During the 2012 Chinese New Year, Zhao Qinglan's family welcomed a new member named Yunyun, who was also pregnant.
The whole family gathered together to celebrate the New Year, and the atmosphere was incredibly lively and happy.
They even had someone come to their home to take a family photo.
However, in 2013, right after the New Year, Li Huai became worried.
He always went home very early, and if he didn't see Zhao Qinglan for a while, he would get very anxious.
Not only that, he also urged his wife to go to the hospital for a medical check-up.
Don't blame him for this; he was just thinking about his past life.
My wife passed away from illness in 2013.
"Qinglan, let's go to the hospital for a check-up," Li Huai suddenly said after a meal.
In fact, Zhao Qinglan had a physical examination not long before the Lunar New Year.
She takes her health very seriously and has a full-body check-up at least once a year.
However, seeing her husband's anxious appearance every day, she guessed what was going on and smiled, "Okay, then we can both get checked together."
In fact, Li Huai also has a specialist who conducts annual checkups for him.
But now, in order to be with his wife, the two have made an appointment for a medical check-up.
After the secretary made the arrangements, the two of them took a car to the hospital.
The two of them spent quite a bit of time sitting down for various examinations.
Moreover, the test results are not available immediately; you have to wait.
As he waited, Li Huai grew increasingly anxious, fearing that he might see a bad outcome.
That night, Zhao Qinglan leaned against the headboard and comforted him.
"How could I not feel anything in my body? Over the years, I've consistently maintained a healthy lifestyle, and we've been very careful about my diet. Don't worry, I'm fine."
She was touched by her husband's concern and care, but she didn't want him to live in fear every day.
"Um."
Li Huai seemed to agree, but he was still worried.
He was more afraid of the unexpected than the possible consequences; in short, he couldn't bear the thought of losing her.
The children all knew that their parents had gone for a physical examination. Since they had just had a physical examination not long before the New Year, they were worried that something was wrong with their parents' health and they all came home to ask them.
Even though Zhao Qinglan repeatedly said that there was nothing wrong with them, without seeing the test results, Da Wa and his siblings were still skeptical.
Thankfully, the results are finally in.
Zhao Qinglan and Li Huai are both in good health. They have occasional minor ailments, but they are not serious. In fact, their health indicators are better than some young people.
Compared to their peers, they are exceptionally healthy.
Seeing the results, Li Huai felt a little relieved.
After seeing that their parents were really healthy, Da Wa and Xiao Duo went back to work with peace of mind.
Only the third child vaguely guessed what was going on.
Zhao Qinglan thought that her husband would stop once the medical examination results were released.
A few days later, when it was time for Li Huai to go to work, he still didn't leave the house.
Why aren't you going to work?
Li Huai calmly said, "I've considered myself retired. I've handed over the important work to others. It'll just take a few months before I can officially step down."
Zhao Qinglan was shocked. "You...retired?"
Li Huai glanced at his wife. "I'm already sixty-five this year. What am I doing taking up this position? I need to make room for others."
Zhao Qinglan didn't believe this reason at all; the higher the rank, the later one retires.
Many husbands at similar levels work until they are seventy, and how could she not know how much her husband loves his career?
Thinking of the possible truth, she frowned and said, "You don't need to withdraw early for my sake, I'm in good health."
She didn't want her husband to make such a sacrifice for her, as it would make her feel guilty.
However, Li Huai insisted. "When will I be done working? I just want to retire now and take a good rest. We're both in good health right now. Where do you want to go? I'll go with you. As for going abroad, let's wait a few years first."
At his level, even after retiring, going abroad is not easy and will be very troublesome.
"Are you really tired and want to take a break?" Zhao Qinglan raised an eyebrow.
"Really, I've been doing this for decades, it's time for me to retire."
Although she knew that her own actions must have played a part, Zhao Qinglan was genuinely happy this time.
She always said she didn't care, didn't care, but does she really not cherish companionship?
It's like we made a promise many years ago to travel together and explore the beautiful landscapes of our motherland, but it's always just talk and never actually happened.
And now, these things can finally be done.
Because Li Huai suddenly retired, many people called to inquire, and everyone thought that he had some kind of health problem.
Li Huai was fine, so he naturally wouldn't curse himself. He simply said that he was too weak to continue and couldn't do it anymore.
Those who were a few years older than him exchanged bewildered glances. "You're younger and much healthier than us, yet you claim you're not up to the task. What about us? Are we going to stubbornly refuse to leave?"
Since he wasn't planning on quitting, Li Huai didn't care what others thought.
Moreover, his retreat at the hands of the enemy was not entirely without its advantages.
Da Wa is currently in the prime of his career. Both he and his father are in the military system. He has been promoted to a high position, but Da Wa, having reached his current position, would need to be pushed back if he were to rise any further.
However, his early retirement and willingness to vacate his position, rather than clinging to power, will actually make things easier and faster for Da Wa in the future.
He didn't just impulsively quit without thinking.
Because they were both in the same military unit, Da Wa was the first to notice the abnormality.
He was surprised to learn that his father, Li Huai, had semi-retired when someone inquired about his health through him.
I took some time to go home and had a talk with my father. Only then did I learn what my father was thinking.
I'm tired and want to rest, spend some time with my mother, and also hope that things will go more smoothly for him in the future.
Da Wa felt that her father had thought a lot about her. Even though he was middle-aged and his daughter was in college, he still couldn't help but be moved to tears.
Xiao Duo and the other three children gradually found out and expressed their concern for their elderly father.
Knowing that their parents were preparing to go out for fun, the children were very supportive and eager to go.
Actually, at first, the eldest brother and his siblings discussed whether they should take turns accompanying their parents on outings, but Zhao Qinglan and Li Huai decisively refused.
Let them all go about their own business. They're not so old that they can't walk or need someone to take care of them.
Even so, when it came time to actually go out, I still brought two people with me.
They have an assistant and a bodyguard who can help them carry things when they go out, drive them, and handle many miscellaneous tasks.
Knowing that these two people were with them, Da Wa and the others finally felt relieved.
When they went out for the first time, all the children except for Erwa, who was in Shanghai, rushed to the airport to see their parents off.
Because of the restrictions on Li Huai's ability to travel abroad freely, the two of them planned to spend a year or two exploring the country.
After the plane took off, Li Huai looked at his wife, who was resting with her eyes closed, and couldn't bear to look away.
Even though the medical report showed everything was fine, he couldn't stop worrying. Now, he could only feel at ease by staying by his wife's side every moment and seeing that she was alright.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
