The Female General Dominates All After Transmigration-Chapter 78 - 77: New Recruit Platoon Leader, Discharge, Ultra-Long Haul
The next day, Zhang Wanxiang and the others finished their theoretical lessons and were set to start accompanying the vehicles.
Ling Chengyan, as usual, arrived early and drove the car out of the garage for inspection and cleaning. As the veterans arrived, the new recruits also lined up.
The former theoretical instructor brought the people over, handed them to the Automobile Company’s commander and instructor, then turned and left.
Ling Chengyan stood at the end of the veteran’s line. Seeing Zhang Wanxiang grinning at her from the new recruits’ line, she couldn’t help but smile.
"Ling Chengyan!" Commander Jiang Yuntong suddenly called her name.
"Present!" Ling Chengyan solemnly responded, her voice loud and clear.
"Step out!"
"Yes!" Ling Chengyan responded without hesitation, striding out from the line to the front.
Her voice was loud and clear, accompanied by a slight posture adjustment to stand straight, without any hesitation or panic. On the other hand, Zhang Wanxiang went pale, his heart rate accelerated, breathing quickened, and his palms sweat from nervousness.
"Twenty-two new recruits will form the second platoon of our Automobile Company, and Ling Chengyan will be temporarily appointed as the platoon leader..." Commander announced aloud.
Ling Chengyan maintained a resting position, listening quietly. The new recruit platoon had twenty-two people in total, divided into three squads: eight people in Squad One, led by Wu Qingyun; seven in Squad Two, led by Lin Yicheng; and seven in Squad Three, led by Pang Anbang.
The new recruits were paired with various veterans to learn driving skills. Most veterans took one recruit, but a few had two, like Ling Chengyan, who had Ma Dajun assigned to her car. Ma Dajun, tall and stout, looked more suited for the battlefield than driving barring his thin stature.
"Ling... Ling Platoon Leader!" Ma Dajun greeted, his dark face showing a bit of embarrassment.
Ling Chengyan quickly corrected him, "Just call me Sister Ling."
"Alright, Sister Ling."
Zhou Guoqing glanced at the two but said nothing, directly taking the shotgun seat. Ling Chengyan had no choice but to let Ma Dajun sit in the bed of the truck, then she started the vehicle and set off.
Other vehicles were either on missions or continued maintenance; new recruits’ learning depended on the temperament and personality of the veterans they were paired with. Some would patiently guide them hand-to-hand, while others, like Zhou Dalu, would remain silent, leaving the recruits to learn, explore, and accumulate experience on their own.
To Ling Chengyan’s surprise, despite Ma Dajun’s large physique sitting in the truck bed, he still got carsick. Halfway through their journey, she stopped to add water, saw him vomiting to the point of near unconsciousness, pale and slumped in the corner of the truck bed.
Ling Chengyan quickly climbed into the truck, wiped his hands and face with clean water, and gave him a few sips until he felt better.
After over a month of accompanying vehicles, Ling Chengyan knew that carsickness was worse in larger vehicles than smaller ones and more severe in the truck bed than the cabin.
Sitting in the truck bed was no better than riding an oxcart, and he got so severely carsick that Ling Chengyan felt somewhat at a loss.
However, Zhou Guoqing didn’t rush or care, throwing out disdainfully, "Once you recover, go unload the tarpaulin... don’t be outdone by a woman!"
The recently pale Ma Dajun blushed again and struggled to stand up.
Ling Chengyan didn’t bother advising him, helping him unload the tarpaulin, as the loaders prepared to transport goods onto the vehicle.
Returning, Ma Dajun still sat in the truck bed, with only enough room for one person at the tailgate.
Whether by habit or some other reason, on the return journey, Ma Dajun seemed uncomfortable but didn’t vomit.
Ma Dajun eagerly handled laborious tasks like unloading and washing vehicles, reducing Ling Chengyan’s workload significantly.
She specially went to the hospital, bought two packs of Ren Dan Pills and brought them back.
Ren Dan Pills help with nausea, chest tightness, dizziness, and motion sickness, especially suitable during hot weather.
The two packs cost just ten cents, yet Ma Dajun acted as though he’d received a great favor, his eyes teary.
Ling Chengyan encouraged, "The first step is always the hardest. You’ll get used to it. Keep it up!"
Ling Chengyan added another reminder, "Buy breakfast at the dining hall in the morning, then head to the garage."
Being in the barracks means waking up for morning exercises, having breakfast, then heading to the garage... based on this timeline, by the time they reach the garage, most vehicle inspections for the day are done, leaving only heavy tasks like washing vehicles and airing tarpaulins.
If they head directly to the garage after morning exercises with breakfast, they can catch vehicle inspections and learn something.
Though initially awkward, Ma Dajun was diligent and sincere. Within three to four days, he could handle quite a few tasks, freeing Ling Chengyan to focus on other recruits.
Others adapted quickly, too, without slacking or being lazy, taking on various responsibilities.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed, and Ling Chengyan had become quite proficient in driving, not just short distances but even taking on mountain roads twice.
One day in June, parting came unexpectedly.
Though only a temporary platoon leader, Ling Chengyan was allowed to attend the meeting whose agenda was: organizing this year’s demobilization and reassignment arrangements.
A steady camp with flowing soldiers.
Another batch of veterans was to take off their uniforms, bid farewell to the barracks, and return to being ordinary civilians.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Guoqing’s name was strikingly on the reassignment list.
Zhou Guoqing’s hometown was a mountainous small county in Zhili Province; he was returning there for reassignment, where his wife and over one-year-old chubby daughter awaited him.
After the meeting, demobilization and reassignment processes would still take several days, during which the soon-to-be reassigned veterans would continue training and working as usual.
Zhou Guoqing remained his cold, reticent self, as much to the car as anyone else. If Ling Chengyan hadn’t attended the meeting personally, she’d have no clue he had been counseled and submitted his reassignment application long ago.
It was now Lunar June, the hottest time of the year.
Yet Zhou Guoqing, like a wind-up clock, tirelessly pushed himself to take on long-hauls. That day, he took a rare cross-province long trip; his vehicle would traverse one province southward, crossing the Yellow River, Huai River, and Yangtze River to transport goods back.
The trip would last at least half a month, with possible delays extending to two months.
Instructor Wu Yushu personally came to seek Ling Chengyan’s opinion; if she wasn’t willing to run such a long-distance trip, she could stay, given her temporary platoon leader status.
Ling Chengyan decisively made her choice: "I’m going!"
Somehow, she had a vague feeling that she was specially recruited into the Automobile Company for more than just being an automotive soldier. As for the deeper purpose, she couldn’t ascertain or comprehend it but willingly... cooperated.
The eagle cannot be confined in a cage; the tiger won’t settle for mere sustenance.
To live better and more freely in this world, she could only learn about it, familiarize herself with it, adapt to it... allowing herself to truly live freely and happily.
