Chapter 5: A Scene in the Dining Hall

"How... how am I supposed to feed these?" Xu Qiao looked at Yin Li, who had brought her along, in a state of near-collapse.

Seeing her reaction, Yin Li looked at her with amusement. "I know you don't believe it. I didn't believe it either when I first came here—that they would actually raise sheep in a place like this!"

Xu Qiao sighed helplessly. She looked at the flock of sheep before her with a headache, because she was thinking about more than just the grass-cutting in front of her. In the future, there would surely be cleaning, and even milking—tasks that she, as a general helper, would certainly not be able to escape.

"The veterans say it's to provide fresh goat milk for the patients," Yin Li explained. "Our location is a bit unique. Although we're relatively close to the city, it’s a hassle to procure supplies, so we have to stock up on a lot at once. Things like goat milk need to be fresh. The patients need the nutrients, and we trust the sheep we raise ourselves, so the squad keeps a few here specifically for the infirmary."

"I was the last one to join the mess squad, and since I can't do anything else, this became my job." After saying this, he couldn't help but look at Xu Qiao with a touch of schadenfreude, his meaning all too clear.

Xu Qiao helplessly squatted down to look at the sheep, consoling herself, "At least they're sheep; they only eat grass. It's not like they're raising pigs."

When she arrived to report for duty, breakfast had already ended. The members of the mess squad were finishing up, so they weren't particularly busy.

During her short time at the training camp, she had transformed from an ordinary civilian into a soldier. While it hadn't taught her much, it had left her with fond memories. She understood what Yin Li meant, and she felt a sudden sense of grievance. She truly hadn't done it on purpose this time; she had been learning every task with all her heart.

Yin Li felt a sting upon hearing her words, as if he had been stabbed by a knife. Unfortunately, Xu Qiao simply wasn't very capable. Her performance in the recruit company had been at the bottom of the class; she couldn't master a single skill, not even the most basic housekeeping.

The jungle was muggy and stifling, making one hot and breathless; any movement left her drenched in sweat.

"Yes, Squad Leader!" Yin Li immediately responded with a smile and sat down readily.

Xu Qiao ignored his chatter and resignedly picked up a basket and a sickle, intending to go get food for the sheep. Seeing his reaction, the others burst into laughter. "Yin Li, now that you've got an apprentice, your motivation has really shot up!"

She really wondered if the mess squad would even be able to produce a meal if things continued like this. Xu Qiao felt like throwing a potato at him; it was bad enough he wasn't helping, but he was just making things worse.

That aside, she had performed various missions in her past life. To maintain her cover, she hadn't shied away from the work of street peddlers or commoners, but this was the first time she had made such a fool of herself.

"So, were you assigned to the mess squad because you're exceptionally good at cutting grass?" Xu Qiao countered, her tone sharp.

There is always a gap between ideals and reality. Xu Qiao never imagined that the military life she had longed for would begin with cutting grass and feeding sheep.

Xu Qiao hurriedly waved her hands. "No, no..."

Seeing her stumbling, the squad leader finally softened and waved a hand. "Forget it. You've never done these things before; you'll get used to it slowly."

She tried to speak, but her voice grew quieter and quieter until even she couldn't convince herself. She sighed helplessly. "It's not that I'm not trying, but even when I do, I still fail."

It was a pity that the environment back then had been too unique. She hadn't stayed in the training camp for long before being sent to the front lines.

"Sister, are you peeling that potato or sculpting it?" Yin Li, who was passing by, looked at the potato—or rather, the chunk—in her hands, and was left speechless.

Furthermore, Xu Qiao had never done such work before. In her hands, the sickle was worse than a dagger; she couldn't cut more than a few blades of grass at a time, and she was already drenched in sweat after only a short while.

The fact that there was now a female soldier in the mess squad was known to the entire regiment, especially to her own communications company.

Amidst the chaos, the mess squad finally managed to prepare lunch before the mealtime. But before she could catch her breath, the squad leader added, "With this level of skill, you couldn't do this on purpose even if you tried!"

For example, peeling potatoes was a task that required a high level of technical skill, something she had never experienced in either of her two lives, and it left her completely stumped.

The once-excellent Xu Qiao was now facing a real challenge.

"What, did you do this on purpose?" Squad Leader Wu interrupted her.

Previously, she at least had Yin Li to teach her how to cut grass, but now everyone had their own tasks, and she had to be self-taught. It looked simple enough—just use a knife to peel off the skin, nothing complicated.

