Volume 1 / Chapter 66: The Barbecue Party

Dusk fell.

Today’s military training had ended later than usual.

It wasn’t until 5:40 PM that everyone was finally dismissed.

But instead of heading straight to dinner, the students were sent back to their dorms to shower and rest. The barbecue party wouldn’t start until 7:30 PM, and they were to regroup then.

“We’re gonna have a barbecue party later! My stomach’s already growling like crazy!”

Wáng Jiālè shouted excitedly, then turned to Lǐ Wǎnyán.

“Class monitor, do we still have to wear our camo uniforms?”

“No need, just wear your own clothes,”

the class monitor replied as she pulled out a clean set of school uniform from her backpack—planning to change into it after her shower.

“Hmph, I had the foresight to plan ahead~! Look, evening dress!”

Huā Yínyín proudly displayed a black dress—not only off-shoulder but also backless.

For the more conservative older generation, that would definitely be a no-go.

Too revealing for a student.

“Xiao Yáoyáo! Wanna shower together today? I haven’t showered in days!”

Huā Yínyín chirped as she carefully folded up her party dress, then called out to Mò Xuěyáo.

“She’s showering with us today,”

Mo Xiǎoxiào was faster, grabbing Mo Xuěyáo’s arm with a smile.

“How about it, Yáo? Us three girls showering together~?”

“Can’t I just shower alone...?”

“That’d be such a waste of time! Besides, it’s more fun together!”

And so, unable to resist—or maybe just a tiny bit curious—Mò Xuěyáo was half-dragged, half-willingly pulled into the bathroom.

Mo Zhúyōu had already filled the bathtub with warm water, even adding some salt with special care.

“Where’d you get the salt...?”

Mò Xuěyáo blinked in confusion.

“Bought it from the snack shop! Foreigners always use bath salts, but we don’t have any here, so I improvised.”

Mo Zhúyōu explained while slipping out of her clothes and sliding comfortably into the tub.

“Uh... I’ll just take a shower...”

Mò Xuěyáo muttered, quietly stepping into the nearby shower stall.

“No need~ Let’s all soak together,”

Mo Xiǎoxiào said, grabbing her by the wrist.

“The tub’s not big enough...”

“We’ll squeeze in. It'll be fine!”

Mo Xiǎoxiào laughed, stripping off her camo military uniform and tossing it aside.

Underneath, she wore a plain black bra—one that clearly looked a size too small, squeezing everything together like it could snap at any second.

Mò Xuěyáo, recalling how she’d been through frog jumps and other drills all day, found herself genuinely impressed by the resilience of that bra.

Poor thing’s been through hell...

Just as that thought formed, she quickly caught herself—realizing she was staring at another girl’s chest. She immediately turned away to focus on the misted white wall.

White...

Her mind started to drift again.

“Not undressing, Xuěyáo?”

“Mm...”

Awkwardly, Mò Xuěyáo turned her back to them and changed, puzzled by why girls liked bathing together so much.

Was it really for bonding?

“Xuěyáo is a White tiger~”

[White tiger : means she sounds cute and innocent]

Mo Xiǎoxiào giggled, her dimples sinking deep.

Why did everyone keep saying that phrase!?

Mò Xuěyáo rubbed her temples in frustration, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath before slowly lowering herself into the tub.

The tub was meant for two.

Three people could still fit—but barely.

Bodies pressed against each other, skin slick and soft...

Girls bathing together seemed to inevitably lead to scrubbing each other’s backs.

Even the normally proper Mo Xiǎoxiào wasn’t exempt.

It almost seemed like the physical closeness made them genuinely happy.

“Ahh, sis, yours got bigger again! Why are mine still so small! I’m starting to suspect you stole my share!”

Mo Zhúyōu grumbled, hugging Mo Xiǎoxiào from behind.

Honestly, hers weren’t that small—but next to her sister’s, they did pale in comparison.

“But aren’t you the one who eats the most meat?”

Mò Xiǎoxiào patted her sister’s head.

“Yeah, but all my meat went to the wrong places! Ugh... Eh? Yáo’s are even smaller than mine.”

“...”

Mò Xuěyáo rolled her eyes and decided to play dead, eyes shut.

“Xuěyáo~ Want me to massage them for you? They say massaging helps them grow~”

Mò Xuěyáo nearly jumped. She was sure that was Huā Yínyín—but no, that voice belonged to Mo Xiǎoxiào.

Wait... does every girl secretly have a pervy soul hidden inside them?!

Under the twin onslaught of the sisters, Mò Xuěyáo somehow made it through the bath in one piece.

Since there’d be barbecue later, she changed into a clean set of winter school uniform and sat on the sofa, slowly pulling on a pair of black thigh-high stockings.

