Someone from a different group offered a small kettle in exchange for some seasoning. They had too many of it, so it was not hard for them to let go of a few.
Instructor Xia and Akong began to chat about Shuishui. Instructor Xia said, "That child is quite capable of enduring hardships. No wonder Old Li likes her so much."
"Yes. Old Li dotes on that child. Actually, it was a little difficult for me to bring Shuishui here, but he was able to easily arrange it." Akong felt that Old Li was truly very influential in the army.
"Yes, yes. He's been in the army for three generations. He has a good backgroun and has never relied on his family. His success can be credited only to himself. He has always been very humble, and we only found out how influential he was much later. That's why we admired him even more," Instructor Xia said. He thought that Old Li was a very good person overall.
Akong knew Old Li. "But why did he leave?" she asked.
Instructor Xia stopped the conversation. "Don't ask about that. It's not something you should know about."
There were some things that he didn't know much about, but he also knew that there were some things that he couldn't talk about. However, he felt that it was a pity. For a woman, was it all worth it?
Shuishui and the others had a simple lunch. Each of them had a can of food and a piece of bread. They used the kettle to boil water. The lunch was all right. It was not as miserable as they had imagined.
Shuishui ate without complaints.
To them, it did not matter what they ate. As long as they had something to eat, they would be fine. However, Shuishui had a bad feeling about it.
After they have had their fill, they rested for twenty minutes. Afterwards, they were asked to stand for half an hour. Next was the frog jump, which they did in open space. They were common training activities. However, this time, it was held in a different venue. They felt that it was more strenuous due to the friction between their footwear and the kind of cement used in that particular area.
Shuishui could not compare to them at all. After all, they trained every day, while Shuishui ran, jogged, and enrolled in self-defense classes. However, her activities were not as strenuous as what the others went through every day.
She could not keep up. Shuishui felt that she had come to suffer. She was in extreme pain and was really tired. She gritted her teeth and persevered in spite of the pain.
Akong paid attention to Shuishui. "That's enough. Shuishui is still young after all. And she definitely can't keep up with high-intensity training. We can't expect her to be as agile as trained soldiers."
Instructor Xia had already made arrangements for Shuishui. They would let her relax and rest. "I know. She's still growing, so she can't exercise too much. But during the day, she has to exercise more. Tonight, let her rest and do some simple relaxing exercises. During the nighttime activities, just let her watch."
Akong nodded. She thought that it would be good to let Shuishui rest. However, she knew that pushing her would not only stimulate her potentials, it would also make her body healthier.
Shuishui was in such pain. It was even more painful than what she felt during her match with Akong.
The coach did not shout for Shuishui to stop. Everyone continued with the training.
Shuishui tried her best to keep up with the rhythm. Although she was slower by half a beat, her movements were also slower. The two coaches did not say anything, because they saw that Shuishui did her best to keep up.
After the frog jump, Shuishui stood on the spot and rested for ten minutes. The others were breathing heavily and gulping down water.
Shuishui drank water and steadied herself and relaxed her breathing. Her chest heaved up and down.
Liu Mo comforted Shuishui. "Come on, it's okay. If you can't keep up, don't force it. You're still young."
"Okay." Shuishui would not force herself. She ate the plum blossom that Akong gave her. There was quite a lot in that bag. The more she ate, the more appetizing it was to her.
Akong noticed it and smiled. "This young lady likes my plum blossom. I'll bring more next time."
"I don't like your plum blossom. It's too sour and bitter. But after strenuous physical activities, it's not bad to eat your plum blossom. It's full of salt. You don't have to give it to me next time. Bring some for your students. " Instructor Xia had his own food to replenish his energy.
Akong laughed. "I really like Shuishui. If only she would go to military school after graduating from high school. It's a pity that she wants to major in science. She's the top student in a key high school. She has many choices."
Good grades and other talents really caught people's attention.
When it was dark, the main part of their training ended. Shuishui was already too tired to eat.
Liu Mo still persuaded Shuishui to eat. "Eat a little. Try to ignore the fact that you don't have the appetite to eat. Tomorrow is more difficult. If you don't eat, how will you have the stamina to do the activities?"
Lin Yiyun did not agree. "Actually, Shuishui is so pitiful. They let a child train with us." She walked over t Shuishui with a bottle of medicinal wine and said, "Come. Let me help you apply the medicine to relax your muscles."
"No need. I can do it myself. Thank you." Shuishui refused. However, Lin Yiyun squatted down beside her and applied the medicine on her thighs and calves, as well as her arms.
While she was applying the medicine, Lin Yiyun said, "I have a younger sister. She's about your age. She was born with a bad body, so she couldn't join the army and could not do intense exercises. But every time we see each other, she would look forward to me telling her interesting stories and my experiences in the army. She wanted to join too, but because of her body, she couldn't do it. You have a healthy body, so I hope you can take care of it. Every time I see you, I am reminded of my younger sister, so don't reject me."
Shuishui looked down at Lin Yiyun's face with a smile on her face.
