Don't Go Against the Squad Leader

The first lesson for every recruit upon arriving at the military is, without a doubt, folding their blankets.

Every recruit folds their blankets the same way. The only thing that determines the quality of a folded blanket is the pressing of the cotton.

This process often takes a month, and for some recruits, it can even span their entire basic training period.

There probably isn't another recruit in the entire People's Liberation Army like Lü Qinglong, who is naturally strong and can press the cotton firmly in one go.

Squad Leader Chen Ting didn't want the other recruits to have an easy time; pressing blankets was also part of tempering their state of mind.

"Report, Squad Leader, why won't you let me help my comrades press their blankets?"

Lü Qinglong asked, somewhat confused.

If all the recruits in their squad had their blankets pressed firmly, wouldn't that mean their squad's overall dormitory standards would improve?

He was clearly doing a good deed, so why was Chen Ting displeased?

"From now on, don't speak until I give you permission."

"Pressing blankets is their own business, why are you interfering? If you press their blankets for them, what will they press?"

Chen Ting gave Lü Qinglong a look and calmly took a sip of his tea.

This tea is truly excellent; even after three infusions, the flavor is still rich.

"But..."

Lü Qinglong still didn't understand. Just as he was about to ask again, Ji Baichang, standing nearby, quickly interrupted:

"Oh my, Squad Leader Qinglong is just looking out for us, pressing blankets is to temper our state of mind!"

"We need to understand the Squad Leader's good intentions for us!"

As Ji Baichang spoke, he frantically winked at Lü Qinglong, signaling him to stop talking.

He realized that Lü Qinglong was indeed strong, but he was still too naive. He lacked the judgment to know when he could continue speaking and when he couldn't.

Lü Qinglong opened his mouth, then finally closed it.

After a while, Ji Baichang reported that he had a stomachache and needed to go to the restroom. After receiving permission from Squad Leader Chen Ting, he pulled Lü Qinglong along to the restroom.

After checking a few stalls and confirming they were the only two in the restroom, Ji Baichang finally breathed a sigh of relief and said to Lü Qinglong with a serious expression:

"Qinglong, you can't do that anymore. Whatever the Squad Leader says, just go along with it, don't go against him!"

"Why? If I help everyone press their blankets well, then no one will have to press them, and our squad's dormitory standards will definitely be the best."

"This is a good thing, so why doesn't the Squad Leader agree?"

Lü Qinglong had been exposed to many things about the military since he was young, so he naturally knew not to go against his Squad Leader.

But he was doing a good deed!

"Oh, Brother! I know you're doing a good deed."

"But this is the military. Just don't go against the Squad Leader, or we won't have an easy time."

"It's like this morning when you called out to the recruit who wanted to go back to sleep. Qinglong, you know we're a team. If you anger the Squad Leader, we'll all suffer with you."

It was clear that Ji Baichang had done his research before joining the military, and he was well aware of the concept that if one person makes a mistake, everyone suffers the consequences.

"I just don't quite understand this matter. So, I shouldn't help them press their blankets anymore?"

Lü Qinglong asked, confused.

"That's right, you can't openly help press blankets anymore. But we can do it where the Squad Leader can't see~"

"Alright, want a smoke?"

Ji Baichang suddenly and mysteriously pulled out a cigarette from his pocket.

"Huh? I don't smoke, why are you smoking? Didn't you say you..."

"Ah, how could I let the Squad Leader really know I smoke? As long as I don't get caught, that's all that matters!"

Ji Baichang signaled Lü Qinglong to be quiet and to cover for him.

Then he ducked into the innermost stall.

There were four toilet stalls in the restroom, each separated by a partition. This gave Ji Baichang the space he needed.

He heard a sound like flint striking together, and then Lü Qinglong smelled a faint scent of smoke.

Fortunately, at this hour, most recruits and veterans were in their respective squads, and no one came to use the restroom.

After a while, Ji Baichang emerged from the stall, looking satisfied.

He then went to the restroom faucet and rinsed his mouth several times with the cold tap water before asking Lü Qinglong:

"How is it? Can you smell any smoke on my breath?"

"No, but is this really okay? Didn't the Squad Leader say not to smoke?"

"Shh~ As long as I can hide it for the entire basic training period, the Squad Leader will think I never smoked. Let's go back to the squad."

Ji Baichang said, then walked out first.

However, as soon as he stepped out, he bumped directly into Squad Leader Chen Ting, who was walking towards the restroom.

"Hello, Squad Leader."

Ji Baichang greeted him, his face not flushing and his heart not skipping a beat.

"Taking that long to go to the bathroom? Were you smoking?"

Unexpectedly, Chen Ting's first question hit Ji Baichang right where it hurt.

His expression flickered for a moment, but he quickly recovered and chuckled innocently:

"Squad Leader, you're too funny. I don't smoke."

"Really? Then I hope you're not lying."

Chen Ting nodded, his gaze shifting away from Ji Baichang to Lü Qinglong:

"After you return to the class, continue teaching them the steps for folding the military quilt."

"Okay, Squad Leader."

Lü Qinglong nodded in response.

Chen Ting turned and walked into the restroom. Ji Baichang quickly pulled Lü Qinglong to the classroom door:

"Oh my god, you scared me! The way our Squad Leader looked at me just now, I thought I was exposed."

"The old Squad Leader is truly the old Squad Leader, he's really something else!"

"I should be good for a while."

Thinking this, Ji Baichang decided to quit smoking for a period, at least until the heat died down.

After returning to the classroom, Lü Qinglong called everyone to the open space in the center and continued with the steps they hadn't finished:

"The next step is very important; it basically determines the width and size of the quilt. Many people fold their quilts into tubes because they don't do this creasing step properly."

"Pay attention, start creasing about a hand-and-a-half length plus a fist from the top of the quilt. Your hands are smaller, so it should be about two hands-span."

(Image 1)

As Lü Qinglong said this, he opened his hand, defining a "hand-span" as the distance between his thumb and index finger.

"At the point of a hand-and-a-half plus a fist, pinch both ends to create an arch shape."

(Image 2)

"Then, grab one end of the quilt and fold it vertically to the middle of the quilt. This way, one side is folded."

"See? Isn't it very simple and easy to get the hang of?"

(Image 3)