Chapter 2 Which Parent Doesn't Hope for Their Child to Succeed?
"Su, the higher-ups have decided to promote you exceptionally. This is a sign of their trust in you, and we hope you don't let them down."
After reading the appointment letter, Mo Lei placed it on the table and looked at Su Yuan, who had regained his composure and remained calm.
"I will!"
Su Yuan took a deep breath, his eyes clear and bright, his mind calm while suppressing any distracting thoughts.
At this moment, only gratitude was appropriate. More words were unnecessary.
A promotion in rank, becoming a major general at least, signified trust, but also responsibility.
Mo Lei smiled and said: "Come with me to Mo City tomorrow. The Emperor himself will bestow your rank upon you. I'll give you a heads-up. Originally, you were supposed to go today, but the Emperor was busy and the appointment was moved to tomorrow."
Su Yuan felt his heart tighten. Even though he had seen his fair share of important occasions, the Emperor personally bestowing his rank still made him extremely nervous.
This was a first for Su Yuan.
In the four years he had been in Russia, except for a few times when he had seen the Emperor from a distance, he had only seen the figure on television.
Tomorrow, he could be near the wise, beloved leader. Su Yuan was slightly breathless.
Seeing Su Yuan's nervous expression, Mo Lei couldn't help but smile. He was happy for Su Yuan, that the Emperor would personally bestow his rank.
He knew exactly how Su Yuan felt at this moment.
He too had experienced similar scenarios in the past.
To calm Su Yuan, Mo Lei waved his hand and gave his instructions: "Alright, go back. Have some food and get some rest. We'll set off tomorrow."
"Yes, I will. Goodbye, Director."
Su Yuan nodded understandingly, saluted, picked up his tactical tablet and backpack, and left the office. He planned to go back to the dormitory to change his equipment, prepare the air force dress uniform he needed to wear tomorrow, and then grab a quick bite at the air force mess hall.
“Bang!”
The door closed softly, making a slight noise.
The office fell silent.
"The youngest and most promising major general in the entire Russian Air Force, and the Emperor favors him. I wonder how far you can go. At the slowest pace, you could be promoted to lieutenant general before you turn thirty, and even becoming a general isn't impossible."
"If everything goes well, crossing that threshold to become a general is just a matter of time."
After a while, Mo Lei's voice, full of emotion, echoed softly.
"It's just a pity, all of this is under the assumption that we can keep him."
Can the Russian Air Force keep this prodigy in the field of flight?
Mo Lei was silent.
He had no confidence.
If Su Yuan were of ordinary background, he was confident that the Russian Air Force, along with the Emperor's trust, would be able to keep this prodigy and contribute to Russia's national defense for a lifetime.
But, he wasn't.
The day Su Yuan entered the Gagarin Air Force Academy, Mo Lei had investigated him.
Su Yuan's family was considered a military family in Greater Xia as well.
His grandfather held a high position, reaching the rank of major general before retiring.
His father was currently a colonel…
In this situation, once Su Yuan's family learned about his presence in Russia, it would be difficult to prevent him from returning.
Once his family spoke, could Su Yuan refuse?
Could they stop him?
Thinking about this, Mo Lei became even more frustrated.
Such a prodigy, likely to be unable to serve Russia's national defense in the end. It would be a huge loss if he went back to his homeland, Greater Xia.
…
Leaving Director Mo Lei's office, Su Yuan felt a complex mix of emotions.
To be promoted from a school-level officer to a major general in one step was a dream for countless military personnel, and he was no exception.
He was excited.
But at the same time, he was conflicted.
The higher his position here, the more complex his feelings became.
The most crucial question was, how to explain things to his grandfather?
How to explain it?
He didn't know.
He was supposed to be studying in Russia. Now, four years later, he had become the chief instructor of the Russian Air Force, a major general at the very least.
Leave?
Honestly, it would be unfair to the Russian Air Force for the four years of training he had received and betray the Emperor's trust.
But if he didn't leave, what would he do if his grandfather learned about his time in Russia?
Su Yuan walked, his brow furrowed.
At that moment, a phone rang, breaking his thoughts.
He took out his phone, glanced at it, and saw that it was his mother calling.
Su Yuan was stunned, forcing himself to cheer up. Then he smiled and answered the phone, "Mom."
"The graduation ceremony is over, right?"
He heard a familiar voice.
Gentle, full of concern for her son.
This made Su Yuan feel even more uncomfortable.
"It's over."
