Chapter Nineteen
“My good grandson, stop it. Your brother is no worse than you now. In fact, he is even more outstanding!”
Su Ming’s sudden question about Su Yuan made Ye Wenqin pause for a moment.
It wasn’t that the two brothers had a bad relationship. On the contrary, they had a good relationship when they were young.
However, they were seven or eight years apart, and Su Ming joined the army early, so they didn’t see each other often.
In the past four years, Su Yuan had gone to study in the Bear Kingdom, making it even more impossible for them to see each other.
They probably didn’t even contact each other often.
Moreover, the most crucial thing was that shouldn’t Su Ming have gone to see his grandfather first after he was promoted to Colonel and Regiment Commander?
Ye Wenqin knew her eldest son quite well. Whenever he was promoted, he would immediately go to see his grandfather.
It wasn’t out of greed or to show off. He knew that his grandfather would be the happiest whenever he did well in the army.
It was precisely because of this that Su Ming worked extremely hard in the army, afraid of disappointing his grandfather.
Now that he was back, he was asking about Su Yuan right away, which made Ye Wenqin feel strange.
However, upon reflection, it had been four or five years since Su Yuan had returned from studying abroad, and Su Ming was only concerned about his brother.
Thinking of this, Ye Wenqin smiled and said, “He was here when I left. He must have gone out with your grandfather.”
“Went out with grandpa?”
Su Ming was clearly stunned, and even a hint of astonishment flashed in his eyes.
He knew very well the relationship between Su Yuan and his grandfather.
Four years ago, Su Yuan had almost been disowned by his grandfather. It was only because Su Yuan, though dissolute, hadn’t done anything heinous, otherwise, with his grandfather’s temperament, Su Yuan would have been punished severely.
When he was still in high school, Su Yuan had argued with his grandfather countless times because his grandfather was too strict. Each time, he would make his grandfather furious.
These two couldn’t be together.
If they were, someone was bound to suffer.
Either Su Yuan would be scolded, or his grandfather would have a heart attack.
Anyway, nothing good would come out of it.
In order to prevent the two from quarreling, Ye Wenqin had made Su Yuan live elsewhere, which brought some peace to the family.
Unexpectedly, their relationship had improved a lot since he returned from studying abroad.
“It seems that Xiaoyuan has become more sensible after studying abroad. At least he hasn’t made grandpa angry.” Su Ming sighed.
More than that.
Ye Wenqin thought to herself.
Su Yuan had really won over his grandfather since he returned from studying abroad.
Although he didn’t work in the army, he had become the exclusive translator for the leader of the Bear Kingdom. That was extremely outstanding. His grandfather was happy and wouldn’t be angry at all.
“Xiaoyuan, he now…”
Ye Wenqin was about to tell Su Ming about Su Yuan, but Su Ming didn’t want to talk anymore. He left with a single sentence, “Mom, I’ll talk to you later. I’m going to find grandpa and Xiaoyuan.”
He had to share his promotion to Colonel and Regiment Commander with his grandfather first.
“Wait…”
Before Ye Wenqin could finish her sentence, Su Ming was already gone.
Although he was nearly thirty years old, he was the captain of the Langya Special Forces and had better physical fitness than ordinary soldiers. He ran very fast, and soon even his back was out of sight.
Looking at his disappearing figure, Ye Wenqin could only lower her raised hand helplessly.
After leaving the house, Su Ming went straight to the park not far away.
His grandfather didn’t have many activities. Apart from tending to his small vegetable garden, he liked going to the nearby park.
If his grandfather wasn’t at home, he must be in that park.
Wearing his military uniform, Su Ming was a bright spot on the road as he ran.
Such a young man with two stars and three bars on his shoulder was extremely shocking in any country.
Both seniority and military achievements were essential.
Su Ming had only run for a while when he met Su Bing-sheng, who was walking towards him with his hands behind his back.
They were less than thirty meters apart, and they both saw each other at the same time. They were both stunned for a moment.
Su Ming was the first to react. He immediately shouted, “Grandpa.”
“Hmm.”
Su Bing-sheng responded, and his gaze fell on Su Ming’s shoulder the next moment.
Goodness, two stars and three bars, Colonel and Regiment Commander.
