Chapter 462 – He Wanted to See the Nation Reach Greater Heights, Go Farther, and Grow Stronger!
It wasn’t until more than half an hour later that Xu Jinning finally saw the late-arriving Song Yi and her elder sister.
Xu Fanghua noticed her younger sister playing with little Siyi in the living room and, glancing at the time, realized the sun was already high in the sky.
Something occurred to her, and she couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.
But Xu Jinning, seeing her elder sister so bashful, couldn’t help but smile.
It had been a long time since she had seen her sister like this.
She thought it was nice—her elder sister being this way, with her brother-in-law by her side, made her happy.
“Ningning, you’re here,” Song Yi said.
“Yes, brother-in-law. I thought you weren’t coming back for another week, but as soon as I arrived, Auntie told me you were already back.”
“Well, since I had the chance to come back early, I did. Consider it a little surprise for all of you. After all… your sister gave me a huge surprise as well,” he said, nodding toward little Siyi, who was now in his arms.
Both Xu Fanghua and Xu Jinning laughed.
Compared to the surprise of Song Yi’s early return, little Siyi was indeed the bigger surprise.
“By the way, brother-in-law, now that you’re back, you won’t be going abroad again, right?”
“No, I won’t.”
“That’s good. So, what are your plans now that you’re back?”
“I’ll probably head to the university this afternoon to discuss the details and see how things are arranged…” Song Yi said, referring to his job.
The group of students who had gone abroad on government scholarships, like Song Yi, had all been carefully selected by the universities. To put it bluntly, upon their return, nearly every one of them would become a pillar of the nation.
The country had made arrangements for them.
Song Yi wasn’t the first of the group to return, but he was the first from the medical field to complete his studies and return early.
The others who had returned earlier were not in the medical field, and their programs didn’t require as much time to complete.
Those who had come back were all highly valued and had secured excellent jobs.
As for Song Yi, being a skilled medical professional who had returned early with outstanding academic achievements, the country was bound to place significant importance on him.
The job and location assigned to him would undoubtedly be favorable.
Although Song Yi didn’t particularly care about these things, this was precisely the meaning behind studying abroad—to achieve personal growth while contributing to the nation’s development.
Xu Jinning nodded. She had heard from Xie Ting’an that the country indeed held Song Yi and other skilled returnees in very high regard, treating them almost like treasures.
Their futures were promising.
Song Yi’s return was a joyful event, and naturally, they had to call and share the good news with the family back home.
At the small courtyard, Song Yi personally made the call to his father, who was temporarily in their hometown. He also informed his in-laws, Xu Aiguo and Zhang Ailian, who were in Qinghe Village.
The three of them had already known that Song Yi would be returning around this time, but finally hearing his voice on the phone filled them with overwhelming joy, moving them to tears.
As for his younger brother, Song Feng, he was currently attending the same medical university Song Yi had studied at, though he lived on campus.
It seemed that Song Feng had been influenced by his older brother and had developed a love for medicine. When choosing his major, he also went into the medical field.
However, unlike Song Yi, who had chosen surgery, Song Feng was studying traditional Chinese medicine.
Song Feng’s dream was to master traditional medicine and return to Qinghe Village to become a village doctor.
He seemed to be more attached to the land and the people of Qinghe Village than most.
“Afeng probably doesn’t know you’re back yet,” Mother Song said.
Mother Song knew that, for her younger son, the person he admired the most was his older brother, Song Yi.
His decision to study medicine was also influenced by his older brother.
In the years while Song Yi was abroad, the younger son often talked about when his brother would return and wondered how his studies were going.
The letters that Song Yi sent home were always read by his younger brother, who also responded to them.
Every time a letter from Song Yi arrived, he was the one who looked forward to it the most.
And every time he wrote back, he did so with great care and thoughtfulness.
“If Xiao Feng knew you came back early and saw you, he would definitely be overjoyed,” Mother Song said. “He might even cry from excitement.”
She understood her youngest son well—he was the most emotional.
“It’s fine. When I go to the school this afternoon, I’ll make sure to see him,” Song Yi replied.
“That works.”
During breakfast, Song Yi learned that Xu Jinning and Xie Ting’an had already held a wedding in Beijing and were planning to have another one in Qinghe Village during the summer break, now that he was back.
“That sounds great.” Song Yi could imagine how lively Qinghe Village would be then.
For the rest of the morning, they gathered together as Song Yi talked about his life and experiences abroad.
Meanwhile, Xu Fanghua, Xu Jinning, and Xie Ting’an shared stories about the many changes in the country and its people over the past four years.
“The progress has been incredibly fast. You could almost describe it as changing with each passing day,” Song Yi remarked in amazement.
In truth, he mostly listened to them talk about the various changes.
He enjoyed hearing these things more.
Even when he had gotten off the plane and taken a taxi, he had looked out the window at everything outside.
He couldn’t deny that many of the changes had truly astonished him.
At that moment, he marveled at how fast the country had developed and progressed.
In his heart, a newfound sense of pride and ambition arose.
He didn’t just want to witness the country’s growth; he wanted to be a part of it. He wanted to contribute, to add his own bricks to the foundation of the nation’s advancement.
He wanted to see the country rise higher, go further, and grow stronger!
At that moment, he felt fortunate that he had listened to Fanghua’s advice and gone abroad to study.
Now, he had returned with skills and knowledge, ready to contribute his part to the nation’s progress.
“Brother-in-law, if you go to Anren County and Qinghe Village, you’ll see the changes are even more drastic,” Xu Jinning said.
Just talking about Anren County alone—it had undergone a massive transformation over the past four years. It was no longer a small town but had grown into a modern city.
“Oh, really? Then when I return during the summer break, I’ll definitely take a good look,” Song Yi replied.
Xu Fanghua, sitting beside him, added, “It’s not just the towns that have changed; the people have changed a lot too.”
“Yes, indeed,” Song Yi agreed, reflecting.
Take Xu Xiangbei, for example.
Before Song Yi had gone abroad, Xiangbei had been just a young kid.
Now, he was married and had a child over a year old.
Not only that, he had opened a chain of supermarkets and even ventured into the real estate industry…
It was truly unexpected.
As Song Yi carefully considered it, he realized that everyone around him had grown in the past four years.
Of course, it wasn’t just the people he knew—everyone across the entire country was moving forward in a positive and progressive direction.
And every individual’s future would only get better and better.
