After Being Reborn, I became a firefighter again?

As moonlight began to rise, it was soft like down.

But the young men in camouflage, were feeling on fire all over.

Winter’s end, the verge of spring, brought nightfall early, by seven-thirty, the sky had darkened.

Lights along the wide roads gradually came to life, food stalls started to light their stoves, some already beginning to grill meat.

Students working to make a living also began to emerge, setting up their stalls on the adjacent sidewalks.

The slogans chanted by the accompanying old soldiers, were quite socially awkward:

"Are the streets of Guiyang beautiful?"

"Beautiful!"

"Is the barbecue next door fragrant?"

"Fragrant!"

"If it’s fragrant, have a good sniff! Want to come again later?"

"Want to!"

Fang Huai followed with half-closed eyes, shouting along. The pickup truck ahead with a pole harnessed rapidly moved forward, giving him no chance to rest.

Squad Leader Hao knew well that Huai’s stamina was lacking, but his recovery was excellent. He didn’t drive too fast, about twelve or thirteen yards per hour.

Ordinarily, they would cover merely more than ten kilometers in an hour, not fast, but this time they were carrying empty radios.

Fang Huai suffered yet enjoyed the journey.

Apart from him, all seven conscripts were exercising together, his system’s Task Completion Degree almost increasing by one every half hour.

After an hour, Fang Huai was drenched in sweat, not even knowing where he was, only that Liu Jianfeng, dragging the rope in front of him, was his eternal target; his only job was to keep running, and to howl whenever the squad leader chanted a slogan.

But the Task Completion Degree had already increased by two points.

Chang Ming and Han Yong had been left behind three intersections back, and Huang Yong was probably chasing after them.

Liu Jianfeng, responsible for watching the road, saw the pickup pass over a slightly sunken manhole cover, fearing Fang Huai might step on it and twist an ankle, he quickly pulled the rope and loudly reminded him:

"Watch the road! Dip! Dip! Dip!"

Fang Huai actually understood, but then feigned confusion and shouted loudly:

"Ah lei, ah lei, ah lei!"

The others began to follow suit:

"Ah lei, ah lei, ah lei!"

"A dip! I’m telling you to watch for the dip!" Liu Jianfeng, frustrated, tugged the rope again.

Fang Huai had already agilely stepped over the manhole cover.

It was only then that Liu Jianfeng, angered, turned and knocked on the truck’s roof: "Captain Hao! Speed it up a bit! I don’t think he’s tired at all, he’s got the energy to sing!"

The truck suddenly accelerated.

Fang Huai’s eyes widened, and he became alert: "Squad... Squad Leader! My bad! I’m sorry!!"

...

Two hours later, the pickup returned to the squadron with several dehydrated, worn-out garlic bulbs.

One by one, they leaned against the rear of the pickup, bodies completely limp.

Squad Leader Hao’s original plan had been to run until they were sufficiently tired, then lead everyone to run back.

But they encountered the University town, where the streets were filled with dainty young girls.

With a young and handsome soldier tied to the back of the pickup, the rate of second glances skyrocketed.

Female college students couldn’t help but watch, half shy half curious, at this spectacle of soldier plus SM.

Unable to help himself, Squad Leader Hao circled the University town twice.

By the time he satisfied his gazing and the men were almost fully spent, hardly able to run a step more, he had no choice but to let everyone climb onto the truck’s bed, and dragged them all back.

No one knew how many kilometers they ran; the gas tank that was filled before they set out showed ten segments high, and was missing one and a half upon their return.

Even more unfortunate were Chang Ming and Han Yong, who had fallen behind and hadn’t returned.

Without his mobile phone, Huang Yong couldn’t be contacted and had gone out of reach.

Just before lights out, the three returned.

Huang Yong didn’t even have the strength to scold them. Upon reaching the squadron’s door, he clamoured for water.