From Lieutenant Colonel to Colonel in less than two years. This was not an ordinary promotion process.
It seemed that the boy had made significant contributions to the army again, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been promoted so quickly, not even two years later.
Su Bing-sheng thought to himself, his face filled with joy.
Both of his grandsons were outstanding. As their grandfather, he was naturally happy and proud.
“Not bad!”
Su Bing-sheng walked forward and patted Su Ming’s shoulder with his wrinkled hand, “Keep working hard!”
This encouraging word made Su Ming a little stunned.
Normally, if he had been promoted so quickly, his grandfather would have been overjoyed.
But the situation now was different from what he had expected.
Although his grandfather seemed happy, there was less joy and astonishment. It was as if…
As if this promotion of his wasn’t something worthy of praise in his grandfather’s eyes.
Could it be that grandpa already knew about my promotion?
That’s impossible!
Su Ming knew that although his grandfather paid attention to his performance in the army, he rarely inquired about it. He usually waited until he returned home and then asked him in detail.
Normally, his grandfather wouldn’t have known about his promotion this time.
But the current situation made Su Ming suspicious. He was afraid that his grandfather already knew, or even…
Thinking of a possibility, Su Ming looked at his grandfather with a complicated expression, “Grandpa, my promotion, it wouldn’t be that you…”
Su Ming gritted his teeth.
Although he had a good background and his grandfather was a retired general, he didn’t want his development in the army to have his grandfather’s influence behind it.
He wanted to achieve what he wanted with his own hands.
Not by relying on the Su family, or on his grandfather.
Of course, he was the grandson of Su Bing-sheng, and his identity definitely gave him an advantage in reaching his current achievements.
But he couldn’t decide this.
However, he hoped that his promotion this time wasn’t orchestrated by his grandfather.
Su Bing-sheng knew what Su Ming was thinking. He knew his grandson’s character too well.
Ambitious!
And he was incredibly ambitious!
It was precisely because of this understanding that he had never interfered with Su Ming’s affairs in the army. Even when Su Ming’s military superiors occasionally approached him to mention Su Ming’s promotion, he refused flatly.
He also hoped that Su Ming would forge his own path.
Not by relying on the glory of his ancestors and his parents.
And Su Ming didn’t disappoint him. At a young age, he became a colonel, and now he had been promoted to Colonel and Regiment Commander.
A Colonel and Regiment Commander under thirty, how many were there in the entire Great Xia?
And most of them weren’t in combat roles.
They were either clerks or military science and technology talents.
There were only one or two actual combat personnel who could reach such a high position at this age.
“Not bad.”
Su Bing-sheng’s tone was still calm, without any excessive excitement or joy.
Su Ming was indeed very outstanding. If this promotion happened to anyone else, they would probably be ecstatic.
Even his old comrades-in-arms would be pleasantly surprised.
But after the shock he experienced with Su Yuan, his expectations had been raised considerably.
A Major General at twenty-two!
And in the Air Force, such an important branch. He even achieved this in the Bear Kingdom. There was no one like him in the entire world.
That wasn’t all.
When Su Yuan returned to China this time, Wei Lao wouldn’t be stingy. At least he would have a Colonel’s rank.
A Colonel at twenty-two. Nobody would believe it if you told them.
Such a thing might happen in other countries, but in Great Xia, it was probably the first time since the war years.
Having experienced such a shock, to be honest, the joy Su Ming felt about this promotion wasn’t as much.
As for shock, there was none.
Of course, he was still surprised and happy, even very relieved.
But that was all.
Su Ming was a little dazed.
What was going on?
This was wrong!
Usually, when he said this, his grandfather would excitedly hold his hand and encourage him to continue working hard, saying things like “Grandpa’s face is brighter now in front of those old comrades-in-arms.”
But this time, besides “Not bad,” there was nothing else.
This made Su Ming feel like he had mistaken someone.
Grandpa, you’re not like this!
Praise me!
Hurry up and praise me!
But even when his eyes were tired from looking, his grandfather still didn’t have any intention to continue praising him.
Su Ming was instantly disheartened.
