Chapter 9: Today Is No April Fools' Day

That afternoon, precisely at six o’clock, Xu Guoqing gathered ten squad leaders to assist all the new recruits in mastering the skills of tidying and folding military blankets. Of course, in Xu Guoqing’s eyes, the blankets folded by the new recruits were still subpar trash. Yet, for their first day in the company, being able to imitate and produce a somewhat respectable appearance was barely acceptable.

Just then, the dinner call sounded. Xu Guoqing gestured broadly, leading all the new recruits to assemble in front of the boys’ dormitory building. While assigning dormitories to the new recruits through the ten squad leaders, he also took the opportunity to inspect how thoroughly Qi Tian had cleaned.

Xu Guoqing was confident he could easily find at least ten spots that Qi Tian had missed. In his view, new recruits only cleaned the obvious trash; hidden places like gaps between bed slats or inside desks and cabinets were never properly tended to. This was also the perfect chance for him to humble Qi Tian’s arrogance.

Noticing the main group gathering downstairs, Qi Tian put away the mop in its designated spot, slung his bag over his shoulder, and quickly joined the assembly. “Report, Company Commander! New recruit Qi Tian requesting to rejoin the formation!”

“Don’t rush to rejoin. Did you finish cleaning all the dormitories I assigned?”

“All ten dormitories, including the washing room and restroom in the corridor, have all been cleaned!” Qi Tian’s voice was loud and resolute, brimming with confidence.

Xu Guoqing, however, remained unimpressed. He immediately retorted with a skeptical tone, “Sounds good, but if I find any filthy or messy spots, you won’t have a good time!”

With that, Xu Guoqing headed upstairs to inspect Qi Tian’s work from the afternoon. Squad Leader Old Hei, true to his nickname, approached Qi Tian with a stern face and warned, “Kid, this is the military; don’t speak so recklessly. Knowing how to fold a military blanket doesn’t mean you know how to clean. Cleaning ten dormitories in one afternoon isn’t hard, but doing it well enough that the company commander can’t find any faults—that’s a whole different matter! Have you thought about how you’ll explain yourself if the commander finds a problem?”

“I’m confident in my quarters,” Qi Tian replied firmly.

“Heh, good. I’m looking forward to seeing you take on all the cleaning tasks during your recruit period, you arrogant brat!”

To be honest, after seeing the standard military blanket Qi Tian had folded earlier, Old Hei’s impression of him had improved somewhat. He instinctively thought that perhaps Qi Tian had studied military blanket folding online before joining the army. This new recruit, who had prepared well in advance, even earned a flicker of admiration from Old Hei.

But cleaning details could not be learned from the internet. Seeing Qi Tian still so self-assured made Old Hei’s newfound respect vanish completely. Even the new recruits behind him couldn’t help but whisper and mock Qi Tian’s reckless ignorance and blind confidence.

“This kid really doesn’t know his limits. How can anyone clean perfectly? And he dares to challenge the company commander—he’s crazy, absolutely crazy.”

“I can already picture the commander coming down later, dumping the trash right in front of him, furious as hell!”

“Well, that’s fine. At least for a long time, we won’t have to worry about cleaning duties.”

“...”

As the recruits whispered among themselves, the figure of Company Commander Xu Guoqing appeared at the stairwell corner. The moment he arrived, the previously noisy group instantly fell silent.

“Commander, should we take the recruits upstairs to clean the dormitories again?” one squad leader stepped forward and asked.

The other squad leaders were ready as well. In the army, it was unheard of to skip dinner with dirty dormitories!

Yet Xu Guoqing’s next words stunned all the squad leaders, their faces changing dramatically.

“No need. The upstairs cleaning is spotless, not a speck of dust. Let’s consider this kid qualified. Let them put down their bags and go eat. After dinner, each squad leader will lead their team to study military confidentiality regulations and discipline codes. I’m going to see the regiment commander.”

Without hesitation, Xu Guoqing left in a hurry, heading straight to the regiment headquarters. The ten squad leaders of the recruit company exchanged bewildered glances, their faces filled with indescribable shock.

During training, they had all noticed that Xu Guoqing intended to single out Qi Tian and pick him apart. They were mentally prepared to assist him.

But now, Xu Guoqing’s words made all ten squad leaders realize that Qi Tian must truly be extraordinary. For Xu Guoqing to describe the cleaning as “spotless” and to consider Qi Tian “qualified” spoke volumes about how meticulous his inspection must have been. The results completely exceeded everyone’s expectations, including Xu Guoqing’s own.

Old Hei swallowed involuntarily, his gaze toward Qi Tian now tinged with astonishment and confusion. But there was no time to discuss; he gathered the team and quickly went upstairs.

After assigning the new recruits to dormitory number one and helping them tidy their beds, he led them to the dining hall for dinner.

Meanwhile, in the regiment headquarters, inside the office of Regiment Commander Li Yunfei, Xu Guoqing’s astonished report of the recent events had left Li Yunfei’s expression growing increasingly strange.

“I understand. You may leave now.”

“Yes, sir!”

After seeing Xu Guoqing out, Li Yunfei hesitated for a few seconds before taking out his phone and making a call. Moments later, the call connected.

“Commander, this is Li Yunfei of the Iron Fist Regiment,” he greeted hurriedly.

From the other end came a deep, resonant voice, each word radiating an unspoken authority:

“Yunfei, calling me at this hour—is there something urgent?”

“Commander, I want to report on the young man you asked me to keep a close eye on. His situation today is quite special…”

Li Yunfei recounted word for word the morning’s arrival of the troop transport, the recruit company’s physical training led by the instructors, the military blanket folding challenge, and most recently, Qi Tian’s spotless dormitory cleaning inspection. He reported everything to the regiment commander, Leng Qiangguo.

After Li Yunfei finished, silence fell on the other end of the line for several seconds. Then, after a heavy inhale, Leng Qiangguo’s voice resumed:

“Li Yunfei, are you telling me that the blond brat I mentioned to you not only surpasses those sports school athletes in physical fitness but also excels in interior management skills? Today isn’t April Fool’s Day. Are you sure you’re not joking with me?”