She was being extremely cautious—afraid she might tear them by accident.

“Wow! Black-stocking Yáoyáo!”

Huā Yínyín appeared out of nowhere and hugged Mò Xuěyáo’s thigh, disrupting her progress.

“Cut it out, can I please finish putting these on...?”

Mò Xuěyáo grumbled, pushing her away, face full of black lines.

“Hehehe~ Want me to help you, Yáoyáo~?”

Mò Xuěyáo was starting to feel like she’d been thrown into a den of pervy girls.

And it wasn’t just her—other girls passing by would chuckle and cop a feel too.

Even Wáng Jiālè ran over to join the fun.

Thankfully, more students came out from their showers, distracting Huā Yínyín and giving Mò Xuěyáo a much-needed breather.

“Smack! Wow, class monitor’s got a perky butt~”

Huā Yínyín even dared to mess with Lǐ Wǎnyán.

“Huā Yínyín—itching for trouble, huh?”

Lǐ Wǎnyán didn’t get angry. Instead, she wrapped an arm around the shorter girl’s neck and started tickling her armpits.

“Pff-hahahaha—stop—mercy—it tickles—hahaa!”

Huā Yínyín struggled, gasping for air between bouts of laughter, finally tapping out.

“I surrender...!”

Her weakness: she was extremely ticklish.

Mò Xuěyáo rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

Could be useful next time she gets handsy...

By the time everyone had finished showering, it was nearly 7:30 PM.

Without the usual drills, the group moved lazily, more like a bunch of friends heading to a night market.

The barbecue was held in the same place where they’d trained on rainy days—but now it was outdoors. A small creek flowed nearby, its babble especially soothing.

Each class had their own large grill. Boys and girls worked together—everyone grabbed their own meat and grilled it themselves.

The grills were big enough for over a dozen students to crowd around.

Still, most preferred to wait on the sidelines and dive in once things were cooked.

Yè Wēn was busy maintaining order, making sure everyone got a share.

“Eat as much as you want, everyone!” she said with a bright smile.

“The principal paid for all of this out of his own pocket—so don’t waste it!”

“I think I just saw the principal earlier?”

Wáng Jiālè tiptoed and looked around.

But she was too short to see anything, even on her toes.

Though Mò Xuěyáo wasn’t that tall, she still had a good six or seven centimeters on her.

At the front, a big speaker was set up. Huáng Gōu held a mic, already singing before he’d even touched food.

He sang a trending love ballad—quite unexpected.

People assumed drill instructors only sang military anthems, yet here he was singing a pop song—and singing it well.

In this relatively closed-off era, that was downright trendy.

“C’mon Wēnwēn, sing one too!”

The students egged on their homeroom teacher.

“Yeah! Wēn sounds amazing—sing a Teresa Teng song!”

Gāo Yuán was the loudest cheerleader.

“I second that!”

Zhōu Yǒng gave a big thumbs-up.

“Sure! But who wants to sing a duet with me?”

“Me, me!”

Gāo Yuán raised his hand eagerly.

“I’ve got a decent voice, okay!”

“No way, fatty, you can sing?”

Zhōu Yǒng looked stunned.

Gāo Yuán stroked his chin smugly—like stroking a nonexistent beard:

“I dabble~”

Soon, the students were treated to a duet between Yè Wēn and Gāo Yuán.

That only fired up the crowd even more.

“Xuěyáo, can you sing?”

Wáng Jiālè asked between bites of grilled pork.

“Not really.”

“C’mon, try one?”

“No way—I seriously can’t sing...”

Mò Xuěyáo shook her head frantically, worried she’d be dragged onstage as tribute.

“I’m tone-deaf.”

“No way, your voice sounds perfect for singing~”

Mo Xiǎoxiào was surprised.

“You’re just being modest, right?”

“I swear I’m not... You’ll see.”

Mò Xuěyáo decided it was better to embarrass herself in front of a few people than a whole crowd.

So she sang “Two Tigers.”

Yes. And still went off-key.

She even somehow sang it in the wrong melody.

Wáng Jiālè and the others burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs and nearly suffocating.

At least they spared her from being dragged up on stage.

Mò Xuěyáo was finally free to dig in.

She didn’t get to eat much meat at home—so tonight was the time to feast.

Tenderloin, pork chops, beef steaks, chicken fillets, duck gizzards, chicken gizzards, crunchy cartilage...

She tried everything.

Toward the end, some boys even brought out beer from the snack shop.

Like drinking it made them grown-ups or something.

And in that warm, joyful atmosphere, the barbecue party finally came to an end.

Because no feast lasts forever.