After thinking it over for a while, Xiaohua finally called Commander He. On the phone, Xiaohua tearfully recounted the hardships and heartache she had endured raising her child over the past few years.

Commander He kept apologizing to his daughter-in-law Ye Xiaohua on the phone, while scolding his unruly son. In the end, he hoped that Xiaohua could give He Yan a chance for the sake of the child and forgive him so that the three of them could live a happy and harmonious life together.

Was Xiaohua's purpose in calling Commander He to try and settle down with He Yan? If that's the case, why did she even bother making the call? Wouldn't that be pointless?

Xiao Hua made this call to try and influence Commander He in every way possible, to let him know how hard he had worked all these years, and that his good life today was earned through his own hard work, not by the help of anyone in the He family.

She had already weathered the toughest and most difficult days with her child. She had never needed any help from the He family before, and she would never need anyone from the He family, including He Yan.

She has grand ambitions for the future and a career she wants to pursue. Her marriage to He Yan will only hinder her progress. She is not a woman who is content with mediocrity and whose life revolves solely around her husband and children.

She hoped that Commander He would feel guilty towards her and thus grant her wish, instead of forcing her to remain tied to He Yan. He had forced He Yan to marry her before, and now he was forcing her to stay with He Yan without holding a grudge.

He shouldn't have done this before or now. He can't use his status as an elder or a commander to force two people who are fundamentally unsuitable to be together together.

After hearing this, Commander He sighed on the other end of the phone and asked Ye Xiaohua, "Are you really sure you want to divorce He Yan? If this is your truest thought, then I won't force you."

Xiaohua answered confidently, "Yes."

When Commander He returned home, he saw that He Yan's leg was injured. He asked him how he could have injured his leg while on vacation. He Yan was reluctant to talk about it at first, but he couldn't resist Commander He's persistent questioning, so he had to tell the truth.

Commander He frowned after hearing this, and pondered for a moment: "So, you don't want to divorce Xiaohua now?"

He Yan was taken aback. Why would Commander He, who had always forbidden them from divorcing, suddenly ask such a question?

"Speak up, are you mute?" Commander He looked at his son impatiently.

He Yan changed the subject, saying, "Since we already have children, it's best not to get a divorce. It's better for the children."

"Don't mention the child, don't use the child as a shield. I'm just asking you, do you still want to divorce Ye Xiaohua?"

Commander He asked the question very seriously, and of course, he has always been a very serious person.

He Yan was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Of course I don't want to, but she does."

Commander He sighed repeatedly, pointing at He Yan, at a loss for words: "You two are truly destined for misfortune."

He sat down next to He Yan and patted him on the shoulder: "Son, Ye Xiaohua called me and had a very frank talk with me. She told me everything she could, and I agreed to her request and agreed to your divorce."

He Yan stared wide-eyed at his father, hardly believing that his father would agree. If this had happened a few years ago, he would have been overjoyed, but now he only felt endless fear and sadness.

Even his father supports their divorce. Does he and Ye Xiaohua have a future?

"We're divorced, but what about the children?"

He Yan asked dejectedly.

"Regarding the child, Ye Xiaohua said this: custody is naturally hers, and she has stipulated how many visitation times you can have each month. Considering that you are a soldier and don't have leave every month, you can save up your visitation times and use them when you are on leave. As for child support, she said she doesn't want a penny, and she is capable of raising the child well."

He Yan smiled wryly, thinking, "As expected of Ye Xiaohua, she's really got some skills now. She can even persuade his father."

"Is it true that if you agree to a divorce, we will definitely be able to get a divorce?"

He Yan asked.

Commander He nodded.

He Yanming understood. He looked up at his father with pleading eyes and said, "Dad, I've never asked you for anything since I was a child, and I've never disobeyed you. I only ask you for this: you can't divorce Ye Xiaohua. I... have fallen in love with her!"

Commander He has seen Xiao Hua now, and he believes that it is only natural that his silly son would fall in love with her.

"Xiaohua spoke so sincerely, and I agreed to her request. She said that your marriage would only hinder her career development. My son, a forced marriage is never sweet, so let's just forget about it."

He Yan suddenly questioned Commander He loudly: "You know that forced love is never sweet. You forced me to marry Ye Xiaohua at first. When I saw her again a few years later, I was also thinking about getting a divorce. You were the one who stopped us from getting a divorce. You only told me that forced love is never sweet after I fell in love with her. Where were you all this time?"

Commander He was speechless for the first time when questioned by his son. In the end, he could only sigh and apologize, "Son, it's all my fault as your father."

He Yan also realized that he had been very angry with his father just now, and took the initiative to apologize: "Dad, I'm sorry, I didn't control my emotions for a moment. Could you... could you help me hold it in for a while longer, even if it's just six months, just six months. If Ye Xiaohua is still determined to get a divorce by then, and you agree, I'm begging you for this one thing. Just give me six months for your son's lifelong happiness and for your granddaughter to have a complete family."

Commander He's heart ultimately leaned towards his beloved youngest son.

He nodded: "It'll only be six months. Son, you need to put in the effort yourself. Seek advice from experienced people when you have time."

Just as Ye Xiaohua finished her college entrance exam and was overjoyed, anticipating her divorce from He Yan, her father, Ye Dazhuang, suddenly fell seriously ill. Ye Dazhuang had cured many other people's illnesses caused by supernatural ailments throughout his life, but he stopped treating himself because his illness was not supernatural.

It was a tumor, bile duct cancer. Their local city hospital had such outdated medical resources that it couldn't treat it at all. When Ye Xiaohua heard the words "bile duct cancer," her legs went weak with fear. Not to mention that their local city hospital couldn't treat it, even the most advanced military hospital in the country would probably be powerless to save her.

In the early 1990s, China's medical technology was still quite backward overall.

Even so, treatment is still necessary. When He Yan found out, he immediately came to find Xiao Hua and said he would accompany her back to her hometown to take her father to the military hospital for treatment.

Ye Xiaohua originally wanted to refuse, but if she refused him, how could she afford to send her father to the military hospital for treatment?