Chapter 63: The Eve of Departure, the Monitor Lights a Cigarette!

Chu An learned about his assignment to the artillery reconnaissance training class that very night.

He did not feel particularly resistant to this new destination. Although his originally scheduled placement for the next two or three months had been overturned, after hearing about it from Tong Lianzhong, Chu An found that this seemed like a rather good place after all.

A trace of anticipation even welled up in his heart.

Compared to going along with Old Wang, heading to artillery reconnaissance would clearly allow him to learn much more.

He was well aware that a major battle would erupt in just a few months. Before the war arrived, enhancing oneself as much as possible was the greatest asset for surviving the future war.

As for whether he felt any reluctance about not being able to follow Old Wang—

Honestly speaking, there was a tiny bit.

Human beings were not made of wood and stone; after three months together, Old Wang and Tong Lianzhong had treated him quite well, and if he had gone with them, he would have undoubtedly been taken care of.

However, Chu An knew that going to an infantry company might not yield much more knowledge. During their pre-combat training period, their drills had completely exceeded the standard curriculum. Without exaggeration, they had already run through everything that the veterans of an infantry company knew.

Therefore, if he could learn something new and strengthen himself, Chu An was more than willing.

...

Time slowly drifted by once again. Over the following week, the recruit company began its final evaluations.

Meanwhile, during this period, the several independent units Old Wang had mentioned earlier also came to select recruits.

Throughout the entire recruit camp during this final week, the headcount dwindled day by day, though the numbers decreasing each time were not large.

After all evaluations of the recruit company concluded, Section Four still had eight people remaining.

Only two had left.

Of course, if one added Qiu Wei from earlier, that made three.

However, regardless of how many had left previously, it did not really matter now.

Because after tonight, everyone would have to leave tomorrow.

"Deputy squad leader, I envy you and Old Li! After tomorrow, you two will still be together, unlike the rest of us. Once we split up tomorrow, who knows when we'll ever get to see everyone again."

On the very last night of the recruit company, there was no training, no political classes, nor any newspaper-reading sessions.

After everyone enjoyed a very hearty dinner, they were permitted free activities.

Yet on this night, virtually no one wandered about alone.

They gathered by squad directly inside the dormitories, or went outside to lie together on the adjacent sports ground and gaze at the starry sky.

Right now, Section Four was inside the dormitory.

Each person had a washbasin filled with the specially provided hot water for the evening, soaking their feet.

"Hehe, you guys might end up in the same company after all, you never know with these things!" Li Guoping said with a cheerful smile at that moment.

Up until now, the other recruits in the squad still did not know that Chu An's assignment had been changed.

Tong Lianzhong had mentioned it to him and to Old Wang previously, but both Chu An and Old Wang had kept it under wraps.

Dong Fang nodded and said, "Yeah! Who knows, I hope I get assigned with some of you. I'm not even talking about something unrealistic like being in the same squad, just the same company would be great!"

Chu An smiled and chimed in, "Our whole regiment only has a few companies, so the chances are actually quite high!"

Regiment C, as a Category B unit, officially had three infantry battalions and one artillery battalion in its organizational structure.

In reality, however, none of these formations were at full strength.

To put it simply, the three infantry battalions basically consisted of only two companies each, and those two companies were not necessarily at full strength either.

The artillery battalion was the same; despite being called a battalion, it actually contained only two understrength companies beneath it.

Because of this, a regiment really did not have all that many companies nowadays.

"Heh~ You guys sure know how to enjoy yourselves!" Suddenly, the half-closed door was pushed open.

Old Wang walked in with a smile.

Seeing the recruits hurriedly scrambling to put on their shoes and stand up, Old Wang immediately waved his hand with a smile: "Alright, no need for all that today, keep soaking your feet!"

"Squad leader, I'll go get you some water!" someone grinned, slipping on his shoes to grab his washbasin.

"Heh heh, alright!"

Old Wang did not refuse.

He sat down on his own bed and looked at the other recruits in the dormitory who had already stood up: "What are you standing there stunned for? Sit down and keep soaking!"

"Hehe, thank you, squad leader!"

