Who Smokes?

"This, alright, Squad Leader."

"Then I have some local specialty tea here. Squad Leader, this shouldn't be considered contraband in the military, right?"

Ji Baichang grinned and took a canned tea from his bag.

Chen Ting squinted at the words on the can:

"Pu'er Golden Melon Tribute Tea"

Although he hadn't drunk this kind of tea before, judging by the packaging of the can, this tea was definitely not cheap.

"Tea isn't contraband. Is this tea you have any good? Isn't Pu'er from Yunnan?"

Squad Leader Chen Ting asked with some confusion.

He had been in the military long enough that he was about to retire. He usually drank quite a lot of tea.

After all, it could reduce internal heat and refresh the mind. He still drank it regularly. Even his thermos cup for brewing tea was still on the table.

"Squad Leader, we have this kind of tea where I'm from too. It's delicious. Squad Leader, I'll open a pack for you to try."

Ji Baichang said, and before Chen Ting could react, he had already opened a small packet of the tea and handed it to Chen Ting.

"This, you're a New Recruit, and I'm a Veteran. I can't just take your things. How much did this tea cost? I'll pay you for it."

Chen Ting said, intending to add Ji Baichang's Alipay account.

"Squad Leader, that's really unnecessary. You're my Squad Leader, it would be too distant between us!"

Hearing this, Ji Baichang waved his hands repeatedly. He understood social etiquette very well. How could he let a Veteran pay for tea?

"Stop the nonsense. I know exactly what you're planning. Give me your Alipay account."

"Alright then, Squad Leader. How about this, you transfer me twenty."

"Twenty, right? Okay, I've transferred it to you."

Only then did Squad Leader Chen Ting accept the packet of tea. He got up to get a cup of hot water from the washroom and slowly brewed it.

As soon as it was brewed, a refreshing fragrance immediately filled the room. Just smelling the tea aroma made one feel much more energetic.

"Good tea! This tea shouldn't be cheap, right?"

Chen Ting took a sip and was immediately amazed by the taste of the tea. It was the first time he had drunk such delicious tea.

"This tea... shouldn't be more than twenty, right?"

Lü Qinglong looked at the outer packaging of the tea, seeming to have some impression.

It seemed that when he was a child, someone had given his family this kind of tea as a gift.

However, they only gave him a small packet, the same size as the one Squad Leader Chen Ting was holding.

But even so, his father was very happy at the time. He brewed this packet of tea seven or eight times, until it had no flavor, and he was still reluctant to throw it away.

"Is there anything else in this bag? If there's nothing else, it's the next person's turn."

Squad Leader Chen Ting took a sip of the tea, and he clearly looked much happier.

"Reporting, Squad Leader, there's nothing else, just a wallet left."

Ji Baichang took out his wallet and showed it to Chen Ting. Besides a few bank cards, there was nothing else.

"Alright, next is Song Si."

Song Si started taking things out of his bag one by one. The items he took out were nothing special, but he still took out a pack of Hongtashan.

"Tsk, don't tell me you're going to give me a whole pack of cigarettes like Ji Baichang."

Chen Ting looked at Song Si with interest.

Hongtashan costs ten yuan a pack. This stuff can only be smoked by oneself. If you were to give it as a gift, the quality is too low.

It seems this Song Si is a chain smoker?

"Uh... Squad Leader, I was actually planning to smoke this myself."

"Squad Leader, how about I leave this pack of cigarettes with you? I won't smoke it during the three-month New Recruit training. I'll smoke it after I'm assigned to a company."

Song Si smiled awkwardly and honestly placed the pack of Hongtashan on Chen Ting's bed.

"Compared to the rules of the military, you all understand more or less."

"Speaking of smoking, among the nine of you, who else brought cigarettes?"

"If you brought cigarettes, put them on my bed honestly. It won't be good if I have to search for them."

Chen Ting cleared his throat, took another sip of tea from the table, and said calmly.

The remaining five New Recruits exchanged glances for a moment, then silently took out the cigarettes from their bags and placed them on Chen Ting's bed.

"Good heavens, six out of nine people smoke. Is the frequency of smoking among soldiers this high nowadays?"

"Lü Qinglong, do you smoke?"

Hearing Chen Ting call his name, Lü Qinglong immediately stood at attention and replied:

"Here!"

His voice boomed, startling the New Recruit standing beside him.

"Report, Squad Leader, I don't smoke."

"Smoking is bad for your health, so no one in my family smokes."

"That's good, not smoking."

Hearing the somewhat familiar reply, Chen Ting nodded, signaling Lü Qinglong to sit down.

He was so tall that his head was almost touching the ceiling when standing; only after sitting down was he slightly taller than the others who were still standing.

"Each of you identify your cigarettes. I'll keep them for you temporarily. When you're assigned to a Company, come back to me, and I'll return them to you exactly as they are."

"Do you have any questions?"

"No questions, Squad Leader."

The six New Recruits who smoked shook their heads.

The inspection continued. Basically, the remaining New Recruits had done their homework. Apart from cigarettes, they hadn't brought any other contraband.

The inspection of New Recruits was much simpler than that of Veterans nearing their retirement.

The inspections before Veterans retired were truly strict.

They would basically unpack all their bags and boxes for inspection, and all sorts of miscellaneous items could be found.

Getting caught by the disciplinary officer and having their white caps taken home was a minor issue.

As a Veteran with sixteen years of service, he had truly seen many incredible people.

However, this time, the New Recruit in the squad named Ji Ba Chang had brought something that genuinely surprised him.

Bringing 200,000 cash so casually, and being from Yanjing, his family was definitely not short of money.

"Hmm? What's this turtle shell you brought for?"

Squad Leader Chen Ting stood before the New Recruit named Xue Daochao and asked doubtfully.

There were no cigarettes, and apart from some daily necessities and clothes, this turtle shell was the most conspicuous item.

"Squad Leader, I use this when I'm doing divination."

"It's a form of divination passed down in my family. I've been studying it since I was young and have only recently managed to master a few methods of divination."

Xue Daochao wasn't lying. He pointed to his instruments and introduced them to Chen Ting one by one.

"Hmm? You're a fortune teller? A Taoist priest?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ting felt a little surprised. Even Taoist priests were enlisting these days?