After taking a couple of gulps, he began to curse again in the front yard:

"I told you to run on the main road, why did you detour?"

Then Chang Ming defended himself with an indignant tone: "Squad Leader! I said I knew that area! I go there to buy groceries every day! The main road’s far! We’d have to walk several more kilometers! There’s a big iron gate there! Through it, and we’re on the way back!"

"And the gate?! Why was it closed?"

"I’ve never been there late at night, how would I know they’d lock it?"

Huang Yong roared, "Oh my god, just for climbing that gate, I ripped my crotch!"

The two continued to bicker downstairs, while Han Yong already returned to the dorm.

Fang Huai, having just washed up, saw Han Yong with his vacant gaze, about to plop onto his bed like a refugee, and quickly caught him, asking caringly:

"Bro, where did you get yourself into this state? Why are you covered in mud?"

Han Yong pointed towards the window and the front yard, his voice hoarse: "They climbed over the gate... I couldn’t get over, so I crawled... slid through the side..."

Fang Huai, struggling to hold back laughter, patted his back:

"Why didn’t you return the radio to the equipment room and brought it straight here instead?"

Han Yong made an "Ah" sound, then listlessly, like a sloth, began to take off the radio, slowly saying:

"Oh... I forgot, I thought this thing grew on me..."

"Right, right, right, I’ll put it away for you!" Fang Huai took the radio resignedly and headed to the equipment room.

That night, the Task Completion Degree increased by five points in total.

They added four points after the pickup returned to the squadron, and astonishingly another point later on.

He guessed that the last point was mostly Han Yong’s contribution...

That night, the squadron’s snoring was unusually loud, the moonlight particularly bright, and Han Yong beside Fang Huai intermittently woke up with a jolt, yawning, then began to mumble in his half-awake state:

"I want to go home, go home... mhm..."

...

The next day, at noon.

Fang Huai was called into Squad Four’s study room by Hao Chengbin and took a phone call.

The call lasted for about 20 minutes, during which Fang Huai asked Hao Chengbin to fetch a bank card.

His uncle had already taken his parents and Chen Cang to update the contract. When the other party found out that the contract person was actually the sister and brother-in-law of Detachment Captain Zhang, the financial settlement procedures were greatly accelerated, and the first dividend was transferred to their account before they left.

After taxes: One million, forty-eight thousand, six hundred.

1,048,600 yuan.

The money arrived at 11 a.m., but the call didn’t come until 1:20 p.m. It’s imaginable how shocked his parents were, needing two hours and twenty minutes to organize their words.

Even his uncle asked him again: With so much money, are you sure you want to donate it for equipment?

Fang Huai confirmed again: Donate.

He then asked his parents to transfer the 38,600 yuan of loose change to Hao Chengbin’s card, return his uncle ten thousand, pay the equipment deposit, and give Chen Cang one hundred thousand, subtracting his share of the dividend, and issue an IOU to him.

Chen Cang answered the phone and readily agreed.

With the one million in his parents’ hands, eight hundred thousand was used for deposit, one hundred thousand went to Chen Cang, leaving them with one hundred thousand, which was more than enough for them to settle down here, rent an office building, and register a home appliance distribution company.

Fang Huai suppressed the excitement in his heart, calmly arranged everything, and only when he put down the phone did he start to feel a myriad of emotions.

He really had money now.

One million, a sum he couldn’t save even if he served as a soldier and an officer for ten years.

When his uncle asked him earlier, the mentality of a poor man suddenly rich passed through his mind for a few seconds. Fang Huai considered asking his parents to keep the money, but he quickly suppressed the thought.

Having lived a second life, his mind was full of business opportunities, but Fang Huai realized that no matter how much money he had, it would still be just a three-foot bed for sleep and three meals a day.

That thirty-eight thousand six hundred was the first bit of pocket money the world had given back to him.

In the future, with more money, he wanted to do more things with it.

As long as he and his relatives don’t have to live in poverty anymore, that’s enough.

