Chapter 18: Xu Da Backs Down

Xu Da's eyes went wide.

Chen Erhu's scalp instantly went numb. He shot a desperate look at Lin Hui for help.

"Squad Leader, please don't be angry — Erhu meant well," Lin Hui said, stepping in quickly to defuse the situation. "He knows he's not the most capable, so he just wanted to do a little extra for you."

Chen Erhu nodded vigorously. "Yeah, yeah, that's right! Squad Leader, you work so hard all the time. I just wanted to do something to take a bit of the load off you..."

He rattled off everything Lin Hui had coached him to say.

Xu Da was furious. "You call this taking the load off me? You washed all my clothes — what am I supposed to wear tomorrow and the day after, my bare ass? And these boots I'm wearing right now — I've had them on for seven straight days. If you want to wash something, wait until I take them off! Why did you go and wash my two clean pairs?!"

Chen Erhu scratched his head. "Huh? I saw the boots just sitting there collecting dust, so I figured they were dirty. I thought I'd just wash the whole lot while I was at it."

Lin Hui rolled his eyes in exasperation.

What a pig-brain.

He'd told him to wash the dirty clothes, and the idiot went and washed the clean ones too.

If Erhu weren't such an honest, simple-minded kid — always tagging along like a loyal little sidekick — Lin Hui wouldn't have bothered looking out for him.

"Squad Leader," Lin Hui said, smoothing things over, "Erhu meant well but made a mess of it. You know the kid's not the sharpest — don't stoop to his level."

Wang Yong chimed in. "That's right, Squad Leader. Erhu just saw how hard you work and wanted to help. Please don't blame him."

Xu Da was just about to blow up when he suddenly remembered what the Political Instructor had said to him earlier.

Ease the tension with the men. Whatever you do, don't let things get ugly.

These guys were clearly trying to get on his good side. If he punished them for it, it might backfire.

What he didn't know was that Lin Hui and the others had already made up their minds to give up on him.

Xu Da told himself: Recruit training's almost over anyway. No point getting into it with these guys. As long as the assessment doesn't fall apart, that's all that matters.

He let out a breath and forced a smile. "Alright, I was too quick to judge. It's rare that you'd even think to do something like that."

Chen Erhu immediately lit up. "Squad Leader! Then tomorrow I'll wash all your clothes — there's a whole bunch more in your wardrobe, I saw them!"

Xu Da nearly jumped out of his skin. "Those are all clean! Don't you dare touch them!"

Lin Hui gave an awkward, pained smile.

This kid Erhu was truly a lost cause.

"Everyone gather up — squad meeting!" Xu Da called out.

Everyone grabbed their Folding Stools and came running over.

Once seated, each of them felt a knot in their stomach.

Xu Da still hadn't settled the score over what happened during the day.

Knowing his usual style, he'd be tearing into them any second now, ripping them apart until they bled.

But a full minute passed, and Xu Da still hadn't said a word.

The men exchanged glances, all of them sensing this was the calm before the storm — which somehow made them even more anxious.

What they didn't know was that Xu Da was waging a fierce internal battle.

The Political Instructor made it sound easy. But after all his years in the army, Xu Da had never once backed down to the men under him, never once lowered his head.

His philosophy of command was simple: strict and unyielding.

Even soldiers he'd trained who had since become squad leaders or Platoon Leaders still felt a twinge of dread whenever they saw him.

So swallowing his pride like this was genuinely difficult for Xu Da.

He could only repeat to himself: Endure for a moment and the storm will pass; take a step back and the sea and sky open wide. This is my last chance — for the Officer Promotion, for staying on — I have to do this!

Xu Da forced a stiff smile onto his face. "Tonight's squad meeting has no agenda. We're just going to have a casual chat. Relax, everyone."

"For the past while, our training load has been... a little heavier than the other squads."

The men exchanged looks of barely concealed irritation.

A little heavier? More like several times heavier!

"I know you've all been through a lot," Xu Da continued. "I know you've been cursing me behind my back. But I did it for your own good."

"You joined the army to suffer. If you can't take the hardship, you might as well go home."

He took a deep breath. "That said — sustained high-intensity training does wear a person down. So going forward, we're both going to take a step back."

"I'm not asking you to stop training — keep it up as normal. But I'll ease up on the load a bit, give you all some time to recover."

"As long as you maintain a reasonable standard and don't fall apart at the recruit assessment, I'll make things more comfortable for you in the meantime."

Every single person turned to look at Lin Hui with a grin.

Just like he'd said.

As long as they stood together, they'd win.

None of them actually wanted to slack off completely — they just wanted the training load dialed back a little, so it wasn't quite so brutal.

Xu Da caught the looks on their faces and seethed inwardly: These little bastards — they planned this all along. And the ringleader is Lin Hui!

He looked at Lin Hui. "I've shown my hand. Now it's your turn. What do you say?"

