Chapter 13

"Bro, I won’t do this. I can cook for myself, but I won’t cook for them!" Hu Hao said in resistance.

"Why not? You have to do it, no matter what. From now on, you need to catch at least two rabbits or two pheasans, or thirty pounds of fish every day," said Captain Zhang while cleaning the fish, ignoring Hu Hao’s reaction.

"Bro, no matter what you say, I won’t do it. Why should I cook for them?" Hu Hao said indifferently.

When Captain Zhang heard this, he put down the knife. "Why not? Why not?" he said, starting to pat Hu Hao’s head. "Why not? Which soldier in the regiment doesn’t have a task? You’re always idle and causing trouble. Now that I’ve given you a task, you’re asking why?"

"But it can’t just be me. I’m responsible for the entire regiment’s meat. I’m not from the kitchen; I’m a guard, your guard," Hu Hao said, dodging and covering his head.

"Hmm, that’s true," Captain Zhang stopped and stood there, thinking for a moment.

"That’s right, bro. I’m your guard, responsible for your safety, not for everyone’s meals," Hu Hao seized the opportunity.

"Hmm, that makes sense. You’ll report to the regimental kitchen this afternoon," Captain Zhang said, ignoring Hu Hao and continuing to clean the fish.

"Ah, bro, bro," Hu Hao hurried over.

"Shut up, do you want to skip lunch?" Captain Zhang glared at him.

"Eat, eat," Hu Hao said instinctively. "No, bro, why do I have to go to the kitchen? I can’t even cook. Won’t I just cause trouble? I’m your guard, responsible for your safety."

"Hmm, I’m not asking you to cook. You’re only responsible for getting the meat. As for my guard, you’ll be my guard during battles, and you’ll go to the kitchen when there’s no battle," Captain Zhang said.

Hu Hao argued with Captain Zhang all afternoon, but unfortunately, he failed to persuade him. Captain Zhang walked ahead, and Hu Hao followed behind, heading to the regimental kitchen.

"Hey, you, hurry up. What are you dawdling for? You’re still going to the kitchen," Captain Zhang shouted, waiting for Hu Hao.

When they arrived at the kitchen, the kitchen staff were washing dishes. An old soldier stood up, wiped his hands on his apron, and said, "Old Zhang, what brings you here? Oh, Er Lengzi is here too."

"Old Wang, I’m sending Er Lengzi to your kitchen today. He’ll be responsible for getting the meat. Don’t give him any other tasks; I’m afraid he’ll just cause more trouble," Captain Zhang said.

"Ah, sending him to the kitchen? That’s a waste of talent, isn’t it?" Old Wang said.

"What waste of talent? This guy has been idle and causing trouble. If I don’t give him something to do, who knows what trouble he’ll cause next," Captain Zhang said.

"Hmm, that’s true. Er Lengzi is good at hunting and fishing. We do need that," Old Wang thought for a moment and said.

"Er Lengzi, come here," Captain Zhang called to Hu Hao, who was standing not far behind him.

Hu Hao sauntered over.

"Will you die if you hurry up?" Captain Zhang said不满地.

"No, but I’ll die faster," Hu Hao muttered.

"Why are you so talkative now? Your wound is healed, but your brain isn’t, and your mouth is sharper," Captain Zhang said.

"Come here. This is Sergeant Wang, an old soldier from our hometown. You should respect him. He’s taken good care of you," Captain Zhang said.

"Oh," Hu Hao perked up.

"Hello, Sergeant Wang."

"Alright, Old Wang, I’m leaving him with you. I told him to catch either two rabbits, two pheasants, or thirty pounds of fish every day. If he doesn’t complete his task, come to me, and I’ll deal with him," Captain Zhang said and left.

"Bro, that’s not fair," Hu Hao said, worried about being punished if he didn’t complete his task.

"What’s not fair?" Captain Zhang asked.

"Bro, wild game isn’t like vegetables. You can’t just go and pick it. Maybe you’ll catch a few today, but none tomorrow. It’s normal. If you make me do this every day, I won’t do it. I don’t have that ability," Hu Hao said.

"Oh, that’s true," Captain Zhang said.

"Then how about this: average it out weekly. If you meet the quota, there’s no problem. If not, I’ll deal with you," Captain Zhang said and left.

"Hey, Sergeant Wang, have a smoke!" Hu Hao, seeing Captain Zhang leave, perked up and took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

Sergeant Wang took the cigarette and looked at it. "Er Lengzi, you’re really something. You’re smoking such good cigarettes. Did you get them from Old Zhang?"

"He, he rolls his own cigarettes. I bought these in the county yesterday," Hu Hao said disdainfully.

"See, that’s why Old Zhang wants to give you something to do. Otherwise, you might cause some big trouble one day," Sergeant Wang said.

"Alright, go do your thing. You can’t help much in the kitchen. Just focus on getting the wild game," Sergeant Wang said.

"Oh, right, I talked to my bro today. I caught so many fish today, so I don’t need to do it today. I’ll start tomorrow," Hu Hao said.

"Alright, but I admire your skills. The wounded soldiers in the hospital really need some nutrition. I cleaned the fish and sent them all to the hospital," Sergeant Wang said.

"Ah! All of them? Didn’t you keep any for yourselves?" Hu Hao asked, surprised.

"Keep? I’d like to, but the wounded really need the nutrition. We can skip a meal or two," Sergeant Wang said.

"Oh, alright. Sergeant, you keep busy. I’ll go check the mountains," Hu Hao said awkwardly.

From that day on, Hu Hao’s main task was to hunt in the mountains or fish in the river. He set traps all over the mountain and checked them three times a day. With the traps, he hardly had to do much himself.

Seeing how relaxed Hu Hao was every day, Captain Zhang thought, "Maybe I didn’t give him enough tasks. He seems too relaxed." He wanted to give Hu Hao more tasks, but Hu Hao refused, and the matter was dropped.

Later, all the soldiers in the regiment, including those in the hospital and wounded from other units, heard about Er Lengzi. In the regiment, many used to call Hu Hao Er Lengzi, but now no one dared to. The older ones called him Haozi, and the younger ones called him Brother Haozi.

Hu Hao felt great. He never thought that a bit of wild game would win over the soldiers. However, the officers still called him Er Lengzi, which annoyed him, especially Captain Zhang, who never changed. This was Hu Hao’s evaluation of Captain Zhang.