Chapter 78.2

Commander Li clasped his hands behind his back. “That’s good to hear. Our military district families are all exceptional.”

Director Leng shook her head helplessly and told Lu Nong, “Old Li loves to scare people. He can change his mood in an instant, so don’t take it to heart.”

“Let’s ignore them and go inside. You wanted to find a carpenter, right? I’ll take you tomorrow. It’s not far, just at the foot of the mountain. Xie Laosan is an excellent craftsman. All the girls in the nearby villages come to him for wedding chests and dowries.”

Lu Nong nodded eagerly, “Yes, yes.”

Once inside, Director Leng saw Pei Xia lying in a crib and Gu Xiaohuai chasing after a little white dog. She exclaimed in surprise, “You already have two children?”

Director Leng looked at Lu Nong’s waist and then at her face, a look of astonishment on her face. “Oh my goodness, I can’t believe it…”

“You really don’t look like you’ve given birth at all.”

Lu Nong smiled and called out to Huaihuai, “Xiaohuai, come over and say hello to Grandma Leng.”

Huaihuai stopped chasing the little white dog, obediently walked over to Lu Nong, and raised his chubby little face. In a sweet voice, he said, “Hello, Grandma Leng. I’m Xiaohuai, and I’m three years old this year. Please take care of me.”

“Oh my, oh my,” Director Leng placed a hand on her heart, looking completely melted by Xiaohuai’s cuteness. “You’re already three years old. No wonder you’re so polite. Who taught you to say such things?”

Xiaohuai scratched his head in confusion, saying, “Everyone says that.”

“He wasn’t taught by anyone. It’s probably because he overheard family conversations and learned it himself,” Lu Nong explained while gently ruffling Xiaohuai’s hair. She realized her child was clever, more so than she had expected. He not only understood adult conversations but could even summarize his own greetings.

Director Leng picked up Xiaohuai and hugged him tightly. “What a smart boy! Our Xiaohuai is so clever that Grandma just wants to take you home with me. Do you want to come home with Grandma Leng? Grandma has older sisters and brothers just like you.”

Xiaohuai hesitated, thought seriously for a moment, then shook his head, clearly stating, “Xiaohuai is Mama’s child. I can’t go home with Grandma Leng.”

Director Leng chuckled and discussed with Xiao Huai, “Okay, I know that Xiao Huai is Mama’s child. Since Grandma can’t take you home, how about you visit Grandma Leng when you have time? You can play with the older brother and sister there, okay?”

Lu Nong nodded at Xiao Huai, indicating that Grandma Leng was a good grandma.

“Mm-mm,” Xiao Huai replied. Seeing his biological mother nod, he also nodded seriously and said, “I like Grandma Leng, and I want to play.”

Aunt Wu came out carrying tea. “Here, have some water.”

“Who is this?” Director Leng asked.

Lu Nong introduced them, “This is my mom, her surname is Wu. Mom, this is Director Leng, the wife of Commander Li, who has specially come to ask if our family needs any help.”

“Director Leng is going to take me to find a carpenter for furniture tomorrow, Mom. There’s a market tomorrow, and I want to go out and explore.”

“Sounds good,” Aunt Wu said enthusiastically. “That’s great! Since we are new here and don’t know anything, having a guide will help us get familiar with the surroundings quickly. Thank you so much, Director Leng.”

“Not at all, it’s the least I could do.”

Director Leng politely chatted with Aunt Wu and Lu Nong for a while. They agreed on a time to go out the next day. Before leaving, Director Leng kissed Xiao Huai goodbye, reluctant to part ways, and left the house.

As she was leaving, she reminded Lu Nong, “Nong Nong, don’t forget to bring Xiao Huai to my house to play.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll come to visit when we have time,” Lu Nong replied.

After leaving the Pei residence, Director Leng exclaimed, “The Pei Ji’an family is impressive! Let’s not even talk about Xiao Pei and Xiao Lu, both are outstanding individuals.”

“Just look at Xiao Pei’s mother-in-law, Aunt Wu. She has a refined demeanor, clearly well-educated. And their children—the girl is still in swaddling clothes, so we can’t tell yet, but that boy seems intelligent and precocious. He will definitely achieve great things in the future.”

Commander Li replied with a grunt, “Isn’t that obvious?”

“If Xiao Pei and Xiao Lu are outstanding, their parents can’t be lacking either. How could the children be any less?”

Director Leng: “…”

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

While she dismissed him, Commander Li had something to say, “I have a good impression of Pei Ji’an. People are saying he is my successor, which is nonsense, but if Pei Ji’an performs well, I wouldn’t mind him taking over.”

Director Leng nodded, mentally raising her assessment of Lu Nong.

After Commander Li and his wife left, Pei Ji’an put down his work and went upstairs to see his daughter. To his surprise, Xiao Xia gave him a hard time, not only wetting him but also leaving a foul smell in her diaper.

If Pei Zheng had been there, he would have shouted, “Ah! Xiao Xia pooped again!”

However, Pei Ji’an remained composed as he calmly carried Xiao Xia upstairs to change her clothes and diaper.

Changing diapers was something Pei Ji’an was familiar with. After all, Xiao Xia practically grew up on him, so changing her diaper was no challenge at all.

