Chapter 22 Induction Training
After bandaging Lin Changning in the evening, Shilang went out, bought two roast chickens and two jars of wine from a stall, and went to Old Liu's house.
Several people had already arrived at Old Liu's house. When they saw Lin Changning coming over with gifts, Old Liu sullenly scolded him, "Why did you bring anything? I'm not short of food or clothes. This young man doesn't know the value of money and has no idea how to plan ahead!"
Lin Changning, who had just been slapped on the back by Old Liu, hissed, "Hold back, Old Liu! I just got a spanking, my butt still hurts!"
Old Liu ushered the people into the slightly dilapidated main room and rummaged through a mahogany box himself: "If you ask me, you should have been beaten. It'll teach you a lesson and prevent you from being so audacious all the time."
That's what he said, but his hands didn't stop as he grabbed a ceramic jar and a small packet of oil paper and tossed them over irritably: "Top-quality wound medicine. Apply some before bed tonight. The jar contains medicinal wine; apply it to your buttocks when you get home. It'll be healed within three days!!"
Lin Changning smiled, his eyes crinkling, his handsome face appearing even more striking. He thanked him somewhat shyly, "Then thank you, Master Liu."
Before Wan Jin even entered the door, he started shouting loudly, "Hey Liu, my mom asked me to bring you some pickled cabbage. I've put it on the stove for you."
Old Liu nodded, dismissed Lin Changning, and then left.
A group of men's eyes practically lit up at the sight of the greasy food, but since not everyone had arrived, no one touched their chopsticks.
A group of people looked at Lin Changning and asked, "Kid, Old Liu said you have superhuman strength, is that true?"
Lin Changning chuckled, propped his uninjured arm on the table, raised an eyebrow, and said with a hint of provocation, "Brothers, you'll know once you try."
The elmwood table gleamed with a dark sheen, the result of years of oil stains. A muscular soldier stretched out his arm: "Come on, kid, let's give it a shot!"
As they spoke, the two clasped hands together. Lin Changning, who appeared to be small and thin, stood steadily on the elmwood table with her slender arms. Zhao Tie exerted great force, his temples throbbing and the veins on his arms under his jacket bulging. For a long time, he couldn't budge Lin Changning's arms at all.
The people around them laughed and joked.
"Old Zhao, are you sure you can handle this?"
"You can't possibly lose to a little kid, can you?"
"Old Zhao, do you usually use all your strength on your wife? Hahaha, all bark and no bite."
Zhao Tie's face turned bright red. After a while, he laughed and scolded the onlookers, "Kid, you're really something. I, Old Zhao, am a man of my word. You're a real hero!"
After saying that, he turned his wrist and looked at the group of people around him who were making fun of him: "Go, go, go, you guys go and try it too, and come back to talk nonsense to me after you win."
A group of soldiers, defiant of the odds, took turns arm wrestling with Lin Changning, and each of them came down with their faces flushed red from holding their breath.
Lin Changning, on the other hand, had a smile on his face and appeared relaxed.
As the group played around, Old Liu led a few more people back to the main room. The group sat together, playing drinking games, drinking, and eating meat. The lively atmosphere could be heard from outside.
Around 7 PM, the group left the house arm in arm. Lin Changning, who was injured and hadn't been drinking, also went out with them.
Old Liu saw the people off and then looked at Lin Changning, sighing, "Kid, are you really going to the front lines?"
Lin Changning nodded confidently: "Master Liu, I want to go."
Old Liu's weathered face was filled with nostalgia: "Then I won't try to persuade you anymore. You're quite skilled, but the battlefield isn't training; it's a fight to the death. Don't hold back when you encounter the Tartars, and be quick-witted on the battlefield..."
Lin Changning knew that Old Liu was afraid she would die, so she listened attentively to the old man's rambling.
"Understood, Master Liu."
The old man waved his hand: "Go back, be careful on the road."
Lin Changning waved his hand and turned to go home. When he got home, the dim oil lamp was still lit. Shilang was not resting. The young boy was sitting in the main room sorting medicinal herbs. When he saw Lin Changning return, he said, "Sixth, Sixth Brother, I have something to tell you."
Lin Changning nodded, sat down at the table, and asked in a good mood, "What is it, Tenth Brother?"
Shiro stood up, slightly guilty, and closed the doors and windows tightly. His handsome face showed some unease: "Fifth...Fifth Sister, I...I took pulses today..."
Lin Changning looked puzzled for a moment, then laughed: "What about Shilang?"
Shiro was a doctor. She never thought she could keep it a secret when she brought him here. People get injured and sick all the time. You can hide it from others, but you can't hide it from a doctor.
Shiro sat upright in his chair and pursed his lips: "Fifth and Sixth Brothers, you helped me pay off my military service, and you also rented the land to the family. Tenth Brother isn't ungrateful. If Sixth Brother isn't feeling well in the future, just let me take care of him. I... I got some medicine today."
Shiro blushed slightly and whispered, "I can postpone my period. I'll try my best to keep it a secret."
Lin Changning smiled and took out a chicken leg wrapped in oil paper from his pocket, placing it on the table with a smile: "Then thank you, little brother. The chicken leg is still warm, eat it."
After saying that, he prepared to go back to his room. Shiro took the chicken leg and his eyes softened: "Sixth Brother, there's some medicine warming on the stove. I'll bring it to you later. Drinking it before bed will help your wounds heal."
"Thanks, little brother. Don't stay up too late, get some rest."
The next day, Lin Changning went to the garrison early to report for duty. As expected, he was assigned to Zheng Baihu's squad. Zheng Baihu and a group of more than a dozen soldiers were guarding the watchtower outside the city.
Outside the city, amidst the sandstorms, watchtowers stand intermittently on the grassland. They are built of thick loess, their dark color similar to the surrounding sand. The base of each watchtower is several meters long, firmly rooted in the grassland, and the higher they rise, the narrower they become at the top.
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