Su Yan subconsciously grabbed his crotch and let out a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, it was still there!
Old Zhang looked at him with a wicked smile, "Third Young Master, don't be nervous. I just checked, and not a single hair is missing!"
Su Yan raised his eyebrows and quickly asked, "Uncle Zhang, how is the little girl I rescued? Is she alright?"
Old Zhang patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry, she's fine!"
"What about the others…"
"The others are fine too!" Old Zhang quickly replied, "They only suffered minor burns."
"You're the most seriously injured one. You should worry about yourself."
Su Yan breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm fine, I won't die!"
Just then, Su Jianguo and Fan Zhongde also walked in from outside the ward. Seeing Su Yan awake, they rushed over.
Su Jianguo sat beside him, asking with a pained expression, "Xiaoyan, how do you feel? Is there anywhere you're still uncomfortable?"
Xiaoyan?
This was the first time Su Jianguo had called him that. Before, he either called him Su Yan or 'turtle son.'
Of course, more often he called him 'credit card gobbling client!'
Being called so intimately all of a sudden, he was quite unaccustomed to it and got goosebumps.
"Dad, I'm fine!"
Su Jianguo sighed, "It's good that you're fine~ It's good that you're fine~ You really scared your dad this time."
"Next time, don't be so reckless. Leave professional matters to professionals."
Su Yan gave a wry smile, "Dad, as soldiers, we are here to protect our homes and defend our country."
"We can't just stand by and watch the masses suffer, can we? What would be the point of us People's Liberation Army if we did that?"
Su Jianguo was slightly stunned, his mouth wide open in shock.
Is this really my turtle son?
In the past, even with a knife to his throat, he wouldn't have been able to say such words.
Fan Zhongde said loudly, "Su Yan, judging by your tone, it seems you've recovered quite well!"
Su Yan turned his head, looking at him in surprise, "You are?"
Fan Zhongde introduced himself formally, "I am Fan Zhongde, the regimental commander of the 708th Regiment, and also your New Recruit Company's regimental commander!"
"Regi... Regimental Commander?!" Su Yan's face changed drastically. He forcefully raised his right hand, "Greetings, Regimental Commander!"
"Regimental Commander, I didn't report on time yesterday. Will I be treated as a deserter?"
"Of course not!" Fan Zhongde waved his hand with a smile, "Not only will you not be, but we will also give you an award!"
"An award?" Su Yan was delighted and asked excitedly, "Regimental Commander, what reward will I get?"
Fan Zhongde declared, "I don't know yet. I'll report to the superior when I go back."
"The results will be announced in the military! However, the award ceremony should also be held at the end of the New Recruit Company assessment."
Su Yan smiled calmly, "I'll follow the organization's arrangements!"
Fan Zhongde patted his shoulder and said, "You should rest well first. Report back to the military when you've recovered!"
Su Yan saluted forcefully, "Yes, Regimental Commander!"
Seeing him give two standard military salutes in a row, Fan Zhongde was stunned.
This was much better than many new recruits! Very good! He's a good prospect!
After Fan Zhongde explained some Precautions to him, he left first.
After they left.
Su Jianguo looked at Su Yan and asked seriously, "Son, do you still want to be a soldier? If you don't want to, Dad won't force you anymore."
"I'll find you a beautiful wife, definitely not the last one."
After this incident, Su Jianguo was a bit scared.
Moreover, he had clearly felt that Su Yan had changed, becoming a person full of positive energy.
He worried that his son would truly lose his life for the mission of a soldier in the future!
He admitted he was selfish and didn't want his son to be a hero.
He simply wanted him to join the military for some reform.
After all, this kid didn't have his sister's physique and iron will.
Su Yan said firmly, "Dad, I've made up my mind. I want to be a soldier, to continue being a soldier!"
"I won't disgrace you!"
Su Jianguo was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond.
He was the one who forced him to be a soldier, so if he said he couldn't go back now, wouldn't he be slapping himself in the face?
Old Zhang saw the awkwardness in the air and quickly smoothed things over, "Boss, Third Young Master, let's talk about everything after you're discharged from the hospital."
The two exchanged glances, said nothing more, and tacitly agreed with this statement.
Knock knock knock~
A knock on the door sounded!
"Hello, excuse me, is Su Yan in this ward?"
Su Yan looked towards the door and saw a mother and daughter with a fruit basket and some nutritional supplements.
He recognized the little girl at a glance; she was Guoguo, the girl he had rescued last.
"Uncle~"
Guoguo shouted excitedly, her eyes lighting up. Like a cheerful little bird, she quickly rushed over.
