Lu Cheng was a deputy battalion commander with a remarkable record outside, but at home, he was the one doing the simple household chores, like fetching and boiling water.

Since Lin Qingqing got off work a bit later every day to tidy up the canteen, Lu Cheng took care of some of the housework, like boiling water.

“Lu Cheng…” Lin Qingqing came into the kitchen and saw Lu Cheng filling the kettle with water.

Lu Cheng stopped what he was doing. “Hmm?” He turned around and looked at the door.

“Why didn’t Lu Haici sleep with me today?” Lin Qingqing asked. “Did something happen when I went to settle the accounts with Sister Xu Xiaoyao?”

Lu Cheng turned back to continue filling the kettle. “No, he probably just grew up.”

Lin Qingqing: “…”

That was a load of nonsense, but she didn’t press further.

Occasionally sleeping alone wasn’t so bad and could be quite relaxing. “By the way, I heard from Squad Leader Qi that there will be performances during the National Day holiday in the army?”

“Yeah, several performances. Are you interested in watching a show?” Since Lin Qingqing might be a little bored at the army base, Lu Cheng wondered if that was why she asked. “We can go watch a movie on the weekend.”

Lin Qingqing thought about it. Watching a movie sounded good.

She didn’t know what the cinemas of this era were like.

However, she asked, “By the way, do you think the cooking team could perform during the National Day celebrations?”

“The cooking team performing?” Lu Cheng didn’t expect Lin Qingqing to bring this up, but he thought for a moment. “The army is always open to performances during the National Day. There are never enough performances; no one would ever complain about too many. But… what kind of performance do you think the cooking team should do?”

Lin Qingqing smiled slightly. “A food competition.”

Lu Cheng: “… How’s that?”

Lin Qingqing explained, “Squad Leader Qi asked the other cooking team leaders from the Independent Battalion, and everyone was willing to participate in a food competition during the National Day holiday. It would be a cooking competition between each team in the battalion. Do you understand?”

“I understand.” Lu Cheng now found the idea interesting. “How did you come up with this idea for a food competition?”

“I thought of it.” Lin Qingqing said, “That day, didn’t your battalion have a match with another battalion for the whole afternoon? I saw that Squad Leader Qi and the others were really passionate, so I mentioned the idea of a food competition. I thought it was just a casual suggestion, but I didn’t expect Squad Leader Qi to really get so excited about it. Do you think we can have the competition during National Day?”

“We can have it.” Lu Cheng directly promised, “If the army can’t hold it, our Independent Battalion can organize it, but we’ll have to schedule it separately from the army’s program.”

“Well then…”

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s in the afternoon or morning, but it’s better in the afternoon. Everyone will be more interested in the afternoon,” Lin Qingqing said.

Lu Cheng replied, “Then you can arrange it. By the way, the army has never had a food competition before. If the cooking team really does something like this, it will definitely make people look at them in a new light.” Lu Cheng sounded a little excited.

Lin Qingqing smiled, “Alright then… I’ll go to bed now. Good night.”

“Good… night…” Lu Cheng glanced at her back as she left, then tidied up the kitchen before heading to bed himself.

When he entered the room, he saw Lu Haici still sitting on the bed, his little bottom in the air as he looked at his comic book.

Lu Cheng walked over. “Stop reading. It’s time for bed.”

Lu Haici tidied up the book, put it into his small schoolbag, then got off the bed, placed the bag on the table, and stretched out his hand toward his father. “Give me money.”

Lu Cheng raised an eyebrow as he looked at his son.

Lu Haici pouted. “You said if I slept with you tonight, you’d give me a coin. You also said that if I saved enough money, I could buy Mom a gift and surprise her. Mom would be really happy. But I don’t have any money, and you said if I slept with you, you’d give me one coin every day.”

Lu Haici wanted to buy a gift for his mom, and although he didn’t want to leave her side, he endured it because he wanted to see the look of happiness on her face when she received the gift.

Lu Cheng gave him a glance. “I’ll give it to you tomorrow morning.”

“No, you have to give it now.” Lu Haici no longer trusted his father.

He thought his father might cheat him out of the money, especially after Lu Cheng took his ice cream earlier.

“What if you go to your mom’s room again tonight?” Lu Cheng asked.

“I won’t,” Lu Haici replied, feeling upset.

How could his dad doubt him?

He knew that lying kids were bad, and he was a good kid.

“That’s still not possible. I’ll give it to you tomorrow morning,” Lu Cheng insisted. “If you keep complaining, I won’t give it to you. If I don’t give it to you, you won’t have any money to buy a gift for mom. You won’t be able to make her happy either. Hah…”

Lu Haici pouted, glaring at Lu Cheng.

After a while, he sulked and lay down on the bed with his back turned to his dad, using his little bottom to face him.

Even boys have to make themselves… look good.

Lu Cheng heard this and couldn’t help but ask, “Really? A man shouldn’t be rubbing face cream. That’s not very manly.”

“Really, Auntie used to rub face cream on me,” Lu Haici said, feeling wronged just thinking about it. “But you don’t rub it on me. My face hurts, and my hands hurt.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything earlier?” Lu Cheng replied.