Su Yuan responded weakly.
Ye Wenqin didn't think much of it, assuming her son was just tired from attending the ceremony.
"Now that it's over, get some rest. Don't worry about coming back. It's okay to delay it a few days. There's no rush."
"Mom..."
Su Yuan called out.
"What's wrong?"
Hearing her son's voice, Ye Wenqin quickly asked: "Have you missed home after being away for four years?"
Hearing this, Su Yuan's eyes welled up. He wanted to be impulsive, to tell his mother everything about his time in Russia, but in the end, he clenched his fist and held back.
If he had to say anything, he had to explain it in person.
Talking about it over the phone would only make things more unclear.
"Xiao Yuan…"
Ye Wenqin's worried, tense voice came through.
Su Yuan quickly said: "Mom, it's nothing, just a little homesick."
There was a slight tremor in his voice.
Ye Wenqin relaxed, comforting him: "If you miss home, come back soon. Mom will make your favorite braised pork."
"Okay."
Su Yuan nodded heavily: "I'll come back after I get things settled here."
As he said these words, he had already made a decision.
No matter what, he had to take a leave of absence to go back.
Like all mothers in the world, even though she knew her son was fine, Ye Wenqin kept giving him advice about all aspects of life.
Su Yuan listened patiently.
The call lasted for a while before ending.
Greater Xia.
Xiajing.
After hanging up the phone, Ye Wenqin couldn't help but cry.
Su Hai, who had just returned for a short visit, saw his wife crying and walked over, gently patting her back, comforting her: "Wenqin, don't cry. That stinky boy will be back in two days. He hasn't cried in four years. Why is it that now, when he's about to come back…"
"Sigh!"
Before he could finish, Su Hai let out a sigh.
"It's all your fault. You insisted on sending Xiao Yuan abroad to study back then. I thought he'd come back once a year, and I didn't say anything. But who would have thought that Xiao Yuan would stay for four years and not even come back once?"
Ye Wenqin was full of reproach.
She didn't strongly oppose her father-in-law's decision to send Su Yuan to study abroad at the time, but if she knew that it would be four years without a single return visit, she would never have agreed.
She wasn't against visiting her son in Russia, but she and her family were special. They couldn't leave the country without a special reason. The idea of flying to Russia was abandoned.
Su Hai looked helpless: "You know, if we hadn't sent that stinky boy to study abroad, Grandpa would have thrown him into the army long ago."
"Xiao Yuan is different from his brother. You know how hard it is in the army. Can he take it?"
Ye Wenqin fell silent.
She was relieved that Su Yuan didn't join the army.
Seeing his wife remain silent, Su Hai seized the opportunity: "You don't know, those stinky boys who were with Xiao Yuan, they've suffered so much in the army these past few years."
"But they've grown a lot, despite the hardships."
"You know that boy from Old Li's family, right? He's a captain now, and he even received a second-class personal merit award. In another six months or a year, he'll probably be promoted to major."
"The other boys aren't far behind."
Su Hai paused here, then exhaled: "I wonder how our boy is doing. I hope he's not too bad, or I won't be able to hold my head up in front of those guys."
Ye Wenqin rolled her eyes and said with a hint of displeasure: "What's there to be ashamed of? Besides, Yuan went to study abroad, while those from Old Li's family joined the army. They are in completely different fields. What's there to compare?"
"What do you mean? Your son is not as good as their kids, so he's not your son anymore?"
Su Hai chuckled awkwardly: "I didn't mean that, it's just... You know, when you're with those old comrades-in-arms, there's nothing much to compare except for our sons. What else can you compare?"
"The eldest is older than Old Li and the others, though they are of the same generation, he's been in the army for a longer time, so you can't compare them together."
"It's only Yuan, who's the same age as them. When you get together, besides talking about work, you just talk about those stinky boys."
"If he's worse than them, where would I put my old face?"
"You're the one who cares about face!"
Ye Wenqin said "angrily".
Su Hai scratched his head, not saying anything. The two fell into silence.
Which parent doesn't hope for their child to succeed?
Su Hai and Ye Wenqin were no exception.
Old Li and the others' children had shaken off their former playboy ways and were doing well in the army, truly proving that "a tiger father has no dog son" (referring to the children inheriting their parents' excellent qualities).
What about their son, Su Yuan?
He had been away for four years. Would he be excellent too?
Even if he wasn't as good as those other boys, he wouldn't be too bad, right?
They both had a question mark in their hearts, their thoughts racing.