Chapter 169: Chapter 168: Two Mud Monkeys and a Fairy Ring

Also, there are extra points for merits, front-line experience, and competition awards… In addition, it’s important to emphasize that although the Special Service Company is still set at the company level, the selected personnel receive two levels of treatment improvement.

This means that once a deputy company level officer is selected, they receive battalion-level treatment; a regular company officer naturally gets regular battalion-level treatment, and ordinary soldiers selected will immediately proceed with the procedures for promotion, enjoying platoon-level treatment; regular soldiers will directly transition to conscripts, effectively overcoming a significant hurdle.

With such favorable conditions, Wu Yushu felt somewhat tempted. However, he was smart enough and had a clear self-awareness, knowing he was a civil servant. Ordinary military training was doable, but when it came to competing in combat power and participating in the Special Service Company selection, he was far behind.

Moreover, listening to what Staff Officer Xie mentioned about the conditions—several extra point items such as merits and front-line experience—it’s obvious who they truly want!

It seems their small Automobile Company can’t hold back this significant figure.

Alas, nothing more to say, we have shared meals from the same pot, and when they get promoted, there’s still some connection.

Moreover, neither he nor the Company Commander are the type to make underhanded moves.

Ling Chengyan had no clue about the big plan Huicheng had for her, as she was taking Da Quanzi and Zhang Wanxiang to gather herbs by the water puddle.

When she came by to water the horses yesterday, she noticed several herbs by the puddle, which were precisely the ones needed for treating wolf bites.

This is the way of nature’s balance; wherever venomous snakes appear, there are sure to be herbs to repel and detoxify them. The same applies to beasts and wild wolves.

The herbs are easy to gather, but the path is not easy to walk. It rained heavily for half the night, leaving the grasslands quite muddy, and forming several shallow puddles near the water’s edge, which are dangerous as they might hide treacherous swamps underneath.

Ling Chengyan and the others rode to the edge of the flooded area, dismounted, and after observing for a while, Ling Chengyan took a large branch from the horse’s back, not just a plain stick, but one with twigs and leaves.

Ling Chengyan said to Zhang Wanxiang and Da Quanzi, “You guys wait here, I’ll go collect the herbs.”

Zhang Wanxiang and Da Quanzi shouted in unison, “Let me go!”

Ling Chengyan waved them off, stepping into the shallow puddles with the branch in hand, “I know where it is.”

With the thick foliage of the branch, Ling Chengyan was invisible from a distance, looking like a moving thicket.

Suddenly, the branch paused, and Ling Chengyan quickly extricated herself from a sinking mud pit using the branch as a buffer, avoiding the danger of being trapped.

On the first try, Zhang Wanxiang and Da Quanzi couldn’t see clearly, but when Ling Chengyan escaped the sinking mud on the second and third attempts using the branch, they understood.

Da Quanzi’s eyes reddened, muttering, “Captain Ling is really kind…”

He squatted down, clutching his knees, wiping tears from his eyes.

Zhang Wanxiang watched intently as the branches moved forward, whispering, “Yes, truly kind.” His hands hung by his sides, unknowingly clenching his pants into fists.

Ling Chengyan finally collected the two herbs needed, folded and tied the corner of her coat, placing the herbs inside it, then walked back, taking careful steps with the branch again.

From a few steps away, Da Quanzi jumped up and ran towards Ling Chengyan, “Captain Ling…”

Ling Chengyan’s round trip, though not far, did exhaust her somewhat, not to mention still carrying the large branch. Without a hand free to respond, she swung the branch as her body turned, sweeping Da Quanzi out of the shallow water area.

The branch dragged through the mud, already covered in sludge, and when Ling Chengyan swung it back, Da Quanzi was coated in mud, becoming a mud figure.

Zhang Wanxiang was a step slower, avoiding becoming a mud figure, and timely caught the branch from Ling Chengyan’s hand, helping her extricate herself.

Zhang Wanxiang tossed away the branch, took the water flask from the horse, and handed it over, “Sis, have a drink, rest a bit.”

Ling Chengyan took a few sips, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and gestured, “Go check on him, make sure he’s not hurt?”

Zhang Wanxiang went to help Da Quanzi, and in failing to stabilize, both fell into the mud water. Well, it was one mud person, now there were two.

The young men, full of energy, didn’t feel cold. Instead, they sat in the mud water, looking at each other, then Zhang Wanxiang raised his hand, touching Da Quanzi’s face, making Da Quanzi confused for a moment before reciprocating…

The two mud monkeys began playfully flinging mud at each other, and Ling Chengyan sighed, turning to lead the three horses away, finding a slightly deeper water pit to water the horses, and continued searching for herbs around the puddles.

Unexpectedly, besides the herbs, she also discovered a mushroom circle, with plump mushrooms growing densely together, forming a circle with a diameter of about a few meters.

Great, they could add a dish to lunch now.

After she picked most of the mushrooms, the two childish mud monkeys had enough, found some clean water to rinse themselves, and although still soaked, at least their hands and faces were relatively clean.

Back at the outpost, Da Pang boiled water for the two to take a bath, while Ling Chengyan made Zhang Wanxiang drink double-strength ginger soup and cold medicine, urging him to go inside and sleep.

Perhaps due to the double-strength cold medicine’s effect, Zhang Wanxiang slept until the evening, missing the mushroom stew at lunch.

However, thanks to Ling Chengyan’s morning discovery, after lunch, Da Pang and Da Quanzi took the initiative to go mushroom picking again. As locals, with Da Pang having lived here for many years and being familiar with the terrain, he knew well where mushrooms grew, and this trip yielded quite a harvest. They carried back two large baskets full of mushrooms, about a hundred pounds in total.

Then, everyone at the outpost without tasks came over to clean the mushrooms, cutting off the muddy roots, then stringing them up and hanging them under the eaves.

Each year, during the lush summer, they plant some vegetables, and try to harvest wild vegetables and mushrooms as much as possible, drying and storing what can’t be eaten in preparation for winter.

The lengthy seven-month winter on the grasslands is truly trying, and finding a more comfortable way to spend it has become the second major task at the outpost besides guarding.

Even though Da Pang will be discharged this year and won’t spend the winter here, he will still do his part. Because he knows, new recruits are less adapted to life here than he is.

After a day’s delay, Zhang Wanxiang slept for most of the day, just after dinner, without a hint of sleepiness. Yet again, Ling Chengyan forced him to take cold medicine pills, urging him back to the room to sleep.

Ling Chengyan also freshened up and returned to her room.

Not long after lying down, still not fully asleep, she suddenly opened her eyes, jumped out of bed, grabbed the weapon by her bedside, and went out…

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