My Dreamy Old Husband novel Chapter 109

Michael patted her waist and said sternly, “I have to rush back to the crew to shoot the night scene. There is not much time. Let me show you the tactics that you have learned today.” He then held onto Sophie and slowly demonstrated the techniques to her.

He gave a commentary on every action of his and said, “Stanley has a well known weakness—his lower hip is unstable. Aim there.” He pointed out every move to Sophia carefully, personally giving a run down on the techniques. Sophia watched him, equal parts attentive. She wrote everything down in a notebook, for fear of forgetting something.

Michael didn’t have much time, and he left after giving her some tips. Before leaving, he said to her, “It’s easier to get high scores in the Superb Company. When I was a drill instructor in Superb Company, the overall score was 90. You just have to train well.

I will send you some videos once I get back; you can have a look.” He also cheered her up by saying, “Those already in the Superb Company only joined earlier. In reality, they are not much better than you. I have faith in you; you can do it.”

Before Michael left, he took out a box of chocolates wrapped in silk flowers. Looking at the gift, Sophia was surprised, having no inkling as to why Michael would want to give her a gift.

She looked up at him, confusion written all over her face. Michael bent down to hug her, his breath hot over her cheeks. He whispered in her ears, “Happy birthday, chica.”

Birthday? Only then did she remember that it was her birthday. It had been ages since someone wished her happy birthday. If she remembered correctly, only her grandparents would wish her. She remembered her grandmother’s wrinkled face, her skin looking like an old tree trunk, as she showered much love on her.

Every year, her grandmother would boil two eggs on her birthday. As her uncle was not filial, her grandparents had hard lives, living on the eldery subsidies. A young Sophia greatly appreciated the two eggs as her birthday gift.

At that time, she was lucky that the school had provided free compulsory education and a lunch subsidy. Otherwise, she would not have been able to complete her studies. Her childhood dream was to study hard, get into Bayside University, and be filial to her grandparents.

Little did she know that things would take such a different turn. After her grandmother’s death, this was the first time she received a birthday gift. She felt a mixture of emotions, and her eyes welled up. She held the box of chocolates close, but didn’t know what to say.

Michael gently stroked her messy hair and said, “Alright, it’s late. Go back and have some rest. Tomorrow’s task will be rather difficult.” Sophia nodded and remained silent. She knew that if she spoke, she would choke up…

It was eight o’clock the next morning, and everyone gathered at the training field. A lieutenant carried a box of camouflage paint, then grabbed people at random before smearing it on their faces. Sophia’s uniform has also been upgraded to the combat uniform, and she was painted with camouflage.

The morning task was a cross-country run, whereas the afternoon task was firearms training, with tactical combat training and formation practice at night.

When Sophia listened to Joel’s announcement on the day’s training, she felt hopeless. Yet, there was a flame burning deep down. She was determined to complete all of this!

The Superb Company’s training was no joke. They were dropped off early in the morning, and were left at the foot of a hill. At Joel’s command, the company of 20 to 30 rushed into the hill, following the established route. Sophia also followed everyone and mimicked their actions. Although she brought up the rear again, she wasn’t left behind.

Stanley deliberately slowed down and kept pace with her as he teased her while running, “Oh, little one, if you can’t take it just go back!” Sophia was already panting hard, and she had no energy to reply. Gritting her teeth, she kept on track with the team. Seeing that he couldn’t get a reaction out of her, Stanley ran to the front.

The cross-country run was for them to run from one hill to another, and there were various obstacles in between. They had to crawl under a steel mesh and the like, all the while carrying a load. They also had to carry a gun weighing more than ten kilograms, but it was without bullets.

Sophia was feeling so tired that she panted heavily, with all those things weighing her down. Truth be told, she wanted to give up multiple times, but she managed to grit her teeth and continue.

She finally reached the rendezvous point in the afternoon, and sat down to munch on some rations, leaning on a tree. She initially planned to start her return journey at one o’clock, but she was so tired that she fell asleep mid-lunch. Later, she woke up to Stanley slapping her on the face.

“Wake up, Sophia, let’s go!” Sophia woke up to find that everyone had left. Stanley squatted down to look at her, his face full of disgust. “Sophia, are you sure you can handle it?

I think you should go back to where you belong as soon as possible.” Sophia looked at the rations in her hand, only to find it full of ants. Shocked, she sat up abruptly and replied, “Who said I can’t?”

She stood up, packed her things and started to run. Stanley followed, a slight smile on his face. But when she reached the foot of the hill to the rendezvous point, the bus that was supposed to take them back was already gone.

The place where the cross-country run took place was a little far away from the military camp, and they took a bus here. If she had returned within the specific period of time, she would have got on the bus, as the bus did not wait for anyone.

Sophia felt like crying. She couldn’t make it in time for the bus and thus would have to walk for at least an hour to return to the barracks. By the time she returned to camp, she would definitely not be able to make it in time for the afternoon training.

She didn’t want to be sent back to her original company just after two days of joining; how embarrassing it would look! But what other choice do I have? I can only walk back.

Hence, Sophia carried the heavy gun, and walked back along the road. Fortunately, it was a direct road leading to the barracks, so no matter what, she would not get lost. Sophia looked pale, while Stanley was jumping around and seemed to be in good spirits.

He could have caught the bus as he arrived on time, but he intentionally waited for Sophia. This time, his reason for being late was to look after the new student, so that his uncle would have no reason to blame him. After all, he was being a friendly classmate.

The slower Sophia walked, the better. That way, half of the day would be gone, and he wouldn’t have to attend the afternoon training. Sophia, on the other hand, took quick steps as she wanted to return to the barracks quickly.

The road was not deserted, as it was the main road leading to Audistin’s shooting range and hunting grounds. From time to time, luxury cars would pass by. How nice would it be if she could catch a ride!

The weather in October was still a bit humid, and the sun burned bright in the sky. Sophia’s skin was sun-burnt and her face was sweating. She wiped her sweat away, only to smudge the camouflage face paint, making her look like a street cat.

There were a lot of cars on the road, but none of them were willing to give them a lift. After all, most of the cars on the road were luxury cars, and they were reluctant to give the two dirty soldiers a ride.

Sophia stopped a few cars but was rejected. To top it off, she was really hungry, and she was about to burst into tears. As for Stanley, he was much happier in comparison, picking wild chrysanthemums and wild fruits along the way, as if he was on a holiday.

After twenty minutes of walking, they still couldn’t get a lift, and the barracks were still very far away. Sophia couldn’t help but break down in tears. All of a sudden, there was a roar of an engine, and a black sports car drove toward her. Stopping in front of Sophia, it reversed quickly, and faced in the direction of the barracks.