A fire seemed to burn in his chest, spreading from his heart to every part of his body, scalding his fingertips until they went numb. He longed to immediately break through the snowstorm and fly to her side.
I want to hold her tightly in my arms, feel her soft body against my chest, and smell the faint fragrance in her hair.
He wanted to lower his head and kiss her reddened earlobe, to tell her how much he missed her during these days of separation.
After a long while, Chu Yan took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the turbulent emotions in his heart.
I lingered on the receiver for a long time before reluctantly hanging up.
He had just turned around when he bumped into Chu Zhenyuan standing at the door waiting for him.
The father and son exchanged a glance, and both could see the longing in each other's eyes for their wives.
Well, they really are father and son.
This time, we're truly in the same boat.
The two walked out of the switchboard room side by side. Chu Zhenyuan took out a cigarette case from his pocket, shook out a cigarette, and lit it.
The firelight flickered in the wind and snow. He took a drag, and the smoke rings he exhaled were quickly blown away by the wind. Only then did he look at Chu Yan: "Have you told Nian Nian about your decision?"
"not yet."
Chu Yan shook his head and looked at Chu Zhenyuan's profile: "Dad, what about you? Did you tell Mom?"
"Let's not talk about things that haven't been finalized yet, in case something unexpected happens."
Chu Zhenyuan flicked his cigarette ash and said in a calm tone, "But since both of us have spoken up, the higher-ups will most likely approve it. I'm confident about that."
He paused, then turned and looked intently at Chu Yan, his eyes filled with seriousness: "Chu Yan, have you thought it through?"
“Applying to be transferred back to Haicheng at this critical juncture is no small matter for your career. You are currently in the prime of your career, and staying here will offer you more opportunities.”
Chu Yan met his father's gaze and said firmly, "Dad, I've thought it through. You and Mom were different back then. You only had me and Xin'er as your children."
“But Niannian and I have ten children. With so many children to take care of, she simply cannot come to join the army.”
"Rather than being absent from the children's growth process and leaving all the problems to Niannian and the others, I would rather be transferred back to the Haicheng Military Region so that I can participate in the children's growth."
"I don't want people to say that my child, Chu Yan's child, is fatherless!"
“I understand all your concerns. As long as you wear this military uniform, you are a member of the Chu family, you are in the army, and you are serving the country no matter where you are.”
“You’re talented, kid. You had more opportunities than I did back then, and you could have gone much further.”
Looking at Chu Yan's young yet resolute face, Chu Zhenyuan's tone was filled with expectation, but even more so with relief: "I believe that gold will shine wherever it is. As long as you make your decision, I will fully support you!"
Now, Chu Zhenyuan was completely relieved.
He wasn't without his worries—
At his age, Chu Yan has become the commander of the 74th Division of the Army, so his future is limitless.
If you persevere for a few more years, you could become a commander, lieutenant general, or even a general.
But now he has voluntarily applied to be transferred back to Haicheng. He says it's because he cares about his family, but looking at his resume, it's a stain on his record that he "requested a transfer for personal reasons."
In some ways, if it's for your own future, you can only request a transfer if the organization arranges for you to go there, and you can't ask for it yourself.
This will leave a small stain on your resume when you get promoted later.
Sometimes, it is this small stain that is enough to prevent you from ever reaching the position you want in your entire life.
It takes years, decades, or even a lifetime to achieve this! Countless life-threatening dangers and near-death experiences are required to obtain the coveted medal!
But Chu Yan is right, serving in the military is about protecting the country no matter where you are.
He simply wanted to protect everyone else while also safeguarding his own family.
There's really nothing wrong with this simple wish.
Meanwhile, Chu Yan went back, and if Ye Nian'an really got into Haicheng University, she would have more free time to attend classes.
We cannot sacrifice our wife's bright future simply for Chu Yan's sake.
Doing this is too selfish, too disrespectful, and too unloving of my one and only wife.
"Dad, thank you for your support!"
Chu Yan snapped to attention and gave Chu Zhenyuan a standard military salute.
A thousand words are contained in this one gesture.
He knew that Chu Zhenyuan had always placed high hopes on him, hoping that he could surpass him and live up to his reputation as a hero who would protect his country.
But this time, Chu Yan was destined to disappoint Chu Zhenyuan...
Before speaking to Chu Zhenyuan, Chu Yan felt extremely uneasy, as if he had a rabbit in his heart.
After all, this decision is tantamount to personally extinguishing half of the promotion possibilities.
She had even imagined how Chu Zhenyuan would scold her and how he would earnestly persuade her...
To my surprise, Chu Zhenyuan agreed immediately.
Chu Zhenyuan waved his hand with a smile: "Dad has come to terms with it. He's been through so many near-death experiences, and was even falsely accused and dismissed from his post and demoted. Sometimes I feel..."
He gazed at the snow on the training field in the distance, his eyes distant: "In life, besides having a clear conscience, we should also live openly and honestly for the people we love and cherish. As long as we feel it is the right choice, we should not hesitate."
“Dad hopes you will achieve great things, not to brag about it, but because you have the ability. I want to see you standing tall on the podium receiving your medal of honor. As a father, I also hope my son will be successful.”
"But compared to your personal happiness, all of this is nothing. We soldiers have already let our wives and children down."
"If it weren't for Niannian, we probably wouldn't have been able to survive in the countryside. We must never forget our roots."
He's getting old, and he can't do many things as well as he used to.
Fortunately, with Ye Nian'an's help, not only were the hidden ailments left by the old injuries greatly alleviated, but her health also improved.
At the same time, having experienced the Liangtian Township relocation incident, he preferred to enjoy the happiness of having multiple wives and children, and did not want to suddenly encounter trouble like before, leaving him with only guilt towards his wife and children.
The decision by Chu Yan and Chu Zhenyuan to transfer back to Haicheng was completely unknown to Chi Xinyao and Ye Nian'an, who were thousands of miles away.
As soon as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law stepped out of the post office, a gust of cold wind blew, and Ye Nian'an couldn't help but stick out her tongue: "It cost 100 yuan to make a long-distance call, my goodness, that's too expensive."
Chi Xinyao also clicked her tongue in amazement, raising her hand to tidy her wind-blown hair: "That's right, you lose track of time when you're chatting with your dad. If Sister Zhang hadn't come in to remind you, who knows how much it would have cost."
She and Chu Zhenyuan hadn't had a proper conversation for a long time, and they got so engrossed in their chat that they were almost lost in conversation. Luckily, Aunt Zhang came in and reminded them, preventing them from exceeding their phone bill limit.
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