When a question was thrown at her about why she went to the Chief Instructor earlier, Lisa recalled a particular question that she became rather speechless for a moment.
She didn’t deny that she went there, but she didn’t disclose the actual reason behind it.
“Commander Huo asked me to go over regarding some matter.”
Lisa didn’t say it was Jungkook.
Since she was well-aware that Jungkook was aloof and had a high-ranking position, 5t it might surprise others if they knew that she had been in frequent contact with him, and they might ask Rosé this and that. Hence, she decided it was better just to mention Commander Huo.
“Commander Huo?”
Upon hearing it was Commander Huo, the expression on Rosé no longer looked so anxious.
“Right, Lisa. I wanted to ask, how exactly did you get acquainted with Commander Huo and the Chief Instructor? Do you guys know each other from back then?”
Rosé was extremely curious about this.
If the training didn’t bog her yesterday, she would have pressed her on for more details.
Lisa knew she would not let this matter rest that easily, so she told Rosé the truth.
“We’re not acquainted and only came across each other several times. Before I entered the army, I met them on the streets. By that time, Commander Huo and the Chief Instructor seemed like they were still new around. I think we bumped into each other when they’ve just arrived.”
Rosé felt amazed when she heard this. “Really? But seeing the way Commander Huo defended you, I thought you guys were chummy.”
But since Lisa put it that way, they weren’t all that familiar with each other.
Lisa pursed her lips and said, “Actually, I have no idea why Commander Huo helped me.”
“I’m not surprised that Commander Huo helped you.” Rosé suddenly winked mischievously at Lisa. She then coughed into her fisted hand and deepened her voice as if imitating someone.
“She’s my soldier, I forbid.”
Lisa instantly knew who Rosé was mimicking.
She wasn’t sure whether to laugh or to cry. “Rosé, what are you doing?”
Rosé laughed out loud.
“What do you think I’m doing? The Chief Instructor sounded so manly when he said that! Although he still terrifies me.”
For a problematic person like Rosé, what she feared most was someone who exuded such a stern aura.
Lisa said, “Perhaps it’s because he happened to be around.”
Lisa didn’t wish to overthink why Jungkook had said that.
Because Jungkook and Lisa weren’t even acquaintances.
And Lisa had no interest in this Chief Instructor.
“Lili, I’m curious though. Why doesn’t your older brother want you to join the military?”
Rosé’s expression turned solemn as she asked this.
Actually, she had wanted to ask the same question since yesterday.
But she didn’t because she saw that Lisa wasn’t in a great mood.
From Lisa’s older brother’s words, he didn’t wish for Lisa to suffer hardships, so it seemed like he was doing this for her good.
On the other hand, Lisa insisting on joining the military baffled Rosé.
Back then, if her family didn’t force her, Rosé probably wouldn’t have joined the military.
Unless forced, would kid nowadays give up on good food and a good life at home and join the military to spend a few meaningless years as a soldier?
Rosé’s question pricked Lisa’s sensitive spot.
But she didn’t react violently. It’s just that at the thought of the reason, her gaze lowered, and her eyelashes trembled a little. She calmly replied, “No particular reason, I just wanted to join the military, that’s all.”
To the present Lisa, the reason she joined the army was that she had to, and she didn’t have that much passion than she could ever imagine before.
Just like Rosé had implied, nobody leading a good life at home would be willing to come over and suffer several years of hardship for nothing and not even knowing what alternate paths they could take in the future.
But Lisa had no other choice.
Her only choice was to accept this matter.
And turn her initial distress into a habit.
Only then, would she be able to swerve her only path into the best possible opportunity?
“You just wanted to join the military?”
Rosé looked at Lisa with a doubtful look in her eyes; she couldn’t tell what was wrong with Lisa’s expression.
But she looked down all of a sudden, making Rosé feel like she had said something wrong.
Not someone who lacked common sense, she shrugged her shoulders and said, “Alright, never mind if you don’t wish to say it. I’ll stop asking. Now that I’ve won, let’s go see the other teams compete.”