Everyone offered grinning thanks, and someone even looked toward Chu An. Chu An responded by smilingly slipping on his slippers, reaching into his pocket, and pulling out two packs of Da Zhongjiu cigarettes.

"Squad leader, thank you for guiding us for three months. This is a token of appreciation from all of us!"

Buying cigarettes was something they had discussed temporarily at the canteen yesterday after receiving their monthly allowance once again.

Two packs of Da Zhongjiu, with each person chipping in twenty-five cents, purchased to present to Old Wang today.

"Oh?" Old Wang looked at the two packs of cigarettes handed over by Chu An, and then at the others in the squad.

Suddenly, he smiled: "I didn't waste my time training you fellows!"

As he spoke, he took the cigarettes.

Tossing one pack onto the bed, he directly unwrapped the remaining pack.

"Come on, your squad leader has looked after you for three months, and we're about to part ways. Your squad leader is poor and doesn't have any gifts to give you, so borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha—one cigarette for each of you, just as a small gesture!"

"Ah..."

Clearly, everyone was taken aback.

During their three months as recruits, none of them had touched a cigarette.

Well, that wasn't entirely true—someone had touched one, and the consequences of that incident were still fresh in everyone's memory.

Of course, there was another point: in reality, many people in the squad didn't know how to smoke at all.

Yet as Old Wang stood up and handed out the cigarettes one by one, everyone still hurriedly accepted them with both hands.

"Come on, those who know how to smoke can smoke yourselves, and those who don't know how, just light them and use them as mosquito coils, or take a single puff and spit it out, just for fun!"

Old Wang smiled cheerfully. After handing out the cigarettes, he took out a box of matches and began helping them light up one by one.

"Cough, cough~"

Sitting opposite Old Wang, Chu An was the first one to be lit up. Having not smoked for three months, he instinctively took a puff right after it was lit and immediately burst into coughs!

"Haha!"

Old Wang laughed heartily.

Amidst the laughter, he took the match and went over to light Dong Fang, who was sitting next to Chu An.

At the same time, his mouth didn't stop moving: "Being your squad leader is quite tiring. But looking back now, it's also quite fulfilling."

Tossing away a burnt-out match, he straightened up, glanced around at everyone, and smiled: "Seeing you change from looking nothing like soldiers into what you are now, I'm very gratified!"

"Hehe, squad leader, don't you worry, we definitely won't shame you after we get to our companies!"

Gong Liqun laughed cheerfully.

As he spoke, he already had the cigarette clamped in his mouth, getting ready and waiting for Old Wang to come over and light it for him.

Yet the next second, something unexpected happened to him.

Old Wang tossed away the newly struck match, reached out, and gave a smack to the head leaning toward him.

Old Wang scolded with a smile: "Don't you dare!"

He looked at the others as well: "Let me tell you, once you go down to your companies tomorrow, don't you dare keep me in mind. Especially when someone asks who your recruit company squad leader was, make sure you don't say it was me—you can use the names of the squad leaders from Section Five or Section Six next door instead!"

"Ah!"

"Squad leader, don't do that! You can't disown us!"

The recruits of Section Four were still too pure and honest; upon hearing Old Wang say this, some of them actually grew anxious.

Chu An, having just been choked by the smoke, simply smiled and remained silent upon hearing this.

Old Wang's smile lingered as he pointed a finger at the neatly folded quilts behind them: "Look at your interior hygiene right now, it's an absolute mess. If you go down to the company looking like that, it'll really shame me too much!"

Upon hearing this, Li Guoping laughed on the spot: "Hehe, squad leader, isn't it because we've been busy with training!"

That was the truth. The recruit company under the pre-combat training state had maintained very relaxed management regarding interior discipline. Although Old Wang still inspected everyone's quarters before breakfast every morning, as long as it looked passable, that was enough—it lacked the strict rigor of those first few days.

"Heh, that's an excuse, but I don't want to hear it. Anyway, just don't say you were my soldiers. Of course, if one day you manage to bring honor to yourselves, I won't mind you saying I was your squad leader—take the deputy squad leader for example!"

He raised a hand and pointed at Chu An: "I specially permit him to say I'm his squad leader wherever he goes!"