The 1970s: Military Family Beauty

It was late and the wind was howling outside.

Jiang Furong couldn't sit still anymore, so she tied a big scarf around her neck and went to see if Qian Yuyan had returned.

Before leaving, she hurriedly wrote a note and put it in her pocket in case Qian Yuyan didn't come home. If other people at home came back, they would see the note she left and there would be no need to worry.

Little Baoying was full and was watching Jiang Guoqing playing with paper firecrackers. The paper firecrackers made a popping sound in the air and little Baoying burst into laughter.

When the children smile, the older children also smile, and the adults are even happier.

The room was filled with laughter and the doors and windows could not be closed.

Today happened to be Saturday. Hu Xiuqing got off work earlier than usual. When she heard some noises in the house at her doorstep, she felt inexplicably irritated.

Jiang Guoqing saw Hu Xiuqing come in and shouted happily, "Mom, look, my little brother likes the paper cannons I made. Bong! Haha!"

Hu Xiuqing saw the stroller and the smiling little Baoying, and felt annoyed as if something had happened at home while she was away. She looked around the house with a sullen face, unhappy that she didn't see any guests, and asked, "Whose child is this?"

Grandma Jiang didn't know how to answer. She thought Furong would be back soon and she could tell her anything. However, she didn't expect that Hu Xiuqing came back just as Furong left.

"His father's surname is Zhao, and his mother's surname is Qian. He's called Captain Qian." Grandma Jiang was afraid of scaring little Baoying, so she picked him up and held him in her arms, gently patting his back: "Let our Furong help take care of the child."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became as cold as the temperature outside, close to freezing point.

Hu Xiuqing frowned. "Surname Zhao? Zhao what? Which department? Or which regiment?"

Grandma Jiang didn't know the answer. "You should ask Furong about this. She just went out and will be back soon. Wait until Furong comes back and ask her. Xiao Cui, bring out the food. Xiuqing is back."

"Okay," Jiang Xiaocui started to clear the table. "Zhaohui, go back to your room and read. You can do your homework when your sister comes back."

Jiang Chaohui said "oh" and went back to his room with his schoolbag in his arms, like a mouse seeing a cat.

Hu Xiuqing's mind wasn't on whether she was hungry or not. She was concerned about little Baoying: "How did Furong know him? When did she let her take care of the child?"

"I don't know!" Grandma Jiang was more straightforward this time. She answered while holding little Baoying and walked into the bedroom.

Judging from the situation, I'm afraid there will be another fight when Furong comes back.

You can make as much noise as you want, but don’t scare the children—this is Grandma Jiang’s bottom line.

Jiang Xiaocui set out three sets of bowls and chopsticks: "Sister-in-law, you just walked in the cold wind, come and have some hot soup to warm yourself up. The children said they were very hungry, so let them eat first. Mom and I will wait for you to come back before we start eating."

Hu Xiuqing glanced at the ingredients in the bowl and wondered, "Where did the cabbage come from?" She sniffed and seemed to smell pickled vegetables. "Did they pickle sauerkraut at home?"

Jiang Xiaocui pointed at the bicycle under the window and said, "Today, Furong took me to the production team's vegetable field and brought back a hundred kilograms of cabbage. I kept some for cooking and blanched the rest and salted them."

Hu Xiuqing's face changed. "One hundred kilograms? Where did she get the money?"

What Jiang Xiaocui disliked most was Hu Xiuqing's expression. She suppressed her disdain and explained, "I remembered my brother's name. He didn't ask for money. I just took some effort to drag it back."

Hu Xiuqing curled her lips and said, "I told you, there's no such thing as a free lunch."