Lisa replied with a soft hum before she went off with Rosé to see the rest of the competition.
After the competitions had ended for the day, the weekend was just around the corner.
That weekend, Lisa and Rosé had marked the date to check out the village at the foot of the mountain.
And to buy some things.
Early in the morning, Lisa went to see Chen Haoyang and asked for approval to leave the camp.
Since their movements out of the military camp were restricted, they had to seek approval first.
Rosé didn’t have much credibility in front of Chen Haoyang, hence Lisa went instead.
Chen Haoyang readily approved.
But still, he asked them this, “Are you coming back this afternoon or tomorrow?”
Because the village had a resting station, some recruits could rest there for the night before returning to the military camp the next morning, unless there was an emergency special training.
Lisa thought about it, then replied, “If nothing immediate crops up, we should be coming back this afternoon.”
Chen Haoyang nodded. “Mm, be careful.”
It sounded like he was alerting them to something.
Lisa felt a little baffled, but she didn’t press for details and simply noted it in her mind. After getting her approval slip, she returned to look for Rosé.
When she and Rosé went, she gave her a reminder. “When I got the approval slip, the instructor asked us to be careful. Although I don’t know what he exactly meant, we better come back early.”
If they really were to spend the night in the village, Lisa would feel unaccustomed to it.
The joyful Rosé couldn’t be bothered about it so much. She simply waved her hand and nodded. “Okay, okay.”
This village near the military zone was called ‘Mountain Village.’
It was a simple village name and a fitting one since it was located right in the mountains.
Mountain Village was a rather inaccessible place before. But ever since the military zone was set up near it and that soldiers came over by the years, Mountain Village started to look like a prosperous town.
There were at least thousands of villagers living there.
It was considered one of the biggest villages in the area.
Lisa and Rosé went there on foot. Since it was the weekend, there were quite a lot of people going to the village.
The road to the village and the road to Dayi City went in two opposite directions.
Soldiers heavily guarded the road to Dayi City, and if they hadn’t received a special approval, the new recruits wouldn’t be able to get out. But the villagers in Mountain Village could go through that path without having to seek approval.
After Lisa and Rosé went around the peak of the mountain and hiked for half an hour, they reached Mountain Village.
A straight asphalt road was under construction in the village.
On both sides of the road, there were several low-rise buildings.
There was a small supermarket and various kinds of little shops. It was a small village, and yet it had complete commodities.
And it was strikingly similar to Lisa’s home.
On the two sides of the streets, pedestrians came and went. A number of soldiers in uniform were around, and most of them came over for the weekend.
With that, it didn’t look like an ordinary little village.
But it was still one bustling with life.
Rosé had long felt bored from staying in the camp, and so in the instant, she reached the village, she dashed into the supermarket by the roadside and bought a load of tidbits.
She had no place to spend the allowance her parents gave her, other than contributing it to the cafeteria inside the camp.
It had been a long time since she ate tidbits, so naturally, she craved for it.
Lisa was alright though.
She had been in prison for such a long time, so she was used to eating steamed cornbread and cold hard rice.
The present Lisa considered the food served in the military cafeteria as a delicacy.
In the past, she too loved to eat some tidbits. But after so many things that happened to her, and her joining the military after she was reborn, Lisa didn’t feel many cravings facing these various tidbits.
“Lili, take whatever you want to eat. It’s my treat!”
Rosé generously patted her chest and had the air of a rich person.
Her manner made Lisa laugh out loud. “You just take what you want. I’m not too fond of tidbits.”
“Okay.” Rosé ignored what she said. “Just take whatever you want. I’ll pay for it later.”
Her hands were busy as she spoke, the tidbits nearly spilling out of her arms.
Lisa helped her retrieve a supermarket basket and asked, “Can you bring the tidbits into the camp?”
“If I can’t then at most they would be confiscated. It doesn’t matter. I just wanted to eat some in any case.”
