To save costs, she noticed that the warriors’ paper was written on both sides, densely packed, never wasting any space. As for envelopes, they would buy kraft paper envelopes whenever possible, as these envelopes were sturdy and opaque. Family members could even turn the envelopes over and use them again.
Of course, there were almost none among them who were completely illiterate; they had all attended school for a few years at the very least. Each dormitory had a dictionary—if someone didn’t know a word, they’d ask if they could, or look it up in the dictionary otherwise. Through observation, Zheng Long noticed their Pinyin was not standard; they only learned how to use the dictionary after their squad leader taught everyone. Even after being taught, some still couldn’t do it, so most would ask others, eventually realizing that he knew and understood the most.
He was lucky to have lived several lifetimes; otherwise, he would have been just like them, hugging dictionaries and studiously looking up words. Some, who found it bothersome, would simply draw circles around words, being satisfied with understanding the approximate meaning.
Therefore, it appeared that five yuan could only buy some daily necessities, and he soon realized that this first allowance had almost run out.
Although he was a soldier in peacetime, the required training was not any less exhausting. His unit was part of the Army Field Army, which conducted a lot of field training. Even in ice and snow, they had to carry rifles and go out for training. Since he was a new recruit and hadn’t met the basic training standards yet, he was temporarily exempt from this training. (Fabricated) Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novel·fire.net
The daytime was divided into physical training, specialized training, and in the evening, there were two hours for academic classes. Since everyone had different educational backgrounds, they had to be divided into classes based on their level—elementary, middle, or high school—according to the information on their enlistment forms.
While others had graduation certificates when they signed up, he had none, but he managed to solve all the high school-level questions, making him one of the few cultured people.
Thus, he was naturally placed in the high school class.
Not having a graduation certificate wasn’t an issue as long as he knew how to solve those questions. They acknowledged that, especially since they relied on people like him to tutor their fellow warriors who were falling behind in their classes. Every month, along with the physical fitness test, a written test was conducted. Falling far behind meant elimination, so he spent most of his free time helping warriors with their academic studies. Of course, this had its benefits; everyone treated him with extra respect, and they even took turns washing his clothes.
His lack of a graduation certificate was also something he fabricated—claiming he had listened to lectures secretly for years because he couldn’t afford school, hiding beneath windows.
This was something nobody could verify. People would not question the process but only look at the results. He could solve high school questions, recognized many words, and his arithmetic was fast and accurate. What grounds did others have to doubt him?
The superiors even said, encouraging him to work hard, that if he had the chance to distinguish himself in the future, they might recommend him for military academy. (Fabricated)
Thus, he began a fulfilling military career.
In the Northeast, it sometimes snowed even in April because its winter lasted six months, with the coldest five months having temperatures below zero. Hei Province, where he was stationed, grew cold earliest; winter usually began in late October and lasted until the end of April of the following year, when spring finally brought warmth and blossoms.
Spring and autumn together might last only a month or two, and while summer was said to last from June to August, the significant diurnal temperature variation meant that it could be over twenty degrees at noon, dropping to the teens by night. (Please inform via message if there are errors)