Father, you've been drafted four times already, please spare us!

"No, why are you still carrying that thing?!"

Wang Shifeng had just finished taking snacks out of Lu Haiyang's backpack when he saw something that made his vision go black again.

"Hahaha, wow, Lu Haiyang, do you have some kind of weird fetish?!"

"Haiyang, don't do this! Aren't you from Shandong? Don't try that Sichuan opera thing on me!"

"..."

What Wang Shifeng was holding up made everyone laugh so hard they almost fell over.

Lu Haiyang was completely humiliated by the "good-natured" ridicule from the crowd.

"Go away, you guys don't know anything!"

Lu Haiyang blushed and offered a defense, then looked at Wang Shifeng:

"Class monitor, my sister said that putting these in your shoes will keep your feet from getting tired, absorb sweat, and prevent athlete's foot!"

Wang Shifeng smacked his lips, stuffed the sanitary napkin with the "Seven Degrees of Space" packaging back into his hand, and then pretended to be calm, saying:

"Ahem, if it really works, don't keep it to yourself, give each of you in the class two slices!"

"Hahaha!"

After checking, Wang Shifeng put the items out of Lu Haiyang's backpack back in their original places, and then picked up another person's backpack:

"MP3?"

"This is a bit against the rules!"

"Hey, you're even reading Mao's Selected Works, that deserves praise!"

When Wang Shifeng inspected the backpack of Zhao Hechun, a young man from Northeast China, he found two square objects inside.

Upon feeling this sensation, Wang Shifeng subconsciously frowned.

Needless to say, he already knew what it was.

"He Chun, did you smoke before you joined the army?"

Wang Shifeng did not take out the two packs of cigarettes, but simply looked up at Zhao Hechun.

"Ah, I started smoking before I enlisted, and I've been smoking for two years!"

"Squad leader, is smoking prohibited in the army?"

Northeasterners are straightforward; if they have something, they have it; if they don't, they don't. They don't bother with all that fancy stuff. Zhao Hechun readily admitted this.

Wang Shifeng closed his backpack and glanced at the group of new recruits.

"Smoking is strictly prohibited during the first three months of basic training!"

"But I also know that it's very difficult and agonizing for smokers to quit smoking drastically, but rules are rules!"

"But then again, the class monitor isn't the inflexible type. If he wants to smoke... fine!"

"But there are conditions!"

Chen Nian crossed his arms and quietly watched Wang Shifeng.

"First, don't smoke anywhere, especially not in nooks and crannies like the toilets. The smell is too strong and doesn't dissipate easily! You're likely to get caught by the leaders or the disciplinary committee. Don't let your own pleasure implicate everyone!"

"Secondly, if you want to smoke, you can exchange it for training. I won't be picky about the training programs, like the three-kilometer run and pull-ups. As long as you want to smoke, just do them yourself. After you finish, I'll take you to smoke!"

After listening, Zhao Hechun took out two packs of cigarettes from his backpack and handed them to Wang Shifeng.

"Squad leader, here's the cigarette. I'll trade it for training sessions when I want one!"

Wang Shifeng looked at the two packs of cigarettes in his hand, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

Chen Nian stood to the side, a slight smile playing on his lips. This Wang Shifeng is alright; he knows that it's better to guide than to block.

In basic training, smoking and drinking are strictly prohibited.

If caught smoking, or if caught by the police while smoking, "promotion" is the least of your worries.

Some squad leaders, in order to teach you a lesson, will open one or two packs of cigarettes and make you smoke them all at once, so that you'll never want to see cigarettes again in your life.

However, Wang Shifeng did not choose to deal with the problem with harsh methods. He did not promote him, reprimand him, humiliate him, or even say a harsh word.

Instead, they guided and corrected him by using methods like "training to exchange cigarettes." Of course, the final result was also very good, and Zhao Hechun voluntarily handed over the two cartons of cigarettes.

This raised Chen Nian's perception of Wang Shifeng to a new level.

He had enlisted three times before and had seen all sorts of squad leaders—the rude, the lazy, the sarcastic—but this was truly the first time he had encountered someone like Wang Shifeng.

