Chapter 113: Field Training Guests Arrive
“We’re back!”
The Class President stepped into the camp, cheerfully greeting the Stalwart Group classmates who were busy in the central area of the camp.
“Oh, Class President.”
“Welcome back, Class President.”
“You’re back.”
Unfortunately, the Patrol Group returned a bit earlier than expected. At this moment, everyone was busy processing ingredients or staple food. Those nearby in the central camp saw them, gave a cursory greeting, and then went back to their own tasks. Not to mention the fishing team and kill fish team far away by the riverside, completely blocked from hearing the commotion in the camp by the sound of flowing water and the noise from the two captives’ tents.
This made the Class President’s group’s return seem a bit lackluster. Lu Daiqing’s smile stiffened slightly, while worrying whether they could manage these guys over the next three years—they seemed obedient but actually did whatever they wanted.
“Ahem…” The Class President cleared their throat, pretending this awkward interlude didn’t exist. They turned to Mandy and the others: “Mandy, have everyone put the storage boxes in the usual place. Nancy, Ainuo Classmate, please have these folks take a seat in the camp. Cheng Kai! Xiaoxian!”
The Class President called over the other two roommates and went into the tent to do who-knows-what.
“Please, everyone.”
Ainuo and Nancy had also put away their usual cool or trouble-stirring attitudes. They stood one on each side, greeting the few people who were stunned by the scene before them. Several unfamiliar faces appeared behind them, causing the busy people in the camp to pause in surprise, then continue with their work heads down.
Let the class officers and A Bite of China Club handle it.
The several strangers were led by Ainuo and Nancy to the seats prepared that morning. The chairs were temporarily borrowed from various tents out of friendship, and the table was makeshift—not difficult to make, by using exoskeleton armor to move a few large stones, then using a compressed laser cutter and such to smooth the surfaces, clean off the soil and moss on the stones, and they could be used as is. The Class President and Fu Chengkai weren’t uninterested in the tables in the central camp used for placing ingredients and dishes, but when they were about to propose the idea, they were met with collective protests from the Class Eight Stalwart Group members “overhearing” outside the tent. After all, there were only a few long tables, and they’d gotten used to them these past few days. Taking them away would be such a hassle to clean up. Today’s plan was just temporary—if it really worked out, wouldn’t Class Eight be the ones using the tables? Moving them back and forth would make everything a mess, which was indeed a big deal for modern people with mild germophobia.
The guests sat down at the stone dining table. The pastries team was at the long table chopping wild vegetables or mixing dough. Nearby, those responsible for cooking were taking plates out of the pot, bringing out steaming white buns and steamed buns, then placing them into the large empty food boxes in the central camp (friendly sponsorship from Xiang Chuan). The kill chicken team was weaving in and out of the crowd—those going out carried four chickens, and those returning carried… what thing? The plucked chickens stunned everyone: What is this? Then they saw them taking these white meaty objects to the long table opposite the pastries team, picking up compressed laser cutters to skillfully gut them and remove the internal organs. The movements were smooth and seamless in the guests’ eyes, but the blood-red cross-sections and internal organs scared everyone badly. If not for their strong resilience, they would have vomited on the spot.
“Classmate,” the girl wearing glasses looked at Nancy, who was serving drinking water to the guests, and asked timidly and uneasily: “You all… what are your classmates doing?”
The scene was so horrific that it subconsciously made the guests use honorifics.
“They’re making lunch. Since we’re hosting you all at noon today, we’re making extra. If there’s any left over, you can borrow a few food boxes from that A Bite of China Club president to take back.” As she spoke, Nancy pointed out Xiang Chuan’s direction to her.
Oh? A Bite of China Club president? The one from one of the school’s two newly established clubs?
Curiosity temporarily overrode the fear, and the guests looked toward Xiang Chuan.
At this moment, Xiang Chuan was directing Liang Gong and others to take the things gathered that morning to the riverside to wash, while she held in her arms something just cleaned out from the chicken coop—a nest of eggs.
The matter of the hens in the chicken coop laying eggs was mentioned that morning at breakfast by a Stalwart Group classmate responsible for processing chicken. Xiang Chuan was stunned for a moment before reacting: Right, they do lay eggs. On the first day the chicken coop was set up, Xiang Chuan really couldn’t think of a way to solve the chicken feed problem, so she broke all the wild fruits and wild vegetables gathered incidentally while mushroom picking and fed them to the chickens. Though it was a drop in the bucket, it at least kept the chickens from starving. Later, after getting a whole box of wild vegetables, Xiang Chuan started fiddling with buns and steamed buns, and the chickens in the coop finally improved their meals—the broken vegetable leaves and stems cleaned out while washing vegetables, and buns and steamed buns accidentally dropped on the ground, luckily became their meals. Later, Xiang Chuan slapped her forehead: Don’t chickens eat vegetables and grains? Then wouldn’t the paste from solid food do? So the compressed solid food originally intended entirely for the captives was ground into powder, mixed with a little water into paste. Seeing the chickens in the coop eating it with relish finally completely solved the chicken feed problem.
With the chickens full and watered, they naturally had time to lay eggs. Xiang Chuan quickly took eggs from their grass nests during the food basin change, and by the time she exited the chicken coop, the empty food box was already layered several deep with eggs.
“Take the eggs to the riverside to wash, clean off the chicken manure on them, but be careful not to scrub the eggshells broken.” Xiang Chuan handed the food box to a girl from the Stalwart Group.
The girl who took the food box and the surrounding Stalwart Group members all looked at her with admiring eyes: She actually emerged from the chicken coop unscathed! And brought out eggs! Too amazing!
Mainly, everyone got pecked a few times by the chickens while feeding them, which was scary for students with little direct contact with livestock. Even classmates from homes in animal husbandry were still wary of the chickens’ pecking attacks. So Xiang Chuan, who had the courage to run into the chicken coop and even retrieve eggs, seemed like a hero in their eyes right now, but…
Just then, Ainuo, who had left the guests’ seats to fetch some noodle shop items for hosting, saw Xiang Chuan about to head straight to the long table and quickly stopped her: “Club President, do you want us and the guests to eat a chicken feathers meal at noon today?”
“Ah?” Xiang Chuan was stunned, looking down only then to spot the problem: Her whole body was covered in chicken manure and chicken feathers. No wonder the classmate who took the food box ran off so fast… “If you noticed, why didn’t you tell me—”
Xiang Chuan complained loudly as she rushed to the riverside. Then everyone in the camp could see from afar this person charging straight into the river, splashing quite a bit of water and causing a commotion by the riverside. Before long, she hurried back windswept, her hair wet like a water ghost, and dashed straight to the tent to dry her hair.
This whole series left the guests dumbfounded. Nancy said leisurely: “You’ll get used to it. This club president is always so straightforward. After the confrontation match ends, you all might have to deal with her at school anyway.”
