Chapter 409: Work Hard, Young Man

Sun Zhenling sat down next to Xinyan: "Cousin, you’re really amazing, getting into such a good school."

Xinyan smiled at her cousin Sun Zhenling: "You’re pretty amazing too, having such a good job and being a full-time employee at such a young age."

Sun Zhen felt a bit shy at her cousin’s praise: "I’m not as amazing as you say I am, cousin."

Xinyan knew that her cousin graduated from middle school and was arranged to work in the finance department of the department store, and now she had become a permanent employee: "Even if you go to college, you still have to work eventually. You’ve already got a head start."

She heard from her dad that her cousin had average grades, so when the college entrance exams resumed, she didn’t consider going back to school. She didn’t want to hurt her cousin’s feelings about school, which is why she said that.

Sun Zhenling had a straightforward personality: "I like hearing that, cousin. My mom kept nagging me to catch up on high school knowledge to try for the college entrance exam. With my brain, isn’t that just making things difficult for me?"

Han Chunxue also realized she was being unrealistic: "Alright, look how proud you are."

Actually, she had come to terms with it. Her daughter was already a permanent employee, so not going to school was fine. The most important thing was that she really wasn’t suited for it, and it wasn’t something she could force.

Sun Zhenhai also joined in to feel relevant: "Cousin, now all my close friends know I have an amazing cousin."

Sun Zhenling looked at her brother and complained: "You have no idea; this guy chats with everyone and within a few sentences, he brings up our cousin. Now basically everyone in our residential area knows we have an amazing cousin. Cousin, are you surprised? You’re famous without even being here."

Han Chunxue rolled her eyes at her younger son: "My niece is amazing. If you have any skills, you should try to align your grades with your cousin’s instead of just showing her off when your own grades are a joke."

Sun Zhenling glanced at her brother sympathetically: "Work hard, youngster."

Sun Zhenhai pouted: "Anyway, I’ll eventually join the military. As long as I graduate from middle school, that’s enough."

Xinyan chimed in: "Zhenhai, I somewhat disagree with that."

Sun Zhenhai looked at Xinyan: "Why, cousin?"

Xinyan looked at the eager face of the young guy: "Think about it, our country is stable now, and everything is developing in a positive direction. Even at the borders, any friction or conflict is quite rare. Without military achievements, you can’t get promoted. Do you plan to return home after serving as a soldier for just three years?"

Upon hearing Xinyan’s words, not only did the others ponder, but even Han Jingchen fell into deep thought. He didn’t expect his daughter to be so perceptive.

Sun Zhenhai understood what was said but didn’t see how it related to studying: "Cousin, what exactly do you mean?"

Xinyan smiled at him: "Don’t rush. Listen to me. If you join the army, even if you have a chance to be recommended to the military academy, besides physical fitness and professional knowledge, you still have to study cultural courses. If your learning is always poor, you might not even understand those professional courses. Wouldn’t that be a waste of resources? How uncomfortable would that be for you?"

Sun Zhenhai understood: "So, cousin, you mean that if I want to be a soldier and develop in the military, I need to study well?"

Xinyan thought to herself, so teachable: "Exactly. If you study well, you could take the entrance exams for the military academy directly from high school. How impressive would that be? When you graduate, you’d be at least a platoon officer. Isn’t that better than being a common soldier?"

Sun Zhenhai pondered for a while, realizing his cousin made a lot of sense. He glanced at his second uncle, thinking that he previously relied on having his second uncle, big brother, and his older cousins in the army to look out for him, thinking he wouldn’t do too badly himself.

But what his cousin said was right. His older cousins, big brother, and second uncle all earned their military honors through life-and-death struggles. He might not have that capability, and only by learning more than others could he go further. He made a determination in his heart to study hard in the future: "Got it, cousin."

Xinyan saw that he understood, and smiled with satisfaction: "That’s good; in the future, cousin will occasionally check up on you."

Sun Zhenhai, thinking of his dream to be a soldier, solemnly nodded: "Alright, I’ll work hard to catch up on all the lessons I missed."