Chapter 131: A Toast Together

Soon, Platoon Leader Zhu led them to the innermost spot by the window.

The table here was made by combining two rectangular dining tables.

One side could seat four people, and the whole table could seat sixteen.

There were already quite a few people sitting at the table, including women and children, but there were a few empty seats.

As soon as they walked over, the women immediately stood up.

Xu Hongqin immediately pointed to a round-faced woman, about thirty-three or thirty-four years old, and introduced, “Xiao Li, this is Instructor Lin’s wife, Qi Xiufang.”

The Instructor was on the same level as the Battalion Commander, but he was five years older than Chen Mingchuan.

Li Xinyue immediately greeted her generously, “Sister-in-law, hello!”

The Battalion Commander’s wife is so pretty?

Isn’t it said that she’s also from the countryside? Her clothes and temperament don’t seem like it at all?

After exchanging glances, Qi Xiufang nodded politely, “Hello, sister-in-law! Sit here.”

Li Xinyue politely responded, “Okay, thank you, sister-in-law.”

Xu Hongqin continued to introduce, “Xiao Li, this is Quartermaster Wang Jianggan’s wife, Zheng Aihua.”

“This is Platoon Leader Zhu’s wife, Xu Hehua. She just came over to visit her family.”

Zheng Aihua was about the same age as Qi Xiufang, thirty-two or thirty-three.

Xu Hehua was about twenty-three or twenty-four.

Except for Qi Xiufang, judging from their clothes and appearance, they should all be from rural areas.

Everyone greeted each other politely.

As soon as they sat down, the food was served.

It wasn’t served in plates or bowls, but in basins!

Large basins!

Braised pork with potatoes, sliced cucumbers, napa cabbage, braised pork, plus a basin of pig offal soup.

In an instant, the aroma filled the air!

“There’s meat! Mom, I want to eat meat!”

The one who spoke wasn’t Chen Yiheng, but a chubby boy who was much older than him, Instructor Lin’s son, Lin Zhenxing.

He was ten years old this year.

He had an older sister and a younger sister, and he was the king of the house.

“I want to eat meat too, Mom, I want to eat meat!”

Li Tengfei was also excited. He hadn’t eaten braised pork for a long time. The cooking class leader Qian’s cooking skills were the best!

The Quartermaster’s daughter was older, and his son was younger.

As soon as they heard their two brothers shout, his son immediately climbed onto the table.

Now, the three mothers were in a hurry.

Qi Xiufang’s face darkened, “Xing’er, the people haven’t arrived yet, wait a bit. Be careful if your dad sees you!”

“Tengfei, do you want your dad to beat you?”

Zheng Aihua immediately went forward and hugged her son and lectured him as soon as she saw him climb onto the table.

“Wang Kun, don’t be naughty. How did your dad teach you?”

It seemed that all three children were a little afraid of their fathers!

If they wanted to eat more, they could only sit down with their mouths pouting and drooling.

The most well-behaved one was Chen Yiheng. He stared at the large basin of braised pork with drool dripping from his mouth, but he dared not move.

Li Xinyue quietly gave him a thumbs-up, “Wait a bit, your dad will be back soon. You can eat a few more pieces then.”

Chen Yiheng nodded obediently, “Okay, Mom, I won’t grab.”

“So good!”

The mother and son spoke in low voices, then smiled at each other.

Just then, a voice rang out, “Stand up!”

“Welcome, Commander Xiao, welcome, Political Commissar Zhou!”

Commander Xiao and Political Commissar Zhou walked in side by side. They were both in their fifties.

The Commander was a battle-hardened man, his face was relatively dark, but he was tall and handsome.

Especially his eyes, they were particularly sharp.

Political Commissar Zhou was a college graduate, it was said that he had studied abroad. He wasn’t as tall as the Commander, and his face was round.

Although he wasn’t good-looking, and his skin wasn’t fair, he wore glasses, which made him look very scholarly.

