The 1970s: Military Family Beauty

Jiang Dapeng had no choice but to resort to this last resort: "It's late at night, let's do this for now. If there's anything else, we can talk about it tomorrow."

The joy of going home has been worn away, and I don’t want to stay even a minute longer.

Jiang Furong took the quilt and turned away, not caring about what happened next.

This is the best solution at the moment.

As for whether Hu Xiuqing would vent his anger on her again, that was tomorrow's matter and not something she needed to consider now.

"Boss, tell grandma that I'm going to work. Come over later and bolt the door." Jiang Dapeng put on a cotton hat, put on the military coat he had just taken off, and went out pushing his bicycle.

This result was obviously not what Hu Xiuqing had expected. She didn't react for a long time after Jiang Dapeng left.

Until Jiang Guoqing asked foolishly: "Mom, will my dad be back tomorrow? Will we still make dumplings tomorrow morning?"

"Bao! Mom's here, you can eat whatever you want!" Hu Xiuqing gritted her teeth and replied angrily, slamming the bedroom door shut. "Go to sleep, don't pay attention to them."

The sound of the door closing startled Jiang Furong and Jiang Zhaohui again, and the two sisters both clicked their tongues in the dark.

Jiang Furong was not scared, but she was worried that she would scare Xiao Baoying again, so she put down the quilt and went to the kitchen to see if there was anything wrong.

Jiang Xiaocui held the little Baoying tightly in her arms. She shook her head at Jiang Furong who came over to check on him and said softly, "I'll hold him for a while longer. I'll put him back in his crib after everyone is sound asleep."

She was afraid that Hu Xiuqing would go crazy again, so she had been on guard for a long time.

The firewood in the stove was still emitting sparks, the kitchen was warm, Jiang Xiaocui's face was flushed, and Xiao Baoying was sleeping soundly with a snore.

Jiang Furong sniffed and felt that her breathing was not smooth. She was worried about carbon monoxide poisoning and wanted to open the window to get some fresh air.

Unexpectedly, a thin layer of ice had formed on the windowsill, and the window could not be opened at all.

Jiang Furong was afraid of waking up little Baoying, so she pulled Grandma Jiang back into the hut and asked, "Grandma, although it's warm by the stove, it's really stuffy. I'll spread the quilt, and you should ask my aunt to bring little Baoying over."

Grandma Jiang didn't rush to answer, but instead asked, "Where did your father go?"

"I went to work on duty," Jiang Furong gave a harmless answer.

Grandma Jiang naturally didn't believe it and was a little worried. She asked directly: "Did your father go out because he quarreled with your mother? Did they do this before?"

She left before she could finish her words, clearly not wanting to cause a conflict in front of her elders. Grandma Jiang was old, but she was not confused.

Jiang Furong's mind didn't have any memories of the past. She could only comfort Grandma Jiang for the time being: "He was just on duty. It's almost like this. We can't ask too much about the army. My dad won't tell us even if we ask."

Grandma Jiang sighed: "It would be great if she was really on duty."

"If my dad says I'm on duty, then I must be on duty." Jiang Furong smiled. What does it matter whether it's true or not?

Grandma Jiang continued to sigh: "My heart is like a bucket of water, up and down."

This daughter-in-law is really not a good choice. She can't enjoy her good life.

Jiang Furong spread the quilt and comforted Grandma Jiang again, saying, "Grandma, you reminded me. The windowsill was frozen just now. The water pipes might also freeze. I'll call my aunt to come over to this room. I'll fill the pots and buckets with water. You go to sleep first. When my dad comes back to make dumplings tomorrow, you'll know whether he really went on duty."

"Okay." After all, Grandma Jiang is used to being the head of the household. Although she is worried, she will not dwell on it endlessly.

Let’s just wait until tomorrow. It doesn’t matter if I sleep for a while.

By the time everything was quiet, it was already late at night.

It was the first time for Jiang Furong to take care of such a young child, and it was someone else's child. She didn't dare to relax at all. She tried her best to stay in a dozing state and not let herself fall asleep so that she could wake up the first time she heard any movement.

I don’t know how much time had passed, but just when Jiang Furong felt she was about to collapse, she suddenly heard a rustling sound, followed by the crackling sound of a large number of small stones hitting the tiles.

Didn't they say it was going to snow tonight? Could it be raining? Why would there be a torrential downpour in winter? Jiang Furong thought drowsily. Amidst the din of firecrackers, her body's reaction was to want to sleep even more desperately.

Grandma Jiang sat up and put on her cotton coat: "The firewood is still piled outside. Once the snow seeds melt, smoke will rise."

"Grandma," Jiang Furong suddenly woke up, quickly opened her eyes and called softly, "This is in the family compound. My grandfather will collect the firewood from my hometown."

A sense of responsibility can make people feel less sleepy instantly.

Grandma Jiang stopped and looked around: "Oh, I'm confused. Look at little Baoying, is he disturbing me?" As she said this, she got dressed and went downstairs, turning on the light: "This child is so easy to take care of. He doesn't wake up even with such a loud noise."

Not awake? Jiang Furong's heart skipped a beat. She sat up and put her fingers under Xiao Baoying's nostrils until she felt the hot breath from Xiao Baoying's breath. Then she fell back down weakly.

Grandma Jiang looked at it puzzled for a while before she understood. She couldn't help laughing: "This is what happens when a child falls asleep. There is no noise at all. You find it annoying when he makes noise during the day, but he stops making noise in the middle of the night and scares you again."

Jiang Furong covered her eyes with her hands, her heart still beating hard. "I'm so scared just by seeing one person. What would I do if I became a kindergarten teacher?"

Grandma Jiang was even happier: "When that time comes, won't you have more experience? Isn't this how everyone raises their children?"

Alas! Jiang Furong sighed silently in her heart. No matter how young the child was, he was still alive. All kinds of physiological changes made people busy and flustered. She didn't know what it meant to be calm and at ease.

Grandma Jiang opened the door and went out: "You continue to sleep, I'll go check on Xiao Cui, her room is leaking, I'll let her come up to this room to sleep for a while."

The small dark room is a storage room built in the back yard. You have to walk a few steps in the open air to get out of the small dark room and then you will reach the back door of the kitchen.

Jiang Furong couldn't lie down any longer, so she sat up immediately: "I'll go over and call my aunt, you stay here and look after little Baoying, I'm afraid I can't do it well."

She was good at playing with him, feeding him, and telling him stories, but she had no idea how to tell whether he was going to eat or poop just by listening to the sound.

Grandma Jiang smiled and stepped back: "What's so difficult about this? You can always make it right, no matter how big the problem is. How can such a small thing as a child be difficult for you?"

Having said that, Grandma Jiang still sat on the bench and leaned over to look at little Baoying: "This child is so cute, even when he is asleep he is so beautiful, he is so lucky! Just like you when you were a child! Furong, your children will also be so lovable in the future."

Jiang Furong chuckled: "Grandma, you're thinking too far ahead. This has nothing to do with anything!"

Who says we lose our imagination when we get old? Seeing a cute child can make us think of our own great-grandchildren who don’t even exist yet.