Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 22 These are all dog faces, they change as they say
Looking at other classes, there are class leaders leading the team, and the slogans they shout are deafening.

The new recruits had just received encouragement from their company commander and instructor.

They walked halfway with their heads held high and their chests puffed out, full of vigor.

On the other hand, there is not even a single veteran on our side, and the new recruits in Class 8 feel quite disappointed.

Yang Dali stretched his neck to observe for a long time, then he raised his elbow hesitantly and poked Chen Mo who was walking in front of him: "That Chen..."

"Chen Mo."

"Oh, right, Chen Mo." Yang Dali knocked his head and said embarrassedly: "Look at my poor memory."

"Chen Mo, why doesn't our squad leader lead the team?"

"I don't know." Chen Mo shook his head slightly.

"The cafeteria is right up ahead, so let's go eat."

Chen Mo didn't care whether the squad leader led the way or not. It was not his first time away from home, so he was not so pretentious.

Rather than worrying about the problem of leading the way, he now wanted to eat more. After all, there was nothing to eat on the train, and when he was hungry, he had to rely on the snacks he brought from home to sustain himself.

It was cold, and I was consuming calories quickly, so I was starving.

Listening to Chen Mo's relaxed tone.

Several other recruits in Class 8 also rubbed their bellies, obviously hungry.

In the late 1990s, the overall hardware facilities at the Taocun military camp of the Armored Brigade were not very good.

The canteen was even more crudely constructed.

The one-story bungalow doesn't seem to occupy a large area. The paint on the outer walls is mottled and peeling. The entrance and exit are close to each other, and there are dug vegetable plots on both sides, where cabbage and radishes are planted.

But although the environment is not very good, it cannot stop the tempting aroma from wafting out of the cafeteria.

When Chen Mo walked to the door and reached out to lift the thick curtain at the entrance to isolate the air conditioning, a hot steam unique to the cafeteria instantly enveloped his whole body.

The first few classes were already in place, and the recruits were sitting around round wooden tables, some of them already immersed in their food.

Chen Mo secretly swallowed his saliva and followed the team straight into the cafeteria, while turning his head to see what other people were eating.

After all, eating dumplings on the bus and noodles when getting off is an old tradition in the army.

Generally speaking, as long as the company is not too perfunctory, these two kinds of meals will not be bad.

Both in terms of taste and ingredients.

In addition, for mechanized units such as armored brigades, many of the meals are prepared according to armored troop standards.

After observation.

Chen Mo found that his guess was correct, the noodles were indeed cooked very well.

Especially in Shanxi, a province known for its noodles, a large pot of carefully prepared stew is placed on every table.

Diced carrots, cabbage leaves and diced meat are stir-fried together, and the meat is tender and fresh. A bowl of thick noodle soup is placed in front of each recruit, which can drive away the cold just by looking at it.

But what surprised Chen Mo was that the stew and noodles were all served in yellow bowls.

He passed by several dining tables and could see obvious scratches on the outside of the yellow basins.

One after another, they are linked together and intertwined. At first glance, it is obvious that this is an old pot that has experienced many battles.

Chen Mo used to have two of these yellow basins. One was used for washing his face, brushing his teeth and placing towels, and the other was used for washing feet and taking a bath. He also used it to dig dry toilets and transport soil for construction when he was on business trips.

As for the basins that are out of tolerance, they have the same scratches on the outside because they are used so widely.

To be honest, as a veteran, Chen Mo has a strong tolerance. He has even used the basin he used to wash his feet in the dry toilet to make instant noodles.

They can even cook instant noodles with their helmets covered in grease, because soldiers often have no choice.

But after so many years, he was asked to eat noodles with a bowl that was used to wash feet or even used to hold yellow soup.

Chen Mo suddenly felt that he was not that hungry anymore.

“It smells so good.”

Chen Mo was still trying to suppress his appetite, but Feng Junling behind him was so greedy that he almost drooled.

"It doesn't smell good at all. I think I should eat less." Chen Mo replied casually.

When they walked to the dining table inside.

