Reborn in the 70s: Pampered by Regiment Commander -
Chapter 194 - 149: Military Parade
Chapter 194: Chapter 149: Military Parade
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In the medical room, Qiao Ningyi, Lin Mengran, Qu Xiaojing, Yang Xiaoli, Yuan Mengmeng, and Qi Jihong were seated in a row on hard benches, each with an IV bottle hanging from their arms, their faces showing evident pain.
Lin Chuxia, Luo Xiaoqiong, Sun Shangmei, and Liu Meijun stood by their sides, quickly assisting anyone who couldn’t hold their posture to the restroom.
Twenty minutes later, the medication had taken effect, and the complexions of those receiving IV treatment had improved considerably. Zeng Meili hurried over and finally breathed a sigh of relief seeing their condition had bettered.
It’s rather funny that the cause of their vomiting and diarrhea was that they had mistakenly used oleander leaves instead of magnolia leaves to brew their drinks.
The initiator was Yuan Mengmeng.
According to her, her grandmother had an excellent voice, which she attributed to regularly drinking magnolia leaf water since childhood. When Yuan spotted an oleander bush in the yard, she mistook it for a magnolia and picked the leaves.
Since everyone was thirsty at the time, nobody declined her specially brewed "voice-brightening" water. However, shortly after drinking it, they all collapsed.
"Captain, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I was just thinking that what’s crucial for the choir is the voice, so I..." Yuan Mengmeng explained with a look of grievance.
Is this an apology?
Isn’t this just boasting about her contribution?
Zeng Meili helplessly frowned, "Yuan Mengmeng, you almost killed everyone, do you understand that?"
"I..." Yuan Mengmeng bit her lip, her face growing more pitiful.
Seeing her like this, Zeng Meili couldn’t bother to deal with her, and just then Jing Zhe entered. She sighed, "Can they perform tonight?"
Jing Zhe responded irritably, "You’re a doctor yourself, what do you think?"
"I..." Zeng Meili furrowed her brows even more, "The military commanders have already arrived. The commander from Military District B specifically mentioned the women’s special forces unit, hoping to see this team in action during the parade this afternoon. Oh..."
Hearing her words, Jing Zhe also furrowed his brow. The rivalry between Military District B and Military District A was longstanding. Now that Peng Zuoqi had made such a request, he would undoubtedly be paying close attention to this unit during the parade. Missing six people would definitely be noticeable.
"How about we get some support from the women soldiers in the meantime? At this time, it’s crucial to keep an eye on the medical team rather than the other units." Jing Zhe suggested.
"Right..." Zeng Meili suddenly slapped her forehead, "Why didn’t I think of that? Okay, I’ll go borrow some people right now. Lin Chuxia, you and the others hurry back to practice. Let’s solve the parade issue first, your class’s performance can wait." After a few steps, she turned back to look at the patients, then glanced at Jing Zhe, "They..."
"Don’t worry, they’re out of danger," Jing Zhe waved his hand, "Everyone, focus on what needs to be practiced. For them, resting quietly this time would be best."
"No, on such an important day, how can we just rest quietly..." Yuan Mengmeng said, about to remove the IV from her hand, "I’m fine now, I can do it..."
"If you don’t care about your life, go ahead and remove it," Jing Zhe said coldly, "And when you leave, sign a waiver of liability in case of death."
Yuan Mengmeng’s hand froze mid-air. Although she somewhat understood the dangers posed by oleander, she wasn’t very clear about them. Thus, believing Jing Zhe was her only option, she couldn’t risk it. What if it really turned lethal? She dared not take that risk.
If she had known it would turn out this way, she wouldn’t have partaken in such an unrewarding task.
She made everyone drink the oleander—no, magnolia water—solely to make their voices clearer for the performance, hoping to draw the attention of the commanding officers.
Of course, she wasn’t foolish enough to hope for the attention of the supreme commander; she just wanted the division commanders to pay attention to the third squad, so that it would be given priority in future team assignments.
Initially, all her thoughts were centered on Yang Xiaoli, but ever since the incident last time, Xiaoli seemed to have transformed. She feared if she didn’t figure something out soon, she’d end up assigned to a grueling unit to work as a true healthcare worker.
She didn’t join the army to serve people; she saw this merely as a stepping stone for a better future for herself and her family.
...
On the parade ground, an unusual solemnity prevailed. Everyone marched in step, their movements synchronized and silent.
The short formation of the third squad, in its solemnity, looked quite comical. During a break, there was even a suggestion to remove the third squad altogether to avoid ruining the aesthetic of the formation.
