Hearing Lu Haici’s words, both Lin Qingqing and Lu Cheng were taken aback.

They never expected that such a young child could come up with such an idea.

Lin Qingqing really wanted to know how his mind worked.

However, on a long, dark night, who could refuse a little one’s offer for a cuddle?

So Lin Qingqing didn’t hesitate to agree to Lu Hai Ci’s request. “Of course, it’s wonderful that you can keep me company, but you don’t have to sleep on the floor. We can share the same bed!”

Sleeping on the floor for too long, even in summer, wouldn’t be good.

“Really?” Lu Haici’s eyes lit up. “That’s great!”

Lu Cheng shook his head helplessly. “How about this: I’ll separate the big bed in that room and move another bed over. That way, the two beds can be pushed together, and you both can sleep on the beds.”

It would be too cramped for the two of them to squeeze onto a small bed.

Lin Qingqing thought it was a good idea, and hearing that he could sleep with his mom made Lu Hai Ci even more excited.

Moving the beds was quick, and the folding beds in the military were easy to maneuver.

Once Lu Cheng finished moving the beds and setting them up, Lu Haici and Lin Qingqing closed the door to sleep.

Lu Cheng still hadn’t washed up, so he took a moment to glance at the closed door before going to wash himself.

When he returned to his own room after washing, he suddenly felt the space was very empty.

With two beds and two dressers gone, how could it not feel spacious?

Lu Cheng looked at the ceiling, thinking about everything that had happened over the past few days.

It felt like a dream.

Yet for some reason, he felt particularly content. It was as if his previously monotonous life had suddenly become vibrant and meaningful.

From a future world?

The country she spoke of, one that had achieved prosperity and democracy and was admired globally, made him want to see it for himself.

But she had said that such a country was built by those who came before, so he needed to work even harder to become one of those predecessors in her eyes, ensuring a better life for future generations in his homeland.

It was through her words that he realized their efforts and struggles were worthwhile.

He was now 28 years old, and it was 1963. Perhaps if he lived a little longer, he would see the future she spoke of.

Lu Cheng thought that even if Lin Qingqing returned in three years or so, she might come back from the future.

If he lived long enough, wouldn’t he be able to see her again?

With these thoughts, he felt that he would have no regrets.

Perhaps the best arrangement in life was that Lin Qingqing had come back, and he could live to see her generation.

But when they met again, she would be a little girl, and he would be an old man.

With these thoughts, Lu Cheng fell into a deep sleep.

This sleep felt long, almost weighty. He rarely dreamed, but he had a peculiar dream this time.

In the dream, he was an old man and saw a little girl.

He said to her, “Hello, Comrade Lin, my name is Lu Cheng.” The little girl replied, “Hello, Grandpa, I’m Lin Qingqing.”

The dream abruptly woke him up.

“Dad…” Lu Haici was standing by the bed, pushing Lu Cheng with all his might. “Dad, the wake-up call rang! Why aren’t you getting up? You’re an adult, why are you still sleeping?”

Lu Cheng looked at his son, who was giving him a disdainful look.

He rubbed his temples, realizing it was the first time in his life that he hadn’t woken up when the morning call sounded since joining the military.

Quickly, Lu Cheng got up and dressed, asking, “How did you wake up so early?”

Hearing this, Lu Haici got angry. “Mom already went to work! I was supposed to go with her, but Mom told me to stay behind to drink sesame paste. Oh no, my sesame paste is getting cold! I need to go drink it now! Mom made it with hot water and added sugar. It tastes so good! Mom said it’s good for my health.” Lu Haici spoke proudly, sounding as if he had just eaten a delicious candy.

Lu Cheng was speechless.

He hurriedly finished getting dressed, barely brushing his teeth before rushing out to the military.

“Dad, you haven’t brushed your teeth yet!” Lu Haici called out, holding his bowl of sesame paste as he chased after him.

Unfortunately, his short legs couldn’t keep up with his dad, and he could only watch Lu Cheng’s back, deciding to remind him to brush his teeth at breakfast.

Seriously, adults really had poor memories; they could even forget to brush their teeth.

Then he thought about how his dad would go to the cooking team for breakfast, so Lu Haici set down the sesame paste and went to gather his dad’s toothpaste, enamel cup, and toothbrush, so he could brush his teeth while eating breakfast.

Brushing teeth before breakfast was a lesson all little kids knew.

Lu Haici, happily prepared with his belongings and having finished his sesame paste, closed the door and left the house early.

He’d woken up earlier than usual since he had gone to bed early last night, having enjoyed a bedtime story from his mother.

He felt like the luckiest kid in the world.

When he left, Ji Yang, who lived next door, hadn’t woken up yet, so Lu Haici didn’t call him.

He cheerfully hopped and skipped his way toward the Third Company’s mess hall.

Along the way, many people who recognized Lu Haici greeted him. “Lu Haici, where are you off to so early?” one of the women asked.

“Auntie, I’m going to the canteen to find my mom,” Lu Haici replied brightly.

