The female soldiers have been training for three days now.
At first, everyone thought they were just pampered daughters from wealthy families, here to mess around, so no one took them seriously.
Some bored men even started a betting pool, wagering their lunches on how many days these pretty girls could last.
Most of the men believed they wouldn’t make it past three days.
To their surprise, the girls not only lasted three days but showed remarkable progress, handling the training with increasing ease.
However, on the fourth day, an unexpected issue arose.
Jin Feng’s training plan was highly targeted, and sweating during training was perfectly normal. Usually, the veteran soldiers trained shirtless, as clothes sticking to their bodies felt uncomfortable.
Now, with female soldiers present, going shirtless wasn’t appropriate, so they had to endure it.
But on the morning of the fourth day, a veteran’s shirt got torn by a branch.
In this era, with backward textile technology, clothes were valuable, and this distressed the soldier so much that he immediately took off his shirt.
Once one did it, others followed.
Soon, the veterans reverted to their old habit of training shirtless.
In Dakang, women’s status was low. At home, they obeyed their fathers; after marriage, their husbands. This was a custom rooted in feudal society, growing stricter over time with increasingly detailed rules.
In some noble households, there were strict standards for what women wore, how loudly they spoke, and even how many inches they should squat when bowing, with old women measuring with rulers.
Fortunately, in rural areas like Xihe Bay, such strictness was less severe. Survival was already hard enough, and excessive rules could mean starvation.
Otherwise, Jin Feng’s dream of starting a textile factory would have been impossible.
Even so, the broader societal norms remained.
Qing Muluan, leading a group of girls training alongside men, was still seen as scandalous by the women of Xihe Bay and Guan Family Bay.
In the past few days, after training, some women in the village had already started pointing and gossiping about them.
Though Qing Muluan was bold, she grew up in Dakang and couldn’t completely ignore others’ opinions.
Now, with this new situation, she could already imagine what the village women would say about her.
If that was all, she could cope, but worse still, Jin Feng, after observing the past few days, decided the female soldiers had adapted to the initial training pace and intensified the regimen on the fourth day.
With the heat that day, the female soldiers were drenched in sweat, their clothes soaked through.
Their black combat uniforms didn’t become transparent, but they clung to their bodies, revealing their figures almost entirely.
In modern times, this wouldn’t matter, with women on the streets proudly showing off their figures in tight clothing. But in this era, even courtesans wouldn’t dress this way in public.
So, after training, Qing Muluan led the female soldiers to hide in the back hills until dark before daring to return to the village.
Back at the courtyard, after bathing, she rushed to Jin Feng’s house.
Jin Feng’s family was eating when Qing Muluan arrived. Guan Xiaorou stood up quickly and asked, “Muluan, have you eaten? Join us.”
“No need, Sister Xiaorou.”
Qing Muluan turned to Jin Feng and protested directly, “Sir, I demand that the male soldiers stop training shirtless with us.”
“On the battlefield, you’ll face only male soldiers. If you can’t handle them being shirtless, how will you fight?”
Jin Feng glanced at her calmly and said.
“You said that’s on the battlefield, not during training,” Qing Muluan replied. “People are already gossiping, and now with them shirtless, how are we supposed to live in the village?”
“Muluan, I thought you were prepared for this.”
Jin Feng put down his bowl, his expression turning serious.
“What do you mean?” Qing Muluan asked.
“Female soldiers wanting to fight like men on the battlefield, you know how hard that is, don’t you?” Jin Feng asked.
Qing Muluan didn’t answer, but her silence was an answer in itself.
Fighting for her country and achieving greatness like male soldiers was her greatest ambition.
Over the years, she had made countless efforts toward this goal.
If her father hadn’t died, she might already be married, and this ambition might have remained just a dream.
“Maybe you haven’t realised it, but what’s stopping you from going to the battlefield isn’t Qing Huai or your brother, it’s this era.”
Jin Feng continued, “This era places countless shackles and chains on women. To go to the battlefield, you must first break these shackles. Do you understand?”
“Shackles, chains,” Qing Muluan repeated, her eyes thoughtful.
Jin Feng didn’t interrupt, gesturing for Runniang to clear the dishes.
Tonight might involve a long talk with Qing Muluan.
Guan Xiaorou, understanding, said nothing, took Xiao’e, who hadn’t finished eating, and followed Runniang out of the room.
Tang Dongdong, deeply moved by Jin Feng’s words, wanted to stay and listen, but she had to oversee a change at the textile factory that night and left with a sigh.
Qing Muluan was lost in thought for a long while before coming back to herself.
She stood, saluted Jin Feng like a man, and said, “Please guide me, sir.”
“Why do you salute like a man?” Jin Feng asked. “Deep down, do you think it would be better if you were a man?”
“Yes, I often think that. If I were a man, I wouldn’t have to worry about all this. I could do whatever I wanted, like Brother Qing Huai,” Qing Muluan said, her eyes full of longing. “If I were a man, I’d build an army even greater than the Iron Forest Army.”
“But you’re not a man, and that can’t be changed,” Jin Feng said, pulling her back from her reverie.
“Your ability to douse dreams is top-notch, sir,” Qing Muluan said, annoyed at his knack for ruining the mood.
“Do you remember when I told you women can hold up half the sky?” Jin Feng asked. “Why do you think only men can build an army greater than the Iron Forest Army? Can’t women do it?”
“Sir, is that possible?” Qing Muluan asked back.
“If you don’t try, it’s impossible. I believe if you’re determined to do something, you give it everything,” Jin Feng said. “Wanting to fight on the battlefield is, in essence, pursuing a path of equality between men and women.”
“Equality between men and women?”
Those four simple words struck Qing Muluan like thunder, resounding in her heart.
She barely heard what Jin Feng said next.
