Yangyang tasted the snack in his hand, only eating one piece, and put the rest on the plate.

"Why aren't you eating?" Gu Mingyue asked curiously.

"I want to eat something delicious later."

Yangyang said in a serious tone, "Mom said that it's too late to eat snacks now, or cavities will eat away at our teeth."

Everyone laughed when they heard that.

He Binglin smiled and ruffled his son's hair: "That's right, our Yangyang is the most obedient."

Xia Qinghe brought in two dishes somewhat embarrassedly: "My cooking skills aren't very good, I'm only good at making vegetarian dishes, so I went to the cafeteria and got a few meat dishes. Please don't mind."

Gu Mingyue smiled and said, "What's there to complain about? The food in the cafeteria is pretty good too."

The canteen offered a wide variety of dishes. Although conditions were rather harsh, the leaders cared deeply about the soldiers' diet and did their best to provide them with the best possible food.

Gu Mingyue also set out the two dishes she brought: a fragrant seaweed and pork rib soup and golden, fluffy scrambled eggs.

In no time, the small square table was filled with colorful and fragrant dishes. Although some were from the cafeteria and some were homemade, every dish was made with sincerity and enthusiasm.

"Come on, everyone, have a taste!" He Binglin urged. "You must try Mingyue's cooking; I've heard so much about it."

Yangyang eagerly picked up a bite of the scrambled eggs Gu Mingyue had made, and his eyes immediately lit up: "Delicious! Even better than the cafeteria's!"

Xia Qinghe also picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, expressing the same exclamation as her son.

"Mingyue, your cooking skills are absolutely amazing."

Scrambled eggs are simple, but making them taste delicious is not easy.

Gu Mingyue was amused: "It's not that exaggerated. It's actually very simple. Just add some warm water to the egg mixture and don't use too high a heat. It will be tender when you fry it."

Yangyang nodded attentively beside her, as if he was silently taking notes of his mother's "study notes".

"So that's how it's done. I'll try it in a couple of days."

At the dinner table, Xing Yi ate in silence, picking up food with his chopsticks at a speed that seemed like a competition.

He Binglin couldn't help but ask curiously, "Xing Yi, why aren't you saying anything?"

Xing Yi looked up, his mouth still full of rice, and mumbled, "If I speak, the rice will be gone."

No one expected this; no wonder he kept eating.

Lu Lin replied in a serious tone, "Then you should eat more, or there really won't be any left!"

He Binglin joked with a smile, "Are you afraid we'll steal your food?"

Xing Yi nodded earnestly, then lowered his head and continued fighting.

Yangyang couldn't help but exclaim, "Uncle Xing, you have such a huge appetite, it's like a bottomless pit!"

Xing Yi smiled smugly, "You need to eat a lot to have strength. Look how strong I am."

Yangyang looked at Xing Yi's strong arms and nodded in agreement. He also wanted to eat more so that he could be as strong as Uncle Xing Yi and no one would dare to bully him.

After dinner, a few people sat on small stools in the yard chatting.

The night was gentle, and the sea breeze carried a faint salty scent.

Xia Qinghe brought out a pot of hot tea and a plate of pastries, smiling as she greeted everyone: "Have some tea and something sweet to cleanse your palate."

Lu Lin poured Gu Mingyue a cup first, and then carefully placed the teacup beside her.

Gu Mingyue looked up at him, and the two smiled at each other.

The unspoken understanding and tenderness in their eyes made Xia Qinghe, who was standing next to them, ask curiously, "How did you two meet? You seem to have a really good relationship."

Gu Mingyue smiled gently and said, "We are childhood sweethearts. Our families have known each other since we were little, and our parents arranged the marriage long ago."

“That’s the same as us!” Xia Qinghe said in surprise. “My husband and I have known each other since we were little, and our families have already agreed on it.”

He Binglin laughed and replied, "It seems that all of us couples are destined to be together."

Xing Yi joked from the side, "There are advantages to childhood betrothals. You know each other well, and the emotional foundation is solid."

Unfortunately, he was all alone and had no partner, not even a childhood betrothal.

Lu Lin looked at him and smiled, "Didn't you sign up for the social event? If you prepare early, you might still have a chance."

Xing Yi paused for a moment, then smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "I just went to join in the fun, I didn't think too much about it."

“That won’t do.” Xia Qinghe immediately became interested.

"The social gathering is full of young men from the military, so you'd better make a good impression. Mingyue, let's give him some advice—what do girls like?"

Hearing them say that, Xing Yi inexplicably felt that his chances of getting together with someone this time were slim.

Gu Mingyue nodded with a smile: "First of all, you have to be clean and tidy, and your clothes have to fit well. Also, you have to speak sincerely and not be too glib."

He Binglin also joined the ranks of "strategists": "I think we can prepare some small gifts, such as homemade snacks, to show our thoughtfulness."

Yangyang chimed in from the side: "You also need to be able to tell stories!"

Everyone laughed.

Xing Yi scratched his head shyly: "Then I'll have to go back and prepare properly."

Lu Lin patted him on the shoulder: "That's right, opportunity is for those who are prepared."

Gu Mingyue looked at He Binglin and his wife, who seemed very comfortable with each other, and felt a little curious about them.

"Did you play together when you were little? Did you ever argue?"

He Binglin and Gu Qinghe exchanged a glance and both smiled.

Gu Qinghe said, "Of course we've argued, but every time we finish, he tries to coax me."

“I remember once, he stole the red date cake that my mother had left for me, and I was so angry that I ignored him for several days.”

Feeling embarrassed that his past had been exposed in front of his brother, He Binglin said, "I was just craving something sweet back then. Later, I saved up my allowance for several days and bought you a string of candied hawthorns as an apology before you would talk to me again."

Xia Qinghe listened and continued to recall with a smile: "Once he lost my favorite flower hair tie, and I cried all afternoon. He ran to many places to help me look for it, and finally found it in the grass by the river."

He Binglin chimed in, "When I found it, it was soaking wet. I even put it out in the sun to dry, and it faded from the sun."

Yangyang listened intently, his eyes sparkling: "So Mom and Dad were so much fun when they were little!"

Gu Mingyue listened intently, resting her chin on her hand. It turned out that childhood sweetheart romance was so endearing.

She couldn't help but switch her perspective to that of herself and Lu Lin, wondering what it would have been like if they had known each other since childhood.

As she pondered, Lu Lin looked at her with eyes as gentle as moonlight and gently took her hand.

Their eyes met, and time seemed to stand still, with only the sound of their heartbeats echoing in each other's ears.

He Binglin noticed his little actions and jokingly said with a smile, "Alright, alright, stop showing off your love in front of us. We're all still here."

Yangyang was happily drinking the sweet soup his mother had prepared, completely unaware of what the adults were saying.

Hearing their laughter, he looked up blankly and glanced around.

The adults are so strange, what are they laughing at?