"What do you think of this Parks?" Mrs. Gray was very concerned about her daughter's well-being, and her first sentence was to ask the two men directly what they thought of Parks, because the power to decide Virginia's happiness rested in the hands of her husband, Mr. Gray, who sat next to her, and to be honest, in a family like Mr. Gray, all decisions, including the marriage of children, had to be negotiated by the family. Either way, Mr. Gray's opinion is crucial.

"Not bad!" Mr. Gray was clearly reluctant to comment further. He just said lightly.

Mrs. Gray set her eyes on her brother, hoping to get some useful information from his mouth, and she pursed her lips and said, "Marte, you should always have your own opinion!" ”

Malte smiled lightly and said, "Not a bad young man, but you know that his foundation is a little weak, and although he has great prestige now, he didn't accept our advice." This will make him take some detours. ”

Mrs. Gray couldn't help but be a little angry, she stood up, looked at Mr. Gray and shook her head and sneered: "I really don't know what you men think, Mr. Gray, the man who just left is your daughter's favorite, and you know that she loves him by looking at her." You know your business, your fame, your money, God, you all sell your souls to money. ”

"Enough," said Mr. Gray in a low voice to Mrs. Gray, "we have not denied him, he has his strengths, but also his shortcomings. The point is that he's too young. If he doesn't achieve anything, will our daughter be happy with him? Will I let my daughter fall into the hands of a man who does nothing? ”

"Achievement is not the most important thing, the most important thing is the happiness of the daughter, unless the daughter does not love him!" Mrs. Gray dropped this sentence coldly, and went upstairs on her own. Only two men were left staring at each other helplessly.

"I'm still optimistic about him!" Malte couldn't help but smile.

"Nothing is settled yet, Malte!" Mr. Gray smiled and nodded, not at all showing the anger he had just looked, he stood up and walked towards the stairs, muttering to himself as he went, "Maybe this is a gamble!" ”

"What did you say?" Malte couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing, I just lamented that I was getting old!" Mr. Gray shook his head, and slowly climbed the stairs. Malte was left alone in the hall in a daze.

Obviously, it wasn't a pleasant meeting, but it wasn't all bad news. At least for Parks. If the Gray family were to give up this, give up that, or be condescending and commanding in the first place, it was obvious that it was impossible for them to give in, and the last thing they liked was to be manipulated by others, even if it was Virginia's family.

But Virginia's performance deeply touched Parks's heart, she was afraid that her family would embarrass her, she cared about all his feelings, and really thought about him again, instead of maintaining her pride with the reserve of a rich lady. She would rather bow her head in front of herself and soothe her heart with tenderness. That's why Parks finally decided to let her accompany her to Washington.

Once again, they flew to Washington, this time at the airport, and Washington officials had already arranged a meeting in person. At the head was a colonel, dressed in a crisp military uniform, followed only by a few designated newspaper reporters, and two platoons of escort.

"Lacey? Lieutenant Parks? The Colonel looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Yes, Colonel!" Parks took out the Allied Command's life from his pocket, and then verified the identity of the military card, etc., and then it was confirmed, and the colonel's face was smiling.

"Who is this?" The Colonel frowned at Virgilia, "Lieutenant, what is her identity?" Then he looked at Parks' puzzled eyes and said with a smile: "If she is your relative, she can definitely participate in this award ceremony, but if not, then it would be a pity!" ”

Parks looked at the Colonel and couldn't help but smile slightly: "She came with me, do you think she's just a passerby?" Let's just say that she is now my relative, and she is my lover and girlfriend! Parks said categorically, and it was obvious that this sentence made Virginia's heart flutter, even if she couldn't go this time, she wouldn't care.

"Okay, then let's go along!" The Colonel made a gesture of please, and he maintained a very good demeanor in the presence of the beautiful lady, and closed the door of the car with his hand.

Cars sped around the city of Washington, D.C., without the use of police cars along the way, but there were several military vehicles leading and protecting in the front. It is also a kind of protection in wartime for those who have made outstanding contributions to the Medal of Honor.

The ceremony took place on the lawn in front of the White House. When Parks' motorcade pulled in, many of the people sitting in the seats stood up and watched. The car came to a steady stop, and the Colonel guided Parks toward the lawn.

"Lieutenant, you're so lucky, this ceremony today is just for you." The Colonel whispered a smile as he guided Parks over, but even though the Colonel seemed calm, there was a hint of envy and jealousy in his tone, which made Parks smile.

