The army canteen was located behind the family housing area, between the camp and the family vegetable garden, making it convenient for both the soldiers in the camp and the families in the housing area.

When Lin Guodong took Ning Shu and the children, it wasn’t yet dinner time, so the soldiers hadn’t finished work, and the families were still cooking, resulting in fewer people on the way.

Occasionally, they met a few family members, but they were all people Lin Guodong didn’t know.

After all, he hadn’t lived in the family housing area yet, so he didn’t know most of the people there, except for a few superiors’ and subordinates’ families he had seen during meals.

When they arrived at the canteen, Lin Guodong explained, “There are several canteens in the army. This is one canteen per company. I am the company commander, and I have three platoons under me, so I can go to three canteens for meals, but I usually eat at canteen number 5. Also, eating in the canteen requires you to pay for yourself, except for those below the deputy platoon leader. Ordinary soldiers only receive a subsidy of 5 yuan per month, and squad leaders only receive 10 yuan per month. Soldiers at these two levels eat in the army. Those above the deputy platoon leader receive a higher monthly salary, and they have to pay for their own meals, but the army provides a meal subsidy of 5 yuan per month.”

“But didn’t you go home to visit relatives for two months before? In that case, were the meal subsidies for those two months compensated?” Ning Shu asked curiously.

“The meal subsidy is included with the salary,” Lin Guodong explained. “So no matter what we do, we still receive the meal subsidy.”

After all, their salary wouldn’t be withheld just because they took family leave. “But the meal subsidy isn’t enough for me to eat every month.”

Ning Shu nodded in understanding. Soldiers with heavy training naturally had bigger appetites, which she knew from her hometown.

Entering canteen number 5, which could accommodate a company of soldiers, the canteen was still spacious, as a company had around 200 people.

At this moment, in the spacious canteen, a young girl was already queuing up. When she saw someone coming in, she glanced at them and then looked away.

“The dishes are almost ready. I wonder what’s available today. Take a look and see what you’d like to eat,” Lin Guodong said, leading them to the serving window.

The dishes were indeed already laid out, steaming hot in large pots.

This reminded Ning Shu of the cafeteria in her school days, where they also served dishes in large pots.

“Dad, I can’t see, I can’t see. Lift me up quickly,” Erbao tugged at Lin Guodong’s clothes.

Unable to resist, not because the serving window was high, but because Erbao was too short.

Lin Guodong had to lift up Erbao, and seeing Yibao standing on tiptoes trying to see over the counter, he used his other hand to lift him up too.

So, two identical faces stared at the serving window.

Seeing Yibao and Erbao being lifted by their dad and not being lifted himself, Sanbao felt aggrieved and tugged at his dad’s pants.

Lin Guodong felt someone tugging at his pants and looked down to see Sanbao.

He helplessly said, “Sanbao, dad can only lift two of you.”

Sanbao understood his dad’s meaning.

His mouth pouted, and his eyes instantly turned red, tears welling up like a faucet, forming droplets in his eyes.

Lin Guodong looked towards Ning Shu, but she was staring at the dishes in the window, not noticing Sanbao.

“Sanbao, Uncle Li will lift you,” Li Zao, who was still single and liked the well-behaved three kids, saw the third child on the verge of tears.

He went over to pick him up while saying.

Sanbao wasn’t shy either, maybe because Li Zao had taken them to the train station, cleaned up with them, and helped them repair furniture.

So, Sanbao already recognized him. When he heard Li Zao, he obediently opened his arms to be picked up.

Li Zao lifted Sanbao, smelling the fragrance on the child’s body, and liked him even more.

He thought that his future child would definitely be as well-behaved as Sanbao.

The more he thought about it, the more generous Li Zao felt. “Sambao, what do you want to eat? Uncle Li will buy it for you.”

Sanbao didn’t know how to choose dishes, but looking at all the dishes inside, his mouth couldn’t help but water.

He turned his head to Li Zao and said, “I want to eat this…this…this…this…” pointing at the dishes inside.

He didn’t know how many he pointed at, but he thought they all looked delicious.

Li Zao said, “Okay, okay, I’ll buy them all for Sanbao.”

Canteen number 5 had a pretty good variety of dishes today, with both meat and vegetable options.

The meat dishes included braised fish and shredded pork with radish soup, while the vegetable dishes included stir-fried cabbage and stir-fried potato slices.

Although there weren’t many types of dishes, the portions were definitely sufficient, considering they had to feed a company of soldiers.

“Sanbao, Yibao and Erbao, what do you want to eat?” Ning Shu looked at the dishes and asked her sons.