He had never used face cream before and his face had never hurt.

His hands had never hurt either.

When Lu Haici heard this, he felt like crying.

He saw how hard his dad worked at his job and didn’t want his dad to think of him as a burden, so he didn’t say anything. “I won’t talk to you anymore,” he told himself, trying to hold on until they had enough money so he could buy a gift for his mom.

When that happened, he wouldn’t have to sleep with his dad anymore.

Auntie often said that sleeping with Grandpa would make you so angry you couldn’t sleep.

Now that he was sleeping with his dad, he was also getting too angry to sleep.

“Do I really care?” Lu Cheng suddenly hugged Lu Haici, trying to copy the way Lin Qingqing hugged him when they went to sleep.

But after just a few seconds, he let go because it was too hot.

Lu Haici also waved his little feet, trying to kick him away.

The next morning, before the wake-up call sounded, Lu Cheng had already woken Lu Haici up.

Lu Haici’s eyes were still spinning, and he was reluctant to get up, staying in bed.

Lu Cheng said, “Exercise helps you grow taller, and when you’re tall enough, you can help mom with work. Do you still want to grow taller?”

Lu Haici was caught at his weak spot, so he had no choice but to get up reluctantly.

Ten minutes later, you could see Deputy Commander Lu running with his son in the morning, from the family compound to the army camp.

However, at this time, there weren’t many people around to see them.

When the wake-up call finally sounded, Lin Qingqing got up.

She saw the two of them resting, but one had sweat dripping down his forehead, and the other didn’t have a drop of sweat.

She had heard them getting up and exercising, so she knew what they had been doing.

“Mom…” As soon as Lu Haici saw his mom getting up, he felt relieved after being exhausted for half an hour.

Lin Qingqing said, “You’re tired, right? Let me make you some sesame porridge to drink.”

“I’m not tired,” Lu Haici replied. “Dad boiled some eggs.”

In front of his mom, he wanted to maintain his little manly image, so he didn’t say he was tired.

“That’s so nice of him. Did you eat the eggs?” Lin Qingqing asked.

Lu Haici shook his head. “No, I want to eat them with mom.”

“Then let me make you some sesame porridge first.” Lin Qingqing hadn’t washed up yet, so she first made two bowls of sesame powder with hot water.

I have to say, the smell of sesame powder was really fragrant, and even Lu Cheng, who didn’t usually like to eat it, found it appealing, so he couldn’t help but look at it a few more times.

“Would you like a bowl?”

“No, I’m going to the army. It’s not good to eat before exercising.” Lu Cheng stood up. “I’m leaving, you two eat slowly.”

After Lin Qingqing washed up, she and Lu Haici drank a bowl of sesame porridge and ate a boiled egg before getting ready to go to the canteen in the third company’s kitchen.

Since Lu Haici had gotten up early and felt refreshed after the exercise, he went with her.

“Haici, why didn’t you sleep with Mom last night?” Lin Qingqing asked curiously.

Lu Haici immediately shut his mouth tightly and shook his head vigorously.

Dad said that in order to save money and surprise Mom, he couldn’t tell her.

If he told her, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore, and Mom wouldn’t be happy.

“Alright, looks like our little man has his own secrets now. Little men with secrets are even more adorable.”

“Mom…” Lu Haici hesitated and then added, “I won’t sleep with you tonight either.”

“Oh?” This made Lin Qingqing even more curious.

She knew this had to be Lu Cheng’s doing.

With Lu Haici’s personality, he would definitely want to sleep with her, so how did Lu Cheng convince him?

Seeing that Lu Haici wasn’t crying or throwing a tantrum, it meant he was willing.

But Lin Qingqing couldn’t figure out how it happened.

“I… I’ve grown up now, so I won’t sleep with Mom anymore.”

Lin Qingqing smiled. “Alright then. I’m sure our little man’s growing up phase is just temporary.”

However, Lin Qingqing didn’t get to see Lu Haici return to being a little child.

Instead, the weekend arrived.

The cooking team had one day off a week, and Lin Qingqing adjusted her rest day to Sunday.

She planned to take Lu Haici and Lu Cheng to the county town to buy some things for the Lin family and Lu Cheng’s aunt.

This would let the adults from both families know that she and Lu Cheng were doing well in the army.

This was, after all, part of her role.

Early that morning, the three of them got up together.

It was Lu Haici’s first time going to the county town with his parents.

They also planned to visit the zoo, and he was extremely excited. “Mom, should we ride bicycles? Where will Dad sit?”

The women’s bicycles had two seats, but Lu Haici couldn’t find a place for his dad.

Lin Qingqing smiled and said, “Your dad will walk there.”

Today, she was wearing a sailor-style shirt and beige long pants, with her hair tied up in a bun.

She looked somewhat fashionable.

“Huh?” Lu Haici was a little skeptical. “Then do we have to wait for Dad?”

Lin Qingqing laughed and ruffled his hair. “You’re so easy to fool. Your dad will also ride a bike. He borrowed one from your Da Wang brother’s house.”