The previous few days of the scholars’ army coaching have been dedicated to getting ready for the parade assessment. In response to the teacher, the target wasn’t to march with essentially the most magnificence however with essentially the most imposing momentum.

As soon as once more Shen Shao’s luck fell brief. On the day of the parade it started to rain, and the grounds turned moist and slippery. If not for the anti-skid rubber footwear everybody was carrying, they wouldn’t have been capable of stroll, a lot much less march in unison.

Everybody lined up so as. Shen Shao and Yao BoXuan stood in entrance, adopted by rows of scholars in camouflage uniforms. Shen Shao pulled on the brim of his hat. He was making an attempt to keep away from a number of the rain pouring down his face, however it didn’t appear to make a distinction. When he observed Yao BoXuan standing there as stiff as a board, he nudged him together with his elbow. “Hey, when do you assume the parade will begin?” Normally rain was an excellent factor. It meant they wouldn’t need to do as a lot coaching, however on these days the climate was at all times sunny. At present, when solar would have been higher, after all it ended up raining.

Yao BoXuan checked out him, then averted his eyes. “How ought to I do know?”

Shen Shao gave him a confused look. When did he offend this man?

“The parade is beginning up forward,” another person mentioned.

Shen Shao seemed in direction of the assessment platform. It was already packed full of individuals. Some have been wearing camouflage uniforms, however others wore fits, which meant they weren’t from the bottom.

“Trainees, fall in!” Shen Shao’s teacher came visiting and raised his hand. “Everybody, pay shut consideration while you flip. Don’t bunch up the formation. Additionally hold your peripheral imaginative and prescient on the folks to your left and proper. Don’t make a straight line right into a wavy line. If you go the assessment platform, take neat, even steps and pay shut consideration to the 2 pacesetters in entrance. If one individual messes up, your complete formation will collapse. Is that understood?”

“Understood!” the scholars of the fifth Firm replied in unison.

“Superb. I wish to see the identical power while you’re marching later. If something goes improper, we’ll get to take pleasure in one other emergency drill tonight. In fact, when you’d relatively apply doing squats, that’s superb too.”

The scholars instantly started to wail. Squats have been no totally different than bodily torture. For the remainder of their lives, every time they noticed the phrase ‘squat’, they have been going to cringe. And if there was an emergency drill at evening, nobody would get an excellent evening’s sleep.

Glad with the scholars’ howling, the teacher gave a cough. “If you wish to keep away from punishment, do your finest to win honor for fifth Firm!”

Shen Shao heard the excited shouts of the scholars behind him and silently lowered his head. It was good to be younger. A couple of easy phrases have been sufficient to make their blood boil.

“fifth Firm, put together to march!”

At this command, all the scholars in fifth Firm tensed up. Shen Shao straightened his hat, pulled down the hem of his camouflage jacket, and assumed an ordinary standing place.

“Firm, consideration!”

“Ahead march!”

After they bought near the assessment stand, Shen Shao known as in a loud voice, “Eyes proper!”

The sound of marching toes beat a clean rhythm in his ears. For Shen Shao, these footsteps have been highly effective and heroic. He couldn’t even really feel the mud splashing on his pant legs. He maintained his salute as he marched previous the assessment stand. After they have been just a few meters away, he known as out, “Prepared entrance!”

After they completed, the teacher walked over and gave Shen Shao a happy pat on the shoulder. “This younger man has an excellent voice.”

The parade floor was so huge that it was exhausting for the squad leaders to be heard by the folks marching behind them. In the event that they weren’t loud sufficient, issues wouldn’t go effectively.

Shen Shao smiled. “Teacher, which means our firm gained’t be punished, proper? We labored so exhausting at present. It wouldn’t be humane to make us do one other emergency drill tonight.”

The scholars behind him instantly echoed Shen Shao’s coaxing. The trainer folded his arms on his chest and laughed. Lastly he agreed, saying, “OK, no drill tonight and also you’ll have lowered coaching tomorrow.”

At any charge these college students have been going to go away base the day after tomorrow. There was no cause to make everybody depressing on the finish. What’s extra, these have been the highest college students of Hua U, future leaders of the nation. He wasn’t going to harass them past their skill to bodily endure.

In a nook of the assessment stand, Gu NingZhao stood up from the bench, whispered one thing to Gu ChongZhi, and hurried off the platform.

Gu ChongZhi checked out his son hastening away and observed he was heading to one of many corporations that had simply completed the assessment. He sighed helplessly to his older brother subsequent to him. “That child says he’s going to stay on campus all 12 months. I’m actually anxious about him. His persona is so introverted….”

Gu ChongYan labored within the army base. He most well-liked to be quiet himself and didn’t assume Gu NingZhao’s non-communicative model was a giant drawback. “I don’t see something improper together with his persona. Take a look at any of the younger masters within the capital, then have a look at the boys in our household. That ought to make you are feeling happy.”

