"Alright, then Uncle-in-law will go help in the kitchen first!" He Ping looked at Xiao Nian, who was so cute. He glanced back at Shen Qiaoying and also fantasized about how wonderful it would be if their child were a daughter.

Shen Qiaoyue started to coax Xiaoxiao while holding him.

The kitchen was the men's domain, while the courtyard was the women's space for chatting.

"Qiaoying, you look like you've gained a lot of weight lately. Could it be that you're pregnant?" Yu Qingce asked, munching on sunflower seeds as he looked Shen Qiaoying up and down.

When Shen Qiaoying heard Yu Qingce ask this question, the corners of her mouth twitched slightly, and then she smiled and said, "No, I've probably just been eating more lately and haven't been doing much housework at home. Life has gotten better, so I've naturally gained weight."

A hint of disappointment crossed Li Xiaoxiao's lips; she had thought Shen Qiaoying was really pregnant.

Shen Qiaoyue also said, "I've gained a lot of weight since I had my baby."

"Everyone gains weight after giving birth, it's okay, as long as you're not fat. Besides, most people are this slim at this stage!" Yu Qingce sighed. "It's really hard to buy meat these days. If you're too busy and go a little late, you really won't be able to buy anything!"

“Yes, eggs are also rationed, and this beef is something we only see once a month!” Li Xiaoxiao sighed. “Comrade Bai has been very ill lately, and all the eggs we buy are given to him. He’s become very thin!”

Listening to their conversation, Shen Qiaoyue realized that Bai Qingtan really didn't have many days left to live.

"I'm here!" Jiang Jinyao's voice came after we had been chatting for almost half an hour.

When Shen Qiaoyue went outside, she saw that it was Jiang Jinyao and her family coming over.

Jiang Minghe was supporting a woman in her fifties. She was pale, her face was so thin that only skin and bones remained, and she was walking with great difficulty.

These days, doctors all say, "Do whatever makes you happy."

Jiang Jinyao took a month's leave to come back and spend time with her mother.

"Yaoyao, Uncle, Aunt, you're here." Shen Qiaoyue actually called her Aunt Song, but thinking of Jiang Minghe's presence, she decided to call her Aunt Song instead.

Song Ting looked at Shen Qiaoyue and nodded with a slight smile in response to her greeting.

"Please come in quickly." Shen Qiaoyue beckoned them in, then turned to pour tea.

Song Ting sat down and saw a child being held by Yu Qingce.

"Is the other child asleep? Is this a brother or a sister?" Song Ting asked weakly, staring at the child Yu Qingce was holding.

Shen Qiaoyue said, "Xiao Nian is asleep, this is your older brother."

"Give me a hug?" Song Ting also liked children very much. She decided to go out and hug the baby.

Yu Qingce immediately handed it to Song Ting.

After hugging Da Nian, he stared at the very old man in front of him and blinked.

He was quieter than usual, and reached out to touch Song Ting's face.

"Is this child not afraid of strangers?" Song Ting teased the child, laughing happily.

Jiang Minghe then took the child from Song Ting's arms and said to Danian, "Danian, I am your great-uncle, call me great-grandfather."

"Yay!" Da Nian exclaimed.

"Da Nian, this is Grandma. Can you call her Grandma?" Jiang Jinyao teased Da Nian.

Da Nian stared wide-eyed at it, looking back and forth until he couldn't tell who was who anymore.

"Hmm..." Da Nian wanted to go on strike, and no one shouted, "ma..." wanting to escape from the embrace of the Great Uncle.

Shen Qiaoyue took the child from Jiang Minghe's arms.

He Ping took out the baby's complementary food from inside, and Shen Qiaoying fed the baby from the side.

At six o'clock in the evening, Xia Xiaoli and Lu He returned together. Wen Rushi received a last-minute surgery assignment and went to Peking Union Medical College Hospital to assist with the operation.

Lu He and Xia Xiaoli started eating dinner as soon as they got back.

Everyone was very lively, and they sat together at two separate tables.

After they had almost finished eating, Xia Xiaoli said to Lu He, "Lu He, I'm going to make a phone call home."

"It's okay, there's a phone at home, you can make the call." Lu He got up and pulled Xia Xiaoli away.

"Me, fight with Brother Qingming?" Xia Xiaoli said shyly.

"You've just gotten married, you must have a lot to talk about, right?" Yu Qingce happened to see Xia Xiaoli and overheard their conversation.

Xia Xiaoli lowered her head shyly.

“Come to my house and make the call. Use the black phone at my house,” Yu Qingce said again.

"Thank you, Aunt Yu." Lu He thanked her and then pulled Xia Xiaoli away. "Thank you, Aunt Yu." Xia Xiaoli also thanked her and followed behind Lu He.

Upon arriving at the Xu family's living room, Xia Xiaoli made a phone call.

At this moment, in the communications room of the Fucheng troops, Li Qingming was counting down the days. Today he was to arrive in Beijing. During the day, Shen Qiaoyue called to say that she had arrived in Beijing safely, but Xia Xiaoli had not called him.

When it was time, I kept wandering around outside the communications room.

"Commander Li, why don't you go back first? I'll call you when the phone rings, it'll be the same thing, won't it?" The communications soldier saw that Li Qingming was here, which was affecting their work.

Li Qingming looked at the communications soldier and said, "I'll just wait outside the door. I won't bother you."

After explaining, he took several steps back.

Just then, the phone rang. The communications soldier answered it, said a few words briefly, and then turned to Li Qingming at the door and said, "Battalion Commander Li, it's a call from Beijing."

Li Qingming gave the communications soldier who had just spoken to him a look, and the next second he came in to answer the phone.

"Hey, Xiaoli, are you alright?" Li Qingming deliberately controlled his voice, not wanting the other person to know how anxious he was. "I heard you encountered pickpockets on the train, are you okay?"

Jiang Jinyao told him this when she called back. When he found out, he was so scared that he broke out in a sweat.

Xia Xiaoli is so weak, what if she gets bullied?

Xia Xiaoli sensed that Li Qingming cared about her, and bit her lip as she glanced at Lu He.

Lu He, who was sitting to one side, silently got up and walked out of the living room.

"Xiaoli, are you still there?" Li Qingming became very anxious when he saw that Xia Xiaoli was not speaking.

"I'm here, I'm fine." Xia Xiaoli replied to Li Qingming. "I'm fine. We encountered a child who wanted to knock on our carriage door, but we couldn't open it. Then the train police came, and everything was fine. I went to some academic conference with Lu He during the day. There were so many people, and there were so many questions I didn't know the answers to. I'm going to ask Lu He for help later."

Xia Xiaoli was not actually aware that she was talking so much.

Moreover, he talked to Li Qingming much more.

Hearing that Xia Xiaoli was alright, Li Qingming felt much relieved and breathed a sigh of relief.

"By the way, what's the exact date you're coming back? I'll apply for leave in advance to pick you up. I haven't had a long vacation in a long time!" Li Qingming was very worried about Xia Xiaoli's safety and thought it would be safer to pick her up in person when she returned.