"But not long after I came back, I started having a high fever and couldn't urinate. I went to the hospital for a checkup and was diagnosed with acute glomerulonephritis, so I was admitted that same day. My fever wouldn't go away, and the doctor said I needed a hormone shock. He also said hormones have side effects, like making me fat, and asked me to sign a consent form. I figured I'd return to the army once I recovered, and with the intensity of the Tiger Regiment's training, how could I possibly gain weight? So I agreed."

Hong Tao threw another potato into the basin and sighed, "Who knew that the medication would cure my kidney disease quickly, but my figure really started to get out of shape, just as the doctor said. I trained hard as soon as I returned to the army. When others were resting, I was still running 5,000 meters on the training ground, and I didn't dare to eat too much. But even so, I still gained weight quickly. I was worried that if I kept gaining this much, I wouldn't be able to be a sniper."

"Why? Can't a sniper be fat?"

Hong Tao laughed so hard that his fat flesh trembled. "Haha, classmate Chen, you're really funny. Of course not! Think about it, if a sniper wants to kill the enemy, he must first hide himself. If he was as fat as a mountain, who wouldn't be able to see him just lying there? He would have been sniped long ago!"

Aoyama: That makes sense!

"I bought a ton of diet pills. I've tried almost every brand on the market, and I spend all my monthly allowance on them. But the pills are like tonics. Not only have I not lost any weight, I've actually gained over 30 pounds."

"Later, the organization talked to me about demobilization and arranged for me to return to my hometown to work as deputy director of a county government office. I already weighed 200 pounds at the time and had given up on losing weight. I thought it would be nice to return home and live a stable life as a civil servant. But just as I was about to accept, I received a letter from a child I had rescued during a previous hostage rescue mission. He wrote to me every year, saying that he admired me and regarded me as his role model. He also wanted to join the army when he grew up and become a sniper like me."

"That night I tossed and turned all night long, unable to sleep. The next day, I rejected the organization's arrangement for me to be demobilized and stayed in the army. I was still unwilling to go back and live a dull and boring life until I grew old. I'm still young and can still contribute to my country. I, I'm someone's idol, so if I have to leave the army, I have to do it in a blaze of glory. How can I leave in such a shameful way?"

Hong Tao still had a smile on his face, but Qingshan felt that his smile was uglier than crying.

"Our Regimental Commander Zhou contacted the Chief of Staff and arranged for me to work in the kitchen of the headquarters cafeteria. He spoke a lot of good words for me so that I could continue to stay in the army. After joining the kitchen, I still insisted on exercising every day, but the weight has not dropped. Instead, I have gained another 20 kilograms! Sigh, I can't figure it out. I only eat half full every day, which is less than the female soldiers in the medical team. Where did all this fat come from?"

Qingshan finally understood the whole story and sighed in his heart:

Some people will gain weight after using hormones, but the weight will slowly return to normal after stopping the medication. However, some people react strongly to the side effects of hormones, and it is difficult for them to recover once they gain weight, and they may even continue to gain weight after stopping the medication. Hong Tao should be one of those people who are very sensitive to hormones.

Squad Leader Hong fought bravely for his country and is the most lovable person, a hero! We can’t let heroes bleed and cry. We have to help them!

Qingshan rubbed the mud in his hands and smiled at Squad Leader Hong:

"Captain Hong, would you like to know more about Chinese herbal medicine for weight loss?"

Hong Pangzhu's body trembled and he collapsed again:

"Chinese herbal medicine? Come on, Western medicine isn't working, so a bunch of grass roots are supposed to work?"

Qingshan: ...If I didn't respect you as a hero, I would have stuffed a handful of potato peels into your mouth. Do you believe it?

"Captain Hong, you can't say that! Traditional Chinese Medicine was passed down by our ancestors. It relies on those herbal remedies and has saved countless lives for thousands of years. If herbal remedies are used properly, they are more effective than Western medicine. Why don't you try it first? What if it works?"

Hong Tao blinked his eyes and thought for a while, then finally nodded:

"Okay! Let's try! But what kind of herbs should I take? I don't know anything about these things."

"I understand. Here's a pen and paper!"

Qingshan took the accounting pen and lesson plan book handed to him by Fatty Hong, wrote a recipe on the paper and handed it to him:

"Captain Hong, if you have the chance, go to the pharmacy and get some of these herbs. Get more, they're not expensive. I'll boil them for you when you come back!"

Fatty Hong was surprised: "Student Chen, you know Chinese medicine? Incredible, incredible!"

Qingshan looked at Fatty Hong and smiled playfully: "Hmph, Fatty Hong, I'll show you my true colors after I use a little trick! See if you still dare to look down on traditional Chinese medicine!"