Chapter 52.2

As Wei Ling exited Director Hong’s office, he nearly collided with Wang Chengping and Political Commissar Zhang. He was surprised to see them. Were they here to thank him?

“Wei Ling, where are the dumplings?”

Wang Chengping had a close, almost familial relationship with Wei Ling, as an older relative. Political Commissar Zhang also knew this, and without any outsiders around, Wang Chengping didn’t hesitate to ask the question directly.

Wei Ling glanced at Wang Chengping’s face, then at the lunchbox in his arms, which seemed unusually light. Finally, his gaze landed on Political Commissar Zhang’s face.

So it had been eaten!

Wei Ling’s gaze was sharp, and Political Commissar Zhang wasn’t blind—he immediately understood. His face turned red with embarrassment as he quickly explained, “Wei Ling, your dumplings smelled so good, I couldn’t resist. I left four for Old Wang.”

“Four!”

Wei Ling immediately sympathized with Wang Chengping.

A whole big box of dumplings, enough to fill Wang Chengping up for a meal, and yet he had only gotten four. That was indeed unlucky and unfair.

“Enough with the nonsense! Hurry up, is there any left? Fill it up for me!”

Wang Chengping didn’t mind at all the way Wei Ling was looking at him. Without hesitation, he handed over his lunchbox.

Just thinking about the delicious dumplings made Wang Chengping’s mouth water uncontrollably.

They were so fragrant—these were the best sauerkraut dumplings he had ever eaten, especially with the golden, crispy dumpling skins on both sides. The smell alone made his mouth water, and the garlic on top was the cherry on the cake—it was a taste of heaven.

At that moment, Wang Chengping was already planning how to go to the canteen and ask the chef for a few cloves of garlic.

“There are none left.” Wei Ling said, shaking his head while holding the wicker basket.

“Impossible.” Wang Chengping glared at Wei Ling. “I can smell them.” Although the dumplings had frozen in the cold, he could still tell from the way Wei Ling was carrying the basket that there were still some inside.

Political Commissar Zhang also looked at Wei Ling disapprovingly.

He could tell there were dumplings left in the basket too.

Wei Ling, noticing the expressions on their faces, suddenly thought of something and almost laughed out loud. He quickly explained, “Colonel, Political Commissar, there are really none left. What’s left is for Du Hongyi and the others. There’s not even enough for you guys, so don’t get your hopes up for the last few.”

Wang Chengping, sharp as ever, caught the hidden meaning in Wei Ling’s words.

He immediately turned to Political Commissar Zhang and angrily said, “You old trickster, you really hid the dumplings!” Being a political commissar meant having too many tricks up his sleeve—hiding dumplings like that was going too far!

Political Commissar Zhang felt deeply wronged. He still hadn’t seen his share of the dumplings—could it be that his dumplings were eaten by someone who happened to pass by his office and secretly finished them, or maybe they were stolen?

Regret filled Political Commissar Zhang.

He should have asked the guards outside the office earlier.

Wei Ling, seeing that Wang Chengping had misunderstood Political Commissar Zhang, of course couldn’t let the division’s top two leaders fall into disarray. He quickly clarified, “Political Commissar Zhang’s lunchbox wasn’t in the office. I had Xiao Zhou go to the canteen to bring it to Uncle Hong’s office to fill with dumplings. Xiao Zhou just left a little while ago.”

As he spoke, Wei Ling noticed Xiao Zhou sneaking away.

Instead of pointing it out, he added, “Maybe both of you just missed each other.”

Wang Chengping and Political Commissar Zhang: …

Fortunately, they didn’t ask Wei Ling why he didn’t bring dumplings for Political Commissar Zhang; otherwise, the awkwardness would have been unbearable.

The two old men’s faces turned red once again.

“Well, Wei Ling, my dumplings were all eaten by Political Commissar Zhang. Could you add a few more for me?” Wang Chengping awkwardly pushed the lunch box towards Wei Ling. How could he bring himself to mention dividing dumplings with the Commissar in front of a junior?

Of course, if they were to share Political Commissar Zhang’s dumplings, it should be done privately.

