Ye Qiu, carrying a small backpack, ran at the forefront, with Yang Le and Li Dazhuang following closely behind after Ye Qiu's reminder. The others, however, struggled as they carried large bags packed with clothes, food, and even laptops. Some were carrying over 100 pounds, making it nearly impossible for them to run.
"Brother Ye, my admiration for you is as endless as the Yangtze River! Who was the one spreading rumors that the food in the military camp is terrible, urging everyone to pack extra snacks and sausages? Those guys raided the supermarkets like madmen, and now they're paying the price," Li Dazhuang said with a laugh from behind. His bag was slightly larger than Ye Qiu's, but it only contained a few changes of clothes, so it wasn't too heavy. Besides, they had just started running, and he didn't feel tired yet.
"Yeah, I almost believed it too and was about to stock up. But when I saw that Ye Qiu didn't bring anything extra, I felt too embarrassed to bring much myself. Since we're here for military training, we should be prepared to endure some hardship. Even if the food isn't great, the soldiers eat it just fine," Yang Le added.
Hearing his two companions constantly praising him, Ye Qiu could only smile wryly.
The real reason Ye Qiu hadn't packed extra food was that he had never heard the rumor about the poor food in the military camp. Moreover, his upbringing was different from the other students'. Forget about poor food—he could survive for a week with just some plain water. There was no need to bring anything extra.
"Why haven't we seen any girls along the way?" Li Dazhuang asked, puzzled. The girls' convoy had been in front, and the boys' convoy followed behind. The truck was closed on three sides, and those sitting deep inside couldn't see what was happening outside. They didn't know if the girls were being trained at the same military camp.
"The girls were probably driven directly to the camp. They brought even more luggage, and their stamina isn't great. If they had to run like us, it would have been too much for them," Yang Le chuckled.
"Being a woman is a blessing. If it weren't for that monthly visitor, I'd want to be a woman," Li Dazhuang sighed.
"—"
"Less talking, regulate your breathing. There's still a long way to go," Ye Qiu reminded them. With that, Yang Le and Li Dazhuang stopped talking and followed Ye Qiu, jogging steadily behind him. Soon, they had pulled ahead of the other squads, leading by a large margin.
Those students who had brought too much luggage were in agony. The things they had packed were carefully chosen and precious to them. They didn't want to discard anything, but dragging it along was too burdensome, making it impossible to run.
In the end, they had no choice but to discard their snacks, beer, beef jerky, sausages, and instant noodles, all in an effort to lighten their load. They did it just to avoid being among the last ten and facing the harsh punishment.
After running for a while, Ye Qiu and his group unexpectedly came across the girls' squad. It turned out they hadn't been driven all the way to the camp—only a bit further than the boys, given their physical condition.
The girls already had a lot of luggage—clothes, snacks, toiletries, all crammed into large suitcases. Now, having to drag those suitcases while running was more than they could handle. Some were sitting on their suitcases, wiping away tears, while others struggled to pull their luggage forward. Perhaps they had received the same warning as the boys, because when they saw Ye Qiu and his group running by, they didn't ask for help.
"Sigh, I thought being a woman was great, but now I see that not only do they have to deal with their monthly visitor, they have to run just like men," Yang Le joked.
"What's the matter? Don't want to be a woman anymore?" Yang Le teased.
"Nope, no more. Too much trouble," Li Dazhuang shook his head emphatically. "Hey—Ye Qiu—isn't that your girlfriend?"
Li Dazhuang was already starting to feel the strain after running such a long distance. His small frame was beginning to show signs of wear. But seeing Ye Qiu and Yang Le still looking untroubled, he didn't want to appear weak, so he forced himself to keep going, even though his voice was starting to waver.
"What girlfriend?" Ye Qiu asked, confused.
"Ye Qiu, it's really Tang Guo," Yang Le pointed to two girls ahead.
Ye Qiu was taken aback—it was indeed Tang Guo and Lin Bao'er.
He was surprised that he hadn't recognized them first. Instead, it was Yang Le and Li Dazhuang who had spotted them.