Seeing these two, Li Xinyue suddenly thought of Li Yunlong and Political Commissar Zhao  in “Bright Sword”…

Chen Mingchuan walked behind with an officer. Li Xinyue guessed that this was the instructor of their battalion, Lin.

Behind them were two more people, one was Deputy Battalion Commander Li Jianshan and the other was Platoon Leader Sun.

The two leaders raised their hands to signal, and the applause subsided.

Soon, everyone took their seats.

“Comrades of the artillery battalion, you should all thank your battalion commander and his wife today.”

“It’s because of their contribution that you have this meal today!”

“Comrade Xiao Li, I thank you on behalf of the soldiers!”

As soon as Division Commander Xiao finished speaking, a wave of voices arose: “Thank you, Battalion Commander, thank you, Sister-in-law!”

“Thank you, Battalion Commander, thank you, Sister-in-law!”

As the voices of the soldiers subsided, Political Commissar Zhou raised his bowl.

“Comrades, today is not a holiday, so we can’t drink alcohol.”

“I’ll use tea instead of wine, a toast to all of you! You’ve all worked hard!”

As soon as the Political Commissar finished speaking, they all said in unison: “Serve the people!”

“Serve the people!”

Division Commander Xiao smiled at everyone: “It’s rare to have such a big meal, you must all be hungry, right?”

“Come on, let’s eat!”

With a shout of “Let’s eat,” chopsticks clinked against bowls.

Li Xinyue thought everyone’s eating manners would be terrible, after all, it was rare to have such a big meal. For example, she wouldn’t be able to be graceful.

But unexpectedly, the soldiers ate very politely!

Only their table…

“I want more!”

“Me too!”

“I want that big piece!”

Several military wives blushed collectively…

“Hahaha… This is the offspring of our soldiers! Eat meat, eat big pieces, good job!”

The Division Commander burst into laughter, relieving everyone’s awkwardness!

Without alcohol, the meal was quick.

The Division Commander and the Political Commissar only symbolically ate a few pieces of meat and two bowls of rice before taking their leave.

After the leaders left, the atmosphere relaxed a lot.

The instructor then led all the officers and soldiers to express their gratitude to Li Xinyue.

“Xiao Li, you are truly a lucky star!”

“The entire division has gone up the mountain to chop wood countless times, countless people, but no one has ever hunted a wild boar!”

“You and the Battalion Commander went up the mountain to chop wood, and you actually hunted three wild boars at once. This is all your good fortune!”

“To be honest, everyone only eats this well during the New Year!”

“And today, everyone is celebrating the New Year thanks to your husband and wife!”

“Come on, comrades, let’s all raise a toast to your Battalion Commander’s wife! Thank you!”

As soon as these words were spoken, all the officers and soldiers stood up, Li Xinyue’s face turned red, and she felt awkward…

Li Jianshan was the oldest battalion-level cadre in the camp, and had been there the longest.

Xu Hongqin was the oldest military wife in this camp.

Seeing Li Xinyue dumbfounded, she laughed: “Xiao Li, you also use tea instead of wine, have a drink with everyone!”

“They are sincere, you know!”

These days, eggs were considered a delicacy, let alone pork.

Li Xinyue understood this.

It’s just that it was so grand, she felt uncomfortable!

“Wife, have a drink with everyone, just for the sake of politeness.”

“Okay.”

Chen Mingchuan spoke, and Li Xinyue calmed down.

She raised her cup: “Comrades, this cup of tea, I should be the one toasting you!”

“You are the most lovable people, the guardians of our common people!”

“With you guarding the border, our country is stable, and with you, our people live in peace!”

“As a military wife, I am proud of you, and I am proud to be a military wife!”

“Thank you all, I’ll drink first!”

She finished the cup of tea in one gulp.

Although it wasn’t alcohol, everyone felt it was sweeter than wine.

Having such a good military wife made them, as soldiers, feel proud and honored!

“Thank you, Sister-in-law, for your praise!”