"There are a lot of newspaper heads here, as well as some senior officials in the White House. I'll be by your side later, and if there's anything unclear, I'll be there for you! The colonel continued.

"Thank you, Colonel!" Parks nodded, then shut his mouth, and they entered the lawn, where the Colonel led him to a chair in front of the stage, and Virginia was seated next to him.

At this time, a low military horn sounded, and then a group of people came out of the White House, one of them was an old man who was being pushed in a wheelchair, looking a little rich, but his eyes were very attentive, he smiled and nodded to the cheering crowd around him.

"It's Mr. President Roosevelt!" Parks stood up, and Virginia stood up, and the two couldn't help but applaud the great man, and behind them, everyone stood up.

Without superfluous nonsense, Roosevelt motioned for the squire to push himself up the slope. There was a low microphone in front of him, and his eyes scanned the audience, then his eyes fell on Parks in the front row, and he nodded at him with a slight smile.

Parks nodded hurriedly.

President Roosevelt withdrew his gaze, then smiled at everyone on the lawn, "I should have come to this ceremony in the palatial conference hall for our hero." But the sun was shining today, and I suddenly felt that no matter how big the conference hall was, it wasn't as big as our lawn, so I decided that the venue should be here. With sunshine, fresh air, and beautiful scenery, it's the perfect place to award our heroes. It doesn't get much better than that! ”

His words immediately made everyone present laugh. The atmosphere was very relaxed.

"This ceremony that I held today for our Hero of the United States, Lieutenant Parkes, someone once said that it was not necessary, they felt that it was enough to be in a small house and then give him the medal." President Roosevelt glanced at Parks in the stands, and then continued to laugh, "But I said to him, if a Parks can be a role model for the U.S. military, and can make everyone feel that it is worth paying for the country, then why should I be so stingy?" ”

The audience burst into warm applause.

"Ever since we joined this world war, our soldiers have been ridiculed as cowards who pick up guns, but now we have shown them that there are many heroes among our soldiers, that our soldiers can fight bravely, that they can charge, that they are not afraid of death, that they have endured suffering." Roosevelt paused at this point.

The applause from the audience rang out again, and many people were listening, and this time the speech was transmitted to every corner of the United States and every corner of the world through sound waves.

"So, those of us who are still enjoying a peaceful life in the rear, enjoying good wine and coffee, we should give our heroes a decent award ceremony, which they deserve." At this point, Roosevelt paused, then nodded, "Okay, I think it's time to award heroes!" ”

At this time, someone brought a plate with a Congressional Medal of Honor. President Roosevelt picked it up, then spoke into the microphone and said, "Let's listen to the award message for Lieutenant Parks." ”

He softened his tone, then read out slowly, forcefully, "Lieutenant Parks' courageous and positive leadership inspires others. Inspired and inspired by him, his soldiers fought valiantly, dealt a fatal blow to the Germans, captured vital positions, and successfully saved the lives of friendly soldiers and their own comrades. His role was enough to change the course of the battle, and his charisma and strong determination inspired the soldiers of his army. Lieutenant Parkes' heroism and dedication beyond mortals exemplify the highest traditions of the American team, his unit, and the United States. ”

When President Roosevelt finished reading the entire sentence, the audience burst into thunderous applause. President Roosevelt smiled and waved to Lieutenant Parks in the audience.

"Lieutenant, it's your turn!" The colonel reminded from the sidelines.

Parks came back to his senses, and it was clear that he had been a little moved. He stood up, leaned down and hugged Virgilia, then walked briskly onto the podium.

He saluted President Roosevelt, then leaned down to shake his hand, smiling heartily: "Mr. President, it's a great honor to meet you!" ”

"No, no, lieutenant!" Roosevelt hurriedly corrected, "It should be me, it's a great honor to meet you, because you are a hero!" Saying that, Roosevelt motioned for Parks to lower his head, then hung the medal around his neck with his own hands, and then held Parks' hand tightly and said, "Work hard, Lieutenant." ”

Parks nodded, and then Roosevelt smiled at him and said, "Stand up, Lieutenant, and say something for the American people." They need heroes like you to boost morale. ”

Parks nodded solemnly, then walked to the microphone, raised the microphone, puffed up his chest, took a deep breath and said: "First of all, I want to thank my brothers, the brothers of E Company, without them, there would be no honor, and the honor belongs to every brother of E Company!" ”

(To be continued)