Chapter 60: Joining The Company Ceremony
Cheng Cai really has many flaws, and his talent is indeed top-notch.
It’s just like gold-threaded nanmu wood with blemishes!
Everyone knows it’s good timber, but there are too many problems, so it can’t be used directly; it must be slowly refined and polished to have any hope of becoming a work of art.
However.
Chen Jun never thought of polishing Cheng Cai to perfection; the main goal was just to make him usable.
As long as it doesn’t affect usability.
Any flaw is not a flaw to Chen Jun.
The reason Chen Jun half-forced Cheng Cai to upgrade the issued cigarettes by one level.
Was that Cheng Cai dividing cigarettes into three levels would affect class unity and the sharpening of Third Squad as the sharp knife, so this flaw needed to be fixed.
Cheng Cai thought that if he also smoked the cheapest cigarettes and issued the same to the veterans in the squad, it wouldn’t cause any opinions.
He was still too young.
Little did he know that human nature is the hardest to fathom.
Anyone who has been in the barracks knows that actually most veterans are quite arrogant.
That is, the kind that’s cocky and swaggering.
They won’t accept it just because they see Cheng Cai smoking one-yuan cigarettes, while they themselves can’t bear to smoke good ones, and he issues one-yuan cigarettes to the veterans too.
They only know you issue five-yuan ones to the squad leader, ten-yuan ones to the company commander and platoon leader cadres; why only one-yuan ones to them.
Even if they can’t have the same treatment as the company commander? Same as the squad leader should be no problem.
The severe imbalance in their hearts would breed dislike.
Once they develop dislike for Cheng Cai, they’ll think he’s no good, then start collectively rejecting him; once there’s collective rejection, all sorts of small matters will be infinitely amplified, and it will definitely affect class unity in the end.
Chen Jun needs to forge the strongest sharp knife Third Squad, so he absolutely cannot let relationships in the squad go wrong.
To avoid this unnecessary trouble and harmonize internal relations in Third Squad, the matter of issuing cigarettes must be handled properly; it must be corrected.
After all, this is Cheng Cai’s most offensive thing in Steel Seventh Company.
Other aspects.
Cheng Cai really hasn’t shortchanged anyone else, nor let anyone down.
As for how to resolve this conflict, the method Chen Jun thought of was very simple: just divide into two levels.
Treat all soldiers equally, whether squad leader, new recruit, or veteran;
Only officers are separately listed to smoke ten-yuan cigarettes.
This way there won’t be any opinions.
Because veterans dare to compete with the squad leader over cigarettes, believing the squad leader is a soldier like them. But they absolutely lack the confidence to sit side by side with the company commander.
The vast gap between officers and soldiers is something only those who have served deeply understand.
That’s why “promotion to officer” is always so tempting.
It’s equivalent to class crossing!
Cheng Cai still doesn’t understand that Chen Jun is helping him; he’s still too young now, too naive in understanding social graces, and doesn’t consider things comprehensively enough.
He only knows his money isn’t enough, so he got creative and divided into three types of cigarettes.
Cleverness backfired.
But in Cheng Cai’s mind now, Chen Jun is that untouchable great god of his, with unfathomable strength and absolute influence.
Cheng Cai dares not disobey Chen Jun in the slightest.
Even if he’s ever so unwilling inside, he can only do as Chen Jun says.
He immediately switched to a pack of cigarettes and issued them to the veterans, smiling fawningly as he said: “Sorry, squad leaders, I grabbed the wrong pack earlier.
That Chun Cheng is for me to smoke myself; this Honghe is specially bought for you all.
From now on we’re all in the same squad, just like Platoon Leader Chen said, one family; I’m new here, so please take good care of me, squad leaders.
Oh, right, my name is Cheng Cai; feel free to tell me to do anything.”
Cheng Cai’s attitude was so humble, and he also indicated he smokes one-yuan ones, specially bought five-yuan ones for the veterans to smoke, elevating the veterans’ status.
Saying it this way completely changed the flavor.
In the original drama, the one most offended and displeased by Cheng Cai’s level-divided cigarette issuing, as the veterans’ representative Gan Xiao Ning, felt very comfortable hearing this.
He suddenly found Cheng Cai pleasing to the eye.
“Chun Cheng ones, we all smoke these; no need to be so polite.”
Gan Xiao Ning said he didn’t want it, but his hand was very honest; he took the cigarette, clipped it behind his ear, and enthusiastically came up to help carry the bag, saying: “Cheng Cai, right? You’re a good kid, pretty knowledgeable.
Now that you’re in our Third Squad, we must be one family; no need to be so polite.
We veterans have to take care of new recruits; you come sleep in my lower bunk, I’ll sleep in your upper bunk; we’ll pair up as upper and lower bunk buddies.”
Cheng Cai saw that issuing one cigarette actually had such a good effect, far exceeding his expectations, and was really a bit flattered.
He hurriedly said embarrassedly: “No, no need, squad leader; I can sleep in the upper bunk.”
“Don’t dawdle; this is our Seventh Company’s tradition: squad leader sleeps upper bunk. Since you call me squad leader, I have to take care of you.”
Gan Xiao Ning moved very nimbly; he rolled up his quilt, put it on the upper bunk, and started dismantling Cheng Cai’s quilt.
“Bai Tie Jun, you sleep in this lower bunk.”
Wu Liu Yi saw Bai Tie Jun was very constrained, so he brought him to his original lower bunk, then put his own luggage on the upper bunk.
Shi Jin, as Third Squad’s official squad leader, began introducing the rules to the two new recruits.
For example, the storage cabinet can only hold military uniforms, underwear, toiletries and hygiene items, and necessary books; casual wear and off-season military uniforms must be stored in the storage room.
The desk can only have fewer than five sheets of letter paper, one pen, and fewer than two books.
The bed cabinet can only hold military cap, military uniform, and webbing.
Hygiene inside the squad is on rotation; outdoor area hygiene is responsibility-based.
…
New recruit company and regular company are both company-level establishment, but they are completely different concepts.
The former is at best a rough cast; the latter is fully finished.
Every matter has detailed regulations and discipline; it must be handled according to standard, and the squad leader has the duty to guide and supervise new recruits in learning.
Bai Tie Jun and Cheng Cai, new arrivals, were honestly terrified, nodding their heads like little chickens pecking rice while listening.
With Squad Leader Shi and Squad Deputy Leader Wu, plus Gan Xiao Ning and other veterans helping the two new recruits, Chen Jun arranged his luggage to housekeeping standard, then continued his training.
He did two hours of equipment stamina training on the parade ground; at noon he ate lunch in the public canteen, then returned to his small canteen to continue supplementing.
He had half a jin of boiled beef, plus ten eggs.
Protein supplementation, perfectly done!
After lunch came nap time; Chen Jun understood the balance of work and rest, went back to sleep, and after some time was woken by the assembly whistle.
The whistle came from the large parade ground behind, not the small parade ground in front.
And the duty officer even specifically mentioned to change into service uniforms for assembly.
Chen Jun and everyone in the company realized this definitely wasn’t a routine assembly; at this juncture, it was probably the important company entry ceremony.