"Squad Leader's been so considerate — of course we'll give it our all. We won't let you down at the assessment," Lin Hui replied with a smile.

As long as they passed, he wasn't lying to Xu Da.

The others all chimed in: "That's right! We've got to bring honor to First Squad!"

Xu Da smiled. "Alright, that's the end of the meeting. Go wash up. No extra training tonight — get some proper rest and recharge."

"Long live the Squad Leader!"

Everyone cheered a few times, grabbed their basins and toiletries, and jogged out in high spirits.

Xu Da stood up, jaw clenched, fuming inside: These little brats have got some nerve, pulling a stunt like this on me. They'd better hope none of them end up in Sixth Company — or I'll make their lives hell!

* * *

"A little white poplar, standing tall on the ridge, la la la..."

By the washbasins, the group had their arms around each other's shoulders, singing cheerfully and swaying their hips.

Wang Yong had a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth, practically bursting with excitement. "We owe it all to Brother Hui this time. If he hadn't come up with this plan, that old bastard Xu Da never would've backed down!"

"From now on, we're finally done living like dogs."

Everyone rolled their eyes.

Like you weren't the one who started all this trouble in the first place!

But the guy really had changed fast. He used to be the troublemaker, always going against Lin Hui. Now he'd completely flipped — calling him "Brother Hui" every other sentence like a total simp.

Wang Yong held his head high, completely unbothered by what anyone thought.

He was the only one who knew how good this felt.

He'd decided he was never going to try to compete with Lin Hui again. That was no way for a human being to live.

"Don't let your guard down," Lin Hui reminded them. "The Squad Leader's cutting us some slack, but we still can't afford to completely fall apart in training. If we do, he'll definitely come down on us."

Everyone nodded.

They knew Xu Da's temper all too well.

Today was just a surface-level truce — both sides taking a step back.

But if they pushed too far and backed the old man into a corner, he'd bite.

"Also," Lin Hui continued, "stay in line with me for now. But when the recruit assessment comes, don't any of you fall apart. Your final scores directly affect which company you get assigned to."

Everyone had their own reasons for joining up.

He absolutely couldn't let his own situation drag the others down.

Besides, after three months in the Recruit Company together, they'd all gotten along really well. He didn't want to hold anyone back.

Someone spoke up. "Brother Hui, what kind of company do you want? Why don't we all go to Sixth Company together? I heard it's paradise for elite soldiers."

Lin Hui shook his head. "You go if you want. I'm not interested."

"Why not?"

"It's paradise for elite soldiers, sure — but it's also hell."

Lin Hui said seriously, "Do you have any idea how brutal the training is there? Ten or more times harder than what we're doing now. Losing skin and flesh is just a normal day."

"If you're not mentally prepared for that, you'd better drop the idea."

"That terrifying?"

Everyone was taken aback, even Wang Yong's expression shifted.

Lin Hui nodded. "Of course. Like the Squad Leader just said — you joined the army to suffer. If you want to be elite, you have to put in more than everyone else."

He let out a sigh. "Honestly, staying in the army isn't bad, but I still prefer life on the outside. I just want to get through these two years in peace. I'm not trying to be anyone's top soldier."

"That said, you should all make your own decisions based on your actual situation. Don't follow my example — I'm not a good role model in that regard."

"And I don't want to hold back your futures."

Wang Yong grinned. "Brother Hui, sounds like we're on the same page. I joined up so I'd have better job prospects when I get out."

"My family pulled some strings. When I'm discharged, I'm going straight to an electronics factory — fifteen hundred a month, weekends off, plus benefits!"

Chen Erhu looked a little deflated. "Honestly... I kind of want to go to Sixth Company..."

"You idiot, you think you've got what it takes for Sixth Company?"

Wang Yong smacked him on the head.

Chen Erhu said, a little hurt, "What's wrong with having a dream? But... I know I'm not the sharpest. I'm probably not cut out for it."

"So, Brother Hui, wherever you go, I go. That way we can get discharged together."

The others exchanged glances, each with their own thoughts.

Some had joined the army to make it easier to find work after discharge.

Some wanted to impress a future wife.

And some genuinely wanted to make something of themselves in the military.

As for Lin Hui — he just wanted the remaining time to be comfortable, to avoid suffering, and to fulfill the two-year agreement he'd made with his old man.

But after two months of eating, sleeping, and living side by side, they'd all grown as close as family.

Thinking that in just half a month, everyone would be going their separate ways...

Each of them felt a quiet pang of reluctance.

No.

Lin Hui shook his head. He absolutely could not let himself get swept up in that kind of thinking.

The outside world was full of dazzling temptations — beautiful women, sports cars, yachts. How could a bunch of grown men compare to all that?

He smiled. "Your futures are in your own hands. But for the days we have left, we still need to train properly — at the very least, don't go and set Xu Da off again."

"The old guy had a pretty decent attitude today. We shouldn't push our luck."

Everyone nodded. "You're right. We'll follow your lead!"