Looking at the bright, sparkling look in her eyes, Huo Tingzhou's heart felt as if gently brushed by a feather, soft and tingling.
He felt a twinge of regret. Had he known, he should have let her come see him during his training sessions in the military unit earlier.
"Si Si," Huo Tingzhou suddenly called out to her.
Jiang Si turned around and saw him standing still, his gaze fixed intently on her. "What is it?"
After she spoke, Huo Tingzhou didn't answer immediately. Instead, he carefully took out a round medal from his jacket pocket.
The medal had a simple and solemn design, with the August 1st Army Emblem in the center.
The words "All-Army Grand Competition" encircled the top, while golden wheat ears and a cogwheel supported the year at the bottom — 1970!
Before Jiang Si could clearly see the specific inscription on the back of the medal, Huo Tingzhou suddenly stepped forward and, with a solemn motion, pinned the medal, still warm from his body heat, onto her chest.
"It's crooked, move it a bit more to the center," Jiang Si looked down and couldn't help but remind him, "It looks best pinned right in the middle."
Hearing this, Huo Tingzhou's fingers paused for a moment, but he still pinned the medal slightly to the left.
At that moment, Jiang Si was still immersed in the surprise he had given her, unaware of the meaning behind his action.
It wasn't until several hours later, when Huo Tingzhou pinned an identical medal right beside it.
Seeing the two medals lined up side by side, Jiang Si finally realized belatedly.
He had intentionally left the space open in advance.
Of course, this wasn't out of arrogance.
It all stemmed from his awareness of his own capabilities.
Two days later, Huo Tingzhou lived up to expectations once again, bringing back two more gold medals from individual events.
Honors were inherently weighty, and medals from this era were especially substantial.
Although it might sound a bit boastful, wearing so many medals on her chest at once made Jiang Si feel her clothes could barely hold them up.
The two little ones were beside themselves with eagerness.
They craned their necks, pointing little fingers at their own chests.
Especially Suisui.
Seeing these shiny, jingling medals, the longing for military honors in his eyes was almost overflowing, wishing he could take her place!
"Daddy, want! Want!"
Huo Tingzhou bent down, ruffled his son's little head, and explained seriously, "There are no more. These are all Mommy's."
One could only enter a maximum of four events in the individual competitions.
Four medals, for his Si Si.
For Huo Tingzhou, the meaning was different.
It was rare for him to be so insistent on something, so Jiang Si didn't dampen his spirits.
Finally, the Old Master couldn't stand watching any longer. Once they returned home that day, he began rummaging through trunks and cabinets, covering his two great-grandsons with military medals.
...
Another two days passed, and the team events Huo Tingzhou participated in unsurprisingly also took first place.
These were collective honors, with no individual badges.
But leading his team to seven victories in seven matches, with an undefeated record, was enough to prove his formidable strength and leadership.
Many people could only look up to such achievements their entire lives, never coming close.
Of course, besides Huo Tingzhou, others also reaped a bountiful harvest at this Grand Competition.
Eldest Brother Huo won two first places and two second places in individual events, and his team event results were also far ahead.
Deputy Regiment Commander Lei participated in fewer events, only two, but performed excellently in both, steadily securing one gold and one silver.
As for Xiao Zhengjun, this time he also lived up to his nickname "Perennial Runner-up."
He won silver medals in four events in total. Fortunately, in the team events, he was in the same group as Huo Tingzhou. Relying on stable performance, he ultimately achieved an excellent record of three golds and four silvers.
This result far exceeded Teacher Hu's initial expectations.
Due to Xiao Zhengjun's outstanding performance at the Grand Competition, even before the competition officially ended, both the Air Force 24th Division and the Air Force 34th Division under the Beijing General Military Command had extended olive branches to him.
In terms of strength and equipment, these two elite units were on par.
However, although the Air Force 24th Division was under the Beijing General Military Command, its garrison was in Tangshan, Hebei Province, while the Air Force 34th Division's garrison was at Nanyuan Airport in Beijing.
The choice was practically a foregone conclusion.
Although he already had the answer in his heart, Xiao Zhengjun didn't give his final word until the last moment.
Fortunately, persistence paid off.
To express their sincerity, both sides proposed arranging suitable job positions for military dependents, solving the employment issue.
With that, Regimental Commander Xiao's anxious heart finally settled.
After completing the transfer procedures with the military unit, Regimental Commander Xiao's family prepared to set off back to Qiongzhou Island.
Moving an entire family was no small matter. Fortunately, his appointment order wasn't officially effective until January of the following year. It was just early November now, so they still had plenty of time.
After seeing off Teacher Hu and Sister-in-law Xu's families, good news finally arrived for Eldest Brother Huo a few days later.
His file was finally accepted by the tank regiment with the code name 51105 Unit.
This unit belonged to the 3rd Guards Division of the Beijing Garrison, stationed in Tong County, Beijing, primarily responsible for security and emergency operations in the eastern region of the capital.
However, the good news didn't stop there!
This time, Eldest Brother Huo not only successfully transferred to Beijing but also received a promotion in rank. After returning to Beijing to report on his duties, he would assume the position of Tank Regiment Commander.
Since the appointment order hadn't been officially issued yet, Father Huo only mentioned it to Mother Huo briefly before bed at night, so she would be aware.
"Regiment Commander?" At this, Mother Huo was wide awake, immediately sitting up from under the covers. "He was a Battalion Commander before. Shouldn't it be a lateral transfer or promotion to Deputy Regiment Commander as per convention? How did he jump directly to Regiment Commander!"
Having worked in the military system herself for most of her life, Mother Huo was very clear about the promotion rules.
The criteria for officer promotions were nothing more than those points.
The eldest son had earned quite a few merits this past year, and his performance at the Grand Competition was also commendable. But being promoted over a grade based on one or two meritorious deeds was still quite unexpected for Mother Huo.
Suddenly, she remembered the Military Commission's meetings that had lasted several days in a row.
With her keen sense of smell, Mother Huo immediately lowered her voice. "Old Huo, tell me the truth, have there been any policy changes from above?"
Since the documents were about to be issued officially, Father Huo didn't hide it from her.
There were indeed intentions from above to rectify the military system, which was also the core topic of their recent meetings.
One of the core measures proposed was the rejuvenation of senior cadres.
"This time, priority will be given to promoting excellent regimental-level cadres. Those who meet the conditions will be either key candidates for cultivation or exceptionally promoted."
"For branches stationed in harsh border areas or technology-intensive military branches, some appropriate consideration will also be given."
After a pause, Father Huo added, "The higher-ups also plan to use five to six years to ensure that the age of corps-level command cadres does not exceed 50, and division-level cadres do not exceed 45."
"We must vigorously promote young, educated, and capable cadres."
