Chapter 73 - 73 69 Disappointed

Words : 2075 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

73: Chapter 69 Disappointed? 73: Chapter 69 Disappointed? The second update has arrived, asking for pink and for legitimate subscriptions. PS: Don’t worry, dear readers, this story won’t be painful to read. A little spoiler – Chuxia will soon be enlisted. —————————————————- “That’s enough, no need to say more. Even without your help, we can still come to compete...” Lin Xiaohua looked smugly at Zhao Yulan, “Her second aunt helped us with the registration.” Chuxia was at a loss. Even if her second aunt, Zhao Yucui, helped with the registration, there was still the issue of Zhao Qiyan’s height. Could the second aunt also influence the decisions of the military conscription officials? Chuxia truly couldn’t understand Lin Xiaohua’s thought process. “My second sister is capable indeed.” Unable to say otherwise, Zhao Yulan just had to compliment thus. “That’s right...” “Those comrades who signed up, come over here. Parents, please don’t come over.” The shouted instructions from a female military officer in her mid-twenties, amplified by a megaphone, drowned out what Lin Xiaohua was saying. “Little aunt, Fat Auntie, let’s go.” Zhao Qihui, dragging Chuxia and Luo Xiaoqiong, rushed towards the rendezvous, while Lin Xiaohua gave Zhao Qiyan a push, “Hurry up.” Zhao Yulan watched Zhao Qiyan’s retreating figure in puzzlement – why did she feel that, in just a moment, Qiyan had grown much taller? Noticing her walking posture, Zhao Yulan had a sudden realization and glanced at Lin Xiaohua, who indeed was staring tensely at Zhao Qiyan, as if she wanted to rush over and support her daughter at any moment. Zhao Yulan opened her mouth but eventually refrained from speaking a word. After all, her words would be futile; her sister-in-law and second sister had no regard for her. Since they chose to do this, she might as well not interfere like a dog trying to catch a mouse – it was none of her business. There were a total of one hundred twenty-five applicants, an imposing sight. The female officer explained some precautions before proceeding to the first selection phase – the academic exam, which was held in the classrooms of Red Flag Middle School. On her way to the exam, Chuxia ended up in front of Zhao Qiyan. Observing Qiyan, who was only about three centimeters shorter than her, Chuxia couldn’t help but sneak a peek at her feet. Good lord, walking in such a sprightly manner was truly impressive. Zhao Qiyan’s height should have been 153 centimeters, while Chuxia’s was 165 centimeters, meaning Zhao Qiyan’s shoes had been padded with a full ten centimeters (not heels, but the sole itself). Chuxia wondered what it felt like to walk in them, whether it was like riding on clouds. But the problem was that shoes had to be removed when measuring height. What would she do then? With much curiosity, Chuxia entered the examination room. When the test paper was handed out, she took a glance and felt confident. With her university education, these questions were child’s play. There were other selections to come, and with her physical condition, Chuxia should avoid standing out to prevent becoming a target for those with narrow minds. Therefore, she controlled her pace, answering the questions slowly. Zhao Qiyan, seated beside her, flipped through the test paper noisily. After forty-five minutes, she was the first to hand in her paper and did not forget to cast a disdainful glance at Chuxia as she left the room. Chuxia waited until the last moment to submit her paper, leaving the room with the rest of the group. Outside, she found Luo Xiaoqiong and Zhao Qihui already waiting, “How did you do?” asked Luo Xiaoqiong eagerly. “Not bad, how about you?” After a moment’s hesitation, Zhao Qihui nodded, “I did okay as well.” “I did quite well,” Luo Xiaoqiong answered with great confidence. To save time, the remainder of the selection would wait until after the results were out. So the three of them went to find Zhao Yulan and Fat Auntie to wait together. With no one else around, Chuxia asked with confusion, “Mom, what will Zhao Qiyan do when it’s time to measure her height? They can’t possibly let her keep her shoes on, and I can’t think of any trick she could use to fool them.” Zhao Yulan shook her head, “Your aunt and Fat Auntie can’t figure it out either. Let it go; it’s not our concern. If your second aunt managed to bring her this far, she must have a way.” “You’re giving my second aunt too much credit,” Chuxia murmured under her breath. An hour later, the results were in. Out of one hundred twenty-five candidates, only thirty remained. The scores were not announced; only the names of those selected were called. Chuxia and Luo Xiaoqiong made it through. Zhao Qihui was eliminated, but she didn’t seem too upset. She simply smiled wryly and patted the other two, “I had a feeling I probably wouldn’t make it. I’ve got the strength, but academically, I’m just not there. You two keep up the good work and I’ll wait for your good news.” Among those they knew, Ren Yue and Zhong Hongying were selected. Although the position was for medical soldiers, there was a certain physical requirement; thus, the second selection phase was a medium-long distance run around the track for five laps totaling 2000 meters. In this period, Chuxia had not neglected her training, so her fitness, while not quite at Luo Xiaoqiong’s level, was no longer as poor as before. In the end, she narrowly made the cut for the last qualifying spot. In this round, both Ren Yue and Zhong Hongying were selected. Surprisingly, Zhao Qiyan was eliminated, yet she appeared to be all smiles. By this point, only sixteen candidates remained qualified. With only six spots available in the Red Flag Brigade, the upcoming medical exam would have to eliminate another ten candidates. During the vision test, Ren Yue was eliminated. Before leaving, she smiled at Chuxia, “Good luck!” “Thank you,” Chuxia responded with a smile. That’s