Chapter 10: Wife, Child, and a Warm Home

Gu Weicheng did not take Li Xia and An An to the Military Cafeteria but to Military Family Cafeteria  instead.

Since Li Xia and An An would be living in the military family compound in the future, they would need to dine at the Military Family Cafeteria. The Military Cafeteria was not open to outsiders, and entry was only permitted if accompanied by a soldier.

“If you don’t feel like cooking in the future, you can use meal coupons to get food at the Military Family Cafeteria,” Gu Weicheng explained as they walked. “The army provides meal tickets and vegetable coupons, and I’ll make sure you get yours.”

As the regimental commander, Gu Weicheng occasionally had the privilege of having special meals prepared for him. However, before Li Xia arrived, he had always eaten communal meals with the other soldiers.

This was the first time he was having a private meal prepared separately. Stir-fried dishes always tasted better than large-pot meals, and he wanted to ensure that his wife and son ate well.

Once the food was ready, they had three dishes—a meat dish, a vegetable dish, and a soup—accompanied by a generous portion of rice. In an era when many places could only afford to eat refined grains once a month, this was considered an exceptionally good meal.

The braised pork was glistening with rich sauce, perfectly balanced between lean and fat. A gentle press with chopsticks made it quiver invitingly.

Gu Weicheng picked up a piece of braised pork and placed it into Li Xia’s and An An’s bowls. “Eat more,” he urged.

An An, sitting beside Li Xia and across from Gu Weicheng, reached out with his chopsticks, picked up a piece of braised pork, and carefully placed it into Gu Weicheng’s bowl. In a small voice, he said, “Daddy, you eat more too.”

This was the first time he had called him “Daddy.” Hearing it, Gu Weicheng smiled, feeling an indescribable warmth spread through his heart.

While interacting with An An, Gu Weicheng was conscious of controlling his expressions, worried that his usual stern demeanor might intimidate the child.

Since it was their first meeting, he certainly didn’t want to scare his son.

After dinner, Gu Weicheng took them for a brief stroll around the base, using the opportunity to introduce them to their new surroundings.

“Over there is the old military family compound. The houses all have courtyards. A bit further ahead is the new family housing under construction—it’s an apartment complex, but it’s not ready for people to move in yet,” Gu Weicheng explained.

“If you take this turn and walk a few hundred meters forward, you’ll reach the school. It has a preschool class, an elementary school, and a middle school. When the time comes, An An can attend school there…”

“The supply and marketing cooperative is in town. It’s not far from here on foot.”

As they walked, Gu Weicheng introduced the surroundings along the way. Before long, they had returned to the guesthouse.

Gu Weicheng escorted Li Xia and An An back to their room and said, “Until the family housing is ready, you’ll have to stay here at the guesthouse. I’m currently living in the dormitory, and you can’t stay there.”

“Get some rest early. I’ll come to see you again tomorrow.”

An An, seeing his father about to leave, was reluctant to part. “What time tomorrow? Will it be in the evening again?”

But it would take a long, long time for the evening of the next day to arrive.

Gu Weicheng said, “In the morning. I’ll bring you breakfast.”

Hearing this, An An was instantly relieved and broke into a bright smile. “Okay! See you tomorrow, Daddy!”

All he had to do was sleep and wake up, and then he could see his father again—how wonderful!

After calling him “Daddy” for the first time at dinner, it now rolled off his tongue much more naturally.

Li Xia walked Gu Weicheng to the door. “Take your time on the way back.”

Gu Weicheng turned his head to look at her. Outside, the sky had already darkened. The lights in the guesthouse corridor had flickered on, but they were dim due to their low wattage, casting a faint, yellowish glow.

Under this soft and shadowy light, her face looked even gentler, making it hard for Gu Weicheng to look away.

“Go get some rest.” Gu Weicheng waved his hand, motioning for her to head inside.

After he left, Li Xia closed the door and looked at An An, who was sitting on the bed. She asked, “Do you like Daddy?”

“Yes! I like Daddy, and I like it here too. Mommy, can we stay here forever and not go back?”

An An blinked his big eyes, looking at her expectantly.

He didn’t want to go back. He didn’t want to see his grandparents again—they always scolded him and disliked him. But Daddy liked him, and he liked Daddy too.

“Mm, we’ll stay here from now on and be with Daddy.” Li Xia pulled out some clothes and took An An to wash up.

In the middle of summer, if they didn’t bathe every day, they would start to smell sour. Li Xia couldn’t stand going to bed with that kind of odor lingering on her.

—

The next morning, Gu Weicheng woke up even earlier than usual. Before the military bugle had even sounded, he lifted the blanket and got out of bed.

Hearing the movement, Hu Songlin glanced at his watch. “Old Gu, what are you up so early for? The bugle hasn’t even gone off yet!”

“I’m bringing breakfast to my wife and kid,” Gu Weicheng replied, skillfully folding his blanket into a neat, square block. Then he headed to the communal wash area to brush his teeth and wash his face.

Grabbing the family housing application form he had filled out the night before along with a food container, he turned and walked out.

