Lu Xiaotang waited until the laughter of a few people faded before he said, “All done?”

Upon hearing his voice, Zhang, the squad leader, and the others shuddered, standing at attention and shouting, “Company Commander!”

Lu Xiaotang glanced at them before slowly saying, “Since you’re done, let’s go eat.”

Seeing them relax, he added, “Training at eight o’clock tonight, with a load of fifty pounds, ten kilometers.”

The mood immediately soured, and as Lu Xiaotang’s gaze swept over them, they quickly replied in unison, “Yes, Company Commander!”

Lu Xiaotang tossed a bag of pine nuts and hazelnuts to Zhang, saying, “Take this for the brothers to try.”

Zhang happily caught the bag and responded, “Thank you, Company Commander.”

As they dashed toward the dining hall, they began to jostle for the bag.

After eating at the dining hall, Lu Xiaotang took the bag of dried vegetables and headed to his uncle’s house. His uncle was a brigade commander in the Southern City Military District, living nearby in the family quarters.

His uncle had previously served in the Southern City Military District but was transferred last year to Su City as a battalion commander.

When Lu Xiaotang arrived, his uncle’s family had just finished dinner and were sitting on the sofa chatting. Upon seeing him enter, his older cousin, Shen Yue, quickly invited him to sit down. His aunt asked if he had eaten, while his cousin-in-law (his cousin Shen Yue’s wife), Lin Wenhui, went to pour him some water.

Lu Xiaotang placed the items he had brought on the table and said, “Aunt, I’ve already eaten. This is the dried vegetables my mom sent over, and the pine nuts and hazelnuts are from Xu Ning and her brothers. I brought some for you to try.”

His aunt looked at the items on the table, her eyes reddening as she said, “Your parents are so thoughtful. They’re having a hard time themselves and still send us things.”

Lu Xiaotang comforted her, saying, “Aunt, my parents are doing fine now. Uncle Xu’s daughter is looking after them over there, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

His aunt sighed and remarked, “Last time you mentioned that girl is only fifteen this year, right? A young girl taking care of her brother in the countryside, and now she has to look after four elders as well. It’s really tough on her.”

Lu Xiaotang thought of that thin, dark-skinned girl with bright, lively eyes filled with enthusiasm. She was kind-hearted yet strong, intelligent, and perceptive, pouring her passion into everything she did.

His uncle nodded in agreement, saying, “She’s a good kid. With her looking after them, we can rest easy. At least we’ll know if anything happens.”

Lu Xiaotang chatted a bit longer with his uncle and aunt before he got up to take his leave.

As his cousin sent him to the door, he sat back down on the sofa and remarked, “Xiaotang is becoming more and more composed. A twenty-year-old company commander is rare in other military districts.”

Lin Wenhui chimed in, “A few days ago, Brigade Commander Yan’s wife asked me if Xiaotang has a girlfriend. She wants her daughter Yingying to meet him.”

His aunt frowned and replied, “What’s so special about her daughter? She’s only got looks; there’s nothing else to commend her. If she asks you again, just give her a piece of your mind.”

His uncle smiled and glanced at his wife, saying, “In your eyes, it seems hardly anyone is worthy of Xiaotang. When we were picking a match for your aunt, we went through countless candidates before we chose your uncle.”

Back in the room, Lin Wenhui complained to Shen Yue, “Mom is just too much. I mean well, thinking if Xiaotang and Yingying got together, it would be good for him in the long run.”

Shen Yue looked at her and said, “Don’t meddle in Xiaotang’s affairs from now on. Not even his parents can intervene. He won’t let anyone interfere in his matters. Do you think he became a company commander in just three years because of luck? It takes real ability.”

Seeing that his wife still seemed unconvinced, he lowered his voice and added, “Do you know what Xiaotang did when he found out about Aunt and Uncle’s accident?”

Lin Wenhui asked, “Wasn’t he still young then? What could he do?”

Shen Yue leaned in mysteriously and said, “When Aunt and Uncle had their accident, it was during summer vacation, and Xiaotang was at our home. When Xiaoran called the house, that was when we found out about the accident.

At that time, Dad had gone on a mission and was unreachable. Mom was frantic and had to ask our uncle to go to Beijing to gather information while asking everyone to keep it from Xiaotang.

Three days later, two of Xiaotang’s friends came from Beijing to find him and told him about his parents’ accident. He didn’t even pack his belongings; he just followed his friends and took a train back to Beijing.

Once in Beijing, he found our uncle. After learning that the situation with his parents was final and there was no turning back, he and uncle made arrangements to send his sister to the countryside. After sending her off, he…”

His uncle, worried that Xiaotang might cause trouble and get himself into a mess, suggested that he join the army. Xiaotang didn’t say anything at the time; he just followed his uncle onto the train.

Before the train departed, he secretly got off, leaving his uncle a letter saying he would come to Southern City in three months. His uncle, feeling uneasy, also got off at the next stop and returned to Beijing to search for a few days, but he couldn’t find him. When the leave was over, he had no choice but to return, asking his comrades in Beijing to help look for Xiaotang.

Lin Wenhui gasped in surprise, “I had no idea about this. When did he come here? What was he doing all that time?”

Shen Yue shot a glance at his wife and said, “Why would I bring this up for no reason? If you hadn’t been so confused today, I wouldn’t have told you any of this.”

Lin Wenhui pinched his waist and insisted, “Who’s confused? I know better than you think! Just tell me!”

After getting pinched, Shen Yue continued, “After our uncle returned, he had his comrades help look for Xiaotang all over Beijing, but they found nothing. When Dad came back, he searched for a few more days, but still no luck.

More than a month passed, and just when Dad and uncle planned to search again, Xiaotang showed up by himself. When they asked him where he had been for those three months, he didn’t say a word.”

Eventually, it was Xiaotang’s uncle who heard from his comrades in Beijing that the families responsible for framing Aunt and Uncle had been sent to the harsh, desolate areas of the Northwest. This included his uncle’s family. His grandparents had always doted on Xiaotang’s Aunt, treating her like a jewel, and they threatened Xiaotang, saying that if he didn’t spare his uncle’s family, they would sever ties with him. In response, Xiaotang immediately wrote a letter of severance and had his grandparents sign it.

Shen Yue noticed his wife was stunned and patted her shoulder, saying, “Just think about it—he was only seventeen at the time. To pull off something so significant and come out unscathed, do you really think he needs anyone to speak on his behalf?”

He continued, “And look at the soldiers under his command. No matter how tough they are, they all behave themselves around him.”

Seeing his wife still in shock, he wondered if he had been too harsh with his words. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders to comfort her, but she pushed him away, looking at him with a mix of disappointment and determination.

“Look at Xiaotang, and then look at you! You’re in your mid-twenties and still don’t have your act together. You should take a cue from him!”

Shen Yue was taken aback—wasn’t this about Xiaotang? How did it end up being about him?