how she was – if you showed her respect, she’d reciprocate generously; if you ignored her, she wouldn’t bother with you. The final item was the physical examination. The so-called physical examination was for a group of people to strip completely and stand in front of a female medical staff member, who would observe whether their physical appearance had any defects. Upon hearing the manner of examination, five girls could not accept it and withdrew voluntarily. Standing there stark naked, Chuxia also felt uncomfortable, but compared to the civil servant physical examination she had heard about from classmates in her previous life, she felt it was still acceptable. After the examination was complete, the results were not announced immediately as in the previous rounds, but instead, everyone was told to go home and wait for a notification; anyone who did not receive a notification within three days could be sure they were not selected. Throughout the whole process, Xue family did not cause any trouble, which made Chuxia feel somewhat uneasy. She was feeling confused as she walked out when everything went dark before her eyes: the female officer was blocking her way, smiling, “Lin Chuxia, right?” “Yes.” Chuxia nodded and looked at her with confusion. The female soldier waved her hand, “Alright, go back and wait for the notification.” What did that mean? Though her head was filled with official matters, Chuxia still politely responded, and she left the commune health center with Luo Xiaoqiong. Upon seeing the two of them come out, Zhao Yulan and Fat Auntie who were waiting outside exhaled a sigh of relief and asked in unison, “How did it go? Were you selected?” Luo Xiaoqiong pouted her lips, “Wait for the notification.” “Who knows what criteria they’re using to select people,” Zhao Yulan said with worry in her eyes, “During the running, Chuxia was the last one.” Fat Auntie quickly comforted her, “Don’t worry, maybe it’s by height, and our Chuxia was among the top five.” Zhao Yulan sighed, “Well, we can’t control the outcome anyway, let’s go home. If we’re not selected this time, we just need to train more and wait for the next opportunity.” In an office of the Red Flag Commune, Major Liang Xiangyang and Captain Zeng Meili consulted for over an hour before picking out two girls who met the criteria. “Knock, knock, knock...” “Come in,” Liang Xiangyang said. The door was pushed open, and Xue Ligang entered with a sycophantic smile, “The leaders have worked hard!” “It’s Director Xue who has worked hard,” Liang Xiangyang said with a smile as he stood up, “This selection couldn’t have gone so smoothly without Director Xue’s strong support. We’ll definitely report this to our superiors.” “That’s what I should do,” Xue Ligang waved his hands repeatedly, “The leaders can’t just work without eating. If it’s not too much trouble, may I have the honor of inviting the leaders to grace my humble home for dinner?” Liang Xiangyang smilingly declined, “No trouble needed, we’ll just eat in the canteen.” “Chief, you’re looking down on me, aren’t you? I’m not asking you and Chief Zeng to eat anything fancy, just dumplings that my wife made with pork and cabbage fillings, simple homemade food.” “Really, we won’t go,” Liang Xiangyang glanced at the time, “Thank you for Director Xue’s kindness, but Captain Zeng and I will just eat in the canteen. By the way, could you trouble you to give us the keys to this office? After dinner, we’ll come back to finish up and try to send out the enlistment notifications as soon as possible.” “The chiefs are really modest people,” Xue Ligang said as he called out, “Xiaoqiang, Qiang Junjie, come here for a moment.” “Director, what’s the matter?” Qiang Junjie quickly appeared at the door. Xue Ligang then instructed, “Hand over the keys to this office to the two chiefs.” ... When mother and daughter arrived home, Lin Baohe asked his daughter about the selection situation, and his eyes too filled with worry. Among the eleven candidates, six were to be selected, almost a fifty percent elimination rate. Given his daughter’s physique, she really did not have the advantage. “Her father, it’s the military people who are selecting on their own, which is great news for us. If she doesn’t get picked even then, it just means our Chuxia isn’t qualified yet. Anyway, our Chuxia is young, it won’t hold her back to try again next year.” “Mhm,” Lin Baohe nodded, his smile slightly embarrassed, “When there was no hope before, I didn’t have these thoughts. Sigh, I’ve made the mistake of being ungrateful too.” “Baohe, I heard that Chuxia is joining the army? You and Yulan have finally made it through. Why bother with collecting manure anymore? Isn’t Chuxia’s allowance enough for you to spend?” “Baohe, Chuxia has been selected for the army, right? I say you just sit back and wait for good fortune. With Chuxia in the future, what do you and Yulan have to worry about?” “Baohe...” The next morning, Lin Baohe went to collect manure as usual, carrying his basket, and everyone he met joked with him cheerfully, making him feel uneasy. If his daughter wasn’t selected... His worries were confirmed on the third day when, early in the morning, the commune’s courier delivered a notification letter by bicycle to Luo Xiaoqiong; Chuxia and Zhong Hongying were both not selected. When receiving the notification, Luo Xiaoqiong’s first question was whether there was one for Chuxia, which is why she immediately became downcast as soon as she learned of Chuxia’s non-selection despite her initial excitement. After hesitating for a long time, she still went to Chuxia’s family with Fat Auntie and Luo Gangshun, “Chuxia, don’t be sad, I’m waiting for you to come find me next year.” As soon as she entered the house, Luo Xiaoqiong hugged Chuxia and started to cry. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommended tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

Chapter 73 - 73 69 Disappointed

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