"Why should we?" Sun Shangmei, who always placed communal honor above all, was upset and stood up, ready to throw a punch at the woman making snide remarks.
Chuxia grabbed her, "Haven’t you learned your lesson? Is this the time to start throwing punches? If you really want to become famous, there are better ways."
"They are too bullying, too heartless," Sun Shangmei said bitterly.
"If it weren’t for your desire to achieve great things, would today’s situation have arisen?"
"Exactly, it’s clearly because of you that the medical team is embarrassed now, and you still have the nerve to say others are bullying?"
"Third squad is overly favored. If Captain Zeng didn’t always give them the green light, would such a thing happen?"
"Indulging a child is like killing a child, and this applies in collective groups as well."
"..."
Listening to the cacophony of discussions, Sun Shangmei’s temples throbbed with visible veins, as Chuxia patted her, glancing calmly at the chattering crowd, "Don’t forget, we are all a unit. The commander knows there are a hundred members in the medical team. If we ten are missing, do you think the commander won’t notice?"
"Anyway, your third squad is like a plague!"
"Exactly, every time something happens, the third squad is always involved."
"The captain is here!"
No one knew who shouted, but everyone immediately fell silent.
Following Captain Zeng, six robust female soldiers approached. She scanned the crowd and declared, "From now on, they will be part of the women’s special combat team. Continue training."
Half an hour later, the trumpets blared, and the military parade began.
Captain Zeng led her neatly organized team towards the main parade ground.
At the parade podium, Zhou Jingping sat in the middle, flanked by military commanders from various districts, with Xu Zhenghong sitting at the very end. Armed troops marched past them, raising dust that spoke only of their fierce pride.
Even the always critical commanders from divisions B, C, and D had to admit at this moment, their faces solemn, that this troop was indeed exceptional.
Their spirit and confidence were undeniably genuine.
Eventually, Peng Zuoqi chuckled, "Commander Qiao, I hear your new medical team also joined the parade this time?"
"Of course," Qiao Wannian glanced at him, "What, can’t find faults in the actual army, so you’re thinking about picking on these new recruits?"
"You think too much," Peng Zuoqi said with a laugh, though his eyes were intently fixed on the troops.
"No need to pretend. You’d love to find some faults now, Old Peng, that’s all the ambition you have," Qiao Wannian shook his head and turned to Zhou Jingping, "Commander, these young girls from the medical team have been training for less than a month. If Peng Zuoqi deliberately causes trouble, you must stand up for us."
Peng Zuoqi scoffed,"Am I that kind of person? You really have a petty mind. Could it be, Qiao Wannian, that you have something disgraceful, and that’s why you’re so nervous?"
"What disgraceful thing could I possibly have? Clearly, it’s your guilty conscience that keeps you so fixated. Don’t think I don’t know, you’re just eyeing the weapons assigned to us. Commander, you mustn’t fall for his tricks..."
"Enough, enough..." Zhou Jingping waved impatiently, "Keep quiet, both of you. We’re at a parade, not in a vegetable market!"
The commanders from sectors C and D exchanged a look and spoke one after the other,
"Commander, if they keep being unreliable, give the batch of weapons to the two of us."
"Exactly, we’ll take as many as we can get."
"You two shut up!" Zhou Jingping glared coldly at them, "Anyone who doesn’t want to stay here can go back."
The grandstand fell silent in an instant.
...
Nestled in the guesthouse, Chuxia’s parents and her eldest maternal aunt and uncle listened to the lively shouts from the main parade ground, all faces full of curiosity.
Being new to the military environment, they didn’t know where they should or shouldn’t go. The soldier who had been accompanying them had gone back to join some inspection by the commanders, with no one excused from attendance.
Now temporarily unaccompanied, they couldn’t contain their curiosity after a while and decided to sneak a peek from the side.
Following the sounds to the parade ground, the sight of the massive crowd and tanks had their legs trembling.
"So many people," Li Aiyuan remarked first.
"Yeah, it’s bigger than several of our communes, right?" Zhao Yulan said, curious.
"Definitely, these are three battalions’ worth of people. Our little Commander Zhou is in charge of a third of them, tsk tsk...," Zhao Yushan boasted, smacking his lips as if Regimental Commander Zhou was part of his own family.
As he said this, Lin Baohe grew anxious, "Brother, are you saying that Regimental Commander Zhou has more authority than our commune chief?"
"Need you ask?" Zhao Yulan stared at Lin Baohe incredulously, "His rank, you should compare with the county head."
"Then his father’s rank must be even higher than his?"
"Need you ask?"
Lin Baohe’s legs went weak, and he plopped down on the ground with a thud... (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com), where your support is my greatest motivation.)
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