Volume 1 / Chapter 52: Under the Sun
A different instructor led Class 2 of the tenth grade out into the sunlight.
In the cool mountainsâwhere the air was noticeably fresher and the temperature lower than in the cityâthe sunlight, which mightâve felt harsh in an urban setting, now felt like a comforting blanket of warmth.
The patch of ground basking in sunlight was just big enough to fit one class. Somehow, this made it feel like they were the chosen ones, standing in the golden spotlight of destiny.
But what came next was far from glorious.
It was⌠standing at attention.
Every military training seemed to include this. It was, apparently, the most basic of basics.
And yet, for all its simplicity, most students couldnât hold the position properly.
At best, they could manage to stand still.
But even just standing still could be a test of endurance. Sometimes, it was even worse than running.
Because when youâre motionless, your senses become absurdly sharp. Youâd start feeling an itch somewhereâout of nowhereâand the more you tried to ignore it, the worse it got.
Thatâs why standing at attention wasnât just physicalâit was a battle of willpower.
"Chin up, chest out, stomach in! No slouching- especially you girls!" Instructor Huång barked as he strode up to Wång Jialè, tapping her firmly on the shoulder. "What's up with you? You don't even have much there; it's not like they're weighing you down."
WĂĄng JiÄlèâs face flushed crimson. She straightened her back as hard as she could, but it didnât take long before she slumped back into her old posture.
âLegs straight! Fingers together! Hands flat against your thighs!â Instructor HuĂĄng swung the whistle dangling around his neck as he paced up and down. âYou boys in the backâtallest ones in the groupâdonât think I canât see you slacking just because youâre at the end!â
Mò XuÄyĂĄo had already braced herself mentally. Compared to the girls around her frowning and shifting uncomfortably, her expression was the calmest of all.
In fact, she found it⌠oddly fun.
Like a personal challenge.
The golden sunlight slanted across her face, illuminating the fine downy hairs on her cheeks.
She stood ramrod straight, trying her best not to move. But even so, her body trembled slightly. Despite the cool mountain air, sweat began to roll down her face in heavy drops.
Her long lashes dampened with moisture, making her eyelids feel heavy.
In her mindâs eye, she imagined herself guarding the border with weapon in hand. Just a few hundred meters away stood enemy soldiers, locked in a tense standoff, eyes fixed on one another.
Then her imagination shiftedâif war broke out, she would march to the frontlines as a soldier.
Rifle in hand, charging through smoke and gunfire, mowing down enemies by the dozenâŚ
Every boy mustâve had such a fantasy at some point, right?
And after living sixteen years as a boy, of course Mò XuÄyĂĄo had them too.
It was, if nothing else, a way to distract herself.
At least it made the time pass a little faster.
âGood, very good. Whatâs your name?â Instructor HuĂĄng looked at her approvingly. âYour stance isnât perfect, but youâre focused. Youâre doing all the basics right.â
ââŚMò⌠XuÄyĂĄo,â she replied quietly.
âNice! Everyone, learn from herâespecially you boys! Still giggling? Laugh one more time and Iâll send you off to the pretty female instructor next door!â
As time passed, more and more students began to wobble. The line lost its structure, bodies slumping in exhaustion.
Only a few still held firm.
Among the girls, Mò XuÄyĂĄo stood her ground. Among the boys, XuÄ XiÄnshÄng kept his posture sharp. And then there was Än RuòsĂš, the soft-featured boy who clung to the position with quiet determination.
âAll right, rest where you are!â
At Instructor HuĂĄngâs command, the students finally let out a collective sigh of relief. But after standing so long, their bodies were stiffâit was hard to even sit down properly.
Mò XuÄyĂĄo exhaled deeply and plopped down cross-legged, a bit wobbly.
âAt this point, who cared if the ground was clean or not?
Their clothes were destined to get dirty anyway.
By day five of training, everyoneâs uniform would be a disaster.
âIâm exhausted⌠We mustâve been standing for at least half an hour, right?â WĂĄng JiÄlè looked like she was about to collapse. If not for her arms holding her up, she probably wouldâve melted into the ground.
The one who answered wasnât a classmateâbut the instructor.
âHalf an hour? Hahaha! If weâd really done that, youâd be on a stretcher right now. You were only standing for five minutes.â
âOnly five?â Mò XuÄyĂĄo blinked in disbelief. Sheâd been sure it was at least fifteen.
âYup. And look how tired you all are already. You think standing still is easy? Now rest for ten minutes, then weâll get moving again. By the wayânone of you brought water bottles? Tomorrow, make sure to bring one and fill it to the top, or youâll die of thirst.â
âI hope it rains tomorrowâŚâ WĂĄng JiÄlè was already praying, even though this was just the beginning of training.