Now, only Hu Songlin remained in the dormitory. Feeling utterly abandoned, Hu Songlin muttered to himself, “…”

Before his sister-in-law joined him on the military family relocation, he constantly wondered why she hadn’t come.

Now that she was here, it only made his solitary life feel even more pitiful.

No, this wouldn’t do. He needed to put in more effort, go on more blind dates, and get married as soon as possible! He wanted to bring breakfast to his wife and child too!

The soldiers in the army base were like a pack of starving wolves—if you arrived late, all that was left were scraps. Gu Weicheng’s decision to come to the military cafeteria early was undoubtedly a wise one.

Breakfast was simple, with porridge, steamed buns, mantou, and flatbread available. There was also rice noodles, but those were best eaten fresh in the cafeteria—if taken to-go, they wouldn’t taste as good.

Gu Weicheng got himself a bowl of porridge and five steamed buns. Mantou and flatbread were too northern in style—Li Xia and An An probably wouldn’t be used to them, so he didn’t even consider them.

Spotting the head chef, he discreetly slipped him a few cigarettes. Before long, two boiled eggs had been added to his meal box.

After finishing everything, Gu Weicheng didn’t rush to leave. Instead, he lingered in the military cafeteria, searching for someone.

Before long, he found exactly who he was looking for.

“Commander Chen, having breakfast?” Gu Weicheng walked over and greeted him.

“Hmm, Xiao Gu, is that breakfast for your wife and child?” Commander Chen glanced at the meal box in Gu Weicheng’s hand, his tone teasing.

“When I heard yesterday that your wife and kid arrived, I saw you barely reacted. I thought you weren’t too happy about it. But now, look at you, running around eagerly to bring them breakfast! So, how does it feel to have a warm bed with your wife and child at home? Among the officers eligible for military family relocation, who else is like you—married and still sleeping in a cold bed?”

“Commander, the feeling of having a warm bed with my wife and child must be great,” Gu Weicheng replied seriously. “But I haven’t experienced it yet. Here—this is my Family Housing Application Form. I hope you can approve it soon so I can finally enjoy that warmth for real!”

He placed the application form in front of Commander Chen.

After breakfast, he had to head straight to training. By the time he returned, it would already be evening. If he waited until then to submit the form, it would take another day for approval and processing.

He really couldn’t wait any longer, so he had no choice but to come to the military cafeteria to find Commander Chen. He needed to get this settled before the workday officially started.

“Heh, you brat! You were waiting for me here, weren’t you?” Commander Chen shot him a glare.

But he wasn’t actually angry. Back when he was young, he had been just as impatient as Gu Weicheng. In fact, he had barely been married when he couldn’t wait to share a bed with his wife.

Gu Weicheng had been married for five years already, and now that his wife and child had finally arrived, how could he not be anxious?

Honestly, even he was feeling impatient on Gu Weicheng’s behalf!

Seeing his subordinate’s family matters finally falling into place, Commander Chen was genuinely happy for him. He glanced at the Family Housing Application Form and said, “Alright, I’ll approve it. I actually looked into it for you last night. There are two larger courtyards available in the old Military Family Housing Compound—one next to Deputy Regimental Commander Yan and another next to Regimental Commander Ma’s house. You can choose which one you want.”

In truth, ever since he heard that Gu Weicheng’s family had arrived, he had been paying attention to the housing situation. That’s why he was so well-informed about the available homes.

“I’ll take the one next to Regimental Commander Ma’s house,” Gu Weicheng responded without hesitation.

When Regimental Commander Ma’s wife, Sister Tao, had relocated with him, she had invited them over for a meal. From what Gu Weicheng remembered, she was warm, hospitable, and easy to get along with.

As the saying goes, “A close neighbor is better than a distant relative.” Having a good neighbor was important—especially in the Military Family Housing Compound, where there were many women and plenty of conflicts. He had even heard of some getting into physical fights.

Gu Weicheng didn’t want Li Xia to have any disputes with their future neighbors.

With the housing matter settled, Gu Weicheng picked up the meal box and headed to the Guesthouse.

“Daddy!”

The moment An An saw Gu Weicheng, he called out excitedly and ran over to greet him.

This “Daddy” was much louder and clearer than the hesitant calls from last night.

Gu Weicheng immediately broke into a smile. Holding the meal box in one hand, he lifted An An up with the other and carried him into the room.

“Did you miss Daddy?” he asked, rubbing his chin against An An’s cheek.

He had left in a hurry this morning, and after several days of being on duty, he hadn’t had time to shave. His short, rough stubble tickled An An’s face, making the little boy giggle uncontrollably.

“He did. He was even calling for you in his sleep last night,” Li Xia said.

She wasn’t making it up—An An had indeed murmured “Daddy” in his dreams.

At that moment, Li Xia was brushing her hair. Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down to her waist. She parted it into two braids and then twisted them into a neat bun at the back of her head.

With her hair pinned up, it was not only more practical but also added a touch of graceful, intellectual charm to her appearance.

Noticing Gu Weicheng staring at her, Li Xia glanced down at herself in confusion—only then did she realize she was only wearing a pair of shorts on her lower half.