Rosé was truly craving for it. Moreover, her family wasn’t poor, so it didn’t pain her heart to buy so many at one go.
Finally, with a full basket of tidbits, she went to the counter to pay for the bill.
An old woman was standing in front of them in the queue and there was only one counter in that small supermarket. When Rosé finally reached her turn, someone suddenly placed a pack of cigarettes and several packets of instant noodles on the counter. A man dressed in black spacesuit squeezed his way into the queue.
Rosé frowned and said in a displeased tone, “Can’t you queue up? I’m standing in front!”
That cashier glanced awkwardly at Rosé, then placed down the cigarettes that she was supposed to scan the barcode. The cashier said, “Sir, wait for a moment. This young lady hasn’t settled her bill.”
“Wait for what!?”
That man seemed to be around forty and was slightly fat. His overall aura exuded a barbaric feeling.
Hearing this, he glared at the cashier and then stared at Rosé in a nasty manner. “So what if I jump your queue? If you’re that great, beat me up!”
He sounded like a complete rogue.
Rosé had a bad temper, to begin with. Even though the man before her looked much heavier than she was, anger surged to her head as she growled, “Are you shameless or what? How uncultured to be cutting queue!”
Although Rosé was arrogant in the past, she would at least abide by social etiquette. This man was, of course, an uncultured person in her eyes.
That man was clearly shocked and furious to hear what she had said. He cussed, “F*ck your mother. Are you girls itching for a beating?”
Hearing that man spew out some vulgarities, Lisa and Rosé were both stunned.
Lisa felt incredulous, whereas Rosé was completely dazed from shock.
The man’s words successfully ignited Rosé’s violent temper and lit her up like a firecracker.
She furiously howled back at him. “You dare to curse at my mother? Are you seeking death?”
Rosé howled out the last sentence like a young gangster girl.
But that man was even more unbelievable.
Since Rosé words had infuriated him, he gritted his teeth and pulled a ferocious expression. And just like a rogue, he raised his hand to slap Rosé’s face and scolded, “Slut!”
Rosé had seen this kind of situation so many times, so she naturally avoided his hit.
She speedily took two steps back and then stomped as hard as she could on that man’s abs.
The impact of the blow made a loud ‘peng’ sound, and with a pathetic cry resounding in the air, the man’s face twisted in an instant as he clutched his stomach.
Although he appeared strong on the outside, this situation implied otherwise on the inside. He fell backward and unknowingly placed his hand on the counter, accidentally sweeping a load of things off of the cashier counter.
And in the end, he plopped to the ground and let out a loud groan.
The cashier was shocked while Lisa was in awe of Rosé’s actions.
Judging by that situation alone, it seemed as if Rosé had gone easy on Umji during their match.
But then again, that man’s words were truly awful to the ears. If it was Lisa, she might have taught that man a lesson, too.
Seeing the man collapse to the ground with one kick, Rosé made a spitting sound. “A wimp like you dares to hit me?”
“You!”
The man on the floor pointed at her and could not conceal his hatred in his twisted expression. Perhaps because Rosé’s kick was quite vigorous, he bore with the pain as he crawled to his feet. He then spat in Rosé’s direction and scowled, “You wait and see!”
He ran away tripping on his feet and clutching his stomach.
“Damn he’s so cowardly? Rubbish. Just one kick and he fled!”
Rosé held her sleeves and spoke in a ferocious tone of voice. The cashier who had been watching by the side was astounded by what she saw.
She hurriedly picked up the things on the ground. Lisa, on the other hand, looked as that scoundrel went away into the distance. “That man seems like a local?”
Not too many things scared Lisa, but she feared that the man wouldn’t let the matter rest and probably went to seek help.
“So what if he’s a local? What a wimp! He’s only capable of bullying two girls!”
Rosé scrunched her nose and had a disdainful expression on her face.
She shoved her items forward on the counter. “Cashier, help me sum up these items.”