As she turned her head, she noticed Lin Guodong holding Yibao and Erbao, while San Bao was being held by Li Zao.

Ning Shu couldn’t help but smile.

After Erbao, it seemed like San Bao had also become a little calf in the family?

“I want to eat fish,” Erbao Bao said.

Yibao also nodded, “I want to eat fish too.”

Ning Shu said, “Then let’s have a portion of each dish, how about that?” She looked at Lin Guodong.

Lin Guodong nodded, “No problem. But there are rules for the meat dishes here. Each person can only take a limited amount, as the meat dishes are limited. If the person in front takes too much, then the people behind won’t have enough to eat. So, even if you pay, you can’t take more than the limit.”

“I understand,” Ning Shu found this arrangement quite reasonable. Suddenly, she thought of something. “Do you have any money on you?”

“I do.” Lin Guodong still had money on him, which Ning Shu had given him earlier on the train for buying meals, and he hadn’t spent it all yet.

Ning Shu didn’t say anything more. ” Yibao , Erbao.. let’s go find a place to sit.”

“Okay.”

The two boys got down from their dad and went to find seats.

They were no strangers to finding seats, as they had eaten in the cafeteria at the clothing factory before.

The factory had several hundred workers, and although many workers bought food to take home or didn’t buy food at all and went straight home to eat, the factory’s cafeteria was still quite large and could accommodate a hundred people.

So, the cafeteria at the military base didn’t surprise Yi Bao and Er Bao.

The two Brother went to find a seat, while Ning Shu walked over to the next serving counter and asked, “San Bao, how come you’re always with Uncle Li?”

San Bao glanced at his mother and then grinned widely, pointing at the dishes inside, “Bao, this, this, this…”

“Oh, your little stomach has quite the appetite, huh?” Ning Shu teased him.

But San Bao didn’t understand his mother was teasing him; he thought she was praising him, so he raised his chin proudly.

“Sister-in-law, you go sit down. I’ll bring San Bao over later,” Li Zao said, still holding onto the little one.

Ning Shu observed, “Then I’ll leave San Bao to you.”

Li Zao replied, “No trouble at all. San Bao is so well-behaved, right, San Bao?”

San Bao nodded, “Right… San Bao is good.”

“Then be good and go buy food with Uncle Li. I’ll go sit with your brother,” Ning Shu pointed out the seats where the two brothers were sitting to San Bao.

Following his mother’s gesture, San Bao looked at the two brothers and nodded, “Okay.”

Actually, although kids seem like they don’t understand what adults are saying, they have their own way of understanding.

Once Yi Bao and Er Bao found their seats, they waved to Ning Shu.

Er Bao even shouted, “Mom, here, here!”

“I’m coming,” Ning Shu walked over to Yibao and Erbao.

Not long after the mother and her two sons sat down, a sharp whistle sounded.

It was the first time they heard the whistle, so it startled them because it was sudden. Yi Bao and Er Bao quickly covered their ears.

Ning Shu’s heart jumped, but she quickly reassured the two brothers, “It’s okay, it’s just time to eat. From now on, every mealtime, every wake-up call, this whistle will sound. Don’t be scared.”

The two brothers nodded. Yi Bao said, “Mom, I’m not scared.”

Er Bao added with amusement, “Once this whistle blows, we’ll know it’s mealtime.”

Ning Shu nodded, “That’s right.”

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, and a group of people rushed in.

They were all very fast, like a pack of wolves.

Watching so many people rushing in, the two brothers looked on curiously.

The soldiers who rushed in also noticed Ning Shu and her two sons. Although they were curious about the sudden appearance of unfamiliar faces, nobody’s curiosity was more important than getting food.

Some of the people running at the front saw Lin Guodong, “The company commander’s back?”

“Long time no see, company commander. Looks like you’ve gained some weight?”

Lin Guodong nodded, “Yeah, just got back today. The food my wife cooked at home was delicious, so I gained some weight… Once everything’s settled at home, I’ll come train you guys.”

The soldiers felt that there was more to the company commander’s words.

“Li Zao, who’s the kid you’re holding?” Another person exclaimed, their voice loud enough to startle San Bao, who shrank into Li Zao’s arms and then peeked at him.

Li Zao replied, “He’s the company commander’s child.”

“What? The company commander’s family came with the army?”

“Company commander, is that lady over there your wife?”

Lin Guodong affirmed, “Yeah.”

Lin Guodong was at the front of the line and got his food the fastest. After getting his food, he said to the soldiers behind him, “You guys get your food; I’m going to eat.”