Chapter 8: Everyone Has a Different Constitution!

Scattered starlight filtered down onto the vast, empty parade ground of the barracks, where only a few bamboo poles strung with electric wires and bare lightbulbs provided illumination.

To be honest, the sight left Chu An feeling somewhat dazed. Was this really all the military could provide? Through the memories he had inherited, he knew this era was one of hardship, but he hadn't expected the military facilities to be so primitive. Couldn't they at least put up a few proper utility poles?

However, before he could dwell on it—and with no one offering any explanation—a group of veteran soldiers soon led all the recruits toward a few rows of barracks to the left of the parking area.

The buildings were spacious. Though they were simple, single-story structures with basic roofing, the interiors were surprisingly large once the doors were opened. This was characteristic of the style of the era; military barracks were generally built in a Soviet-influenced design, emphasizing sheer size.

But while they were large, the interior conditions made Chu An frown. There were no beds; there was only straw spread out along the three walls.

"The rest of your batch hasn't arrived yet, so you'll be staying here for two days," explained Tong Lianzhong. "Once everyone is here and you have been assigned to your respective recruit companies, we’ll move you to your permanent quarters, and you’ll have beds then!"

As the other veteran soldiers helped the recruits with their bags, one of them spoke up: "Deputy Company Commander, you've all been traveling all day and haven't eaten yet, right? The canteen has prepared noodles."

"Understood. Everyone, put your things down; we’re going to eat first," Tong Lianzhong ordered.

There was a custom of eating dumplings before a journey and noodles upon arrival. While this tradition wasn't strictly observed in the south—where ordinary families rarely had noodles or dumplings during this era—this was the military. With soldiers gathered from all over the country, those from the north had brought the custom with them, and it had naturally spread throughout the ranks. It was, above all, a way to wish for good luck.

A moment later, Chu An and the others arrived at the canteen.

In truth, Chu An had been hungry for a while. Even though he had eaten late in the afternoon, he found that he had developed an incredible appetite since his rebirth. Before he was reborn, he often couldn't even finish a single takeout portion of pig’s trotters, and in his memories of the original Chu An, his appetite had been perfectly normal. Yet, ever since he woke up in this body, it was as if some chemical reaction had occurred; he could easily consume the portions of two people.

This realization secretly worried him. While Tong Lianzhong and the others might say that a big appetite was a blessing, one had to consider the era. Being able to eat so much—even in the military—wasn't necessarily a good thing, was it? With food supplies strictly rationed, his constant hunger was bound to become a problem.

But he had no way to solve the issue for now; after all, his stomach was beyond his control.

"Chu An, don't you feel sick?"

At the square table, Chu An was shoveling noodles into his mouth. Everyone else at the table, with the exception of one or two others, was eating sluggishly, and some had simply stuck their chopsticks into their bowls and stopped moving altogether.

"What's wrong? Can't eat?" Chu An paused, looking at Li Guoping, who sat opposite him with a pained expression.

"Yeah!" Li Guoping grimaced, rubbing his temples. "My stomach hurts, and I feel a bit dizzy."

"Me too," another recruit said, looking equally miserable.

Although the truck had driven smoothly once they reached the main road, the combustion efficiency of trucks in this day and age was poor. Even though the ride was steady, the exhaust fumes that swirled into the back of the truck had been unbearable for these recruits, most of whom had never traveled in anything more sophisticated than a tractor. In fact, someone had already reported feeling ill and dry-heaved at the back of the truck during the journey. While only one person in their specific truck had actually vomited, that didn't mean the others were fine.

"It's alright. If you can't eat now, wait a while. If you really can't finish, I'll help you," Chu An said, lowering his head to continue eating. He added, "Waste is shameful!"

"..." Li Guoping was speechless. "Don't you feel sick at all?" he asked again.

"No. Maybe everyone's constitution is just different," Chu An replied. He genuinely felt fine. In his previous life, he had suffered from motion sickness as a child, but as he grew older and had to take buses frequently for school, he had gotten used to it and stopped feeling sick.

"What's the matter? Why aren't you eating?" A voice came from behind them. It was Tong Lianzhong, who had walked over to the next table.

"Sir, I... I feel a bit nauseous and dizzy. Can... can I eat later?"

"The noodles will get soggy if you wait!" Tong Lianzhong frowned. "Eat as much as you can. If you feel like you can't finish your portions, share them with the comrades who still have an appetite!"

Tonight, the recruits hadn't served themselves. Yesterday at the transit station, you had to fight for your noodles, but tonight, they just had to stand by and wait for the enthusiastic veterans to dish them out.

"Are you all the same?" Tong Lianzhong reached their table and looked at Li Guoping and the others, who were still grimacing.

"Yes, sir, I’m feeling nauseous and dizzy too!"

"Then put some into Chu An's bowl!" Tong Lianzhong ordered, looking at Chu An, who had already finished half his bowl.

"Right!" Li Guoping reached out to move his bowl.

"I'll do it myself. Just tell me when to stop!" Chu An quickly stood up to take the bowl. He had intended to help them anyway, and now that Tong Lianzhong had given the order, he wouldn't hold back. His stomach came first; if he didn't eat enough, he’d be the one suffering tonight.

"Haha, then you’ll have to put in the work and eat a bit more. Don't let it go to waste!" Tong Lianzhong patted Chu An on the shoulder with a chuckle.

Chu An turned, gave a shy, simple-minded smile, and nodded. "Yes, thank you, sir!"

"Good!" Tong Lianzhong chuckled, then looked at the others. "Eat as much as you can. Try to fill up; it’s going to be a long night!"

At this moment, to the recruits, he seemed like a thoroughly good man. None of them could have guessed that earlier, when the truck was navigating the rough road past the transit station, this same man had been yelling at the driver to step on the gas and ignore the recruits in the back.

That night, Chu An was stuffed. The canteen had cooked a large batch of noodles, and because so many recruits had lost their appetites from the journey, Chu An ended up eating for several of his comrades. Tong Lianzhong had even gone out of his way to tell him to grab another serving. When he walked out, he felt as though he might burp up a noodle at any moment.

"I really can't eat like this next time. Moderation, moderation is key," Chu An muttered to himself, rubbing his belly on the way back to the barracks.

It was the fullest, best meal he had eaten since his rebirth—he had even eaten three hard-boiled eggs that had been cooked in the noodle broth. But now, he was definitely overstuffed.

At that moment, Chu An had no idea that as they left, some of the veterans still in the canteen were talking about him.

"That recruit can really eat!"

"Damn, you couldn't tell, could you? He's so scrawny. I heard them talking—the kid’s an intellectual, probably finished high school, but he can pack it away!"

"At least three bowls. I’m a big eater, but even if I were starving for a day and worked for a day, I’d max out at two. I’ve got to hand it to the kid!"

"Haha, what’s there to hand it to him for? Wait and see which company he gets assigned to. If he ends up in ours, we’ll have to cook extra every meal!"

With no recruits around, the veterans laughed and chatted about the newcomers they had briefly encountered. Meanwhile, back in the barracks, the recruits began to chatter in small groups.