Chapter Eighty-sixth As the Purest Soldier

  Ji Xin'an took advantage of the remaining free time before school started to bring back some local specialties from his hometown. Since it's not yet the 15th, it can also be considered as a New Year's visit. It's been so long since he got back and he still hasn't formally greeted his masters for the new year.

  "Ah, Ah, you're here, come in quickly. It's been some days since I've seen you." Liu Lihua opened the door and saw Ji Xinan had arrived, immediately becoming excited. For a while, Ji Xinan was always around, but now that she hadn't seen her for so many days, she wasn't used to it yet.

  "Happy New Year, Master's wife. Happy New Year, Master." As soon as she came in, Ji Xin'an smiled and greeted them for the new year, her eyes narrowing into a slit from smiling.

  "How are you doing? How about your parents, are they still in good health?" Liu Lihua laughed even more happily after hearing this.

  "It's all good, this is a specialty from my hometown that I brought back, take it and try some." Ji Xin'an said as she brought in the food she had brought, saying there was some, but actually filling an entire box.

  "Come on, you've come so many times, why are you still bringing things? You're treating yourself like an outsider." Although Liu Lihua said this, she was actually extremely happy in her heart, not because of the amount of things, but because Ji Xin'an had this kind of intention.

  "This is a specialty of my hometown, and it's all free. Try them out and see which one tastes good, I'll ask them to mail more over." Ji Xin'an familiarly put the things in her hand into the storage cabinet.

  "An An, when did you come back?" Zou Weiguo asked excitedly as he saw Ji Xinan arrive.

  "I've been back for two or three days, but I've been staying at home with my parents. Today they went to work and that's when I came over. I should have come earlier, but now it's almost the end of the year before I arrived." Ji Xin'an felt a bit embarrassed as Liu Lihua put away her things before coming over to sit across from their teacher.

  "An'an, you're doing the right thing. The college entrance exam is coming up soon and you won't be able to stay at home for much longer. From now on, you'll have less and less time at home, so take advantage of the time you have now to spend more time with your dad and mom." Zou Weiguo nodded in approval after hearing this.

  "Yes, it was better when we were in school, there were winter and summer vacations. But after being assigned to the troops, isn't it hard to even ask for leave?" Zhi Xin'an knew that the troops also had family visitation leaves, but having seen Zhou Weiguo's situation over the years, she didn't say anything.

  "It can be said, but it also depends on what unit you are in and what position you hold. If you're a non-combat officer in a regular unit, there's still leave for visiting family, and taking time off is relatively easy to get approved. But if you're in a rapid reaction force, it's not that simple. Even thinking about going home once is a luxury." Zou Weiguo explained with a smile, knowing that this answer might be a bit harsh for a child, but also wanting him to know early on and prepare himself well, and besides, Ji Xin'an wasn't someone who would scare easily.

  "It's really like that, isn't it? It's possible that I won't be able to return home for two or three years, just like Master. Although I already knew a bit about it, after getting confirmation from Zou Weiguo, I still feel a little disappointed in my heart, and I don't know how worried my parents will be."

  "Not everyone is like me, it depends on where you end up. What's wrong, regretting now? You can still make it if you don't go to the army and become your own boss, you can go home whenever you want." Zhou Weiguo had undergone a huge change in his mindset since he got injured, especially towards these kids, he no longer thought that being a soldier was the best career, they have their own lives and should be allowed to make their own choices.

  "That's not it, I just don't want my family to worry about me." Ji Xin'an smiled somewhat awkwardly.

  "It's not that serious, you can go to a more relaxed unit. By the way, have you thought about what major you want to study in college? This is related to where you will be assigned later, it's better to plan ahead." Zou Weiguo was really concerned about her, and Ji Xin'an hadn't even gone to college yet, but he had already thought that far ahead for her.

  "I haven't thought about it yet, Master. Can you help me consider it? What major would be suitable for me to study?" Ji Xin'an had only thought about joining the army, but had never considered that military schools also have different majors. Now that it was mentioned, he took the opportunity to ask Zhou Weiguo for advice.

  Zou Weiguo listened and then said after a moment of contemplation: "The junior command major does not admit female students, no matter how excellent you are, you can't take the exam. However, other majors all admit female students, your studies are so good that it's not a problem to learn anything. Now there is also a lack of high-tech personnel in the army, such as computer science, communications, command automation and so on, these are all talents needed by the troops, after graduation they will definitely be in high demand."

  "It's possible to study these professions, but after graduation, they all end up being office workers, staring at computers and various devices every day. Apart from wearing military uniforms, what's the difference between this and working in a local place? My goal is to be a real soldier, just like you, fighting on the battlefield and living a true military life, where every day is different." Ji Xin'an didn't want to waste his youth stuck in an office anymore.