Political Commissar Zhang had also noticed Wang Chengping’s intentions.

As for Wei Ling, he understood Wang Chengping’s character very well. He hid the wicker basket behind him and resolutely said, “Colonel, I already said the remaining dumplings belong to Du Hongyi and the others. They’ll share them, but there won’t be much for each of them.”

“Give me ten more.” Wang Chengping said, shamelessly in front of Wei Ling.

In fact, he wasn’t just shameless in front of Wei Ling; he was shameless with anyone. His guiding principle was that the crying child gets the milk.

If that wasn’t the case, their division’s equipment would never have been better than other divisions during the war.

And that was because he wasn’t afraid to cry and shamelessly ask.

Wei Ling looked at Wang Chengping, who seemed so confident, and wasn’t sure whether to laugh at him or not.

“Eight. Any less, and it won’t be enough to fill the gaps between my teeth!” Wang Chengping assessed Wei Ling’s expression and decided to reduce the number of dumplings by two.

“That’s not enough. If you get eight, Du Hongyi and the others will only be able to taste a little of it.”

Wei Ling, still very principled, stood firm. He wouldn’t make exceptions.

A vein popped out on Wang Chengping’s forehead. When had this kid ever not been stubborn? And of all times, he chose to be stubborn now. It was really…

“Wei Ling, why are you back?” Political Commissar Zhang, seeing that Wang Chengping and Wei Ling were at an impasse, quickly tried to mediate.

At that moment, Hong Wei also walked out of the office.

Separated by just one door, Hong Wei could clearly hear the conversation between the two sides. Since the matter was happening right in front of his door, he really couldn’t ignore it. So, when he saw Political Commissar Zhang trying to ease the tension, he quickly opened the door and stepped out.

He was here to mediate.

Wei Ling’s reason for returning to the division wasn’t anything shameful. He spoke plainly: “Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice. My wife and I are planning to invite Du Hongyi and the others to our house for dumplings.”

Political Commissar Zhang: … Now his gaze toward Wei Ling had shifted.

He and Wang Chengping had gotten so worked up over a few dumplings, yet Wei Ling was casually inviting Du Hongyi and the others to his house to feast on them.

No matter how one looked at it, this was bound to breed resentment.

Faced with the three pairs of eyes, each seeming to look at him with slight disapproval, Wei Ling explained, “Originally, we planned to invite you three uncles as well, but since you’ll be busy tomorrow, my wife specially made pan-fried dumplings for you today.”

“Good, very good.” Wang Chengping said, smiling warmly at Wei Ling.

Political Commissar Zhang also wore a refined smile.

Then Wei Ling felt a sudden attack from behind. To his surprise, Hong Wei had struck at his wicker basket.

Once Hong Wei made his move, neither Wang Chengping nor Political Commissar Zhang held back.

Since they had already invited people to their home for dumplings, how could they be so stingy with the dumplings themselves? It was absolutely unreasonable.

With three against one, even if Wei Ling could hold his ground, he had to give in.

In the end, he couldn’t protect the wicker basket in his hands.

“Go back quickly, and remember to thank Comrade Qin Qingman for the dumplings, they were delicious.” Wang Chengping said as he took the wicker basket, waving his hand at Wei Ling. He added as a reminder, “You still have two days off after today, so make sure to enjoy them. Don’t just stand here like a telephone pole. Go back and spend time with Comrade Qin Qingman.”

“Right, Wei Ling, it’s getting late. You should head back, it will be dark soon.”

Political Commissar Zhang glanced at the sky and reminded Wei Ling.

Hong Wei didn’t urge him, but he kept a wary eye on Wei Ling. This little brat had no respect for his elders and actually dared to make a move. He could still feel his jaw aching, half of his cheek numb.

He had just grabbed the wicker basket first—was it really necessary to hold such a grudge over it?

Wei Ling took one last look at the wicker basket, which was never coming back, and reluctantly left the division. He hadn’t been able to meet Du Hongyi and the others this time. They were either out on group training or missions, so he hadn’t seen them.

But his trip wasn’t entirely in vain. He left a note for the three of them.

He invited them to his house tomorrow for the Winter Solstice to eat dumplings.

