Chapter 32: The Party (1)

Principal Jiang had not yet made a decision when Children’s Day arrived.

Because He Dongchuan had specially swapped shifts with someone, he was able to attend the party with Su Ting that day.

However, to be honest, he regretted swapping shifts.

The Sunday before the party, which was the day of the singing competition held by Class 2 of Year 1, He Yan received unanimous praise and had firmly secured the lead singer position for the chorus. When he returned home, Su Ting immediately asked him to make a support sign.

At the time, He Dongchuan didn’t understand what a support sign was, but after Su Ting explained it, he understood.

It turned out that she had agreed with He Yan to hold a sign to cheer him on during the party. Su Ting said: “Actually, I originally wanted to make a banner, but then I thought about how making one would require fabric, so I decided it’s easier to just find a piece of wood and write a sign.”

He Dongchuan: “…”

He really wanted to swap his shift back.

Although He Dongchuan was extremely reluctant to do such a silly thing, facing his wife’s excitement and his son’s anticipation, he ultimately chose to compromise. He found a piece of wood and, using a brush, wrote the supporting words as Su Ting had instructed.

On Children’s Day, the entire Family Residential Compound became lively. People walking down the street would ask each other if they were going to the party, and the answer was mostly yes.

However, since it was Saturday, there were fewer military officers off duty, and most of those attending the party were military wives.

Therefore, as soon as Su Ting and He Dongchuan stepped outside, they became the focus of attention in the crowd. Not to mention, they were holding up a sign, and the military wives they encountered all gathered around to ask what they were doing.

Su Ting smiled and said: “This is Xiao Yan’s first time performing on stage. I thought, as parents, we should definitely show support. So, I had Old He make a sign, and when Xiao Yan performs, we’ll hold it up. Even if there are many people there, he’ll definitely spot us.”

He Dongchuan thought this was a bit too flashy and eye-catching, but the military wives had a different perspective. They loved to join in the excitement, and since it was a party, being eye-catching was even better, wasn’t it?

Moreover, some of them also had children performing, and imagining their own kids seeing them holding up a sign in support made them feel that their children would be really happy about it.

Everyone thought this was a great idea, and they asked Su Ting how she came up with it. Some even joked: “You have such a good idea but didn’t share it with us. When my son/daughter sees you holding up the sign and I don’t, they’ll probably feel so sad inside.”

Su Ting hadn’t expected such a strong reaction.

Although she spoke in an elevated tone, the truth was that she had done all this just to tease the children and have some fun with He Yan. If she had known everyone would accept this way of supporting, she would have spread the word earlier.

Now, with the party about to begin, it was too late to say anything.

Of course, everyone was just joking and not truly blaming Su Ting. A group of people laughed and talked as they walked toward the Military Primary School.

The Military Primary School covered a large area. After all, land was not expensive at the time, and once the application to build the school had been submitted, the approval came quickly.

As they entered the gate of the Military Primary School, the wide playground was the first thing they saw. The ground looked very even because it was often trampled by students playing, though the grass was sparse.

At that moment, there was an additional platform at the far end of the playground, near the classrooms, that was not there on normal days.

The platform was not very high, just reaching up to an adult’s knees, with a black backdrop and a banner hanging above it, reading “Military Base Primary School Children’s Day Party.”

Except for the teacher guarding the sound system, there was a group of children on stage making their final preparations. In front of them, Teacher Wang was saying something to them.

Below the stage, there were people bustling about as well. Half a meter away from the stage, a teacher was instructing older students to move the seats, which were meant for the leaders of the Military Unit.

Behind the leaders’ seats, the homeroom teachers from each class were organizing children holding stools to sit down.

As for the parents attending the party, they were seated at the end of the line, and they had to find their own seats. Those who brought seats found places to sit, and those who didn’t find places to stand.

The parent group was divided into two large sections. On the left, sitting or standing were members of the Island Agricultural & Fishery Brigade, while on the right, sitting or standing were the military families from the Family Residential Compound.

No matter which side, the majority of the people were women. There were only about twenty or thirty men in total, and they were scattered among the women.

He Dongchuan felt very uncomfortable, so after sitting for a while, he turned to Su Ting and said: “I’ll go get some air.”

Without turning her head, Su Ting, who was talking to Yu Xiaofang, responded: “Then come back soon. Xiao Yan and the others are up first, don’t delay.”

“Got it.” After He Dongchuan replied, he squeezed through the crowd and went to the back of the line to stand and get some fresh air.

He hadn’t been standing there long when two Military Officers squeezed out from the crowd. The shorter of the two took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed one to each of the others while saying: “Finally got out, these women can talk forever. They’ve been non-stop since they sat down.”

The taller Military Officer, who had quit smoking, agreed: “Yeah, sigh. I wasn’t planning on coming today, but my wife insisted. She said it’s our kid’s first time performing, and I had to be here. If I had known, I would have swapped shifts and stayed at the base.”

He Dongchuan, who had swapped shifts to come to the event, said: “…No need, I don’t smoke.”

After finishing a cigarette, the party was about to start, and the wives began calling their husbands. The group stamped out their cigarette butts, waved their hands, and dispersed.

