Let you join the army to quit Internet addiction, but you create the Matrix

Chapter 26: Activities on the rest day, barbecue meeting!

I don’t know how much time has passed. Each person tidied up their chores, sat on their small cushions, and held a red book in their hands. Now, they can’t use the Crazy English trick anymore.

Hungry and unable to shout, they stared at the rules in the book, feeling the lines of the words slowly outlining the shapes of delicious food.

“So hungry, can we eat this book?” He Dong couldn’t bear it, wailing in agony.

Chen Ming was hungry, too, despite his stamina.

“Don’t talk about lunch. The more you talk, the hungrier I get,” Yu Jun sighed, eyes fixed on the bed.

He Xue looked at the ceiling, reminiscing, “I miss the boiled water soup from the southern factory.”

Unable to withstand the hunger, they found even disliked food delicious. The squad leader entered, and they pretended to focus on the book. He scolded them for pretending.

He Dong grinned, “Can’t hide anything from the sharp eyes of the squad leader.”

Ignoring their hunger, the squad leader scolded, “Wait for lunch, and hold on a bit longer.”

“I’m so hungry. Can I eat this book?” He Dong pleaded.

The squad leader laughed, “You all act so well.”

“Enough, I have good news for you,” the squad leader said. They perked up, hoping for news related to food.

He Dong joked, “Is it about lunch?”

Annoyed, the squad leader said, “Wait for it,” and continued, “The good news is related to eating.”

Excited, they asked, “Is it about a meal?”

“In the afternoon, a barbecue will be organized by the company commander and instructor. You’ll cook and eat by yourselves,” the squad leader announced.

“Barbecue?!” Excited, they listed numerous dishes, eagerly anticipating the event.

The squad leader, amused, didn’t reveal more, leaving them to imagine the sizzling aroma of the upcoming barbecue.

As they eagerly waited, time seemed to slow down. Finally, at noon, the squad leader took them to the dining hall, their anticipation reaching its peak. The usual routine persists: singing a military song at the cafeteria entrance is the ticket for entry.

Everyone opened their mouths, roaring as if heading to the front lines, not the dining hall. Do other classes shoot bewildered glances at the spectacle—a collective reincarnation of starving ghosts?

After an indistinct military song concluded with wolf-like howls, they finally entered the cafeteria, devouring food with blissful faces.

Satiated, they pat their now-functioning stomachs. Under the squad leader’s guidance, they leisurely returned to the dormitory.

Soon, the lunch break bell rings.

“Alright, no tasks for you today, just rest,” the squad leader declared.

In disbelief, they looked at the squad leader, accustomed to tasks even during lunch breaks.

Seeing their expressions, the squad leader retorted, “Unwilling to rest? Then stand in attention downstairs all afternoon!”

Quickly withdrawing their gazes, they stand by their beds.

“No, no, we’d like to rest,” they hastily reply.

However, as they approached their beds with slippers, hesitancy creeps in, admiring the neatly arranged beds and tofu cubes.

“Are you sleepy?” Chen Ming inquired, observing his teammates.

Teammates shook their heads, “Not sleepy.”

They gather around, sitting on small mats, chatting away. As the lunch break ended, a sudden assembly whistle echoed downstairs. They swiftly dressed, assembling downstairs. The company commander, Lin Changfeng, faced the company with a smile, acknowledging their efforts.

They shout in unison, “Not unfortunate!”

The company commander nodded satisfactorily, addressing them, “Comrades, you’ve just entered the military. Adapting to military life might have been challenging in the past week, missing family and friends.”

His words evoke memories, faces flushing with emotion as they recall farewells at the barracks entrance.

The soldiers, many leaving home for the first time, some never beyond their county, find their eyes reddening.

Night brings inevitable yearning, thoughts of the day’s training contrasting with the warmth of home. They realize the once-escaped home is their true sanctuary.

Most recruits deeply missed their hometowns and loved ones. In the silent night, they wiped away tears, thinking of them.