“What are you doing, being so sneaky!” Zheng Yuan said.
“Report! I… I didn’t… didn’t do anything!” the young soldier stammered in reply.
Zheng Yuan snatched the basin from the young soldier’s hands and he tried to reach out to take it back.
“Stand properly!” Zheng Yuan said sternly.
The young soldier could only stand at attention and wait for Zheng Yuan to question him.
“Tell me where exactly you’re going! What you’re doing! What you’re trying to achieve!” Zheng Yuan asked.
“Report! I can’t say anything!” The young soldier held back the facts and did not want to leak any details about this matter.
Zheng Yuan looked at the young soldier’s uniform, then at his posture and noted the smell on his body. Given that she was in charge of the logistics team and the medics, she generally knew most of the staff. Even if she did not know them personally, she knew them by face.
“You’re… from the cookhouse, right?” Zheng Yuan asked.
“Report! I can’t say anything!” The young soldier gritted his teeth and refused to say anything.
Zheng Yuan was so angry that she threw the basin down and walked off. Before she left, she said to the young soldier, “You! Follow me!”
“Yes!” The young soldier picked up the basin from the side and followed behind Zheng Yuan dejectedly.
The cookhouse staff had all gathered by now. When they took attendance, they realized that there was one person missing. No matter how they counted, the number did not seem right.
“That’s not right. Why is there one person missing?” The cookhouse squad leader looked at the team in puzzlement.
“What’s wrong?” Qiao Mei asked when she saw that the cookhouse team had not set off yet.
“One person is missing and he’s not back yet,” the cookhouse squad leader said anxiously.
Qiao Mei counted carefully. There was indeed one person missing, but it did require some time to find the relevant tools. It was possible that the person was just running late.
“Let’s wait a little longer. Maybe he found something really suitable that can store a lot of water?” Qiao Mei comforted the cookhouse squad leader.
“He didn’t find anything good, but does it count if he accidentally found me?” Zheng Yuan’s voice came from behind Qiao Mei.
Qiao Mei turned around and saw Zheng Yuan’s malicious expression, as well as the young soldier behind her who had lowered his head and did not dare to look up.
No one knew what to say. They all looked at Zheng Yuan quietly and did not even dare to breathe loudly.
“What are you getting up to in the middle of the night?” Zheng Yuan looked at the cookhouse squad leader and asked.
“Report! We’re… we’re going to look for water!” said the cookhouse squad leader.
Zheng Yuan smiled in satisfaction. Her plan had succeeded and the fish had taken the bait.
“Water? Isn’t there water in the water storage tanks? What do you need to look for?” Zheng Yuan asked.
“We… we…” The cookhouse squad leader did not know how to explain the current situation.
“What are you stammering about! Do you want to be punished! Tell me! What are you doing!” Zheng Yuan roared.
“Report! The water in the water storage tanks has been stolen!” said the cookhouse squad leader.
“Stolen? Why didn’t you report this matter and chose to cover it up instead?” Zheng Yuan’s eagle-like eyes swept across the soldiers.
“We thought that we should solve the problem of being able to provide sustenance for the soldiers first, so we want to go out and find a water source. Otherwise, the soldiers will not have any food tomorrow,” the cookhouse squad leader said.
Zheng Yuan approached the cookhouse squad leader and asked, “So you have considered all these on my behalf?”
The cookhouse squad leader was so frightened that he immediately straightened up and said, “Report! I dare not do that!”
Qiao Mei stood at one side and looked at Zheng Yuan uncomfortably. This was a complete waste of time and did not help the situation at all. There was no point in pursuing who was right or who was wrong at this moment.
“Say, can we go look for water first? Otherwise, what time can we be done?” Qiao Mei crossed her arms and said.
Zheng Yuan raised her head to look at Qiao Mei. She had been worried that she would not be able to pick on Qiao Mei, but now Qiao Mei had come running into trouble by herself.
“Since when is it your place to speak about the matters of the army? I’m teaching my troop a lesson. What has it got to do with you?” Zheng Yuan stood in front of Qiao Mei and asked.
Qiao Mei raised her head and stared at Zheng Yuan. She would not be outdone, but she did not show any emotions. She only looked at Zheng Yuan quietly. Compared to what Zheng Yuan had under her sleeves, Li Gui’s mother-in-law, Old Madam Zhang, had much wilier tricks. Even Qiao Yu was craftier than Zheng Yuan.
