Chapter 27: Deliver a Litter for a Sow? Are You Kidding Me?!

Knock, knock, knock…

A knock sounded at the door.

Quartermaster Fan Ming looked up. "Come in."

Lin Hui was just about to push the door open when Wang Yong and Chen Erhu grabbed him by the arm.

"Brother Hui, maybe we should forget it? This is too risky!"

Lin Hui shook them off. "Don't you two want a decent life around here?"

The two exchanged a glance and nodded vigorously.

"Then stop whining! If you want a good life, you've got to make sure the sows and geese are happy first!"

Erhu and Wang Yong rolled their eyes, thinking to themselves that the animals were already living better than they were.

Lin Hui pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Reporting in, sir! Third Squad, Logistics Fifth Company — Lin Hui, reporting!"

Fan Ming blinked. "This late? What is it?"

Lin Hui said with a straight face, "I'd like to report a situation to the leadership. Some veterans have been giving us new recruits a hard time."

Fan Ming raised an eyebrow. "Giving you a hard time? You must be joking. Things have always been harmonious here. Don't I look after you all?"

Lin Hui had anticipated exactly this response. He got straight to the point. "You do take good care of us, sir, and the veterans aren't bad people either. But they've dumped every single task on us and aren't lifting a finger themselves. The three of us are run ragged from morning to night — we're nearly dead on our feet. If that's not being given a hard time, what is?"

Fan Ming chuckled and settled back into his seat. "Little Lin, you're misunderstanding the veterans. They're trying to help you grow and get familiar with the work environment as quickly as possible — that's their way of looking out for you! How can you think of them like that? It hurts their feelings, and it hurts mine too!"

Lin Hui rolled his eyes inwardly. That official tone was airtight.

But he had come prepared. "Quartermaster, the Military Regulations clearly state that veterans and new recruits must respect and care for one another."

"In combat units, everyone trains together. Are you saying that here we don't all work together? Is there a rule that says otherwise? If so, please show me the regulation — I'd like to study it."

Slap!

Fan Ming brought his palm down hard on the desk. "You've got some nerve! Since when do you get to tell me how to run things?"

"I'm telling you — having you do more work is to help you grow and get up to speed as fast as possible."

"And I'm also telling you: the order to give you more assignments came from me. Any problem with that?"

Lin Hui smiled slightly. "Orders are orders — we'll carry them out without question."

"Good. Then go back and get to work!" The Quartermaster waved him off impatiently.

Lin Hui snapped a salute. "Yes, sir! In that case, I'll write a letter to the Division headquarters tomorrow to report how well you've been looking after us — so the higher-ups can give you a Commendation!"

Fan Ming stared, his head buzzing.

In all his years here, he had never once seen a rookie with the guts to report him.

Watching Lin Hui turn to leave, Fan Ming slammed his palm on the desk in fury.

"Get back here! Who said you could go?!"

Lin Hui turned around. "Sir, are you trying to physically punish me? Go ahead — and when you're done, I'll write it all up and include it in my report."

Fan Ming's mouth twitched.

Current policy demanded that new recruits be treated with care.

If a recruit had genuinely done something wrong, a mild punishment could be justified.

But these past weeks, Lin Hui and the others had worked without complaint and performed their duties exceptionally well.

If he really let them file a report and the higher-ups sent someone down to investigate, he would be the one left holding the bag.

Fan Ming jabbed a finger at him. "Lin Hui, let me be clear! This may not be a combat squad, but it's still the military. You three were sent here to atone for what you did!"

"Unless — the veterans see a genuine change in you with their own eyes and accept you from the heart. Only then will they stop making things difficult for you."

"Don't think filing a report will solve anything. You've made enemies of the whole unit. Even if you leave here, you'll be targeted wherever you go."

Lin Hui laughed coldly to himself. So the truth finally comes out.

