dkrc Chapter 25 Li Jiahao: Which of us is the real veteran?! [Please read on! Please vote!]
Chapter 25 Li Jiahao: Which of us is the real veteran?! [Please read on! Please vote!]
Li Jiahao: "..."
Holy crap...?
Looking at the somewhat old yellow basin on the table, and then at the bowl full of noodles in front of him, Li Jiahao's eyes widened instantly. Just as he was about to refuse, he saw Chu Zhao smilingly take away the empty bowl in front of him.
"I'm not very hungry, a couple of sips of noodle soup will do."
Chu Zhao picked up a spoon, preparing to serve the soup.
Upon seeing this, a glimmer of hope suddenly rekindled in Li Jiahao's dazed eyes.
Yes! It's fine to have soup instead of noodles!
They're all scooped from the small yellow basin anyway, so there's no difference!
As for why Li Jiahao cared about this matter... it was naturally because it involved an unwritten tradition within the military.
Dumplings on the way up, noodles off the way down.
As the name suggests, it applies to training, business trips, and military enlistment and discharge.
Whenever the troops go on a long trip, they will prepare meals according to this tradition.
A plate of dumplings, symbolizing family reunion.
A bowl of noodles, smooth and delicious, is essentially the same as many of the customs and traditions observed during festivals in folk traditions—all for good luck.
However... that alone was not enough to make Li Jiahao show a frustrated expression, as if he had swallowed a fly, after seeing Chu Zhao serve him a full bowl of noodles.
The secret lies not in the food itself.
But it was the utensil on the table that held the food.
Little yellow basin!
This thing may look unremarkable, but it can definitely be called a great weapon for the military!
Aside from its everyday uses such as washing your face, feet, or certain body parts, the little yellow basin can also be very useful in both work and daily life.
When tilling the soil to plant vegetables, the small yellow basin is used to hold the stones that are dug out.
When the outdoor dry toilets are full, the small yellow basin can still be used to empty the excrement.
When it's time to cook, the little yellow bowl can be used to knead dough, mix fillings, soak instant noodles, or, like now, to hold cooked noodles...
Li Jiahao will never forget this in his life.
When he first enlisted, as a northerner, he happily ate several bowls of "welcome noodles".
But as soon as he got back to the dormitory, he smelled a foul stench!
Several of their comrades who had arrived earlier than them said they had just finished cleaning the outhouses.
And the tool they used to scoop out the latrines... was the small yellow basin they were holding!
Thinking back to the noodles I used to eat, they were also served in these little yellow bowls...
Li Jiahao felt his stomach churning and rushed to the toilet to vomit violently!
That time, just like this moment!
Having already learned his lesson once, Li Jiahao naturally wanted Chu Zhao, whom he had just met, to experience the despair he had once felt, which is why he kept urging Chu Zhao to eat more.
After all... this is a routine that every new recruit goes through after arriving at the military.
You absolutely must try it!
Who would have thought that Chu Zhao wouldn't fall for the trap? In fact, she seemed to have seen through Li Jiahao's plan and served him a big bowl of noodles instead!
This is terrible!
Looking at the noodles and the small yellow basin in front of him, Li Jiahao seemed to smell the nauseating stench of "old excrement" again!
Chu Zhao even took away Li Jiahao's empty bowl, so Li Jiahao couldn't return the noodles!
Li Jiahao couldn't refuse to eat, because he was very clear about how serious the nature of "wasting food" was in the military!
A single-minded approach has backfired, resulting in a double bind!
Helpless, Li Jiahao, with a bitter face, could only pick up his chopsticks shakily, muttering to himself, "This basin probably hasn't been used to empty the latrine..." and "That kid Chu Zhao wants to drink soup from this basin too..." trying to comfort himself.
"call..."
Take a deep breath.
With a death-defying spirit, Li Jiahao finally put the first bite of noodles into his mouth!
