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墨書 Inktalez
As the first lesson for new students entering university, I don't want to elaborate on the significance of national defense strategy; that's something I can't interpret alone. I just think that as an instructor, it's not enough to teach these kids some drill movements. More importantly, I believe in sharing my insights with them to help them form a correct outlook on life and values. Yes, it's about instilling ideas—"making excellence a habit"—so that these kids can always maintain an optimistic, cheerful, and proactive attitude towards life, paying attention to the details.
Opportunities and success are reserved for those who are prepared; this applies to everything. I'll leave these thoughts for the students to ponder over time.
However, I know there are still many who resist this idea, and many who fail to see it clearly. I can imagine that quite a few are thinking of me as a fascist instructor. It's understandable; at such a young age, they inherently feel they have control over everything. I used to view my instructors in the same way.
Just then, Pudding returned from its break. The school's greenery is impressive, and as soon as it entered, it disappeared into the lush campus. Now that it saw everyone gathered, it came over to join in the fun. It's quite strange; Pudding usually doesn't come around when the leaders are speaking, but it always shows up for other gatherings.
I looked up at Pudding circling in the sky and suddenly felt mischievous. I shouted, "Most of you are only children, right? You're spoiled at home. You don't believe I can handle you? Look at that crow up there!"
Then I stretched out my arm and yelled, "Come down here right now!" Pudding swooped down with a loud squawk and grabbed my arm firmly. It stood steady and then croaked twice at the crowd as if to say: "I'm here now; what are you all doing?"
The students below were stunned into silence for a moment before bursting into discussions.
I smiled proudly; my point had been made. By the next day, word spread across campus that there was a Military Training instructor who could even command birds, leading many curious onlookers to come watch me during training sessions.
Thus began the Military Training.
After a brief introduction among class leaders and cadets, I gathered everyone together and announced the afternoon's agenda: first, a visit to the instructor's dormitory to see what Internal Standards looked like; second, each instructor would go to the cadet dormitories to assist with Internal Affairs. After dinner, we would conduct inspections. From now on, every afternoon and morning, I would send one or two instructors to inspect Internal Affairs in each dormitory and assign scores. The class with the highest score would earn a visit to the military unit along with souvenirs; conversely, the class with the lowest score would face additional physical training and cleaning duties related to Public Health.
It was quite advantageous since there would always be one class at the top; with only about twenty classes total, we could easily transport them all to observe training at the military unit without violating any regulations since they needed access for shooting practice anyway.
Under the guidance of their class leaders, everyone lined up in an orderly fashion to enter our first-floor dormitory area for viewing—moving through room by room like a flowing stream. Everyone was astonished by how clean and tidy the rooms were. Once everyone had toured the dormitories, I instructed each class leader to take their students back to their respective dorms to organize Internal Affairs and collaboratively designate Public Health Areas.
These tasks were routine for us; soldiers handle them effortlessly.
After officially starting Military Training, our afternoon training sessions ran from three to five o'clock with a half-hour break before dinner at five-thirty. Seeing that there was still time before dinner and nothing much else to do, I decided to wander through each dormitory.
The boys' dormitory was manageable—just a bit dirty and cluttered—but when I reached the higher girls' dormitory at the back, I realized I was in trouble.
The room was cluttered with various small items, and the balcony was filled with drying clothes. Besides the closet, there were also boxes under the bed, and numerous decorations adorned the space. I hadn't expected that these girls would start putting up decorative papers, flowers, posters, and all sorts of things as soon as they moved in. It was a vibrant display that left me overwhelmed. To be honest, I had never been to a Girls' Dormitory during my five years in college, so I wasn't mentally prepared for this; it truly opened my eyes.
The soldiers training the girls were also troubled by this situation. With such a mess, it was impossible to establish any internal standards. They were all expressing their concerns upon my arrival, and I felt equally frustrated. In the end, I had to set a rule: each Girls' Dormitory had to designate a public area for personal items, and no small items were allowed on desks or beds during class hours.
