Chapter 039

Meng Li waited calmly for the time to come for her to sign up for the countryside program. However, before she could register, the school suddenly notified her to attend a physical examination.

When Meng Li received the notification, she was confused for a while, wondering if she had heard it wrong.

Logically speaking, her biological father’s mistakes would likely affect her, and her political review would be difficult to pass, so the physical examination seemed meaningless.

A physical examination wasn’t required for the countryside program; all that was needed was to sign up and leave.

She had originally thought the school wouldn’t even notify her about the physical examination, since it was likely a waste of time.

But now that the school had informed her to go, she figured she might as well attend the physical examination. Of course, she didn’t have much hope, as it was highly probable that she would still fail the political review.

She had once been curious about Ji Chen’s situation and had learned from him that he was still a minor. After that, Meng Li didn’t pay much attention to him.

Given Ji Chen’s family situation, it was almost certain that he would join the military, and most likely, he could go wherever he wanted.

Meng Li received the notification and didn’t think much of it. When the time came, she went to the recruitment physical examination center.

This was the first time since she had traveled to this era that she removed the chest-binding strips, going to do something as a girl.

At the physical examination center, a female staff member assisting with the exam looked at her curiously. “A good girl like you—why do you have that hairstyle? And your clothes, they look like a boy’s. What exactly are you up to?”

Meng Li had no real hope of joining the military, but she also didn’t want anyone here to connect her to the alias “Third Master Meng.”

After a brief pause, she came up with an excuse and replied casually, “I had lice all over my head, and when I couldn’t get rid of them, I just shaved it all off. As for my clothes, my family’s poor. I’m just grateful to have something to wear—I don’t care if it looks good or not.”

The female staff member glanced at the registration form in her hand, then looked at her again and asked, “Are you living with your stepfather?”

Meng Li quickly nodded, “Yes.”

The female staff member didn’t ask any more questions and led her to the examination.

Once the physical exam was done and she had gotten dressed, the staff member, following procedure, said to Meng Li, “Go home and wait for the notice.”

Meng Li nodded again, “Okay, thank you.”

Joining the military followed a set process: there were thousands of students signing up, and every day, there were many people outside the physical examination center.

However, only a small number of those students were actually approved to enlist.

The majority still ended up going to the countryside after signing up.

Meng Li had already prepared herself to go to the countryside and didn’t hold any hope for the military recruitment results after the physical examination.

She returned to school and continued to study, acting as if nothing had happened.

As more and more seats in the classroom remained empty and fewer and fewer people attended, classes had basically come to a halt.

It didn’t matter whether one studied or not; knowledge couldn’t help someone get promoted in the military, nor could it keep them from doing farm work in the countryside.

Many intellectuals had gone to shovel manure, and those without an education seemed to suffer less.

Apart from studying, Meng Li also discussed with Zhou Nan and Jin Bei the plan to sign up for the countryside program in a few days.

In order to help each other, the three of them needed to figure out a way to go to the same place, so they could look out for one another.

Meng Li hadn’t planned on discussing things with Gu Huijuan at home. That sharp-tongued woman had long been wishing for her to go to the countryside as soon as possible, so she wouldn’t be a nuisance in the Cheng family’s house. It was impossible to expect any help from her or Cheng Chunliang.

Meng Li had already made up her mind: once she signed up for the countryside program and received the schedule, she would return home to say goodbye to Grandma Cheng.

She wasn’t close to anyone else, but Grandma Cheng was the only one who truly deserved a visit before she left.

At the agreed-upon time, Meng Li had attended two classes in the classroom. She glanced at her watch and planned to leave the school to meet Zhou Nan and Jin Bei.

However, before she could get up to leave the classroom, Wang Chaohai came to find her.

Not knowing what he wanted, Meng Li followed him to his office.

Standing in front of his desk, Wang Chaohai sat down, pushed his glasses up with a hand, and then looked at her several times—first raising his head, then lowering it, before finally speaking, “I just wanted to let you know that you’ve been approved for enlistment.”

Meng Li had been confused the moment she entered the office, because Wang Chaohai’s gaze had felt strange. After sitting down, he continued to look at her in an odd way. She never expected that he would deliver such shocking news with such a strange expression.

Meng Li was stunned for a moment, almost thinking she had misheard. Furrowing her brows, she looked at Wang Chaohai in disbelief and asked, “Teacher Wang, what did you say? I don’t think I heard that clearly. You said…?”

