Even with a thousand unwillingness, since they had already arrived, there was no changing the situation. The group could only honestly stay put. Little did they expect, the training the next day would be so devastating.

Each person had to carry a weight of 50 pounds and run around the mountain top for three laps.

After the punishment from the previous day, no one dared to slack off during today's run. Although many ran slowly, at least everyone completed the full course. This pleased Zhao Zhonghai immensely. It seemed that the authority established yesterday was highly effective. Today, these kids dared not slack off, nor did anyone dare to secretly take a shortcut back.

By the time they finished the five kilometers, it was already past seven o'clock.

Zhou Kai and the others were utterly exhausted, gasping for breath, tossing their sandbags onto the ground. Fifty pounds, my god, so damn heavy. Everyone was so tired they just collapsed onto the ground, then heaved huge breaths. Lu Dapao gave a bitter smile: "Damn, what kind of mess have I gotten myself into?"

"Kai, I-I-I really damn well want to go back," stammered Huang Bo, breathless.

"Me too," said Zhou Kai helplessly. "But this is Brother Chuan's assignment, it must be completed. Besides, this training is at most a month, just endure it. We can still go back a few times in between, but the others are truly unfortunate."

Lu Dapao quickly glanced around at everyone.

On the damp lawn, nobody minded just lying directly on the grass, wishing they could breathe a few more breaths of air, feeling as if they were going to leave this world. Both Zhou Kai and Lu Dapao felt somewhat guilty. These brothers were their trusted men, selected for what was thought to be for their benefit, but they ended up pulling them into a hellish ordeal, leaving them no room to retreat.

"Sigh." Lu Dapao exhaled, saying, "I guess the brothers must hate us by now."

"Isn't it for their own good?" Zhou Kai smiled and responded, "Not only does it train them, but it's also good for their health. And most importantly, there's money to be made."

"Maybe," Lu Dapao smiled.

Breakfast was simple. For over twenty people, there was one big pot of porridge, four huge steamed buns, and one big piece of meat. Although they didn't know what kind of meat it was, after such intense training in the morning, everyone felt incredibly hungry. They devoured the food voraciously, not caring what kind of buns or meat. They just swallowed it down in one go.

"Is there any more?" someone asked.

"Yes!" Zhao Zhonghai nodded, saying, "There are more buns here."

Upon saying that, Zhao Zhonghai immediately lifted the lid of a steamer, revealing a large number of buns. Zhao Zhonghai seemed to have anticipated this issue. The breakfast and meals every day were sent up from the base of the mountain. Zhao Zhonghai had entrusted this business to a sister he was close with, who he trusted completely, so she and her husband were busy cooking for the twenty-some young men on the mountain each day. Once prepared, they would push it up the mountain on a tricycle.

Every morning, over a hundred buns, dozens of pounds of meat, and several tens of pounds of porridge would be sent up the mountain. For lunch and dinner, there had to be seventy or eighty pounds of rice and over a dozen dishes delivered up the mountain. Although it was a tough job, Zhao Zhonghai didn't shortchange them. Not only was there a salary, but the village farmers also had a new outlet for their vegetables, which helped boost the local economy to some extent.

After having breakfast, everyone gathered together to rest.

"Kai, I want to go down the mountain," a younger brother approached and said.

"Why?" Zhou Kai asked.

"I can't take it anymore," the younger brother gritted his teeth.

"Damn, I haven't even said I can't take it, and you're already complaining of exhaustion?" Zhou Kai glared at him and said, "Being a soldier is more arduous than this, but they only get a few hundred yuan per month. And you? You make several thousand a month. We just ask you to endure some hardship on the mountain, and you say you can't take it?"

"I'm afraid I'll die here from exhaustion," the younger brother said with a bitter smile.

"It's not that bad," Zhou Kai snorted coldly. "The training is always tiring at the beginning, but it gets better later on."

"I quit," the younger brother said through gritted teeth.

"Fine, if you're quitting then get lost," Zhou Kai said as he kicked him. "If you can't stand this bit of hardship, there's no use keeping you. You'd just be a slacker at Feixiang Company too. Pack up your stuff and scram. Go work in the South."

The younger brother hesitated upon hearing this.

Although it was tough in the mountains, at least he was staying with childhood friends. Going to the South would mean facing all sorts of discomforts and being bullied everywhere. After much consideration, he became torn again.

Just then, Lu Dapao came over and said, "Don't leave. Just endure for a few days, and you'll see. If you still want to leave after a week, we won't stop you then. How about that?"

Lu Dapao's words gave him an out. The younger brother nodded and said, "Then I'll listen to Brother Pao."

The following training became even more agonizing, but everyone somehow managed to endure it.

A week of torment passed, with daily mechanical training, repeating the same movements and content, with the same intensity and rigor. Thus, everyone gradually became adept. At first, a 5-kilometer load-bearing run took about an hour. But later, it only needed half an hour. They could initially do only thirty to fifty push-ups, but now they could easily do over a hundred in one go.