Lao Pao had already brought the vegetable bowl and the wash basin and placed them on the table, and even the bowls and chopsticks.

But what surprised Chen Mo was.

Zhou Yongjie didn't use a yellow basin at all, but the large porcelain basin used by the kitchen staff to knead noodles. "What are you all standing there for? Sit down and eat."

Lao Pao saw the people from Class 8 coming over and pointed to the seats around him.

Without waiting for others to take action, he took the bowl, picked up a large amount of noodles with a chopstick, put it into the bowl, poured the sauce on it, sat down and started eating.

"Good man."

Just now, Chen Mo felt that Lao Pao had fooled the third squad leader and that he was a bit unkind, but now, looking at him again, he felt that the other party was extremely pleasing to the eye.

Without anyone urging him, Chen Mo sat down and started eating the noodles.

He was indeed starving.

Yang Dali looked at Chen Mo strangely, because he had just heard clearly that Chen Mo had commented on eating less.

Why did you change your mind just after you sat down?
But now, no one cares about this. Except for Feng Junling, the rest of the people in Class 8 are from Henan Province and Shandong, which are all big consumers of noodles.

Watching a group of guys eating, they were like hungry wolves, howling and putting food into their mouths.

Lao Pao grinned and said, "While we're eating, I'll tell you three things."

"You just arrived today, so I don't have any requirements for you. Just eat and drink enough and get familiar with the environment here."

"But from now on, we have to follow the rules of being a soldier. You can't sit down to eat in the cafeteria without the squad leader. I don't mind this, but I don't want you to be ignorant of the rules in front of other squads."

"Because it would embarrass me and say that my soldiers have low quality."

"Secondly, starting from dinner and including thereafter, before every meal, the company duty officer will select the young duty officers from the squad to come and help the squad with the food."

"Chen Mo will start taking charge of our class's duty. His job will be the same as what I just did. Just prepare the food and put the dishes on the table."

"I don't think you'll make the third mistake either, but I'll reiterate it."

"If you curse or hit someone in the army, I can handle it as appropriate, but if anyone wastes food for me, or throws away steamed buns or rice in a bowl without finishing it, I will catch them and punish them."

"That includes food too. If anyone wastes it, don't blame me for taking drastic action."

"Understand?"

"clear!!"

Everyone was swallowing noodles and nodding in vague responses.

Chen Mo didn't put down the bowl until his stomach was full and bloated.

In fact, there was no need to emphasize the regulations on food waste in the late 1990s.

During this period, many new recruits could not eat as they pleased at home.

The good quality grain harvested at home was handed over to the government and kept as seeds, while the slightly inferior grain was also handed over to the children for school.

It is impossible to eat the remaining food to your heart's content. Most families, as long as there are many children, have to rely on sweet potatoes and other foods to fill their stomachs like Chen Mo's family.

Look at how much they eat and need to stand up to digest.

Only then did Lao Pao put down the bowl in his hand and took the new recruits in his class to the sink to wash them clean.

Originally, Lao Pao was always very kind in the cafeteria.

After returning to the dormitory, I saw piles of clothes and luggage scattered on the bed and the floor.

There is almost no room to step at the door.

Lao Pao's calm expression suddenly turned gloomy. He pointed at the messy and scattered military uniforms and shouted angrily:
"Who told you to put things like this?"

"This is a military uniform, representing the image of a soldier, and more importantly, it represents the honor and symbol of a soldier."

"It's not trash. Now, immediately, put your uniforms away. Starting from cabinet number three, the six of you will divide them among yourselves."

"Make the bed, the bedding, and the luggage, all on the bed."

"Do you need me to teach you this little thing?"

The sudden scolding startled even the recruits who had just finished their meal.

Everyone hurriedly bent down to clean up.

Although Chen Mo's clothes were in the metal cabinet, Lao Pao was showing off his power at that time, so he couldn't just stand there stupidly.

The squad leaders who lead the troops all have dog-like faces and can change at any time.

You have to be careful.

(End of this chapter)