Chapter 24
Strictly speaking, it was impossible to fold a new blanket into a standard tofu block. Even if Wang Ye’s quilt folding skills were at the maximum level, he wouldn’t be able to do it. This had nothing to do with the technique but with the materials.
Of course, this didn’t mean that techniques were useless. If the materials weren’t sufficient, he could train them. If the technique wasn’t good, then refining the materials would be pointless. Furthermore, techniques could help to train materials quickly.
For example, Wang Ye was now visualizing the rubbing method in his mind. He imagined holding a stool on the spread-out blanket and turning it bit by bit, slowly compressing the fabric.
After spending seven to eight minutes under the blanket, Wang Ye began to fold it carefully and slowly, utilizing all his experience and skills. Another seven to eight minutes later… it became clear that the lack of materials was indeed a problem.
Looking at the quilt in front of him, which still looked a little swollen even though it resembled tofu, Wang Ye felt somewhat helpless. Fortunately, he had some experience. With a thought, he noticed that the experience points for the level 2 skill of folding blankets had increased to (1/20).
Wang Ye spread the blanket again, but this time, he didn’t press it down and immediately began folding it again. After folding it, he only made a few minor repairs. As expected, there was no experience gained from slacking off.
He opened the blanket again and folded it once more. This time, Wang Ye approached it with the same level of seriousness as the first time, except for not pressing it down. As expected, his experience points for the quilt folding skill increased to two points.
“I knew it. Forget it, I’ll just fold it while pressing it!” Wang Ye sighed to himself.
He realized he couldn’t just focus on gaining experience and leveling up his skills while neglecting the material training. If he didn’t fold the blanket properly, it would be impossible to create a qualified product, and he would inevitably face criticism in the future, no matter how skilled he was. Therefore, he couldn’t afford to delay this job.
With this in mind, Wang Ye spread the blanket again and began to press it down with the small stool. Of course, not everyone had the same approach as Wang Ye. Many of the other recruits fixed their blankets after folding them, or they thought of ways to press them down only after finishing the folding process. Each person had their own methods.
Midway through, some individuals made too much noise and were scolded by Ye Sanshi for disturbing others’ sleep. Others felt that they had folded their blankets to the best of their ability, even if not as well as the class monitor, and called for Ye Sanshi to assess their work.
As a result, Ye Sanshi would scold and even tear apart the blankets of those who didn’t meet his standards, undoing all their previous efforts in folding and pressing. They could only continue to fold with bitterness.
The task started around 5 o’clock and continued until 6 o’clock, with the sky outside beginning to brighten. Suddenly, a horn sounded from outside, and the group of recruits became alert. No one had slept well. They had stayed up too late last night and woke up too early this morning, despite the push-ups making them feel drowsy. However, talking was not allowed while folding blankets and the task had caused some to feel sleepy again. At this moment, the unexpected bugle call jolted everyone, causing them to tremble.
“What’s happening?”
“Gathering again?”
“What’s going on?”
It was the recruits’ first day in the army, and they had never heard such a bugle call before. No one knew what it meant.
“Look a live, what’s all the commotion about?” Ye Sanshi asked calmly.
“Alright, there are still ten minutes left. After that, I will check your results. Fold them carefully. If you don’t meet my expectations, there will be no lunch break today,” he warned. Ye Sanshi’s words were like a death sentence, instantly terrifying the recruits who had just been jolted awake by the reveille.
Lunch break was now over!
“I’m already sleepy, but you won’t let me take a nap,” they grumbled with a growing sense of resentment.
Although Wang Ye couldn’t hear the inner thoughts of the other recruits, he knew that they were probably cursing Ye Sanshi under their breaths and may have even brought their ancestors into the mix. They thought he was being inhumane.
But despite their grievances, no one dared to dawdle. In the last ten minutes, everyone made use of their time to perfect their blankets.
Wang Ye was no exception. He had just taken apart his blanket and was about to overlap it. This time, he quickly grabbed the stool and pressed down on the blanket again before folding it with the utmost care.
“Shh, shh ~”
Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and a whistle sounded outside the building.
“Let’s go, gather downstairs!” Ye Sanshi stood up first, but he didn’t check the blankets right away.
The recruits didn’t dare to delay and followed him out. In the corridor, the other dormitories were in a similar situation, with the recruits all coming out at the same time. Soon, they gathered downstairs and stood in the same position as during the first gathering.
Wang Ye deliberately looked at the position of the recruit who had run away. In fact, not only Wang Ye, but many other recruits had been looking over there since coming down. Everyone was curious about what had happened earlier, and how could they not be concerned after what had just occurred?
No one had asked or said anything in the dormitory, and the class monitor had not given them a chance to do so. Everyone had to endure it.
But now, as they gathered downstairs, they finally had a chance to satisfy their curiosity and take a closer look. No one could resist it.
“Hey, he’s back!” Wang Ye spotted the recruit at a glance. It seemed like he had been caught and persuaded to return. Wang Ye wondered if he had been punished for his earlier escape.
This was something that everyone was puzzled about, but unfortunately, they didn’t have the chance to ask him about it at the moment.
Wu Jianfeng appeared again in front of everyone after they had gathered, but he didn’t mention the earlier incident. It was as if it had never happened.
He went straight to the point, saying, “Today is the first day of your official training in the army. I won’t say much except to remind you that the new recruit company is a place of suffering. You must be mentally prepared.”
“Alright, Sergeant Liu, I’ll leave the rest to you!” Wu Jianfeng added, delegating the responsibility to Platoon Leader Liu, who was actually a veteran squad leader of Class One.
All three platoon leaders of the recruits were experienced squad leaders. For example, the platoon leader of Wang Ye’s second platoon was the sixth squad leader of the next class.
“Next, we will begin counting practice. We will start from the first squad…” Platoon Leader Liu stood in front of everyone and shouted.
On the first day, the new recruits didn’t undergo any physical training during their morning exercises. Instead, they started with counting practice, and the squad leaders would correct their formation based on their height.
“Remember your respective positions. When you gather in the future, you will use this standard position. Now, you are dismissed and can return to the dormitory,” Platoon Leader Liu instructed.
Everyone was stunned by his words, but they quickly understood his intentions. It had only been a few seconds since they returned to the dormitory when a whistle sounded from downstairs again.