There have been different folks sitting close to them, so Gu ChongZhi didn’t wish to go into element. He shook his head. “With NingZhao it’s greater than only a matter of not liking to speak.”

“You’re worrying an excessive amount of. Wait till he has extra contact with different folks and will get a bit older. He gained’t have any drawback discovering somebody who agrees with him.” In Gu ChongYan’s opinion, when his youthful brother went into enterprise, he developed a nasty behavior of worrying an excessive amount of. NingZhao was so good and gifted with numbers. Sooner or later he was sure to change into a genius within the enterprise world. His youthful brother didn’t have something to be involved about.

Gu ChongZhi smiled bitterly and will solely fall silent.

Qian Bin and several other different college students crowded round Shen Shao. “Shen Shao, we’re providing you with an additional piece of beef for lunch at present!” Qian Bin mentioned in a joking tone. “Since you saved us from struggling.”

“Don’t exaggerate. You guys won’t know, however after I was marching in entrance earlier I may hear how a lot drive everybody was placing into their marching. It was nice.” Shen Shao gave them a thumbs up. “The trainer had mercy on us as a result of all of us did effectively.”

“Hey, it’s additionally since you had the heart to ask the teacher to spare us. He even agreed to shorten our coaching tomorrow.” Qian Bin draped his arm throughout Shen Shao’s shoulders. “We’ll provide the fattiest piece of beef later.”

“Just one? How can that be sufficient? At the least two.”

Yao BoXuan, who occurred to be standing close by, noticed Shen Shao surrounded by the gang, together with some folks from his personal squad. They’d relatively joke round with Shen Shao than spend time with him, their dorm mate. What precisely have been they doing?

All of the noise they have been making simply made him really feel aggravated. However when he was about to stroll away, he heard Shen Shao say his identify.

“Hey, Yao BoXuan contributed too. You’d higher give him the fattiest piece of beef. I can’t eat it.” After saying this, Shen Shao dove by means of the gang and tagged Yao BoXuan’s shoulder. “Fortunate man, I’ll go the distinction over to you.”

The scholars have been in excessive spirits and didn’t care who the article of the joke was. A few of the extra excited ones reached out to drag Yao BoXuan over, saying, “Don’t take heed to him. He has to eat the fatty bits this time!”

Throughout coaching, everybody was taught to cherish their meals, which meant the scholars weren’t allowed to have any leftovers. The chunks of fats that have been left within the dishes after the meal gave all people heartburn. They needed to both grit their enamel and eat it or let it “unintentionally” fall right into a nook when the teacher wasn’t wanting.

Yao BoXuan was startled for a second, after which he smiled. “No approach, Shen Shao seems a bit skinny. He must eat extra meat.”

“Alas, what occurred to the belief we shared?” Shen Shao pretended to be mournful and heaved a sigh. “My coronary heart aches inside.”

This impressed a brand new spherical of jokes from the opposite college students.

Yao BoXuan seemed on the classmates who have been teasing him and tried to say one thing chilly to finish the dialog. In the end it was all in useless, and the scholars continued their good-natured ribbing.

Regardless of the gang of individuals wearing an identical uniforms and hats, Gu NingZhao shortly recognized Shen Shao. He noticed Shen Shao surrounded by classmates, a few of whom have been leaning in opposition to him or had their arms round his shoulder, laughing fortunately. Gu NingZhao’s tempo, which was initially regular and measured, became a dash.

“Shen Shao!”

Shen Shao seemed again curiously. Gu NingZhao stood not distant, carrying a white gown shirt and denims. The duckbill hat on his head was moist from the rain, to not point out the pair of white sneakers stained with mud. In comparison with a heap of individuals in camouflage, Gu NingZhao was significantly conspicuous.

The others have been equally shocked by Gu NingZhao’s arrival. After seeing nothing however camouflage uniforms for a very long time, they now laid eyes on a younger man wearing civilian garments. It was not possible to not be curious.

A few of the women within the formation subsequent to theirs started to squeal and name out. Below these circumstances, a younger man who was very handsome out of the blue turned extraordinarily handsome.

After confirming that Shen Shao had seen him, Gu NingZhao shortly walked over. He didn’t a lot as look on the different college students. “You seemed unimaginable simply now,” he mentioned immediately.

Simply now? Shen Shao lifted his eyebrows in confusion. 

“If you have been marching,” Gu NingZhao added. “I used to be sitting on the assessment platform. I acknowledged you instantly.”

Listening to this, the opposite college students checked out one another in disbelief. What sort of elite younger grasp had the flexibility to get himself invited to a army base to look at a parade from the assessment platform?

Somebody acknowledged him and mentioned with shock, “Isn’t that Gu NingZhao? How does he know Shen Shao?”

One pebble stirred up a thousand waves. After greater than ten days of coaching collectively, everybody knew that Shen Shao was from Guo Metropolis. How may he probably have met Gu NingZhao, whose household lived within the capital?

