Chapter 228: The Two Brothers Visit the Military Compound

The next morning, after breakfast, Xu An and Xu Mo headed to the military compound to visit Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu.

As they arrived, the guard at the entrance noticed the two individuals in military uniforms—one older and one younger—and inquired, “Comrade, whom are you here to see?”

Xu Mo stepped forward, wearing a cheerful smile. “Brother, we’re here to see Chief Lu Zhenbo and Director Shen Wanqing. Could you please help us get the message to them?”

The young soldier asked, “May I know who you are? What is the purpose of your visit with Chief Lu and Director Shen?”

With a grin, Xu Mo replied, “I’m their youngest son. Just let them know their youngest son has come back.”

Xu An smiled and gently tapped Xu Mo, then turned to the young soldier and said, “Comrade, I apologize for my younger brother. He was just joking. Could you please inform Chief Lu or Director Shen? My name is Xu An, and this is my brother, Xu Mo.”

Xu Mo, visibly annoyed, retorted, “Second Brother, when did I ever joke? Uncle Lu and Auntie Lu have already said I’m their youngest son from now on.”

Amused, Xu An replied, “Alright, you can be their youngest son. When we get back, I’ll tell Mom and Dad that we’re giving you to Uncle Lu and Auntie Lu.”

Ignoring his second brother, Xu Mo turned to chat with another young soldier nearby.

“Brother, you don’t seem much older than I am, yet here you are standing guard. That’s impressive!” He gave the soldier a thumbs-up and added, “In our Beijing dialect, we’d say you’re a real man.”

The young soldier had never received such a direct compliment before, and his face turned a bit red.

Looking at the child in front of him, speaking fluently with a northeastern accent, paired with his expressions and gestures, he seemed both funny and sincere.

Embarrassed, the young soldier replied, “I’m not that impressive. I’m just a gatekeeper.”

“Oh, come on, Brother, you’re being modest! Do you know where this place is? They wouldn’t let you guard this place unless you had real skills. The people living here are the backbone of our country.”

“Guarding this place is such an honor! If I ever have the skills you do, I’d want to come here and be a gatekeeper too.”

Xu Mo truly admired these soldiers. Standing guard here looked so impressive! Each one of them was full of vigor. Any family with daughters would probably want to take one home as a son-in-law.

The young soldier, feeling both honored and proud from the praise, stood even straighter than before.

Xu An stood nearby, watching his younger brother’s smooth-talking. How could he be so good with words? He could strike up a conversation with just about anyone.

Those kinds of direct compliments—Xu An could never bring himself to say them. But Xu Mo? He could say them without blinking, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

And somehow, people believed him, thinking his words were genuine. The young soldier, now beaming with pride, stood there with a smile on his face.

Xu An couldn’t help but admire his younger brother’s social skills. They had the same parents, so how was Xu Mo’s skin so much thicker?

Xu An would never admit his brother was better than him—he simply chalked it up to Xu Mo’s thick skin.

When Aunt Lu heard that Xu An and Xu Mo had arrived, she was so excited that she rushed outside without even taking off her white coat.

The two brothers spotted her coming out and quickly went to greet her.

Before Xu An could react, Xu Mo had already run up and wrapped his arms around her waist, dramatically exclaiming, “Director Shen, your youngest son has come to see you! Are you happy?”

Aunt Lu laughed as she embraced him in return. “I am happy, really happy! Xu An, Xu Mo, how did you two manage to come back? How are your parents and your sister?”

Xu An briefly explained the situation at home, and upon hearing it, Aunt Lu said, “Come on, let’s head home first.”

She greeted the young soldier on duty before leading the two brothers inside.

Aunt Lu brought the two brothers home. “Xu An, Xu Mo, you two stay here and relax for a bit. Whatever needs to be discussed, your Uncle Lu and I will handle it when we get off work.”

“Don’t worry, Auntie Lu. Xu Mo and I will wait for you at home,” Xu An replied.

Xu Mo added, “Yeah, go ahead and work. I’ll make a dish you both love, and we’ll have it ready for when you come back.”

After speaking, he headed to the kitchen to take a look. There was only some rice and flour, but no vegetables.

Aunt Lu chuckled and said, “Your Uncle Lu and I have been so busy since we got back, we haven’t had time to cook. We’ve been eating at the canteen. How about we just eat there for lunch?”

Xu Mo disagreed. “Eat at the canteen? Your youngest son has come home—how could I let you eat there?”

“You go to work, I’ll go buy some groceries with Second Brother later, and I’ll cook lunch,” Xu Mo said.

Aunt Lu, delighted by his words, smiled and said, “My youngest son is so thoughtful! The money and ration tickets are in the drawer. You two can just go to the supply store in front to buy whatever you need.”

Xu An smiled and added, “Got it, Auntie Lu. You go ahead and take care of your work!”

With his hands behind his back, Xu Mo started wandering around the house, inspecting everything and nodding as he looked.

“How is it? Satisfied?” Xu An asked, amused. Since Xu Mo had arrived, he’d been looking around as if the place were his own.

“It’s great! Uncle Lu and Auntie Lu definitely deserve a place like this,” Xu Mo replied.