Wang Chaohai looked up at her, his face expressionless. “It is indeed surprising. You’ve been approved for enlistment. And… you…”

He frowned as he spoke, “You’re actually a girl, huh?”

Meng Li now understood why Wang Chaohai’s expression was so strange—he probably couldn’t believe she was a girl.

The shock left her slightly disoriented. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she smiled and scratched the skin behind her ear. “Yes… that’s right.”

Wang Chaohai nodded, “You really surprised me.”

Meng Li continued to smile, “Actually, I surprised myself too.”

Wang Chaohai: “…”

She really wasn’t being modest at all.

…

Zhou Nan and Jin Bei had agreed to meet Meng Li at Chaoyang Park, but she was late, and they had been waiting for over half a day.

By the afternoon, they finally saw her arriving, dressed in full military uniform.

Since the last time she had been injured and regained consciousness, Meng Li hadn’t worn military clothes to stand out.

Seeing her suddenly appear in uniform was striking, to say the least.

She ran up to Zhou Nan and Jin Bei, panting and with an excited expression on her face, saying, “Guys… guys, I’m joining the military…”

Zhou Nan and Jin Bei were momentarily stunned, then they took a closer look at her uniform. It was clearly newly cut and tailored, fitting her perfectly. It had a completely different feel from a uniform that had been taken off someone else, and it was a female military uniform.

Zhou Nan’s eyes lit up. “Damn, that’s awesome, Third Master!”

A smile of joy spread across Meng Li’s lips and the corners of her eyes. “I’m just as surprised as you. Looks like I won’t be able to go to the countryside with you guys.”

Jin Bei waved his hand. “Ah, it’s better you don’t go to the countryside.”

Jin Bei was also very excited. “The more of us who join the military, the better. In the future, we’ll be able to rely on each other and help each other out.”

Zhou Nan thought the same way. Since Meng Li was a girl, life in the countryside wouldn’t be easy for her. No matter how much care they gave her, they might not be able to do it well. Joining the military was the best option.

As for female soldiers, apart from the first three months in boot camp, which could be tough, the rest of the time should be relatively easy.

Neither Zhou Nan nor Jin Bei felt troubled or unhappy. On the contrary, they were ready to chip in and celebrate for Meng Li since this was an unexpected joy.

However, Meng Li had already decided that she would go home tonight to visit Grandma Cheng and share in the good news. So, she arranged another day to meet with Zhou Nan and Jin Bei.

After discussing the matter with them at Chaoyang Park, Meng Li headed straight home.

When she reached Zhima Hutong, it was just the time when the adults were finishing work, and there were a few pedestrians passing by in the alley.

Wearing her bright military uniform, Meng Li hummed a little tune as she walked into the Cheng family’s courtyard.

As soon as Meng Li entered the courtyard, she saw Aunt Dong, Shao Jun’s mother, standing by the water tank, filling a bucket with water.

Aunt Dong saw her at a glance, smiled politely, and greeted her, “Meng Li, you’re back.”

She didn’t pay much attention to the military uniform Meng Li was wearing.

In the past, whenever Meng Li came home, she occasionally wore military clothes. So seeing her in a uniform didn’t make Aunt Dong think of anything unusual.

Meng Li, feeling happy, smiled and replied to Aunt Dong, “I came back to visit Grandma. In a couple of days, I’ll be joining the military.”

Hearing this, Aunt Dong froze for a moment, her hand halting the turning of the faucet. She turned around, thinking she had misheard, and asked, “What… what did you say?”

Meng Li maintained her warm, polite smile as she said, “Aunt Dong, you might not have noticed—I just received my military uniform. My enlistment has been approved, and I’ll be reporting to the army in a few days.”

Aunt Dong clutched the porcelain basin, struggling to keep her forced smile from faltering. She hesitated before asking, “Where will you be stationed?”

Meng Li walked over to the water tank, turned on the faucet, and washed her hands. “I have to say, I got pretty lucky. I’ll be stationed in the Beijing Military District, so I won’t be too far. I can still come back to visit Grandma when I have free time. By the way, where are Shao Jun and Yongmei?”

Aunt Dong’s expression stiffened completely, and the forced smile on her face barely held together.

