"This... Commander, it's difficult to answer calls from the front lines; the situation is tense right now..."
"I have an urgent matter!"
Madam Xia interrupted, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"Get Commander Lei here immediately!"
There was a few seconds of silence on the phone, followed by the dial tone of a transfer.
Su Yuzhen was already standing at the door of the study at some point.
Finally, the call was answered.
"Hey, Lao Lei? It's me!"
Mrs. Xia's voice suddenly softened.
A rough male voice came from the other end of the phone, filled with obvious surprise.
"Big sister! It's you! Are you alright?"
"I am fine."
Madam Xia glanced at her daughter-in-law, who was trembling nervously at the door, and got straight to the point.
"Old Lei, is my son Mengsheng with you?"
There was a pause on the other end of the phone, and Commander Lei's voice became cautious.
"Yes, Meng Sheng is my instructor. Sister, what brings you here...?"
Is he safe?
Madam Xia interrupted him.
"I heard there's been fighting over there."
"Don't worry, big sister, Mengsheng is doing well!"
Commander Lei's laughter came through the telephone line somewhat distorted.
"That kid's pretty clever; yesterday he led the soldiers to take down an enemy stronghold."
Upon hearing this, Su Yuzhen's legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground.
Mrs. Xia quickly reached out to support her, while speaking into the microphone.
"Old Lei, your older sister has a favor to ask..."
The laughter on the other end of the phone stopped abruptly.
"Look, Meng Sheng has only been married for three months, and his new wife is crying every day at home."
Madam Xia carefully considered the wording.
"Could we... transfer him back? Even just for a few months, until the situation stabilizes..."
"Big sister!"
Commander Lei's voice suddenly rose, making the microphone buzz.
"Do you know what you're saying? This is a battlefield, not a market where you haggle!"
Madam Xia was startled by the sudden roar and took a step back, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Old Lei, back in the day on the battlefield, if I hadn't braved a hail of bullets to carry you out of a pile of corpses, you..."
"Big sister!"
Commander Lei's voice became even sterner.
"One thing at a time! I, Lei Laohu, owe you my life, but military discipline is military discipline! Meng Sheng is a soldier, and his post is on the front lines!"
Madam Xia's face turned deathly pale.
"Old Lei, can't you just make an exception this once? Just this once!"
"Beep—beep—beep—"
The only response she received was the busy tone of the phone being disconnected.
Mrs. Xia stood frozen in place, the microphone slipping from her hand and dangling in mid-air.
Su Yuzhen rushed into the study and grabbed her mother-in-law's arm.
"Mom? How is it? How did Meng Sheng…?"
"He's alright."
Mrs. Xia answered mechanically.
"But it can't be turned back."
The light in Su Yuzhen's eyes vanished instantly. She released her mother-in-law's arm, staggered back a few steps, and leaned against the bookshelf to avoid falling.
"Why?"
Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.
"Why does it have to be Meng Sheng? Of all the soldiers, why my husband?"
Mrs. Xia did not answer.
She bent down, picked up the microphone, put it back on the landline, and then slowly walked to the window.
"mom......"
Su Yuzhen's voice came from behind, carrying a last glimmer of hope.
"Dad, could you...?"
"cannot!"
Madam Xia turned around abruptly, her voice so stern it startled even herself.
"Yuzhen, you must remember, if you marry into the Xia family, you must be prepared for this. Your father-in-law is a commander, so you must not abuse his power for personal gain!"
Su Yuzhen's tears welled up again.
"But Mom, didn't you just...?"
Mrs. Xia's face flushed red.
Yes, wasn't she just trying to exploit the relationship?
What right does she have to lecture her daughter-in-law?
"I was wrong."
Mrs. Xia slumped down in the armchair in the study.
"We were all wrong."
...
at the same time.
On the Yunnan border, the scorching sun beats down on the makeshift field camp.
The air was thick with the smell of dust and sweat, and the occasional sporadic gunshots in the distance reminded people how close they were to a real battlefield.
Xia Mengsheng stood in the queue, his military uniform soaked with sweat and clinging to his back.
As the company instructor, he could have stood in the front row, but today he deliberately stood in the middle of the line.
Ever since he overheard the communications officer mentioning the phone call from the military compound, he had been feeling uneasy.
"Attention, everyone!"
At the command of the officer on duty, the entire camp fell silent instantly, with only the rhythmic clanging of military boots remaining.
Xia Mengsheng instinctively straightened his back and looked straight ahead.
Commander Lei strode steadily onto the makeshift platform.
He was tall and imposing, and his presence commanded respect even without anger.
Xia Mengsheng had heard his father talk about Uncle Lei's heroic deeds since he was a child, but at this moment, that familiar face made him feel inexplicably uneasy.
Comrades!
Commander Lei's voice, like muffled thunder, echoed throughout the camp.
"I've gathered everyone here today to discuss something very important!"
Xia Mengsheng's heart suddenly raced, and cold sweat broke out in his palms.
He had a vague feeling that this sudden mobilization meeting was likely related to that phone call.
"We are about to launch a general offensive against the enemy's core positions!"
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