Chapter 924: Chapter 797: Are You Really My Own Sister?

Zhou Jiao held the file bag with the certificate, medal, and bonus, walked out the gate with a few classmates, waved and parted ways, and hurried her steps.

"Sis, my dear sis, wait for your brother."

Zhou Jiao turned her head and wrinkled her nose. "Hold it together! You’re about to turn into a complete idiot."

Yi Jiefang, grinning, pointed at himself dismissively. "You ever seen such a handsome and high-spirited idiot like your brother? Take a look—how is it? A fine figure of a man, right?"

"Right! My admiration for you is like the surging Yangtze River, endlessly flowing on, and like the Yellow River flooding, once it bursts it’s impossible to hold back. Looking at all the great figures through the ages, you’re the one that tops the list!"

Yi Jiefang was amused into even more hearty laughter by the words she came out with so casually.

"Don’t laugh yourself stupid. There are still countless first-class and second-class merits waving at us in the future."

Upon hearing this, Yi Jiefang raised his hand and made a cheering gesture too!

This drew glances from passersby, making Zhou Jiao so embarrassed she just wanted to yell that she didn’t know this blockhead, and she kept urging him to hurry up.

After a few playful jabs, Yi Jiefang asked the question he’d been hiding in his heart: "Did Xiao Wu enlist the year before last?"

"How did you know?"

Once Yi Jiefang heard that, he understood that it was really the case. Seeing that she didn’t refute it, he smugly pointed at himself. "Last year when we went out for internship, he was both training and interning. Last semester he was training with those national defense students as well. I could tell it was pretty much a sure thing."

"You can’t really call it enlisting. The higher-ups picked him. Back then he switched from a promoted cadre student to a national defense student. After going round and round, it would’ve been better if he had just gone straight to a military academy at the start."

Yi Jiefang shot her a disdainful look. How could that be the same? After graduation he’d go to a military academy to study for a few months and come out with two diplomas, enjoying the same treatment as military academy students, and he’d get an extra five years of relaxed campus life for free.

But remembering he still had to butter up this girl, he shamelessly smiled and said, "What do you think of your brother?"

Zhou Jiao’s eyes were smiling as she nodded. "Pretty good."

"Then why is no one asking whether I’ll become a national defense student?"

Zhou Jiao stopped walking, looked at him in fake surprise, and pointed at him. "No way? Weren’t you dead set against going into the army?"

"Alright, drop the act, it’s too fake! Help your brother think of something, I have to stick with Xiao Wu."

Zhou Jiao continued walking. "Is that necessary? You’re both in Beijing. What day is it you can’t see each other?"

Yi Jiefang quickened his pace, looked around them, and lowered his voice. "I don’t know why Xiao Wu changed his mind, but it must be because of you, right? Otherwise he’d be dying to get assigned to the same unit as you."

"Are you really your brother’s own sister? You can actually bear to let your brother work himself to death and, if he’s not careful, get sent off somewhere to eat sand? Sure enough, daughters are outward bound, you only worry about your man!"

"Back in summer when Da Yong and the others graduated, I heard about where they were assigned and got a fright on the spot. Good lord, even within Beijing they were scattered all over the place."

"And assignments don’t even match majors anymore. You don’t know, several people in our dorm building actually regret it now. Who could have guessed the higher-ups would tighten control this much. Too bad there’s nothing to be done now—no one dares pull strings."

"Jiao Jiao, you’re smart. Help your brother think of something. I asked my dad, and he told me to just enlist directly. Is that what I meant? He even told me I don’t have to wait until graduation."

Zhou Jiao hurriedly signaled for him to shut up.

As the saying goes, the onlooker sees clearly; yet Yi Jiefang still hadn’t understood that with this second-class merit, plus his past excellent performance, and being a soldier’s son, he could very likely get approved just by applying directly.

Yi Jiefang looked totally confused, his gaze following where her finger pointed—at the award he had just received. "You want that bonus? Sure, I’ll give it to you."