Grandpa…
“Grandpa, the Commander of the Xinan Military Region met me this time. He said that I was probably the first person in history to be promoted to Colonel before the age of thirty. He also said that he would come to see you in Xiajing if he has time.”
Su Ming continued.
He didn’t believe that this wouldn’t touch his grandfather.
That was a General, a powerful figure. His praise was sincere.
Grandpa, could you still remain calm?
Su Ming was looking forward to it.
But his grandfather’s response was simply a slight nod, “Not bad.”
“Alright, let’s not talk about this. Go home and get ready for dinner.” His grandfather patted Su Ming on the shoulder. His grandson was still a little too impatient compared to his other grandson.
However, Su Yuan was too good at hiding things.
He didn’t mention anything about what he was doing in the Bear Kingdom for four years.
As for his four years in the National University, the Bear Kingdom military had basically provided cover. Except for the first day of registration, nothing was real.
These two brothers were both a little extreme.
But relatively speaking, his grandfather preferred Su Yuan’s way of keeping a low profile.
Of course, it wasn’t wrong to say that Su Ming liked to show off.
If he didn’t like to show off, he wouldn’t have achieved what he had at such a young age.
These were all interdependent.
But Su Bing-sheng’s words made Su Ming, who had been full of enthusiasm, feel like he had been doused with a bucket of cold water. He felt chilled to the bone.
He looked at his grandfather in disbelief.
Is this really my grandfather?
Su Ming was a little helpless. He felt something was strange about his grandfather today.
But he couldn’t figure out what it was.
In the end, he had no choice but to stop mentioning his promotion and instead asked about Su Yuan, “Grandpa, I heard from Mom that Xiaoyuan went out with you. Where is he?”
“We went out together, but he had something to do and left early.”
The Bear Kingdom delegation would return to China in the next two days. Su Yuan had to go and see them. He hadn’t even taken two steps after going out with his grandfather when the notice from the Bear Kingdom came.
After Su Yuan left, Su Bing-sheng lost interest in walking, so he went back after a while.
Su Ming nodded, “Grandpa, I can see that Xiaoyuan has become more sensible after studying abroad.”
“He has become much more sensible.”
Su Bing-sheng smiled slightly, very happy.
Su Ming didn’t think much about it. He continued, “Grandpa, Xiaoyuan has come back from studying abroad. I think he should still go to the army for training. There’s no need to rush to Mom’s company. I agree with you on this. Let’s go back and persuade Mom together.”
“Going to the army can also help him to smooth out his rough edges so that he won’t suffer in the future.”
“No need to go to the army. Xiaoyuan is not the same as he was four years ago.” Su Bing-sheng shook his head.
Su Ming was slightly surprised. Was Xiaoyuan’s image so good in his grandfather’s eyes now?
Could it be that the boy was playing hard to get, deliberately acting obedient and sensible in front of his grandfather?
The more he thought about it, the more he felt this was possible. Su Ming was about to speak.
Su Bing-sheng seemed to have seen through Su Ming’s thoughts. He raised his head and patted his grandson’s shoulder a little harder, “Ming, I know what you’re thinking, but your brother is even more outstanding than you think!”
Su Ming was stunned. The tone was exactly the same as when he praised him before!
Grandpa, have you found a new favorite?
Su Ming’s eyes immediately became complicated.
Su Yuan is even more outstanding than I think?
How much more outstanding can he be?
He knew about the Bear Kingdom National University. It was comparable to Tsinghua and Peking Universities in China, and even better in some aspects.
But even if Su Yuan graduated from the National University with excellent results, compared to his current achievements, they were still worlds apart, completely incomparable!
How many years would it take for Su Yuan to reach his position?
Ten years, probably not enough.
Fifteen years, it’s hard to say.
By then, Su Yuan would be almost forty.
While he, today, was under thirty.
Didn’t his grandfather see this huge difference?
Or did I miss something?
He felt that his grandfather wouldn’t lie to him.
But to say that his dissolute brother from four years ago had become more outstanding than him in four years, he wouldn’t believe it even if he was beaten to death!
How could someone change so quickly?
Even if they could change that quickly, would their abilities also change dramatically because of their personality change?
More outstanding than I think, what does that mean, a prodigy?
Or even more than a prodigy?
Impossible!