But the Major General disagreed as he spoke earnestly: “Without you, I’m absolutely certain today’s Ye Jian1 would not exist. A swift horse without Bo Le, that’s a tragedy. While Bo Le identified a swift horse, that’s celebratory! Your wise eyes identified talent, and you trained Ye Jian with your unique ways to the point where she’s one step away from being a member of the special forces. Old Chen, you are the exemplar for all of us generals to learn from!”
Outside the tent came a guard’s voice: “Report,” and the Major General replied with: “Enter,” and quickly, two figures walked in side by side.
The man had a slim body, noble eyes, and brows; the woman was slender and owned a beautiful face. They wore the same colored jungle camo as they walked in; one represented the male soldiers, while the other represented the female soldiers. Both of them could describe the image of all the soldiers in the military in conscription propaganda.
“Come, come, come, hurry up and sit.” When the seated Major General saw Ye Jian, he stood up and personally walked over to welcome her, “You look great, huh. Fifteen days of surviving alone, Ye Jian, you’ve done well!”
Uncle Chen looked amiably at Ye Jian; his smile was filled with satisfaction.
In the past, the young lady had finally grown up and now had the grace of a woman and the temperament that a soldier should have.
Her back stood straight; her expression was confident yet controlled; she even carried unruffled confidence while speaking with the Major General… She’s all grown up, all grown up; she’s grown into an adult now.
The atmosphere within the command tent was harmonious; hearty laughter could occasionally be heard from it. The Major General had given Ye Jian’s performance during the entire survival exercise an objective assessment and said: “Based on your current performances, you have, without a doubt, achieved the demands of the entire training. Overcoming your fears alone, and also helped the border police complete their operation without a hitch, the military is extremely satisfied by your performance. At the same time, we also hope that you would keep at it, and not let down Old Chen’s efforts in training you.”
Facing her superior’s assessment and praise, Ye Jian’s display was still calm as usual. There wasn’t a hint of arrogance because she believed everything she had done were things that she should’ve done, and there was nothing for her to be arrogant about.
“Major General, when you mentioned teachings, I believe there’s also another opportunity for Ye Jian to learn right before our eyes and would like to know what Major General intends to do.” A man who was proficient at finding the most suitable opportunity and bringing up suitable suggestions, he brought the topic up very naturally. With a serious look on his face, Major Xia turned around and stared at Ye Jain, “How about you go and ask the Major General?”
Ye Jian was still wondering how she’s going to bring up the topic, but the moment he spoke up, her expression turned really serious as she asked: “Major General, I still have another week of vacation. When I saw the armored vehicles just now, I was wondering if I could stay here and get to know these mobile weapons that have extreme firepower on the battlefield.”
……
When the topic was brought up, Uncle Chen silently stared at the Major General; that’s a great idea! He, too, was wondering about it.
“Major Xia gave you the idea? Or did you think about it yourself?” The Major General didn’t agree immediately as he smirked at the young Major who seemed serious. He smiled as he asked Ye Jian, “Why do I have the feeling that you’ve discussed it outside?”
“We did discuss it.”
Two voices spoke up at the same time; one belonged to Xia Jinyuan2, the other belonged to Ye Jian, their reply was loud and orderly.
That caused the Major General to point his fingers at the duo, “That’s quite a bold idea. However, it’s actually practical. One week’s time, alright, but I’m afraid there won’t be any classes, as you have to get to know it on your own.”
One sentence made Ye Jian stay; there wasn’t anything else that needed to be said, this made Xia Jinyuan let out a long sigh, “Major General, you should at least oppose it a little. You agreed so easily; now I’ve lost my chance to impress!”