Chapter 257: Chapter 254: Striving—No Wonder He’s My Brother

In Yang Hua’s condition, once his injury heals, he can only leave the unit. Given his several meritorious deeds, he might be arranged for a transfer out of the military.

If not for the disability, after leaving the military, Yang Hua could work in the police or other units, but now that his leg is disabled, missing half a leg, many jobs are now beyond his capabilities.

Even if he transfers, what kind of work could be arranged for him?!

Ling Chengyan just walked out of the hospital room, feeling too oppressed, and sighed such a sentence. Afterwards, she composed herself again—Yang Hua’s parents were about to arrive, as well as Yang Hua and a few other injured comrades, and the upcoming military competition—their team could still attend the final competition despite being unable to complete the training exercise due to unexpected events, as their losses weren’t significant.

Captain Han’s team, however, could not participate in the final competition.

In the evening, Ling Chengyan borrowed a car and personally went to the station to pick up Yang Hua’s parents, along with Yang Hua’s little brother who accompanied them.

Yang Hua’s family has five children, one older sister, Yang Hua is the second child, followed by two younger sisters and a younger brother.

The eldest sister and the second sister are already married, the youngest sister is seventeen, has just entered high school, and the brother is only fourteen, having entered the county middle school last year, both performing well academically. Yang Hua had always been very proud when talking about his younger siblings, saying that their Yang family would produce a college student.

Yang Hua’s parents are not very old, not yet fifty, but they appear noticeably aged, especially Yang Hua’s father, tall but extremely gaunt, with hair nearly all white.

Ling Chengyan could hardly look the two elders in the eyes but had no choice but to face them.

She led them to the hospital room, and as soon as Yang’s mother saw her son’s empty pant leg, she fainted immediately.

Xu Dong also arrived, only an hour after Yang’s family.

With Xu Dong, Ling Chengyan felt much of the burden eased. She temporarily entrusted Xu Dong with taking care of Yang’s parents and younger brother and led the team back the next day. They took a specially assigned helicopter straight to the mountain training ground to participate in the competition the next day.

The soldiers’ spirits were dampened by the injury of a comrade they trained and lived with daily, but it was precisely this oppression that fueled a fire within each of them. Once they were on the competition field, they exploded with extraordinary effort, thinking of nothing but fighting for it!

For the sake of their injured comrades who could not participate, they needed to fight for first place.

Living up to expectations, the Huicheng Team stood out among dozens of teams, winning first place in the competition.

At the celebration ceremony, not only did they receive first place, but they were also awarded the title of a civilized company by the district, Yang Hua was awarded a second-class merit, and the other two injured soldiers received third-class merits.

After passing the critical post-surgery period, Yang Hua returned with the team.

Ling Chengyan and Xu Dong together took Yang Hua to the provincial hospital for further treatment and recovery. After making arrangements, they bought tickets for Yang Hua’s parents to return home, leaving Wu Qingyun to care for Yang Hua in the hospital.

With a steady temperament and careful approach, Wu Qingyun, Yang Hua’s squad leader, was left to take care of him, which gave both Yang Hua and others peace of mind.

Upon returning to the base, Ling Chengyan immediately sought the district leaders to report the situation, focusing on self-reflection, then applied for further education opportunities for Yang Hua.

Yang Hua was a middle school graduate with a sharp mind. After joining the army, he loved reading. Despite his tall and robust build, he was known as the bookworm of their Special Service Company, with a knack for learning.

“The autumn military school recruitment plan includes Yang Hua, but we report him for the officer school. Now that he is injured, I want to change it to the military medical school.” Ling Chengyan candidly explained to Political Commissioner He and Staff Officer Xing.

Xing Jingyun glanced at He Limin, who nodded, then Xing Jingyun said, “We understand your feelings. Yang Hua is indeed an excellent comrade, but you should also know that military doctors need to be combat-ready too, Yang Hua’s body…”

“But…” Ling Chengyan’s nose felt sour, her eyes suddenly reddened.

She lowered her head, suppressing the surging sadness; after a moment, she lifted her head and said, “If he’s only working as a doctor, I believe Yang Hua could still go to the battlefield with his leg. I’ve already applied for a prosthesis for him, so his mobility will reach a normal daily level in the future.”

Xing Jingyun and He Limin exchanged another glance, and after a moment of silence, He Limin finally spoke, “This matter, we can’t give you an answer now. We need to apply at higher levels.”

Ling Chengyan suddenly smiled, her eyes warming again: “Thank you, thank you, Political Commissioner He, thank you, Staff Officer Xing.”

Xing and He exchanged looks once more, both feeling an increased pressure.

He Limin smiled and said, “Don’t worry, we’ll do our best to fight for it.”

After a pause, he added, “Even if, in the end, we can’t keep Yang Hua in the army, we’ll strive for a good civilian placement for him.”

With the leaders saying so, pressing further would be impolite for Ling Chengyan.

She nodded and left.

Pushing her bicycle slowly outside, without realizing it, she arrived in front of the Automobile Company’s garage.

“Yan’er, are you back?” Her second brother Ling Xiangwu happened to come out with an oil can, and upon seeing his younger sister, immediately greeted her.

However, he noticed something seemed wrong with his sister’s expression, took a closer look, and tentatively asked, “What’s wrong?”

Ling Chengyan raised her head, blinked, regained her composure, and said with a smile, “It’s nothing, just got lost in thought. Second Brother, are you already hands-on? Seems you’re learning quite fast!”

New recruits in the Automobile Company initially could only observe and couldn’t start hands-on work until they became familiar, starting with handing over tools and washing tarps; actual involvement in vehicle repairs and maintenance usually took over a month.

But Second Brother looked quite at ease and had evidently been hands-on for some time.

“Not bad, back on the farm, I was a tractor operator, so I’ve got a foundation.” Ling Xiangwu smiled; although humble, a slight pride was visible.

“Hehe, as expected of my Second Brother,” Ling Chengyan said with a laugh.

Ling Xiangwu glared at his sister but then laughed heartily.

Watching her cheerful Second Brother, Ling Chengyan squinted her eyes slightly, feeling emotional: If only her eldest brother and Second Brother could join the military, training in martial arts and combat since a young age, they would undoubtedly achieve greatness.

Now, she could only lament: Born in the wrong era.

After exchanging a few jokes, Ling Chengyan inquired about her eldest brother’s situation.

Eldest Brother Ling went back to Jiang Province to handle work transfers and moving affairs, entering the Automobile Company half a month later than Second Brother Ling, and had only learned for two weeks.

When this was mentioned, a little pride was visible on Second Brother Ling’s face: “Haha, don’t worry, I’m here, how could Eldest Brother lag behind? He’s also excellent, managed to get on board in a week’s time. He took a vehicle to Jibei yesterday, and it’s estimated it’ll take four or five days to return.”

Ling Chengyan smiled with relief, opening her mouth, but was interrupted by Second Brother, who said, “As expected of our big brother, hahaha.”

Ling Chengyan also joined in the laughter.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep