Legendary Captain

Chapter 373 Second-Class Merit? First-Class Merit?

After an unknown amount of time, Xu Xian slowly woke up, feeling a splitting headache and his whole body was extremely sore and weak.

The moment he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Ying Ruoqing by the bedside.

"Awake?" Ying Ruoqing poured Xu Xian a glass of water with a blank expression and handed it to him.

Xu Xian frowned, clearly displeased with Ying Ruoqing. However, his mouth was dry, so he didn't force himself to drink. He took the tea and downed it in one gulp.

"How did I get here?" After taking a big gulp of water, his throat felt a bit better, and Xu Xian's mind gradually returned to normal. The last thing he could remember was rushing into the eye of the typhoon; he couldn't remember anything after that.

"You passed out on the plane. We brought you over once the typhoon subsided a bit." Ying Ruoqing looked at Xu Xian, then suddenly smiled. "Young Master, you always surprise people like this."

"Young Master? You're missing my foot!" Xu Xian cursed. "You've inherited all of your grandfather's feudalistic bad habits."

"If it weren't for your family taking us in back then, my grandfather and I would have starved to death somewhere long ago. You are my savior. My grandfather told me to call you Young Master, but what's wrong with that? It's just a form of address. Just listen to it and that's it. Do you really take it seriously?" Ying Ruoqing said with a smile.

From a very young age, she was instilled with all sorts of feudal master-servant concepts by her grandfather. She grew up with Xu Xian and called him "Young Master" for fifteen years.

However, Ying Ruoqing was different from her grandfather who was born in the old society. Her grandfather truly regarded himself as a servant of the Xu family, calling Xu Jingyang "Master" and Xu Xian "Young Master" with all sincerity.

Those who grew up in the old society still harbored feudal master-servant ideas. Ying Ruoqing was different; she never felt inferior to Xu Xian simply because she called him "Young Master Xu." Her views and thoughts were not influenced by her grandfather.

The reason she was willing to comply with her grandfather's request and address Xu Xian as "Young Master" was merely out of gratitude, and there was no other meaning behind it.

When they reunited at the Luohang base after a long separation, calling him "Young Master" was an unconscious act, after all, she had called him that for a full fifteen years. But now, when she calls Xu Xian "Young Master," it's more of a teasing remark.

"If I were to take this seriously, you'd have to warm my bed right now." Xu Xian snorted, but as soon as he raised his voice a little, his temples started to throb, forcing him to calm down again.

Ying Ruoqing gave a cold laugh: "Should I thank you for letting me off the hook?"

Ying Ruoqing and her grandfather's hometown were actually in the same place as Xu Xian's hometown. However, Ying Ruoqing and her grandfather were known for being extremely poor in their hometown. Just as the Xu family became wealthy, Xu Jingyang, perhaps out of genuine kindness, let Ying Ruoqing's grandfather work as his assistant.

Of course, Ying Ruoqing's grandfather was illiterate, so his role as an assistant was not related to business, but rather to household chores.

Later, Ying Ruoqing's grandfather, a kind and honest man, took care of almost everything in the family, except for business matters. He was essentially the Xu family's steward. When Xu Xian was young, Ying Ruoqing's grandfather even looked after him for a period of time.

Ying Ruoqing's grandfather was a truly grateful man, and having been born in the old society, he was heavily influenced by feudal ethics. The Xu family's willingness to take him and Ying Ruoqing in was practically a life-saving favor. Feeling he could never repay them, he willingly became a servant, diligently fulfilling his role as their steward.

Xu Jingyang was very uncomfortable being called "Grandpa" and had to correct Ying Ruoqing's way of addressing him many times. However, Ying Ruoqing's grandfather was stubborn and had been calling him that for more than ten years, so Xu Jingyang couldn't do anything about it.

As time went by, Xu Xian and Ying Ruoqing grew up. Xu Xian had always been a bright and intelligent young man, and he didn't have the spoiled attitude of a rich kid. Ying Ruoqing's grandfather liked him very much, genuinely.

Having lived to this age, Ying Ruoqing's grandfather had only two things to care about in his remaining days: the Xu family and his granddaughter, Ying Ruoqing.

He felt that Ying Ruoqing was also a clever girl with a decent appearance, and he had mentioned to Xu Jingyang more than once that he would follow Xu Xian after Ying Ruoqing grew up.

According to him, it didn't matter whether Xu Xian gave Ying Ruoqing a child or not in the future, as long as he could take good care of Ying Ruoqing. If he could have another child and give one to the Ying family, he could rest in peace even in the afterlife.

These words shattered Xu Jingyang's worldview. Wasn't this tantamount to asking him to treat Ying Ruoqing as Xu Xian's child bride? And not even give her a formal title later? Wasn't this blatant feudalistic thinking?