Outside, as it was getting late, Lu Nong invited the soldiers who were working to have dinner. Aunt Wu was in charge of cooking and served the food. The soldiers initially didn’t want to eat much, but once they were coaxed into taking a bite, they devoured the food so fast they nearly bit their tongues off.

After finishing their meal, the soldiers awkwardly smiled at each other. Lu Nong offered them tea, saying, “It’s a blessing to be able to eat. Nothing can escape my mother’s cooking skills.”

“Thank you, Comrade Lu. Please tell Commander Pei that we’re heading back to the camp now.” The soldiers, following Lu Nong’s request, addressed her as Comrade Lu. However, this clever fellow conveniently omitted the title of Deputy Commander Pei, and Lu Nong didn’t correct him.

“Alright, hurry back and get some rest.”

“Take care, you too.” With that, the soldiers shouldered their hoes and tools and left.

Back inside, Pei Ji’an and Xiao Xia came downstairs. Lu Nong approached and patted Xiao Xia’s bottom, asking, “Did you change her diaper? Oh my, both of you smell terrible. Stay away from me!”

Pei Ji’an pursed his lips slightly.

But Lu Nong didn’t notice Pei Ji’an’s expression change. She busily moved the books to the study in the attic. In her mind, she marveled at how reliable Pei Ji’an was. Just within a day, the study was taking shape, and her desired layout was almost perfectly restored.

Now, all that was missing was a desk and a small couch.

Pei Ji’an stood behind Lu Nong, holding Xiao Xia and leaning against the door frame, leisurely watching Lu Nong move the books one by one.

Lu Nong: “…”? ? So angry.

Feeling unfairly treated, Lu Nong sat down on the wooden floor of the attic. She and Aunt Wu were both neat freaks, and the floor of their home was spotless, so sitting there wasn’t dirty at all.

Pei Ji’an walked in holding Xiao Xia, towering over Lu Nong.

Lu Nong beckoned him with her finger, “Come here, I have something good for you.”

Pei Ji’an squatted down. Lu Nong quickly took Xiao Xia from his arms and stood up, teasingly saying, “Hmph, now that I’m holding the baby, it’s your turn to work. Go move those books, Daddy!”

In terms of speed, no one could compare to Pei Ji’an. Before Lu Nong could react, she and Xiao Xia were already in Pei Ji’an’s arms.

Pei Ji’an pushed Lu Nong against the wall, with Xiao Xia between them. Their breaths intertwined, and in the small attic, even the slightest breaths were amplified.

“Ah, ah…” Xiao Xia stared curiously with her big, dark eyes at the skylight, ignoring her parents who were squeezing her in the middle.

“Little liar, do you dare to go back on your word?” Pei Ji’an’s deep voice whispered in Lu Nong’s ear.

Lu Nong: “…”

That was unfair!

She kissed the corner of Pei Ji’an’s mouth, “Alright, is this better?”

Pei Ji’an still didn’t let go. Lu Nong felt flustered, so she stood on her tiptoes and pecked Pei Ji’an’s lips. Just as she was about to pull away, Pei Ji’an deepened the kiss, their lips entangled.

Pei Ji’an’s large hand even covered Xiao Xia’s eyes.

After a long moment, Xiao Xia yawned. Only then did Pei Ji’an finally release Lu Nong, fearing she might slip, he supported her waist and said, “There should be a punishment for lying, don’t you think, Nong Nong?”

Lu Nong: “…” Humph! You old pervert.

After their playful moment, the two of them sat on the floor, where many books were scattered around. Pei Ji’an casually picked up a poetry collection and handed it to Lu Nong, saying, “Read it again.”

Lu Nong felt embarrassed after being teased, turning her head away defiantly, “I won’t read it.”

In truth, she felt inexplicably shy. She had previously read poems from this very book to Pei Ji’an, and they had done things far more intimate than reading poetry. They had tangled together and shared kisses, and now that they had a child, she couldn’t understand why reading a poem made her feel bashful.

Pei Ji’an didn’t insist. He placed the poetry collection among the other books, took out a piece of letter paper, and pulled a pen from his chest pocket, writing down several characters like “Chen”, “Zhen”, “Bao”, “Yu” on the paper.

“What’s this?” Lu Nong asked, puzzled.

“Which character do you think is the best?” Pei Ji’an asked her.

Lu Nong shook her head. “They all have beautiful meanings. I can’t choose.”

“Then let’s use Chen. This character is the best. You give our daughter the name ‘Xia’ and I’ll give her the name ‘Chen.’” Pei Ji’an held the character “琛” separately and lightly tapped Xiao Xia’s nose, “From now on, your name will be Pei Xiachen.”

“Pei Xiachen, that’s a lovely name.”

After thinking for a moment, Lu Nong took Xiao Xia back to the bedroom and placed her in the crib. She then retrieved two jade pendants her uncle had given her, one of which had no inscriptions, while the other was inscribed with the words “红豆” (red bean) in one corner.

Returning to the attic, she crouched down and showed the jade pendants to Pei Ji’an, expressing her frustration, “These were given by my uncle for me to pass on to the children. I wanted to have their names carved on the jade, but I can’t find a craftsman to do the engraving.”

Pei Ji’an embraced Lu Nong, picked up the jade pendant inscribed with “红豆,” and stroked it gently. After a moment of silence, he sighed and recited, “Delicate dice settle on red beans, how deeply does longing penetrate the bone, do you know?”

“Red beans, do you know?”