  "It's indeed different to be a real soldier, but that would mean going to the battlefield, have you thought about it?" Zou Weiguo didn't feel too surprised after hearing this, having known her for so many years, he knew that Ji Xin'an's excellence wasn't just limited to academics, if she really became an administrative officer, it would be a waste of her other talents.

  "I hadn't thought about this problem, but since I'm a soldier, I want to be the best. I know there might be danger, but my dream is to be a real soldier. If you're not on the battlefield, what's the point of being a soldier?" Ji Xin'an said with a smile, she yearns for the life of Old A in "Soldier Assault", but doesn't know if she'll have the chance to encounter such a unit.

  "It seems you've already made up your mind, I was just worrying for nothing." Zou Weiguo chuckled to himself, apparently having prepared for many years, both physically and mentally.

  "How could it be? I'm asking you for advice, or else I would know what to do." Zhi Xin'an knew he wasn't really angry.

  "If you want to go to the field army, learning those high-tech specialties is also very popular. After all, it's not the era of millet plus rifles anymore. The more hard-fought troops are, the more they need advanced weapons, and people like you who can operate advanced equipment are exactly what they lack. Our superiors allocated a communication vehicle to our unit two years ago, but inside were computer-controlled devices that no one knew how to use, until last year when a high-achieving student from the National Defense University joined us, and only then did it find its use. So, people with such talents are in great demand." Zou Weiguo knew that even if Ji Xin'an went to the field army, she would not be content with just doing equipment work in the command center, but even in the most dangerous troops, technical personnel like her would still be kept relatively far away from danger.

  "Master, can studying computer science also go to the front line?" Ji Xin'an thought that if he could study his favorite major and also go to the front line as a combat unit, it would be a perfect combination.

  "Of course, if you go on a mission and need to retrieve some information, it's all stored on computers now. And the important stuff is encrypted. If there isn't someone in this group who knows how to use a computer, then no matter how capable they are, how can they complete their mission?" Zhou Weiguo may be older, but he still keeps up with military affairs. Even when he's at home with nothing to do, he reads new books on military topics.

  Ji Xin'an listened and felt the same way, thinking that in past lives she had watched TV dramas or movies where people would go somewhere, take out a notebook, and if they needed to crack a password, they would tap away at it, and that was it. She always thought that was nonsense, but after listening to Zou Weiguo's words, she finally understood that art really does come from life.

  Zou Ze came out of the kitchen with a plate of washed apples in his hand, took one and stuffed it into Ji Xinan's hand, "What are you so happy about."

  "Now An'an is going to the battlefield to kill enemies." Zou Weiguo can now joke with his son.

  "Battleground? Dad, you're exaggerating, it's a peaceful era now, where did the battleground come from? And even if there is danger, with so many male soldiers, why would they need female soldiers to go up? You're just scaring Anan." Zou Ze heard their conversation and smiled lightly. Although he was a military brat, what he saw were all those non-combatant military personnel. His father was also in a confidential unit, so he had always been unaware of his work nature. This time, getting injured was just an accident, and it wasn't like the special forces TV dramas that filled the airwaves later on, so in Zou Ze's mind, Qi Xin'an going to be a soldier wouldn't have any danger at all.

  Zou Weiguo smiled and remained silent, while Ji Xin'an continued, "The master didn't mean that kind of large-scale war, he meant a broader battlefield. Although it's a peaceful era now, there are still local conflicts, and many troops are prepared for such sudden events. As you said, it is indeed necessary to have male soldiers, but in many special situations, female soldiers are also needed."

  "There are also dangers for female soldiers, can't you just choose a safe one? There are so many female soldiers in our compound, don't they all live peacefully?" Zou Ze's face turned pale as soon as he heard this. He had always thought that Ji Xin'an being a soldier was just a slightly special occupation, but he had never thought that there would be any danger involved.

  "When soldiers are in danger, how can they not be in danger? If you want to be a real soldier, you have to be prepared to face injury or even sacrifice at any time. If it's just going to sit in the office, then why not come back and start a company with Song Ge instead? Why bother attending military school?" Ji Xin'an said, biting into an apple, without noticing Zou Ze's expression.

  Zou Ze suddenly didn't know how to speak up. This was the ideal she had been pursuing for many years, and she couldn't oppose it herself, nor did she have the qualifications to do so.

  But when he thought that Ji Xin'an would be in danger, and he could only watch without being able to do anything, he couldn't help but ask himself 'Do I really love her?' It turns out I'm just as selfish as Yao Wenhuang.