A Real Soldier Doesn't Need Military Songs

High-end ingredients often needed only the simplest cooking methods. After more than half an hour of busy work, Master Fang had finally guided Yue Tao into folding a quilt that was barely fit to look at.

Just as they entered the squad room, the whistle blew.

Yue Tao excitedly followed Fang Huai inside.

"Fang Huai, my quilt is definitely the best-looking one today!"

The lights were already on in the squad room. Squad Leader Hao sat on the edge of his bed, still bleary-eyed as he gathered his senses. Hearing Yue Tao's words, he focused his eyes and took a look.

"Yue Tao, why did you bring another lump of shit in here?"

The recruits burst into laughter.

Yue Tao fell from heaven into hell and stood there dumbfounded.

Fang Huai turned back to look and gave a light cough.

"Ahem... Squad Leader, it's ugly, sure, but I fixed his lines. It can be squared up now."

Hao Chengbin stood, looked over Yue Tao's quilt, then casually pinched at it.

"Mm... it is too short. Fold it this high from now on. Have the Assistant Squad Leader teach you properly."

As he spoke, he turned and saw everyone seriously pinching and shaping their own quilts. After inspecting a few beds, his eyes lit up.

"Oh? These quilts have improved today! Fang Huai, did you guide them all?"

Fang Huai carefully placed his own quilt on the bed and turned around.

"Reporting, Squad Leader! I taught them to rub them with stools! Also, I borrowed a ruler from company headquarters and had them redraw the lines. From now on, our squad will use one standard, so everything will look neat!"

"Mm..." Hao Chengbin's voice had fully cleared up. With his hands clasped behind his back, he made another round.

"They still need more rubbing. Keep rubbing them for a few days. The cotton is too fluffy. They look decent now, but once the sun comes out and dries them, the filling will expand and they'll puff up again. You can rub them with benches too... I didn't teach you these methods when you first arrived because I wanted you to become more familiar with your own quilts.

Let me see Han Yong's quilt..."

Hao Chengbin turned to look at it, and his mouth immediately fell half open. But remembering that this was Han Yong's first day in Ninth Squad, he suppressed the urge to curse, shook his head, grabbed his washbasin, and went out.

"My god, Fang Huai! The squad leader didn't praise your quilt?" Chen Zhongqiang asked in surprise.

"Yeah! Fang Huai, your quilt is folded way too well!"

"Mm! I think it's almost as good as the squad leader's! Except the squad leader's quilt is white!"

Fang Huai smiled and shook his head.

He really had handled his quilt carefully today. He had rubbed it over and over for a long time, only starting once it felt firm, then carefully tidied it up, attending to every line. It was safe to say that even in his previous life, he had never arranged anything this seriously.

But Hao Chengbin had not been especially amazed, because his standards for Fang Huai were clearly higher.

Just how outstanding Fang Huai was depended entirely on comparison with his fellow recruits. Toss him into a group of veterans, and he would be nothing special.

But Fang Huai's bed was against the wall, directly facing the door, so anyone entering the squad room could see it.

Once that quilt was placed on the bed, all the recruits were convinced.

This morning, Regimental Headquarters had not inspected the Interior Regulations.

Before breakfast, Fang Huai led everyone in organizing the room and cleaning. He had even personally gone over the windows again, spending more than two hours on it.

Another day of pointless work.

Assistant Squad Leader Fang, who was rather utilitarian, silently clocked in as he looked at the spotless, orderly squad room and the quilts that had never been so neatly arranged, feeling somewhat unhappy.

Justice might be late, but it would never be absent.

Read that sentence backward, and it fit reality better.

Justice might not be absent, but it would definitely be late.

And by the time it arrived, it often was not needed.

That was how room inspections worked. Regimental Headquarters always waited until everyone's enthusiasm had faded and they had grown lazy before setting out.

His old cynic's habit of complaining was acting up again.

Fang Huai reined himself in.

"Beep~ beep." The sound came from afar, the whistle from Regimental Headquarters on the third floor.

"All companies, line up in order and go to the bathhouse! First Company starts first. The other companies may organize themselves to memorize the Regulations and Ordinances!"