Damn, first things first, he’d treat himself to a good meal.

Yesterday evening, the whole way was lined with barbecue stalls, making him crave terribly, especially for the Chaozhou beef he missed so much from when he worked in Guangzhou.

Fang Huai stepped out of the study room, handed the mobile phone and bank card to Hao Chengbin.

"Squad Leader, could you do me a favor?"

"What’s up?"

"Yesterday... I made a bet with Han Yong..."

...

At two o’clock in the afternoon, Hao Chengbin visited the Squadron Department and then drove out in the grocery van with Zhang Yang and Chang Ming.

When the three returned, Hao Chengbin took out a whistle, blew it twice, and bellowed:

"Everyone in the squadron, assemble downstairs to carry beef!"

Cao Yi stuck his head out from the second floor of the Squadron Department, astonished:

"Damn, you really bought it!"

Hao Chengbin looked up, perplexed: "Didn’t I tell you when I took leave? Fang Huai asked me to help him buy beef!"

"Crap, I just woke up from a nap and thought you were making up an excuse to go see your girlfriend!"

...

Two minutes later, everyone gathered in the front yard.

As soon as the door of the grocery van opened.

The entire yard was filled with exclamations of "Damn."

Soon, the story of Han Yong and Fang Huai betting on a cow over the pull-up bar spread.

Yesterday, Zhang Yang didn’t dare to publicize it too much for fear that Fang Huai was just joking with Han Yong and bragging verbally.

Now that the beef was actually bought and brought back, the whole yard exploded in excitement.

"Fang Huai, you’re awesome!"

"This group of new recruits, I deem them the strongest! Betting a cow on pull-ups, I’m convinced!"

Fang Huai chuckled: "Fair is fair, all bets are final..."

The whole squadron was beaming with joy.

Cao Yi, however, came down from the second floor, cursing and swearing:

"Shit, Han Yong, Fang Huai, what grudge do you two have, betting so big? Fang Huai, isn’t your family poor? How can you afford to buy... a whole cow?!"

Fang Huai couldn’t help but put his hands on his hips and laugh: "Poor, Instructor, so poor that all I have left is money!"

Behind him, Ye Jiahong followed, staring at the big black bags stuffed full in the van and moved out, revealing the bone-in beef inside, he was almost speechless with shock:

"Oh my god... For the next two days, old soldiers with families should bring their wives and children to the squadron for meals! Let’s nourish well!"

Chang Ming, carrying a big bag of beef toward the canteen, stopped when he heard this:

"Captain, we can’t finish all of this, there are over 500 pounds of beef, including bones. Let’s call over First Squadron too!"

Cao Yi started lecturing again: "Hao Chengbin! If you’re buying beef, just buy beef, can’t you save some money for your apprentice? Why buy such a big one!"

Hao Chengbin was speechless: "You think it’s too big? Fang Huai asked me to withdraw fifteen thousand to buy beef, and this one, 7,800, the seller even gave us a discount of 200 because we’re from the Fire Brigade! Forget it, don’t try to persuade Fang Huai. He and Han Yong, high rollers! They bet as much as they love! Their gambling, our whole squadron eats meat!"

General Han, who didn’t make it on board the conversation and felt a bit dejected, also shouted: "Instructor, next time I’ll treat the whole squadron to seafood!"

"Crooked day..."

"General Han is generous!"

Fang Huai heard this, yet snorted: "You’re going to treat everyone to seafood? Last night, you were talking in your sleep at least a hundred times about going home! Scared me so much I barely slept all night! Next time we run, the squad leaders better keep a close eye on Han Yong!"

At those words, the air froze for a second.

Hao Chengbin cleared his throat: "Ahem, right, and conscripts, eat less tonight, we’re going for a run at 7:30! If you overeat and throw up on the road, I’m not taking responsibility!"

The smiles on the faces of the eight conscripts present gradually disappeared.