In front of Gou dan, Chen Xiaoli acted all gentle and delicate, like water, looking as if she could be easily moved.

“Song Donghai, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lied,” she said in a very small voice.

Then she added, “I also had my reasons, I’m really sorry.”

Lu Dan, who was quite broad-minded, waved his hand and said, “Ah, it’s fine. Anyway, Song Fu won’t be at your house in the future. Just don’t learn the tricks of the lowlifes.”

The words “lowlife” seemed to prick Chen Xiaoli, and she quickly raised her head, her eyes full of resentment, glaring at Gou dan.

Likewise, Goudan was a little angry: “What do you mean by lowlifes? Brother, can you not talk like that to a young girl?”

“Stop talking. How about this: On New Year’s Eve, I’ll give the kids some New Year’s money,” Song Qingshan suddenly said.

Since Lu dan and Gou dan had both been well-educated from a young age, they didn’t have a strong concept of money, but they knew about giving New Year’s money during the New Year.

However, it was always given directly by their father; it wasn’t meant to be taken by force.

Unexpectedly, Chen Xiaoli’s eyes immediately lit up: “Uncle, is there some for me?”

“Yes, there’s some for everyone,” Song Qingshan replied, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a ten-yuan note.

Immediately, Chen Xiaoli’s eyes sparkled.

However, after looking at the ten-yuan note for a moment, Song Qingshan seemed to feel a little pain and put the ten yuan back.

Instead, he took out a five-yuan note, rubbed it in his hand for a while, and then put that back too.

Next, he pulled out a two-yuan note, rubbing it in his hands again.

“Uncle, you’re not stingy, are you? You can’t even give out two yuan for New Year’s money?” Chen Xiaoli directly asked.

Song Qingshan smiled: “We have many kids at home, and our salary isn’t that high. How about this: I’ll give you one yuan as New Year’s money, is that okay?”

With that, he pulled out a one-yuan coin and handed it to Chen Xiaoli: “Take it and buy some candy.”

Chen Xiaoli took Fang Baoyu’s hand, turned, and started walking away, still smiling, “No thanks, Uncle. I’m not the kind of child who’s greedy for money. You keep this one yuan, really, I don’t need it.”

With that, Chen Xiaoli and Fang Baoyu went out.

Only then did Song Qingshan say, “Song Xiling, hurry up and quietly put this ten yuan into Chen Xiaoli’s pocket. Don’t make a sound, give her a surprise. I was just teasing her earlier.”

Because Chen Xiaoli had acted so enthusiastically and politely, Gou dan felt quite proud, holding the ten yuan, and ran out to find her.

“From ten yuan to one dime, are they playing with me?” Chen Xiaoli muttered, walking away with her hands tucked in her sleeves. “One dime? I curse Song Qingshan and Su Xiangwan to be poor all their lives. Pfft.”

Fang Baoyu was still a little more reasonable, trying to advise, “Xiaoli, I really regard you as my daughter. How can you say such things? If someone gives you one yuan, it’s out of kindness. Giving one dime is out of duty. If they don’t give you anything, that’s okay. Honestly, you keep complaining that Song Fu hit you, but didn’t Song Fu really hit you? When are you going to stop lying?”

“Mom, don’t say that. I have money, and I’ll save it to honor you in the future…” Chen Xiaoli wiggled her little bottom as she walked cheerfully ahead.

Fang Baoyu replied, “That’s right. Don’t lie so much in the future. Be a good child. Without Song Fu, you’re all I have.”

Chen Xiaoli’s anger still hadn’t subsided: “Isn’t there still that little fool Song Xiling? I’ll get that ten yuan back sooner or later.”

However, although she had been smiling smugly, suddenly, amidst the firecracker noises in the streets, her smile froze.

She turned around and saw Gou dan standing behind her, holding a ten-yuan note in his hand.

Gou dan’s face was pale, and he even saluted Chen Xiaoli before turning and running away.