Everyone was full of excitement, though who knew what the hell they were looking forward to.

When Fang Huai saw Peng Yingqirui squeeze out some shampoo and rub it onto his head, he could not help mocking him.

"Shorty, didn't you hear that? First Company starts... We're Seventh Company!"

Peng Yingqirui said impatiently, "I know! I'm just afraid I won't be able to open it when it's our turn!"

Fang Huai curled his lip.

"That's some long foreplay. You're putting on the lube way too early. Just wait slowly."

Everyone who got it laughed.

Fang Huai turned and saw the recruits digging through their Camouflage Bags for toiletries. He sighed, deciding not to ruin their enthusiasm.

He wondered whether they would still like bathing so much once they came back.

Anyway, he had prepared only a bar of soap. He could wash his hair after they returned, taking his time that night.

Less than two minutes later, the door opened.

Hao Chengbin entered sleepily with a stack of materials in hand. Seeing that all the recruits were holding shampoo and body wash, and that Lu Zexian even had a bottle of exfoliating scrub for rubbing off dead skin, he froze too.

"What are you doing?"

"Squad Leader, we're putting our stuff in the basins!" Lu Zexian said.

"What the hell are you rushing for? Seventh Company doesn't get to bathe until this afternoon!"

After saying that, Hao Chengbin glared and handed the materials to Fang Huai.

"Hand these out. Everyone must memorize the Regulations and Ordinances in these materials! There'll be a spot check on the regulations before next Friday!

There are only three pages total. We've already reduced the workload for you! These must be memorized!

Later, Regimental Headquarters will organize a Regulations Competition. Those who are capable of memorizing more can sign up! This is for bringing honor to our squad and our company, so you need to work hard for it!

There are also two pages with three military songs: 'The Crimson Camp,' 'When That Day Comes,' and 'The Motherland Will Not Forget.' You've been taught them at night these past few days, right?

Doesn't Fang Huai know how to play guitar? In a while, Fang Huai will lead you through them twice. I'm tone-deaf, so I won't embarrass myself in front of you!"

"Oh my god, that's so much!" Yue Tao caught sight of the dense text on the papers and covered both sides of his face with his hands.

Though there were only three sheets of paper, Wang Jian had reminded Fang Huai three times while printing them yesterday: "Make the layout denser. Save paper."

The line spacing had been changed from 1.5 to 1.2, the font from size four Song to size five, then to small size five.

Fang Huai knew best just how much content those tiny three pages contained.

About 1,500 characters per page.

As soon as the materials were handed out, even the usually honest Hu Deli began to wail.

"Squad Leader, I can't read!"

Hao Chengbin gave a crooked smile. "Want me to read it to you every night before bed? Or should we buy a Xinhua Dictionary now and teach you some characters?"

"N-No need."

The recruits now said Squad Leader Hao had two states. One was his usual nice-guy state, where he could joke around and answer questions.

But whenever he wore that crooked sneer, there was no room for bargaining. If they said one more word, berserk mode would kick in.

As for Assistant Squad Leader Fang, his power was mainly reflected through Squad Leader Hao. Fang Huai had not tattled on anyone so far, and everyone was quite satisfied with that.

9:00 a.m.

The ten recruits pulled out the hidden tabletops from their little folding stools and sat quietly in two rows.

The base loudspeakers began playing the song they had to learn, "The Motherland Will Not Forget."

"You don't need to know me, nor do I long for you to know me

I blend my youth into, into the rivers of the motherland

The mountains know me, the rivers know me

The motherland will not forget, will not forget me..."

A military song played softly and a military song played loudly were two completely different things.

Blasting at high volume from nearby speakers, it could rumble like rolling thunder, stirring and impassioned; it could also fall like gentle rain, melancholy and fitting to the scene.

Especially this song, designated for the Three Services Guard of Honor, which was said to make even dogs want to leap up and become military dogs.

Zhao Bing stood by the window, materials in hand, but looked up into the distance. Even from his back, he seemed to be lost in lingering emotion.

As if about to compose poetry, he said dreamily, "This song... is so good. The mountains know me, the rivers know me."

Fang Huai put down his materials and said irritably, "Hurry up and memorize it. You haven't died yet."

