Chapter 85: The Rough Man Gets Jealous  

Every time Jiang Rou tapped a bowl, a different sound rang out.  

The tones varied in pitch, naturally forming a melody.  

Jiang Rou tried them one by one.  

From the moment Zhou Xiaohua heard the sounds, her eyes sparkled with excitement.  

With each different note that played, she blinked once—  

Her pupils were filled with an undeniable glow of fascination.  

After playing the notes a few times, Jiang Rou placed the chopstick into Zhou Xiaohua’s hand.  

“Xiaohua, give it a try.”  

Zhou Xiaohua eagerly leaned forward, brimming with excitement.  

She held the chopstick in her small hands. At first, she struggled to control the strength needed to tap the bowls properly. But after a few tries, she quickly managed to produce the same sounds as Jiang Rou.  

“Do~ Re~ Mi~ Fa~ Sol~ La~ Ti——”  

She tapped each of the seven small bowls, one by one, without making a single mistake.  

Every note was perfectly accurate.  

At that moment—  

Jiang Rou was astonished.  

Zhou Xiaohua was only four years old and had never been exposed to music or musical theory before.  

Yet, she grasped it instantly.  

“Could it be that our little Xiaohua is a genius?”  

Jiang Rou exclaimed in amazement.  

She had read before that children who couldn’t speak often had heightened hearing sensitivity. Perhaps that was the case with Zhou Xiaohua.  

Without hesitation—  

Jiang Rou continued teaching.  

“Xiaohua, next, I’ll sing a note, and you try to tap the right one, okay?”  

Zhou Xiaohua understood and nodded.  

“Re~”  

Ding.  

“Fa~”  

Ding.  

“Do~”  

Ding.  

After a series of trials, Jiang Rou was now completely certain—  

Zhou Xiaohua was a genius, at least in this area. She possessed an extraordinary ability.  

She had memorized all seven bowl tones in an instant.  

When tapping with the chopstick, she never hesitated even for a second.  

After mastering this—  

Jiang Rou began singing a song she had sung before—  

“Returning from Target Practice.”  

The song had a lively melody and a simple rhythm. Some of the lyrics were purely phonetic sounds.  

“Mi so la mi so~”

“La so mi do re~”

Zhou Xiaohua’s eyes were fixed on Jiang Rou, while her hands never stopped moving. She tapped her chopsticks against a small bowl, keeping rhythm with the melody.

For a moment, the cheerful music filled the bedroom.

---

Meanwhile, Zhou Chongshan and Zhou Xiaochuan were cleaning the courtyard. They had just finished feeding the chickens and clearing out the weeds that had grown.

The two, one older and one younger, heard the music, washed their hands, brushed their teeth, and returned to the bedroom.

As soon as they stepped inside, they were met with Jiang Rou’s proud voice.

“Chongshan, Xiaochuan, come quickly and listen! Xiaohua must be a little genius—she can sing!”

Jiang Rou was beaming with pride.

She held Zhou Xiaohua in her arms, gently caressed her cheek, and said softly: “Xiaohua, don’t be nervous. Just like before, let’s start over from the beginning.”

Zhou Xiaohua nodded obediently.

She held a chopstick and lightly tapped the small bowl, beginning again from the first line: “The setting sun descends beyond the western mountains, and the clouds glow in the sky.”

This time, Jiang Rou did not hum along. It was Zhou Xiaohua’s solo performance.

Each note that leaped into the air was like the wings of a butterfly, fluttering gracefully.

The notes replaced Zhou Xiaohua’s voice, dancing along with the music.

Just as Jiang Rou had said—she could sing.

Zhou Chongshan and Zhou Xiaochuan were stunned. They had never expected the timid and shy Zhou Xiaohua to have such a talent.

When the song ended, Zhou Xiaochuan sighed in amazement. “Xiaohua, you’re incredible!”

Zhou Chongshan patted Zhou Xiaohua’s head. “Xiaohua is amazing! You could become a musician one day.”

Zhou Xiaohua blushed shyly. She wriggled out of Jiang Rou’s embrace and walked over to Zhou Xiaochuan. Burying her little head into his chest, she hid her flushed cheeks.

She was so happy~  

It was the first time she had received so much praise.  

She was not “Little Mute”—she could sing!  

---

The small table was moved to the side.  

Zhou Xiaohua and Zhou Xiaochuan sat around a few small bowls, tapping on them as if they were playing a game.  

When it came to music theory, Zhou Xiaochuan had absolutely no talent.  

Jiang Rou had only taught Zhou Xiaohua once, and she was already able to produce a smooth melody, as if she were singing.  

But Zhou Xiaochuan, after following along and practicing over and over again, still couldn’t get it right.  

The tinkling and clinking of the chopsticks against the bowls continued.  

【”Brother, that’s wrong! Not like that!”】  

Zhou Xiaohua grabbed Zhou Xiaochuan’s hand, which was tapping randomly. Her little cheeks puffed up in frustration.  

Her watery eyes stared at Zhou Xiaochuan.  

【”Brother, you’re so dumb!”】  

The little wolf cub had never faced such a frustrating challenge before.  

To him, all these tinkling and clinking sounds seemed the same. There was no difference at all.  

He tried hard to listen, but he still couldn’t remember the sequence.  

For the first time, Zhou Xiaochuan found himself being taught by Zhou Xiaohua instead. His face flushed slightly.  

Zhou Xiaohua held onto Zhou Xiaochuan’s hand.  

Her small hand wrapped around his larger one, and together, they held a single chopstick.  

Gently, they tapped.  

“Mi so la mi so~”  

“La so mi do re~”  

The familiar melody rang out once again, light and cheerful.  

---

On the other side of the room.  

Jiang Rou and Zhou Chongshan watched the two children playing their “game.” their eyes filled with the same gentle affection.  

As they watched, they chatted idly.  

Thinking back to something from earlier that day, Jiang Rou asked: “Chongshan, that Company Commander He doesn’t quite seem like a soldier.”  

Zhou Chongshan glanced at Jiang Rou and continued,  

“He really is different from us…”  

He Donglai, like Zhou Chongshan, was born in a rural village. However, while Zhou Chongshan had earned his position as a regiment commander by risking his life on the battlefield—leading charges and exchanging blood for merit—He Donglai had taken a different path.  

He Donglai had relied on his intelligence.  

From a young age, he had been a genius.  

Even though his family was poor and couldn’t afford to send him to school, three-year-old He Donglai had learned to recognize words just by watching people write letters on the roadside. He could memorize their content flawlessly after just one glance.  

Such remarkable intelligence in a child quickly caught the village chief’s attention.  

Later, it was the village chief who personally paid for He Donglai’s education, sending him to study in the city.  

The village chief hoped that one day, Hejia Village would produce an extraordinary figure.  

And He Donglai did not disappoint.  

From primary school to middle school, from high school to military academy, he remained at the top of his class every step of the way. He was always the best.  

After joining the military unit, He Donglai didn’t just focus on academics anymore. He shifted his efforts toward weapons and ammunition research.  

Zhou Chongshan continued,  

“Several years ago, we were in a battle on the front lines. As the fight dragged on, we ran out of weapons and ammunition. The supply lines were delayed, and we had nothing left, while the enemy kept charging in wave after wave.  

It was in that desperate moment that Company Commander He came up with an idea—he figured out how to make improvised explosives. Thanks to him, we managed to hold the enemy off for several more days, buying precious time until reinforcements and supplies arrived.”