Hearing this, the woman couldn’t help but think that Lu Haici was truly fortunate to have Lin Qingqing as his stepmother.

In the past, the only stepmother in the family housing who was praised was Xu Huijuan, but now Lin Qingqing was another.

Everyone agreed that both were excellent stepmothers, crediting Lu Cheng and Ji Changfeng for their discerning choices.

Xu Huijuan had been around for over half a year, so the initial interest had faded, but Lin Qingqing was still new—less than a month here—and she’d already joined the mess hall team and started preparing her own specialty stews.

Everyone knew about it since the aroma filled the air every afternoon.

But because she had an agreement with the supply and marketing cooperative, this wasn’t seen as private business, and no one had anything negative to say about it.

People generally felt Lin Qingqing was a capable woman.

Lu Haici skipped his way to the Third Company’s mess hall and shouted, “Mom, I’m here!” before running into the kitchen.

Lin Qingqing, busy with food prep, looked up when she heard him. “Go find a spot outside to read, and I’ll call you when breakfast is ready.”

“Okay,” he agreed sweetly, but then added, “Mom, Dad forgot to brush his teeth today. I brought his toothpaste, toothbrush, and enamel cup, so make sure he brushes his teeth when he comes for breakfast.”

In the mess hall, everyone, including Qi Shao, paused at this statement and looked at Lu Haici.

Not brushing your teeth wasn’t a big deal—many people didn’t at that time.

But somehow, hearing it from Haici made it sound odd.

Lin Qingqing felt a bit helpless; her son had unwittingly dented his father’s image. “Then, when your dad arrives, hand him the toothbrush, toothpaste, and cup yourself. Remind him not to forget next time—he’ll appreciate your thoughtfulness.”

Hopefully, this wouldn’t end in a spanking for him later, she thought.

Lin Qingqing herself wouldn’t have dared to do something like this.

“Okay! I’ll give it to Dad myself,” Lu Haici said happily, not realizing the little trick his mom had played on him.

Once breakfast was ready and the mess hall staff started eating, Lin Qingqing invited Lu Haici to join her.

That morning’s breakfast wasn’t anything special—just sweet potato porridge with whole grain steamed buns.

Since both Lu Haici and Lin Qingqing had already had sesame paste, neither of them was particularly hungry.

They started by eating the boiled egg Lin Qingqing had prepared.

While nibbling on the egg, Lu Haici asked, “Mom, can I invite Qin Ming to have some sesame paste?”

“Of course. But why do you want to invite Qin Ming to have sesame paste?” Lin Qingqing asked, curious.

“Because Qin Ming shared some cake with me yesterday at lunch,” Lu Haici replied, taking a small bite of his egg. “He told me his mom bought it from the department store, and I said the cake was just as good as the sesame paste you made for me. But Qin Ming said he’d never tried sesame paste before, so I wanted to ask if I could share some with him.”

“Of course,” Lin Qingqing said with a smile. “It’s nice to share food with friends. If he shared something with you, it’s good to return the favor.”

Meanwhile, at the Qin family’s house, Lin Qingqing had become a topic of discussion.

Yesterday, Qian Yuelan had returned to the family housing area briefly for lunch, and then went back to the hospital.

She couldn’t contain her curiosity, so she told her mother-in-law and her own mother about what she’d heard.

Yang Mailian and Zhang Hongping were stunned by her story.

Lu Cheng went to the gynecology department?

Like Qian Yuelan, both Yang Mailian and Zhang Hongping thought it had to be because of Lin Qingqing.

Otherwise, why would a man go to see a gynecologist?

Qian Yuelan dropped her gossip bomb and left, but Yang Mailian had been stewing over it all night, unable to hold back her curiosity.

Early in the morning, she went to visit Zhang Hongping.

“Did Yuelan tell you about what happened with Lu Cheng’s wife?” Yang Mailian, known for speaking her mind, dove right into it.

Zhang Hongping wasn’t surprised that Qian Yuelan had shared the story with Yang Mailian, so she didn’t try to hide anything. “Yes, she told me that Lu Cheng went to the gynecology department.”

“Yes, that’s it!” Yang Mailian said mysteriously, leaning in. “Do you think it has something to do with his wife?”

Just thinking it might involve Lin Qingqing made her excited.

Ever since Lin Qingqing embarrassed her, she’d been itching for a chance to even the score.

“How would I know?” Zhang Hongping replied with feigned indifference, though she also suspected the same.

However, she was careful not to gossip.

After all, Qin Ming and Haici had become good friends, and she didn’t want to say anything that might upset her grandson.

Plus, Qin Ming went to the Third Company’s mess hall daily for meals, so she didn’t want to risk offending Lin Qingqing.

On further thought, she realized she had no real reason to be hostile toward Lin Qingqing.

The only source of tension had been that, before marrying her son, Qian Yuelan had briefly been introduced to Lu Cheng.

But that was nothing now.

Still, Zhang Hongping had a weakness for gossip.

Seeing Yang Mailian so eager, she knew exactly what her friend was after.