Lu Zexian was just as unromantic and laughed as he chimed in.

"Yeah! If you can't recite it next week, then you really will be dead!"

"Hey, Fang Huai, Article 105 of these Interior Regulations says the brim of the cap can't stick out more than 1.5 centimeters beyond the wall. How long is 1.5 centimeters?" Yue Tao asked, patting Fang Huai.

Fang Huai turned around.

"A little more than one finger-width. Feel it with your finger. Anything sticking out has to be trimmed off..."

As he spoke, he spotted Han Yong and Peng Yingqirui in the last row, sprawled over their stool desks and sleeping like logs.

"Hey, hey! General Manager Han, Director Peng, wake up!"

Liu Yue turned and patted them both.

"Huh... is it time to eat?" Han Yong woke up and dazedly stood, ready to head for a meal.

Peng Yingqirui was even more impressive. He had probably gone home in his dream. Without even lifting his head, he waved a hand.

"I'm not eating. You guys eat..."

Fang Huai's mouth twitched at what he heard.

This dream-talk combo only deserved an 82. The remaining 18 would be given to them in the form of 666.

...The company commander would come inspect the squad room in the morning. If he saw someone sleeping while the squad leader was absent, the Assistant Squad Leader—that was, Fang Huai—would bear full responsibility.

There was no choice.

Fang Huai stood with a smile and shouted, "Squad Leader, hello!"

"Wha... Squad Leader, hello!"

That one shout jolted four of them awake!

Everyone else was laughing.

Only then did Fang Huai realize that this squad was damn good at sleeping. Sun Lianhai and Chen Zhongqiang could sleep with their eyes half open. Watching them from so close just now, he had actually thought the two were memorizing their material.

With that skill in their arsenal, no wonder they could become soldiers.

Those who stood up were fully awake now. Seeing Fang Huai looking at them with a half-smile, they did not dare complain and sheepishly sat back down.

Not long afterward, Zhao Bing, who had spent two military songs standing by the window and listening, returned to his seat with renewed vigor. Leaning over, he patted Fang Huai.

"Hey, hey, Squad Leader Fang, they're all nodding off. How about teaching us a military song? It'll wake us up!"

"Later. Memorize the materials first. I'll find time to lead you in singing before lunch."

"Teach us now. I want to learn!" Zhao Bing insisted.

Fang Huai turned back, somewhat puzzled. "Why are you in such a rush? You can't even wait until later?"

Zhao Bing seemed never to have discussed this topic with anyone before. He suddenly grew excited, his voice louder.

"Do you know why I joined the fire service?

There was a landslide near my home before. Several families in our village were rescued by firefighters!

Ever since I was little, the old people in our village always said being a soldier was good, being a firefighter was good. So my little brother and I both enlisted this year and chose the fire service.

But ever since we got here, there are no guns, no firefighting skills training. Every day, we're just being pushed around! It's like being in prison!

But just now, when I heard that song, I felt really moved!

I think being a soldier is great! Do you understand?"

Fang Huai fell silent for a long while.

Perhaps sincerity called forth sincerity. Zhao Bing had spoken about his inner thoughts without feeling embarrassed, and Fang Huai remembered many stories too.

Then he said seriously, "Zhao Bing, let me tell you the truth: that feeling you have isn't real.

It's the result of hormones secreted by your hypothalamus.

If one day you enter a fire scene or a dangerous emergency and still need to think of that song before you can charge forward, then I suggest you don't go, because that would only be a momentary impulse.

It's not that soldiers can't be passionate or impulsive.

But firefighting deployments involve many dangers. There's no room for impulse. Every judgment must be made with absolute calm.

Complete the mission and die, and you're a martyr.

Complete the mission and survive—that is even more valuable. Understand?

A real soldier doesn't need military songs."

Fang Huai's words were not impassioned, yet even Lu Zexian, the most cynical of them all, felt his breathing catch.

The door opened.

A group of officers stood at the door. The colonel in the middle, with close-cropped hair streaked with gray, clapped his hands and smiled.

"Young comrade, well said!"

Got a league leader, so here's a bonus chapter. Happy Army Day!