Lin Guodong was surprised. “Zhang Bai’e joined the police station?” He attended high school in the county town, so his classmates were mostly children of county employees or officials.

Generally, they came from families with good conditions. However, some positions in these units couldn’t be inherited, such as those in national institutions. So, Lin Guodong was surprised that Zhang Bai’e had joined the police station.

“These positions aren’t typically handed down by parents,” Meng Jie explained. “I’m not sure about the specifics. We high school classmates should get together sometime. It’s been a long time since we last met.”

Lin Guodong replied, “You organize it. I’ll be leaving on the 16th of the first lunar month, but I’m available before then.”

Meng Jie readily agreed, “That’s no problem.”

Lin Guodong said, “Then let’s go ask Zhang Bai’e first, and when you’ve organized it, come to my house and let me know.”

Meng Jie said, “Okay.”

Ning Shu handed one set of keys to Meng Jie, and they left. Instead of going elsewhere, they went directly to the East Street Police Station as Meng Jie suggested, looking for Lin Guodong’s high school classmate, Zhang Bai’e.

East Street Police Station

Ning Shu said, “We’ll wait for you at the entrance. Will you go in and find him?”

Lin Guodong replied, “Okay.”

Lin Guodong didn’t have civilian clothes. He had been in the military for these past few years, so apart from what the military provided, all his clothes were from the military. Therefore, when he walked into the police station in his military uniform, he attracted the attention of everyone in the office.

“Hello, comrade. Is there something we can help you with?” one of the policemen asked, stepping forward.

Although the police and the military were different systems, they both served the people, so their professional natures were somewhat similar.

Lin Guodong said, “Hello, comrade. I’m looking for Zhang Hui. Is he here?”

“Zhang Hui…” The policeman called out to another male officer who was looking their way.

Lin Guodong followed his gaze.

Zhang Hui had been looking in their direction as well, but when Lin Guodong turned around, he wasn’t sure and asked, “Platoon Leader?” It had been over ten years since they last met.

He didn’t recognize him at first glance. It had been around ten years since they graduated from high school.

Zhang Hui still remembered when he first met Lin Guodong in class; there were so many students in their class, but Lin Guodong dressed the most plainly, with patches on his clothes, and he was tall and thin.

But he had the best grades.

Later, during the college entrance examination, he still had the best scores in their school and got into a military academy.

“Platoon Leader, is it really you?” He looked at Lin Guodong’s military uniform, confirming it once again.

He happily stepped forward, excitedly looking Lin Guodong up and down, “Platoon Leader, you joined the army… I mean, with your background, you must have joined the army.”

He was so happy that he was almost incoherent.

Seeing his former classmate, Lin Guodong was also happy. “Want to chat outside? My wife and kids are waiting out there. I’ll introduce you to them.”

“Your wife and kids are here too?” Zhang Hui wanted to invite them inside, but considering it was a workplace, it wasn’t appropriate.

He nodded, “Let’s chat outside then.”

At the entrance of the police station, Lin Guodong introduced, “This is my high school classmate, Zhang Hui. This is my wife, Ning Shu, and these three are our children, Yi Bao, Er Bao, and San Bao.”

Seeing that Lin Guodong had three sons, Zhang Hui couldn’t help but feel envious. “Hello, sister-in-law, and hello to the three treasures… Platoon Leader, you’re amazing, to have three sons.”

In this era of favoring boys over girls, having three sons would make anyone envious, no matter where they went.

“Hello, Comrade Zhang. Yi Bao, Er Bao, San Bao, call me Uncle,” Ning Shu assumed that Zhang Hui was younger than Lin Guodong since the latter referred to her as sister-in-law.

However, that wasn’t the case. Zhang Hui was actually older than Lin Guodong, but Lin Guodong had been the class monitor, so in Zhang Hui’s mind, he saw him as the leader, making Ning Shu naturally the sister-in-law.

“Call him Uncle,” Lin Guodong reminded. “Zhang Hui is two years older than me.”

“Yes, yes, Lin Guodong was the youngest in our class,” Zhang Hui said, “but he was also our class leader.”

“Hello, Uncle,” Yi Bao and Er Bao greeted.

San Bao, hearing his brothers call out, also followed suit, “Hello, Uncle…”

He could still call him uncle because they often went to the old house and heard his brothers call the older men uncles.

“Hello to you all… Wait for me here…” Zhang Hui hurried into the police station, and soon emerged again, holding a handful of candies. “Here, have some candies.”

Yi Bao and Er Bao didn’t take any, looking at their mother instead.

At crucial moments, they only listened to their mother.

Ning Shu nodded. “What do you say when you receive candies from Uncle?”

“Thank you, Uncle,” Yi Bao and Er Bao said in unison, then took the candies, sharing them among themselves.

Watching them, Zhang Hui truly envied them.

He only had two daughters, and although he treated them well, he also wished for sons. “Platoon Leader, why did you suddenly come to find me today?”

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhang Hui didn’t forget about the main business, thinking that Lin Guodong had something to ask for his help.

Lin Guodong went straight to the point: “I bought houses in the county for my three children, intending them for their future spouses. But they’re still young, and the houses are vacant for now, so I plan to rent them out. I talked to Meng Jie about it, and he said you might be looking for a place to rent. So, I’m here to ask. If you’re not interested, perhaps your colleagues might be.”