Although the daily food consumption was enormous, seeing these guys' physical fitness gradually recovering brought Zhao Zhonghai immense relief. After all, they were young men, able to recover their physical strength in just a week's time. It seemed that starting tomorrow, they could try a 10-kilometer cross-country training, and after a while, begin marathons. As for combat training and fighting skills, these would have to be developed slowly and rely on long-term accumulation and practical experience.

A week had gone by, and the younger brother who previously wanted to leave no longer mentioned it, as every day here was exciting. The morning 5-kilometer load-bearing run was now easily completed, the morning equipment training posed no problems, and the afternoon was the time everyone looked forward to the most, as they could engage in hunting and wilderness survival training.

Goudan is the most senior brother of the group; he taught everyone hunting skills, how to set traps, how to lure the prey into them. How to use throwing knives…

Of course, some people in the group also taught Goudan some cultural knowledge, which he learned with relish. Everything in the mountains seemed to be developing formally, and the interactions between everyone were very harmonious.

......

Lin Chuan's daily life was very normal, also very regular.

He left the house at eight in the morning, arrived at the City Committee at half-past eight. If there was something to handle, he would drive and take Tang Yumeng out for work inspections, doubling as a bodyguard. If not, he would hang out in the resting room, playing cards, bullfighting, or chatting with a bunch of people. The people in the resting room had a huge gambling spirit, playing cards very fiercely. Bullfighting betting started from fifty to a hundred. A round would end up costing thousands.

"Damn, lost again." Li Minghua threw down his cards and cursed, "Today my luck is really bad."

"How much did you lose?" Lin Chuan asked.

"Almost my entire month's salary," Li Minghua said annoyed.

"Bet less," Lin Chuan replied, saying, "The atmosphere here is getting worse. It used to be that small bets were for fun, but now big bets can harm you."

"Yeah!" Li Minghua nodded, saying, "Definitely should rein it a bit."

Just chatting, a phone call came.

Seeing the caller ID was Song Xiaojia, Lin Chuan suddenly looked perplexed.

"Xiao Jia," Lin Chuan hurriedly answered the phone.

"Lin Chuan, where are you?" Song Xiaojia asked cheerfully.

"I... Where else could I be?" Lin Chuan laughed, "Of course, I'm at work."

"Really?" Song Xiaojia heard and said, "Then… I'll come to you!"

"No, let me come to you," Lin Chuan hurriedly said. If Song Xiaojia came here, then wouldn't everyone know? Even if Tang Yumeng did not see, with so many people talking, it would quickly reach Tang Yumeng's ears.

"That works." Song Xiaojia nodded, she quickly told Lin Chuan a place.

Lin Chuan hurriedly drove there.

Song Xiaojia hadn't contacted him for more than half a month, and Lin Chuan was used to that. But today, suddenly receiving a call from Song Xiaojia, Lin Chuan was a bit puzzled, even more surprised and stunned. When Lin Chuan arrived at the place they agreed on.

Song Xiaojia, that girl, was freezing with her cheeks all red, continuously holding her hands, gently warming them with her mouth.

The girl was wearing a white down jacket, wrapped a knitted scarf around her neck, and wore a small hat on her head, looking very cute. Her round big eyes scanned around and soon spotted Lin Chuan's antique car speeding toward her.

"Xiao Jia, get in the car," Lin Chuan waved his hand.

Song Xiaojia hurriedly jumped into the passenger seat, saying, "You guy, is the car really not registered?"

"Hehe..." Lin Chuan chuckled, saying, "What's the need for a plate? It's better without one."

"Sooner or later, the traffic police will catch you," Song Xiaojia huffed softly.

"Hehe…" Lin Chuan grinned and said, "I'd like to see who dares. By the way, aren't you working today?"

"Today is my day off." Song Xiaojia blinked her eyes, saying, "I finally got a day off, so, I thought I'd take today's chance to visit your mother, do you think it's okay?"

Lin Chuan hesitated for a moment, then quickly nodded: "Of course. My mom… if my mom knows I got such a pretty girlfriend, she'd definitely be very happy."

"Hehe…" Song Xiaojia blushed and said, "Then let's buy some gifts. It wouldn't be proper to show up empty-handed for the first visit, right?"

"Forget it, my mom is practical," Lin Chuan laughed, "Your mere presence is enough to make her happy."

"No, we must buy something," Song Xiaojia insisted with a determined face.

Seeing her insistence, Lin Chuan had no choice but to nod in agreement. However, Lin Chuan was very conflicted internally. Unsure of what to do. On one hand Tang Yumeng, on the other Song Xiaojia. Just these two women were enough to give him a headache. Lin Chuan wondered, how did those men with multiple wives and concubines manage to sweet-talk all the women and keep them happy?

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