While Hu Hao was orchestrating battles on the front lines, his father, Hu Xingjun, was busy preparing for Hu Hui's engagement party back in their hometown.
Things had progressed to the point where further attempts to discipline Hu Hui seemed futile. Since Hu Hui himself was eager for the marriage, the family simply yielded to his wishes.
"Xingjun! Come look at the TV! Little Hao won another battle! He liberated Tianyu City!" Hu Hao's aunt shouted excitedly, having just returned to the living room and caught the breaking news broadcast.
Hearing this, Hu Xingjun rushed over to the television. The screen displayed a triumphant news report detailing Hu Hao's latest victory in Tianyu City.
"Little Hao is really something! Winning battle after battle... who knows, maybe he'll even become Grand Marshal one day!" a distant uncle commented happily from the couch.
Because of Hu Hao's status, the young men in their village were currently exempt from conscription. Even those who had previously served in the military had been discharged and sent home, told to await potential reassignment to Hu Hao's forces. Everyone knew Hu Hao couldn't return home anytime soon, so they felt secure waiting comfortably in the village.
"Don't speak nonsense! Don't throw around words like 'Grand Marshal'! Being a General is already more than enough! Don't talk nonsense!" Hu Xingjun immediately waved his hands, dismissing the extravagant praise.
"Why is it nonsense? Our Hao-er has achieved so much, and he's so young..." Hu Hao's mother, Wang Xueying, started to argue, but fell silent when she saw the sharp glare Hu Xingjun shot her.
"Sigh." Hu Xingjun looked at the photo of Hu Hao displayed on the news. It was an old cadet photo from the academy; the three golden stars of a full General on his shoulder boards had clearly been poorly photoshopped in.
He sighed heavily. While Hu Hui's engagement was ostensibly a joyous occasion, Hu Xingjun couldn't stop worrying about his eldest son.
He had rarely disciplined or managed Hu Hao growing up. It wasn't out of a lack of care; it was simply because by the time Hu Hao was a teenager, he was much closer to his grandparents than his parents. Hu Xingjun had always felt a deep sense of guilt over that distance.
Everyone in the hometown thought Hu Hao was living a glorious life as a powerful General. But they didn't understand the reality. They didn't know that Hu Hao was fighting for his life on the front lines every single day.
When Hu Xingjun had visited the local military depot previously, he had seen the towering stacks of death notices waiting to be delivered. He lived in constant terror that one day, he would receive one of those notices for his eldest son.
Because of this underlying dread, he rarely boasted about Hu Hao. When people congratulated him, he merely offered a polite "thank you." When wealthy sycophants tried to force "gifts" of money on him, he adamantly refused. His only wish was for his eldest son to come home. Even just a short visit would be enough.
"It's a happy day! Why are you sighing like that?!" Wang Xueying scolded him, annoyed by his somber mood amidst the wedding preparations.
Hu Xingjun didn't want to argue with her, so he simply walked out of the house. The extended family was handling the logistics of the engagement banquet; he wasn't really needed anyway.
Feeling restless and suffocated, he drove into the city. He wanted to see if he could arrange a secure phone call with Hu Hao to tell him about his brother's engagement.
Upon arriving at the military depot, he sought out Stationmaster Sun and requested a secure connection to the front.
Stationmaster Sun didn't know Hu Hao's direct line, and Hu Hao obviously hadn't called the depot. However, considering the national news was currently blasting reports of Hu Hao's massive victory, Stationmaster Sun figured a request for a phone call from the General's father would likely be approved. He immediately submitted the request up the chain of command.
Shortly after, the Ministry of Defense forwarded the request to Hu Hao's headquarters, including the depot's secure callback number.
"Hao-ge, we just received a priority flash from the Ministry of Defense. They say your father is trying to contact you!" a staff officer interrupted Hu Hao as he was running tactical wargames on the sand table with Lu Qing and Wang Yunlong.
"My father?" Hu Hao stood up immediately, assuming there was a family emergency. He ordered the officer to dial the depot's number.
"Hao-ge, the connection is established!" the officer reported less than a minute later, handing him the receiver.
"Hello? This is Hu Hao," he answered, unsure who was on the other end.
"Hao-er! Are you very busy right now?!" Hu Xingjun's voice came through clearly.
"Dad! Not too busy! Did something happen?!" Hu Hao asked anxiously.
"No, nothing's wrong. I just... I just missed you. I know you're fighting on the front lines. They just reported your victory on the noon news!" Hu Xingjun said quickly.
"Oh... you just missed me. I can't come home right now, Dad. I'm tied down here. Please take good care of Grandpa for me!" Hu Hao said, walking into an adjacent, empty conference room. His security detail immediately closed the door behind him to ensure privacy.
"Don't be silly. Taking care of your grandfather is my duty. Hao-er... your younger brother is getting engaged tomorrow. The family is busy preparing for the banquet. I just... sigh. I missed you, so I drove into the city to call. I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," Hu Xingjun said, his voice cracking as tears welled in his eyes.
"Dad, why are you crying? I'm doing fine! Little Hui getting engaged is wonderful news! It's a shame I can't be there, and I don't really have a way to send a gift right now. Tell Little Hui I'll make it up to him when I finally get home!" Hu Hao said softly, sitting down.
