Noid struggled to fill a cart with horse manure. But by this time, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't push the cart.
Noid was panting, his whole body was exhausted, but he still said nothing, trying to push the cart.
Suddenly, Oliver's voice rang out.
"Alright, let's stop there. With your current strength, being able to do this much is already quite good."
To be honest, Noid's expression made him very satisfied.
Don't mind the stench of horse manure, work hard and try his best no matter how difficult the job is.
Noid also vaguely realized this, so he tried so hard.
"Okay, follow me, I'll take you to work in the kitchen."
The joy came so suddenly that Noid didn't have time to react. He just honestly followed Oliver to a tent near the stables.
He would be in charge of the kitchen, but this kitchen was not for people, but for horses. To raise such strong warhorses, it was impossible to feed them only grass, they had to eat a lot of high-quality food to replenish their energy and develop their muscles.
It can be said that the horses' food and life are much better than that of rookies like Noid.
"Do you know how to bake?"
"Yes, sir."
Noid said honestly.
But in his heart he was secretly happy.
Baking means he can take the opportunity to sneak a little.
Then Oliver took out some bags of flour.
"This is rice flour, used to make horse food. Add ground corn, cooking oil, salt, and eggs. Look and remember the measurements carefully, don't lose too much, understand?"
Oliver explained roughly how it was made and the amount of ingredients used.
Noid started to mix, but even though it was less strenuous than shoveling horse manure, it still required Noid to exert himself. So Oliver helped him out.
During that time, Oliver began asking him questions about his hometown and family.
"Where are you from?"
"From the north, sir."
Noid didn't dare to give the exact location, because he didn't know where it was. And if Oliver saw through his lie, all the goodwill he had built up until now would collapse.
And Noid's worries were not unfounded.
Just seeing, Oliver shook his head in admiration.
"I also came here from the north that year. At that time, my situation and yours now were not much different."
"The North is really too miserable. Before, it was just poverty, now... it's hard to even live."
Meeting someone in the same situation, Oliver also opened up a lot, but Noid's sympathy was not that high, he only paid attention to the food right next to him.
In Oliver's eyes, Noid was a very good person, and a very honest person. In the situation just now, it would have been better if Noid had complained to Oliver to gain sympathy, with the purpose of gaining more benefits.
Oliver doesn't hate this, but people who focus solely on profit are often not very popular, even though profit is still human instinct.
After talking for a while, the shape of the cake was done. This thing would not be baked in high temperatures like bread. Instead, it would be steamed with the heat from boiling water.
"These need to wait a while, wait until they are cooked then take them out to cool."
Finished, Oliver turned to leave, but stopped just as he reached the tent door.
"Don't eat too much, your stomach won't be able to handle it."
Obviously, Noid's intentions could not escape Oliver's eyes.
Oliver was an old man after all, and had experienced many things, including famine, so he knew very well how terrible hunger was. Noid, no matter how honest he was, after experiencing hunger, was still attracted to food beyond reason.
That's why Oliver intentionally left to give Noid a chance to eat. But Oliver also knew that Noid would most likely not be able to control himself and overeat, so he reminded him.
"Thank you sir, I will be careful."
Noid said emotionally, a few more bites of food might not be much to Oliver, but to him it was a huge help.
Oliver did not reply to him, quickly leaving the tent.
The next period of time, Noid sat waiting for the cake to cook. This was probably the longest, but also the happiest, time he had ever felt.
Feeling the heat on his face, Noid took out a piece of cake and stuffed it into his mouth to chew. All he felt was the sweetness of corn, the aroma of rice, the saltiness of salt, and the richness of eggs, all mixed together to create a flavor so delicious that Noid almost swallowed his own tongue.
Noid continued to eat more than ten cakes, until he felt his stomach starting to feel a full, then he stopped.
Although the feeling of hunger in his mouth was still very strong, he wrote that if he continued eating, there was a high chance that his stomach would not be able to digest it.
So, Noid focused on work again.
When Oliver returned, he was pleased to see that Noid had almost finished his work and was no longer sneaking around.
After a long period of starvation, one can still maintain rationality in the face of food. This kind of mentality is truly hard to come by.
"When the cake is cool, I will take you to graze the horse. After that, do this twice a day."
"Yes sir."
Noid nodded, during the waiting time he didn't just sit there idle, but he also went to get a broom and started sweeping the kitchen area.
This diligence received praise from Oliver, a diligent person will not cause trouble to others wherever he goes.
So, even though Noid was a new recruit, Oliver felt secure in giving Noid full control of the food supply.
Oliver always felt he was a good judge of character.
After herding the horses, Noid was assigned a place next to the stables, staying with another person. Although the smell here wasn't very good, at least there were blankets and mattresses prepared, so Noid was very satisfied.
His first day in the army camp passed just like that.