Ye Qiu knew about Tang Guo's family background, and although he wasn't clear on Lin Bao'er's, he could guess it was similar. Ye Qiu had assumed they would receive some special treatment, but it seemed they were being treated the same as everyone else, having to run just like the boys. Another reason he didn't recognize them immediately was that he was used to seeing them in fashionable, casual clothes. Now that they were in camouflage uniforms with hats, Ye Qiu didn't recognize them at first.
Tang Guo and Lin Bao'er were resting by the roadside, with two large suitcases at their feet. They noticed Ye Qiu running toward them, and Lin Bao'er said, "Tang Tang sister, Ye Qiu looks pretty handsome in camouflage, don't you think?"
"Handsome? What's handsome about him? Don't even say that word," Tang Guo said angrily. Just seeing him reminded her of the acupuncture for breast enhancement that had caused her so much pain for nothing. And when Shen Mounong had come in, she'd even gotten a painful jab, all for no effect. Tang Guo was starting to wonder if Ye Qiu was just a charlatan.
"Sister, we could ask him to help with our suitcases," Lin Bao'er suggested mischievously. The camouflage uniform she wore was a size too big, making her look a bit comical except for the part around her chest, which fit perfectly due to her petite frame.
"But didn't they say we can't ask others for help?" Tang Guo asked, puzzled.
"Yes, but we can give him our stuff. That's not asking for help, is it?" Lin Bao'er grinned.
"Give it to him? What will we use?"
"We can ask him to bring it back to us once we reach the camp."
"Lin Bao'er, you're so bad."
"Why are you smiling so happily? Tang Tang sister, you're bad too."
Having made their decision, the two girls looked at Ye Qiu with newfound warmth, and Lin Bao'er even waved at him cheerfully.
Ye Qiu glanced at the two large suitcases on the ground, considering whether he should pretend not to know them and just run past them.
"Ye Qiu." Tang Guo was furious. He had clearly seen them—there had even been a brief three-second eye contact—yet he was turning his face away and trying to run past them. How could he be so heartless?
Yang Le and Li Dazhuang were puzzled. They had expected Ye Qiu to greet his girlfriend, and they were ready to stop and rest, but Ye Qiu just ran straight past the two girls as if he didn't know them.
"Ye Qiu, where are you running?" Lin Bao'er shouted.
Ye Qiu knew that pretending not to recognize them would be too much, so he turned around with a look of surprise and said, "What are you doing here?"
"We're waiting for you," Lin Bao'er said, annoyed.
"Waiting for me? No need to wait for me. You should go ahead. Oh, by the way, our squad has a rule—if you're among the last ten, you won't get lunch. We need to keep going." Without even greeting Yang Le and Li Dazhuang, Ye Qiu turned to leave.
"Ye Qiu, stop right there," Tang Guo shouted in frustration.
"What's the matter?"
"Our luggage is too heavy to carry."
"It does seem heavy," Ye Qiu looked at the two large suitcases, silently cursing, *If it's too heavy, why did you bring so much?* "But our instructor has a rule—no helping others with their luggage. Unfortunately, I can't help you." Ye Qiu shook his head regretfully.
"It's okay, you don't have to help us," Tang Guo had guessed he would say that. She pointed to the two suitcases and said with a smirk, "We've decided to give these two suitcases to you."
Ye Qiu was stunned and quickly waved his hand, "No, no. Those are all women's things. I have no use for them."
"We know you don't, but you can carry them to the camp and then give them back to us," Lin Bao'er said with a mischievous smile. "Tang Tang sister, let's run."
With that, Lin Bao'er and Tang Guo held hands, carrying their small backpacks, and ran ahead, leaving the two large suitcases for Ye Qiu to deal with.
"Brother Ye, what do we do now?" Li Dazhuang asked with a bitter expression. "I finally understand why they say beautiful women bring disaster. Women really are trouble."
"Haha, never mind, don't hold it against the girls. Dazhuang, you carry my
bag, and I'll drag one suitcase while Ye Qiu drags the other," Yang Le suggested with a smile.
That was the best they could do. Ye Qiu could have managed both suitcases, but their large size made it cumbersome to carry one in each hand. Fortunately, Yang Le had good physical stamina and wasn't showing any signs of fatigue after all that running, so he could help lighten Ye Qiu's load.
When the three set off again, it wasn't as easy and carefree as before. Each of them had a much heavier load, and the red triangular flags stretched out ahead, seeming to have no end.
To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8