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Tang Yue wiped her eyes, took a couple of deep breaths, and looked up to see Chang Yin still staring at her. "Battalion Commander, why are you looking at me like that?"

Are you still angry?

Tang Yue didn't know what was wrong, but she just couldn't suppress that emotion, and her heart felt incredibly heavy.

"Speak if you have something to say."

Chang Yin straightened his expression again. "Comrade Tang Yue, stand at attention!"

Tang Yue immediately stood up straight, looking straight ahead. However, her little mouth was slightly pouting. Chang Yin had a bit of a headache; after all, she was still a child, and would still have childlike emotions.

"Comrade Tang Yue, are you throwing a tantrum because the army didn't allow you to go home immediately after you just returned from a mission?"

Tang Yue remained silent, seemingly because of this. "Comrade Tang Yue, do you know your place? You are a soldier, a company commander, and a soldier's mission is to serve the country."

As a soldier, you must always remember that the country comes before the family.

Tang Yue understood the reasoning, and after the initial sentimentality subsided, she realized her mistake. "Report, Battalion Commander, I was wrong."

Unable to bear being too harsh, Chang Yin looked at her seriously again, "Are you sure you won't act on your emotions again?"

Chang Yin was unsure of himself. This girl wasn't an ordinary soldier. If she was in a bad mood or had a fight, they could just spar. But if someone sparred with her when she was angry, who knew what kind of trouble they might cause?

Tang Yue spoke with a slightly nasal tone, "Yes. I just want to talk to my family a little more."

"After the investigation, you can go home. You've been out there for so long without thinking about your family. Now it's just a day or two away?"

Tang Yue pouted and followed Chang Yin back to Commander Kang's office.

When Commander Kang saw the little girl return looking dejected, he couldn't help but find it amusing. However, he certainly wouldn't let Tang Yue notice his mood.

"Reporting to Commander Kang, Tang Yue has returned to the team!"

"Haha, have a seat."

Tang Yue sat down. "Commander, why do I feel like there are quite a few people missing from the troops?"

Commander Kang glanced at Chang Yin, then didn't hide anything, "Some went to the Northeast for cold-weather training, and others went to the border-Vietnam battlefield."

Tang Yue frowned. She had never heard of either of these things. She glanced at Chang Yin, who simply nodded slightly, but did not let her continue asking.

Commander Kang teased Tang Yue, "You said you were going to seek revenge on the Hatoyama family, but you've been out for so long and haven't even found their lair. Comrade Tang Yue, isn't your efficiency a bit too low?"

Tang Yue felt indignant. "If Battalion Commander Chang hadn't insisted on bringing me back, I would probably be in Xijing by now."

Commander Kang's expression turned serious. "Comrade Tang Yue, please give a detailed account of your experience in Japan."

Tang Yue...

She felt that her days had been quite exciting, but now, if she were asked to recount them one by one, she couldn't seem to recall the specific details. "Commander, could you summarize it simply? I don't remember many of the details."

Commander Kang...

He took a few deep breaths and glared at Tang Yue, "No way!"

So Tang Yue began racking her brains, thinking things through while dictating her explanations. She ate when she was hungry, and when she was too sleepy to stay awake—actually, she just wanted to rest and sleep.

Five days passed like this.

"Honey, you and Dongzi have been back for five days now, why is Yueyue still not done? Should I cook something delicious for her today?"

Tang Bei and the others were also watching Tang Shengkai, but Tang Shengkai had no idea. It had been several days; he should have been back by now.

"Squad Leader Tang, are you home? Someone is looking for you at the door."

Tang Shengkai quickly came out. A young soldier was standing at the gate of the Tang family's house. Tang Shengkai stepped forward and said, "Hello, who is looking for me?"

The young soldier thought for a moment, "The two of them must be a grandfather and grandson. They've been here before."

Tang Shengkai knew who it was. After thanking the young soldier, he told Lin Cuicui, "Cook a few more dishes tonight, Uncle Xu is coming with Zhiwei."

"Okay."

Tang Shengkai and Tang Dong went to pick up the person together. On the way, Tang Dong frowned deeply. "Dad, is there really something wrong with Master Xu?"

Tang Shengkai shook his head, "I don't know, he hasn't done anything yet."

Tang Dong continued, "They've been here for over two months. Don't they miss their families at all? Why haven't they gone back after all this time?"

Tang Shengkai kept his eyes fixed ahead. "Maybe it's warmer here. It should be snowing in the Northeast by now."

When snow was mentioned, Tang Dong's eyes showed no excitement or nostalgia, only disgust. In his childhood memories, snow was never a good thing. It would make their family's life even harder.

No matter how hot the kang (heated brick bed) was, they would still shiver from the cold under just a thin quilt. The brothers couldn't even afford a set of clothes to wear outside in the heavy snow.

The university seemed to evoke many unpleasant memories for Tang Shengkai, but soon the two arrived at the main gate. "Uncle Xu, Zhiwei."

Uncle Xu chuckled, "Third brother, did we cause you any trouble by coming here?"

"Look at what you're saying, Uncle. Cuicui and I are overjoyed. The children also want to play with Zhiwei. Let me register first, and then we'll go home."

"Okay, sure."

Uncle Xu was carrying two large fish, each weighing about three pounds. After Tang Shengkai finished registering the fish, he took the fish from Uncle Xu. "Uncle, you're being too polite. Why bring anything from home?"

"It all costs money."

Uncle Xu waved his hand, "It's alright, it's alright. Isn't Yueyue back? She must have been working hard outside and hadn't been eating well. She should eat more fish to replenish her energy."

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