Chapter Five A Fateful Encounter

Soon, the class committee elections were over. After organizing the list, I waited for the bell to ring and then led my friends straight to the homeroom teacher’s office. When Liu Xiaojie saw the group of class officers I’d chosen, she didn’t ask how they were selected. She simply counted the number of officers, saw that it was sufficient, and told us to leave the list and return to class.

“All homeroom teachers, please report to the academic office for a meeting.”
“All homeroom teachers, please report to the academic office for a meeting.”
…
The announcement echoed several times over the loudspeaker.

There wasn’t much to do after returning to the classroom. Hearing the broadcast, I decided to have everyone write down their names, clothing sizes, and shoe sizes. I then asked the vice class president to tally up the numbers for each size, and took a group of eight—myself, Ma Liang, Kang Qiaoyue, and others—straight to the logistics center.

Arriving there, I boldly declared that Teacher Liu Xiaojie from Class 33, Grade 10, had sent us to collect the school uniforms and military training outfits. The teacher at the logistics center, seeing such a large group of students, thought nothing of it and had us check the numbers before having me sign and leave a fingerprint.

After two trips carrying the uniforms back to the classroom, I handed over the distribution task to Li Kexin, our vice class president and entertainment officer, then sat down to wait for my own clothes and shoes.

When Liu Xiaojie entered and saw uniforms and shoes neatly laid out on every desk, she gave a soft exclamation, “I only just found out about picking up the uniforms at the meeting. How did you all know?”

“It was the class president who led us to collect them,” a girl seated near the door replied.

Liu Xiaojie’s gaze landed on me.

“It was like this, teacher,” I explained simply. “I heard the announcement calling all homeroom teachers to a meeting. I guessed it was probably about military training preparations. Since we’d be training, they’d surely distribute the uniforms. When I got there and saw the school uniforms as well, I just brought them back.”

Liu Xiaojie nodded, clearly satisfied with my initiative.

“Very good, Yan Ruyu’s reasoning is spot on. Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin a month-long military training,” Liu Xiaojie announced.

The classroom erupted immediately.

“What? A month? Isn’t it supposed to be two weeks?”
“Why is it so long?”
“At least we don’t have to attend classes.”
“That’s so long, I’ll get sunburned.” Li Zhuowen made an exaggerated face at his female deskmate, who rolled her eyes at him and scoffed, “Don’t worry, you won’t get any darker.”

Zhuowen asked incredulously, “Really?”

“Yes, you’re already dark enough.”

“I…” Zhuowen was left speechless.

Laughter broke out among the surrounding students.

When the commotion died down, Liu Xiaojie clapped her hands to regain everyone’s attention and continued, “The reason this year’s military training has been extended to a month is that the principal called in a favor from an old army comrade to come and help train you. The three classes with the best performance will even get to handle real firearms, and outstanding individuals may be personally taught to shoot by the chief instructor.”

This news exploded like a bomb, instantly electrifying the whole classroom.

Chaos and excitement erupted. Guns—normally strictly controlled and only seen on TV—were now within reach, with the possibility of actually touching, even firing them.

Whether boy or girl, everyone was thrilled at the prospect.

“Quiet down,” Liu Xiaojie commanded, banging the desk with the chalkboard eraser.

Everyone fell silent, eager for more news.

“I won’t repeat the usual encouragements to strive for first place. This military training is a valuable experience; take the opportunity to strengthen your bodies. Let me be clear: unless you break an arm or a leg, everyone must participate,” Liu Xiaojie declared, instantly quashing any hopes of avoiding the training.

As for me, the allure of firearms was undeniable, but suffering through harsh training just for that wasn’t really my style. The best approach was to keep pace with everyone else—do my part, and leave the outcome to fate. If I was lucky, great; if not, so be it.

“And to ensure the best possible training, this year’s session will take place at an abandoned military base. For the next month, all living, eating, and daily routines will happen there,” Liu Xiaojie added, dropping another bombshell.

“Well, this just got interesting,” I murmured to myself.

“Teacher, I have a question,” Li Kexin raised her hand.

“Yes, what is it?” Liu Xiaojie nodded for her to continue.

Seeing Liu Xiaojie’s readiness to answer, I realized the school must have arranged everything.

“Teacher, how much will this trip to the base cost us?” Li Kexin voiced the question on everyone’s mind.

“Don’t worry. The purpose of this training is to help you grow, not to make money. The fee is just one hundred yuan per person for meals for the whole month.”

I thought for a moment and was satisfied. A hundred yuan for a whole month’s meals was incredibly cheap. After all, at the school cafeteria, the cheapest you could eat for three meals a day was ten yuan; a hundred yuan would barely cover two weeks. By that calculation, the students were getting a good deal.

The math was obvious, so no one complained about the fee. Plus, it was the start of term, and the boarding students all had enough money. For day students, since they might not have that much on hand, they were told to bring the money by the next morning.

“Teacher, will you be joining us for military training?” I asked.

Liu Xiaojie glanced at me before replying, “I’ll make sure you all arrive safely at the base, and I’ll pick you up a month later.”

“I have a feeling this military training won’t be so simple,” a classmate remarked.

Everyone fell silent, lost in thought.

“All right, if there’s nothing else, class is dismissed. Go home and pack one or two changes of clothes and your toiletries. You don’t need to bring a basin—they’ll provide them there,” Liu Xiaojie said with a sly smile.

I couldn’t help but think, “The knife is in the butcher’s hand, and we’re the fish on the chopping block.” Watching Liu Xiaojie’s cunning smile, this phrase popped into my head.

I didn’t know why the school placed so much importance on this year’s military training or what awaited us at the base, but I had a premonition: this military training would be unforgettable for all of us.

Lost in thought, I left the classroom and headed toward the school gate.

“Lei Feng?” A surprised, delighted voice called out not far away—a sweet, familiar sound.

I looked toward the source.

“Screw?” I exclaimed in astonishment, recognizing Luo Si, the girl I’d rescued the night before.

“Ugh, who’s a screw? My name is Luo Si—Si as in longing,” she protested, stamping her foot in mock annoyance.

“You go to No. 3 High School?” I was genuinely amazed to run into her here.

“Hello, classmate, let’s properly introduce ourselves. I’m Luo Si, a first-year student in Class 29,” she said seriously, her twin braids bouncing as she spoke, clearly expecting me to do the same.

“Yan Ruyu, Class 33, Grade 10,” I replied, extending my right hand.

“Nice to meet you,” Luo Si said with sincerity, gripping my hand.

“Nice to meet you too,” I replied, withdrawing my hand from hers.