Possibly Shen Shao was the son of a low-key aristocratic household however he took care to not present it? If you considered it, Shen Shao’s regular conduct was impeccable, and he was well-informed on a wide range of topics. He didn’t act like somebody from an uncultured household. The extra they thought of it, the extra they felt that Shen Shao actually did appear to be a baby from the upper-crust. In any other case how may he make pals with somebody like Gu NingZhao?

Shen Shao didn’t know what was going by means of their minds. He walked over to the aspect with Gu NingZhao. “The rain retains getting worse. We’re going again to the barracks quickly. How did you find yourself right here?”

“My household’s cooperating on a challenge with the varsity. I used to be invited to see the freshman coaching parade. I occurred to see you, so I came visiting to say hiya,” Gu NingZhao mentioned with a stern face. “I’ll return in a short time.”

Shen Shao glanced on the assessment stand within the distance. It was an extended stroll simply to say hiya, but Gu NingZhao mentioned with a straight face that he simply occurred to go by. Shen Shao smiled. “Thanks for coming to see me. I’m returning to highschool the day after tomorrow. Will you be within the dorm by then?”

Gu NingZhao seemed apart uneasily. “Most likely.”

Shen Shao’s smile turned extra apparent. If he really have been seventeen years previous, he might need taken Gu NingZhao’s phrases at face worth. However after dwelling a lifetime and being reborn, how may he not see that Gu NingZhao was the sort who didn’t like to speak and wasn’t good at getting together with folks? He put his hand on Gu NingZhao’s shoulder and mentioned, “What a loyal pal. You got here all this approach to see your poor struggling roommate.”

When Shen Shao took maintain of his shoulder, Gu NingZhao’s face stiffened much more. He fished out just a few wrapped goodies and stuffed them into Shen Shao’s trouser pocket. “I heard that in army coaching you won’t get sufficient to eat. Take these and don’t share them with the others.” After a furtive look round he determined that the instructors hadn’t observed what he’d performed. Then he stepped again, forcing Shen Shao to let go of his shoulder. “I’m going again.”

Shen Shao watched Gu NingZhao slowly make his approach by means of a gaggle of scholars wearing camouflage. He smiled helplessly and touched his trouser pocket. Possibly Gu NingZhao was afraid the teacher would see the sweet and confiscate it, and that was why he secretively slipped it into his pocket?

After he returned to the dormitory, he put Gu NingZhao’s goodies in his suitcase. Not as a result of he was grasping, however as a result of there wasn’t sufficient to share with everybody. It was higher to place them apart and never eat them in any respect.

With that in thoughts, Shen Shao dug out a package deal of cookies he’d hidden away beforehand and handed them out to the others. Then he closed his suitcase with a simple thoughts.

“You went to search out one in every of your classmates simply now?” Gu ChongZhi checked out his son, who’d became a brand new set of garments. He didn’t know what the boy was considering. “If it’s a pal you could have an excellent relationship with, you’ll be able to invite him to the home. The entire household might be glad to welcome him.”

Lately, as a result of his son’s teachers have been so good, he didn’t go to highschool usually, they usually couldn’t drive him. In all these years, they’d by no means seen him spend time with anybody his personal age. Finally he was keen to make pals with a classmate. It was one thing they have been solely too completely satisfied to see.

“It’s a roommate.” Gu NingZhao was in an excellent temper. When chatting with Gu ChongZhi, his voice was a bit cheerful. “He had the highest examination rating in his province and he practices calligraphy and piano.”

Gu ChongZhi not often noticed his son like this, so he inspired him to say extra. “He’s an excellent individual, then?” 

“He’s good.” Gu NingZhao lowered his head and checked out his arms on his knees. “He’s at all times been good.”

Gu ChongZhi reached out and touched his son’s head. “We gained’t intervene together with your friendship. We belief your judgment.”

NingZhao was overly clever for his age, however it was his very intelligence that made him unwilling to speak. He spoke to his household, however when he went exterior, he prevented speaking to others and nearly by no means opened his mouth.

Generally they wished their son was simply an extraordinary boy. He didn’t must win so many awards. As dad and mom, all they needed was for his or her son to stay a contented life.

Gu NingZhao checked out Gu ChongZhi, and his eyes appeared to glow with undisguised brilliance. “You’ll like him too?”

Gu ChongZhi checked out his son’s face and touched his head once more with a smile. “So long as there’s no drawback together with his character, we’ll like him simply as you do.”

Gu NingZhao nodded thoughtfully and lowered his head. After a very long time, he added just a few extra phrases.

“There aren’t any issues together with his character. You’ll undoubtedly like him.”

TL Notes:

For Chinese language drill instructions I used the U.S. army equal (Military TC 3-21.5)

That is sort of a enjoyable coincidence, however after I was in primary coaching my finest pal secretly gave me goodies too. And she or he stood there and made certain I ate them! It was a uncommon deal with and a enjoyable reminiscence