"Your sister has a sister like you. She must be happy. It's congenital and cannnot be controlled. However, with today's advanced medical treatments, your sister will get better," Shuishui said simply. She thought that Lin Yiyun's sister would be happy to have a sister who missed her so much.
As for Shuishui, she was also happy to have a good father and a close friend.
It made up for her regrets about the past. In her past life, she was not close to her parents. In the past, she only cared about herself and ignored the people around her. In this life, she would treat those who treated her well seriously.
The dinner was still relatively casual and simple. Instructor Xia called Shuishui to the side. He wanted to talk to her about something.
"You don't need to join the training tonight, but I hope that you can join the morning and afternoon training. Can you do it?" Instructor Xia's tone sounded like he was challenging her.
Shuishui only nodded coldly and said, "I can do it. I will persevere and try my best not to hold everyone back."
"That's not what I meant. I meant that tonight, you should stretch and relax your muscles and then just do what you want to do. Although I'm very strict, I'm not strict enough to treat an underage child cruelly." Instructor Xia could not help but laugh. He reached out and patted Shuishui's head.
Shuishui nodded. "Instructor Xia, can you teach me some close combat defense moves?"
Instructor Xia patted his chest and said, "Of course. I'll be happy to help you. After all, your teacher and I were good opponents back then. I might be good at something he hasn't taught you yet."
Instructor Xia felt that although she was not a child of the army, she was a student of his good comrade. "How is Old Li? I haven't seen him for a long time. I don't know how he is."
"Teacher Li is in good condition. However, he has an undiagnosed disease that makes his feet hurt. It affect his everyday life. Teacher even told me that although he was injured, at least he didn't lose anything." Shuishui recalled what her teacher had said.
Instructor Xia was stunned. "He . . . He really said that?" It reminded him of the past. He shook his head and brushed his thoughts aside. "You go and rest," he said to Shuishui.
Shuishui nodded and walked away. As she left, she noticed Instructor Xia's confused gaze. She just looked at him silently and did not say anything.
She found it more and more strange. Each of her teachers seemed to be hiding a huge secret.
Moreover, they all had one thing in common. They all came from the capital. Was it all just a coincidence?
She was actually not someone who gossiped. She was curious about it, but she did not dare to ask. After all, it was only about her teacher. It had nothing to do with her.
She was not a girl who gossiped. She would not ask about it unless her teacher mentioned it.
Shuishui's personality was very likable. That was why her teacher was willing to talk to Shuishui.
After all, Shuishui was very young in her teacher's eyes. He felt that Shuishui wuld not understand the stories he would share because she was young and innocent.
"All right. We're done eating. Rest for fifteen minutes and prepare for tonight's training," Akong said as she clapped her hands. The bonfire in the middle crackled amidst the silence of the night.
Everyone prepared and washed their equipment. The others lined up in a makeshift washroom. They found it very awkward, but there was nothing they could do in such an environment.
There were only two boys, and they were basically female soldiers.
As the others continued with their training, Shuishui stretched and watched by the side.
She felt that her body could not be compared to the others. She needed to work hard. She felt that she could tap into her own potentials with their training method. She felt weak all over, but it was okay because she no longer felt too much pain. Her arms and thighs still felt cold. It was probably because she had applied medicine.
She took out her solar charger. In the morning, she had put it under direct sunlight outside the tent. It was now fully charged, so she rushed to her cell phone. If there was good signal reception, she would text her brother. The debate competition was on Wednesday, and she was worried that she would return on Tuesday.
She would have to stay up all night on Tuesday to prepare for it. Otherwise, she wouldn't have enough time to catch up. As the lead debater, she had to be updated on news and current events.
She texted her teacher to inform her that she would be on sick leave on Monday and Tuesday and that she would rest at home for those two days. That was all she could say. Her father didn't even know that she was in an army training camp.
After a long while, she received a text from Mu Ziyu. "Where are you? I've tried calling you a few times, but I can't get through. Reply to me when you receive the text."
She replied: "I don't know where I am either. Signal reception is weak. I might not have the time to answer calls or text messages. I'm basically training during the day."
Mu Ziyu was very frustrated because he had no idea where Shuishui was and what she was doing.
After he showered, he was pleasantly surprised to find that Shuishui had replied to his message. He quickly replied: "Send me a message whenever you can. Is training very tiring? Don't wear your body out. Take care of yourself."
Shuishui complained to Mu Ziyu. "Yes, yes. I'll take care of myself. Fortunately, I only need to stay for three more days before I can go back. If I stay here for longer than that, I won't be able to take it."
"Then can you leave now? I can pick you up." Ziyu could leave at any time.
Shuishui replied: "No. I still have to persevere. Signal here comes and goes, so I have to keep resending my messages. I won't say anything more." She looked at the weak signal notification and was annoyed.
Mu Ziyu was her boyfriend. It was indeed not good for her to ignore him. Most of the time, she did not treat him as her boyfriend.
It was a good thing to have people who cared for you.
Shuishui began to get busy. She boiled water and poured it out to let it cool down. When the others finished their training, they would be able to drink clean lukewarm water.
She also took out the chocolates she had bought. Everyone could eat a piece later to replenish their energy.