Xu Jingyang knew that Ying Ruoqing's grandfather was somewhat old-fashioned and feudal, as could be seen from how he addressed him. However, Ying Ruoqing's grandfather was stubborn, and no amount of persuasion could change his mind. Later, he thought it was just a matter of form of address, and he wouldn't really treat him as a servant, so he stopped worrying about it.

Unexpectedly, the issue of how he addressed his granddaughter was just a small part of the problem; his plans for her future were truly outrageous.

Unfortunately, Ying Ruoqing's grandfather was born before the founding of the People's Republic of China. At that time, feudalistic ideas were still very prevalent in China, especially in rural areas. Things that seem outrageous now were quite normal back then.

As the saying goes, "You can tell what a person will be like at three years old." The environment in which a person grows up has an extremely significant impact on their values ​​and beliefs. Once these values ​​and beliefs are formed, even if society changes in the future, their thinking will not fundamentally change.

For someone like Xu Jingyang, born and raised in the new era, it's impossible to understand Ying Ruoqing's grandfather's thoughts. Perhaps this isn't just a matter of ideology, but a crime.

In response, Xu Jingyang made it clear to him that he would have no objection if Xu Xian and Ying Ruoqing ended up together in the future. However, there would absolutely be no situation where his children's future would be forcibly arranged.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Ying Ruoqing's grandfather stopped mentioning it. However, unlike the hopes of their elders, Xu Xian and Ying Ruoqing had disliked each other since childhood and could never get along.

Ying Ruoqing, a girl with extremely high intelligence, simply couldn't stand Xu Xian, a boy with a lazy personality. Ying Ruoqing's dream was to accomplish something that would go down in history, so she worked harder than anyone else and couldn't tolerate any self-indulgence.

Ying Ruoqing was extremely precocious. Even at a very young age, she could see that Xu Xian was a highly creative person, and even by her high standards, Xu Xian possessed all the prerequisites to achieve fame. However, as Xu Xian grew up, Ying Ruoqing finally saw through his true nature.

For Ying Ruoqing, who always held herself to high standards, a life devoid of dreams was the most detestable thing.

Even if Xu Jingyang didn't object to her grandfather's suggestion to bring the two together, Ying Ruoqing herself would have vehemently opposed it if she knew about it.

Are you kidding me? Calling her "young master" a few times to make you happy is one thing, but you want her to be Xu Xian's child bride? Are you crazy? You can't even dream of something this outrageous!

However, later on, Xu Jingyang became obsessed with a high-stakes project, and was ultimately betrayed by Wen Jingshu's father, Wen Mingyuan, which caused the funding chain to break, and the Xu family's Tianyu Construction plummeted like a shooting star.

During this process, Ying Ruoqing and her grandson, who had been with the Xu family for over a decade, secretly absconded with more than eight million yuan. This caught Xu Jingyang and his son Xu Xian, who practically considered them family, completely off guard. They assumed that Ying Ruoqing and her grandson, seeing that the Xu family was on the verge of collapse and unable to save it, had run away first.

Xu Xian never saw Ying Ruoqing again until their encounter at the Luohang base.

It was precisely because Ying Ruoqing and her father left without saying goodbye that Xu Xian harbored some resentment towards Ying Ruoqing. They had disliked each other since childhood, and as they grew up, their animosity only intensified.

"What are you saying? Just because I'm with you doesn't mean I'm letting you off the hook! What's wrong with being with me? Is it such a hardship for you?" Xu Xian immediately bristled upon hearing this. How bad could he be? It was as if he'd been given a second chance at life by not being with him.

"Because I hate people who waste their talents, especially those who waste their abilities, and you happen to be one of them," Ying Ruoqing stated bluntly. However, the next second, she smiled and asked, "But you really are blessed with talent. The crew said you calculated the evasive maneuver in your head? Is that true?"

Xu Xian looked at Ying Ruoqing, who was leaning closer, with disdain: "What's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong?" Ying Ruoqing asked with a wry smile, "Don't you really know how difficult this is?"

"Difficult?" Xu Xian sneered. "You're right, it's definitely difficult for you. But for me, it's a piece of cake."

Basically, Xu Xian was practically saying that anyone with hands could handle this.

"A piece of cake, huh?" Ying Ruoqing slowly rose to her feet. "What a piece of cake! You really are that talented young master!"

"Are you deliberately trying to disgust me?" Xu Xian hated it when Ying Ruoqing called him "Young Master," feeling it was a sarcastic remark from her.

"Why would I want to disgust you?" Ying Ruoqing frowned. "I heard you've officially joined the Third Division of the Western Air Force?"

