She stared at the Captain with cold eyes, every word like a knife.
"You're saying I have a negative attitude toward training? Ask anyone in our class, do I not get up earlier than them every single day to train? Is that what you call a negative attitude? You say I'm lazy and cunning, how exactly am I being lazy or cunning?"
The Captain had seen Hedy get up early to train with his own eyes. When she said this, it was like pouring cold water over his anger; half of it evaporated on the spot.
At that moment, someone behind the crowd called out:
"I can vouch for her, she really just got lost."
Everyone turned to look. A tall man was making his way through the crowd.
Hedy stared at him in surprise. She hadn't expected him to follow her here.
The Captain's eyes widened and he blurted out, "Weren't you invited by the Reconnaissance Company to help with their training? Why did you come here?"
It was Arthur.
"I was doing a confrontation exercise with the Reconnaissance Company over on the next mountain," Arthur said calmly. He pointed at Hedy. "I happened to run into this recruit who'd gotten lost. She said she fell behind in the middle of the night. With no light on the mountain path, she got scared and went the wrong way. It's understandable. So I brought her back."
The Captain looked at Hedy suspiciously, remembering how easily she used to cry. But hearing Arthur's explanation, he relented.
"Third Squad Leader!" the Captain roared, venting the rest of his anger on him. "Do you even know what shame is? You should be ashamed! If anything like this happens again, you'll be training with them too!"
In truth, even without the Captain's words, the Third Squad Leader already felt guilty.
By then, people from other classes had gathered to watch the commotion. The Captain saw the chaos and grabbed a loudspeaker from the car.
"What are you all staring at? Do you think this is a vegetable market? Line up! Line up!"
The recruits scrambled to obey.
Hedy seized the moment to approach Arthur.
She felt awkward looking at the person who'd just helped her out of trouble. But before she could say anything, Arthur spoke first in a low voice:
"Since you owe me now, treat me to something. Let's call it even."
Hedy looked up at him. His expression didn't change much, and his eyes were unreadable. She still couldn't figure this man out.
"Thank you," she mumbled at last, then turned and went back to the line.
It was strange. Everyone here wore the same uniform, yet Arthur could pick Hedy out of the crowd instantly.
"Arthur! Get in the car!" the Captain shouted. Arthur looked away from her and climbed into the off-road vehicle.
"Don't lie to me!" the Captain said suspiciously. "How could you just happen to run into her when she was lost?"
Arthur shot his old comrade a knowing look. He could tell exactly what the Captain was thinking.
"Don't be so hard on Hedy just because she made a mistake. Didn't you and I both screw up back in the day? If our old company had been like you, we'd have been stuck in the punishment room every single day."
That made the Captain laugh despite himself.
"Heh, I'd forgotten if you didn't bring it up. But we were never deserters! That Hedy is like a rat in the soup pot. If you don't find a way to season her, she'll ruin the whole pot!"
Arthur made a face. "Your metaphor is disgusting."
The Captain just grinned. "I'm just saying when you're in my position, you can decide for yourself how to handle her."
Arthur heard the meaning behind his words. "Did the higher-ups approve it?"
"Yep!" the Captain said proudly. "Tomorrow afternoon I'm off the hook for a while!"
He was taking personal leave.
Word of the Captain's departure spread quickly among the recruits.
During the lunch break, everyone was gossiping about it. Hedy, meanwhile, left the dorm alone and went to the study room to find the Third Squad Leader.
He was busy writing something, but Hedy stood quietly waiting. After a while, he spoke in a muffled voice without looking up.
"Last night wasn't your fault. Go back."
"It was my fault." Hedy sat down across from him and lowered her voice. "I didn't think you'd come looking for me, so I went into the mountains to find something to eat. I'm sorry, Squad Leader."
The Third Squad Leader's head snapped up. He stared at her in disbelief.
"Went to the mountains to find food?"
Hedy nodded. "I roasted a few birds. And some snakes…"
The squad leader leapt to his feet and paced around the room before pointing at her, lowering his voice to scold:
"You're incredible! Really! I've never heard of anyone going foraging in the middle of a cross-country training! Birds and snakes? Were they provoking you? Hedy, you're more trouble than I ever imagined! You, you're something else!"
He ran out of words and sat down again, silent.
Hedy didn't argue. She knew she deserved to be scolded. She was too proud to accept being wrongly accused, but if she'd truly done something wrong, she wasn't afraid to admit it. She could never bring herself to pin the blame on her squad leader.
She noticed that what he was writing had "Self-Criticism Letter" in big characters across the top. She spoke up:
"If the Captain punishes you for this, I'll go explain everything to him."
The squad leader shot her a glare.
"What are you talking about? Don't bring this up ever again! Even the commander wouldn't believe you roasted birds and snakes out there! Hell, I don't even believe it!"
'If you don't believe me, why did you scold me so hard?' Hedy held back the words.
She watched him scratch his head furiously, as though trying to claw out all his frustration.
"Hedy, your foundation isn't good, so it's hard for you to keep up with the others. But I know you work hard! So next time, tell me in advance! If you're hungry, if you're tired, if you're falling behind tell me! I know, I'm a man and you're all women. You might feel embarrassed saying some things. But I'm your squad leader. It's my job to take care of you! I'm not a mind-reader. I can't look after everything if you don't tell me. Do you understand?"
The worry in his heart was written plainly on his tanned face.
Hedy was touched. She had never met someone so genuinely considerate before. 'What a good man,' she thought.
Emotions long buried surged up, making her eyes sting with tears.
"Squad Leader…" she whispered, voice cracking as she lowered her head, "…I'm sorry."