"Hello, I'm Lin Yan, Xu Haoran's girlfriend!" Lin Yan said generously.
Hearing this introduction, Xu Haoran by her side immediately broke into a silly grin.
"I've heard about you from Company Commander Xu too. He said you are exceptionally outstanding and is very optimistic about your future development," Lin Yan said in pleasantries.
"Brother Xu really said that? That's really overpraising me!" Li Bin was very happy to know Xu Haoran's assessment of him.
The group chatted very happily, and after the movie ended, they went to the mess hall together to make dumplings.
This was Lin Yan's first time participating in such a lively New Year's celebration. Hundreds, even thousands, of people were making and boiling dumplings together, ushering in the New Year. Experiencing such a warm atmosphere, especially as an uncommon female presence, she received exceptional care.
She only needed to wait by the table for them to bring her the best portion. Of course, Lin Yan wasn't just sitting and watching.
Knowing she wouldn't be going home for the New Year, both the Zao Lin Brigade and Beijing had sent a lot of food. Lin Yan brought it all with her, though it wasn't enough for everyone.
But with the candy she bought, it was enough for everyone in Xu Haoran's company to have a little.
Because of this, the soldiers under Xu Haoran had a very good impression of Lin Yan. After all, she was a sister-in-law with no airs, who even brought them food. Who wouldn't like her!
Especially after hearing that their sister-in-law had also been admitted to university and would be officially employed soon, becoming a member of the military herself, they felt even closer!
This New Year was novel and lively. Not long after it passed, Lin Yan returned to work. Her blueprints had already been submitted.
Her current job mainly involved improving machinery and designing new products at the military factory affiliated with the research institute.
Since she was to report to school in March, and although she would return to continue working soon, she still needed to handle her affairs at school.
Therefore, she had to hand over her current tasks to others. After the New Year, she didn't take on any new projects but accepted an assignment that required her to travel, to pass the time.
March arrived quickly, and Lin Yan and Xu Haoran prepared to depart. Lin Yan had always been curious about how he managed to get leave, as it seemed he could get it rather easily for a soldier.
They first returned to Lin Yan's home. Since Lin Yan, their only junior, was sent to the countryside, the two elderly couples had discussed moving in together.
This way, they could take care of each other and also save some resources to send to Lin Yan.
However, they had not expected that Lin Yan would actually fare well after being sent to the countryside, even sending them back a lot of things.
While they were relieved, they were also sad, as she was the girl they had always doted on.
Now that Lin Yan had joined the research institute and was admitted to military school, becoming a military officer, their worries about her lessened.
In the original work, by the time the original host was admitted to university, her paternal and maternal grandparents, who had always lived frugly to send her things, were already in poor health.
They passed away one after another in the second year of the original host's university education. But now, without the worry of Lin Yan's situation in the countryside, and with Lin Yan consistently sending them things, all four elders were in good health.
When Lin Yan and Xu Haoran arrived home, the four elders had already prepared a table full of dishes.
They were also very satisfied with Xu Haoran. The older generation generally had a favorable view of soldiers. Coupled with Xu Haoran's upright and stern appearance, they felt even more reassured.
Their granddaughter (and maternal granddaughter) hadn't been home for a long time, and this time she brought their grandson-in-law with her, making all four elders exceptionally happy.
Although they knew Lin Yan was doing well, seeing it with their own eyes was still more convincing.
After staying home for a day, Lin Yan and Xu Haoran went to report to the school.
However, after she completed all the procedures, she was informed that she needed to participate in military training before she could leave. She had no choice but to call the director of her institute.
She was now officially employed. Although she was a technical staff member, she was also considered a soldier, so military training was unavoidable.
But it was only when she arrived at the training ground that she understood why Xu Haoran's leave was so easy. It turned out he was here on a mission. He was the chief instructor for their new student military training.
She had kept it a secret, and seeing the stern-faced military officer in front of her, Lin Yan felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. Couldn't he have just told her directly? Why the surprise?
When no one was paying attention, Xu Haoran quickly winked at Lin Yan and smiled.
Lin Yan playfully smiled back at him, making no comment on his behavior. After all, it was his way of spending more time with her.
During training, Xu Haoran and Lin Yan showed no signs of knowing each other. Xu Haoran also did not go easy on Lin Yan during the training.
By the end of the military training, none of her classmates knew that Lin Yan was acquainted with the chief instructor. They only knew that Lin Yan would disappear whenever she had free time, and her roommates couldn't find her.
However, from this military training, Xu Haoran realized that his girlfriend was not as delicate as he had imagined.
Many of the students admitted to this military academy came from the military, but Lin Yan not only endured the military training but also did not lag too far behind compared to other students.
This indicated that Lin Yan's physical condition was already comparable to that of an ordinary soldier, which put Xu Haoran much more at ease.
After all, he had always worried that his girlfriend, who spent all day in the research institute, might have a weaker constitution.
Lin Yan's school life concluded quickly. After completing all the necessary procedures, she arranged with the department leaders that she would come for exams at the end of each semester, and her scores must not fall below 80 points.
When Lin Yan returned, Xu Haoran had already left. His party school studies had begun. This was also why he had applied to be the instructor for the military academy's training.
Zhou Qi also started school, but after arriving, he searched for a long time but could not find Lin Yan, nor could he find Lin Yan's parents.
They were not at this school, and Zhou Qi did not know where Lin Yan's grandparents lived, so he had no idea where to start looking.
However, he soon had no time to look for Lin Yan. The new batch of university students had been away from school for too long, so everyone was desperately learning new knowledge.
The professors at the school were also very dedicated. In such an environment, Zhou Qi couldn't afford to slack off, so he had to study diligently.
However, after he started studying, he began to perceive the joy of learning. Many questions he had been unaware of or confused about in his previous life seemed to have found answers.
He was studying economics. As the reform and opening-up had just begun, many people were discussing the pros and cons of these policies in newspapers, and there were even debate clubs debating them, which opened Zhou Qi's eyes.
In his previous life, he had muddled his way to wealth by riding this wave, but now he understood the policies better and knew how to earn even more money.
He understood policies and knew the future development. Moreover, he had also met more wealthy and influential classmates, all of whom were his future capital.
He was very busy, busy studying, busy making friends. So busy that he had no time to think about the person he had been longing for.