She didn’t speak and turned her head casually. In doing so, she caught sight of Shao Jun and Luo Yongmei standing at the gate, with Cheng Chunliang and Gu Huijuan standing behind them.

Meng Li noticed Aunt Dong looking outside, so she followed her gaze and saw the four of them.

She was stunned for a moment, a rush of thoughts flooding her mind, but then she smiled, with a somewhat intentional feeling. She called out to Shao Jun and Luo Yongmei, “You two haven’t left yet? I thought you had already gone. What do you think of my military uniform? Does it look good?”

Shao Jun and Luo Yongmei’s faces darkened, and without saying a word, they turned and went to their respective homes.

Inside, they sat down and quietly fumed, almost wanting to flip the table in frustration.

Outside, Cheng Chunliang and Gu Huijuan seemed unwilling to believe it, and the other adults who had been inside also came out.

Grandma Cheng was overjoyed, grabbing Meng Li’s hand and asking, “Is it true? You’ve really been approved for enlistment?”

Meng Li smiled and replied, “Isn’t it? I’ll be reporting in a few days.”

Grandma Cheng was so happy that she tightly gripped Meng Li’s hand, repeatedly saying, “You’ve made something of yourself, you’ve made something of yourself.”

Meanwhile, Luo Yongmei’s father fanned himself lazily and remarked, “Meng Li, what kind of soldier are you becoming? I took a look, and you’re wearing a women’s military uniform. A grown man in a female uniform—joining the army like that?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the courtyard shifted. The adults exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions subtly changing.

Meng Li remained composed, her expression calm as she turned to Luo Yongmei’s father and replied, “Uncle Luo, you must be mistaken. I’ve been a girl since the day I was born.”

What was going on?

The people present were once again taken aback, their faces changing, and they all turned their gaze toward Gu Huijuan.

Luo Yongmei’s father twisted his face in disbelief and asked, “What did you say? You’ve been a girl since you were born?”

After asking, he also looked at Gu Huijuan, “I’m asking you, Comrade Gu, is this true?”

Gu Huijuan’s face darkened, and without saying a word, she directly turned and walked toward the north room.

Meng Li watched Gu Huijuan leave and deliberately raised her voice, “Uncle Luo, don’t you think it’s cruel of Comrade Gu Huijuan to force her own daughter to go out and live like a wild boy?”

What was she going to say next?

Luo Yongmei’s father paused for a moment, collected his expression, cleared his throat, and with a shake of his fan, turned and walked into the house.

Over on the other side, Aunt Dong and her husband also didn’t linger. They picked up the water they had fetched and returned to their own room.

As people gradually left, the courtyard was left with only Grandma Cheng, Tang Yuan’er, and Meng Li.

Tang Yuan’er, a small child, stood in front of Meng Li with wide, curious eyes and asked, “Meng Li, are you really a girl?”

Meng Li smiled and pinched her chubby little face. “Absolutely, no doubt about it.”

Grandma Cheng stood aside, her expression a mix of emotions that eventually turned into joy.

She looked at Meng Li and said, “Child, you’ve finally made it.”

Seeing that everyone had left, Meng Li didn’t linger in the courtyard. She and Grandma Cheng went into the kitchen, where Meng Li grabbed half a steamed bun, took a bite, and then told Grandma Cheng everything about being a girl. After Grandma Cheng had fully accepted it, Meng Li asked, “Why haven’t Shao Jun and Luo Yongmei left?”

Although Meng Li didn’t visit the courtyard often, she still knew about the situation with Shao Jun and Luo Yongmei.

Everyone in the courtyard looked down on her, waiting for her to be sent off to the countryside, while Shao Jun and Luo Yongmei were expected to proudly wear their military uniforms and join the army.

Grandma Cheng sighed and leaned in close to Meng Li’s ear, whispering, “Neither of them got approved for enlistment. They’ve been scrambling to find a way to stay in the city and land a job, but that’s even harder than joining the military—practically impossible. Now, they’re just trying to avoid being sent to some poor, remote area. It’s a mess.”

Meng Li didn’t feel much sympathy. In fact, she almost found it amusing.

She chuckled. “Weren’t their connections supposed to be solid? They were so sure they’d get in, acting all high and mighty.”

Grandma Cheng waved her hands, still speaking quietly, “Let’s not talk about it. Time to eat.”

Meng Li didn’t feel like mocking them anymore. She nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll help you with the rice.”