Old Zhang subconsciously stepped aside, making room for them.
"Guoguo~" Su Yan smiled and ruffled her hair.
Guoguo carefully scrutinized Su Yan for a while, then extended her chubby little hand, holding Su Yan's hand, and innocently said, "Uncle, you're finally not bleeding anymore."
"Does it still hurt?"
Su Yan shook his head, "It doesn't hurt anymore, Uncle is all better~"
The woman beside him said sincerely, "Liberation Army Comrade, thank you, thank you for saving my daughter~ If it weren't for you, my daughter might have…"
Su Yan smiled calmly, "It's nothing, I'm a soldier, this is what I should do."
Seeing this scene, Su Jianguo's eyes were red, and he felt incredibly proud in his heart, feeling that his son had grown up overnight.
He was no longer the playboy who used to think about sending 'true scriptures' to little girls every day.
The woman walked over and pulled Guoguo aside, "Alright, Guoguo, Uncle just recovered and needs rest. You can't bother him anymore."
"Okay!" Guoguo nodded obediently!
The woman took out an envelope from her bag and handed it to Su Yan with both hands, saying very sincerely.
"Liberation Army Comrade, you risked your life to save my daughter. This is a small token of our family's appreciation."
As soon as the envelope appeared, the three people present were stunned!
Su Yan pushed it away forcefully, saying righteously, "Comrade, we cannot accept this money. As soldiers, we absolutely cannot take a single needle or thread from the common people."
"Saving people is what we soldiers should do. It is our responsibility and duty."
The woman was slightly stunned and tried to persuade him, "It's okay, it's not a lot of money…"
Su Yan pushed it away again, saying firmly, "We cannot take even a single cent."
"This is also our military's rule, please understand."
Seeing Su Yan's resolute demeanor, the woman could only reluctantly withdraw her hand.
"Alright~ If you ever need help in the future, we will definitely not stand idly by."
Su Yan simply smiled gratefully, "Thank you!!"
The woman said with a smile, "Then I won't disturb your rest. We'll head back now."
Guoguo waved at him, "People's Liberation Army Uncle, goodbye! Guoguo will come to see you again when she has time!"
Su Yan also waved at her, "Goodbye!"
In the following days, enthusiastic citizens came to visit Su Yan one after another, and some media also came to interview him during their free time.
But after only a few words, Su Jianguo found excuses to politely decline them.
It took a full week for Su Yan's body to fully recover.
Discharge from the hospital, and it was time to return to the military!
...
Su Jianguo looked at Su Yan and asked again, "Have you really decided?"
Su Yan nodded vigorously, "Dad, I've decided."
After speaking, he stepped back, smiled slightly, puffed out his chest, and gave Su Jianguo a standard military salute.
Su Jianguo was startled, his mouth slightly agape, his eyes wide, but his throat seemed to be constricted by something, completely unable to speak.
A ray of sunlight shone down, reflecting on the straight military uniform, making it sparkle!
Su Jianguo watched him leave in the car with burning eyes, but his state of mind was completely different.
"Old Zhang~"
Old Zhang quickly came closer and asked, "Boss, what's wrong?"
Su Jianguo asked something astonishing, "Did you give this kid a mental examination?"
Old Zhang: ???
After a few seconds of silence, Old Zhang said in a deep voice, "Boss, don't worry, he's had a full physical! He has no problems at all!"
Old Zhang suddenly thought of something and his eyes widened, "Quick! Get the car ready immediately!"
"Boss, where are we going?" Old Zhang quickly followed him, asking in surprise.
Su Jianguo shouted impatiently, "I want to go see if our family's ancestral grave is smoking green again."
Old Zhang: ???
··········
After bidding farewell to Su Jianguo, Su Yan took several hours of travel, making several transfers, before finally returning to the camp.
As soon as he got off the car, an NCO walked out from inside, came up to him, and asked curiously, "Are you Su Yan?"
"Yes!" Su Yan saluted him, "Hello! I am Su Yan!"
"May I ask who you are?"
The NCO returned his salute and replied directly, "I am Yang Guang, the squad leader of Third Platoon in the New Recruit Company, which means I am your squad leader!"
"Squad leader?" Su Yan smiled slightly and immediately saluted him, "Greetings, Squad Leader!"
Yang Guang snorted, "Let's go! I'll take you to the dormitory first!"
Su Yan growled, "Yes!"
Su Yan took a deep breath, his eyes burning as he looked at everything before him, both familiar and strange. A surge of excited, passionate blood instantly welled up in his heart.
Military camp, I'm back!