Lu Cheng replied, “… Yes.”

He found it impossible to communicate with him, so he could only respond with a single word to brush him off.

However, the little rascal, not understanding the dismissal, thought he was quite clever for guessing right.

He continued, “Daddy, do you want to know what salted egg yolk pumpkin and peanut butter noodles taste like?”

Lu Cheng genuinely wanted to know, “Go ahead.”

Lu Haici grinned widely, “Of course, it’s the most delicious taste ever!”

Lu Cheng felt like he had been cheated.

Not wanting to hear any more nonsense from his son, Lu Cheng quickened his pace.

Lu Haici proudly followed him.

However, his dad’s long legs allowed him to take strides, while Lu Haici’s short legs had to take several steps to keep up.

It wasn’t long before the little guy was panting from exhaustion.

Hearing his son’s footsteps growing fainter, Lu Cheng felt pleased.

Who told him to be so smug?

He deserved a little lesson.

But just as Lu Cheng basked in his victory, he suddenly heard a thud.

He stopped and turned around to see Lu Haici had fallen.

Lu Cheng stared, momentarily bewildered.

Falling to the ground was naturally painful, and Lu Haici’s eyes immediately welled up with tears, but he didn’t cry out.

He looked up at his dad standing in front of him, gritted his teeth, and got back up.

However, he couldn’t run now because his leg hurt.

He limped forward, tears silently streaming down his face.

Seeing this, Lu Cheng stepped forward and picked up the little rascal, just like when he was younger, letting him sit on his shoulders. “Did you hurt yourself?”

Lu Haici, holding onto his dad’s head, replied stubbornly, “Not hurt.”

If it weren’t for the trembling in his voice, one might actually believe him.

Lu Cheng said, “A real man shouldn’t complain about a little pain.”

“I’m not hurt,” Lu Haici’s voice quivered even more, and his words became heavier.

“… Right, you’re not hurt,” Lu Cheng replied.

“I’m really not hurt,” Lu Haici was on the verge of breaking down, ready to cry.

To prevent him from crying, Lu Cheng chose silence.

He figured that if the kid cried, he would be the one to face the consequences.

Lin Qingqing was also waiting at the gate of the yard.

Seeing the father and son returning, she went back into the kitchen, poured the prepared peanut butter into the noodles, and stirred it with chopsticks to ensure the peanut butter was evenly mixed.

The noodles were a bit cool, but peanut butter noodles were best served cold, as hot noodles would reduce the flavor of the peanut butter.

By the time Lin Qingqing finished mixing the noodles, the father and son had also returned.

When they reached the kitchen door, just like usual, they didn’t squeeze into the kitchen since it was rather small.

“Are you allergic to peanut butter noodles, Lu Cheng?” Lin Qingqing asked.

She had already asked Lu Haici, who had eaten peanuts before and thus was not allergic.

As for Lu Cheng, she didn’t know, but she decided to make it anyway.

If he was allergic, they still had the good dough left to make him a bowl of soup noodles.

Generally, peanut allergies are not very common, so the likelihood of Lu Cheng being allergic was low.

“Not allergic.”

As Lu Cheng spoke, he picked up his bowl of noodles from the large plate.

Holding the noodles made the smell of the peanut butter even more fragrant, much more than when he was standing at the kitchen door.

Lu Cheng left the kitchen with his noodles, and Lu Haici went in.

He had a small bowl of noodles and was about to pick it up with both hands when Lin Qingqing stopped him, “Haici, what happened to your hand?”

She saw that his palm was scraped, with several scratches and a few red streaks of blood.

Lu Haici had already stopped crying.

After sitting on his dad’s shoulder for the whole way, he was feeling fine.

Hearing his mom’s question, he puffed out his chest and proudly declared, “I fell down, but I didn’t cry. I got up by myself.”

It seemed like this was something to be proud of, a little boy’s tiny sense of pride.

Lin Qingqing, upon hearing this, didn’t press further.

It was common for children to fall down; she had fallen many times as a child and knew how painful it could be. “Haici is so awesome; you’re really a little man. But if you have a wound after falling, you need to wash it clean first. If you don’t, dirty mud and little stones can get stuck inside, and you might get sick, you understand?”

As she spoke, she took him to the side, dipped some water from the bucket, and cleaned his wound.

