"Do you really want to be the Deputy Squad Leader?"
Fang Huai's excited expression didn't quite match the initial impression Hao Chengbin had formed of him over the past couple of days.
Fang Huai had already prepared his words carefully.
"Squad Leader… my dad told me that to be a soldier, you have to be willing to take on responsibilities. I feel like I have the ability, and I also want to show my family my progress."
"Hmm," nodded Hao Chengbin. "You're not wrong, it is about responsibility. In the troops, the Deputy Squad Leader has special duties. But if you want to progress, you need sufficient strength. Aside from maintaining Internal Affairs, excelling in training is also a top priority. Right now… you still lack some physical strength. Work harder."
"Reporting to the Squad Leader, I understand!"
With satisfaction, Hao Chengbin walked into the Brigade Department with his hands clasped behind his back.
He felt this was encouragement for Fang Huai. If the Chief of Staff had made an attempt to motivate him, then he had to make Fang Huai win the title of an excellent soldier; otherwise, it would suggest not only that Fang Huai was a weak soldier but also that he himself was a weak squad leader.
Practicing 20 pull-ups, getting used to the sway… strengthening arm and waist muscles training shouldn't be a huge problem.
...
For waist and arm strength, Fang Huai had already given up.
What he needed to work on was grip strength.
With sufficient waist and arm strength on the pull-up bar, you still need to be able to hold onto the bar and overcome the pain caused by friction.
The simplest way was to tie a backpack's handle to the pull-up bar and hang for a while. Anyone who tried it knew the unique sort of ache it induced—you wouldn't feel the pain in your wrist until you pulled up, and then your palms would hurt. In 10 minutes, you could shed a thick layer of skin from your hands.
After hanging from the bar long enough, callouses would form on your palms, thick and tough, naturally making it painless and increasing your grip strength.
Without proper equipment, he could only practice grip strength in the air. This was the simplest but also the most patient-testing exercise. Fang Huai decided to start his mental fortitude training from here.
His enthusiasm lasted for about 20 minutes.
He forgot all about grip exercises once the hustle to move things downstairs and assembly started.
One could only say that there's a logic to slacking off.
…
A group of people huffed and puffed as they moved the bedding and folding stools from downstairs to each company's department, immediately ready to return to their own squads and wait for the distribution of supplies.
Folding stools, socks, shirts, regular clothing, and even a pair of standard-issue underwear.
Items that no one would normally glance at back home suddenly became a hot topic of excited discussion.
"I've heard that the socks issued by the army are of really high quality and are especially warm!"
"Right, the underwear never wears out! No matter how much you scratch at them, they don't pill!"
"You're joking, military items like that are awesome! I just looked at that small folding stool; it can be used not just for sitting but also flipped over to serve as a table! Totally awesome!"
"Whistle—hush! Whistle—hush!"
The whistle blew.
The brothers from Squad Nine rubbed their hands with glee.
"Squad Seven, dress in camouflage uniforms and hats, tighten your camouflage belts, gather downstairs! Training!"
"Crooked day… we're training before even getting our stuff?"
"Shoot, what's got to come will always come!"
"Dammit, where's my belt?"
"On the bed, in front of the blanket! We all put it there together earlier, have you forgotten? You melon!"
The hallways were filled with similar customary exclamations until Wang Jian appeared, and the complaints fell silent.
"Move fast, move fast! Training ceremony is starting! All squad leaders, quickly form your squads!"
Jiang Peng, seeing that Squad Leader Hao wasn't there, took the initiative and rushed to the hallway, calling out to his squad.
"Squad Nine, assemble, assemble!"
Fang Huai, with his belt tightened, stepped out and adjusted his cap, automatically taking up his position second from the end of the line.
Once everyone lined up in the hall, Jiang Peng moved to the front of the line, not quite sure how to get everyone in order, but his face was full of excitement.
"Attention… on me!"
Jiang Peng put his hand above the head of Sun Lianhai, who was first in line, which immediately drew some resentment and his hand was swatted away.
Hao Chengbin, on the phone walking out of the Brigade Department, saw Jiang Peng and, holding his phone, kicked him in the backside and frowned, saying, "Which position are you?"
"Reporting to the Squad Leader! Fifth in line!"
"Then what are you doing here? Roll back to your place!"
The crowd laughed.
Hao Chengbin picked up his phone again and looking up at Sun Lianhai commanded, "March!"
…
"Squad Leader Hao!"
"Squad Leader!"
As they moved along, many non-commissioned officers greeted Hao Chengbin actively, and while he was on the phone, he raised his hand in response. Watching from the eyes of the new recruits of Squad Nine, they finally recognized the status of their squad leader among the old soldiers in the training, and felt particularly proud.
"…Okay, we're about to have a meeting here. Don't add oil to that set of hydraulic rescue equipment for now. For maintenance and oiling, don't fiddle based on the manual alone, call over the Equipment Technician from the First Squadron!"
"Yeah, hanging up."
Hao Chengbin hung up the phone and turned around, shouting loudly.
"Line up properly when descending the stairs! The Head of the Corps is coming today, so don't whisper to each other later! Any problem and you can forget about showering this weekend; there will be additional training!"
All new recruits in the hallway went silent at once.
But inside, Fang Huai remained unfazed.
A bath… I'd rather not have one.
I'd prefer additional training!
...
The training field.
"Welcome March" played continuously as nine company formations were lined up neatly.
On the playground's rostrum, three steps led to three rows of seats, and behind them, a backdrop read "2007 New Recruit Training Ceremony," flanked by the Chinese Firefighting emblem displaying crossed firefighting ladder, axe, and water gun nozzle, shining together.
A line of cars arrived at the entrance of the training field and stopped. A cluster of cadres immediately swarmed to greet them.
"Head of the Corps is here!" someone exclaimed among the crowd.
A group of middle-aged cadres wearing large-brimmed hats and dressed in regular clothing alighted from the cars outside the training field, amidst a flurry of activity, looking rather imposing.