Folding the Quilt (Part 1)

He only ate a steamed bun and an egg. He mainly saw Lü Qinglong eating so deliciously that he couldn't help but ask.

"It's delicious! I'll get you a plate!"

Lü Qinglong very readily took Ji Baichang's meal tray, scooped a plate from the large iron pan he brought over, and happily handed it to Ji Baichang.

"It's too much, Qinglong! Too much, I can't finish it."

Ji Baichang waved his hands repeatedly, but he couldn't refuse Lü Qinglong's kindness and could only start eating the noodles.

However, after a couple of bites, he realized the taste was just so-so. It was mainly Lü Qinglong's way of eating that made people feel very hungry.

"Tenth Squad, get your food."

When the duty officer called for Tenth Squad to get their food, the New Recruits at the end of the line stared at the empty iron plates on the table in silence.

"Squad Leader, it looks like there's only a little fried rice left. Are we eating fried rice for breakfast?"

A New Recruit asked cautiously.

"Uh... yes, you guys eat some fried rice first. The mess hall doesn't have any more food,"

the duty officer explained awkwardly.

The half-plate of steamed buns he had brought from the mess hall were eaten by the Veterans in the mess hall. There was absolutely no extra breakfast left.

"Awesome."

"I haven't eaten this comfortably in a long time."

Lü Qinglong patted his stomach contentedly. In front of him were two large plates of empty iron boxes.

He alone had eaten a plate of large steamed buns, a large pot of fried noodles, and had also drunk two bottles of milk.

The New Recruits around him didn't know what to say anymore, they could only silently give Lü Qinglong a thumbs-up.

"Truly amazing. I finally understand why people say they can eat a whole cow. This Eldest Brother can really eat!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down. Look at the resentful eyes of those New Recruits from Tenth Squad."

Perhaps because the dining hall felt a bit noisy, the duty officer, who had just sat down to eat breakfast, stood up and shouted:

"Quiet! No talking while eating in the dining hall!"

Instantly, all the New Recruits fell silent, obediently eating their meals.

After most of them had finished their food, the duty officer directed the New Recruits to get up and wash their plates.

After all, this was the first time these New Recruits were experiencing it, so they were a bit unfamiliar. As the duty officer, he had to pay more attention on the first day, and it would get better later.

The entire meal process was roughly as follows: first, gather in front of the barracks building, then proceed to the dining hall entrance for a pre-meal song.

After singing the song, enter the hall and get food according to squad order, then go out to wash bowls, and after washing bowls, return as a unified squad formation.

"Hmm? Lü Qinglong, your quilt is folded very neatly. How about you teach them this morning?"

As the New Recruits of First Squad returned to their squad, Lü Qinglong, who was at the end of the line, was immediately called out by the Squad Leader Chen Ting, who was sitting on the bed.

"Okay, Squad Leader, I'll try,"

Lü Qinglong nodded and replied.

It was only then that the other New Recruits looked at Lü Qinglong's quilt.

A perfectly neat "tofu block" was placed before their eyes.

"What's going on? Brother Long, is that your quilt! You're too amazing! If you hadn't said anything, I would have thought it belonged to a Veteran!"

"Yeah, Brother Long! Teach us!"

After interacting for just half a day, they found that Lü Qinglong's behavior didn't seem as terrifying as his face.

Except for his voice when he first woke up this morning, he seemed like a decent person at other times.

"Sure, I'll teach you guys,"

Lü Qinglong looked at the crowd surrounding him, feeling a little embarrassed.

After all, this was a feeling he had never experienced before.

The military is truly great,

Lü Qinglong thought to himself.

He casually picked up Ji Baichang's quilt from the side and then unfolded it on his bed.

However, it seemed like he felt the bed was too small to spread out, so he asked Ji Baichang:

"How about I spread it on the floor? Would you be okay with your quilt being spread on the floor for a demonstration?"

When Ji Baichang heard that the quilt he slept with was going to be spread on the floor, he thought about how dirty the floor was!

Ji Baichang, who was a bit of a germaphobe, immediately waved his hands.

However, Xue Daochao, who was nearby, handed his quilt to Lü Qinglong and said that it could be spread on the floor.

"Thanks."

Taking the quilt, he thanked him. Lü Qinglong spread it flat on the floor. The surrounding New Recruits immediately gathered around the four sides of the quilt, just enough to stand.

"Because my father and older brothers were soldiers, they taught me how to fold 'tofu blocks' correctly in advance, which is why I can fold mine better than everyone else."

As Lü Qinglong spoke, he folded the inner corner of the quilt to the one-third mark and forcefully flattened the crease.

(Figure 1)

The cotton inside the military quilt, which was originally uneven, became a straight line in his hands. This showed the strength of his grip.

"Then we fold the other side over like this."

Lü Qinglong folded it again, and the quilt immediately became one-third of its original width.

(Figure 2)

Then, he pressed his entire body down, and the cotton inside the quilt was crushed by the sudden, terrifying weight.

Lü Qinglong pressed the quilt with great force and meticulousness, flattening every corner.

After finishing, he didn't rush to the next step. Instead, he said to the other New Recruits:

"You all press yours like this first. Show me your three-fold method. If everyone in the squad can do it, then I'll proceed to the next step."

After Lü Qinglong finished speaking, the other New Recruits excitedly went to their respective quilts and began folding them according to Lü Qinglong's instructions.

However, they soon discovered something was wrong.

"Wait, why is my quilt so lumpy? Brother Long, why is your quilt so different in your hands compared to ours?"

One New Recruit, after folding his quilt, looked at his own and then at the one on the ground, and couldn't help but ask in confusion.

"That's because you didn't press yours down properly. Put some effort into it and compact the cotton inside before moving to the next step."

"Oh, okay."

The New Recruit nodded and then began to kneel on his quilt, trying hard to mimic how Lü Qinglong had pressed the cotton.

However, the efficiency was truly worrying. After pressing for a long time, there was no change.

"Come on, cousin~ Do you really have Brother Long's strength?"

"Use a small stool to press it!"

Song Si, standing nearby, couldn't stand it any longer and reminded him in a Guangxi cousin's dialect.

At the same time, he didn't forget to gesture with the small stool in his hand.

"Oh! I get it. I'll use a small stool to press it."

The New Recruit nodded, picked up the small stool, and began to press the quilt.

"Forget it, I'll help you press them."

"Wait a minute, Lü Qinglong, don't help others press. You press your own."

Chen Ting, who was sitting on the bed drinking tea, suddenly spoke up, stopping Lü Qinglong from helping others.

I'll teach everyone hand-in-hand!