Volume 1 / Chapter 60: Military Training on a Rainy Day

As it turns out, even in the rain, military training doesn’t stop.

At precisely 5:10 a.m., the female instructor’s voice rang out from beneath another villa nearby.

It was clear the girls in another class were being woken up.

Soon enough, the same voice echoed below the villa housing the girls of Class 2, Grade 10.

“Everyone, get up! Wash up now! Assemble at 5:30!”

Most girls normally spent quite a bit of time on their morning routines.

To them, someone like Mò Xuěyáo , who could finish everything in three minutes, might as well have not washed at all. Brushing teeth was fine—everyone did it.

But washing the face? That was a whole different matter.

At minimum, it required three rounds.

The first: rinse with water.

The second: apply cleanser.

The third: rinse off the cleanser thoroughly.

That was just the basic version.

Any more complicated than that… well, let’s not even go there.

All three bathrooms were packed, each with three girls inside, yet the efficiency still left much to be desired.

Fortunately, Mò Xuěyáo had already finished washing up. She didn’t need to compete with the other girls for a sink.

But she couldn’t help being curious—on a rainy day, where were they supposed to do military training?

Surely they weren’t expected to train in the pouring rain?

If someone caught a cold or developed a fever, the school would be held responsible.

After all, this was a large school. The leadership couldn’t possibly be that reckless and ignorant.

Though, of course, one couldn’t rule out the possibility completely. Still, the principal of Yūkōng High School wasn’t an old fogey—he was younger than most and, hopefully, less lacking in empathy.

Not long after the female instructor had left, Yè Wēn arrived downstairs in the villa. Maybe it was the morning rush, but her hair looked a little messy, and the over-knee socks she wore were mismatched in height—one higher, one lower. Anyone with OCD (Obsessive compulsive disorder) would’ve found it unbearable.

“Girls, once you're done washing up, come down to the lobby!” Yè Wēn called out from the sofa in the living room. “How many of you brought umbrellas?”

“I did—!” Wáng Jiālè leapt out, still bouncing with energy after finishing her wash-up, hand raised high.

Though she was the first to respond, in truth, over half the girls hadn’t brought umbrellas.

Out of twenty-one girls, only nine had one.

Even if they doubled up—two per umbrella—it still wouldn’t quite cover everyone.

“Xiǎo Yáoyáo , did you bring an umbrella?” Huā Yínyín asked as she applied face oil to her cheeks.

“…Yes.”

Though honestly, she’d really wanted to say no.

“Great! Let’s walk together later—I didn’t bring mine!” Huā Yínyín beamed, digging out yet another cream, or some kind of facial product, from her schoolbag to smear on.

After applying three different products to her face, Mò Xuěyáo figured she must be done.

But then she pulled out another tube, looking almost like toothpaste, and began applying it to her hands.

“…Why do you use so many things?” Mò Xuěyáo asked, genuinely puzzled. “Doesn’t it make your face feel heavy?”

“Why would it feel heavy?” Huā Yínyín blinked.

“Because you’ve got so many layers on.”

“It all gets absorbed into the skin! Wait—don’t tell me you don’t use anything, Xiǎo Yáoyáo? Ehh? Your skin’s so nice, you really should take care of it! If it goes bad, you’ll regret it, y’know. Here here, I’ll help you apply some~” She scooted closer.

Mò Xuěyáo immediately stepped back half a pace to keep her distance. “Just face oil is enough for me… I don’t need all that extra stuff.”

“What do you mean, ‘extra stuff’! These are essentials, okay? The bare minimum. Doesn’t your mom use anything?”

“Nope.” Mò Xuěyáo thought back. Her mom only ever used Yashuang face oil.

During summer, when skin was less prone to dryness, she’d even forget to use it entirely.

As for her dad—don’t even mention it. He never used anything, no matter the season.

Mò Xuěyáo herself only used face oil to prevent her skin from cracking. Honestly, if the dryness didn’t feel so uncomfortable, she might not have bothered either.

“Oh my god—” Huā Yínyín let out a dramatic groan, part confused, part jealous. “No skincare at all and still such good skin? You’re killing me here!”

“Stop, stop…” Mò Xuěyáo raised her hand to block the girl who looked ready to pounce on her and quickly changed the topic. “So, what exactly are you applying? Do you really need that many products?”

“Of course! This is just the basics. Back home, I use even more than this. If there’s a formal occasion, the stuff I apply to my face basically triples,” Huā Yínyín said, pointing at three small bottles on the floor. “These are moisturizing essence, facial care cream, and eye cream. And this one is hand cream.”

“So much trouble.” Mò Xuěyáo lost interest and turned to look at the other girls in the room.

Sure enough, everyone was applying something or other to their faces.

Especially Wáng Jiālè—she had a dedicated skincare pouch, packed with more than ten little bottles and jars. Just looking at it gave Mò Xuěyáo a headache.

Only the two sisters, Mo Xiǎoxiào and Mo Zhúyóu, seemed more relatable. They’d just used face cream and hand cream.

