Chapter 399 A Family of Four
Fang Hua looked at Xiao Zhouji hugging his little pillow and Shang Shang tugging at her little blanket, and said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "Shang Shang, Xiao Zhouji, how about you sleep with Grandma tonight?"
Little Zhou Ji, in a fit of temper, twisted her neck and said, "No... I don't want Mommy."
Shangshang expressed it very clearly: "Shangshang sleeps with Mommy and comforts Mommy. Grandma is an adult, so I need to sleep with her."
Fang Hua gently rubbed Shang Shang's head: "But Grandma just wants to sleep with Shang Shang."
Shangshang shook her head firmly, but her tone was soft: "No, Shangshang wants to be with Mom, not Grandma."
Jiang Zhizhi smiled as she watched the two little ones chatting seriously with Fang Hua. She went over and hugged them both, one in each arm: "Okay, Shangshang and Xiao Zhouji will sleep with Mommy tonight."
Fang Hua hesitated, after all, Zhou Xiye had just returned, and the young couple hadn't had a proper chance to be affectionate yet.
"I'll try to coax them a bit more. They weren't this clingy to you before, what's wrong with them today?"
Jiang Zhizhi smiled and said, "It's okay, they probably want to sleep with their dad too."
However, that wasn't the case. The two little ones happily went to their mother's big bed, rolled around and did somersaults on it, and even hugged each other and giggled.
But when they saw Zhou Xiye come in wearing a vest and with wet hair, the two children immediately sat up straight and stared at him with wide eyes.
All the little heads turned to look at Zhou Xiye, watching him sit down by the bed.
Xiao Zhou immediately crawled over and pushed Zhou Xiye, saying, "No, no, don't sit."
Shang Shang also crawled over and looked at Zhou Xiye seriously: "It's Mom's bed, you can't sit on it, but my brother and I can."
Jiang Zhizhi laughed: "Then where will Daddy sleep?"
This put the two children in a difficult position, but they just wouldn't let their father sleep there.
Shang Shang was very clear-headed: "Dad is bad, Mom is crying, and she wants Dad to go out to his house. This is my house, my brother's house, and Mom's house."
Jiang Zhizhi smiled at Zhou Xiye, then hugged Shangshang: "This is Daddy's home too. We're all family. Daddy didn't make Mommy cry, so Mommy is happy. Shall we sleep together tonight?"
Children are easy to coax, and in no time, the two children were willing to accept Zhou Xiye again.
She started climbing all over him affectionately again, giggling as she did so.
Zhou Xiye looked at the two children rolling around, seemingly unaware of their fatigue: "What time do they go to sleep?"
Jiang Zhizhi looked at the two children and shook her head: "They would have been asleep by now at this time, but they are too excited to sleep today. Don't worry about them, they will fall asleep when they are tired from playing."
Zhou Xiye looked at Jiang Zhizhi, who was sitting on the edge of the bed folding children's clothes, and his Adam's apple bobbed: "Zhizhi, I didn't mean to hide this from you, it was just that the situation was urgent at the time."
Jiang Zhizhi fell silent. If it were her, she would definitely make the same choice as Zhou Xiye.
Zhou Xiye's voice lowered even further: "Changkun sacrificed himself."
Jiang Zhizhi suddenly looked up at Zhou Xiye: "When?"
She still remembered Wang Changkun, who followed Zhou Xiye with an honest and kind face, and his wife, whom he always mentioned. His wife was named Shufen, a cultured woman who had given him a son.
Zhou Xiye lowered his eyes and stroked Shang Shang's little head, which was nestled against his chest: "One year ago."
Jiang Zhizhi opened her mouth, but didn't know how to comfort her.
Zhou Xiye continued, "We suffered heavy casualties that time, and the higher-ups ordered us to retreat. But we were unwilling to do so. If we retreated, wouldn't their sacrifices have been in vain?"
"So, I chose to stay."
Jiang Zhizhi remained silent, put down the clothes in her hands, got into bed, and, like Shang Shang, nestled against Zhou Xiye's chest, embracing Shang Shang.
Shangshang looked at her mother lying there, giggling, touching Jiang Zhizhi's eyebrows and eyes with her little hands, and calling out "Mommy, Mommy" repeatedly.
Little Zhouji had already climbed to the foot of the bed to play, but when he saw his mother and sister lying on his father, he thought it was some fun game that he hadn't been included in.
He climbed back very quickly, plopped down on Jiang Zhizhi, and laughed happily.
The somewhat somber and oppressive atmosphere was completely shattered by the two children.
Jiang Zhizhi pressed down on the two children and tickled them.
The two children were laughing so hard they could hardly breathe.
Zhou Xiye had witnessed firsthand how quickly a child could fall asleep.
Just a second ago, Shangshang was laughing and giggling, but the moment she turned around, it was as if her battery had been removed, and she instantly fell into a deep sleep.
Seeing that his older sister was asleep, Xiao Zhou also felt bored, so he pulled his blanket over and lay down next to his sister. He patted his belly a few times and then fell into a deep sleep.
Zhou Xiye was somewhat surprised: "They sleep so easily?"
Jiang Zhizhi smiled and made room for the two children: "Yes, they've always been very easy to take care of and rarely get sick. And for the past year or so, the aunties in the neighborhood have also helped take care of them."
Zhou Xiye held his daughter's small hand: "You've raised them very well."
Jiang Zhizhi didn't really want to talk about these things; if she continued, Zhou Xiye would feel even more guilty. So she changed the subject: "Did you see Jiang Donghua in Yunnan? I saw him at the school gate when I came back today."
Zhou Xiye nodded: "I've met him a few times. He works very hard there, and I think he was even praised by the hospital."
Jiang Zhizhi raised an eyebrow: "No wonder, I even ran into Sun Xiaoyue at the gate. She came over to brag to me."
"It's strange, I haven't seen Sun Xiaoyue for over a year, but as soon as you came back, she reappeared, like a butterfly effect."
Zhou Xiye looked at Jiang Zhizhi, who was sitting next to the child with a frown, sat up, leaned over, put his hand on the back of Jiang Zhizhi's head, and kissed her.
Jiang Zhizhi paused for a moment, then nudged his shoulder and whispered, "The child is here."
Zhou Xiye, however, was reluctant to let go, and stroked Jiang Zhizhi's ear with his thumb.
Jiang Zhizhi was so engrossed in the moment that words seemed inadequate to express her longing. It was only at this moment that she could truly feel the other person's longing.
The night was quiet, with the ticking of an alarm clock and the occasional ambiguous sounds.
The two of them were very restrained, only because of the presence of their two children.
After lying down, Jiang Zhizhi calmed her breathing, then reached out and hugged her daughter who was leaning against her. She smiled and couldn't help but smile.
Only then did the huge weight on her heart finally lift.
The joy and happiness spreading through my heart were simply irrepressible.
With the two children between them, Zhou Xiye held her hand gently and whispered, "After resting for a month after coming back this time, I will report to the General Staff Headquarters. From now on, I will only go on business trips to the grassroots level."
This result surprised Jiang Zhizhi somewhat: "Why? You were supposed to be transferred to the military region too."
Zhou Xiye paused for a moment, then said, "It's what Dad and Father-in-law wanted."
Jiang Zhizhi was stunned for a moment: "So, they all know you're still alive?"
Zhou Xiye hummed in agreement: "Before I came back, I went to Dad's office first. I originally wanted to pick you up from get off work, but then I was afraid that if you saw me at the entrance of your workplace, it would be too frightening for you."
Jiang Zhizhi didn't hear what he was saying; she only had one thought in her mind: Zhou Chengzhi is finished...
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