wang Qinghe said calmly, "Nothing strange about that. We aren't in the city, so the newspapers usually arrive about two days late."

"Yes!"

Chu An turned back, picked up the paper again, and continued reading.

"Recently, ambitious young people from cities and villages across the country have donned their uniforms, embarking on the journey to serve and defend the motherland..."

The first article in the paper recounted the most popular topic in the country at that moment. Starting in early March, troops were being mobilized across the nation. Chu An and his group were among the earlier ones; it had taken them a day and a night by train to reach the base, but there were some places where it took five, six, or even seven or eight days to arrive. It was not uncommon for those recruits to still be on the road.

Of course, that was not the point. Chu An continued reading the article line by line. He read without much emotional inflection, just like reading a textbook, but several of the recruits in front of him were already teary-eyed.