Both were mainly for preventing dry skin.

“Huā Yínyín’s stuff all looks like foreign brands,” Mo Xiǎoxiào noted, sharp-eyed despite not using any herself.

“Yup, but they’re not expensive—just the more affordable kinds.”

“How much, though? Is a hundred yuan per bottle enough?” Mo Zhúyóu crouched in front of her, pointing at one of the bottles.

“Yeah, about that.”

“So expensive!” Mò Xuěyáo blurted without thinking.

The Mo sisters exchanged a look full of quiet envy, then said in unison, “Must be nice to have money…”

“Expensive? Not at all. One bottle lasts three months!” Huā Yínyín seemed genuinely baffled by their reaction. “Xiǎo Yáoyáo, do you have no idea about this kind of stuff?”

“…A hundred yuan for three months? I don’t think I even get a hundred yuan in allowance over three months,” Mò Xuěyáo muttered reflexively.

“Ohhh…” Huā Yínyín finally understood. “Well, want to try mine, Xiǎo Yáoyáo?”

“Hah? I already said no.”

“C’mon, don’t be shy~”

“I really don’t want to.” Mò Xuěyáo gave her an odd look and walked out of the room.

“Hey—wait for me!” Huā Yínyín quickly chased after her.

Mo Xiǎoxiào and Mo Zhúyóu exchanged another glance and smiled helplessly.

That smile held a hint of shared poverty.

“Jie, let’s use that hundred yuan for snacks instead,” Mo Zhúyóu said suddenly.

Mo Xiǎoxiào blinked, then realized what she meant and laughed. “What? I thought you’d say you wanted to buy some too.”

“No need.” Mo Zhúyóu shrugged. “Hmph, I’m not interested. My skin’s great anyway.”

“Oh yeah? Then what’s with that pimple?”

“I’m just heaty, okay? Totally normal! Don’t touch it, Jie! If it leaves a scar, I’m making you pay!”

Mo Xiǎoxiào didn’t reply, only reached out and gently pinched her little sister’s cheek, her touch full of quiet affection.

By the time everyone had finished washing up, it was nearly 5:40.

Thankfully, their homeroom teacher Yè Wēn was there—otherwise, that instructor would’ve gone ballistic.

“Wēnwēn~” Lǐ Wǎnyán called sweetly, “Mò Xuěyáo’s on her period, and she seems to be having cramps too.”

“Oh, got it. I’ll inform the instructor. Now go get everyone downstairs so we can head to the training site.”

“Should Mò Xuěyáo come too?”

“Yeah, she should—just won’t need to participate.”

“Okay.”

Once the headcount was confirmed, Yè Wēn led the way—though interestingly, not in the direction of the plaza.

Huā Yínyín and Mò Xuěyáo huddled under a not-so-large umbrella. It made walking a bit awkward.

Yet Huā Yínyín looked oddly happy. Was it because she got to walk so close to Mò Xuěyáo?

The rainy day training area was located slightly downhill from the mountaintop.

First, they followed the asphalt path out, then passed through a narrow stone walkway, arriving at their destination.

The place used to be a set of vegetable greenhouses, but had since been converted into enclosed spaces—each roughly the size of a basketball court, enough to fit a class for training. It was a bit cramped, but manageable.

Barbecue racks had been pushed off to the side by the stoves—probably used for outdoor cooking on other occasions.

Stone slabs covered the ground, so even with the rain, it wasn’t muddy.

But that brought another problem.

The slabs weren’t in great condition—maybe old or poorly laid—so they were a bit loose. One wrong step and someone could easily twist an ankle.

Fortunately, the number of loose slabs wasn’t high. As long as one paid attention, it was fine.

“Which one’s Mò Xuěyáo?” Instructor Huáng called out.

“Me…” Mò Xuěyáo stepped forward, feeling a little awkward.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to do military training. It was just that with her period, it was impossible.

“Just rest on the side. If you feel better before we’re done, join back in,” Instructor Huáng said with a click of his tongue. “Tch, shame—you were one of the serious ones.”

Mò Xuěyáo looked up at the canopy above, cradling her still-aching abdomen, and quietly stepped aside.

“Mò Xuěyáo~ Over here! Sit on my stool,” Yè Wēn waved her over. “Might as well get comfortable. Technically, you should be resting in the dorm, but the rules are the rules—nothing I can do.”

“It’s fine. Uh… I’ll stand,” Mò Xuěyáo scratched her head in embarrassment. “You sit, Teacher.”

“No worries. I could use the standing—good for losing weight~”

“…That’s unnecessary.”

“How about this—we take turns? I’ll sit for a bit, then you take it,” Yè Wēn said, misreading Mò Xuěyáo’s hesitation as pride.

“…Alright. That works.” Mò Xuěyáo finally nodded, slightly bashful.

Watching the others train somehow made time pass even more slowly.

There was a strange irony to it—Mò Xuěyáo wanted to join them, but the others probably wished they could be standing here like her.

Just like a besieged fortress: those inside long to escape, while those outside wish they could enter.