Every morning at seven o'clock, the instructors would take them to a small flat area near the base for a morning run, and then they would go back for breakfast after the run.

Su Xun was hungry when she woke up. She wanted to eat some snacks in the dormitory, but the dormitory supervisor did not give her that chance. After they finished washing up, the supervisor urged them to go downstairs to assemble.

Already very hungry, and having run so many laps, Su Xun felt a dull ache in her stomach, her lips turned pale, and even her steps felt unsteady.

Pei Ke ran right next to Su Xun and had noticed Su Xun's strange behavior a long time ago, so he was a little worried.

"Su Xun, you look a little weak. Should I talk to the instructor and let you rest for a bit?" He finally couldn't help but speak up.

Su Xun didn't have the strength to answer anymore, she just shook her head. Asking for leave on the first day, wouldn't the instructor think she was being nosy? Besides, the morning run was almost over, and she felt she could hold on for a while longer, so she shook her head and declined Pei Ke's offer. At the same time, a warm feeling welled up inside her; Pei Ke was always the first to notice something was wrong with her.

In the next few days, be sure to get up a few minutes earlier, eat something to fill your stomach before going for a morning run with everyone.

The twenty-minute morning run left everyone exhausted, tired and hungry. After returning to the base and gathering, the head instructor didn't say much this time and told everyone to line up and go to the canteen for breakfast.

After a whole morning of fussing, everyone was exhausted and didn't care what they ate, even if it was just simple porridge, coarse flour buns, and pickled vegetables.

The main purpose of this activity is to strengthen everyone's will and give them a small taste of the hardships the Red Army endured back then. Therefore, most of the daily activities consist of military training in the morning and stories of heroes that happened in the army in the evening.

Everyone in the cafeteria was engrossed in their food, as if they were chewing some delicacy rather than ordinary steamed buns. However, some students were quite dissatisfied with the food.

Song Lisha stirred the bowl of red rice porridge in front of her with a spoon, her eyes filled with undisguised disgust. The food she had eaten yesterday at noon and for dinner was not to her liking. At home, she was a pampered princess, and her family would satisfy her every craving. But this place was clearly not her home; the food, drinks, and accommodations were all very basic, and she was finding it hard to stand.

Seeing that Song Lisha hadn't eaten much, and considering that mealtimes were fixed, her classmates worried that she might get hungry during afternoon training, so they couldn't help but remind her, "Lisha, you'd better eat something quickly, or there won't be any left to eat after lunchtime."

The reminder from those around her seemed to ignite a long-suppressed anger within her. She threw the spoon into the bowl and complained, "I really can't stand it anymore. This is not human food. It makes me sick."

Her voice wasn't too loud or too soft, but it was loud enough for people at several nearby tables to hear clearly. What she said was really offensive. She said these things weren't fit for human consumption, but everyone was eating them with great relish.

People nearby stopped eating and turned to look at Song Lisha's table. The classmate who had reminded her earlier noticed the strange looks from everyone and quietly tugged at Song Lisha's sleeve.

But Song Lisha seemed oblivious to everyone else, picked up the bowl of porridge, ran to the trash can, and poured the porridge into it with a "splash".

A collective gasp filled the air.

The commotion attracted several instructors. Seeing what she was doing, they all paused and then reprimanded her, "You think you've eaten too much? You don't need to eat breakfast this morning either. Do fifty squats."

Song Lisha had long been too intimidated by the instructor's harsh voice to look up, shrinking back and not daring to utter a sound. The little girl was also too shy to talk back.

The dormitory supervisor, who followed us in, spoke coldly about the importance of saving food, and the meal ended in this oppressive atmosphere.

After lunch came the basic training. Although it was tiring, everyone was used to it and didn't dare to go against the instructors anymore. Only Song Lisha seemed to be in a bad mood. She hadn't eaten much in the morning and had been punished with squats, so she was already exhausted. At lunchtime, she ate a double portion, which shocked her classmates. After all, Song Lisha usually ate very little to maintain her figure for dancing, and this was the first time they had ever seen someone eat so much.

The lunch break lasted for almost an hour and a half, and everyone chose to stay in the dormitory to take a nap and recover their energy.

It rained lightly again outside. Autumn rains bring coolness, and the wind was also chilly, sending a chill down your spine. Luckily, the camouflage uniforms here come with jackets.

The rain didn't stop after lunch break and even seemed to be intensifying. Fortunately, the afternoon activities were indoors, so it didn't delay the process.

After assembling, the instructors led their respective companies directly to different rooms, each about the size of a regular classroom. The dormitory supervisors brought in a large bag of red thread and distributed several threads to each student.

The students stared at the red thread in their hands, puzzled. What was this supposed to be? Was it the red thread of the Matchmaker God?

"This afternoon we will learn to make Chinese knots. Of course, we can only learn some of the simplest ones. I will demonstrate them for you a few times later, so please watch carefully." The teacher walked to the middle of the room and asked everyone to sit around her.

Make Chinese knots!

It's that kind of knot that looks very complicated?

How can I possibly learn that? Those things look so difficult.

Most of the students thought the same thing, and their faces showed distress and disbelief. However, some were very curious and eager to try.

Su Xun stared at the few wires, feeling utterly overwhelmed. She was just so clumsy with her hands!

From childhood to adulthood, she has never had any talent for handicrafts. Her folded paper airplanes are not as beautiful or fly as far as other people's. Tang Shi taught her how to fold origami cranes for a long time, but she still hasn't memorized them.

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