"All—"
"Attention!"
"Dress right—!"
"Stamp your feet! Stamp your feet! Shuffle those little steps, all of you—move them!"
"Are you even dressed up properly? Huh? Where are your eyes growing?"
After running five kilometers, the veteran squad leaders showed off their stern, black-faced seriousness, while Company Commander Gao Cheng showed how to mingle with the recruits. After breakfast, they each washed up, straightened out their quarters again, and began the formal training of the recruit company.
The veteran squad leaders led their respective recruits to different spots and began training them. Shouts and curses rang across the drill ground as the veterans' patience gradually wore thin.
"Xu Sanduo!"
Wu Liuyi bellowed and stepped up in front of Xu Sanduo. "Stamp your feet! Line up! Once you're lined up, you won't need to stamp anymore. Stand at attention! Am I not making myself clear, or are you too stupid to understand? How come everyone else can do it, but you can't? Huh?"
They stood so close that Wu Liuyi's spit sprayed all over Xu Sanduo's face.
Xu Sanduo scrunched up his face, looking helpless himself. "Squad Leader, I just keep getting it wrong!"
Then he smiled at Wu Liuyi.
That made Wu Liuyi even angrier. "What are you smiling at? Huh? What's so funny?"
"Squad Leader, I'm not, I..."
"You what? Get ready for push-ups!" Wu Liuyi glared at Xu Sanduo.
"Yes!"
Xu Sanduo stopped explaining. He knew no one would listen to his explanations. He did not even ask how many push-ups he had to do. Without another word, he dropped to the ground and started doing them.
That was one good thing about him—he was highly obedient.
Wang Yan and the others stood off to one side in military posture, each of them glancing sideways at Xu Sanduo's movements.