Lu Pei'an walked into the main room. "Xiao Ye is here? I was just looking for you."

As he spoke, he took a letter out of his pocket. "There's a letter for you. It was sent to the military region, and I just picked it up."

Lu Shengye took it and handed it to Jiang Xuan, saying, "Qinshui Hongxing Village, it should have been sent from your family."

Jiang Xuan took the letter and tore it open.

The letter was written by Jiang Qiutang, saying that Jiang Qiaoyun would report for duty on August 30th, and that they would arrive in Ningzhou on the afternoon of the 29th, asking Jiang Xuan to pick her up at the train station.

Jiang Xuan put the letter into an envelope. "It was written by my uncle. He said they would arrive in Ningzhou on the 29th."

Lu Rongde glanced at the calendar on the wall. "There are still two days left. I'll ask your Uncle Lu to help you apply for a ride off the bus, and Xiao Ye will go with you."

Jiang Xuan nodded.

Wang Yingqiu walked in, her belly protruding, carrying a basket. She said, "Xiao Ye, the sacrificial food is ready. Are you going now or after you've eaten?"

Lu Shengye took the basket. "Thank you, I'll go now."

Lu Rongde nodded, "Then you guys go ahead. There's a mountain path. Dian Dian and Fan Xing won't be going."

Dian Dian frowned, "But sitting here is so boring, and I don't want to play with Fan Fan."

Fanxing said in a clear, crisp voice, "I'll play with you."

"What games can you play? Can you play bullfighting? Can you climb trees? Can you roll hoops?"

Fanxing retorted, "I don't know how to do those things, but I can fold paper. Today I learned how to fold a thousand paper cranes."

What are origami cranes?

“That’s how it is.” Fanxing opened her schoolbag, flipped through a book, took out the one she had folded, and demonstrated by pulling on its wings, “See, it can fly.”

"Let me see." Lu Diandian snatched it away, and with a tug of her chubby little hands, pulled the origami crane open. "What's this?"

"Oh dear, you've ruined it. Slow down. Never mind, I'll fold it again."

"Dian Dian, don't bully your sister at home."

After Lu Shengye finished speaking, he put incense, pastries, and a few wedding candies in the basket, picked up a teacup, and strode out the door.

Lu Pei'an: "Did you get the matches?"

"I took it."

Jiang Xuan followed her out and went to Lu Xiaomei's room to ask her if she wanted to go.

"Sure, I haven't seen my mom in months either," Lu Xiaomei said as she came out, combing her hair.

*

The cemetery is located halfway up Fengtai Mountain.

On the path, Lu Xiaomei said, "Xuanxuan, if my mother were alive, she would definitely like you very much."

"May I ask what kind of work you did before, Auntie?"

"She was also in the military region, the head of the cultural troupe."

Jiang Xuan was taken aback; she hadn't expected that.

A dashing young woman inexplicably appeared before her eyes.

What illness does she have?

"It looks like meningitis, is it, brother?"

Lu Shengye didn't turn around. His voice came from not far away, "Tuberculous meningitis."

Tuberculous meningitis—although she didn't know exactly what the disease was, it sounded quite serious, especially considering that medical care at that time was definitely much more backward than in later generations.

After walking for a while, Lu Shengye stopped.

He walked to a tombstone, slowly knelt down, gently placed the sacrificial food from the basket in front of the tombstone, and then took out some snacks and candy.

Jiang Xuan and Lu Xiaomei walked over and knelt down beside her.

Lu Shengye lit incense and gently touched the tombstone with his fingers. In a low voice, he said, "Mom, I've come to see you. Xuanxuan and I got our marriage certificate today. She's doing well, and I'll take good care of myself and her. I hope you're at peace over there."

Jiang Xuan's heart skipped a beat.

Lu Shengye turned his head and said to his younger sister, "You should also say a few words to Mom."

Lu Xiaomei started choking up before she could even speak.

"Mom, thank you for your love. Don't worry, I will study hard and get into a good university."

She looked at Jiang Xuan and said, "Xuanxuan is very good. We all like her very much, so you can rest assured."

Jiang Xuan also said to the tombstone, "Auntie, although we have never met, I heard from my younger sister that you were the head of the cultural troupe. You don't know, I have admired soldiers since I was a child. You are very talented and have contributed a lot to the country and the army. You are my role model."

"Don't worry, Shengye is very busy in the army. I will take good care of him and support him. My little sister is still young. I will care for her like an older sister and help her grow up."

"Auntie, don't worry, we will live a good life."

Lu Shengye felt his heart skip a beat. He looked at her, his eyes overflowing with tenderness.

*

At the same time.

Yang Qiquan, dressed in a neat military uniform and carrying two boxes of pastries, walked steadily toward the Lu family's gate.

Yang Qiquan is Wang Yuying's man, and he is at the same level as Lu Pei'an, working as a political commissar.

Hearing the knock, Wang Yingqiu, who was chopping meat, opened the door. "Oh, Political Commissar Yang, come in quickly, Pei'an is in the main room."

Yang Qiquan nodded. "Comrade Yingqiu is cooking?"

"Hey," Wang Yingqiu called out to the main room, "Peian, Political Commissar Yang is here."

Lu Pei'an put down his newspaper, walked out, and said with a smile, "Political Commissar Yang, I wonder what instructions you have for me today? Why did you bring something?"

"My former boss likes these snacks, and I happened to be passing by today, so I bought some."

“My father took the two children out. I thank Political Commissar Yang for his concern. Come in and have some tea.”

In the living room, Yang Qiquan put down the snacks, sat down in a chair, took the tea handed to him by Lu Pei'an, and took a sip.

"The weather is nice today, and I had nothing to do, so I thought I'd come over and chat with you."

Wang Yingqiu brought out a plate of sliced ​​apples. "Come on, Political Commissar Yang, have some apples."

"Thank you, Comrade Yingqiu."

"You guys chat, the stove's still on, I need to keep an eye on it. Stay and eat with us later."

"I've already eaten, you can go about your business."

Yang Qiquan picked up a small piece of apple, took a bite, and said, "By the way, I heard that Xiao Ye has a girlfriend. Where is she from? I haven't met her yet."

Lu Pei'an nodded and briefly explained Jiang Xuan's situation.

"They probably haven't registered their marriage yet, right?"

Lu Pei'an's heart tightened. "The marriage application was processed quickly and we got it a while ago, but we haven't chosen a date for the wedding banquet yet."

Yang Qiquan nodded and put down the enamel mug. "That's good. The sooner you receive it, the less trouble you'll have. You know, there are many people and many things to deal with in our family compound, so there are some things we need to be careful about."

Lu Pei'an sensed a hidden meaning in his words, "I wonder what Political Commissar Yang is referring to?"

Yang Qiquan took another sip of tea. "Actually, it's not a big deal. It's just that this girl is young and might not be very sensible. In our military family compound, we should pay attention to harmonious coexistence, after all, we're all in the same circle."

Lu Pei'an's expression changed slightly, and Yang Qiquan added, "Of course, this is just hearsay. I just feel that as an old friend, it's better to remind you of some things. If you have something to correct, then correct it; if you don't, then keep up the good work."

Lu Pei'an nodded, "I'll have Sheng Ye talk to her about this."

Yang Qiquan nodded, a knowing smile on his face. "That's right. Harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things. If there are any problems, we can communicate them and they can definitely be resolved. Our military families should also pass on good family traditions."