Although they had been in the army for a long time, to the instructors, they were still recruits who had been with them for less than a year.
When the training ended at eight o'clock, everyone sat down to rest.
Shuishui's group was happy. Shuishui had prepared water and chocolates for them.
Shuishui's thoughtful actions made them like her even more. Who wouldn't like an adorable child? She was also working hard. She had trained throughout the day, but she never complained. She was hardworking.
The had first thought that she was too fair and delicate. But now, they saw her differently.
The other groups were unhappy. After the training, they had to boil hot water and wait for a while before they could actually drink it.
Shuishui wasn't obligated to help the other groups. The others were too embarrassed to ask Shuishui to help them because they weren't very friendly with her in the beginning. In their hearts, they thought that Shuishui would only drag them down. They looked down on Qian Shuishui a little. However, Qian Shuishui showed them that although she was young, she was definitely not a delicate girl. She showed them how hardworking she was.
Their opinions of Shuishui had generally changed.
Shuishui was the kind who would use her actions to prove her strengths and capabilities to others rather than gain their approval through her words.
Of course, she didn't care about other people's opinions at all. She cared about herself. She wasn't really selfish, but she knew that she had no reason to try to prove herself to others.
Everyone was tired, so they all went to bed early.
Xia He borrowed Shuishui's solar charger. The others wanted to charge their phones and send messages to their families. They were allowed to bring their phones with them on this trip.
Shuishui set her phone alarm and went to bed early.
Because of her exhaustion, Shuishui closed her eyes and fell asleep not long after.
The next day, their training proceeded as usual. They were again given one hour to look for parcels.
They were given different instructions, but everyone still went in groups.
The training was still as intense during the day, and the actual combat began in the afternoon. They took turns to determine the winners in one round.
Shuishui was the one who suffered the most. Every time she fought in a match, she would take the advantage of the situation. She would strike first and stun her opponent. If her opponent struck first, she would not even have a chance to win.
This type of training lasted until the fourth day. They were preparing for their final morning training and were about to leave. However, Instructor Xia received a phone call.
A few minutes later, Instructor Xia returned with a serious expression. "I just received a phone call from the county bureau. They said that two human traffickers have escaped up the mountain. They hope that we can help them. Two human traffickers—one male and one female. The male has a sparse beard and a large mole on their nose. The female has short hair and a slightly bloated figure. She is about thirty years old. Now, two people will form a team to conduct a search."
"Shuishui, you and Liu Mo will form a team," Akong said. Liu Mo's combat ability was relatively strong. Although the others could protect Shuishui well, it seemed that Liu Mo was the best choice.
Shuishui nodded. She did not expect to encounter such a situation.
They all split up and began to search for the two human traffickers.
However, the police failed to mention that one of them was holding a knife.
The phone call had ended because of the weak signal before they were able to mention it to Instructor Xia.
If Akong had known that one of the traffickers had a dangerous weapon, she would not have let Shuishui go. Shuishui was still underage. She would not be able to confidently defend herself against a dangerous person with a weapon.
Liu Mo brought Shuishui along. "Be careful. If people are backed up against a corner, they will do anything."
"Uh." Shuishui did not understand why she had to go with them.
She looked around and saw other people. The others also saw Shuishui and Liu Mo. They had to quickly disperse and spread out so as not to miss out on important areas to search in.
They had to be very observant of their surroundings and watch out for unusual movements.
Shuishui scanned their surroundings and saw a shadow. "Let's go over there and take a look. I see a shadow," she whispered.
Liu Mo walked ahead. "Let's go."
"There's someone there. Let's be quiet and approach slowly." Liu Mo felt that they were lucky.
They walked and crouched nearer and hid quietly. They stopped and hid behind tall grass. They then overheard the conversation between the two suspects.
"Second Brother, where are we going now?" a hoarse female voice said.
"Damn it! How did we get discovered? But there's no one here. Let's go around to the other side of the mountain and leave as soon as possible," the man said. He sounded like he was breathing heavily.
"We've been running for too long. Let's rest for a while. There's no one on the mountain, and these are undeveloped areas. Don't worry. The path we're taking is definitely safe." The man had a thick country accent and spoke with an unfamiliar tone.
Shuishui frowned as she listened. Were these the two traffickers?
Liu Mo saw an opportunity to tackle the suspects. Shuishui was about to contact Akong, but the response Akong sent made a sound that exposed them.
The two human traffickers looked over in surprise. The man saw Liu Mo's clothes and quickly waved the weapon in his hand. "Don't come over!" he yelled.
Liu Mo looked at the human trafficker coldly. "I hate human traffickers the most. What right do you have to sell other people's lives?"
The woman retreated. "Second Brother, let's leave quickly. Are there other people around?"
The man looked at Liu Mo and tried to threaten her with his gaze. Liu Mo should not think of going nearer.
Shuishui stood up and looked at the suspects. She felt that Liu Mo would not let them go. The man waved his weapon, as if to ward them off. It was very dangerous.
Both parties did not make a move, but Liu Mo was looking for an opportunity to strike.