The noodles are chewy and fragrant with wheat, and when paired with the three kinds of braised dishes on the table, it's absolutely authentic!
But no matter how good the taste was, it couldn't wash away Li Jiahao's painful memories!
Li Jiahao's gaze was fixed on Chu Zhao, and the grief and indignation in his eyes almost solidified!
Drink up!
You fucking drink it!
Why aren't you drinking the soup!
Having dug a hole and buried himself, Li Jiahao now has only one thought left.
That means dragging Chu Zhao into this mess too!
But Chu Zhao seemed to be possessed by Kong Rong at this moment. Instead of serving himself soup, he served noodles to the other recruits at the table one by one!
During this process, Chu Zhao did not forget to firmly protect the empty bowl that Li Jiahao had taken from him in front of him, determined not to give Li Jiahao the slightest chance to take advantage of the situation!
Seeing Chu Zhao stubbornly refusing to jump into the pit, Li Jiahao suddenly had a somewhat absurd thought.
Between the two of us, who the hell is the veteran?!
at last!
Under Li Jiahao's watchful gaze, Chu Zhao finally finished serving noodles to the new recruit at the same table, then turned and picked up her own empty bowl!
Closer...closer...
Li Jiahao couldn't help but swallow hard, eagerly anticipating the moment when Chu Zhao would ladle the soup into the bowl!
But just as Chu Zhao was about to pour the soup into the bowl!
Chu Zhao suddenly frowned, and then casually uttered a sentence that struck Li Jiahao like a thunderbolt.
"Tsk...why is this soup getting a little cold?"
After saying that, under Li Jiahao's blank and bewildered gaze, Chu Zhao slowly got up and found the platoon leader in charge of the team.
"Platoon leader, I'd like a bowl of noodle soup."
"The food on the table is getting a bit cold. Can I go to the kitchen and get another bowl?"
The platoon leader naturally saw Chu Zhao serving noodles to all the new recruits and even developed a good impression of Chu Zhao because of it.
In the military, the officers and key personnel like Chu Zhao the most, as he is both diligent and perceptive.
However, the platoon leader still had to say a few words to Chu Zhao.
"Slowpoke...why didn't you do this sooner?"
"You're such a troublemaker!"
Go!
"Yes, sir! Thank you, platoon leader!"
Chu Zhao smiled and thanked the platoon leader, then quickly walked towards the canteen window.
As for the platoon leader's two lukewarm rebukes, he completely ignored them.
Having finished a bowl of noodles, Li Jiahao stared blankly at Chu Zhao's retreating figure, the light in his eyes completely extinguished...
How shameful...how shameful!
This is truly a disgrace to veterans who have re-enlisted!
A veteran who had served for two years failed to outsmart the new recruits at the "welcome party" and ended up getting himself into trouble instead.
If Li Jiahao's fellow firefighters knew about this, they would laugh at him to death.
Just when Li Jiahao was feeling utterly hopeless and despairing.
Chu Zhao carried a bowl of hot noodle soup back to Li Jiahao's side.
"veteran."
Upon hearing this title, Li Jiahao seemed to be electrocuted and abruptly looked in the direction of the platoon leader!
Seeing that the platoon leader hadn't noticed what was happening on his side, Li Jiahao breathed a sigh of relief, but then anger rose in his heart and he turned around to settle accounts with Chu Zhao.
But when he turned his gaze, what he saw was Chu Zhao holding an empty bowl and filling it with noodles.
Looking down again, Li Jiahao realized that the empty bowl that had just been in front of him had disappeared without him noticing...
"Old soldier, here, have some more!"
"I'm new here and don't know anything, so I'm counting on you to take care of me!"
Li Jiahao: "..."
Looking at Chu Zhao, whose smile was sincere and who seemed completely harmless.
Li Jiahao's lips twitched, and finally he revealed a smile that seemed to be on the verge of tears.
You...you didn't do it on purpose, did you?