He squared his shoulders. "I seem to recall a certain leader once saying that everyone makes mistakes, and a comrade who can correct their mistakes is a good comrade. Are you holding our past against us and refusing to let it go? I'll have to include that in my letter too!"

The Quartermaster's liver ached with rage. He had never met a rookie with such a talent for arguing.

"Fine! Sharp tongue you've got!" The Quartermaster sneered. "All right — I can have everyone work together. But let me tell you: the mistakes you made won't be forgiven that easily!"

"This is the military, not civilian society. If you want respect, you'd better prove you've got what it takes."

Lin Hui could see that the Quartermaster wasn't a bad man.

He was simply doing what every veteran expected of him.

Yes, he had deliberately made things hard for them — but it was also out of a sense of duty to uphold the veterans' dignity.

Still, Lin Hui had no intention of putting up with this indefinitely. He had come here to solve the problem once and for all.

He looked Fan Ming in the eye. "Sir, I know the veterans look down on us. They think we're troublemaker soldiers."

"But what if we could match them — become their equals? Wouldn't that mean they'd have no reason to target us anymore?"

Fan Ming was taken aback, then broke into an exasperated laugh. "Match them? Lin Hui, do you think running a livestock operation is easy?"

"I'll have you know — every veteran here spent over a year learning before they reached their current level of skill!"

Lin Hui met his gaze with quiet confidence. "And what if we could do exactly that?"

Fan Ming shook his head in disbelief. "You really won't cry until you see the coffin! Fine — tomorrow, one of the sows in the pig pens is due to farrow. If you can successfully deliver the litter, that'll prove your skills are on par with the veterans. Think you can manage that?"

"I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Lin Hui stood tall.

Fan Ming's eye twitched. Even a rookie was looking down on farm work now?

Did he really think anyone could just walk in and do this?

He shot to his feet in fury. "Fine! If you can successfully deliver those piglets tomorrow, I'll agree to whatever you ask!"

Delivering piglets for a sow was a genuine technical skill.

It might sound laughable, but in the world of military logistics and livestock operations, it was the kind of work only a seasoned hand could do.

Even an experienced veteran wouldn't dare guarantee a hundred percent success rate.

Lin Hui smiled to himself. His System was built on learning ability, and Sergeant Ma had spent quite a bit of time teaching him about farrowing over these past weeks.

For him, this wasn't a difficult task — which was exactly why he had the confidence to come to Fan Ming in the first place.

"Quartermaster, if we pull it off, I won't ask for anything outrageous. Just a bit of leave, and for things not to be so brutal around here."

Fan Ming looked him up and down. "Deal! But what if you fail?"

Lin Hui said solemnly, "We'll follow every order the Quartermaster gives, without complaint, no matter what we're asked to do."

"Agreed — it's a deal!" Fan Ming settled back into his chair with a satisfied grin. "Kid, let me see what you've got tomorrow!"

Lin Hui snapped a salute, turned, and walked out.

Fan Ming leaned back and crossed his legs with a smug smile. "Brat — you walked right into this one yourself. Tomorrow, I'll teach you two a proper lesson about how things work around here!"

Still, just to be safe —

He would have a veteran standing by to watch, ready to step in if anything went wrong.

The sow was military property, after all. If there were complications and the pig died, he would be held responsible too.

Lin Hui stepped out of the office. Wang Yong and Chen Erhu rushed over immediately. "Well? What happened? What did the Quartermaster say?"

Lin Hui smiled. "Sorted. They won't be giving us trouble anymore — and we might even get some leave."

The two of them whooped with excitement, jumping up and down, and lunged forward as if to plant a kiss on Lin Hui's cheek.

Lin Hui shoved them away in disgust. "Don't celebrate yet — there's a condition."

"What condition?"

"Tomorrow, we deliver a litter for a sow. As long as we can pull off a successful farrowing without any accidents, we're good."

Wang Yong and the other two nearly coughed up blood. "Brother Hui, what kind of joke is this?! We don't know the first thing about delivering piglets! She'd have better luck delivering us!"