Chapter 6: A Man Must Have a Thick Skin!

“Beep beep~”

The red sun was about to set, dusk gradually rising, the military station platform echoed with whistles in turn.

After finishing their meals, every carriage blew their whistles to count the soldiers, then led the new recruits back onto the train, preparing to depart again.

When Chu An stepped out of the military station canteen, he instinctively rubbed his stomach.

This time, he was truly full—three solid, fist-sized steamed buns along with two bowls of noodles had completely dispelled the hunger he felt when he got off earlier.

In fact, he even had the leisure to appreciate the untouched twilight around him.

It was beautiful.

Although the view from the station platform stretched over desolate fields, the setting sun and dusk cast a unique charm over the surrounding hills and wilderness.

Of course, the sunset was infinitely lovely, but Chu An obviously had no time to linger.

“Toot~!”

The train whistled, and the clanging sounds began again.

Once more, Chu An lay down inside the cramped carriage.

“Comrades, now let us invite the new recruit Chu An to share with everyone how to skillfully pick up noodles. Let’s give him a warm round of applause!”

Inside the cramped carriage, Chu An had actually intended to sleep once he lay down.

Perhaps others couldn’t sleep, as many had caught some rest during the day, but whether it was because he had eaten well or due to the fact of his rebirth, he felt drowsy as soon as he reclined.

Yet at that moment, Squad Leader Ma stood up, holding onto the carriage for support.

He actually asked Chu An to share how to pick up noodles.

To be honest, Chu An was speechless.

But since the call had been made and the surrounding applause had already begun, it seemed impossible not to say a few words.

So Chu An stood up immediately: “Actually, there’s no great secret to it...”

In just a couple of sentences, he repeated what he had taught the other recruits at the dining table earlier.

As Chu An finished speaking, the applause resumed.

Truthfully, wrapped in that applause, Chu An felt no joy, only a strange sense of alienation.

He felt out of place.

Such a common sense matter being displayed as if it were a lesson, and these young men around him, many of whom were his age or older, were giving him so much face.

The cramped carriage was quite dim; even if someone chose not to applaud, no one would notice, but they all applauded earnestly.

“Did everyone understand?” asked Squad Leader Ma.

“Yes!” the new recruits responded loudly, except Chu An, who felt somewhat uneasy.

He felt as if he had wandered into a kindergarten.

But on reflection, wasn’t this the innocence and sincerity he had lost before his rebirth?

In these times, most people were not highly educated. In one carriage, Chu An, a high school graduate, could be considered an intellectual, while others had not finished middle school, and some had only completed elementary school.

And that was the official record. In reality, with poor oversight, some people might have barely attended school before joining the army.

Before his rebirth, Chu An knew a soldier in his village who had dropped out after only four years of elementary school.

...

The clanging sounds continued inside the carriage. As darkness fell, three recruitment officers taught everyone two military songs to pass the time after the meal, then let them rest.

Naturally, many could not fall asleep. Although the carriage was unlit, these fellows, having just eaten and been out in the cold, were all quite spirited.

Groups of two or three whispered and chatted quietly.

Li Guoping tried to pull Chu An into conversation, but Chu An only chatted briefly before saying he missed home and wanted to sleep first, hoping that once he fell asleep, he would stop feeling homesick.

It had to be said: people these days were truly simple-minded. Whatever Chu An said, they believed.

The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, the train stopped again at a military station along the route for breakfast.

Once again, Chu An finished his meal and queued for a second helping.

This prompted Tong Lianzhong to joke with a smile.

“You don’t look like much, but you sure can eat!”

Chu An scratched his head awkwardly on the surface but inwardly felt a bit helpless.

He didn’t know why he was so hungry.

But no matter the reason, when hungry, one must eat. As for whether eating so much was embarrassing—Chu An truly felt no shame.

After all, having boarded this train, what was wrong with eating more?

If he didn’t eat enough to nourish his long-malnourished body, how could he fight fiercely when going to battle?

Moreover, being human, especially a man, one had to be thick-skinned.

Whether pursuing a girl or eating a meal.

Being thin-skinned meant only watching others court the girl you like or eat the food you desire.

Just like now, military station supplies always gave slightly more food than the headcount required, just enough so that three or four people could eat a bit extra.

First come, first served. Those thin-skinned ones had to watch others eat while starving.

Time passed slowly. They arrived late for lunch at the station, mainly due to prolonged stops along the way.

In these times, transport trains for soldiers had the lowest priority on the road outside of wartime.

Even livestock trains had the right of way; specialized trains and routes were out of the question.

“Being able to eat well is a good thing. At your age, eating well helps your body grow. Look how thin you are now!”

Lunch was quite good, with steamed rice. Chu An deliberately took only a generous half bowl for his first serving, so he finished quickly and came up for seconds.

This surprised Tong Lianzhong at how fast Chu An ate but he just laughed and said that.

For a soldier, having a good appetite was not a flaw.

In fact, it indicated good physical fitness to some extent.

Although the unit they were going to was a secondary force, with grassroots companies spending much of their energy on production, it did not mean that strong soldiers were unnecessary.

Besides, being physically strong meant more power for labor!

“Thank you, Commander!” Chu An replied shyly.

People of this era were truly simple-hearted, including Tong Lianzhong, the recruitment officer. Otherwise, considering that Chu An boldly queued a second time when no one else dared, one could tell this guy was no pushover.

Time passed swiftly. After boarding again, as night fell, the atmosphere inside the cramped carriage grew restless.

Earlier at lunch, Squad Leader Ma had hinted that barring surprises, they would arrive by evening.

Now, darkness was approaching, and evening was nearly over.

“Squad Leader, how much longer until we arrive?” someone in the carriage could no longer hold back and asked the supposedly dozing Squad Leader Ma again.

“Heh heh, soon, soon, don’t rush!” Ma replied cheerfully, but his words only made Chu An and the others more anxious.

He had been saying the same thing since before sunset, and now the sun had long disappeared, with darkness nearly complete.

“Squad Leader, you keep saying that!” one recruit finally lost patience.

After two days and a night inside the cramped carriage, though the train didn’t cause motion sickness, being confined in such a dim, cramped space was certainly unpleasant.

“Heh heh, Squad Leader Ma isn’t lying this time. About ten more minutes, definitely ten minutes!” Tong Lianzhong, sitting near the door and peering through the small opening, smiled and spoke.

His words instantly stirred the recruits into heightened excitement.

Chu An was a bit impatient too.

By now, he had accepted the fact that he was going to serve on the border with the Viet country.

There was no escaping it, and he wasn’t the type to desert.

Since that was the case, he naturally hoped to reach the unit sooner, at least to get out of this cursed carriage.

God only knew how he, accustomed to modern life, had endured an entire day inside such a carriage—no phone, no internet.

...