They Really Are Making Dumplings!

"Why's everyone gone quiet?"

"Those of you with shovels, come over and dig a path first! Everyone else can start hauling."

"Take everything that overflows and dump it into the pit we dug next door. We'll use it to fertilize the vegetables later!"

The duty officer shouted at the recruits.

Not a single recruit dared step forward. In the end, with the duty officer taking the lead, they slowly began the process of scooping out the shit.

The recruits' faces were all completely bloodless. It was clear they were doing their best to keep their composure.

Ji Baichang, who was off to the side, had nearly thrown up stomach acid. In the end, he forced himself to hold it together and joined the ranks of the glorious TF recruits.

This grand work detail lasted a full three hours. They didn't complete the arduous task until eleven in the morning.

"After you head back, don't go into the barracks yet. I'll bring over a hose. Once you've rinsed yourselves off outside, then you can go back into the barracks."

The duty officer seemed to have come up with a solution.

Looking at the recruits now, if they went into the barracks, that stench wouldn't go away for at least a month.

The recruits were in no state to argue. They walked in formation with vacant expressions and lined up in front of the barracks.

The duty officer told them to take off their camouflage uniforms. Then a few veterans came out carrying hoses and rinsed off each recruit in turn.

The September weather was still a little hot. Cold tap water sprayed out of the hoses, washing the recruits clean one by one.

By the time they got back to their rooms, pretty much everyone was soaked through.

"Whoa! What happened to you guys? Why are you all wet and stinking?"

Xue Daochao was sitting by the doorway pinching his quilt when he saw Ji Baichang and the other recruits return. He asked in astonishment.

"Old Xue, you bastard! Did you know this was going to happen today?"

Ji Baichang had been fine before. All the recruits had gone on the work detail together and scooped out the shit together, so it had felt fair.

But!

Then he saw that bastard Xue Daochao looking completely innocent, and as clean as could be.

Jealousy twisted his face!

Why had he had to scoop up shit like crazy over by the back hill, while Xue Daochao only had to tidy up the storeroom?

"What's the matter? Why would I be thinking about something like that? What did you guys even do? Why do you stink so much? You look like you fell into a latrine!"

Xue Daochao pinched his nose and waved a hand in front of his face. That look of disgust only made Ji Baichang angrier.

Really, you couldn't blame anyone. When Company Commander Chen Ting had asked them earlier, nobody had wanted to tidy up the equipment depot. They'd all thought the work detail would be easier.

As it happened, Xue Daochao had gotten the easy job. It wasn't anyone else's fault.

"You probably had to clean out the latrine. I heard my brother say that it's a tradition in the army. You scoop up the manure with a yellow washbasin, and then in the afternoon they might even make you use that same basin to wrap dumplings."

"What?! Qinglong, don't make things up! We're supposed to use our washbasins to wrap dumplings? I was already planning to throw mine out and get a new one!"

Ji Baichang panicked as soon as he heard Lü Qinglong's words.

Seriously! They were supposed to use the washbasins they'd scooped up shit with to wrap dumplings?

What was the difference between that and eating shit straight out of the basin?!

"I'm not sure. I'm just guessing. We'll have to see what the duty officer does."

Lü Qinglong shook his head, feeling rather fortunate.

Thankfully, the squad leader had sent them to tidy up the equipment depot and given them an easy job. Otherwise, he'd have hated to come back covered in stink.

"Reporting in."

The duty officer stood outside the company headquarters. After changing clothes and taking a shower to make sure he no longer smelled, he knocked on the office door.

"Come in."

Company Commander Chen Tianjian's voice came from inside.

"Company Commander, the septic tank by the back hill has been taken care of."

"Mm. What about the camouflage uniform I left at the drying yard? Did anyone return it?"

Chen Tianjian nodded, then asked.

"Company Commander, I don't think it's been returned yet. Could recruits from another company have taken it?"

"Impossible. In that case, have all these recruits go to the cookhouse this afternoon and wrap dumplings."

"Understood, Company Commander."

The duty officer nodded and turned to leave the company headquarters.

By lunchtime, perhaps because of the morning's work detail, none of the recruits seemed very keen on eating.

That worked out wonderfully for Lü Qinglong.

By the time every recruit had been through the line, there were still plenty of chunks of meat left in the big metal tray. They all ended up in Lü Qinglong's hands.

For once, he ate his fill.

After lunch, everyone returned to their rooms. Most of the recruits chose to wash the camouflage uniforms they hadn't had time to clean that morning.

"Brother Long, I noticed the company commander's clothes rack is still empty. Maybe we should..."

That recruit came to Lü Qinglong again, still full of nervous apprehension.

"Don't rush. Just pretend you don't know anything about it. The company commander will catch whoever stole the clothes."

Lü Qinglong shook his head. In the end, the recruit said no more and silently returned to his bed.

"We're not doing formation training this afternoon. The cookhouse is short-handed, so the whole company will go wrap dumplings. Remember to bring your yellow washbasins."

The duty officer's words struck the recruits like a bolt from the blue, leaving them questioning their lives.

They were going to wrap dumplings in the washbasins they'd scooped up shit with? What was this supposed to mean?!

Ji Baichang turned his gaze away, his eyes dull and his mind blank. He stared at Lü Qinglong as if asking why he'd jinxed them like that.

Lü Qinglong could only shrug helplessly, signaling that this really had nothing to do with him.

The recruits had washed their yellow washbasins again and again, nearly scrubbing off the outer layer.

But even after all that, they still didn't feel they were clean. It seemed like they were still smeared with shit.

The painful yet fulfilling day soon came to an end. After they'd eaten the dumplings they'd wrapped themselves, the company's political instructor called all the recruits to the club:

"Good work. I can already see in you some of the qualities that belong to a soldier!"

"Most of you were born in the 2000s, right? I hope you can carry on the spirit of your predecessors—the spirit of fearing neither hardship nor exhaustion!"

The political instructor stepped forward and spoke at length, most of it words of encouragement for the recruits.

"Right, so the political instructor gets to play the good cop."

Ji Baichang shook his head. He was now deeply worried about his mental state.

He really felt fragile right now—the kind of fragile that would shatter at the slightest touch.

"You've all done very well, new comrades. Tomorrow, we'll be giving you recruits a medical examination. If any of you are nearsighted, you can tell me, and I'll send you home early."