It might not be severe, but she wanted to instill the habit in her little one.

“I know.” Looking at his mom cleaning his wound made him very happy.

After washing his hands, Lin Qingqing realized there was nothing to dry them with, so she went to get Lu Haici’s towel to wipe his hands.

In later times, there were paper towels, making it convenient to dry hands, but in this era, using a towel wasn’t the best option.

Lin Qingqing planned to make a few small handkerchiefs for Lu Haici from the cotton fabric she used for his home clothes; they could be washed and used in rotation.

She remembered having small handkerchiefs made by her grandmother when she was young.

Her grandmother could use a sewing machine, and many of her childhood clothes were also made by her.

The family of three enjoyed their dinner very much.

If the texture of the peanut butter noodles was rich and full of peanut flavor, the taste of the salted egg yolk pumpkin truly amazed Lu Cheng and Lu Haici.

Lu Haici took a bite of the pumpkin and exclaimed, “Mom, this is really delicious!”

“Mom, why is this so delicious?”

“Mom, you’re amazing! You’re the most incredible person in the world!”

“Mom, this is the best thing ever!”

“Mom, can I eat this again tomorrow?”

“Mom…”

As the compliments kept flowing, Lu Haici didn’t have time to grab the last piece of pumpkin on the plate.

He watched helplessly as it went straight into his dad’s mouth.

At that moment, Lu Haici felt like his dad had a giant mouth, and he was utterly infuriated.

Lu Cheng wasn’t the type of father who indulged his child.

While he didn’t believe that strictness would necessarily yield a dutiful child, he rarely catered to his son’s whims.

Unlike other fathers who might give their child the last piece of pumpkin, he certainly wouldn’t do that.

Lin Qingqing, being mindful of her weight, usually ate less for dinner, so she generally had a smaller portion than the father and son.

After watching them eat their fill, she found it quite amusing.

Due to his training, Lu Cheng had a high appetite, while Lu Haici simply wanted to stuff his belly full of delicious food.

Fortunately, Lin Qingqing made sure he didn’t overeat.

“Hmph…” Lu Haici was furious.

He decided that he would eat more than his dad tomorrow.

After finishing dinner, Lu Cheng took on the task of washing the dishes.

Lin Qingqing took Lu Haici out for a walk to help with digestion, leaving the pot of braised meat to simmer down on its own.

The firewood was just enough, so there was no need to fuss over it.

Lu Cheng was quite aware; due to his profession, he was observant and had long realized that Lin Qingqing didn’t like washing dishes, so he made it a point to clean up the bowls and chopsticks after meals.

“Mom, where are we going?” Lu Haici asked, swinging his mother’s hand.

Lin Qingqing replied, “I’m taking you to my workplace. If you ever need me, you can come find me there.”

“Wow, is Mom going to work?” Even five-year-old Lu Haici understood that going to work meant earning money, as he had seen people working to earn money at his great-aunt’s house.

“Yep! Once I start working, I can earn money and buy even more delicious food,” Lin Qingqing explained.

Lu Haici immediately said, “When I grow up, I’ll earn money too and give it all to you, Mom!”

Lin Qingqing thought to herself that such a statement was nice to hear, but she knew that when the time came, her little rascal would likely give his earnings to his wife instead.

Still, she felt warm inside and couldn’t help teasing, “But what if your wife wants your salary?”

Little Lu Haici replied, “I don’t want a wife!” What could a wife do?

“What about it? He doesn’t want a wife; he wants to be with his mom every day. ‘I’ll give all my money to mom, and even for dad… I’ll give dad ten yuan a month as pension money.’”

“Oh…” Lin Qingqing was amused. “You even know about giving ten yuan a month for pension money?”

Lu Haici replied proudly, “Of course I know! Dad gives Aunt Granny ten yuan a month for her pension. Aunt Granny often says that having four children doesn’t compare to having one dad.” Lu Haici imitated his Aunt Granny’s tone perfectly.

“Look, look! Your cousin sent me pension money again! I have four children, but it’s still not as good as having Lu Cheng.”

Pfft… The way this little guy mimicked the old lady was too funny.

As they chatted, they unknowingly arrived at the dining hall of the Third Cooking Class.

The dining hall was already empty, with the comrades of the team having finished their dinner.

A few people, led by Qi Shao, were cleaning up the dining area.

