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When An Huan returned home, she planned to pick up Dongdong on the way. But to her surprise, the kindergarten teacher informed her that Dongdong had already gone home with some other children.
Children weren’t raised with such meticulous attention back then, and the military base was very safe. There was no need for parents to drop off or pick up their kids—children usually walked in groups.
At the entrance of the family Courtyard, An Huan saw Dongdong and a few young boys.
The boys all seemed around four or five years old. One had a runny nose, another was wearing clothes so faded their original color was no longer discernible. They were walking while playing with paper airplanes.
Dongdong was the cleanest among them, keeping a modest distance from the group. He occasionally joined in their laughter and conversations—not appearing aloof, but not fully immersed either.
“Mommy—!” Dongdong spotted An Huan from the corner of his eye. The moment he confirmed it was truly her, a bright smile bloomed across his little face, and he rushed toward her.
An Huan quickly crouched down to catch him.
The little guy seemed heavier—he crashed into her arms with a solid “thump.”
An Huan laughed and teased, “Our little pig has finally put on some meat.”
“Mommy, do you mean Uncle Xiao Zhu?” Dongdong referred to Xiao Zhu, Xiao Zheng’s orderly.
An Huan replied, “…I mean you. You’re our little pig, the one in the pigpen.”
“Huh?” Dongdong gave a disgusted grin. “But little pigs get slaughtered during the New Year. I don’t want to be a pig.”
“Then what do you want to be?” An Huan held his hand as they walked home.
“I want to be Mommy’s little darling!”
One had to admit, it felt nice to be caught off guard by her son’s affectionate words every now and then.
As they passed the group of children, Dongdong waved and said, “Bye-bye! I’m going home with Mommy now!”
The boys stared at An Huan in disbelief and asked Dongdong, “Is that really your mom?”
“Your mom is so pretty! She looks like a fairy!”
A parent’s looks were a child’s badge of honor.
Dongdong puffed out his tiny chest with pride. “Not only is my Mommy beautiful, she’s also really gentle. She doesn’t hit me or scold me.”
The boys looked even more envious—they couldn’t remember a time at home when they weren’t chased around with a rolling pin.
Just then, a voice called from behind, “Dongdong! Dongdong! Young Auntie An!”
“Help! My sister’s going to kill me!”
As the shouting stopped, Shi Xiaojun dashed up behind An Huan, and Shi Xiaoshan followed in hot pursuit with a branch in hand, radiating fury.
“Ahhh! Shi Xiaojun, you still dare to run? If you’ve got the guts, never let me catch you again. If I do, you’re dead meat! Ahhh!”
Shi Xiaojun’s grimy hands left two black handprints on An Huan’s crisp white shirt. She sighed and pulled him out from behind her. “What did you do to make your sister so mad?”
Shi Xiaoshan finally had someone to report to. “Young Auntie An, this little brat drew a big turtle and stuck it on my back. I was laughed at by my classmates the entire morning!”
An Huan looked speechlessly at Shi Xiaojun. “Is that true?”
“Nope, I didn’t stick it on her.” His eyes darted wildly—anyone could tell he was lying.
Dongdong took on the role of judge. “Big Brother Xiaojun, you were wrong. You should apologize to Sister Xiaoshan.”
Shi Xiaoshan glared at her little brother with contempt. “Shi Xiaojun, did you hear that? Even Dongdong, who’s only four, knows you were wrong. You’re older, but you’ve got less sense than a toddler!”
Shi Xiaojun hung his head and slowly shuffled in the direction of home. Suddenly, he stuck out his tongue and made a face at her. “I’m not apologizing! Nyah-nyah!”
Then he darted off, clearly thinking he could escape after provoking her.
But he underestimated the power of “older sister.”
Shi Xiaoshan took a deep breath, then exploded into motion. In just a few seconds, she caught up with him and tackled him to the ground.
“Ahhh! I was wrong, Sis! I’ll apologize, I’ll apologize!”
“Sister, I’m sorry! I won’t dare do it again!”
“Sis, do you like pretty hair ties? I’ll buy you one with my New Year’s money…”
Dongdong and the other little ones stood to the side, clapping their hands and waving imaginary flags like cheerleaders. The commotion even drew out several adults nearby, who stood around smiling at the spectacle.
The noise of people shouting, the loud chirping of cicadas, and even the faint sound of someone stir-frying vegetables at home—all of it combined into a cacophony of high-volume racket, yet somehow it felt warm and comforting.
The aroma of food in the air made Dongdong’s stomach growl. “Mommy, I’m hungry.”
An Huan quickly took him home, grabbed a lunchbox, and headed to the mess hall.
On the way, they ran into Xiao Zheng. He turned around immediately and walked with them to the canteen.
“Just now, Ge Hongxia went to the Division Headquarters to see Ling Hansong.”
Back at home, An Huan had just taken a bite when Xiao Zheng’s words made her freeze. “Is that what I think it means?”
Xiao Zheng smiled at her. “What do you think it means?”
An Huan said, “Last time when Ge Hongying invited everyone over, wasn’t she trying to set up her younger sister with Ling Hansong?”
Xiao Zheng chuckled. “Not bad—you figured it out?”
“…” An Huan asked, “So Ge Hongxia’s interested in Ling Hansong? But does Ling Hansong like her back?”
Xiao Zheng replied, “You already know—he’s picky. If her writing’s not good enough, it won’t work.”
An Huan nodded. Just as she thought.
She told him about Yang Tianjiao.
Xiao Zheng nodded approvingly. “She’s a good match. We can introduce them.”
“So should I invite them both over for dinner to meet each other? Or arrange a one-on-one outside?” An Huan wasn’t experienced in matchmaking and couldn’t decide.
“There aren’t many suitable places outside. That teahouse in the county is crowded and not exactly ideal,” Xiao Zheng thought for a moment, then said, “This Sunday, the small theater is screening a foreign film. Invite her to come watch it. When they ‘happen’ to bump into each other there, you can introduce them naturally.”
Foreign films rarely made it to theaters, so when the army screened one, families would often invite friends to join. Inviting Yang Tianjiao wouldn’t seem out of place at all.
An Huan praised him, “My man really knows what he’s doing.”
Xiao Zheng kept his head down, shoveling rice into his mouth, but the corners of his lips curled high.
“My man” definitely sounded better than “my old Xiao.”
“Oh right, what happened after Ge Hongxia went to see Ling Hansong at Division Headquarters? Did she use her sister’s name again to bring him food or invite him to dinner? How did Ling Hansong turn her down?”
“You’re incredible—you even guessed that! She really did try to invite him over for dinner.” Xiao Zheng shook his head, clearly feeling awkward on Ling Hansong’s behalf. “What else could he do? Just said he was busy and not coming. If you try to be subtle, she pretends not to understand.”
Ge Hongxia nearly burst into tears. She twisted around and ran off, leaving Ling Hansong standing there with everyone staring at him like he’d just bullied her.