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As soon as it was dawn, Shi Dani got out of bed, went to the toilet, washed her hands and face, bit a poplar branch, wiped her teeth clean, and then returned to the house.
The girls who lived in the same room also got up at this moment, some washed and some packed up. After a while, everyone gathered in the yard, lined up and ran outside.
This was a mandatory morning run every day. Both men and women had to run ten miles and finish within two and a half hours. The faster the better. However, the female soldiers' morning run time was earlier than the male soldiers to avoid embarrassing situations when they were sweating profusely.
Having been on the island for a while, Shi Dani had long since grown accustomed to morning jogging. Her breath was naturally longer than others', and her strength was immense, so the ten-mile run wasn't a big deal. She had already taken the lead in the group, striving to shorten her running time. She'd heard the men could finish in a little over a quarter of an hour, and she couldn't afford to lose to them.
Running so fast, even with her extraordinary physical strength, she was still sweating profusely after ten miles. She stood in the small training ground, walking and panting, looking at her companions who were too tired to walk, and felt a sense of accomplishment.
By the time everyone had rested, daylight had risen and the food on the stove was ready. Large bowls of taro porridge were available, as long as you could help yourself. The side dishes were pickled vegetables and duck eggs, one portion per person, no more. Shi Dani wasn't shy about eating two bowls of rice. Since arriving on the island, she'd never known what a full stomach felt like, and she couldn't wait to eat more, to grow taller and stronger, to have more strength.
After lunch, the morning training began. There were exercises like climbing poles, crossing springboards, and dodging attacks, as well as martial arts like boxing, daggers, and archery. Occasionally, they'd even swim in the sea and hold their breath while diving. It was truly dazzling. After three months of training, the teams would be divided into groups based on their strengths. Some would specialize in archery, others in swordsmanship. But Shi Daniko had no intention of giving up either. She was going to be a personal soldier, so naturally, she had to master all of them.
After a morning of exhaustion, it was time for lunch. This meal usually consisted of dry rice, a spoonful of hot vegetables, and sometimes even minced meat. It was Shi Dani's favorite. After lunch, it was time to rest. They could take a nap, then get up to read or learn how to sail. Besides that, every few days they would go to the village to do farm work or go fishing. Although every day was exhausting, it was a far cry from their old days.
Shi Dani knew who had given her this day, and she cherished it, not afraid of hardship. The only thing that made her unhappy was probably the group of male soldiers.
"Dani, do you want to take a nap at noon? Do you want to go with me to get cotton?" Huang Yue ran over and asked after finishing her meal.
"Go!" Shi Dani answered very straightforwardly and ran directly into the house to get the wooden box.
Now they go to the hospital to get cotton at the beginning and middle of every month. Somehow, since they live together, their periods are close together, so the cotton is always used up very quickly.
Huang Yue couldn't help but smile at her agility, and the two of them walked towards the hospital together. Their small training ground was a bit far from the hospital, and since they had to pass through the barracks, they were always running into male soldiers. Most of the time, neither side interfered, but occasionally, they would run into someone with a bad mouth.
"Oh, are we going to the hospital?" A sarcastic voice came from the front, and a kid made faces and yelled.
The two ignored him and walked forward without looking around. However, the boy deliberately came forward and sniffed: "Tsk tsk, you can't be at peace even when you're bleeding down there. You're wasting so much energy on ruining things. You might as well stay at home and stay out."
Nowadays, many people know that women use cotton during menstruation. Nurses and nannies can still use it secretly, but female soldiers live in military camps and often go to the hospital to get cotton, so it will be known to others.
If she had encountered such a mean-spirited person a month ago, Shi Dani would have simply been angry, or said she hadn't had her period and was being talked about nonsense. But now, she snorted coldly, "Why would you be a soldier if you're so afraid of blood? Go home and feed your child."
This was something a man should have said to a woman, but it was pinned on him. The boy's face flushed red and he cursed, "You woman! How dare you bring up such filthy things..."
Huang Yue looked him up and down, then suddenly laughed: "You crawled out of wherever your mother bleeds, and you really don't mind the filth."
This made the other party explode. He rushed over and wanted to teach the two a lesson, but was stopped by the people next to him. A man who looked like a team leader even kicked him and said, "You are so mean. Get out of here!"
It's okay to say a few dirty words and tease these girls, but if they really get into trouble, they will be subject to military law. After all, private fighting is not allowed in the army, and bullying of new recruits is even more forbidden. Although these women look thin, they train all day long. As female soldiers, they may even serve as personal retainers for the gang leader in the future. How can they just fight casually?
The troublemaker was pinned down, and Huang Yue and Shi Dani finally relaxed their guard and continued to carry the wooden box to the hospital.
