xymnovel Chapter 44 Childlike Words and Sincere Feelings
Chapter 44 Childlike Words and Sincere Feelings
After trekking through the night, the village of Balangai finally came into view on the morning of the second day.
The smoke of battle has long since dissipated, and the farmland in front of the village has been leveled and turned into a training ground.
Under the scorching sun, more than 300 soldiers stood ramrod straight, shouting neat and powerful slogans that echoed through the mountains and forests.
Frank followed behind, watching this scene, and his initially disdainful gaze subtly softened.
Chen Feng instructed him and Zheng Mingsong, who was acting as the translator, to take a group and observe the training issues first. He then headed straight for the stone house, asking Qian Biao, who came to greet him, "Which platoon leaders are in the camp?"
Qian Biao immediately straightened his back and replied, "According to the roster, today's recruits are Ren Dayong, the platoon leader of the third platoon, and Ding Junkai, the platoon leader of the fourth platoon. The rest of the soldiers are in the camp."
"How many troops do we have in total now?" Chen Feng asked, his steps never faltering.
There are a total of 408 people.
"So many?"
Chen Feng suddenly stopped in his tracks, thinking to himself that he had been promoted really fast, from company commander to battalion commander in just a few days.
Qian Biao explained, "Most of them are here for the military pay. Now that the workshops around Manila have all shut down, many Chinese laborers are idle at home with no way to make a living. They heard that we provide food and pay here, so they are willing to come and seek refuge here."
Impure motives!
However, it's not a big problem. As long as we strengthen ideological education and win a few more battles to boost morale, these people will definitely not want to leave.
Chen Feng continued walking towards the stone house, and at the same time ordered, "Have a meeting in an hour. Have all the platoon leaders in the camp come over."
"yes!"
Qian Biao straightened up and ran away.
Chen Feng entered the stone house, and the changes inside were quite significant.
The originally narrow window was widened by more than half, and sunlight poured in through the window, illuminating every corner of the room, making it no longer feel gloomy.
The room was divided into two parts by a stone wall. The front part had dozens of long benches, and a dark blackboard hung on the wall facing the door, turning it into a classroom.
Wu Dequan was sitting at the wooden table in front of the blackboard, writing and drawing with a brush in his hand. His faded long gown looked somewhat out of place in the stone house filled with the atmosphere of soldiers.
Hearing footsteps, Wu Dequan looked up and saw Chen Feng. He immediately put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and said irritably, "Chen Feng, you've really gotten me into trouble!"
Chen Feng walked to the table, glanced at the words on the paper, and seeing that they were all classical Chinese phrases, he didn't pay them any mind and chuckled, "You should be thanking me. Where else in all of Luzon can you find such an easy job with a monthly salary of $2.5?"
"I am nearly fifty years old and have spent my whole life studying the classics. I never thought of joining you young people in a rebellion!" Wu Dequan said, blowing his beard and glaring.
"Rebellion is the only way to make a living." Chen Feng raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with sarcasm. "Otherwise, if you stay here, are you going to find a native woman to have children with and continue your family line in this desolate land?"
"That's still better than losing your head!" Wu Dequan retorted, sticking his neck out.
Chen Feng was too lazy to argue with him, and said in a cold tone: "It's come to this, you have no choice. Cut off your queue this afternoon. This isn't the Qing Dynasty, nobody here cares about this tail."
Also, at the end of the month, there's a literacy test for soldiers. If the pass rate is below 80%, half your salary will be deducted; if it's below 60%, your entire salary will be deducted!
"You... this is truly a case of a scholar encountering a soldier, there's no way to reason with him!" Wu Dequan's chest heaved violently with anger.
Chen Feng scoffed: "You can hardly be called a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations); at most, you're a Tongsheng (a student who has failed the exams for thirty years) who hasn't passed."
"You...you...you've infuriated this old man!" Wu Dequan almost couldn't catch his breath.
These words struck a nerve with Wu Dequan. He nearly choked, his hand trembling as he pointed at Chen Feng: "You...you've infuriated me!"
Chen Feng, too lazy to watch him flailing about, turned around, walked around the stone wall, and entered the inner living room.
The room was simply furnished, with two wooden plank beds against the wall and a wooden table with a missing corner in the middle.
Chen Feng was wondering why there was an extra bed when he looked up and saw Wang Muning leaning against the window, engrossed in reading a book.
She cut her hair short to ear length, which made her small, delicate face look even more pretty.
She wore a moon-white fine cotton short-sleeved shirt with a crisp stand-up collar, and a navy blue pleated skirt that reached just to her knees. She looked exactly like a female student from the Republic of China era.
Chen Feng walked quietly to the table, his gaze sweeping over the objects on it.
A brightly polished colorful rattle drum sits on the windowsill, next to a sheet of paper with a portrait of himself drawn on it, his features surprisingly lifelike.
"If this painting falls into the hands of the Spanish, they'll arrest me without a doubt," Chen Feng said with a smile.
"Senior brother, you're back!"
Upon hearing the sound, Wang Muning immediately looked up, her eyes instantly sparkling as if two stars were hidden within them.
Chen Feng leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets, smiling as he pointed to the rattle drum on the windowsill: "Do you like the gift I gave you?"
Wang Muning picked up the rattle drum and shook it gently; the crisp sound echoed in the room.
A look of amusement and exasperation crossed her face: "Senior brother, I knew a thousand characters by the age of five, could recite Tang poems by seven, and could read the Four Books and Five Classics fluently by ten. Why would I like such childish things?"
"hehe!"
Chen Feng touched his nose, chuckled dryly, and realized that he had forgotten that this was the 19th century.
In later generations, girls as young as Wang Muning, who had just graduated from elementary school, were mostly obsessed with Pop Mart.
However, in the Qing Dynasty, girls were already preparing for marriage at the age of 14.
If nothing unexpected happens, she will probably have to find a good family to marry into under the guidance of that cheap master within three years.
"Senior brother, do I look good in this outfit?"
Wang Muning didn't notice his distraction. She carefully lifted the hem of her skirt and twirled around, the pleated skirt rippling with her movement.
"It's really good!"
Chen Feng nodded slightly, his eyes full of appreciation, his gaze clear and free of any ulterior motives.
Wang Muning smiled and said, "Sister Feng sewed this for me. She said that all the girls in Manila dress like this."
Chen Feng raised an eyebrow: "You want to go to an all-girls school? Not now. I can only make arrangements after the American troops have driven out the Spanish and the situation has stabilized."
Wang Muning nodded vigorously, her eyes full of anticipation: "Senior, I want to learn Spanish and English. It doesn't matter whether I go to an all-girls school or not."
Chen Feng shook his head: "Then you still have to go to school! You can systematically learn Western culture and knowledge, and maybe you can become a great scholar by combining Chinese and Western knowledge in the future."
"I never thought about pursuing academic studies." Wang Muning lowered her head, her voice growing softer, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. "I just want to learn more so I can help my senior brother in the future."
Chen Feng didn't detect the shyness in her tone and pointed to the two wooden beds: "Did you clean this room?"
"Mmm!" Wang Muning responded softly.