He Dongchuan had just sat back down next to Su Ting when he heard her ask: “How come you smell like smoke? Did you go smoke just now?”

“No, it’s probably the smell from when they smoked.” He Dongchuan replied.

Su Ting thought second-hand smoke wasn’t great, but then she remembered that many old smokers worked at the Military Unit. They would smoke a couple of cigarettes at any opportunity, especially during meetings. Since He Dongchuan didn’t smoke himself, it was fine, and it would be unrealistic to stop others from smoking. She didn’t think much of it, so she just nodded in response.

The couple whispered to each other when they heard movement at the back of the line. Su Ting turned her head to see several Military Officers wearing newly issued white naval officer uniforms walking toward them.

Su Ting had been living there for two months, so she was generally familiar with the names of the leaders at the Military Unit. However, she couldn’t put faces to many of them. First, the leaders lived at the other end of the Family Residential Compound, far from their home. Second, the leaders were all very busy and usually didn’t stroll around the compound unless there was a specific reason, and they traveled by car, so she didn’t get the chance to see them often.

Although she didn’t recognize their faces, based on their age, she could tell that they held a high rank. Moreover, Principal Jiang was walking with them, which clearly indicated that he had gone to meet them.

She couldn’t help but wonder which leader had arrived.

While Su Ting was thinking about this, she heard He Dongchuan say: “I’ll go say hello.”

“Ah?” Su Ting was momentarily stunned. When she saw the other Military Officers who had come to watch the party also starting to move, she quickly reacted and said: “Then go ahead.”

He Dongchuan nodded slightly, parted the crowd again, and walked out of the line. He joined the other seven or eight Military Officers to stand in formation, salute, and greet: “Chief, good day.”

In the Military Unit, the title “Chief” wasn’t limited to any particular position. Even regular soldiers could address a Regiment Commander or Division Commander as “Chief.” and similarly, He Dongchuan and the others, who weren’t from the same regiment, could all greet someone with “Chief, good day.” This meant the leader in question was at least a deputy General of the Military Base, or even a General or Political Commissar.

Although the leader’s rank was high, he had a very warm attitude. After returning the salute, he exchanged a few words with them, then waved for them to return to their seats.

However, when the crowd started to disperse, the Chief specifically called He Dongchuan over and asked: “Did you come here alone today?”

“With my wife.” He Dongchuan replied.

The Chief asked: “Where is your wife?”

He Dongchuan pointed toward Su Ting. The Chief followed his gaze, his eyes lingering on her face for a couple of seconds before lowering to the sign she was holding, reading the eight big characters on it. He squinted and asked: “What’s that sign for?”

He Dongchuan answered honestly: “My wife said it’s to cheer for the kid since it’s his first time performing on stage.”

Upon hearing this, the Chief paused for a moment, then laughed heartily, saying “Good, good.” before waving his hand and walking with Principal Jiang toward the front seats.

Although they were speaking just behind the parent group and not far from Su Ting, the noise of the event was so loud that Su Ting could only guess they were talking about her, based on He Dongchuan’s actions. However, she didn’t know exactly what was said.

So, as soon as He Dongchuan returned, Su Ting couldn’t help but ask: “What did you two talk about?”

He Dongchuan replied: “General Lu asked what the sign you were holding was for.”

Su Ting froze for a moment, then looked down at the support sign in her hand. A bad premonition rose in her heart, and she quickly asked: “How did you answer him?”

“I told him the truth.”

Su Ting: “…”

Seeing the dejected expression on Su Ting’s face, He Dongchuan, puzzled, asked: “Didn’t you already know a leader was coming and plan to cheer for Xiao Yan? Why are you nervous now?”

He didn’t finish the sentence, as he feared his wife might get upset and angry.

Su Ting gave He Dongchuan a resentful glance and said: “I thought the highest-ranking leader here today was the Logistics Director.”

Although it was the first time the Military Primary School was holding a party, for the entire military base, this wasn’t considered a major event.

The General in charge of the entire military base had many responsibilities, and while not necessarily overloaded with work, he was undoubtedly very busy. Su Ting felt it was unrealistic to expect him to take two and a half hours out of his day to watch an elementary school martial arts performance.

Additionally, when she thought about the various departments surrounding the Family Residential Compound, most of them fell under the logistics division. Su Ting naturally assumed that the highest-ranking leader Principal Jiang could have invited was the Logistics Director.

The Logistics Director had a fairly high rank and was responsible for the schools, so she considered him to be a suitable leader for the event.

Who knew Principal Jiang would be so capable, actually managing to invite General Yuan over. Thinking of what He Dongchuan had said to General in front of her, Su Ting couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, almost wanting to dig her toes into the ground.

He Dongchuan noticed and, holding back a laugh, comforted her: “Don’t worry too much. General was quite pleased after I finished talking. He even said ‘good’ twice. You could tell he supports you.”

Su Ting felt a bit better inside, but she still hesitated. With all the high-ranking officials from the Military Base present, should she hold up the sign or help set it up later?

Before she could decide, the host of the gathering took the stage.