The aftermath of the earthquake has passed.

Besides the city being rebuilt and welcoming a new life, there were also many strange earthquake tents in many places in the capital...

And the orphan adoption craze is gradually subsiding...

The remaining people will live one day at a time and live their lives as usual.

However, Zhang Guoqing, who had made great contributions, was promoted as an exception in this era when administrative levels were strictly prohibited. He jumped three levels and reached the thirteenth level he had always dreamed of.

This also means that he can finally enjoy special treatment. Although he is not as powerful as his father-in-law, his three sons are finally children of high-ranking officials in the true sense, right?

A transfer order came down, and his rank was also promoted.

From being the powerful director of the General Logistics Department to one of its vice ministers, perhaps this wasn't really a promotion, perhaps it was just the balancing act his father-in-law had described.

Zhang Guoqing, however, expressed great satisfaction, believing this was the position that suited him best. He was only 37 years old and felt he was in no rush. He was timid and afraid of further promotion.

In his opinion, it is better to take things slow. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future anyway. He does not need to rush for things overnight. With his father-in-law as his backer, he does not worry at all about someone stealing his credit.

The last remaining question is military rank.

How do you say this thing?

The same year he worked his way up to the rank of major, the military rank system was abruptly abolished. It is said that Taizu believed that military ranks were a symbol of the bourgeois military and were not suitable for our country.

He estimated that if it had not been cancelled, he would have been treated as a high-ranking official at level 13 until now, which means he would have been at least a colonel, right?

But there's no rush. Abolishing military ranks has its pros and cons. He'll have to be given what he deserves, right?

So less than half a month later, Zhang's father sent a letter asking how he became the director. At this time, Zhang Guoqing had successfully been promoted to Deputy Minister Zhang.

However, he still didn't tell the truth this time.

It’s not that he doesn’t trust his parents, but if this news gets out, his hometown will inevitably be in trouble. It’s better to be a small official.

Of course, he also highly praised the younger generation who came to support the disaster area. Regardless of their purpose, they came and gave their all.

Just for this reason, he should be relieved.

When one side is in trouble, all sides will come to its aid.

If everyone ignores the meaning of life, what is left to save this world?!

Didn’t you see that his usually cold-hearted wife walked hundreds of miles to rush to the scene in person, and didn’t sleep for three days and three nights?

Zhang Guoqing is in a good mood recently!

Especially after becoming the deputy minister, he was very happy because he had less work to do and more time to spend with his wife, which was exactly what he wanted.

He was very happy, but some people were not happy with him. They were busy and exhausted every day, but this brat was still interested in making some small gadgets to entertain the whole family.

Didn’t this make me worry in vain some time ago?

In the study, Zhou Xiaozheng glared at him with dismay, "Are you happy?"

"Hehe... Dad, I won't hide it from you. It's much easier now. Haven't you seen that there's always someone ahead of me in meetings now? I don't have to worry about being called on to speak anymore."

Zhou Xiaozheng glanced at him speechlessly, then whispered, "I think things are going to change soon. You should focus more on your work."

Zhang Guoqing nodded thoughtfully after hearing this.

Sigh…it’s September 9th.

Zhang Guoqing knew that this was a delicate period.

He has not dared to relax at all in the past year. Ever since two superstars fell in China, the atmosphere has become increasingly tense.

This year is arguably the most chaotic and darkest since the founding of the People's Republic of China. At this moment, even the slightest misstep could lead to a descent into an eternal hell.

Zhang Guoqing had put a lot of thought into this. Over the past two years, he had often used the opportunity to chat with his sons, giving them specific examples and reminding them to be careful.

In fact, there are many things that he did not remind people of in this way. Not to mention other people, even his simple-minded mother-in-law could clearly feel the change in the political climate.

Fortunately, there's a saying from the old folks: The army can't be in chaos. So, the army is the only piece of pure land right now. But this is only relative.

September 8th.

Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao have been very cautious about the outside world's reactions these days. Meanwhile, she took a sick leave yesterday, citing menstrual cramps.

They knew that according to Zhou Xiaozheng's current rank and relationship with the old man, he should have known the news of Chairman **'s death earlier than others. Of course, relatively speaking, he might be less able to stay at home.

As expected by the couple, Secretary Chen went out that morning and came back with a strange comrade following him.

As soon as he entered the Zhou family's house, Secretary Chen quickly took out a document from the study. When he left, he took the opportunity to secretly wink at Zhou Jiao to reassure her.

That night, except for Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao who were tossing and turning nervously, everything else in the family was normal. No one expected that something so shocking would happen.

Normally, Zhou Xiaozheng would stay in the palace if he had a meeting late. This was not uncommon, after all, he had his own lounge there. However, no one in his family wanted to stay there overnight.

The next day, the three Ping'an brothers asked whether their grandfather had called back, but Zhou Jiao made an excuse to brush them off.

On this day, she went to work as usual, so she naturally didn't know that at almost 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the compound received an emergency notice directly.

-- All offices, troops, schools, factories, and shops within the military area shall cease all activities and listen to the broadcasts of the Central People's Broadcasting Station.

This was the first time in the history of our army that this method was used, completely ordering all troops across the country to stop all work and listen to the radio.

Although no one knew what had happened, no one dared to guess at this moment.

This situation continued until the funeral music started...

However, Zhou Jiao quickly gathered with her colleagues at the unit and heard the news on the radio at the first time.

At 4 p.m., the announcer of China National Radio announced with deep sorrow that Chairman Mao, the great leader and mentor of our people, had passed away in Beijing at 12:10 a.m. that day.

The news came so suddenly that many people couldn't believe it!

But soon, as the voice of "Inheriting the legacy of Kou Kou Kou" came out on the radio, the whole conference room was suddenly filled with uncontrollable crying.

Without leaving the conference room, you can hear the cries of people from all over the unit. Everyone is grieving for the country's loss of a great leader.

Of course Zhou Jiao was not doing this for the sake of it, but when she thought about the fact that this elder was her father's former leader, the kind-hearted elder who had always cared for her, she couldn't help but shed tears.

This year, after two superstars fell in China one after another, another superstar fell in this sad autumn season.

A great man has passed away.

The whole country is crying and the whole world is mourning!

The rivers are stagnant,

The heaven and earth are weeping!