Lin Qingqing initially wanted to refuse, but when she saw the tomatoes and eggplants in the basket, her eyes lit up, and she couldn’t bear to decline. “Thank you so much, Ji Yang’s mom.”

She took the basket and added, “Just a moment, I made tofu pancakes, so you should try some too.”

After all, they were neighbors, and it was only polite to reciprocate.

Xu Huijuan was taken aback.

Lin Qingqing was being too forward; she had brought over vegetables, and it would be appropriate for her to be a little more courteous.

This person was completely different from the Lin Qingqing she had known in her previous life—except for the way she looked.

In the brief moment that Xu Huijuan was lost in thought, Lin Qingqing had already gone into the kitchen with the basket.

By the time she returned to the living room, she was carrying the basket that Xu Huijuan had brought for the vegetables, but inside it was a plate holding five tofu pancakes.

Naturally, Lin Qingqing had removed the tomatoes and eggplants. “Here, Ji Yang’s mom, I’m giving you this basket back, and you can take these pancakes home to try. Don’t be too polite with me; I need to thank Ji Yang for today’s matter.”

She hadn’t seen the tomatoes and eggplants when she went to the market, or else she would have bought them herself.

Xu Huijuan wanted to refuse, but since Lin Qingqing had already prepared everything, rejecting it would seem too petty.

So, she could only accept. “Thank you so much, Comrade Lin. I’ll head back now.” Sigh, she clearly wanted to distance herself from Lin Qingqing to avoid trouble, yet here they were, exchanging gifts.

Xu Huijuan felt a bit conflicted.

Before leaving, Xu Huijuan reminded Ji Yang, “Ji Yang, be well-behaved at your aunt’s house. Don’t be naughty.”

Ji Yang happily replied, “I know!”

As a little kid, he loved lively gatherings.

Being the only child at home made meals feel lonely; now he was thrilled to be eating with a good friend.

Once Xu Huijuan left, Lin Qingqing didn’t need to teach the children how to count because the cabbage and tofu soup was already ready.

The cabbage cooked quickly, and the fried tofu was already cooked, so it came together fast.

“Alright, kids, sit tight. It’s time for us to eat,” Lin Qingqing reminded them.

Upon hearing this, Lu Haici said, “Mom, I’ll help!” He hopped down from his stool.

The other children were quick to follow his lead.

When Ji Yang heard Lu Haici say he would help, he quickly jumped down from his stool too. “Auntie, I’ll help you as well!”

Lin Qingqing pressed down on Ji Yang. “Haici is helping his mom, so you don’t need to. You’re a guest, and guests don’t have to do any work.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Yang hurriedly sat back down, his little legs swinging back and forth.

Not having to help was wonderful; he liked that very much.

As guests.

Lu Haici felt happy hearing his mom, and he happily followed Lin Qingqing.

Lin Qingqing let Lu Haici carry the tofu pancakes.

The pancakes had already warmed up, so they wouldn’t be too hot for the child to hold.

Excluding the one that Lu Haici ate, there were a total of 21 tofu pancakes.

She gave Xu Huijuan 5 and then put 3 in each of the small bowls for the children, knowing they would also have soup.

She didn’t want them to overeat, so she only gave them three each.

She served herself three as well, leaving 7 remaining.

“Wow…” When Lu Haici brought the tofu pancakes to the table, Ji Yang saw the colorful pancakes in the small bowl and couldn’t help but take a bite first. “Delicious! Lu Haici, your mom’s fried rice is tasty, and this pancake is good too.”

Lu Haici proudly replied, “My mom’s food is the best! It’s double the deliciousness.”

Ji Yang said, “Yeah, double delicious! My mom’s… my mom’s food isn’t double delicious.”

It wasn’t that Xu Huijuan’s cooking was bad; it was just that the dishes she made were typical for this era, while the kids preferred something more unusual.

Lin Qingqing came in with the soup and, hearing the children’s innocent banter, laughed, “Then Ji Yang can come over to eat often.”

How much could a little kid eat? With the Lu family’s resources, it was certainly not a problem.

Moreover, she noticed that Lu Haici didn’t have other friends, so she naturally valued Ji Yang, his only friend, even more.

When Lu Haici heard this, his smile slowly faded.

“Really?” Ji Yang looked at Lin Qingqing with anticipation.

“Of course! You’re Haici’s good friend, so you can come over anytime,” Lin Qingqing said.

Meanwhile, at the Qin family.

This year, Colonel Qin was in his fifties.

He had started his military career when he was a teenager and had only returned home once in the past thirty years when he was 22, due to the poor state of the national situation.

His parents worried that he wouldn’t return after leaving, so once he finally came home after more than a decade, they quickly arranged a match for him.

Although he was considered an “older bachelor” and it was not easy to find a wife, being a soldier with merits and some wealth made it easier.

Under family pressure, he married a young and beautiful girl named Zhang Hongping, who was only 16 at the time, making him 6 years her senior.

Because of this age difference, Colonel Qin treated his wife very tenderly—this is generally the case for “older husbands and younger wives.”

After spending a few days in his hometown, Colonel Qin returned to the army, staying away for several years until he came home again at the age of 29.

By then, his first two twin sons were already 7 years old.

After returning home, in the second year, which was 1938, General Qin had his third son.

For him, this was considered a late child, so both he and Zhang Hongping were especially fond of this son.

By 1955, Zhang Hongping had taken her 18-year-old youngest son along with her to join the military.

As for her two 25-year-old sons, they had already settled down in the countryside and were taking care of their grandparents.

Zhang Hongping was one of the earliest military wives, having lived in the military for eight years.

She was quite confident and had the qualifications to demand things.

Additionally, she had managed to secure a job for her youngest son in the military cafeteria, which was one of the reasons she brought him along—after all, why would an 18-year-old boy come otherwise?

Her two older sons had not received much education due to the national situation at the time, and they were just ordinary rural men.

However, her youngest son grew up in the post-liberation era, so Zhang Hongping placed great importance on his education and upbringing.

Although her older sons were merely common rural men, they benefited from their father’s status as a general: one became the captain of a brigade, and the other worked at the supply and marketing cooperative in town.

Their lives were not bad at all.

For Zhang Hongping, this lifestyle was satisfactory, and she did not oppose it.

She thought that when her grandson grew up, he could simply be evaluated by his grandfather. “We’ll talk about it when he grows up,” she said.

Zhang Hongping knew her husband’s character well and decided not to pursue the topic further.

However, she insisted on addressing the issue of her grandson getting hurt: “After dinner, I’ll take Xiaoming to the Lu family. At such a young age, he’s already so malicious; this will surely harm others in the future.”

General Qin, always the good-natured one, replied, “It’s just a minor issue, no need to make a fuss. Lu Cheng is about to be promoted to full colonel soon, so let’s not dwell on it.”

Upon hearing that Lu Cheng was being promoted, Zhang Hongping exclaimed, “What? So soon? He was only promoted to deputy colonel last year; it’s been just two and a half years! Isn’t the promotion usually every three years?”

General Qin didn’t elaborate and simply said, “It’s possible, but it’s not confirmed yet.”

Zhang Hongping’s eyes glinted with calculation upon hearing this.