Chapter 69: Unexpected Heroic Feat Astounds the World

  Xue Xiang put away his smile, stood up and gave a serious military salute to General An, "Thank you, sir!"

  The old general waved his hand kindly and let him sit down, smiling: "The military salute is not very standard, it seems necessary to go to the grassroots level for training."

  Upon hearing this, Xue was startled and hadn't spoken yet when An Jiang, who had not opened his mouth until now, took over the conversation: "Xiao Xue, come to our division, first mix with the troops for a few days as a squad leader, I'll give you a platoon, my division is an armored division, it's fun."

  Xue Xiang laughed bitterly and said, "I'm a high-ranking military advisor, even if my value is extremely low, I shouldn't be reduced to being a private soldier, should I? Third Uncle, you're not taking advisors as officials seriously enough!"

  A small phrase that would be passed down to future generations, causing everyone to burst out laughing. After An Weihong was sent away to the island of Qing by the old general with just one sentence, the old master couldn't help but feel a sense of loneliness in his old age. Whenever Xue Xiang came to visit, they would either play chess, chat, or bicker, making his later years more enjoyable and adding some color to his life. This time, Xue Xiang's accidental mistake (which was actually a deliberate move on Xue Xiang's part) allowed the old master to show off his skills and feel proud of himself, and now he looked at him even more favorably.

  The old man smiled and said, "I know you have high aspirations and won't be in the military. Don't worry, I won't let you become a soldier. However, this time your sharpness is too much, recently you should calm down and restrain yourself. I know you are ambitious for officialdom, so I had your second uncle take care of it, no photos were published, and in the future, we won't mention your name again. What's more, all the reports on advanced deeds have been helped to promote you, otherwise, you wouldn't be able to live a peaceful life now."

  The old man's feelings can be settled, since he saw the report about himself in the newspaper, Xue Xiang began to worry that from now on, he would be under the spotlight, being flattered and deified, and his official career path was far from over. He was about to say some words of gratitude when he was stopped by the old man's waving hand, who took a red hardcover file from Old Wang and handed it to him, with two large characters "Certificate" written on the cover.

  Xue took it curiously, opened it and was shocked to shout: "Old man, this is too scary, you'd better take it back, my shoulders are small and can't afford it."

  "Haha", the old man laughed more than usual today, as if seeing this young man embarrassed was the greatest pleasure in life. No wonder, Xue Xiang's first impression on him was really bad, making the old man lose face, he remembered it with hatred. The old man laughed and said: "How come earlier you were still arguing about wanting a reward, but when the reward is in your hands, you become a coward?"

  "The key is that this reward is also too intimidating, or else lower the standard a bit, otherwise, rewarding some physical objects would be fine."

  "You think this is just a rough draft that can be changed at will? This is about honor, can honor be taken back and forth like this? Moreover, this has not only been submitted to the J Committee, but also to the XX Bureau's plenary meeting, how can you just change it as you say?"

  Xue was speechless, this reward was too great, and he couldn't let go of it for a long time. It turned out that this was a certificate of honor for the Special Class Merit and the Supreme Hero, with the national president's seal on it. To know that since the end of the Korean War, there has been no establishment of the Special Class Merit and the Supreme Hero level of honor. The Special Class Merit is easy to say, many people got it during the war, but the Supreme Hero is too rare. In the history of the Republic, only two people have received this honor, namely Yang Xuesen and Huang Xuguang, the famous combat heroes of the National Defense Army during the Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea period, both of whom earned their honors with their lives.

  Xue Xiang only felt that the certificate of honor in his hand was heavy and hot. He thought he just relied on being insightful, doing what he should do, and besides, he had been avoiding it before, which was nothing like the two deceased heroes who died heroically, they were truly deserving of the honor. Even though he had lived for two lifetimes and his face had become thicker-skinned, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

  An Zai Jiang saw Xue Xiang Tui letting go of the honor, slightly nodding his head, and jokingly said: "Xue Xiao Zi stop pushing it away, after all you little kid also saved a million people, this honor is also earned with one's life, it's just that your little kid's life is big. When we dug you out, you only had half a life left, it was still the old man who urgently dispatched the military ambulance to save you, otherwise where would we go to see the living special-class hero?"

  Xue Xiang only then knew whose life he owed, and hastily stood up to give General An a respectful bow. The old general sat upright, calmly accepting it, "Keep the certificate safe, do not show it to anyone easily. Your situation is special, this honor will not be recorded in your file, but rather written into the national secret archives." After all, the country was using the successful earthquake prediction to carry out diplomatic work, if they were to loudly proclaim the news of him receiving this honor, others would inevitably suspect: wasn't it just passing down orders from above? Is it worth giving such a high honor? It's unavoidable that there will be complications.

  The old general took a sip of tea, stood up and said: "Alright, that's it. I won't keep you for dinner either. Later, the Military Commission has a meeting to deploy earthquake relief efforts, which I need to attend. Today, I called you over for two reasons: one is to deliver this certificate to you, and the other is to let you get familiar with your second uncle and third uncle, so that you won't run into them someday and not recognize them, causing a scene. Also, I'm giving you a personal reward, but don't mention it yet, go with Old Wang to receive it."

