Less than a year after returning from the Laoshan frontline, none of her comrades expected Dong Xiaoxue to voluntarily apply for discharge.

How much she loved wearing this military uniform.

Leaders and comrades noticed that Xiaoxue was quite downcast after returning to the unit from Beijing.

Despite receiving so many honors, she was still gloomy because she was thinking about what to do next now that there would be no more fighting.

In the field army, female officers are rare and particularly eye-catching; she wasn't a military cadre and didn't understand the work at the division hospital, which was the most challenging problem she pondered during her time in Beijing.

On top of that, her mother kept urging her to have a child soon since she was getting older, and her body had deteriorated after a year in Laoshan.

Although Xiaoxue was reluctant to leave the military camp and take off her uniform, she calmly made the decision to discharge after considering these issues.

Before making the decision, she specifically went to the political department's propaganda section to have a heart-to-heart talk with Pan Jun, who was closer than a brother to her. Pan Jun had already been promoted to the head of the propaganda section before returning from the frontline.

After Xiaoxue joined the unit, Pan Jun often asked her if she had any difficulties, which was also to honor the request of their old comrade Dong Xiaowei. Seeing that Xiaoxue had made up her mind and her thoughts were clear, he expressed his understanding and support on the spot.

Unknowingly, Pan Jun and Dong Xiaoxue chatted for nearly three hours in Temple of Heaven Park.

During this time, Xiaoxue's daughter called her twice.

Pan Jun told Xiaoxue to let her daughter not worry about her mother, and the kids should continue with their next itinerary; he would be responsible for taking Xiaoxue back to the hotel to meet them in the evening.

At noon, he invited Xiaoxue to his home for lunch and informed his wife, Feng Li, to make dumplings for Xiaoxue, knowing that this northern girl from Sichuan loved dumplings.

When they arrived at Pan Jun's home near the Temple of Heaven, his wife came out to greet them, warmly welcoming Dong Xiaoxue's visit.

Forty years ago, when they were in the army, the division headquarters and the propaganda team had many comrades from Beijing and Sichuan that both were familiar with; they shared updates about these comrades' current situations at Pan Jun's home.

Pan Jun asked Xiaoxue.

How did you arrange your trip to Beijing? When are you leaving Beijing?

Xiaoxue: We arrived the day before yesterday. To let my granddaughter see more places, we booked a three-day tour with a travel agency. Yesterday, we went to the Summer Palace and Beihai during the day, and in the evening, we visited that Nanluoguxiang. Tomorrow, we will go to the Badaling Great Wall and Tsinghua University; I can't remember what we are doing the day after tomorrow.

Xiaoxue continued: The weather in Beijing is too hot. I told my daughter that we would rest at the hotel tomorrow. I'm getting older, and before we left, I said I would follow along if I wanted to play, and if I didn't want to, I would rest at the hotel. I can't keep up with their energy. We are playing in Beijing for a week; although it's summer vacation, my granddaughter has too much homework and various tutoring classes during the break. I brought her to Beijing this time to let her relax, but we can't delay for too long.

While chatting in the living room, Pan Jun's wife came from the kitchen to the living room, telling the two to get ready for lunch.

Pan Jun's wife, Feng Li, is also a military person.

She recently retired from the Army General Hospital, where she was a professor-level pharmaceutical expert, serving as the deputy director of the pharmacy department and also the director of the outpatient pharmacy.

A few years ago, during a health check, she found a tumor with a tendency for breast cancer; after surgery, she recovered well, took half a year off, and then returned to work. She is someone who can't sit still.

Due to managing dozens of people in the outpatient pharmacy at work, her blood pressure remained unstable, and she often suffered from dizziness and headaches.

Two months before Feng Li's sixtieth birthday, Pan Jun issued her an ultimatum: she could only work until her sixtieth birthday. She was not allowed to continue working even if rehired; otherwise, Pan Jun would directly complain to the hospital's political commissar.

As she got older and her health deteriorated, she often felt uncomfortable, but she was reluctant to leave her job.

Seeing Pan Jun getting anxious, she knew he was doing it for her own good.

So she brought out the plan she had already thought of and said to Pan Jun: Alright, alright, I won't be the pharmacy director anymore, but now the chief physician of the department still sees patients after retirement. I can give up my positions as the head of the pharmacy department and pharmacy director and agree to officially process my retirement. However, I still hold positions as a member of the National Pharmacopoeia Committee and a council member of the Military Health Committee's pharmacy department.

Hearing Feng Li say this, Pan Jun smiled and said, please continue. In fact, Pan Jun knew his wife would not give up easily; since she agreed to process her retirement and no longer hold administrative positions, it made Pan Jun feel much more satisfied.

Feng Li continued: The hospital has had a safe medication expert outpatient clinic for many years. After the old director, Sister Wang, retired, she has been seeing patients there. She has long said that after I retire, I should also see patients as the director, changing her current twice-a-week outpatient clinic to once a week for two people. She said that seeing patients twice a week is quite tiring. You should agree to this.

Pan Jun quickly nodded: Agreed, agreed.

Feng Li added: I still need to attend the meetings of the National Pharmacopoeia Committee and the Military Health Committee, so don't stop me.

Feng Li kept her word and processed her retirement on her sixtieth birthday, instantly feeling much more relaxed.

However, she didn't sit idle; she arranged breakfast, lunch, and dinner for Pan Jun and herself very well!

This was Dong Xiaoxue's first time meeting Pan Jun's wife. While Feng Li was busy in the kitchen, Pan Jun briefly introduced his wife's situation to Xiaoxue.

He also said: Xiaoxue, it’s not easy for you to come to Beijing; meeting today at the Temple of Heaven is fate.

Let the kids play these days; I will gather our old comrades from the division in Beijing, oh, and several from your propaganda team too.

Dong Xiaoxue: That sounds great, let's do it that way; I will follow your arrangements.

At this moment, Feng Li stood at the kitchen door and said to the two: Stop chatting; the dumplings are about to go into the pot; it's time to eat.

Before long, Feng Li brought two steaming plates of dumplings to the dining table and said to Xiaoxue: I made two kinds of fillings in two pots; one plate is vegetarian filling with chives and eggs, and the other is fennel and pork. Dig in; I still have to make a pot of pork and scallion filling.

Xiaoxue saw that each plate had more than twenty dumplings and praised Pan Jun: Feng Li is really capable; each one is hand-pinched and can hold such a big filling; sister-in-law is impressive.

Pan Jun: "She is from Shandong; making dumplings and buns is her specialty. Hurry up and eat while it's hot."

"What are you talking about?"

Feng Li also brought over the plate of the third pot of dumplings.

Dong Xiaoxue: I was just praising sister-in-law for being capable.

Feng Li: I have now transformed from a military doctor to a cook, turning around the stove every day.

While speaking, she couldn't help but laugh.