After the man walked away, the team leader ordered the boy to be released and said angrily, "I told you, female soldiers are sharp-tongued. Just tease me a little, but don't cause trouble for me!"
The boy was extremely aggrieved: "How did I cause trouble? Women shouldn't be allowed into the camp. It's unlucky just to see them!"
"Then don't even think about coming forward in the future. Just stay away when you see someone!" The squad leader rolled his eyes at him. They were all men, so why would they come forward and act like a jerk? He should find a wife among the female soldiers. If nothing else, it would make the gang leader look up to him, right?
Unexpectedly, his boss didn't stand on his side. The boy was embarrassed and annoyed, and let out a harsh word: "Sooner or later, the gang will be dragged down by these women. In the future, we have to go on the boat. I don't know how taboo it will be. Maybe the boat will sink!"
With a loud slap, a slap came directly over. The team leader lowered his voice and shouted angrily: "You better watch your mouth. Don't forget who our gang leader is!"
The boy was stunned by the beating, but when he heard this, he felt a chill on his back. He slapped himself twice more and muttered, "I said the wrong thing, the captain was right to hit me."
Their leader was a woman, a figure who could have pulled the fleet out of a hurricane. If they were to curse casually, wouldn't they be misleading the leader as well? They would also be going to sea in the future, so they couldn't talk nonsense about this.
Seeing that he had calmed down, the team leader shook his head again and said, "Let's go and have some rest. We still have to go out to sea for training in the afternoon."
Perhaps because of this incident, the two men got the cotton and there was no one around on their way back. They returned to the barracks safely and heard good news that all the women working in the barracks would be able to gather together to worship the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival two days later.
"What is the purpose of worshiping the moon?" Shi Dani asked blankly.
"I heard that it's just about eating some snacks and worshiping the moon in the sky, so that the goddess in the Moon Palace can bless us!" Huang Yue was very excited. She had heard that the wealthy families in the city would celebrate the harvest during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the women would worship the moon in the evening. But she didn't expect that after joining the Red Flag Gang, even they would be qualified to worship the moon.
The Empress in the Moon Palace? Shi Dani immediately became excited: "Does the Empress control everything? How is she better than the General Zhenhai? Does burning incense work?"
"How can he be compared with General Zhenhai? I heard that he only cares about women, can predict good and bad luck, and is particularly effective in seeking marriage." Huang Yue hurriedly explained.
Shi Dani didn't care about marriage or not, as long as the worship was useful! She had to take this opportunity to beg Lady Yue to help her get ahead and become a personal soldier as soon as possible.
Soon, the news of the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration spread throughout the military camp. Although the men did not worship the moon, they still had to celebrate such a major festival as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Moreover, the harvest on the shore was said to be good this year, and there was a lot of grain. Therefore, the leader of the gang showed mercy and let them make their own glutinous rice cakes to eat.
The men were all excited, rolling up their sleeves a day in advance and pounding glutinous rice with sledgehammers. In the past, this was only eaten during the Lunar New Year; who would be willing to spend the money and effort to make it on ordinary days? But now that the gang leader had given the order, they threw their weight into the work.
With so many strong laborers working together, the stoves kept blazing with steam, and gradually, fragrant, white, and soft rice cakes emerged. But that wasn't all. The next day, the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, all the rice cakes were rolled into small balls and stewed with plump duck and taro. The aroma spread far and wide, and everyone enjoyed it with a savory taste. Afterward, they had a half-day holiday. Those with families on the island returned home to reunite. Those who were alone stayed in the camp to listen to the storyteller's festive tales.
Even without the wine, the military camp was bustling with activity. The stress accumulated from the long period of fighting and training seemed to have been soothed away by the festive celebrations, and people finally came to their senses and breathed a sigh of relief.
There are many good days ahead, so we can’t let our past efforts go to waste.
As for the women, they all gathered in the hospital when it got dark, set up a long table in the courtyard, and lit incense and candles.
The plate contained round glutinous rice cake balls covered with a layer of fried soybean flour, which looked like the moon in the sky.
There were also many dried and fresh fruits and desserts, which made the little girls unable to contain their drooling.
The gang leader didn't come. A group of people, led by Aunt Sun from the nursery, kowtowed to the moon and the incense burner. Everyone knelt beneath the moon, extremely pious, chanting in their hearts. Some prayed for a harmonious family, some for a husband of their dreams, some for quick medical training, and some simply for a chance to be a personal soldier and protect the gang leader.
After everyone had finished their worship and the ceremony was over, everyone sat down, shared the snacks and fruits on the table, chatted and drank tea.
The sweet glutinous rice cake balls are soft and fragrant in the mouth, which can make people forget all their worries.
Unfortunately, he couldn't keep his mouth shut, so his laughter could be heard far away in the night.
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