Fang Baoyu, helpless against this vain, money-loving, and problematic stepdaughter, watched Gou dan run off and, with a touch of schadenfreude, muttered, “Deserves it.”

Gou dan entered the household office and saw Lu Dan setting up the firecrackers against the wall, lighting them off.

The kid rushed over to Lu Dan, suddenly hugging him, and then quickly turned and ran into the bedroom.

Su Xiangwan, puzzled in the kitchen, wondered, “What’s going on with this kid? He’s acting strange since he came back.”

Song Qingshan smiled but didn’t speak.

You see, Su Xiangwan, being the clever mother, had already devised a series of plans to get her son back on the right track regarding Chen Xiaoli.

But even though she was smart, she never could have imagined that Song Qingshan, who appeared so serious, had a whole arsenal of tricks up his sleeve when dealing with women.

Not to mention Chen Xiaoli—he could probably even deal with a thousand-year-old fox spirit.

Li Chengze and Zhi Zhi were still next door and hadn’t returned yet.

Song Qinshan pinched his hands, rubbing and kneading them repeatedly, all the while staring at his wife busy at the stove.

After clearing his throat for a while, he said, “Xiao Su, do you know? If I hadn’t taken Donghai and Xiling out for a walk today, I would never have understood. They’re too stubborn, and as for me, I don’t have your patience or your keen observation. Without you, I really wouldn’t know what to do with these two kids.”

“Then you’d better learn well. In case I have to leave in the future, and you have to take care of the kids by yourself, these two brothers will be all on you to manage,” Su Xiangwan replied.

Song Qinshan was taken aback. “Su Xiangwan, don’t tell me you’re still thinking about leaving.”

“It’s the New Year, do you know? I’ve been here for four years now. Song Qinshan, I haven’t worn many good clothes, and every day it’s either the stove or the kids. Do you think a woman like me, a graduate with a master’s degree, who used to make a monthly salary of 30,000 yuan, would willingly spend her life raising your kids?” Su Xiangwan rolled her eyes at Qinshan “It’s the New Year, and you didn’t even get me a gift. I’ve been taking care of you for nothing.”

“I’ve been taking care of you in bed!” Song Qinshan said without shame.

Su Xiangwan almost swiped a cloth at him in annoyance.

The kids had even given her a kiss earlier.

Song Qinshan, when it came to his family, was the perfect example of someone who only knew how to take and not give anything in return.

He had his way of making things happen at night, but indeed, it seemed like he hadn’t prepared any gifts for her, and he had completely forgotten about the New Year.

“Once I go to Shanghai, just tell me what you want, make a list. When the allowances come through, I’ll buy everything for you,” Song Qinshan took the bowl from Su Xiangwan’s hands and said gently, “I’ll wash the pot tonight. How about you go rest, and then we can…?”

What Su Xiangwan really wanted was just an attitude.

After all, forcing Song Qinshan to buy extravagant things was basically forcing him to commit a crime.

And so, Song Qinshan thought about all the sweet words Adrian had once taught him, then said what he thought was the most touching: “Don’t worry, when I go out this time, I’ll make sure to bring back a military medal for you.”

For a soldier, a military medal was the highest and most precious thing he could give to his family.

Su Xiangwan stopped wiping the bowl and suddenly froze.

Song Tuan had mentioned before that the mission he was going on was codenamed 517.

517, it seemed, meant an armed uprising…

In 1971, 571, Su Xiangwan suddenly remembered what kind of situation Song Qinshan was facing.

“An armed uprising? Are you kidding? In the current situation, who would dare do something like that?” Before Song Qinshan could finish his sentence, his expression suddenly changed.

Because he thought of someone, and that person would dare do something like that.

Song Qinshan became unusually serious. “I understand now. It’s Lin Liguo. I was once comrades with him. He’s targeting me.”

Lin Liguo, the son of Vice Commander Lin, was well known across the country, and Su Xiangwan knew him too. However, by October of this year, that guy was expected to die in Wendu’erhan.

The issue, however, was that Lin Liguo had secretly called for Song Qinshan, and if Song Qinshan didn’t go, he would certainly be watched.

