Chapter 109 (1/2)

Chapter 109: Karma II

Was it a fortune or misfortune that we ended up in the same green-leathered train?

The train was filled with mostly new soldiers and there was a leader in one of the cabins .

He instructed us on when to alight, and at every station, a carriage of new soldiers would get off .

I did not know if Burly noticed me, but he was in the carriage right in front of mine .

I wanted to be in the same district, but not the same unit, as him .

The train stopped at Meizhou and the leader told those in our carriage to get down .

He then walked in front and I just knew that Burly and I were really heading toward the same destination .

The new recruits alighted in an orderly manner .

I wanted to see Burly but I was afraid of being seen .

Names were being called before the soldiers got taken away .

”Group 13, Zhen Dazhuang . ”

I saw Burly walk forward to join Group 13 .

I figured that those in 13 would be sent to the same unit .

Three names were called after .

”Group 13, Li Goudan . ”

I stood rooted to the ground .

I saw Burly's expression change . He seemed a little bewildered .

Brief pause .

”Group 13, Li Goudan . ”

I took a step forward fearfully .

We made eye contact and I lowered my head automatically, not daring to look him in the eye .

There were two boys between us and Dazhuang requested to switch places with them .

”What a coincidence,” he said with a smile .

I remained silent . Nothing good was going to come out of it, I was sure .

I wanted to seek revenge for Dahai . If I could just break Dazhuang's leg . . .

However, thinking and doing  were two different things . I don't know how I would manage that since I already had trouble protecting myself .

On the bus to the city, Dazhuang chose to sit beside me .

We said nothing along the way, but his arm was constantly pressing against, or rather, on my shoulders .

Training camp, night time .

15 of us stood in a role and were allocated to different lineups .

I heaved a sigh of relief since all of us were separated .

Dazhuang was sent to the fourth group while I was sent to the fifth .

Having a safe distance between us was a weight off my shoulder .

Military camp life was completely foreign to me .

We woke up at 4:30 in the morning, something that I hated the most since I needed sufficient sleep .

We were to get ready in five minutes and clean up the bunk and bathroom within 15 .

And we weren't allowed to do a sloppy job . It had to seem as if no one had been in the bunk .

Having lived in the village my whole life, this was something I couldn't understand .

Folding the blanket was hard for me as well and it took a really long time to perfect my skills .

Nevertheless, my end product was nowhere close to the leader's work .

At five, we would line up at the field to start our run .

From 5:30 to 6:00, we were allowed to have our breakfast and rest a little . I enjoyed their slightly sweetened soy milk .

Sweet things cheered me up .

At 6:30, when the sun started to rise, we would get into our formation .

One cla.s.s in one region . I was in cla.s.s five so cla.s.s four stood in front of me .

I always had a clear view of Burly's back .

He looked over at me a lot during our five-minute breaks .