"Aren’t you usually pretty quick on the uptake? What is honor!" Zhou Jiao glared at him in amused exasperation. "Da Yi, it’s only because it’s you. I really don’t want to meddle in this for anyone else. You have to first think through whether it’s even necessary to switch to a military post. This concerns your future; you need to think it over seriously."

Yi Jiefang stopped walking with her, nodded solemnly, and said earnestly, "Thanks, sis."

Zhou Jiao smiled and shook her head, then walked on. "Think it through a few more days. Right now national defense needs more talent. If you apply right at the start of the semester, it’s still in time."

"Alright, I’ve got a sense of it. Speaking of which, let your brother ask you something—any clues about your assignment yet? My grand-uncle said you’re not the same as us."

Zhou Jiao shook her head. "I’m a real brick—you move me wherever needs patching. Let’s see the assignment first. If it really gets too hard, I’ll just stay home and look after kids."

Yi Jiefang knew she meant it. Otherwise she’d never say something so ’rebellious’. Oh sure, the country trains you so you can pick and choose the cushy spots?

Exactly because they were all the same kind of people that he felt they got along and could really be friends. Compared to those who spout high-sounding words but run around everywhere in private, people like them were much more genuine.

When he got off at the bus stop and watched her walk away, Yi Jiefang turned into his own Big Courtyard. By the time he got home, his parents, who were on their noon break, and his older brother and sister-in-law were already all at home waiting for his return.

"Little brother, come on, let your big bro take a look." Eldest Yi, Yi Changzheng, beamed as he took the file bag from his hands.

Mrs. Yi and the elder daughter-in-law were helping the auntie set out the bowls and chopsticks. "Don’t rush. Our whole family will talk as we eat."

"Mom, are you happy today?"

"Happy! Even happier than the year he got into university. I’ve never had to worry about the eldest, and now the youngest is shaping up too. Once he marries a wife, there’ll be nothing left for me to fret over."

"How could Little Uncle ever have trouble finding a partner? That girl Aunt Tang mentioned last time, what did you think of her?"

Mrs. Yi shook her head. "That little girl from the Art Troupe isn’t suitable for the youngest. She’s running all over the place every day and won’t be able to look after a home. And the way she treated you that day when she came over... a girl like that is too lively in her heart."

Eldest Sister-in-law finally felt the stone in her heart drop. She liked this one younger brother-in-law so much she’d really been worried they’d get a high-and-mighty sister-in-law who didn’t get along with her.

Off to the side, Mr. Yi interjected, "There’s no rush about the youngest’s marriage. I have a few old comrades-in-arms whose daughters are pretty good. We’ll talk about it after he graduates."

On hearing that, Yi Jiefang rolled his eyes. No way was he marrying those pampered young ladies. "Dad, let’s make this clear first. If she hasn’t graduated from university, no. If she isn’t better looking than me, no. If she’s not as virtuous as my sister-in-law, no. Her height can’t be under one-sixty or over one-seventy, her weight can’t be under ninety or over a hundred and twenty..."

Just as Mr. Yi sat down, he raised his chopsticks, about to knock him on the head, but Yi Jiefang dodged nimbly.

Yi Jiefang said with a squinty grin, "On those conditions, I’ll listen to you and go into the army. How about it?"

"Really?"

"Absolutely! I feel like I have a soldier’s uprightness and hot blood in my bones. Standing on the commendation platform today, I suddenly realized I’m suited to be a soldier."

Mr. Yi wasn’t about to believe this speech from his youngest son. He scrutinized him suspiciously.

"Tomorrow when school starts, I’ll go apply to join the army and officially become a national defense student, devote the knowledge I’ve learned over five years to the cause of national defense, and devote myself to the country with a single heart..."

"Alright, alright." Mr. Yi could hardly fail to see his youngest son’s intention and cut him off, amused and exasperated. Still, compared to how this damned kid had kicked up a fuss about not going to the military academy back then, this was already pretty good.

Going the civil-service route is fine too! As long as he puts on that uniform, he doesn’t believe the boy won’t grow to love this profession.