âNo problem,â said the instructor with a grin. âWeâll train in the rainâwith ponchos on.â
âAh⌠youâre a monsterâŚâ WĂĄng JiÄlè groaned weakly.
Those five minutes of standing had felt eternal, but the ten-minute break vanished in the blink of an eye.
When the instructor called for them to rise, many students looked reluctant.
But Mò XuÄyĂĄo got up quickly. She stretched her limbs as best she couldâher sweat had started to cool, and the mountain breeze now made her shiver.
âNextâmarching in place! Letâs see whoâs got two left feet.â Instructor HuĂĄng whistled and barked, âMarchâbegin!â
The class started marching on the spot. The boys in the back still had energy and began stomping hard, making thunderous noise like they were trying to crush the asphalt beneath their shoes.
âYou in the backâthe chubby one! Youâre moving same arm, same leg!â
He was talking about GÄo YuĂĄn.
âI am?â GÄo YuĂĄn looked confused. He glanced around to adjust his steps, but ended up messing up even more.
Even the people beside him started getting thrown off rhythm.
âDonât move,â Instructor HuĂĄng said as he approached and grabbed GÄo YuĂĄnâs arm. âNow startâswing your arms.â
âLike this?â GÄo YuĂĄn asked, unsure.
âYeah, keep that tempo. Try to keep up, you're always half a beat behind.â
âOh! Okay!â
âNow you're half a beat ahead.â
GÄo YuĂĄn was drenched in sweat. He realizedâmarching in place was way harder than it looked.
Instructor HuĂĄng scanned the group again. His eyes landed on Mò XuÄyĂĄo.
She immediately felt uncomfortable. Using her peripheral vision, she double-checked her posture. No missteps, no mistakes.
But the instructor was still staring.
Then he walked right up to her and stared into her eyes.
Mò XuÄyĂĄo pretended not to notice and focused on marching.
âMò XuÄyĂĄo, right?â
ââŚYesâŚâ she answered nervously. She hadnât messed up, but it still felt like being caught doing something wrong.
âAre you mixed-race?â
âHuh?â Mò XuÄyĂĄo was stunned. Where did that come from?
âIn this sunlight, your eyes arenât dark brownâtheyâre deep blue.â
âReallyâŚ?â She looked a little awkward, and several nearby students turned to look at her. The bolder ones, like GÄo YuĂĄn, even stepped out of formation to take a peek.
Naturally, he was caught instantly.
âChubby boy! Whyâd you step out? Want to go for a run?â
âNo no no!â
âThen you wanted to sneak a peek at a girl, huh?â
âAhem!â GÄo YuĂĄn coughed in embarrassment. âInstructor! Admiring beauty is a universal instinct!â
âOh? Then you like wearing skirts too, right?â
âNo! Definitely not!â
âLookingâs fine. Comeâeveryone stop.â Instructor HuĂĄng grinned devilishly and slung his arm over GÄo YuĂĄnâs shoulder. In a comically affectionate but inescapable grip, he dragged him into the girlsâ ranks.
He made room by nudging HuÄ YĂnyĂn and WĂĄng JiÄlè aside.
âYouâll train here now. All rightâonce againâmarch!â
The students started marching again.
Despite his usual clowning, GÄo YuĂĄn turned as red as a roasted duck standing among the girls.
âHey HuĂĄng GÇu, whyâs there a guy in your girlsâ squad?â a passing instructor joked as he came over during break.
âNonsense. Thatâs a girlâjust a little ugly is all,â HuĂĄng GÇu replied with a straight face.
The students burst into laughterânot just at the joke, but also because of their instructorâs name.
Everyone, including Mò XuÄyĂĄo, was secretly wondering what character the âgÇuâ in HuĂĄng GÇu was written with.
Surely⌠it couldnât be the same âgÇuâ as âwolf-dog,â right?
The first afternoon of military training dragged on endlessly.
Standing still. Marching in place. Rinse and repeat.
Even the boys whoâd started off full of energy lost their drive by the end, their heavy stomps reduced to feeble shuffles.
By 4:30 p.m., training finally came to a close.
Exhausted students sagged their shoulders and shuffled off like zombies, dreaming only of showers and sleep.
Some were just plain starving. LÇ HĂłngrÇn, whoâd been yelling drills all day, claimed he could eat an entire cow right now.
But their trials werenât over yet.
When they reached the cafeteria, the chief instructorânicknamed âOld TiÄnââannounced that no one could eat unless they sang a military song first. Loudly.
âAlright, our class tooâletâs sing loud so we can eat sooner. Iâll start us offââThe sun sets in the west, and the clouds glow redâââ
The students froze.
Used to pop music, none of them could quite recall how this song went.
Luckily, it was XuÄ XiÄnshÄngâs warm voice that rose up through the awkward silence:
ââThe soldier returns from target practice at duskâŚâ
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