The First Friend

The new recruits who returned to the barracks clearly had no idea what to do. They milled around like headless flies, and some even stood staring out the window.

"Huh? Aren't you going to wash up?"

Ji Baichang was quick on the uptake. When he saw Squad Leader Chen Ting heading out with a yellow washbasin to wash up, he immediately grabbed his own and followed. Before leaving the barracks, he remembered to call back to the others.

"Oh, right! We have to wash up!"

The new recruits seemed to suddenly realize what they should be doing, and they all grabbed their yellow washbasins and headed out.

There were only five faucets in the washroom, but they had to serve all six squads on the first floor—more than sixty people—so the recruits had to stagger their washing times.

Ji Baichang had figured that out, so he got to the washroom early. Sure enough, there were still faucets available.

He immediately filled a basin with water, carried it to one side, and started brushing his teeth.

He used an electric toothbrush. Before washing his face, he wet it with water, then squeezed a generous amount of expensive facial cleanser into his palm and rubbed it between his hands. Finally, he spread it over his face.

He let the foam soak up all the dirt on his face, then rinsed it clean.

By the time he finished his whole routine, the washroom, which had been nearly empty when he arrived, was packed with new recruits from every squad.

"Whew, that feels good."

Ji Baichang was about to squeeze his way out when he noticed that a passage had suddenly opened through the crowd.

At the far end of it, Lü Qinglong was walking toward the washroom with a yellow washbasin in hand.

The recruits on either side wore unmistakable fear on their faces.

It seemed like some kind of instinctive fear. Ji Baichang could even hear the recruits nearby whispering:

"What's going on? Does the army keep a Hulk here?"

"No idea. That guy looks terrifying. Honestly, one look at his face and I'd call him a straight-up Thanos."

"Nice, nice. You can even run into a Sun Bar yellow card here."

"Shh! Don't talk. He's coming!"

Under everyone's gaze, Lü Qinglong awkwardly waved at the recruits on either side.

His comrades were so kind. They knew he was a big guy and had even made a path for him.

He really was growing to love the army more and more.

"Brother Long, you can use my faucet first. I saved it for you."

A new recruit from First Squad cheerfully stepped aside, giving up his spot at the faucet.

"Thanks."

Lü Qinglong nodded and smiled warmly at him.

The recruit reacted as if he'd been injected with adrenaline. He bounced all the way back to the barracks, grinning from ear to ear.

A two-meter-wide bubble of empty space seemed to form around Lü Qinglong. Wherever he went, the recruits made room for him.

That made Lü Qinglong, who had been feeling a little ill at ease, feel more comfortable than he had in a long time.

"Peep!"

A whistle sounded in front of the building, followed by the duty soldier's voice:

"One person from each squad, come down and get the trays."

"Squad Leader, I'll go get the trays."

Ji Baichang had just finished tidying his bed. He hadn't done a very good job, and his quilt was still a mess, but he volunteered all the same.

Chen Ting nodded, and Ji Baichang hurried to the front of the building to collect the trays.

"Squad Leader, could I get ten trays for our squad?"

Ji Baichang grinned and held out his hand to the duty soldier.

"Hm? Doesn't your squad only have nine new recruits? What do you need ten trays for?"

The duty soldier eyed Ji Baichang suspiciously.

"Our squad leader wants an extra one."

Ji Baichang answered without batting an eye.

"Oh, Chen Ting wants an extra tray. Must be that his is broken, so he needs another one."

"All right, take ten."

The duty soldier nodded, counted out ten trays, and handed them to Ji Baichang.

"Thanks, Squad Leader."

Ji Baichang thanked him and carried the trays back to the barracks.

He didn't mention it to Squad Leader Chen Ting, though. He handed out one tray to each new recruit, then gave Lü Qinglong the extra one when it was his turn.

"Brother, you're so big. I bet you eat a lot, right?"

"One tray probably wouldn't be enough, so I got you an extra. The duty soldier almost caught me."

As he handed Lü Qinglong the tray, Ji Baichang explained it as if it were no big deal.

The more casual he sounded, the more Lü Qinglong felt he owed Ji Baichang something.

And little things like this were the easiest way to make someone feel indebted.

Sure enough, when Lü Qinglong heard Ji Baichang had nearly been caught getting him an extra tray, he immediately patted him on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Ji Baichang. You're a good guy."

Ji Baichang froze. He was about to say something else when Lü Qinglong pointed at his quilt.

"I know a bit about making beds. I'll teach you this morning."

"Huh?"

Ji Baichang froze again. He instinctively wanted to refuse, but when he saw Lü Qinglong's eyes, all he could do was manage an awkward smile and nod.

"See? My quilt looks pretty good, right?"

Lü Qinglong smiled and stepped aside, gesturing for Ji Baichang to look at his bed.

Ji Baichang glanced over. When he saw that the dark green military quilt on Lü Qinglong's bed had been folded into a neat, square block, he stared in shock.

"Wait, Brother, did you steal our squad leader's quilt and put it on your bed?"

Ji Baichang looked back at Squad Leader Chen Ting's bed. There was another quilt folded into a square block on it.

"H-how... how did you do that?"

Ji Baichang forgot all about owing favors. He couldn't wait to ask Lü Qinglong for tips.

The military quilts they'd been issued were all the same.

They were stuffed with an absurd amount of cotton, and it was distributed unevenly throughout the quilts.

He'd tried making his bed, too, but quickly found that he couldn't fold the quilt properly.

He'd followed the method his high school drill instructor had taught him during military training, but the result had looked like a cannon barrel. It was an eyesore.

The difference between Lü Qinglong's quilt and theirs was just too great. They were still at the starting line, getting ready to run, while Lü Qinglong was already standing at the finish line and waving to them.

"Pack it down! Use your knuckles to compress the cotton inside, little by little!"

"Anyway, after the squad leader teaches you how to fold your quilt this morning, come find me. I'll help you pack it down."

Lü Qinglong lowered his voice and whispered.

"Sounds good! You're a great guy, Brother. I'll just call you Qinglong from now on. It rolls off the tongue better."

Ji Baichang laughed. He hadn't expected Lü Qinglong to be so much easier to get along with than he'd imagined.

Lü Qinglong smiled, too. Ji Baichang was the first friend he'd made in the army.