The 1970s: Military Family Beauty

Hearing that Xiao Baoying was going to stay here overnight, Grandma Jiang couldn't help but feel a little worried: "Furong, your mother is so upset today. If the child cries in the middle of the night, will...?"

Jiang Guoqing's fall and dislocation were already a major headache, and Hu Xiuqing was sure to slam the door when she returned from the hospital, scaring Xiao Baoying. How would she explain this to Captain Qian?

"Ah? He'll wake up again?" Jiang Furong had just put down Hu Xiuqing's arrogance, and for a moment she hadn't considered the possibility that the child would wake up in the middle of the night. However, she was not worried at all: "It's okay, I'm a light sleeper and will wake up at the slightest noise. I'll sleep on the sofa tonight and put the crib next to me. If he wakes up, I'll comfort him."

You should take more responsibility for the things you have taken on.

Grandma Jiang's worries went beyond that: "You don't understand. Your older children can sleep through the night, even if it's thundering, but this little one wakes up in the middle of the night, either to eat or to poop. This is the first time he's not by his mother's side. He woke up in a daze and didn't recognize anyone. We don't have any milk powder at home. What should we do?"

If this happens in the countryside, children will cry in the middle of the night and adults can comfort them if they want to. If they don’t want to, they can let the children continue crying. When they are tired of crying, they will fall asleep.

But it’s different now. The neighbors are all Jiang Dapeng’s colleagues. They are very busy and tired at work. I finally wait for the day off to have a good sleep, but they are woken up by the noise. Then people will say that Jiang’s relatives are here to cause trouble. What a bad influence.

The old lady has a lot of concerns. She is afraid that people will say she doesn't know how to behave.

"That's easy!" Jiang Furong suddenly had an idea: "I'll prepare the food now. As soon as Xiao Baoying wakes up, I'll heat it up and bring it inside. Is that okay?"

Jiang Xiaocui thought this was a good idea: "Of course! I'll make it now. It's National Day and we haven't eaten much tonight, so I'll make him one too. It'll save your mom from yelling!"

Jiang Furong smiled knowingly: "Aunt, thank you for your hard work!"

It would be great if someone could prepare food for us!

Jiang Xiaocui waved her hands repeatedly: "What's the hard part? It's just cooking, it's not hard at all."

"Auntie, I'm hungry again. I want to eat more." Jiang Zhaohui heard that there was food and immediately ran out of the room to make a request: "Roasted sweet potatoes are sweet, but I want something salty, okay?"

Jiang Xiaocui readily agreed: "Okay, okay, okay! You're still growing, so just tell me what you want to eat! And Furong? Do you want something sweet or salty?"

"Sweet! A sweet potato is enough for me." Jiang Furong turned to look at her sister: "Zhaohui, you sleep on the bed against the wall tonight, and I'll sleep on the bench."

Jiang Chaohui nodded in agreement without even thinking.

In the past, these thankless tasks at home were always the responsibility of the eldest sister.

Now, she really listens to her elder sister's arrangements. She likes this lively family atmosphere too much, without having to be so cautious about her mother's expression all the time. Before her mother comes back, even if the happy time is only for a short while, she will seize the opportunity to have fun for a while.

The aunt and niece were happily talking in low voices in the kitchen. Grandma Jiang coaxed little Baoying to sleep, gently put him on the crib, carefully tucked in the corners of the quilt, and sat beside him, watching over him, quietly thinking about her own things in the dark.

After a while, Jiang Furong gently opened the door and called out tentatively, "Grandma?"

Grandma Jiang came back to her senses and gently waved towards the door. After listening to Xiao Baoying's breathing, which showed that he was fast asleep, she left the living room and paused for a moment: "Is the heater on?"

The warmth in the room made the dim light above the dining table seem festive.

Jiang Xiaocui nodded at the master bedroom door and said, "I've heated up the kang so Qingqing can sleep comfortably when she comes back."

Grandma Jiang sat down and said, "This chair is so comfortable to sit on. It's great! If there were a kang in this room, we could light a lamp at night to eat and do homework without getting cold. Hey, Xiao Cui, the army is so much better. We have everything we need. We won't be cold or hungry, and the children won't suffer."

Jiang Xiaocui said, "It would be great if my brother didn't have to retire! Leaving the military family compound, you won't have such good conditions anywhere else. By the way, Zhaohui, have you asked your classmates?"

The situation took a sudden turn for the worse, and Jiang Zhaohui clearly felt the atmosphere suddenly become tense. She really regretted telling him about her career change: "None of my classmates went to school today."

Jiang Xiaocui asked in surprise: "Ah? Have they left?"

Jiang Zhaohui quickly waved his hands: "No, no, he's at home. I saw him when I came home from school today, but he was with several male classmates. I happened to be with my classmates, so I didn't dare to go over and ask him."

Jiang Furong said calmly, "There's nothing much to ask. Whether you want to change careers or not, let's wait until our father comes back."

There is no point in talking about things that are useless.

As he was speaking, he heard the sound of a bicycle outside the door.

"Guoqing is back! Guoqing..." Jiang Xiaocui rushed to the door and opened it, her voice cracking: "Huh? Brother? You're back! Mom, my brother is back!"