The benefit of the cooking class dining hall was that everyone didn’t have to wash dishes.

During meal times, comrades would come to eat, each bringing their own bowls to serve themselves.

If someone forgot their bowl, they had to use the dining hall’s dishes and return them clean after eating.

This really made things easier.

“Comrade Lin is here.” The youngest, Lin Bao, was the first to spot Lin Qingqing.

His name indicated he was the cherished grandson of the Lin family.

It was surprising that such a pampered young man was allowed to come to the army.

“Comrade Lin is here…”

“Comrade Lin…”

The others also greeted her one after another.

“Hello, everyone! I brought my son to get familiar with the place. You’ve all worked hard,” Lin Qingqing said. “Haici, greet the uncles!”

Regardless of whether any of these men were older than Lu Cheng, it was always safe to call them “uncles,” just like calling the Liberation Army soldiers “uncles,” regardless of their ages.

Lu Haici obediently said, “Hello, uncles! I’m Lu Haici, Mom’s son.”

“Hello, little comrade Lu Haici,” Lin Bao replied.

Qi Shao and the others followed with their greetings: “Hello, hello.”

Looking at the adorable Lu Haici reminded them of their own children.

They were all nearly thirty or even over thirty and had children.

However, their families didn’t have the qualification to follow them to the army, so they could go years without seeing their kids.

But they were happy knowing they could earn money and send it back home so that their children could live well.

“Comrade Lin, you came at the right time. I was planning to look for you later,” Qi Shao recalled the important matter.

Lin Qingqing quickly asked, “Squad Leader, what’s going on?”

“It’s like this. Tomorrow I need to go grocery shopping. Would you like to come along?” Qi Shao replied. “If you want to join, we’ll need to leave by five. We have to be back by eight because the comrades will be coming to eat at noon. Preparing meals for a whole company can’t be done in a hurry, so we need to get back early to help out.”

Lin Qingqing remembered that she also had to deliver some braised food.

She said, “Can we stop at the supply and marketing cooperative on the way back? I need to drop something off; it’ll only take about ten minutes.”

Qi Shao said, “No problem, we’ll definitely have time.”

The eight o’clock return was just an estimate; being a little late wouldn’t matter, but they would definitely aim to get back as early as possible.

Lin Qingqing responded, “That sounds good! I’m also curious and want to see.”

She only needed to deliver the braised food and discuss prices, which would take about ten minutes.

In the future, she could go there before work and bring back the pig intestines on the way back without being late.

Qi Shao added, “I’ll wait for Comrade Lin at the entrance of the family quarters at five. If you’re not on time, I’ll leave first.” He wanted to clarify to avoid any misunderstandings.

Lin Qingqing assured him, “Okay, Squad Leader, don’t worry. I promise to be on time.”

After discussing with Qi Shao, Lin Qingqing took Lu Haici to familiarize themselves with the mess hall of the Third Company and the logistics warehouse.

After that, they headed home.

On the way back, they also stopped by Yu Xiuyiao’s house, as she had helped wash the pig intestines in the afternoon.

Lin Qingqing felt she should thank her.

They stayed at Yu Xiuyiao’s for about ten minutes before heading home.

Upon returning home, they saw Lu Cheng standing in the courtyard.

Lu Cheng had washed the dishes, wiped the table, tidied up the hall, and fetched water.

Since Lin Qingqing and their son weren’t back yet, and he had nothing else to do, he could only stand in the yard.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been waiting when he finally saw them return.

Once upon a time, he had tried waiting in the yard for people to come home too.

When he saw Lin Qingqing return, Lu Cheng asked, “Are you going to braise the pig intestines? What about the half pig’s head? Are you just leaving it there?”

Lin Qingqing explained, “I’ll start braising it now. I need to wait for the pig intestines to absorb the sauce. The intestines have a smell and can’t be braised with the pig’s head together.”

Lu Cheng nodded, “Then I’ll make a fire for you.”

Lin Qingqing raised her eyebrows, thinking to herself that braising the pig intestines didn’t require anyone to manage the fire.

What was there to burn?

However, she replied, “Okay, I’ll get the pig intestines ready and put the pig’s head in. While you’re making the fire, can you boil a pot of water for Lu Haici’s bath? I’ll make him a few handkerchiefs.”

“Hmm.”

