46: He was punished by having to run five kilometers.

When Xiao Niannian followed Li Le to the dormitory, all the female soldiers inside were looking at her.

Originally, this squad had nine people; now, with Xiao Niannian, there were ten.

“Squad Leader Li, who is this?”

“Her name is Xiao Niannian, she's a newly arrived recruit.”

“A new soldier? But didn't recruitment end a while ago? We've been here for over half a month.”

“Yeah, why are you only arriving now?”

Hearing their words, Xiao Niannian explained with a smile.

“There were matters at home, so I arrived late.”

Hearing Xiao Niannian say this, some scrutinized her suspiciously, while others greeted her.

“Hello Xiao Niannian, I am Qian Si.”

“I am Long Wu.”

“I am Wu Qi.”

“I am Zhou Fa.”

Xiao Niannian listened to their names and nodded in response.

“Hello everyone, I am Xiao Niannian.”

These people were quite interesting; their names were simple and easy to remember: Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight.

Four other people were sitting not far away, staring coldly at Niannian. Seeing that Niannian was wearing a somewhat old military uniform, they withdrew their gaze.

“Hu Ping, your scarf is really beautiful. It must have cost a fortune.”

“I heard this kind of scarf costs at least five or ten yuan.” Yang Fang, a female soldier nearby, chimed in.

Hu Ping, wearing a red scarf, looked at Xiao Niannian and replied.

“This amount.”

Hu Ping held up a ten.

Several people gasped in surprise.

“That expensive? Pingping, you are truly rich.”

“In our recruit company, your family must be the wealthiest. I haven't seen a watch on anyone else's wrist; only you have a Plum Blossom watch.”

Hu Ping, Yang Fang, Zhu Dan, He Juan, and the others praised her with smiles.

Hu Ping's smile widened as she listened to their words.

Li Le glanced at them, then looked at Xiao Niannian and said.

“This bed is currently empty, so you can stay here.”

Xiao Niannian looked at the bed and hummed in acknowledgment.

“Over here is the locker. Everyone has one, and they can be locked. Put all your things here.”

Xiao Niannian brought three sets of clothes. Her sweaters were hand-knitted by her grandmother, and her trousers were cotton pants and underpants also made by her grandmother. Uncle Wang and Lu Jing each gave her a new military uniform, tailored to her size.

The set she was wearing was an old military uniform; her grandmother had mended it, though there were no obvious patches, it was just faded from washing.

“Okay.”

When Xiao Niannian took out the items from her bag—seeing the two new military uniforms, two new leather belts, and a new military water bottle—Hu Ping and the others widened their eyes.

Xiao Niannian quickly folded the items and put them into the locker.

She took the lock and key from Li Le and locked the cabinet.

“I'll take you to collect your gear.”

Xiao Niannian nodded and followed Li Le outside.

Inside the room, Yang Fang's voice rang out.

“Did you guys see? That Xiao Niannian has two new military uniforms and a new military water bottle in her luggage.”

“Could she also be a child of high-ranking cadres, just like Hu Ping?”

“Impossible. If she were really like Pingping, she would definitely be wearing a Plum Blossom watch and showing off to us. How could she be so quiet?”

“Exactly. Look at her; she looks just like a village girl.”

Xiao Niannian, the alleged village girl herself, was speechless listening to these comments. Who joins the army just to compare possessions? She was here to defend the country.

The building they lived in was two stories high, and the second floor was exclusively for female soldiers. The adjacent building was three stories high and entirely for male soldiers. The restroom was at the end of the hall.

Along the way, many people greeted Li Le.

“Squad Leader Li.”

Squad Leader Li had pretty good social standing.

Li Le took Xiao Niannian to the place where supplies were issued.

“Since we are female soldiers, the things we are issued are all new. The male soldiers, however, are issued old items...” Li Le explained to Xiao Niannian.

“Mhm.”

After collecting the supplies, Li Le and Xiao Niannian returned to the dormitory. Just as Xiao Niannian finished making her bed, they heard a whistle.

“Shh... Assembly.”

A sharp whistle sounded, and everyone quickly adjusted their attire. After Xiao Niannian put on her hat and the newly issued shoes, she followed Li Le and ran outside.

The others were stunned when they saw Xiao Niannian's speed.

“Hurry up, even the newcomer has run off to the assembly point.”

Li Le and Xiao Niannian arrived simultaneously, followed immediately by Qian Si, Zheng Wu, Wu Qi, and Zhou Fa.

And the male soldiers from the other squads had also arrived.

“Count off.”

“One, Two, Three...”

Company Commander Hong's face instantly darkened when he saw a few more people running over.

“Those who are late, go run three kilometers on the drill ground.”

Hu Ping and the others' expressions immediately turned ugly. They had thought they could rest until the sixth day of the New Year, but today was only the second day! They had just been inside eating candy and snacks bought from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

“Yes, sir.”

Xiao Niannian watched these people run off with bitter expressions.

Company Commander Hong looked at the entire company of soldiers and spoke a few more words.

After finishing his speech, he looked at those present and said.

“Four people were late today, and since they are your comrades-in-arms, all of you will be punished with a five-kilometer run. Hu Ping and the rest of you, after completing your three kilometers, will then run five kilometers along with them.”

Hu Ping and the others had just run nearby, and upon hearing Company Commander Hong's words, they felt as if they had been struck by divine thunder.

They were late, and now not only were they punished with three kilometers, but they also had to run five kilometers?

These past few days, they had to stand for several hours daily, just standing there. Sometimes they had to run three kilometers, occasionally five kilometers, and sometimes do a hundred push-ups.

“How unlucky! The moment this Xiao Niannian arrived, we got punished,” Yang Fang said angrily.

Hearing this, Hu Ping looked towards Xiao Niannian and saw that Xiao Niannian was standing perfectly straight, better than them who had been enlisted for almost a month.

“If it weren't for Xiao Niannian, we wouldn't have been late.”

Niannian listened to their complaints, feeling speechless. She was busy tidying her bed and putting away her luggage, while these people were sitting, lying down, cracking sunflower seeds, and eating.

Being late for the emergency assembly, and they dare to blame her?

After finishing the three kilometers, Hu Ping and the others ran over.

“Report.”

“Fall in.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hu Ping and the others walked over, looked at Xiao Niannian next to them, and she let out a cold snort.

The four people were all panting heavily.

With an order from Company Commander Hong, the entire company began the five-kilometer run.

Although Xiao Niannian hadn't run five kilometers in a long time, her physical fitness had improved significantly compared to when she first arrived. After running one kilometer, Li Le observed Xiao Niannian. She noticed that Xiao Niannian looked very relaxed even after one kilometer. She realized she might have underestimated Xiao Niannian.

After the five kilometers were finished, Xiao Niannian had only broken a light sweat, while many of her other comrades-in-arms were extremely tired.

“Ding! Running Ability +1.” Xiao Niannian felt her slightly tired body instantly recover significantly.

“Assembly.”

The whistle sounded once again.

Everyone immediately returned to their ranks and began practicing formation drills.

Company Commander Hong had expected Xiao Niannian to fall behind, but unexpectedly, Xiao Niannian's performance was much more standard than the other comrades in the recruit company.