She seemed totally unaffected by what just happened.
Lisa smiled lightly and shook her head, not minding too much about that scoundrel.
But bumping into that kind of situation actually surprised her when their primary purpose of coming over was to check out the village. Indeed, there were scoundrels everywhere.
It was obvious that the man was a local rogue.
Rosé’s fight with the man attracted some people’s attention, and most were pretty amused to see her defeat the guy.
Rosé and Lisa didn’t stroll around in their uniforms, so the villagers weren’t sure if they were from the army or were tourists.
Taking all her tidbits with her, Rosé then opened a bag the instant she exited the supermarket.
She appeared completely unbothered about what just happened.
But she felt good after teaching that scoundrel a lesson.
Lisa said, “If people in the camp find out you fought outside, they might lodge a complaint and cause you troubles.”
Rosé, who was biting on a piece of chocolate didn’t seem to care. “Don’t be scared. We had a legitimate reason since that man provoked us first. Even if the instructor is unreasonable, he can’t be that unreasonable, right?”
The instant she finished speaking, they heard laughter. “Huh, you said the instructor is unreasonable. Tell me, which instructor were you talking about?”
That came so unexpectedly, Rosé and Lisa both shivered from the shock.
They both turned around and saw Commander Huo and the military doctor Sehun standing at the entrance of the pharmacy next door. Both wore a cheerful smile as they gazed at Rosé.
Rosé dropped her chocolate to the floor.
Lisa was shocked, too. Because they were outside, there weren’t as many restraints as there were inside the military camp. Hence, she simply shouted, “Commander Huo, Doctor Nan, why are you guys out?”
And the curious thing was, the Chief Instructor wasn’t with them.
Sehun stepped forth, a warm smile on his face as he said to Lisa, “The medical supplies in the military camp are depleted, so I came out to get some.”
Sehun still remembered Lisa. That incident where Lisa had menstrual pains bore a deep impression on him.
After all, it had been several years since he had worked at the camp, and Lisa was the first patient brought over to him after fainting from the pain. So, how could he not have a deep impression of her?
There was a hint of teasing in his gentle smile. Seeing him smile, Lisa recalled how the instructor had carried her to the infirmary.
On the other hand, Rosé, who was caught in the act of badmouthing the instructor, was still in a completely dazed state. It was only after Sehun and Lisa had talked that she snapped out of her dazed state and shouted, “Commander Huo, Doctor Nan!”
As she was greeting them, she saw Sehun and felt a little embarrassed.
After all, there were chocolate stains by the corner of her mouth. While Sehun wasn’t looking, she lowered her head and stealthily wiped the corner of her lips with her fingers.
Seeing Rosé’s action, Lisa’s lips slightly curled up.
“You two are truly bold outside of the camp.”
With his hands behind his back, Jimin leisurely walked over. He had seen Rosé’s fight with that scoundrel earlier.
Rosé blushed, who was something she rarely did.
And for some reason, she was ashamed of it.
Since two rather good-looking superiors saw her ferocious side, she couldn’t help feeling embarrassed because of it!
Thankfully, the Chief Instructor wasn’t around.
Seeing Rosé’s bashful manner and her muteness, Jimin held back a smile as he asked Lisa. “Lalisa, what happened just now? I was a distance away and didn’t quite hear. You got into a quarrel?”
Lisa paused in surprise. She nodded and said, “Yes. When we were buying things, that middle-aged man jumped our queue. Rosé tried to reason with him, but he scolded her and even wanted to get physical with her.”
Lisa naturally tried to clarify the matter on Rosé’s behalf, and the truth was indeed that.
When they heard this, Jimin and Sehun understood what was going on.
Rosé looked towards Jimin, and she asked, “Commander Huo, where’s the Chief Instructor?”
By now everyone in the camp knew that Commander Huo and the Chief Instructor were on extremely close terms and were nearly inseparable.
Since she didn’t see the Chief Instructor around, Rosé naturally had to ask.