Chapter 43: Here to Buy a Pack of Cigarette!
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
In fact, Wang Ye was really keen on minimizing the matter and helping to cover up the fact that he smoked. It wasn’t that he was a saint, but they were all soldiers of the same age. There was no need to become enemies because of this issue. On the contrary, if she helped him, he might be more inclined to listen to her.
However, there was no need to dwell on it at the moment. Wan Baojiang straightforwardly spilled everything.
In that moment, Ye Sanshi’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Deng Hai. However, he didn’t immediately scold him. Instead, he turned his head to look at Wang Ye and calmly said, “Well done. This is an internal matter of our class. There’s no need to involve outsiders.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a waterproof plastic wallet, from which he took out a ten yuan bill.
“Here, you know where the service center is. Go and buy me the cheapest pack of cigarettes!” Ye Sanshi commanded.
Wang Ye was taken aback, unsure of what Ye Sanshi was planning. Nevertheless, she knew she had to follow his orders. “Yes, sir!” she replied obediently.
Taking the money, Wang Ye swiftly turned around and left.
…..
Once Wang Ye was out of sight, Ye Sanshi finally turned his attention to Deng Hai, who was sulking. “Deng Hai!” he suddenly shouted.
Deng Hai trembled, his face pouting, and he refrained from calling Ye Sanshi ‘class monitor’ or reporting him. Instead, he retorted fiercely, “Don’t give me that attitude! So what if I want to go home? I don’t want to be a soldier anymore!”
In reality, Deng Hai had already made up his mind in that brief moment. At most, he would retreat and return home. The recruits from the fourth squad had already left today, and yet Ye Sanshi had expressed his disdain for them. Was he afraid of being looked down upon? Deng Hai had already made his departure, thinking, “I’ve already left. Even if you despise me, what can I lose?”
However, he had overlooked something. Not everything in this world was as straightforward as it seemed.
The fourth squad’s class monitor was a unique case.
If the soldier chose to stay, it wouldn’t be easy for him in the future. He understood that and persisted in his decision to leave. The fourth squad leader had also made a mistake, or rather, the army had made a mistake as well. This made it easier for him to leave.
But what about Ye Sanshi?
One was that the class monitor initiated the confrontation, and the other was that he wanted to smoke and defy the vice-class monitor. The situations were completely different.
“Hehe, do you think the army is your home? That you can come and go as you please?” Ye Sanshi sneered.
Deng Hai remained silent.
Ye Sanshi approached, his face dark with anger. He positioned his face less than a fist’s distance away from Deng Hai’s, scolding him fiercely, “Let me tell you, if you want to leave now, there’s only one way. As a deserter, you’ll carry the infamy of a deserter for the rest of your life. Your parents and ancestors will be looked down upon by others. If you have a child in the future, they’ll be pointed at and criticized. Even when they enter society, they’ll be targeted and looked down upon because their father is a deserter. Do you think the army is a game? Let me tell you, if this were a time of war, I would have shot you without hesitation for rebelling against your superiors and attempting to desert!”
Ye Sanshi stared at Deng Hai and spat on his face, leaving Deng Hai shocked by his words.
But Deng Hai stubbornly shouted back, “I’m not a deserter! You forced me into this situation. It’s just smoking, right? I can’t quit smoking. How can you expect me to stop smoking all of a sudden? Moreover, you never said anything about smoking during the military inspection and let me pass. Now that I’m in the army, you expect me to quit smoking in a day? I can’t do that!”
“Hmph, if you can’t do it, then you shouldn’t have joined the army. But since you’re here, let me tell you, you have to do it even if you can’t,” Ye Sanshi retorted, his face stern.
Pausing for a moment, he continued his berating with a serious expression. “Will it kill you not to smoke? If you don’t even have the willpower to resist smoking, why are you still a soldier? Get out and be a deserter!”
The atmosphere froze as Deng Hai glared at Ye Sanshi, unconvinced, and Ye Sanshi returned the glare.
“Crick!”
Suddenly, the door opened once again. However, it wasn’t Wang Ye who had just left. It was the instructor.
“Squad Leader Ye, the new recruits have just arrived. You can’t be too harsh!” the instructor interjected.
Kang Hua walked in and greeted the students from Class 5 with a smile. Then, he turned his attention to Ye Sanshi and said, “Leave this soldier to me. The company commander is calling for you. Go down first.”
“Yes, sir!” Ye Sanshi’s face remained stern, but he didn’t resist the instructor’s order. He looked at the others in Class 5 and advised, “Be honest and familiarize yourselves with the regulations. Understand your current status. Although you haven’t received your titles yet, you’re already soldiers!”
After a brief pause, he added, “If Wang Ye comes back and I’m not back yet, just let him wait in the dormitory!”
With that, he left once again.
Meanwhile, in the camp, Wang Ye jogged all the way, still replaying the instructor’s words in his mind.
Yes, he had encountered the instructor.
The instructor had left Class 5 but hadn’t actually gone downstairs. Instead, he had positioned himself at the corner of the corridor. As soon as Wang Ye reached the stairwell, he ran into the instructor.
However, the instructor was one step ahead and gestured for him to remain quiet. Speaking in a low voice, he said, “You’re Wang Ye, right? Not bad. If you have some time in two days, let’s have a chat. I hold a high opinion of you. Now, go and carry out your class monitor’s instructions!”
And just like that, Wang Ye was dismissed.
“These seasoned soldiers really know how to handle things!” Wang Ye couldn’t help but grin.
He was certain that the instructor had been listening to the situation in Class 5. If Ye Sanshi could handle it, there would be no need for him to intervene. However, if Ye Sanshi couldn’t handle it, he would definitely step in and play the role of a good person.
Wang Ye estimated that it would be unlikely for Deng Hai to be allowed to leave. Perhaps when he returned, he would be influenced and guided by the instructor’s words.
Not dwelling too much on that thought, Wang Ye looked ahead at the service center and jogged towards it.
The service center of the recruit company was not exclusively for the recruit company itself. Ye Sanshi had mentioned it to him earlier when he arrived.
The recruit company was a separate entity within the regiment headquarters, located adjacent to it and separated by a wall. Technically, this small store belonged to the military service center of the regiment headquarters. However, for convenience, a back door was opened in the wall. Every year, when new recruits arrived, this back door would be opened to allow them to shop here.
As Wang Ye approached the back door, he noticed that there were soldiers inside eating instant noodles or making purchases. They all had military ranks, and naturally, they noticed Wang Ye’s presence as well.
He noticed a soldier without a military rank entering through the back door. The veterans inside immediately found it amusing.
“Hey, look at this brave newcomer! Coming to the convenience store at this hour!”
“What’s your business here? Are you here to buy cigarettes?”
“Hehe, you’ve got more courage than I did when I was new!”
All the veterans stared at Wang Ye with smiles on their faces.
Wang Ye chose to ignore their comments. He knew that if he provoked a group of seasoned soldiers, he would be the one to suffer. His system had been awakened for only a short time, and even if he fought, he might not be able to defeat these experienced soldiers. Therefore, he decided to focus on his own task.
He made his way to the counter where an older woman was stationed. Wang Ye greeted her with a smile and said, “Hi, Mam. My class monitor asked me to buy him a pack of cigarettes.”