Chapter 83: The First Day

It was their first meal after arriving at Army A, consisting of cabbage and pork stewed with glass noodles served with rice and steamed buns, featuring pork belly with fat.

As they lined up to get their meal boxes and serve themselves, the sound of swallowing was incessant—a true temptation for most of the female soldiers.

In an ordinary household, cabbage and glass noodles might not be coveted, but pork was rare, and so were rice and steamed buns. Most families ate cornbread or buns mixed with cornmeal. As for rice, few northern families felt they could afford to consume it regularly.

Facing the allure of delicious food, even though male soldiers' glances occasionally drifted over their way, the female soldiers did not behave as shyly, curiously, or reservedly as they might on the streets. They sat down with their bowls, and as soon as the Squad Leader said they could start, most of them ate with a speed that surely matched the male soldiers.