As the last student to participate in the military training, the instructors took more notice of Ye Jian. They were surprised at her posture when she came to report. Her actions were perfect. She even seemed better than some old soldiers. As they continued observing her, they could tell that this lady had a strong foundation.
“Ye Jian, fall out!” After twenty minutes, the instructor asked them to stand at ease. He called Ye Jian and said, “You’ll stand in front to demonstrate.”
Ye Jian walked out. The first person who couldn’t control herself was Ye Ying. She looked as though she would faint from the heat at any moment. “Instructor, I noticed that her posture when she stood at ease wasn’t right. It isn’t as pretty as the other students.”
“We have to perform our exercise later. That concerns our rank and points. If one person doesn’t perform well, the entire class will be implicated.”
She spoke in a slow and soft tone. She seemed genuinely concerned about the class.
The other students agreed with Ye Ying. This military training was going to be recorded in their files. Everyone wanted to get a good rank and have their instructor write nice words for them.
Some students nodded.
Ye Ying wasn’t surprised. She knew that there would be people agreeing with her. That was why she opened her mouth. She continued, “We only have two and a half days left. I’m not sure if we can complete the exercises. Tomorrow, we’ll be having our ‘route march’. I wonder if she can catch up.”
Ye Ying hoped that the instructor would train Ye Jian vigorously after hearing what she said. She wished that Ye Jian would be exposed to the sun all day!
“Why not leave the performance? You didn’t come for the first four days so the teachers and instructors won’t blame you. Don’t drag everyone down,” a lady said. This young lady never spoke to Ye Jian but Ye Jian knew that she was serious in her studies.
“That’s right. Don’t participate in it. Nothing good will come out of it.”
“That’s not a problem. Ye Jian can leave but since she came already, she’s part of us. What right do you have to kick her out?”
“Ye Jian just came. She’ll drag us down.”
“If you’re stupid, you’ll implicate others no matter what. You took an entire afternoon to learn one move but are you confident that you can do it smoothly? Don’t act like a boss. Ye Jian is Ye Jian. Why do you think she can’t do it?”
“We are the first batch of students to undergo military training. What if, I mean what if, she can’t catch up?”
“There’s no such thing as what if. If Ye Jian says that she can, she can. She never lies. She will do it as well as you.”
The students split into three groups. One group opposed the idea, one group agreed with the idea, and the last group decided to be the audience.
An Jiaxin wanted to open her mouth again but she glanced at Ye Jian and noticed her shaking her head gently. An Jiaxin decided to stay silent.
The students got more agitated as they shouted so it attracted the attention of the other classes. They were so loud that the instructor’s voice couldn’t be heard. He had no choice but to blow his whistle.