Chen Shuning was in excruciating pain, but the child was also well-behaved and considerate, and didn't torment her for long. In the early hours of the morning, Chen Shuning gave birth to a baby boy weighing more than six pounds.
Although the baby wasn't particularly thin for a premature infant, no one in the He family doubted his identity—because the child was practically a carbon copy of He Chaoyang!
Grandma He, in particular, was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes, saying that the child looked exactly like He Chaoyang when he was born.
A wave of lingering fear washed over her, and Grandma He couldn't help but scold Chen Shuning: "You, how could you even get the date wrong! Luckily, I was feeling uneasy all day and insisted that the old man rush over to pick you up tonight, otherwise, what would you have done all by yourself over there..."
Looking at the baby in front of her, who was perfectly formed and not wrinkled like other newborns, Chen Shuning began to doubt whether she had really remembered the date wrong, and began to feel that she was a failure as a mother and had let her child down.
However, this was only the beginning of her inner turmoil; the decision she made next truly made her feel a deep sense of guilt towards her son.
Chen Shuning was holding her child, her heart filled with mixed emotions. Meanwhile, He Chaoyang had just returned to his unit when he received an emergency mobilization order for them to head to Tang City immediately.
At the same time, He Chaoyang also received definite news from the military leaders: the epicenter of the earthquake was located in Tang City, Bei Province, and the strong earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale had almost turned the entire Tang City into an isolated island.
Worse still, all transportation and communication in Tang City were cut off, more than 90 percent of the city's buildings had collapsed, and the casualties were extremely high.
Their troops needed to get to the earthquake-stricken area as quickly as possible to participate in the rescue efforts.
Upon receiving the order, He Chaoyang immediately assembled his troops. He Chaoyang was now the division commander of a division of the Beijing-based troops, holding the rank of senior colonel! To achieve such brilliant accomplishments at his age was nothing short of meteoric!
However, no one in the entire army dared to question his abilities.
After all, everything He Chaoyang has today is entirely due to his own hard work and struggle, step by step, with all those injuries he has endured.
Take this time for example, he is about to be stationed in Tangshi as the commander-in-chief of earthquake relief efforts, directing the earthquake relief work on the front line.
When the troops finally managed to enter the earthquake-stricken area after overcoming numerous hardships, the scene before them shocked many seasoned PLA soldiers.
The entire city was almost completely reduced to ruins. Everywhere you looked, there were people struggling to move forward, some leaning on tree branches, others supporting each other, and still others trudging barefoot. All of them had faces filled with pain and despair.
This once-powerful industrial city in the north is now unrecognizable, with the post-earthquake disaster area in complete disarray.
All the houses in the city collapsed, and there were no buildings or roads left. The entire area was without water, electricity, and roads, and all transportation and communication were cut off.
Seeing the tragic and desolate scene before them, the soldiers had no time to consider the fatigue brought on by the forced march and immediately threw themselves into the intense rescue work.
However, the ensuing problems proved extremely challenging: continuous rainfall triggered by the earthquake, road damage preventing large rescue equipment from reaching the site, and other difficulties made the rescue operation exceptionally difficult.
Moreover, the number of rescue personnel was far less than the number of trapped people, and the frequent aftershocks added endless difficulties to the rescue work.
Compared to physical exhaustion, the pressure on the rescue workers was even heavier.
Faced with the faces buried under the rubble, especially when the bodies of the victims were dug out of the ruins, even the most seasoned People's Liberation Army soldiers, who had witnessed life and death, were on the verge of psychological collapse.
Because wearing raincoats would affect rescue efficiency, in order to rescue more people as quickly as possible, the soldiers resolutely chose to wear only their military uniforms and braved the wind and rain to travel between various rescue points and temporary medical stations.
They raced against time to save as many lives as possible.
As soon as He Chaoyang stepped into Tang City, he immediately began searching for the commander of one of the first regiments to be stationed there.
After much effort, He Chaoyang finally managed to meet with the disaster-stricken area and inquired in detail about the current situation.
Immediately afterwards, He Chaoyang conveyed to the other party the instructions and related arrangements issued by the central leadership for disaster relief work.
After completing all of this, He Chaoyang didn't even have time to catch his breath before throwing himself into the intense and fierce rescue operation.
Meanwhile, in the makeshift rescue command center, only one communications officer remained, responsible for receiving orders from superiors at any time, and Comrade Liu Jian, who was busy running around delivering messages.
On the morning of the third day after He Chaoyang arrived in the disaster area—which was also the day after Chen Shuning successfully gave birth to her son—He's mother, Lu Jinghua, brought back important news: as one of the top surgeons at Beijing Hospital, she was about to embark on a mission to go to the disaster area to participate in the rescue work.
Upon hearing this, Chen Shuning couldn't help but feel a surge of desire.
She also wanted to go to the disaster area in person and contribute her own small share.
This might slightly alleviate the guilt caused by failing to issue a timely warning.
Looking at her son who was still in swaddling clothes, Chen Shuning felt very reluctant to part with him. She secretly took out her phone and filmed a video of her son. She also found a few tin boxes of milk powder and replaced the milk powder inside with a more trustworthy brand of formula milk powder.
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