Chapter 24: Top Barracks Class Emerges
The housekeeping board had already been used by Chen Jun in his previous life, easily winning the housekeeping mobile red flag for the Fifth Squad.
In his previous life, his identity was that of a new recruit, with no right to speak at the company level, so this divine tool of the housekeeping board was only used by the “Three Musketeers.”
Now having become the platoon leader of the new recruit company, his identity was different, and so were his thoughts.
Naturally, he had to carry forward the housekeeping board.
Gao Cheng’s mood was affected by the Second Squad Leader playing tricks, so he no longer had the good mood from the beginning, and the inspections of the remaining squads were just perfunctory.
When the company commander returned to his room with a furrowed brow, Chen Jun soon knocked on his door.
The matter he spoke about was just one—
Promoting the housekeeping board!
Starting from the various inconveniences in folding quilts, the most basic issue was that to spread the quilt flat on the ground, one could only use hands to smooth and press it, which was extremely inefficient.
The original intention of housekeeping was definitely to train new recruits, but training couldn’t remain unchanged forever.
Training methods should also progress with the era.
Under the premise of achieving the same effect, try using smarter skills and more efficient methods to do things better.
Rather than being pedantic and sticking rigidly to rules, insisting that tradition is the only truth.
The troops’ modern military reform had long since begun, and the 702 Regiment’s replacement with new armored vehicles this time was proof; Gao Cheng himself actually knew this.
Chen Jun had put it this way, plus his recent performance had been exceptionally outstanding.
Gao Cheng didn’t beat around the bush and directly said, “You came running here to say all this, definitely not because you’re bored. Speak, what idea do you have?”
With this tone from Gao Cheng, Chen Jun smoothly introduced the housekeeping board.
And through his excellent eloquence, he vividly explained the housekeeping board and its role in new recruit training.
After hearing about the functions and effects of the housekeeping board, Gao Cheng indeed thought this thing was pretty good.
Not only could it still train new recruits’ hands-on ability, but because the housekeeping board involved many practical skills, it could also enhance new recruits’ thinking ability.
Most importantly, the final folded quilt could be even more aesthetically pleasing and standard.
It could achieve true neatness, flat on four sides, angled on eight corners, straight lines horizontally and vertically, a fly landing on it would split, a mosquito landing would slip.
Whether new recruits’ housekeeping was done well or not also reflected a new recruit company commander’s ability to lead troops.
To further improve new recruits’ housekeeping ability under the same time and conditions, producing soldiers who were all upright and proper—how could Gao Cheng refuse such temptation.
He immediately approved it.
He right away told Chen Jun to find a way to get it done, and to mention whatever he needed to him.
The housekeeping divine tool was actually just a rectangular thin board with a handle stapled on it; as long as there were specific dimensions, making it wasn’t difficult.
Chen Jun only asked Gao Cheng to provide him with a vehicle to send him to the nearby city, which was sufficient.
The new recruit camp was in the 702 Regiment’s base, surrounded by vast grasslands for dozens of kilometers; without a car, it really wasn’t convenient to go to the city.
Gao Cheng was straightforward and efficient in handling things, immediately finding a vehicle for Chen Jun.
Chen Jun was equally swift in getting things done; he took the car to the city, found a shop specializing in woodworking, negotiated the price, and soon had 90 sets of housekeeping boards made.
That very evening, he brought the completed divine tools back to the new recruit camp to report to Gao Cheng.
The morning of the third day.
All the new recruits received their housekeeping boards, staring at the two wooden boards with handles in bewilderment, having no idea what they were for.
Even the squad leader backbones found it novel; it was the first time in their lives they had heard of a housekeeping board.
As the inventor of the “housekeeping board,” Chen Jun personally took a quilt to demonstrate for the new recruits, teaching them how to use the housekeeping board.
Chen Jun only demonstrated once, and the smart new recruits already had sudden enlightenment.
Among them, Cheng Cai was the outstanding performer!
Under the premise of only seeing one demonstration, Cheng Cai could imitate it about seventy to eighty percent, using the housekeeping board very standardly—not to mention deft-handed, at least he achieved handiness.
Another who did relatively well was Xu Sanduo, which truly surprised Chen Jun, Gao Cheng, and others.
However, he was different from Cheng Cai.
Xu Sanduo had no handiness, relying entirely on his innate good memory.
The entire operation process that Chen Jun demonstrated on stage, every word he said, Xu Sanduo remembered word for word, all in his head.
Plus, he often did housework at home and was quite familiar with quilts.
The quilt Xu Sanduo folded looked the part, already taking the embryonic form of a tofu block, not inferior to Cheng Cai by much, in inverse proportion to his dull appearance.
Xu Sanduo’s photographic memory “specialty” was known to people in the new recruit company for the first time.
Shi Jin saw that Xu Sanduo had already reached the forefront of the entire new recruit company in folding quilts, finally revealing the first trace of a father’s relief.
But this relief didn’t last long, soon replaced by being overwhelmed.
The new recruit company’s training was divided into morning and afternoon.
Usually, mornings were indoor classes in the classroom, with content including ideological and political education, psychological guidance, learning of regulations and ordinances, etc.
Afternoons were for outdoor training, with subjects varying by stage.
In the first week, new recruits had just arrived and knew nothing, so the main focus was to get all basic aspects right, thus centering on housekeeping and hygiene.
Every morning was uniform learning, every afternoon basically focused on folding quilts.
Then interspersed with various minor matters in between.
For example, how to fold towels, how to place washbasins, division of hygiene areas, organizing personal hygiene, squad leaders teaching various rules and precautions, etc.
New recruits had to learn all these, as they were the foundation of army life.
Evenings were relatively more relaxed.
Besides company and squad collective weekly meetings, they were basically used to teach military songs.
Military songs absolutely could not be missing in our army, from “one song before meals” before going to the canteen, to singing to boost morale during troop marches.
And once there was an event, the indispensable entertainment segment—singing competition.
Military songs were everywhere, like a chain linking troop life and training, accompanying soldiers for the long term.
As such an important part of the army, new recruits naturally had to put great effort into learning to sing military songs.
Basically every evening, one song was taught.
After the first week passed, at the weekend evaluation, Chen Jun and the other two platoon leaders acted as “referees,” evaluating the housekeeping of the nine squads.
The housekeeping advanced squad among the three mobile red flags of the new recruit company took the stage first for its debut.
In the end, the Fifth Squad won because Shi Jin had good patience and very meticulous guidance for new recruits, plus Cheng Cai and Xu Sanduo stood out in using the housekeeping board.
This mobile red flag for the housekeeping advanced squad fell to the Fifth Squad led by Shi Jin.
The other eight squads were very envious.
The squad leaders were even more secretly competitive.
Gao Cheng was very satisfied with this result and not surprised at all.
In his mind, Shi Jin was the best squad leader; the best squad leader producing the most excellent housekeeping squad was entirely natural.
Unfortunately.
Gao Cheng’s this idea was soon shattered.
