As the sunset faded, the residential compound came alive with activity; the men were off work and heading home.
This otherwise ordinary event is different today.
"Take a look and see what I think."
"Why are you so neatly dressed? This isn't like you."
In the dormitory, the soldiers being teased were all those whose families had come to the island that day. For various reasons, their wives and children were not with them, and they had been looking forward to this reunion for a long time.
"My wife is here, so I have to get ready. It's been so long since I've seen her. I wonder how she's doing?"
He didn't stay home for long after getting married, and with the long-term separation, how could he not miss her?
"What, someone's come to visit?"
“Here you are, wife and kids. My son probably doesn’t even recognize me. The last time I saw him was two years ago when he could only walk. Now he can run.”
...
Similar conversations could be heard in several dormitories, which was both heartwarming and bittersweet.
After entering the family compound and walking towards the guesthouse, we felt a bit apprehensive about returning home. Several grown men slowed down halfway there, wondering why their hearts were beating so fast!
The group exchanged glances, gave each other encouraging looks, and their steps became firmer.
Outside the guesthouse, a group of people had been standing there for a long time, waiting to see the person they missed.
"Honey, here I am."
"Oh, you're here. You must be tired!"
The man picked up his son, who had grown quite a bit, and held him tightly in his arms, ignoring the child's struggles. He had missed him so much!
"Brother Zhu, I'm here."
"Hua, you've lost weight!"
The young couple were a little shy and embarrassed. They looked at each other and then lowered their heads.
"Father, Mother, are you alright?"
"My son, it's so good to see you. We're all doing well, so don't worry about us. Why have you lost weight again?"
A mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles; seeing her son makes the journey worthwhile, no matter how far.
When family members meet, they have so much to say, yet they don't know what to say.
"Come on, let's go inside."
The doors of the guesthouse were all closed, but inside, there were unspoken words and endless longing.
Battalion Commander Duan Zhigang was also rushing home. His wife and the others had come to join him today, but he had a sea mission and couldn't pick them up. He didn't know how they were doing.
His wife, Ge Honghua, was from the same village as him. They had known each other since childhood, and she was a few years younger than him. After he joined the army, when he reached a certain age, his family arranged for him to go on blind dates. Unexpectedly, it was Honghua, who was one of the most beautiful girls in their village.
He was handsome and capable, managing both the household and the home with ease. Suitors practically wore out her doorstep. In the end, Honghua chose him, thinking that soldiers had a promising future and that she could live a simple life with him while he was away at the army base.
Unexpectedly, just as he was about to join his father in the military, his father passed away unexpectedly. His mother collapsed, and her already frail health deteriorated further. Over the years, the family has relied on Honghua to make ends meet, raising her younger siblings and son. It has been incredibly hard for her.
"Red Flower, I'm back."
"Brother Zhigang, you're back."
"Why have you lost so much weight? Is there not enough food at home?"
"No, that's just my body type, I can't gain weight no matter how much I eat."
Looking at his wife, who was lying through her teeth, Duan Zhigang felt a pang of sadness and hugged the silly woman tightly.
"The child should see this by now."
"It's okay, I'll just give you a hug. You've worked hard."
"It's not hard work, I'm happy to do it. It's great that our family is together again this time."
Ge Honghua also reached out and hugged Duan Zhigang. At this moment, she needed this embrace and wanted to lean on him for a while.
The two hugged quietly for a while. The children wanted to leave, but their aunt and uncle stopped them. It was too hard for their sister-in-law.
"Alright, let's see Shuanzi, Cao, and Tiedan and Gangdan, I've missed you all."
"Yes, I miss you all too."
The tall man, standing at 1.8 meters, felt a little embarrassed and called his sister-in-law and son to come out.
The door to the east room opened, and four familiar-looking people came out. It had been more than two years since I last saw them; they had all grown up.
"Big brother."
"dad……"
"Well, is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine. My sister-in-law has taken very good care of us, and so has our mother. My sister-in-law has worked so hard, sob..."
Duan Xiaocao felt like crying when she thought of those days.
"Brother understands. From now on, our whole family will be here, and our parents will feel at ease."
"Yes, I know."
After crying for a while, I wiped away my tears. Good days are ahead, so I can't cry anymore.
"By the way, Zhigang, Bonnie said you need to go to the logistics department to get your luggage or something, she can't collect it for you."
Remembering what Bao Ni had said, Ge Honghua quickly replied that the room was incomplete, with only a bed, making it impossible to sleep.
"Commander Gu's wife is here?"
"Gu Tuan? Ah, that's Bao Ni. She said we can just call her that. She's such a nice person. She even brought brown sugar to make water for the kids to drink because they were so seasick. I didn't know what to do. She even took us to the cafeteria for a meal and then brought it back to us."
Duan Zhigang was very grateful, grateful to Commander Gu for giving him the big house, and grateful to his sister-in-law for taking care of his family.
Duan Zhigang had just returned when he rushed out again. He needed to go to the logistics department to collect furniture and other things, otherwise he wouldn't be able to sleep that night.
After several trips, the bed and everything else were finally set up. This house was a regimental-level house with four main rooms. The couple had one room, Shuanzi and his two nephews had one room, and Xiaocao had one room by herself.
The little grass was very happy. Its old room was small and dilapidated, but this was a brick house, clean and tidy. It was so nice.
Shuanzi took care of his two nephews so that his sister-in-law could rest and recuperate. He didn't want her to suffer like his mother, with poor health and passing away early.
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