It was still early, only a little past seven, and the children were running and playing wildly in the open space of the square.
A dozen or so military wives who had arrived early gathered together, cracking sunflower seeds and chatting away.
The crowd surrounded Qiu Chunfang and Li Hongjuan, listening to them say that there would be something fun later. Two of the younger people couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
"What's so fun? Why are you being so mysterious..."
One of them leaned forward slightly, his voice full of anticipation.
The other one chimed in.
"Yes, Aunt Qiu, Hongjuan, you two should explain yourselves clearly! How can you only say half of what you mean? It's making us all so curious!"
The women around them nodded in agreement.
"you do not say?""
Tell me about it...
The sounds rose and fell.
Qiu Chunfang's lips curled into a mysterious smile, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes curved upwards as she deliberately lowered her voice.
"I can't tell you now, you'll find out later!"
He paused, then said with a hint of smugness.
"Just come with me then, it'll be way better than the movie!"
Her secrecy only fueled the curiosity of the crowd, who craned their necks, eager to know the answer immediately.
As they were talking, Zhou Qiqi and Zhouzhou came over from a distance.
These days she finally had some free time and made herself a few dresses.
Today she is wearing a pink knitted dress, which is well-tailored and accentuates her figure perfectly.
These days I'm living a comfortable life and have gained some weight. I'm not as skinny as I was when I first came to the family compound. My complexion is also much fairer and I look very healthy.
She exudes a bright and charming aura, looking like a delicate pink rose.
Zhouzhou, standing beside her, wore a little dress in the same color scheme as her, her hair carefully styled into a princess updo, with a few wisps of hair falling on either side of her face, making her extremely cute.
The two walked together, creating a warm and beautiful scene, attracting the attention of everyone present as soon as they appeared.
The military wives all expressed their admiration.
"She's so beautiful, with that figure and that face. No wonder Commander Shen spoils her like crazy and doesn't allow anyone to say anything bad about her..."
"If I were a man, I'd like it too!"
The praise was endless, which made Qiu Chunfang frown. Her face was full of disdain, and she curled her lip.
"What's so interesting about her? She's obviously not the kind of wife who'd settle down and live a good life!"
Li Hongjuan's eyes were filled with resentment as she spoke viciously.
"Men are all shameless; once seduced by a vixen, they lose all sense of direction!"
Last week, during a meeting, Shen Huaichuan publicly lost her temper with her partner, Liao Aimin, the head of the security department, in the conference room, showing her no mercy whatsoever.
With so many people present, it was impossible to keep it a secret, and it has been the talk of the town in the military dependents' area this week.
Liao Aimin felt utterly humiliated and took his anger out on Li Hongjuan when he got home. He scolded her harshly, saying that she was gossiping and that's why he got scolded.
Li Hongjuan then blamed Zhou Qiqi for the incident.
At this moment, Deng Cuixiang, with her sharp eyes, spotted Zhou Qiqi and quickly waved her arms, shouting loudly.
"Qiqi, Zhouzhou, over here~"
She arrived at the square early as well.
However, instead of sitting with Qiu Chunfang and the others, he chose a seat on the side and even brought three extra stools to save seats for Qiqi, Zhouzhou, and Yingying.
Before I could even sit down, a lively little monkey darted over, sniffing excitedly with his little nose, and asked...
"Aunt Zhou, what delicious food have you made this time? I can smell it! It smells so good!"
His greedy look made everyone burst into laughter.
Zhou Qiqi gently tapped the tip of his nose, a smile playing on her lips.
"Xiangyang, you should become a scout in the future, your nose is so sensitive!"
As she spoke, she opened the cloth bag behind her and took out a large oil paper package.
"Since we're going to the movies, Auntie made some butter popcorn at home. It's freshly made and still warm! Try some, isn't it delicious?"
Xiangyang's eyes widened, and he unconsciously swallowed.
"Butter popcorn?"
He had eaten plenty of popcorn from those black ovens on the street, but he had never smelled such a strong and tempting aroma.
He couldn't wait to pop one into his mouth, and his eyes lit up instantly.
"Wow, this is so delicious! Aunt Zhou, how are you so amazing!"
Qiqi chuckled. What's so great about that? It's just that they're generous with the ingredients.
Knowing that she was going to the movies today, she specially asked Shen Huaichuan to bring back a can of "Panda Brand" condensed milk on his way to the city's military region. She would pour it on the popcorn to bring out its aroma.
Jiang Xiangyang couldn't stop eating. He looked up, his eyes filled with admiration and longing.
"Aunt Zhou, why don't you be my mom? Your house has delicious food every day!"
Deng Cuixiang was both angry and amused, so she picked up the stool and swung it at his buttocks.
"You heartless little brat, you'd rather abandon your own mother for a meager meal? Are you asking for a beating?"
As soon as Deng Cuixiang raised the stool, Jiang Xiangyang took off running, still clutching a handful of popcorn in his hand.
He ran all over the square, and the aroma of buttered popcorn wafted around him, attracting many children who eagerly gathered around.
The military dependents' area is far from the city, making it inconvenient to buy things. At most, the women would prepare some boiled edamame and peanuts for the children.
Nothing compares to this sweet and creamy popcorn.
Zhou Qiqi had anticipated this scene. She took out several newspapers that had been cut into small pieces beforehand from her bag, skillfully rolled them into cylinders, filled them with popcorn, and handed them to Zhouzhou.
She said softly, "Zhouzhou, go and give them to the children."
Although the children in the military dependents' area are mischievous, they are all very sensible when it comes to discipline.
Before long, they obediently lined up in front of Zhou Qiqi.
Zhou Qiqi was in charge of packing the popcorn, while Zhouzhou was in charge of distributing it. The two worked together very well, and the scene was orderly.
This scene was witnessed by many military wives.
Seeing that their own children had received popcorn, those who had been gossiping just moments before all fell silent.
When Qiu Chunfang and Li Hongjuan's children saw that their friends had popcorn, they wanted to get some too, but the two girls grabbed their ears and pulled them back.
"Aren't you disgusted by the dirt?!"
The two men spoke menacingly.
Seeing that the other children were eating happily while they couldn't get any, the children started to cry in frustration.
In particular, Qiu Chunfang's youngest son, Zhao Yaozu, lay down on the ground, rolling around and wailing loudly. His cries were deafening, and no amount of persuasion could stop him.
Zhou Qiqi's eardrums were about to explode from the noise. She frowned, looking helpless, wishing she could stuff the brat into an iron pot and fry him into popcorn.
Fortunately, at that moment, the loudspeakers in the square blared out: it was eight o'clock, and the movie was about to start.
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