Chapter Fifty-Nine: Military Training

For freshmen, the first challenge upon entering university life is military training. Before it began, the counselor kept reminding everyone in the group chat about various precautions.

“There are no power outlets over there, so bring extra power banks. Make sure to protect yourself from the sun—boys should bring sunscreen spray, too. Don’t forget medicine for diarrhea, and also, bring a jar of spicy sauce…”

Though he didn’t quite understand why the counselor was so anxious about this military training, Zhou Miao felt it was best to follow her advice, so he stuffed his bag to the brim.

The Conservatory’s military training wasn’t held on campus—the school arranged buses to transport everyone to the Pingbei base in the outskirts for the training.

On the day of departure, all the freshmen donned their military uniforms bright and early—a crowd of green-clad youths packed into the buses like sardines, faces lit with excitement, as if they were genuinely looking forward to the days ahead.

But the moment they stepped off the bus, the students were stunned. Rows of low, shabby buildings, a dusty gravel yard, and the blazing sun overhead—none of it matched what they had imagined.

Zhou Miao found his assigned dorm according to the camp list. As soon as he pushed open the door, he nearly cursed. Was this the legendary twenty-person dormitory?

The only electrical appliance in the entire dorm was a single light. There was no air conditioning—not even a fan. In this heat, the dorm would be like a steam room at night.

He was speechless but kept quiet, pulling out his sheet and bamboo mat to make his bed, but no matter how he tried, it wouldn’t lie flat. Lifting it up, he saw the bedboard was full of dents and hollows, and a centipede as long as his finger crawled out from underneath.

As more students arrived and saw the conditions, complaints filled the air, but since they were already here, they had no choice but to make do.

Outside, the loudspeaker was already announcing that the opening ceremony would be held in half an hour, so everyone hurried to finish unpacking.

Zhou Miao had drunk too much water on the road and dashed to the bathroom. Before he even entered, the overwhelming stench made him frown—it was even worse than Grandpa Lin’s cesspit!

Forcing himself inside, the smell burned his eyes; there was a row of open pits with not even a partition. He held his breath, finished quickly, and escaped that hellhole.

Zhou Miao made up his mind: for the next fourteen days, he would avoid the bathroom, achieving a feat worthy of legends.

The opening ceremony was no different from the usual school assemblies—endless speeches from school leaders, instructors, student representatives, and so on, dragging on for hours.

Under the scorching sun, everyone was drenched in sweat, but at least there were little stools to sit on; otherwise, a few would surely have fainted.

Pingbei wasn’t hosting only the Conservatory—several other universities were holding their military training here. While the Conservatory conducted its opening ceremony, students from other colleges watched from afar.

Unfortunately, Hu San’s university didn’t come to Pingbei; they went to another base, rumored to have much better conditions.

“Ah, I should have sprayed some sunscreen before coming out—the sun’s peeling my skin!” said Shen Jiawei, sitting next to Zhou Miao.

Zhou Miao pulled his cap lower to shield himself from the sun. It was scorching—the heat radiated from his back, and he prayed for a downpour to cool things off.

In this ordeal, the opening ceremony finally ended. Nobody listened to the speeches; as soon as it was over, everyone rushed for the shade.

Jia Yongsong went to the base shop and bought a few bottles of cold water for the dorm, grumbling, “This shop is a rip-off! Water is three yuan, instant noodles six, and charging your power bank costs fifteen!”

Shen Jiawei gulped down ice water, feeling alive again. “It’s normal—he’s the only shop here. If he sold water for ten, we’d still have to buy it.”

By the time the ceremony wrapped up, it was already past eleven. Zhou Miao and the other three from his dorm rested briefly, then joined the crowd for lunch in the cafeteria, only to find there were no stools—everyone had to eat standing.

The food was awful, and Zhou Miao finally understood why the counselor told them to bring spicy sauce. He grabbed a few buns, returned to the dorm, and made do with the hot sauce.

At two thirty, training officially began—standing at attention, marching. Compared to the dreadful environment, the training itself was the easiest part to endure.

But what exasperated Zhou Miao was that students kept staring at him during practice. When he looked over, some waved excitedly, others stealthily snapped photos with their phones whenever the instructor wasn’t looking.

During break, a crowd gathered around him—even the instructor shyly asked for a photo together.

Looking at the parade of phones, Zhou Miao felt dazed. Weren’t phones forbidden during training? How was it that only he didn’t have one?

Training continued until six thirty. After dinner, they regrouped, but the evening session was lighter—just practicing military songs, which would be assessed at the end of training.

At eight thirty, the day’s training ended. Like the other guys, Zhou Miao carried a basin to the bathhouse. Northern bathhouses were different from those in the south—a single pool could fit dozens.

Upon entering, Zhou Miao was greeted by a crowd of burly men, all naked and moving about. He felt his eyes would burn out.

The most awkward part was that, when a popular idol entered a public bathhouse, he was more conspicuous than a lightbulb. Zhou Miao felt countless eyes sizing him up, eager to challenge him.

Well, who’s afraid of whom!

Gritting his teeth, Zhou Miao shed the last shred of modesty and strode boldly across the bathhouse; everyone lowered their heads as he passed.

Washing away the exhaustion in a haze of embarrassment, Zhou Miao climbed into bed and checked his phone—Hu San had sent several messages.

“Are you done yet?”

“I’m so tired today. I think I’m getting sunburned.”

“Are you there, silly?”

Zhou Miao couldn’t help but smile as he replied, “Just finished showering with a hundred guys.”

Hu San quickly responded, “Ah, same here—our bathhouse is a big pool full of people. One girl even asked if we could scrub each other’s backs. So awkward.”

“By the way, there’s something I wanted to tell you.”

Zhou Miao: “What is it?”

“My roommate recognized me from Weibo and wants to meet you for a meal after training.”

Zhou Miao scratched his head; truthfully, he didn’t like eating with strangers, but since it was Hu San’s roommate, he could make an exception. “Sure, it’s just a meal.”

“Great. It’s getting late—get some sleep.”

“Okay.”

As soon as the chat ended, his dormmates started calling him, “Miao, want to play Valley?”

“Let’s go, log in!”