After leaving the note, Wei Ling packed a few clothes and items before heading toward Kaoshan Village. He had delayed so long, and it was getting late. If he didn’t hurry, he might not make it home before dark.

With this thought in mind, Wei Ling quickened his pace.

On the other side of the division, after Wei Ling left, Wang Chengping rubbed his stomach hard. That little brat had really hit him with a punch just now. If Wei Ling hadn’t controlled his strength, Wang Chengping figured the dumplings he’d just eaten would have come right back up.

“Wei Ling’s skills are getting better and better.” Political Commissar Zhang said, massaging his shoulder.

The three of them, none had escaped unscathed. They had all received a punch from Wei Ling, just in different spots.

Hong Wei glanced at Wang Chengping and then at Political Commissar Zhang, his head hanging low.

He was the most unlucky, taking a punch to the face, which was sure to bruise by tomorrow.

“Come on, let’s go to my office. I have peanuts there.” Wang Chengping said, grabbing the wicker basket. Despite the situation, he wasn’t being stingy and invited his two companions to join him.

“Alright, let’s go to the Colonel’s office.” Hong Wei said, turning around to head back to the office to grab his share of the dumplings. The three old men were going to enjoy a proper Winter Solstice meal today, a gesture of filial piety from Wei Ling and his wife.

Once they returned to Wang Chengping’s office, they each placed their dumplings on the steel stove to heat them up.

They also threw some peanuts onto a plate.

After a while, the peanuts would roast and become wonderfully fragrant.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t drink alcohol; otherwise, dumplings and wine would have made for a heavenly combination.

Political Commissar Zhang’s security officer, Xiao Zhou, had gotten into trouble earlier, but he had gone to the kitchen to fetch some garlic from the chef. Now, he was sent back to the kitchen to eat. It was getting dark, and the canteen would soon open for dinner, so they couldn’t delay the comrades’ meal.

While peeling peanuts, Wang Chengping and Hong Wei happily devoured the pan-fried dumplings.

Political Commissar Zhang, however, had to watch them eat.

In the 1970s, supplies were still relatively scarce, and no one would waste so much oil on deep-frying foods. So, this was their first time tasting pan-fried dumplings.

One bite, and they were hooked on the flavor.

“Old Zhang, do you think we could apply to the higher-ups for a family housing area for our division?” Wang Chengping threw a clove of garlic into his mouth and, after a moment, turned to Political Commissar Zhang with a serious question.

Upon hearing this, Hong Wei perked up his ears.

The three of them had been here much longer than Wei Ling. Originally, the division was stationed here to protect the border, and because it was thought to be unsafe, no families had been brought along. The division had no family housing area. But now, after several years, the border was secure, and perhaps it was time to consider the needs of the soldiers.

Living apart as a couple was truly not an ideal situation.

Over the years, things in their region had remained peaceful, and the time was ripe to establish a family housing area.

Political Commissar Zhang had been considering this for a while.

Ever since Wei Ling married Qin Qingman, the thought had crossed his mind. He had even scouted the area around the division headquarters. Kaoshan Village, in particular, stood out as an excellent choice.

The terrain was favorable, and the village folk were simple and kind-hearted, making it an ideal location for a family housing area.

Once the housing area was built, the families and the village could look out for each other, fostering a strong bond between the military and civilians—a principle the Chairman always emphasized.

“Old Wang, I’ve indeed been thinking about this. I was just about to discuss it with you. I’ve even identified a suitable location for the housing area…” Political Commissar Zhang began sharing his thoughts with Wang Chengping and Hong Wei.

After years of separation, everyone missed their families.

Meanwhile, Wei Ling had no idea that the division was already planning to build a family housing area. He was currently on his way home. Halfway there, as the sky grew darker, he saw three lamps lit at the Qin family home.

The bright candlelight, reflected against the icy surroundings, shone even more vividly, illuminating his path home.

Home!

At home, his wife was waiting for him. Among the myriad of lights in the world, one was burning just for him to return.

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T/N: Sorry for the late update! I unlocked 2 more chapters as an apology! Thank you for being patient~

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