Chapter 802: The Meaning of a Hero

"Understood!" An Yinan had Xiao Guo carry the ledgers, and without looking back, she stepped onto the plane.

The plane was a military aircraft, and the pilots were all soldiers; when An Yinan boarded, they didn't adjust their equipment first, but instead stood up in unison and gave a military salute.

"Salute to the hero."

The leader among them roared loudly, his voice trembling, and everyone's expression was filled with emotion.

The Gun King Special Training—those who could walk back alive were their heroes; they had pioneered a new path in Huaxia's history, adding a bold and vibrant stroke to a previously blank page for Huaxia.

"No, we are all heroes. Charging forward is heroic, and keeping watch in silence is also heroic." An Yinan's expression was rarely emotional; she stood at the very front, the commander of the team, the soul of the three-person group.

"Salute!"

As the word fell, everyone else in Huaxia, excluding those from the Gun King Special Training, collectively gave a standard military salute; with such solemn expressions and straight backs, the soldiers of Huaxia had never once retreated.

"Let's go, the Leaders are waiting for you." The pilot shouted, his face full of smiles.

He had picked up the heroes who had braved the Gun King Special Training, the ones who had been the first to make the red flag fly over the Flag Field; he was proud!

"Welcome."

That enthusiastic applause came from the ground, and even the roar of the plane could not drown it out.

"Reporting to the Leaders, An Yinan, Zhang Qian, and Chen Xun have completed the mission, please instruct!" An Yinan strode forward, with Chen Xun and Zhang Qian following closely behind; the three of them stood before the Leaders, looking at the faces that were somewhat moved, their hearts filled with countless emotions.

Only at this moment did she understand what this time had represented.

Although she was not a soldier, and she had been the duck forced onto the perch, yet... she was still proud.

This time, they had caught up with the international military pace, and this time, they had allowed the Huaxia soldiers to stand tall before the world.

This time, it was a battle to turn the tide, and also a desperate gamble.

No one knew what the Leaders had endured, how much the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had borne, or how much pressure the three of them—An Yinan and the others—had carried in their hearts.

Many people only saw the result, only saw the surface; they would applaud if they won, and scoff if they lost, and that would be the end of it.

But they could not!

Win, and return home in glory; lose, and have no place to be buried.

It was they who were gambling everything, but was it not also the country?

"We said, you go, we send you off; you return, we welcome you."

"Comrade An Yinan, Comrade Chen Xun, Comrade Zhang Qian, welcome back." The old gentleman's face wore a smile of relief, his expression rarely so moved.

A convoy of over a dozen military jeeps headed toward the Beijing Military Region.

"Comrade An Yinan, fearless of difficulties, meeting challenges head-on, leading the team to win this victory—applause."

The applause was not boisterous, because those present were the country's current Marshals, the country's highest leaders, and the heads of various departments; any one of them could make Huaxia tremble with a single word.

Yet, they had all collectively attended an awards ceremony.

"Comrade An Yinan, Huaxia is proud because of you," the old Leader said with a smile, though there was one more thing he did not say.

"Child, I am also proud of you."

This sentence he would keep in his heart forever, unknown to anyone, known by no one.

"Yes!" An Yinan said nothing else; a single "Yes" represented everything.

Her glory was recorded in her life file; she had no medals, no official honors, not even flowers or reporters, but everything would become a bold and vibrant stroke in her life's resume.

"Comrade Chen Xun, awarded Special Merit."

"Comrade Zhang Qian, awarded Special Merit."

The three people's contributions could not be refuted by anyone; it was something they had fought for with their own lives, something they had earned back bit by bit.

That emotional awards ceremony was something many could never forget.

"Nan Nan." Liu Yuncai wiped her eyes, thinking she was seeing things, but the tears only flowed more as she wiped them; finally, unable to hold back, she ran forward a step and pulled An Yinan into her arms.

"You child, why are you so outstanding? Wouldn't it be better to be ordinary? Wouldn't it be better to be more focused on your family?"

With every question, Liu Xicai patted An Yinan's back; it had been over half a year.

Every day, every night, she had been worried, afraid that they might encounter some accident; every time the children asked for their mother, she dared not cry, but upon returning to her room, she could not hold back her tears.

The child was too outstanding, so she was contributed to the country and was no longer just her child.

But her child also had a family, had children of her own.

"Big Aunt." At this moment, she was finally like a woman, a woman leaning in her mother's arms who didn't have to worry about anything; her tears would not stop, and she gently patted Big Aunt's back, soothing her emotions.

"I won't go again," she said softly, coaxing her gently.

Big Aunt wiped her own tears and looked up, her eyes already completely red, "You won't go?"

After saying it herself, she sighed, "When it comes to the country's affairs, where is it up to you to decide?"

The country's "must return when called" was more powerful than anything else; after all these years, hadn't she already understood that? Why make things difficult for her own child!

Liu Xicai pulled her inside and then said to Chen Xun, "You go back first to see Chen Lao; although he doesn't say it, he has been thinking of you. You go back to accompany Chen Lao today, and Nan Nan can go over tomorrow."

She hadn't had enough of her own child yet; how could she send her to the Chen Family on the very first day?

"Alright, Big Aunt, then I will go back to see him first."

His grandfather's health was poor; his grandfather had attended the awards ceremony, but had sat in the corner, looking at him with a face full of relief. After the ceremony ended, he went to find his grandfather, but was told he had already returned to the Dayuan.

He had originally intended to send his wife back first and then go to the Chen Family to pay a visit.

"Go on." Liu Xicai nodded, but her eyes remained on An Yinan, unable to look away.

"You child, what do you want me to say about you?"

After she finished speaking, the tears she had just stopped felt like they were about to burst forth again, so she quickly turned her face away.

"Is Grandmother's health well? Are the children doing well?" An Yinan asked.

She was not a qualified junior, nor was she a qualified mother.

But, she also had her own unavoidable circumstances.

"They are all well, all well."

"I was just worried about you; the children are all doing very well," Liu Xicai replied quickly.

"Dabao and Xiaobao have gone outside to play. These two children are very mischievous, yet they are so clever that every time they cause trouble, they have a logical reason for it, and every time they hit someone, they can explain why. They are very hard to manage."

"Your eldest uncle discussed wanting to take them to the army for training, but I scolded him, and he behaved himself."

"The children are only this small, and he wants to send them to the army? I have no idea what he was thinking!"

When Liu Xicai complained about Yun Fei, she did not hold back at all.