I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

The contractions became more and more frequent, and Qiaoqiao felt like she was going to die; each second felt like an eternity.

"Mother, mother..."

Sweat and tears streamed down my face. Why is childbirth so painful?

"Quick, quick!" Qiaoqiao's mother hurriedly opened the door, rushed into the house, and hugged Qiaoqiao, who was half-squatting on the ground, saying, "Qiaoqiao, someone's here, it's alright, don't be afraid."

Sister Liu helped Qiaoqiao up and said, "Qiaoqiao, childbirth doesn't happen that quickly. Don't be afraid, there's a jeep to take you to the hospital."

Liu Songming called to the driver behind, "Come on, help me get the pregnant woman into the car. Auntie, go get the baby's swaddle and come with me to the hospital."

"well."

Qiaoqiao struggled to lift her head and saw Liu Songming. She called out in a wronged tone, "Brother Songming."

"Qiaoqiao, I'm back. Everything's alright now. Don't talk, save your energy."

Several people helped Qiaoqiao into the car. Sister Liu did not accompany her because there was not enough room in the car and she still had to return the cart.

Qiaoqiao was successfully taken to the delivery operating room of the First Municipal Hospital, and Qiaoqiao's mother finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Auntie, where's Wenhui?" Liu Songming asked after resting.

"Wenhui went out of town to give a speech. He said he would be back tomorrow. Qiaoqiao's due date is next month, but she gave birth early. You can't blame Wenhui." Qiaoqiao's mother defended Zhou Wenhui.

"Then why didn't you call the logistics department? Isn't Yu Fu in charge of your family's daily life?"

"Yu Fu went to give a speech with Wen Hui. We called the logistics department, the labor union, and the publicity department, but the lines were all busy. We couldn't reach him," Qiaoqiao's mother said, still shaken.

"How is that possible? Didn't you say you wanted to have children?"

"I already told you, the person who answered the phone was a man, and he was very cold. I had no choice but to go to the grocery store to find Xiao Liu."

"How is that possible? How could they all be busy at the same time? In the event of a major event, even if the line is busy, you can still try to take over the line."

"Songming, thank goodness we met you. Xiao Liu and I were pushing that cart, and we didn't know when we would get to the hospital."

Liu Songming frowned. That was Commander Zhou's daughter-in-law. How could the call center be so negligent?

While I was thinking, the operating room door opened, and the nurse called out, "Yang Qiao's family, she's given birth! She's given birth! A boy weighing seven pounds and eight ounces!"

"She's given birth?" Qiaoqiao's mother stood up happily, tears welling in her eyes, and went to hug the baby.

The little one was chubby and had two bright black eyes that looked around aimlessly.

"Nurse, how is my daughter?"

"The pregnant woman is doing well, she had a natural birth, and she's usually very active, so the delivery was quick. Give me the baby first, and after the assessment, we'll take her to the ward. You family members can wait at the door; the pregnant woman will be out soon."

"Okay, okay, thank you, nurse."

In the ward, Liu Songming paid the bills and bought a bunch of fruit.

"Auntie, I'll have the driver take you home and bring you some food; the hospital food isn't very nutritious. I'll stay here with Yang Qiao."

"Okay, thank you. I'll be back soon."

Qiaoqiao's mother glanced at her grandson and went back to cook.

"Brother Songming, I heard you were injured too. Are you alright?" Qiaoqiao asked with concern as she lay weakly in her hospital bed.

"It's been ready for a while now. We've been waiting for the military's arrangements. The troops are going to be merged, but Huailin will retain an armed forces department. I'll come back and appoint the head of the armed forces department."

"So you got promoted?" Qiaoqiao said happily.

"Yes, a regimental-level officer. It was Division Commander Zhou who saved me. If it weren't for him, I would have... I came to the military headquarters today to ask about Division Commander Zhou's situation at your house. I just happened to run into your aunt being stopped by the guards outside the compound."

"My dad's surgery was successful, but he hasn't woken up yet," Qiaoqiao said sadly.

When are you going back to China?

"I don't know. Wenhui said that medical care is better abroad, so Mom probably wants to try harder."

"If he never wakes up, I will take care of him for the rest of my life," Liu Songming said, his voice choked with emotion.

"The military headquarters are merging, and Wenhui has been transferred to the local government. We're about to move to the newspaper's residential area. When Mom and Dad come back, that house won't be our home anymore," Qiaoqiao said with a bitter smile.

"Who told you to move it?" Liu Songming asked in surprise.

"Dad has been sick for so long, he might have to retire on medical grounds. Such a nice house shouldn't be ours to live in anymore. But, we were just in such a hurry. Can't we wait until Dad comes back to move in?" Qiaoqiao's tears fell.

"Before Commander Zhou took his sick leave, he was still a commander. Who would dare to let you move out? I'm going to find the leaders," Liu Songming said angrily.

"No, no, move out. Things are different now. I can't even get through to the logistics department or the union. We're no longer part of the military family compound. Wenhui's personnel have been transferred to the newspaper. If you go and question them, they'll make things difficult for you."

Commander Zhou has already implicated many people, and Qiaoqiao doesn't want to implicate Liu Songming as well.

"Qiaoqiao, you don't need to move. Even if Division Commander Zhou has taken sick leave, you can still live in the compound. After the military units are merged, the military dependents' compound will be converted into the Armed Forces Department compound. I am the minister, and I won't let you move out, so you don't have to leave," Liu Songming said sharply.

"No, no, we're not from the armed forces department, it's not appropriate for us to live in the compound. If possible, could we wait until Dad comes back before we move out?"

Qiaoqiao didn't want to stay in the compound. She was afraid that when her parents came back, she wouldn't even have a home anymore, and she would be sad.

"Sure, Qiaoqiao, you can stay here indefinitely. The world is cold and heartless. Commander Zhou is still here, and they treat you like this. It's outrageous."

During this period, Qiaoqiao deeply experienced the coldness of human relationships. In the past, one phone call would bring four or five comrades from the logistics department, but now she can't even get through on the phone.

Qiaoqiao's mother cooked crucian carp soup and sent it to the hospital. Liu Songming left one soldier behind and went to the military headquarters first.

He first went to the logistics department to inquire whether the phone lines were busy between 2 pm and 3 pm.

I went to the labor union, and then to the publicity department. During the same time period, their phones were not busy. So the only possibility is that the call center deliberately did not answer the calls.

Liu Songming stormed into the call center and asked who answered the logistics department's call at Commander Zhou's house at 2 p.m. today.

Several operators trembled with fear. Finally, Li Bo stepped forward and admitted, "I answered the call."

"What right do you have to call Commander Zhou's house?" Liu Songming's eyes were murderous.

"Is Commander Zhou still a commander? Zhou Wenhui has always been using his home phone. Zhou Wenhui isn't a member of the military, so why is he using the military's phone?" Li Bo said with a righteous expression.

"Why isn't Commander Zhou a division commander? Did you, the platoon leader, dismiss Commander Zhou? Zhou Wenhui is also a hero, a meritorious contributor to the defense of our country. Can't he even make a phone call?"

"Platoon Leader Li, what is the job of your call center? It's to transfer calls. As for whose phone it is, is that any of your business? Since you're so self-righteous, then let the military handle you." Liu Songming said, pointing at Li Bo.

Li Bo stood there arrogantly, neither apologizing nor admitting his mistake.