To please others? It's better to please yourself.

Not long after life returned to normal, Mr. Shen received a call from his wife. His eldest daughter-in-law had given birth to twin boys.

Mr. Shen was genuinely happy for his eldest son, but he was also more worried about his wife.

Taking care of the twins was already difficult enough, but now, with the addition of caring for her eldest daughter-in-law during her postpartum period and the two new babies, how busy must Shen's mother be?

Even if you chopped her up, you still wouldn't be able to handle it!

The more Shen's father thought about it, the more worried he became, so he personally called Shen Yue again.

Father Shen: "Son, with four children now, will your mother be able to manage?"

Shen Yue rubbed his temples. He had been promoted to deputy regimental commander a few days ago. The second regimental commander was forty-two years old this year, and if he didn't get promoted to deputy division commander in the next few years, he would likely have to retire from the military.

In other words, barring any major issues, he should be able to smoothly become a regimental commander before he turns forty. He must take advantage of his youth and remaining physical strength to complete more missions and accumulate military merits, otherwise he will inevitably have to transfer to civilian work later.

Now that Gu Panpan is giving birth, he's been running around non-stop these past few days and his energy is starting to wane.

"Dad, I understand what you mean. There's a recently retired head nurse at the city hospital here. She happens to be in the gynecology department, so she can help. She's at the hospital taking care of them now, while Mom is at home looking after the twins."

"I've already spoken to the head nurse and asked her to help take care of my mom for a while. It won't be too tiring for her, don't worry!"

"Once I can manage, I'll let my mom go back. It's not good for you two to stay apart like this. My mom's always thinking about you!"

After hearing this, Mr. Shen was relieved.

"Have you been tired lately? Do you still need to go on missions?" Hearing the voice on the phone, Mr. Shen knew his son was exhausted. He wanted to help, but he wouldn't retire until the year after next.

"Well, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I'll be going on another mission soon."

"Take care and rest well!" Mr. Shen instructed with concern.

"Dad, I remember."

"That's all, I'm hanging up now!"

When Xu Jing'an returned, she learned that Gu Panpan had given birth. She figured that Gu Panpan's breast milk would be even less reliable this time, and the two newborns would have to drink formula.

She also asked Shen He to send over the milk powder and brown sugar she had prepared during this time. Xu Jing'an was at work all day, so this task had to be left to Shen Gong'an!

That evening, after spending some time cuddling with Shen He, Xu Jing'an closed her eyes to rest. "Do you think we should ask Dad to take a day off to see Mom?"

Upon hearing this, Shen He opened his eyes and looked at his wife in his arms. "Why did you suddenly think of this?"

Xu Jing'an opened her eyes and looked at the other person: "It's not good for the old couple to be separated for so long. Aren't they worried about each other?"

"Let Dad go over and take a look. Maybe he can help with groceries or something. I guess it's really inconvenient for this family since there's no man in the house."

"But after Dad passed away, our family will have to rely on Officer Shen to work hard and pick up and drop off the kids."

"My wife is kind-hearted." Shen He's eyes were filled with tenderness that could melt water.

Since marrying Shen He, Shen's parents have indeed treated her very well. Shouldn't she reciprocate?

Thinking of this, Xu Jing'an rolled over again and continued, "At the dinner table just now, Dad relayed what my older brother said. From what I heard, my older brother meant that he would be going on missions again in the next few years."

"That's for sure. A man's physical strength changes drastically after he turns forty." Shen He has recently experienced this firsthand, not to mention he still has a few years before he turns forty!

"Furthermore, there are age limits for every position in the military. For officers in front-line combat units, the maximum grace period is a few years, but that is limited."

He held his wife's hand and rubbed it incessantly: "If you can't get promoted, you'll have to step down to make way for younger people. Besides, now that there's the college entrance exam, there will be a large number of outstanding regular military academy graduates waiting to be assigned."

"In terms of age and ability, most military officers are no longer keeping up with the times. Look, generational change is just around the corner, and a major downsizing is not far off. The military cannot afford to age; it needs young blood."

Xu Jing'an originally planned to say a few words to her husband and then go to sleep, but as they chatted, she became more and more energetic.

She continued Shen He's words, "If you're not confident about getting promoted in the next few years, you might as well switch careers quickly. Otherwise, if everyone crowds together, how will the local authorities manage to accommodate everyone, let alone find good positions?"

Shen He looked at his wife, whose eyes were wide open, and knew her drowsiness had passed. "Easy for you to say. How many people can truly back down decisively? No one will give up until they're right in front of you!"

"Since you're not sleepy anymore, let's do something else~" He rolled over and pinned his wife down.

Shen He woke up early the next morning.

Shen He mentioned the suggestion his wife had made the night before to his father.

Mr. Shen looked at his son with disdain: "Was that your wife who said that? I knew it! Expecting you to care about us old folks is like an old monk eyeing his dowry—don't even dream about it!"

He glanced at Shen He, snorted, and turned to leave.

As I walked, I thought to myself: I'll just visit my husband and come back. Otherwise, I won't feel at ease leaving my youngest son to take care of our grandchildren!

As soon as he arrived at work in the morning, Mr. Shen asked for leave. Then he packed his things, bought a ticket, and took the train to find Mrs. Shen that same day.

……

City Hospital

Gu Panpan was giving birth in the delivery room, while Shen Yue, dressed in military uniform and covered in dirt, leaned against the wall outside the door waiting.

Watching the time tick by, second by second.

Four hours have passed...

"Family of the mother in labor—is the family of the mother in bed 12 here?" The doctor hurriedly pushed open the door and came out.

"Yes," Shen Yue immediately perked up and quickly walked over.

"Twin boys, one weighing 4.3 pounds and the other 4.5 pounds, both the children and the adults are safe and sound."

"Thank you, doctor!" Shen Yue quickly expressed his gratitude.

"No need, the mother will be out soon. Get ready!" After saying that, the doctor handed the two babies to Shen Yue and turned to go into the delivery room.

Shen's mother rushed over carrying a large bag of things. "How did it go? Did it go smoothly?"

"The doctor said everything is fine, and the master will be out soon."

"Give the children to me." Head Nurse Tang had just retired recently, and Shen Yue asked her to help take care of them for a while.

When Gu Panpan woke up, it was already the next day.

During this delivery, she clearly felt somewhat powerless. Perhaps the pregnancy had progressed too quickly, damaging her body.

Shen Yue sighed as he looked at Gu Panpan, who was lying on the hospital bed, her face pale. Even though he had many complaints about her in the past, he couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh to the woman who had just risked her life to give birth to his child.

Seeing that Shen's mother and Tang Huiqi were able to manage their work, he took the opportunity to go downstairs to catch his breath.

Love is something that's best to have, but you can live without it. There are plenty of couples in China who live together as a couple, but what bothers him is that Gu Panpan shouldn't have deceived or misled him with her feelings.

Smoking one cigarette after another, Shen Yue finally decided that the two of them should have an open and honest talk.