"You don't need to make anything up to him! Sigh. I just... I just pray for the day you come home. I don't care about you being a General or winning medals. I just want you back alive.
"This war... so many people are dying. Dad just misses you!
"When you were young, I was always so busy working and trying to make money. I never had enough time for you. When you got a bit older, I wanted to take you with me, but your grandfather was getting frail, so I left you at home to keep him company.
"If I had known this terrible war was coming... I never would have chased that money. I would have just stayed home, farmed a little plot of land, and raised you three kids myself. Now you're so far away, and in so much danger... Dad worries about you constantly," Hu Xingjun poured out his regrets, tears streaming down his face.
"It's okay, Dad. I promise I'll come home as soon as I can. Don't worry about me! I'm the Group Army Commander; I don't fight on the front lines myself. I'm perfectly safe!" Hu Hao lied smoothly to comfort him, though his own emotions were swelling.
"Mm. That's good. But Hao-er, you still must be incredibly careful! I don't expect you to become some high official. I just want you safe. Just safe!
"We've had a lot of refugees arrive in our area recently. I bought a bunch of grain and donated it to them. I'm just trying to do some good deeds, hoping the heavens will bless you and keep you safe in return.
"I don't care about money anymore, Hao-er! I just care about you!" Hu Xingjun wept openly now.
"I'm truly fine here, Dad. It's good that you're helping the refugees. Do what you can for them," Hu Hao said gently.
"Mm, I know. Doing good deeds builds good karma for you.
"As for your brother... sigh. He's completely useless. I can see it now. He's nothing but a troublemaker. Now that you're a full General, all the wealthy, spoiled brats in the city are swarming him, trying to buy his favor by taking him out to party.
"I can't control him anymore! Your mother constantly defends him and secretly gives him money! Sigh! Even beating him with a stick doesn't work! And your mother... people butter her up by calling her the 'General's Mother,' and she completely loses her head! She has no sense of propriety!" Hu Xingjun complained, unloading his familial frustrations. Hu Hao listened patiently, feeling utterly helpless.
"Dad, you still have to discipline him! Don't let him run wild with those people! The world is in chaos right now; if he gets mixed up with the wrong crowd, it could end in disaster!
"And you have to rein Mom in! Tell her to stop bragging! But most importantly: absolutely do not accept money or gifts from those sycophants! If you take their money now, they will inevitably demand massive favors from me later!
"I left a secondary bank card with Grandpa. Ask him for it; he knows the PIN. There are a few million in that account. Use that money for whatever the family needs! But do not accept outside money!" Hu Hao warned his father sternly.
"I know, I know. I'm not stupid. I know taking their money means selling your influence. I won't touch a cent of it!
"And listen to me: do not mention that bank card to anyone, especially not your mother! That money is yours. Keep it safe. You'll need it when this is all over. If you tell your mother about it, she'll immediately harass your grandfather for it! The family has plenty of money; I've saved up quite a bit for you two boys over the years," Hu Xingjun advised, trying to protect Hu Hao's assets.
Hu Hao could only sigh in exasperation at his mother's antics.
"Hao-er... please, please be careful on the front lines. I mean it! I don't care about promotions or glory! Just come back alive! We still have the family land; even if we lose everything else, we can survive by farming when you get back!" Hu Xingjun pleaded.
Hu Hao smiled bitterly. If we don't drive the Allied coalition out, there won't be any land left to farm.
But he couldn't say that to his father. He simply agreed. "I know, Dad. Don't worry. I'm fine."
"Good. Sigh. Seeing the house so loud and busy with your brother's engagement preparations... it just makes me miss you more. With you not here... my heart just feels incredibly empty," Hu Xingjun confessed.
"Tomorrow is Little Hui's big day, Dad. You have to be happy! If you're moping around, Mom and Little Hui will be upset," Hu Hao tried to encourage him.
"Who gives a damn if they're upset?! I'M upset! Do they ever think about you?! My eldest son is fighting a bloody war, and do they ever ask about him?! Only your grandparents actually worry about you!" Hu Xingjun exploded, his frustration boiling over.
Hu Hao remained silent, letting his father vent.
"All these villagers coming over every day to congratulate us! Congratulate us for what?! They're just 'congratulating' us because their sons don't have to go to the front lines anymore! But my son is still out there bleeding! Congratulate me?! I should be congratulating them!" Hu Xingjun's voice rose in anger.
Hu Hao quickly interrupted him, urging him to calm down and not say such things, especially since they still had to live in that village.
"Sigh. I know, I know. Everyone is just trying to use our family's name now. Your mother is completely clueless, and your brother... sigh. I don't even want to talk about him," Hu Xingjun sighed, defeated.
As Hu Hao tried to console his father, Hu Jing suddenly appeared at the door of the depot's conference room.
"Jing? What are you doing here?" Hu Xingjun asked, startled. He quickly wiped the tears from his face.
"I saw you drive off alone, so I followed you in my car," Hu Jing replied.
"Hao-er, your little sister is here!" Hu Xingjun said into the receiver, immediately handing it over.
"Bro..." Hu Jing managed a single word before bursting into tears.
"Why are you crying, Jing-er?! Don't cry, don't cry!" Hu Hao panicked slightly, hearing her sob. He cared deeply for his siblings and hated hearing her cry.