Deputy Commander Liu knew he couldn't get anything out of Qin Ye, so he didn't press the matter further.

"Alright, I understand. I will take note of your statements."

He stood up, straightened his collar, and said, "You two should rest well and prepare for a good New Year. After the New Year, once the higher-ups have discussed the matter in depth, your merits and rewards will naturally be announced."

He walked to the door, then turned back and added meaningfully:

"Qin Ye, you've really done a great job this time. I heard you're planning a wedding? That's wonderful! You're achieving success in both your career and family life. I'll definitely be there for your wedding!"

Qin Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Deputy Commander Liu off.

He knew that the commander didn't fully believe him, but as long as he stuck to his guns and didn't give in, no one could do anything to Su Tang.

What they didn't know was that at that moment, thousands of miles away at the Beijing Military Region headquarters...

In a heavily guarded office, an elderly general was looking at two files on the table.

One of the documents was an urgent report sent from Tibet, detailing Qin Ye and Su Tang's achievements in suppressing bandits and providing disaster relief during the avalanche.

The other document was a medical examination report submitted by the military hospital a few months ago, which was classified as a "top-secret file" regarding Su Tang.

The old leader tapped the table lightly with his fingers, and after a long while, he picked up the red telephone on the table.

"...Check out all the background information on this Comrade Su Tang. Also, arrange my trip to Tibet. I want to meet this young man in person."

The legendary story of Commander Qin and his new wife "combining their honeymoon with bandit suppression and disaster relief" spread like wildfire throughout the military compound.

Each version is more outrageous than the last.

Some say that Commander Qin is actually a martial arts master, capable of scaling walls and taking on ten opponents single-handedly.

Some say that Su Tang is the reincarnation of a divine doctor, who has saved hundreds of lives with a single scalpel.

Li Xiumei was the first to rush to Su Tang's house to verify.

As soon as she entered the door, she grabbed Su Tang's hand, her eyes wide as saucers.

"My God, Su Tang! It's all over the place! They're saying that you and Commander Qin... the two of you took down more than forty ruthless bandits? Is it true? Tell me quickly, was it true that Commander Qin took them down one by one, like it was target practice?"

Qin Ye was chopping firewood in the yard when he heard this. He walked over and repeated it again with his usual "official rhetoric" without changing his expression.

Li Xiumei listened in a daze, half believing and half doubting, but seeing Qin Ye's serious and earnest appearance, she dared not ask any more questions and could only reluctantly change the subject.

"By the way, Su Tang, I have something important to tell you!"

Li Xiumei slapped her thigh, her gossipy expression instantly replaced by anger, and she became like a firecracker that had been lit.

"Do you remember the food competition that our residential compound holds every year during the Spring Festival? This year's prizes are amazing! The grand prize is three tickets to a Forever brand old-fashioned bicycle! There's also a 20 yuan cash prize!"

Su Tang nodded; she had heard Qin Ye mention it before.

"I had already made plans with Sister Zhang Yujuan from the Third Battalion. We were going to team up, and we even had the dish in mind—the 'Ants Climbing a Tree' dish that you taught me to make last time! But guess what happened?"

Li Xiumei paced back and forth in the room, her hands trembling with anger.

"That Wang Cuicui from the logistics department, she's always been at odds with me, finding fault with everything I do! I don't know how she heard about this, but she went to Zhang's wife and started flattering her, saying that I'm a loose tongue and if our special skills got out, the prize would be gone! She also said that her husband has connections in the logistics department and can get scarce pork, guaranteeing we'd win the prize! Zhang's wife is easily swayed, and she managed to snatch it away from me!"

"It's one thing to steal it!" Li Xiumei slammed her hand on the table, making the water in her teacup spill. "She even stole the dishes we agreed on! Now she's telling everyone in the courtyard that she's making a rare dish that no one has ever tasted before, called 'Ants Climbing a Tree,' and she guarantees to be number one! When I came over just now, I heard her bragging to some of the other women that her relative learned this dish from a big restaurant in Beijing, and no one else can make it taste the same!"