Chapter 34: The Class Monitor Has So Many Tricks Up Her Sleeve

Qiu Wei stood up.

It was evident that he was also very nervous. Though this guy had previously given the impression of being quite thick-skinned—even bringing his own firearms to the military—it was clear that he had no experience with speaking in front of an audience, and he felt stage fright the moment he opened his mouth.

"Squ... Squad leader... Comrades, good evening... I... my summary of tonight's newspaper is... First, our country is currently carrying out troop transport operations, and aspiring young people from all over the country are bidding farewell to their hometowns and loved ones to head for the military camps. Second..."

Qiu Wei stuttered as he spoke, glancing at Old Wang from time to time as if terrified that the squad leader might interrupt him. But in reality, that didn't happen. His summary at least followed a proper format. One must eat a meal bite by bite; Old Wang did not actually have very high expectations for a recruit's first summary. Although stuttering was discouraged, at this stage, it was inevitable for recruits to be disjointed and hesitant under pressure.

In less than two minutes, Qiu Wei finished his summary. Old Wang looked around at the group with a deadpan expression. Suddenly, his expression thawed, and he began to clap. "What are you staring at? Applaud!"

"Clap, clap."

Instantly, the nine people sitting there, including Chu An, began to applaud. Only Xu Ji'an, who was still standing, kept his head down and remained motionless.

"Thank you, Squad leader... Thank you, comrades!"

As the applause died down, Qiu Wei’s face was flushed. In that moment, he even forgot he was a soldier and that he should have saluted instead of bowing to express his gratitude.

"Keep up the good work!" Old Wang said with an encouraging smile. Then, amidst Qiu Wei's excited response, he signaled that he could sit down.

One by one, the others followed. As the saying goes, the first step is always the hardest; with Qiu Wei’s example, the others found their summaries much easier. They simply followed Qiu Wei's structure and added a few personal remarks to pass. Although they also stumbled over their words or spoke too softly due to nerves, Old Wang was generally satisfied.

Well... except for one person.

"The three of you, grab your paper and pens and come with me. The rest of you..."

Once the summaries concluded, Old Wang walked to a cabinet, took out a Chinese chess set, and placed it on the square table in the dormitory. "There is a set of chess here. Raise your hand if you know how to play!"

Immediately, six of the remaining eight people in the dorm raised their hands.

"Alright, those who know how, line up and play. The two who don't, watch and learn. When I get back, whoever loses has to perform a show!"

"Ah!"

As soon as Old Wang said this, some of the six who had raised their hands wished they could slap themselves. They had fallen into another trap!

Playing chess and still having to perform a show.

"Hehe, it's fine if you don't have a talent to perform; a hundred push-ups or a hundred sit-ups will do just as well!" Old Wang said with a chuckle. He then looked at Chu An and added, "Deputy squad leader, maintain discipline in the squad. No loud noise or shouting!"

"Yes!" Chu An saluted, feeling a bit speechless. These veterans really had a lot of tricks up their sleeves!

Soon, Old Wang left with Xu Ji'an and the other two—presumably to find a quiet place for them to write their self-criticisms.

"Who’s playing first?" Once Old Wang was gone, everyone looked at each other. The two who claimed they couldn't play were very relaxed, even smiling. One of them said with a grin, "How about you guys play rock-paper-scissors?"

"Sure!" Chu An looked at him and agreed with the suggestion. The six who had raised their hands gathered together.

"Come on, heads or tails. The two who get the same result go first!" Chu An looked at everyone, and since no one objected, he started counting.

"One! Two... go!"

All six threw their hands out. The first time, three were heads and three were tails. Chu An laughed, "Again!"

The second time, the result was clear. Li Guoping and Gong Liqun were the ones who matched, while the others were different.

"Alright, you two go first!" Chu An said with a smile. The others grew lively. "Quick, quick, I'll help you set up the board!"

Several people rushed to the table, opened the box, spread out the mat, and helped arrange the pieces.

"Brother, go easy on me. I... I really can't perform, and looking at my physique, those push-ups..." Li Guoping said, looking miserable as he sat at the table. He had been happy when he heard about the chess, thinking it was a form of entertainment, but now...

"Hehe, my level isn't actually that high!" Gong Liqun chuckled. He didn't feel any pressure about losing. A hundred push-ups were a breeze for him, given that he had practiced martial arts since childhood. That was why he hadn't reacted much when Old Wang mentioned the penalty, and he was still smiling. Furthermore, he didn't actually think he would lose. While he was modest about his skills, he had grown up watching the elders in his village play, and he played occasionally himself, so he had some proficiency.

Sure enough, once the game began, Li Guoping was decimated in moments.

"Oh, why did you move there?"

"Isn't that horse just a free gift?"

...

Those watching from the sidelines were more anxious than Li Guoping. Although everyone followed the rules and didn't offer advice, some couldn't help but criticize Li Guoping's terrible play after he made his moves.

Only Chu An stood to the side, watching with a serious expression and remaining silent. In truth, Chu An was stunned. As he watched the game, he couldn't help but mentally simulate the moves. Then, something shocking happened: his brain seemed to have been wound up like a clock, and as he followed the moves, he could instantly calculate the winning path.

*My brain!*

Chu An couldn't help but rub his temples. Just then, footsteps echoed outside, and as Chu An turned, he saw Old Wang pushing the door open to return.

"How is it? The first game isn't over yet, right?"

"Report, Squad leader, no, but it's close!" Chu An glanced at the board. At the current rate, Li Guoping would be checkmated in five moves at most.

"Oh?" Old Wang chuckled, walked closer to the table, and in the next second, he laughed too. "Well, well, it's ended up like this. Comrade Gong Liqun’s level is quite decent!"

"Hehe, thank you for the compliment, Squad leader!" Gong Liqun beamed.

In contrast, Li Guoping sat opposite him with a long face.

"Alright, no need to continue. I lost!" Li Guoping looked at Old Wang and finally decided to stop struggling. It was pointless; he only had two pawns and a cannon left to cross the river. His opponent, on the other hand, still had a chariot and both horses completely intact, and they were already closing in on his general.

"Haha, alright then. What show are you going to perform?" Old Wang asked with a grin. It had rained outside earlier, so the ground was wet, and they hadn't gone out for training after reading the newspaper, but they could still exercise in the dorm. For instance, Li Guoping chose sit-ups.

Old Wang, being an experienced hand, knew very well that if you let recruits who had just entered collective life choose between a performance and a physical penalty, as long as the physical penalty wasn't absolutely lethal, they would always choose the physical exercise.

"Come, don't let the board sit idle. Continue. Gong Liqun, since you won, do you want to keep playing?"

"Is that allowed?" Having easily beaten Li Guoping and received praise from the squad leader, Gong Liqun was in high spirits.

"Haha, of course. Who's next?" He looked at the others.

"I'll go!" Chu An didn't wait for anyone else and stepped forward to sit down. Having realized his own ability, Chu An felt that as the deputy squad leader, he had an obligation to help his comrades strengthen their physical fitness...