However, in his opinion, Wang Shifeng was too lenient with these new recruits. Educating and training new recruits requires careful guidance, but without decisive measures, the end result will definitely be that these new recruits will not regard Wang Shifeng as their "squad leader".

Don't overestimate human nature; it's the most fragile thing to be trusted with.

However, everyone has their own style, and Chen Nian wouldn't say much about Wang Shifeng doing this.

After inspecting the backpacks of the group, Wang Shifeng approached Chen Nian:

"Hehe, squad leader, I won't look at your backpack. I trust your character!"

Chen Nian shook his head, opened his backpack, and began taking out his belongings.

"Hehe, squad leader, that won't do. The army emphasizes treating everyone equally and respecting the equality between officers and soldiers. You can't give me special treatment just because I was a private for a few years. That wouldn't be good for you to manage the squad."

"Squad leader, the disciplinary and inspection units won't give me special treatment just because I'm a 'veteran,' so we still have to follow the proper procedures!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shifeng's eyes filled with gratitude.

Chen Nian did not put on a superior attitude just because he was a "veteran". On the contrary, he took the initiative to cooperate with me to check my backpack. What is this?

This is not only a sign of respect, but also a veteran's integrity, and it's also a way of cooperating with Wang Shifeng's work.

If he treats others differently, what will the other soldiers think?

Why should he be given special treatment?

Chen Nian didn't want to be labeled as a "nepotism benefactor" or a "spoiled brat" from the start. For someone who was a special forces soldier with a distinguished record, that would be an insult!

Wang Shifeng did not touch Chen Nian's things, letting Chen Nian take out the items one by one and place them on the bed.

shaver

Military magazine

便装

drug

kettle

Watching Chen Nian take out his personal items one by one, Wang Shifeng couldn't help but sigh, "He's a veteran after all, he even has Yunnan Baiyao and vitamins that he'll need for training."

Finally, Chen Nian took out a small box.

The small box is made of wood and painted red on the outside. It is only slightly larger than the boxes used in jewelry stores to store jewelry.

Chen Nian took out the small box and placed it on the bed without opening it.

Looking at the small box, Wang Shifeng had some guesses about what was inside. If nothing unexpected happened, it should be something like a medal.

However, he did not insist on opening the box to check. Since Chen Nian did not open it on his own initiative, it meant that these things were not something to be shared with outsiders.

"Brother Nian, why are you bringing your own water bottle? Aren't they supposed to provide them all in the army?"

Zhao Hechun looked at the old items with some curiosity.

"Yeah, Brother Nian, this kettle is worn down to the bone, it's been around for years."

Chen Nian picked up the kettle from the bed, a memory surfacing in his eyes:

"Hehe, this is the canteen I was issued in the recruit training camp when I first enlisted. I've been using it ever since. It's like an old brother to me now, so it doesn't matter if it's old or not."

Wang Shifeng then shouted at the group:

"You know nothing! You're just a bunch of greenhorns. Once you've been in the army for a while, your blankets, canteens, even your clothes—those are things you wouldn't trade even if you were offered a replacement!"

Lu Haiyang smacked his lips as he listened to Chen Nian's explanation:

"Brother Nian, that's so cool!"

"Yeah, Brother Nian, you really nailed it!"

Zhao Hechun then joked:

"Brother Nian, these old things only feel right when used by old people!"

"Get lost, you brat!"

Chen Nian kicked Zhao Hechun in the butt, and the atmosphere in the class became unusually lively.

"Bang bang bang!"

A knock came at the door.

"Squad Leader Wang Shifeng, the instructor requests Comrade Chen Nian to come over."

"Lu Wenshu, could you tell me what the instructor wanted to talk to Chen Nian about?"

Wang Shifeng thought Chen Nian had done something wrong, so he wanted to find out for Chen Nian.

"I don't know. The instructor just said to ask Comrade Chen Nian to come over as soon as possible."

Before Wang Shifeng could say anything more, Chen Nian stopped him.

"I think I have a clue what happened."

Considering the reactions of the other new recruits' squad leaders, and considering Lao Ge's strange behavior of directly placing him in Wang Shifeng's squad, Lao Ge must have something to say to him, otherwise wouldn't he be letting down Lao Ge's efforts?

Let's go!