"You seem to have some pretty good connections," Xu Xian said, shifting up impatiently. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Since you've agreed to join the army, things must have changed a lot since then," Ying Ruoqing said seriously. "Xu Xian, why don't you come with me to do scientific research?"

"What did you say? She wants to drag you into doing scientific research? Really?" By the hospital bedside, Ye Qing looked at Xu Xian suspiciously, trying to figure out if Xu Xian was lying.

Upon learning that Xu Xian was hospitalized, Ye Qing rushed over immediately. By then, three days had passed since the incident, and the typhoon had subsided considerably, so Ye Qing arrived without any major problems.

That's right, Xu Xian was unconscious for almost three days.

Xu Xian said speechlessly, "Why would I lie to you? What benefit would I get from lying to you?"

"Who says there are no benefits?"

"Huh?" Xu Xian was taken aback: "What other benefits are there? I didn't know that."

Ye Qing rolled her eyes: "Are you kidding me?"

Xu Xian was speechless on the spot: "Playing with you is less interesting than playing with a monkey. Are you more interesting than a little monkey? Seriously, are all you researchers out of your minds? I'm so old, and I have no foundation whatsoever, yet you come up to me seriously and tell me to do research? Is this some kind of serious illness?"

Hearing this, Ye Qing wasn't surprised at all: "How old are you? Twenty-three or twenty-four, I think? Foundation? The basics are static; many groundbreaking scientific advancements are difficult to achieve through years of accumulation. I think scientific research is a job with very clear stratification. For mid-level, and even some high-level achievements, it can be achieved through accumulation, but for top-level achievements, it still depends on talent. Ninety-nine percent of the effort is important, but what determines everything is that one percent of talent. You can spend a few years building a solid foundation; that won't delay anything. The golden age for researchers is before thirty-five; you still have more than ten years, you have plenty of time. Why did you say Ying Ruoqing has a serious illness? She's being serious with you because she thinks highly of you."

"Oh my god, she actually thinks highly of me? Should I thank her for thinking highly of me?" Xu Xian said sarcastically.

"You have a really bad temper," Ye Qing laughed. "But I've heard about your situation too. To be honest, let alone her, I'm even thinking of getting you into research. Your brain is too good for you; flying planes is a waste. If you really want to try research, I can introduce you to some professors."

Xu Xian was speechless: "Don't joke with me. Do you think I'm the kind of person who can calm down and do research properly? I finally got serious about flying, and you still expect me to change my mind."

"Smart people are still a rare commodity. No matter how well you fly, your influence is limited. Scientific research, on the other hand, has the real potential to change the world. Are you really not considering it?" Ye Qing said with a smile.

Xu Xian: "You have to eat one bite at a time, or you'll choke."

"The golden age for scientific research is before the age of thirty-five. After that, a person's overall innovative ability declines. Most famous scientists in history achieved their important results before the age of thirty or forty. There are exceptions, but they are rare." Ye Qing said, then became curious: "By the way, what's your relationship with Ying Ruoqing? She used to call you 'Young Master,' oh my, it was so cheesy."

Looking at Ye Qing's gossipy expression, Xu Xian was extremely disgusted: "What kind of nonsense are you thinking about? Can't you think of something cleaner? By the way, what did the Fourth Division say? The plans have all been disrupted, haven't they?"

Xu Xian's coma disrupted all subsequent training plans, which worried him greatly.

"Of course! You were unconscious for less than three days. Even if the tests show nothing seriously wrong, you'll still need to stay in the hospital for observation for two more days. That would definitely disrupt the training schedule," Ye Qing said with a smile. "But don't worry. I heard that you're determined to prevent the South China Sea Fleet Command's terrain data from being leaked, and you're adamant about not uploading the data. Is that true?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Xu Xian said casually.

"What else? Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't expect that! Xu Xian, when did you become so aware of the importance of this?" Ye Qing was very satisfied with Xu Xian's awareness of the confidentiality of the South China Sea Fleet Command's terrain data: "The cockpit voice recorder has been decoded. You personally said that the South China Sea Fleet Command's terrain data must not be leaked, and there was even a Guangdong Air Force pilot on board at the time, right? Wow, this time you've really brought honor to our Western Air Force. It seems that the South China Sea Fleet commander was very impressed with you after hearing about this. I was worried that you might have some difficulty adapting to life in the 4th Naval Aviation Division, but now it seems there's no need to worry. Even the South China Sea Fleet commander has a high opinion of you, isn't that your biggest backer? Impressive, Xu Xian."

"What?! The way you're making it sound like I'm deliberately refusing to use their terrain data just to win favor with the Southern Fleet. It makes me sound a bit opportunistic!" Xu Xian said, somewhat disgruntled. "But where are the crews now? Back at Yunnan-Guizhou base?"

