Chapter 78

Shi Tingyu had initially thought about cheering for her husband, but under the gaze of so many eyes, she hesitated to compete with the children.

Lu Weiguo and the Second Battalion Commander stood at the forefront. As soon as the signal was given, both sides exerted their strength instantly.

Shi Tingyu watched Lu Weiguo’s arm muscles bulge, his veins popping, his feet pushing against the ground, and the tension in his legs radiating power. She felt like she was starting to see stars.

The soldiers’ cheers echoed continuously, and nearby family members joined in shouting.

Shi Tingyu also shouted along, “Go, Weiguo!”

Amidst the loud cheers, Lu Weiguo could distinctly hear her voice. She seemed somewhat excited, her voice much louder than usual. To him, it wasn’t piercing; it filled him with strength.

With a sudden surge of effort, the rope moved several inches towards the First Battalion’s side.

Taking advantage of this momentum, everyone exerted even more force, chanting loudly. The rope on the Second Battalion’s side moved further and further, crossing the line first.

Deafening cheers erupted, and the soldiers of the First Battalion beamed with joy.

Lu Weiguo looked at Shi Tingyu, who gave him a big smile.

She silently mouthed to him, “You’re amazing!”

Lu Weiguo’s heart surged with warmth.

Damao felt a bit disappointed, almost on the verge of tears. But seeing the Second Battalion Commander hoist someone up and spin around, Damao quickly forgot the previous competition and burst into laughter.

Next was a basketball game, and Lu Weiguo didn’t participate.

The team from the Physical Training Unit played.

The PT units of this era were somewhat different from those in later years; many athletes at the national level today started from PT units.

Their skill level was impressive, and Shi Tingyu thoroughly enjoyed watching the basketball game.

Especially when someone dunked, her cheers were as loud as the soldiers’.

Seeing her excited expression, Lu Weiguo couldn’t help but lean over and ask, “Do you like watching basketball?”

Shi Tingyu nodded eagerly.

Which girl in later years didn’t enjoy watching boys play basketball?

Lu Weiguo wondered if he should join the next time. His wife had never looked at him like that before.

Other family members weren’t particularly interested in the basketball game. Unlike the widespread basketball-related media in later years, people nowadays didn’t pay much attention to the sport, so many wives didn’t understand the rules and naturally weren’t very interested.

On this hot summer day, Lu Weiguo covered Shi Tingyu’s head with his shirt and handed her a water bottle. He watched as she drank it down and then got up to fetch another jug.

Mrs. Zhang glanced over and gave Battalion Commander Zhang Jin a look.

Zhang Jin touched his nose and quietly got up to fetch water for his wife and son.

With just his own efforts, Xiao Lu had significantly raised the expectations of the wives in the residential area for their husbands.

Lunch was served in the canteen for everyone.

After lunch, the family members returned to their residences.

Because in the afternoon, the camp would host a gala.

Some important leaders would attend, so it wouldn’t be suitable for everyone to go together.

However, they could look forward to the performance the next day.

After returning home, Shi Tingyu took a bath with the spiritual spring water and prepared some food for Lijian. Then she finally rested.

Thinking about preparing a little surprise for Lu Weiguo today, she started gathering materials.

Flour, eggs, milk, sugar, and so on.

She planned to make a small cake for Lu Weiguo.

After preparing the cake batter and placing it in a small basin in the bread oven, Shi Tingyu finally felt a bit relaxed.

Nowadays, without a mixer, she did everything manually. Mixing the cake batter almost wore out her hands.

The smell of baking cake was dominant; before long, the yard was filled with the sweet fragrance of milk and sugar.

This time, the aroma truly made the neighboring children cry with longing, although Damao’s tears were tears of joy.

“Mom, did my aunt make something delicious again?”

Mrs. Zhang glared at Damao, wanting to deny it, but the overpowering fragrance kept intruding into her nostrils.

Damao sighed and looked melancholic. “Mom, why is Uncle Lu so lucky? My aunt is so capable; he gets to eat delicious food every day.”

“When you grow up, find a capable wife like Uncle Lu.”

Damao shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t; Uncle Lu is tall, and I won’t grow that tall.”

Mrs. Zhang was almost choked by Damao’s words.

He was still concerned about height matters.

Mrs. Zhang ignored him and went to wash clothes by the well.

The aroma of the cake was truly mouth-watering. Damao couldn’t resist any longer. He dragged a big chair to the wall and placed a high stool on top of it.

Once the height seemed about right, he climbed up, peeking out with half his head towards the direction beneath the courtyard corridor where the bread oven was.

That was the source of the tantalizing aroma.

Lijian was the first to notice Damao, barking excitedly at him.

Damao gestured for him to be quiet, but Lijian wouldn’t listen and continued barking happily.

When Shi Tingyu came out, she saw half of Damao’s head poking over the wall.

Damao grinned shyly at Shi Tingyu.

But then he realized he wasn’t tall enough for her to see his curved mouth.

Finally, he stood on tiptoes to barely show his face, smiling innocently with childish simplicity.

Shi Tingyu chuckled, “Damao, come down quickly. Don’t fall. I’ll bring you some when the cake is done.”

Damao nodded excitedly and was promptly lifted by his own mother.

“You little rascal, who told you to climb the wall?” she scolded.

Shi Tingyu also heard the commotion and shouted over the wall, “Sis, don’t scold the child.”

Hearing Shi Tingyu’s words, Mrs. Zhang refrained from punishing him, but through the wall, Shi Tingyu could still hear Mrs. Zhang’s reprimands.

After baking the cake batter, Shi Tingyu trimmed it into a square shape. The edges and corners she trimmed were quite large, which wasn’t considered bad for this era.

She placed several pieces of cake batter on a plate and carried it over to the neighbor’s.

As soon as she knocked, Damao ran the fastest.

Seeing the cake batter in Shi Tingyu’s hands, his eyes nearly popped out. Despite his eagerness, he remained polite, letting Shi Tingyu enter the house first.

Mrs. Zhang blushed a bit seeing the plate in Shi Tingyu’s hands. That mischievous rascal Damao was too greedy.

“Sis, children don’t understand. I’ll discipline him properly later,” Mrs. Zhang said.

Shi Tingyu hurriedly replied, “It’s natural for children. Besides, I’ve been hearing you discipline him through the wall for quite a while now.”

Damao nodded silently; his aunt understood him.

“I cut the cake batter a bit unevenly. Please don’t mind. It’s a festival today, so I thought the kids might enjoy trying something new,” Shi Tingyu said.

She wasn’t one to indulge in small talk, so after placing the plate on the table by the well, she left.

Mrs. Zhang gave Damao a stern look but didn’t pursue the matter further.

Once the plate was cleared, she picked some vegetables and melons from her own vegetable garden and sent them over to Shi Tingyu.