Upon hearing that his mom was going to make him a handkerchief, Lu Haici perked up his ears. “Mom, why are you making me a handkerchief?”

Lin Qingqing replied, “To wipe your sweat. It’s getting hotter. If you sweat, you can’t wipe it with your hands; you should use the handkerchief. Also, if you wash your hands and they’re wet, you can’t wipe them on your clothes or towels; you should use the handkerchief. Do you understand?”

“Got it!” Lu Haici shouted.

Lin Qingqing put away the pig intestines and placed them on the wooden bucket they had brought them back in.

The bucket had also been cleaned with wood ash, so it was very clean.

Next, she started to marinate the pig head.

After adjusting the proportions, she handed the kitchen over to the Lu family father and son. “You two do a good job. Later, when I get my salary, I’ll give you pocket money.”

Lu Cheng: “……”

Lu Haici: “Mom, I don’t want pocket money; I want to buy you delicious food.”

Lu Cheng: “……” A direct hit. “You can directly buy whatever you want.”

Lin Qingqing shot Lu Cheng a glance.

Lu Cheng felt a bit flustered by that look.

Did he say something wrong?

He had handed over his money.

If she wanted to buy something, couldn’t she just do it? “What’s wrong?”

Seeing her continuously look at him, Lu Cheng became a bit anxious.

Did she want him to talk like Lu Haici?

Lin Qingqing smiled. “Lu Cheng, you’re actually pretty good.”

He was handsome, had a good job, a good education, and was a warm man with money.

Oh, in modern terms, he was a “tall, rich, and handsome” guy.

He graduated from a military academy, was over 180 cm tall, and was a high-ranking civil servant.

As for being rich… anyone who could offer her 1500 as pocket money was definitely well-off.

So, he checked all the boxes for “tall, rich, and handsome.”

Especially since he didn’t use sweet talk, but his unintentional words and actions were even more charming than sweet nothings.

Probably every girl liked a man who would give her his salary to spend as she pleased.

Lu Cheng felt a bit shy being praised. Speaking of which, he rarely interacted with women.

From military school to the army, he was surrounded by male comrades.

Before military school, everyone knew he was an orphan, and in the eyes of others, he was just a burden to his aunt, so his personality had become somewhat reclusive.

This was the first time a woman had openly pursued and praised him like this.

But he felt somewhat happy.

Lu Cheng was undoubtedly an academic achiever.

He realized he was genuinely pleased by her compliment.

In just a few short days of interacting, he had indeed been drawn to her.

If before this mission he had maintained a distance due to gratitude, regarding her as his aunt’s “savior”…

“If you plan to treat her like a younger sister, then through these days of interaction, he considers her a wife, a daughter-in-law, and a soul mate to share his life with.”

“You’re also great,” Lu Cheng admitted, not resisting the attraction he felt for Lin Qingqing.

In fact, he enjoyed this feeling.

Besides work, there was someone who could capture his attention and thoughts. It was a novel sensation.

Unlike the heaviness brought on by work, this feeling was sweet.

She was wonderful—kind, generous, capable, and thoughtful.

Just as the high-ranking officials said about women, “Hmm.”

“Dad, do you think Mom likes me a lot?” Lu Haici asked.

Lu Cheng continued to maintain a serious expression and replied with one word, “Hmm.”

It was affirmative; he could see from her eyes, voice, and actions that she cared for Lu Haici.

“Then Dad… do you think Mom likes me the most?” Lu Haici asked again.

This time, Lu Cheng didn’t simply respond with an “Hmm.”

Instead, he said, “No.”

“Dad?” Lu Haici looked at him in disbelief. “Then who does Mom like the most?”

Did it even need to be asked? “Of course, it’s me,” Lu Cheng said with certainty.

If she didn’t like him the most, she wouldn’t have used the old ginseng to marry him.

Lu Haici felt hurt. “I don’t believe it.”

Lu Cheng reassured him, “You’re a big boy; you have to learn to accept reality.”

“What’s reality?” The five-year-old boy simply couldn’t comprehend the concept.

“Reality is that your mom likes me the most, and you come second,” Lu Cheng explained.

He wanted to add that if he weren’t afraid of hurting his son’s feelings, he would say that Lu Haici was just an afterthought.

Lu Haici looked at his father, pressing his lips together tightly.

Lu Cheng started to worry.

Would his son cry?