Xu Xian had previously learned that the captain had landed him after he lost consciousness. Inside the typhoon's eye, the weather was almost completely calm, with not even any broken clouds, so the landing wasn't particularly difficult.

"Yeah! They returned to Yunnan the day after the bureau's investigation. What's wrong? Is there anything else?" Ye Qing asked. "Xu Xian, you really can't stay still for a moment. But your performance was really... How could you calculate the flight trajectory in your head? That takes a lot of calculation."

"I figured it out as I calculated it." Xu Xian felt uncomfortable lying down, so he threw off the covers and got out of bed. Apart from feeling a little dizzy and hungry, he didn't feel any other discomfort.

Xu Xian twisted his waist slightly to loosen his muscles and bones: "I'm fine, I remember I almost had a nosebleed on the plane."

Ye Qing: "It's nothing serious. You were probably overworking your brain, which caused your blood pressure to rise and the capillaries in your nasal mucosa to rupture. Your nasal mucosa seems a bit thin, doesn't it? Do you usually get nosebleeds a lot?"

"My nasal mucosa is a bit thin, and I get nosebleeds very easily when I'm in Yunnan, especially in winter," Xu Xian said.

The climate in Yunnan is naturally quite dry, especially in winter. Xu Xian's hometown is in Shandong Province, a coastal province that is more humid. Therefore, Xu Xian is not used to the dry climate of Yunnan. In addition, Xu Xian has naturally thin nasal mucosa, and he often finds blood on his pillow when he wakes up in the morning.

"Then everything's fine. But just to be safe, you should stay here for a couple of days to observe." Ye Qing waved to Xu Xian, "Don't do anything reckless. Can't you just lie down? Once you're sure everything's alright, there will be plenty of training missions to keep you comfortable, right?"

Xu Xian shook his head: "Do you think I would be able to get up if I wasn't feeling well? Right now, my head is still a little dizzy, and I'm a bit hungry. Is there anything to eat here?"

"Do you want to eat? Or have some porridge? I'll get it for you in a bit. Watch what you eat these next few days, avoid anything oily. Don't cause any trouble, get yourself back in shape, and get back to training as soon as possible." Ye Qing saw that Xu Xian was speaking clearly and distinctly, so he knew that Xu Xian was probably alright. He then got down to business: "Xu Xian, you've done a great job this time. Just wait for your reward."

"Great achievement? How great an achievement is it?" Xu Xian swayed his waist, unconcerned.

"To be honest, in your case, you've basically had a brush with death. Logically, you should be eligible for a first-class merit award," Ye Qing said. "However, your situation is somewhat special, and the first-class merit award is still a bit uncertain."

"First-class merit? That can't be right." Xu Xian was somewhat incredulous. "If this can earn a first-class merit, then I'm really missing out. There was a dangerous materials leak incident before, which was even more dangerous than this. If they were really going to award merit, wouldn't they be giving out an honorary title?"

Domestic awards are divided into five levels, with the highest being an honorary title, followed by a first-class merit, then a second-class merit, then a third-class merit, and finally a commendation.

According to national regulations, the standards for awarding first, second, and third-class merits are rather vague. Normally, the highest honorary titles and the lowest commendations are relatively easy to distinguish, but first, second, and third-class merits are more difficult to differentiate.

To use a rather crude method, if a mission is initially assessed as having no or a very low probability of danger, and the soldier completes it, it's a third-class merit. If the mission is assessed as potentially dangerous, and the soldier does encounter some danger during the mission, and the mission is completed, it's a second-class merit. Finally, if the mission is assessed as extremely dangerous, and the soldier encounters a clear life-threatening danger during the mission, it's a first-class merit.

This is a very crude method of differentiation, but it still has some reference value. At least at the level of First-Class Merit, many of these awards are posthumously awarded to martyrs.

In fact, given Xu Xian's situation, he protected national and public property and genuinely threatened lives. Ye Qing felt that Xu Xian could barely be awarded a first-class merit. However, simply meeting the criteria doesn't guarantee an award; many other factors must be considered.

In Xu Xian's mind, the previous hazardous materials leak was the real danger, at least more dangerous than this one.

In Xu Xian's mind, he had no concept of the value of everything he had done or the things he could save, so he was extremely surprised when Ye Qing said that he might be awarded a first-class merit.

"Don't get cocky," Ye Qing laughed. "You're a battalion-level officer now. Whether you get a second-class or first-class merit depends on the military region's decision. If you get a first-class merit this time, your future will be limitless!"

Because Xu Xian is now an officer, the level at which his meritorious service is approved is higher. Otherwise, if Xu Xian were an ordinary non-commissioned officer or conscript, a second-class merit would be approved at the division/brigade level, and a first-class merit at the army level. However, Xu Xian's case requires approval at the military region level.

(End of this chapter)