But if he went now, after Lin Liguo and their crimes were exposed, wouldn’t Song Qinshan also be held accountable?

It was hard to believe that, as an engineer, he would be caught up in this kind of political struggle.

Su Xiangwan asked, “So what are you planning to do?”

Song Qinshan lay on the bed and thought for a moment.

After all, he was a soldier, so he turned over and climbed over: “Let’s sleep now. It’s New Year’s Eve, and no one can stop me from doing push-ups.”

However, just then, Zhi Zhi and Li Chengze came back from the next room.

Zhi Zhi burst into the room, laughing, and scared her father into freezing on the bed. Song Qinshan, who never let anyone interrupt his push-ups, had to abandon them due to his daughter’s sudden intrusion.

Su Xiangwan couldn’t help but laugh for a long while, and only after she managed to coax the girl to sleep did she finally, on the morning of New Year’s Day, have an intense and heart-racing conversation with Song Qinshan.

As the saying goes, when the tiger’s not around, the monkeys crown themselves as kings.

Song Tuan called in sick and canceled his business trip to Shanghai.

After thinking for a while, he put a cast on his leg to fake an illness.

If Lin Liguo could find someone suitable, maybe he could avoid this situation.

However, that day, Su Xiangwan encountered something unusual on the street.

“Excuse me, comrade, how old are you?” A woman in a green military uniform stopped Su Xiangwan and asked.

Su Xiangwan replied, “Sister, I’m 27. Why?”

“It’s nothing, I thought you were around twenty. I wanted to invite you to join the army. Our General Political Department Song and Dance Troupe is looking for a member, and we need someone as pretty as you,” the woman, around 30, was quite beautiful, clean, and fresh-looking, but her gaze was a bit unfriendly.

Su Xiangwan smiled and said, “Sister, joining the army is out of the question. I think my son might join in the future.”

“You look so young! If you hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have believed you’re 27. Truly,” the female officer, also quite good at flattering people, said.

Su Xiangwan didn’t think much of the small encounter on the road.

When she got to the school gate, she saw Lu Dan and Gou Dan walking side by side out of the school.

It was just the start of the new semester.

After the New Year, the two of them had become inseparable, getting along very well.

As for Su Xiangwan, to prevent the two kids from falling into conflict again, she picked them up every evening, talked to them on the way home, and gave them some psychological counseling.

The two brothers were doing decently in school, just as Su Xiangwan had expected. They were likely to score as joint first place in second grade.

As for Li Chengze, due to his excellent grades, he was directly promoted to the third year of junior high and was soon going to face his high school entrance exam.

The boy was tall, almost as tall as Su Xiangwan, and walked with a slanted shoulder bag, looking like a young man.

“Hey, Song Xiling, look, where’s your little tail?” Li Chengze, strutting along, suddenly nudged Gou Dan with his elbow and said.

Chen Xiaoli, who wouldn’t leave, sure enough, was standing at the school gate right after class, with one finger in her mouth, eagerly watching Goudan.

If Goudan still had any lingering feelings for Chen Xiaoli, he would have at least looked at her once, but he didn’t even glance her way.

Instead, he deliberately pinched Li Chengze and said, “Are you my brother? If you are, don’t say things that spoil the mood.”

Su Xiangwan, still unaware that Song Qingshan’s ten yuan could reveal everything, was surprised: “Song Xiling, what’s going on? Why suddenly do you dislike Chen Xiaoli so much?”

Goudan simply smiled bitterly, his face pale, and shrugged, flipping his buzz cut as if to show his dominant attitude: “Mom, nothing’s wrong. You just need to know, I’m a very obedient and well-behaved child.”

He turned around, cast a cold look at Chen Xiaoli, then took Lu Dan’s arm, and the two walked away with their steps as synchronized as soldiers on a parade, their belts high and their buttocks round, looking ridiculously funny.

As the saying goes, after the New Year, it’s a time when everyone has to tighten their belts.