The sixth day of the first lunar month was Li Huai's birthday, and Zhao Qinglan did not forget to celebrate with her husband.
However, Li Huai wasn't very happy and only forced himself to spend his birthday with his family.
Zhao Qinglan only remembered that the war happened after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, but she couldn't remember the exact date.
Therefore, after entering the first month of the lunar calendar, Li Huai felt anxious every day.
But he could not share his anxiety with anyone but his wife.
Those around him, such as his orderly and colleagues, felt that he had become increasingly cold-hearted lately.
When he went down to inspect the soldiers' training, he was very stern and unforgiving, and I don't know how many times he lost his temper.
Even Sun Shengli called Li Huai over to ask if he had argued with Zhao Qinglan or if he was under too much pressure.
Sometimes knowing too much can be a source of pain and burden.
In this respect, Zhao Qinglan couldn't help her husband much either; she even regretted telling him that a war was going to break out.
Besides causing her husband worry, what other effect did it have?
The Lantern Festival is on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Mrs. Sun and her youngest daughter spent the holiday together in the city and did not come back.
Zhao Qinglan made the glutinous rice balls herself and invited her sister and brother-in-law to come and eat with her.
Knowing that the war would break out after the fifteenth, Li Huai could not show a smile even on today's holiday.
Zhao Qingzhu couldn't help but secretly bump into her sister.
"Big sister, what's wrong with my brother-in-law these days?"
"It's alright, don't worry about him, he's just having some troubles." Zhao Qinglan smiled helplessly.
Seeing that her sister didn't seem worried at all, Zhao Qingzhu stopped asking.
After the family spent the holiday together, Li Huai, who was wide awake, suddenly turned to look at his wife as they lay down for the night.
"Qinglan, if war breaks out, I will definitely go to the front line if possible. I'm sorry."
He was a soldier, and although he also longed for peace, deep down he still wanted to go to the battlefield if there was war.
Zhao Qinglan smiled helplessly. "I understand." Although she really wanted to tell me not to go for my sake and the children's.
But she didn't want her husband to have a lifelong regret.
Just after the Lantern Festival, Li Huai and his men received orders from the military region to enter a state of emergency. They were approaching the north and were on guard against a sudden attack from a major northern power with increasingly tense relations.
On February 17, 1979, the self-defense counterattack war began.
Apart from the troops already engaged in combat on the border, all other troops across the country are on high alert.
Li Huai and his group were also ready to receive orders from their superiors at any time.
Apart from Zhao Qinglan and Li Huai, no one in the group ever imagined that a war would break out in this day and age.
No one knew how long the fight would last or how large it would be. Except for the naive children, everyone was clearly on edge.
Who knows if this will be another protracted battle that lasts for several years?
Who would want to fight if they could live a good life, especially military dependents whose families have members serving in the military?
They were most afraid of war, afraid that their loved ones would go to the battlefield, and even more afraid that they would be left there and never come back.
When Sun learned that war had broken out, she was so frightened that she temporarily closed her snack shop and came from the city with her youngest daughter.
There was no other way; both of her sons-in-law were soldiers, and at this critical juncture, she had no mind to open a shop and make money.
At this point, Zhao Qinglan, who had been somewhat anxious before, appeared the calmest, simply because she remembered that this battle had not lasted very long, only about a month.
During this emergency standby, neither Li Huai nor Zhou Jingsheng went home.
The women in the family were all increasingly worried.
It's common to see military dependents in the family quarters huddled together chatting, regardless of the cold outside.
At Zhao Qinglan's house, there were always Sun Shi, Zhao Qingzhu, Zhao Qingju, and Wu Mei sitting around.
At this moment, everyone feels the same way.
The military primary school has started the new semester.
The children were not as cheerful as they used to be when they were in school.
In her office, Zhao Qinglan often heard the teachers talking about the war in the south.
These days, aside from their normal work, eating, drinking, and basic needs, it seems like everyone spends all their time on the topic of war.
Even knowing that the battle would end soon, Zhao Qinglan still felt very sad when she saw and heard reports about casualties and the situation.
Some passionate young people and students also actively requested to join the army and go to the front lines to fight.
More than twenty days after the outbreak of war, Li Huai and his men suddenly received orders to head south.
This was supposed to be a secret, but with so many military vehicles and people leaving, how could the people in the family quarters not know at all?
On the night the troops marched south, many families in the residential area couldn't sleep.
Of all these people, Zhao Qinglan must be sleeping the best.
Because she knew the duration of this battle, and it was already this late, her husband and the others were only heading south. She doubted whether they could even reach the front lines before the battle ended.
If we can't even go to the front lines, what danger could there be?
Just as she expected, Li Huai and his group rushed south and finally arrived. Before they reached the border battle zone and were waiting for orders from above, news suddenly came that the battle was over.
The news was met with cheers from people all over the country.
Zhao Qinglan's unit's primary school gave them a half-day off. Everyone was too distracted to go to school and celebrated in various ways.
As soon as Zhao Qinglan and her daughter returned home, they saw her mother and sister with joyful expressions.
"Qinglan, you said that if we stop fighting, Li Huai and Jingsheng will be back soon, right?"
"Mom, of course! Otherwise, why would they stay in the south?" While on the march, do they not need lodging or food?
The family members in the residential area, who had been frowning, finally showed smiles after many days.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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