"Sure, go ahead and take the pictures."
"Thanks, Squad Leader."
With permission granted, the Duty Soldier took photos of the recruits calling home.
Of course, he deliberately kept Lü Qinglong out of the frame. The man really did look frightening.
If those pictures were posted, the entire New Training Brigade would know about this bizarre-looking recruit before half a day had passed. That wouldn't reflect well on their company.
"Thanks, Squad Leader. I'm off."
After taking the photos, the Duty Soldier greeted Chen Ting once more, then left the squad room, carefully closing the door behind him.
After a while, the recruits finished reporting in to their families one after another. Only then did Chen Ting have Lü Qinglong collect all their phones.
Seeing Lü Qinglong's imposing build, the recruits wisely switched off their phones and handed them over.
After all, before coming to the army, most of them had watched informational videos saying that recruits in a New Recruit Company usually got their phones only once a month.
"I'll hold on to your phones for now. Later, I'll take them to the Squad Office for safekeeping."
"The Political Instructor in charge of the New Recruit Company decides when recruits are allowed to use their phones."
Chen Ting put the phones away. Perhaps worried that Lü Qinglong would scare the people at the Squad Office, he pointed to Ji Baichang, who was standing closest to the door.
"Take the phones to the Squad Office."
"Understood, Squad Leader."
Ji Baichang was efficient. He carried the phones out of the squad room and returned shortly afterward, reporting to Chen Ting that he had delivered them.
"Good. Well done."
"From now on, the rest of you should follow his example. Before you leave, and after I give you a task, report back to me."
"Understood, Squad Leader."
The other recruits nodded in response.
"All right. The rest of you, go get your bags from the storage room and line them up on the floor."
"Don't try to hide anything. I'll inspect the storage room myself later."
Chen Ting pointed to the empty space in the middle of the room.
Some of the recruits had planned to hide things, but after hearing Chen Ting, they realized their little tricks wouldn't work on a veteran like him.
After a while, the recruits brought their black bags out of the storage room one by one and lined them up on the floor.
"Everyone stand behind your own bag. I'll start checking them."
"Let's start with you."
"Open your bag and take everything out, one item at a time."
Squad Leader Chen Ting stayed seated on his bed and pointed to Ji Baichang, who stood at the front of the line.
"Understood, Squad Leader."
Ji Baichang nodded, then began taking things out of his black bag one by one.
Compared with the other recruits' bags, Ji Baichang's was fairly stuffed.
There was a camouflage uniform issued by the Armed Forces Department, two bottles of shampoo and body wash, and a set of civilian clothes for summer.
Even after he took those things out, half the bag still looked full.
"Squad Leader, isn't there anywhere to play basketball in the army?"
As he asked, Ji Baichang pulled a pair of red-and-white basketball shoes out of his black bag.
"You play basketball? There are places to play in the army. If you're good at it, that can be a real asset here."
Squad Leader Chen Ting looked Ji Baichang over and nodded.
After the three months of recruit training, the recruits would be assigned to different units. Basketball might not be of much use if Ji Baichang ended up in a combat unit.
But if he wound up at a military compound or an administrative office, being good at basketball could help him quickly build rapport with the leaders there, which could be a big advantage later on.
As a sixteen-year veteran, Chen Ting had seen quite a few people earn merits and get promoted after playing ball with their superiors.
So being good at basketball could certainly come in handy.
"Hey, don't those shoes look like that limited-edition pair signed by Jordan? There's even writing on them."
"No way. There were only ten pairs of those in the whole world, and each one cost hundreds of thousands. How could they be real?"
"True."
Two recruits nearby seemed to know a lot about basketball shoes. When they saw Ji Baichang's pair, they murmured to each other.
Squad Leader Chen Ting heard them and frowned, but didn't say anything.
It was only their first day in the army. He hadn't taught them yet that they weren't allowed to chat in formation.
"Squad Leader, should I keep taking things out?"
Ji Baichang looked at Chen Ting, asking tentatively.
As he spoke, though, a hint of hesitation showed on his face.
"Go ahead. Keep going until your bag's empty."
"Understood, Squad Leader."
Ji Baichang nodded and reached into the bag again. After feeling around, he pulled out a bundle of hundred-yuan bills tied with a white band.
Judging by its thickness, each bundle probably held ten thousand yuan.
He pulled out twenty bundles just like it.
He arranged the cash into two towering piles on the floor, leaving the other recruits staring in astonishment.
"Seriously, are you filming some kind of comedy sketch? Why'd you bring so much cash?"
Squad Leader Chen Ting sprang up from his bed, utterly baffled.
Someone had really brought two hundred thousand yuan in cash to the army?
He'd thought last year's recruit who brought a whistle in his bag and blew it a couple of times in the middle of the night was already ridiculous.
But now someone had brought this much cash. Wasn't that just asking him to deal with a problem?
"Squad Leader, I know people use their phones to pay for things in the army now, but my parents insisted I bring it for emergencies and stuff."
"They probably told the housekeeper to pack my things, and he must've shoved the money in my bag. I didn't find out until I was on the train."
Ji Baichang scratched his head and explained awkwardly.
He wasn't trying to cause trouble. What kind of person brought two hundred thousand yuan in cash to enlist?
That was more than the discharge pay an ordinary conscript in some regions got for two years of service.
"Fine. Leave the money at Company Headquarters for now. When you get a chance to go out, put it in your bank account. Don't lose it."
Chen Ting didn't think Ji Baichang looked like he was lying, so he nodded and signaled for him to keep unpacking.
Ji Baichang nodded, then took out two cartons of Huazi cigarettes and handed them to Chen Ting.
"Squad Leader, I don't smoke, but I guess my parents had the housekeeper put these two cartons of Huazi in my bag for you."
"Why don't you take them..."
"Mail them back home. I quit smoking years ago."
Squad Leader Chen Ting cut him off before he could finish.
The look in his eyes made it clear he'd dealt with plenty of similar situations before.
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