Zhang Hui hadn’t expected this, and he was truly grateful. “Yes, yes, I do need to rent a place. Ah… If the Platoon Leader agrees, I’ll rent it for several years.”

“You can rent until my sons get married,” Lin Guodong replied. Technically, the police station should provide housing, but he hadn’t inquired about it.

He didn’t ask, but Zhang Hui volunteered the information. “Actually, I got this position through my elder brother, Fude. But compared to this job, I’d rather have my elder brother back alive.”

“Condolences,” Lin Guodong offered, finding it hard to respond.

“My elder brother used to work here as a police officer. He sacrificed his life during a mission this year. To console our family, the police station offered us a civilian job here. But my nieces and nephews are too young to take it, and my sister-in-law already has a job. Luckily, my wife doesn’t work, so I gave her my job, and this job was given to me. However, my sister-in-law has a condition. Since this job was obtained through my brother’s sacrifice, it should rightfully go to my nieces and nephews. If I take it, then the house we currently live in should be reserved for my nieces and nephews.”

“Originally, our family lived in the courtyard, while my eldest brother’s family lived in the police station’s staff dormitory.

Now that my eldest brother has passed away, that dormitory will be reclaimed.

So, my sister-in-law and her children will move back to the courtyard.

Her intention is for them to move back and for the house to be given to my nephew. Additionally, since the house is small and cannot accommodate our entire family, we are expected to move out.

My wife and I have no objections to this. Originally, my parents only had my elder brother and me, so the house was divided between us.

Now that my elder brother has passed away, the house belongs to me and my nephew, and since I’ve taken over my nephew’s job, it’s only fair that the house goes to him.

However, we don’t have enough money to buy a house at the moment, and living in a small house for a family of four is uncomfortable.

So, we plan to rent a house for now and upgrade to a larger one later.”

Lin Guodong reassured him, “Don’t worry, you can live there for the next few years.”

“Of course, I trust Platoon Leader’s family’s house,” Zhang Hui chuckled. “But family matters need to be clear. We also need to discuss rent and related matters. And regarding the house, I need to bring my wife along to take a look.”

Lin Guodong agreed, “That’s reasonable. When do you plan to go?”

Glancing at his watch, Zhang Hui replied, “It’s almost time to get off work. I’ll ask for leave from my superiors, then go fetch my wife. If we find a suitable house, I’ll treat you and your wife to dinner at the state-owned restaurant. Platoon Leader, please don’t refuse. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, and I’m happy today.”

“Eating out would mean returning home late, and it’s cold at night in winter, which might inconvenience the children. Let’s postpone it to another day when we’re all free,” Lin Guodong suggested.

Zhang Hui thought for a moment, “Let me go in and ask for leave first.”

Once Zhang Hui went inside, Lin Guodong asked Ning Shu, “Did you bring the tickets?”

Ning Shu replied, “Yes, I brought them all.” She had thought that after buying the house, they would have plenty of time left over, and had even planned to take the three children to the department store.

So, she had brought all the tickets with her.

Lin Guodong suggested, “Shall we buy some vegetables from the state-owned restaurant for dinner and eat at home? It might be late by the time we finish everything.”

Ning Shu agreed, “Sure.”

When Zhang Hui came out, they stopped discussing this topic.

The group went to Zhang Hui’s wife’s factory.

They waited at the factory gate, and since Zhang Hui used to work there, he was familiar with the security guard and went straight inside to find someone.

When they came out again, Zhang Hui’s wife had already taken leave.

Zhang Hui introduced them, “Platoon Leader, Sister-in-law, this is my wife, Yang Meixia. Meixia, this is my high school classmate, Platoon Leader, and this is Sister-in-law. These are Platoon Leader’s three children.”

“Hello, Platoon Leader, Sister-in-law,” Yang Meixia greeted them with a bright smile. “Thank you so much, Platoon Leader and Sister-in-law, for this matter. We were worried that we wouldn’t find a good rental, but unexpectedly, Platoon Leader and Sister-in-law have a house available. It’s really fate.”

Ning Shu also smiled, “Indeed, it’s better to rent to someone you know. Renting to strangers can be unsettling, as you never know their character and other aspects. Comrade Zhang is Lin Guodong’s high school classmate, so we’re relieved.”

“That’s right. You’re worried about renting to strangers, and we’re worried about renting from strangers. If we encounter a difficult landlord, it’s also a big hassle,” Yang Meixia added. Then, she looked at the three children, just like Zhang Hui, her eyes filled with envy. “Sister-in-law, you’re really lucky to have three sons. The older two are even twins. We only have two daughters in our family.”

Ning Shu replied, “Yes… Yi Bao, Er Bao, San Bao, call me Auntie.”

Yi Bao and Er Bao greeted, “Hello, Auntie.”

San Bao wasn’t very proactive in greeting people, but he would follow Guo Guo’s lead. “Auntie, hello.”

“Oh,” Yang Meixia seemed to have a thought, “Sister-in-law, how old are your two older children?”

Ning Shu replied, “They’re five years old.”

Yang Meixia became even more enthusiastic, “Oh dear, our older daughter is eight years old, and the younger one is also five. As the saying goes, ‘When a girl reaches the age of three, she’s like a gold brick.’ Sister-in-law, should our families consider a marriage proposal?”