I didn't check the balcony myself; instead, I asked the selected Class Vice Monitors and Dormitory Leaders to tidy up the balcony and bathroom. I felt too embarrassed to go in, and the soldiers were also hesitant because many were hanging their underwear out to dry. To put it in modern terms, the scene was too beautiful for me to dare open my eyes.
After finally getting everything organized, it was time for dinner. The soldiers from each class gathered downstairs, and I led them to the cafeteria.
In the evening, I invited each soldier to visit every dormitory to deepen their understanding of one another and strengthen their bonds. Many were curious about military life since they had never faced soldiers before—especially their peers—so it was essential to unveil some of that mystery.
For those soldiers, this was also a form of communication; they would undoubtedly gain something from it—at least they would experience a different way of life.
As for me, I sat alone in the dormitory. I gave my walkie-talkie to Sheng Xiong so he could join them as well; if anything came up, I could call him back anytime.
I didn't leave a guard at the door but stood in the enclosed balcony on the first floor with my hands behind my back, gazing at the tranquil night. The lights from other buildings outside filtered through the trees faintly, while the sound of insects filled the air. The moonlight was bright; what a lovely environment! I couldn't help but reflect on how unpredictable life is. My previous wish had been to become a university teacher—who would have thought I'd end up in the army? As my parents would say, none of our ancestors had ever served; how did it come to be that my generation joined the military? And now here I was back at university.
Lost in thought, someone knocked on the door behind me. Turning around, I saw Xiaojing standing at the entrance with a smile. "Can I come in, Instructor?"
"Come in; make yourself comfortable."
Xiaojing glanced around and noticed there was only one chair and a bed available for sitting. Feeling awkward, I quickly said, "Oh, you can take the chair!"
"By the way, what brings you here?"
"I came to see you all. Is that not allowed?" Xiaojing replied directly as always. She had figured out my weakness: I wouldn't nitpick over trivial matters and wasn't good at countering her straightforwardness.
After chatting with her for a while, I glanced at my watch and suggested that I walk her back, while also calling the soldiers back to the Girls' Dormitory.
Once outside, I learned that Xiaojing lived on the fourth floor of the Girls' Dormitory, while the group of kids I was with stayed on the first and second floors. Perfect, we could all go together.
There was a bit of distance between the Girls' Dormitory and the Boys' Dormitory, with a drop in elevation. In between the two buildings, there was a flat area, and above it stood another structure. I guessed it was meant to block the line of sight; otherwise, it would be too easy for them to see each other with binoculars.
What puzzled me was that this building was dark and lacked lights at night. In the afternoon, I had approached from the side, but now I was curious why we couldn't just go up from behind the Boys' Dormitory and pass through the stairs to reach the Girls' Dormitory.
Thinking of this, I asked Xiaojing. To my surprise, she grabbed my arm, looked around nervously, and whispered, "Brother Wang, don't ask. They say it's not clean over there."
It would have been better if she hadn't said anything; her words only piqued my curiosity further. For some reason, Xiaojing refused to elaborate. With no other choice, I continued walking up the slope toward the Girls' Dormitory while keeping an eye on that building.
This structure appeared older and seemed like it used to be a dormitory as well. I wondered why it was unoccupied. Behind it was a cliff that had been cut away, with a staircase extending upward. However, when we reached the front of the Girls' Dormitory, an iron bar fence blocked our way. Surrounding the building were several trees that swayed in the evening breeze, creating an eerie atmosphere in the dim light.
In front of the Girls' Dormitory was an open space. Xiaojing and I arrived at the building's entrance. The area by the iron bars served as a bicycle parking spot, and there was a small house nearby. Xiaojing mentioned it was where the gatekeeper lived. An older woman watched over it; she was also a manager of the Girls' Dormitory. When I came by in the afternoon, I hadn't seen anyone around, and now there was still no sign of life.
To be continued; tomorrow will be even more exciting.
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