She broke dishes while washing them, shredded the vegetables while cleaning them, and even managed to splash water into the oil pot while helping out. She was clearly trying hard, but her efforts only served to make things worse.

Moreover, she had been holding in a breath of frustration, working hard enough to be among the best in the training camp. Therefore, the old soldiers and the squad leader weren't actually surprised by her performance; rather, they found her attitude of "doing whatever she's told" to be quite bizarre.

Consequently, even the squad leader, who had always been cold to her, softened his stance. Instead of reprimanding her, he glanced at Yin Li. "You teach her!"

"The two of us are in the same boat, so let's stop tearing each other down," Xu Qiao said, looking at him. "But you seem different from me, how did you end up here?"

While the squad leader felt relieved, he couldn't help but look at Xu Qiao. If she were doing it on purpose, she didn't look like it—didn't you see her accidentally cut her hand while peeling potatoes? It was still bandaged. But if it wasn't on purpose, the chaos she had created was enough to keep their whole squad busy fixing it.

He kept staring, and Xu Qiao couldn't help but notice. When she looked up, she met his gaze.

The fact that she was a "rich young lady" was well-known, and Yin Li teased, "They say you're a pampered daughter; no wonder you can't even do something as simple as this."

But this was all her father could do. He could help keep her in the communications company, but he couldn't help her master military skills.

Feeling his resentment, Xu Qiao recalled the situation in the recruit company. Whether it was in the company or the squad, they were truly running out of patience for her incompetence.

But she had to explain. "Squad Leader, I really tried my best, it's just..."

She had used every ounce of her strength, yet the potato ended up being a miniature version of its former self.

After a morning of her peculiar presence, the mess squad was in total disarray. What Xu Qiao had to do was more than just cut grass, and that was only the beginning.

Today was her first day reporting for duty, and everyone knew a little something about her situation.

Although her father was ruthless enough to throw her into the military, he hadn't completely abandoned her. Seeing her at the bottom of the ranks, he immediately donated a batch of training equipment to the regiment, leveraging that favor to get her assigned to the communications company.

It was just that she had never done these things, and it wasn't easy to do them well, so she ended up making things worse.

In her past life, although Xu Qiao had been ostracized for a time due to her background, she had been very talented in training.

Washing and cutting vegetables were the most basic tasks, and even with many automated devices for meals for over a hundred people, most things still required human labor.

One sentence drew everyone's attention, and they all saw the masterpiece in her hands.

"You guys are just jealous," Yin Li huffed. Ignoring them, he lowered his head and began to actually teach Xu Qiao.

"Cough..." Yin Li nearly choked on his own saliva. "What era are we in? Who's raising pigs?"

Whether it was the novelty of the mess squad's first female soldier or the chaos she caused after arriving, it was definitely the talk of the communications company.

But she had no energy to pay attention to him now; she could only look at Squad Leader Wu with a guilty conscience. "Squad Leader, I... I am slowly improving my technique. Please give me more time."

"Hey, wait for me! You don't even know where to go to cut grass..." Before he could finish, he saw she was already heading up the hill and hurriedly chased after her.

But once the two of them finished preparing rations for their "guests of honor," the mess squad became busy again.

Speaking of this, it was truly embarrassing. She had come to the military with a heart full of yearning and anticipation, only to end up in the mess squad.

No, it could be said that she simply disdained to learn those tasks.

Instead, she smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "I have a good father, but look, I'm still here cutting grass with you, aren't I?"

She hesitated, then walked up to him. "Squad Leader... I'm here to apologize."

After being assigned to the company, she hadn't been able to master even the most basic things, let alone military skills. Thinking of all this, she could understand Yin Li's bitterness.

"No company wanted a soldier like me, so I ended up in the mess squad."

Such comforting words made Xu Qiao breathe a sigh of relief.

But what the brain thinks and what the hands do are two entirely different things. With every slice of the knife, she wasn't peeling the skin—she was carving out chunks.

Lunch naturally drew countless gazes. But those watching were destined to be disappointed today, because after Xu Qiao's previous "achievements," no one dared to let her handle such important work.

As a result, whether it was delivering meals to the cafeteria or distributing them to the various squads, she was basically left out. She only stood in the food area, arranging the meals they brought over, but that alone was enough to draw countless eyes and turn her into a sight to behold in the cafeteria.