  Xue Xiang raised his hand and saluted the three of them, just as he was about to leave, the old man called out: "Almost forgot, come over tomorrow to fill out a form, you little guy is going to join the party through the fire line."

  What a pleasant surprise! Mr. Xue's problem was not solved for one day, and he didn't dare to think about it for one day. Who would have thought that the wrong hit would be right, and the preparation wouldn't even need to be transferred, directly becoming an official party member. At the age of 17, he joined the party, graduated from university, and became an old party member himself. He happily responded with a sound, and followed Old Wang with a smile on his face.

  "How is it?"

  "Not bad, the young man is tall and handsome, and he's not arrogant about his achievements, which suits my taste. Moreover, he's quite bold, still daring to be glib in front of you. And, watching him play chess with Second Brother, he actually fell asleep - in this regard, I personally express admiration."

  "Smelly brat, asking for a beating. Second Brother, what do you think?"

  "He's got a bold heart and meticulous mind, polite and courteous, with a good sense of propriety. However, I don't see anything particularly extraordinary about him, at least not to the extent you described."

  "Dare to doubt your old man's vision? Just wait and see, when the time comes, you'll know that ginger is still spicy even when it's old."

  …………..

  As the ninth month arrived, the scorching heat gradually dissipated, and the autumn air was crisp and refreshing. It was also the time of year when children went back to school. On this clear morning, Xue Xiang rode a brand-new, pitch-black motorcycle, carrying Xiao Wan and two others, speeding along the road leading to Yu Ying School. This Soviet-made H5 military motorcycle was a personal reward given to him by General An Lao. The motorcycle's body was made entirely of manganese steel, over two meters in length, with a specially designed high-power engine that could reach speeds of up to 140 miles per hour, which was extremely impressive for its time. The seat cushion was carefully crafted from alligator skin, and the tires were made of special blended rubber, with an inverted triangular pattern etched onto them. Climbing hills and traversing rugged terrain was effortless. Unlike domestic motorcycles that looked like a straight line, this motorcycle resembled a Harley-Davidson, with the driver's seat curved downward in an arc, extremely sleek.

  Xue fell in love with it at first sight, and for over a month now, he has been riding it with San Xiao to visit all the scenic spots in Beijing. Wherever they went, people couldn't help but stare and gasp in amazement. After all, motorcycles were extremely rare in China at that time, and their designs were dull and monotonous. As soon as this cool motorcycle appeared, everyone was shocked. When did the capital city ever have such a stylish ride? Some show-offs even tried to compete with him by speeding up their military jeeps, but Xue just slightly revved up the engine and left them far behind, making it impossible for them to keep up.

  "Come on, big brother, hurry up! The wind is blowing and it's so refreshing!" The little guy was sitting in front of Xue Xiang as usual, his newly cut short hair fluttering in the air, tickling Xue Xiang's chest. Today, he was wearing a bright green dress with white sneakers, looking like a little fairy. His rosy cheeks were plump and round, just like a small apple. Little Wan's siblings were also dressed up nicely - Little Wan wore a new traditional Chinese student uniform, looking fresh and natural, while Little Wan's brother wore a miniature suit with short sleeves and pants, his hair cut short, looking spirited and energetic, as if he had thrown away the title of "King of Hats" into the Atlantic Ocean. If Xue Xiang wasn't worried about being too showy and its impact on the children, he would have changed their sneakers to leather shoes a long time ago. His pockets were now thick with cash - aside from the money he made from selling antiques, he also had the 5,000 yuan that An Weihong gave him, making his total cash flow exceed an astonishing 10,000 yuan. Moreover, his salary was quite high, and after receiving a certificate of honor last time, his salary grade was raised by five levels, so now he earned around 300 yuan per month. Their family had already become one of the first to get rich, almost achieving communism - distribution according to need. Xue Xiang's only complaint was that there were too few goods on the market, a lack of entertainment options, and no investment channels, making him feel like he had reached the point where he had money but nowhere to spend it.

  "Little treasure, it's almost there, many big cars have been left behind by us." Xue Xiang smiled wryly. The little guy seemed to be born fearless of high speeds. Since he brought this new car back home, every evening, he would ask Xue Xiang to take him out for a spin, saying it was cooler than using an electric fan. If Xue Xiang ignored him, he would go pester Kang Tong, and naturally got his way every time. Of course, every time they went for a spin, Xiao Yi's sulky mood wouldn't dissipate either.

  The little guy tilted his head back, rubbing against Xue Xiang's chest, "No, hurry up, we're already late for a long time, the teacher will definitely scold us. Later, big brother has to accompany me to go up."

  Xue couldn't say anything, it wasn't that he was lazy and didn't want to get up, but changing clothes back and forth could make him late. Of course, he didn't dare say these words to Little Demon, who repeatedly replied: "Okay okay, I'll go with you, don't worry, the teacher won't scold you." It was already 8:30, and he wasn't too worried, on the first day of school, registration, book distribution would also take a long time, where could they have time to attend class.

  "Big brother, next time we go see uncle, let's not bring cigarettes and wine, but buy more supplements instead. Yesterday I saw him coughing a lot and smoking heavily." Xue Xiangzheng was trying to placate the little guy, when Xiao Wan spoke up from behind.

  "Okay, fine, but if he scolds me later, I'll say it's because of you."

  "No problem, Uncle will listen to me."

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