Chapter 597: A Bizarre Letter of Commendation
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Here’s the map.” Everyone was nervous as they noticed the change in Zhai Sheng’s expression. Could it be that what Song Yin heard was an important piece of information?
Song Yin’s pronunciation was not only strange but out of tune. Besides the few keywords, Zhai Sheng could only guess what he was saying. He then tried to determine the location based on the terrain displayed on the map. “This is the coordinate. We will set off now. Inform the border guards and tell them to wear bulletproof vests. We are dealing with a bunch of vicious guys.”
“Yes, Regiment Commander Zhai.”
Everyone was ready to go. They looked serious and solemn.
Someone could not help but approach Song Yin. “Song Yin, are you sure you didn’t get it wrong?” It was the arms trade and it could be a serious case. But the problem was that Regiment Commander Zhai made a guess based on what Song Yin said.
Among them, Song Yin’s had a better grasp of the English language. However, Song Yin was not fluent in English. Besides, they had a long conversation in English, and Song Yin merely repeated the last sentence of their conversation. What if it was interpreted out of context?
“I find it strange. It’s the arms trade we are talking about. This is… This is a very serious matter. Why would the two foreigners discuss such important and secretive matters in broad daylight and in an alley instead of a place where there’s nobody else? They could not be so foolish. I just feel that it may not be true.”
Song Yin had an awkward look on his face. He could only understand simple English. He had no idea of the meaning behind the sentence he memorized.
If he had not heeded Teacher Xiao Qiao’s advice to listen to English tapes, he would not have been able to remember roughly the pronunciation of the sentence.
Song Yin, who was quite confident in what he said, stiffened and lost his confidence under everyone’s doubts and suspicions.
What if he did not remember the exact wording and gave the wrong information to Regiment Commander Zhai, putting everyone in great risk? What should he do?
“All of you don’t have to doubt what Song Yin said. According to what he relayed to me, the other party has a sudden change of mind and wants to complete the trade immediately.” It happened so suddenly. Hence, the group had no time to find a quiet and safe place to discuss it over. They could only pass the information at the fastest speed when they met.
“Is that what it means?” The group of people kept staring at Song Yin, making him turn red in embarrassment.
Song Yin waved his hands awkwardly. “Don’t look at me. I have already said that I merely repeated what they said. I could barely remember the pronunciation. I don’t understand what they were talking about!” If Regiment Commander Zhai had not mentioned it, he would not have known the meaning of the sentence that he repeated to them.
“Have you informed the border guards?”
“Reporting to the Regiment Commander Zhai, we have informed them.”
“Okay, let’s set off now!”
“Yes, Regiment Commander Zhai!”
That night, Qiao Nan did not know that Zhai Sheng was carrying out a dangerous mission. She used to read about ways to describe ‘fierce battle’ in her textbooks, but she did not know that right then, Zhai Sheng and his comrades were braving the storm of shots and shells.
The new semester had started at Ping Cheng High School. Qiao Nan and her batch of students had advanced to the second year, and there was another new batch of first-year students. They had turned from juniors to someone’s seniors.
Ping Cheng High School was bustling with activities right now.
It was at this time that Ping Cheng High School received a special honor that came from the army. It was a letter of gratitude and commendation, in which Qiao Nan was specifically praised and commended.
The letter of commendation did not go into details as it involved country secrets, so it was inconvenient for the army to disclose it to the public.
However, the army recognized Qiao Nan’s contribution and assistance to the camp, as well as her efforts. They commended Qiao Nan for assisting the soldiers in completing the mission of defending the country.
This alone was the utmost praise that anyone could have received!
“What a great achievement, Qiao Nan! When did you assist the soldiers in completing the mission of defending the country? Did I hear wrongly?” Tang Mengran dug her ears.
Fang Fang could not stand it. She pulled at Tang Mengran’s hands. “Stop doing that. If you continue to do so, your ears will bleed. By then, you won’t be able to hear anything.”
“But why does it feel so surreal? Nan Nan is a high school student!” How was it possible for her to accomplish such difficult, arduous, and sacred task?
“I, I don’t know.” Qiao Nan was caught unaware as well. “Since school reopened, we have been seeing each other every day. All of you should know what I have been doing.”
Could it be that the army had got the wrong person?
She had not done anything.
No matter what, this was not a small matter. The school management held a commendation ceremony on the same day, and Qiao Nan was the center of attention.
Qiao Nan felt terribly flustered seeing her name printed in bold and in extremely large fonts. If it turned out to be a mistake, she would be totally embarrassed.
“Teacher Xiao Qiao!”
Just when Qiao Nan was feeling uneasy, someone called her ‘Teacher Xiao Qiao’. It had been a long time since someone addressed her in this manner and she seemed to have returned to the days when she was at the army camp during the summer break. “You, you are?” She felt embarrassed as she had no memory of who the soldier was.
“Teacher Xiao Qiao, it’s me. My surname is Song. I am Song Yin!” Song Yin looked exhilarated. On his green military uniform, a red flower that signified glory was pinned right in front of his chest. “Teacher Xiao Qiao, thank you, thank you very much. I, I don’t know what to say. Teacher Xiao Qiao, thank you. Without you, I would not be where I am today. Teacher Xiao Qiao, you, you have given me a new lease of life. Teacher Xiao Qiao, thank you so much.”
Song Yin was too emotional. He did not know what else he should say. He kept repeating his words of gratitude.
Qiao Nan’s hand was caught in a tight grip by Song Yin. She grimaced at the pain. “Is the army thankful toward me, or is it you who are thankful toward me?”
“We are all thankful to you!” Song Yin said affirmatively. “Teacher Xiao Qiao, I was awarded the third-class merit in the recent mission that I carried out with Regiment Commander Zhai!” Very soon, he would be promoted to the platoon leader!
“Third-class merit? C-congratulations to you.” Despite everything, she still had no idea why the school held a commendation ceremony.
Since the letter of commendation did not go into details, the school called Qiao Nan to the principal’s office in order to understand the situation. Qiao Nan gave her honest reply. “Back then, I learned English from an old gentleman. During the summer break, I went to the army camp for a half-month internship as an English teacher. It’s that simple.”
She merely taught a few shoddy, inauthentic, and unsystematic English that was not according to the usual standard. She had not done anything significant.
Could it be that Brother Zhai came up with this idea to award her so that Auntie Miao would accept her?
Not to this extent!
Brother Zhai had always been scrupulous in separating public from private interests. Furthermore, the whole school knew about it. It seemed to be getting out of hand. “Principal, will what happened today be an added bonus in the college entrance examination?”