Chapter 76
The person who came was Political Commissar Zhao's wife, Fan Qionghui, a middle-aged woman in her forties with neat short hair, wearing glasses, and looking very intellectual.
Fan Qionghui is the women's director of the family area. She usually manages the wives of soldiers and is responsible for mediating conflicts between them and within the family.
Yang Qiujin seldom had contact with Fan Qionghui. When she saw her, she was a little confused. Why did Fan Qionghui suddenly come and invite their family to dinner for no reason?
Yang Qiujin suppressed her anger and said politely: "Director Fan, there are quite a few people in our family. It is not convenient for us to go to your house for dinner. My mother-in-law should be cooking dinner now. We will not go to your house for dinner."
"Comrade Xiao Yang, don't be polite with me. You have been in the army for so long, and you and your wife have often invited my family, Lao Liao, to dinner. I have always wanted to treat your family in return, but you have been busy, and I have never had the right opportunity to treat you. Today I finally caught you, so you have to give me face no matter what you say." Fan Qionghui smiled, but her tone showed that she would not refuse.
Yang Qiujin knew she couldn't avoid this meal today, so she could only say, "Then I'm sorry to bother you, sister-in-law."
But Li Xiu'e refused to go, saying that she was not used to eating at her superior's home and felt uncomfortable.
Chen Tianyou didn't want to listen to the adults' questions and didn't want to say anything.
Yang Qiujin had no choice but to go with Chen Shengqing.
They arrived at Political Commissar Liao's home, where Commander Guo and Political Commissar Liao were sitting in the living room. Seeing Yang Qiujin and her husband, Political Commissar Liao greeted them: "Xiao Chen, Xiao Yang, you are here, sit on the sofa, don't be polite."
"Hello, Political Commissar Liao and Commander Guo." Yang Qiujin had no idea what they were up to. Just as she was about to sit down, Fan Qionghui pulled her back and said, "Little Yang, their men have something to discuss. Can you help me in the kitchen?"
"Okay." Yang Qiujin glanced at Chen Shengqing and saw that he didn't say anything. She frowned slightly and followed Fan Qionghui into the kitchen.
The Liao family's kitchen was quite large and very clean. When Yang Qiujin entered, there was a woman standing inside. She was Captain Guo's lover, Dr. Bao, who had performed a gynecological examination on Yang Qiujin in the morning. Her name was Bao Xiaoqing.
"Xiao Yang, you're here." Bao Xiaoqing was rolling out the dough for dumplings. Seeing her, he smiled and said hello, "Please find a seat. Let me and Director Fan take care of the kitchen work. We'll have dinner soon."
"good."
There were two low stools and a chair with an armchair next to the stove. Yang Qiujin sat on them, knowing in her heart that these two people were probably trying to persuade her under the guise of treating her to a meal.
Sure enough, as soon as she sat down, Fan Qionghui, who was making dumplings, said straight to the point: "Xiao Yang, I invited you here today because I want to talk to you about the ideological awareness that we, as military wives, should have in the army."
She deftly pinched out a beautiful wavy dumpling, put it on the grate, and continued to wrap the dumplings while saying: "Xiao Yang, I heard from my husband Lao Liao that you have been in a bad mood recently and are very opposed to Deputy Head Chen going out on a mission. I can actually understand you. After all, we women are pregnant and our emotions are changeable. We all hope that our husbands can be with us and spend more time with us. If the man is not around and encounters something, it feels like the sky is falling.
But the man we married is a soldier. The duty of a soldier is to protect the country and obey orders. They have to take care of everyone first before we have our own little family.
They have to do what the troops need. This is what they must do as soldiers, and it is also our obligation as military wives to understand and support them.
We can't lose our temper, cry and make a fuss just for our own selfish desires, and willfully refuse men to perform their duties.
If you really manage to control and stop a man, it will only take you once or twice. If you do this all the time, is he still a soldier? It would be better for him to take off his military uniform as soon as possible and go back to his hometown to farm. Then you can do whatever you want to him. "
Yang Qiujin: …
Well, in order to get Chen Shengqing to carry out the mission, Captain Guo and Political Commissar Liao actually asked their family members to take time out of their busy schedules to brainwash her, and the words they said were so harsh.
She didn't say anything. Bao Xiaoqing rolled the noodles and said, "Director Fan, you are too harsh. Everyone knows that Deputy Commander Chen has been on the verge of death several times while carrying out missions in the past few years. It was only thanks to Comrade Xiao Yang that Deputy Commander Chen was able to recover and continue to serve the motherland in our border defense department. Xiao Yang has worked hard these years, and we have all seen it. Now that she is pregnant with her second child, it is understandable that she wants Deputy Commander Chen to stay with her to give birth. Don't criticize her."
"It's my fault. I was excited and my tone was a little harsh. Xiao Yang, please don't be angry."
Fan Qionghui put the dumplings into the pot and said earnestly: "Xiao Chen, Lao Liao and his team actually have plenty of candidates who can be sent to perform those dangerous tasks, but why do they always let Deputy Head Chen take charge? In addition to the fact that Deputy Head Chen is very good, the most important thing is that Lao Liao and Head Guo both like him and want to train him and let him take over their jobs. This kind of opportunity is not available to others. If I were you, I would definitely support Deputy Head Chen's work."
"Director Fan is telling the truth." Bao Xiaoqing continued, "Xiao Yang, I used to be the same as you. Every time Lao Guo went out on a mission, I was so worried that I couldn't sleep all night. Every time I saw him come back with serious injuries, I cried so hard that I wanted him to retire and transfer to civilian work so that we could go back to our hometown and do other things to make a living.
Lao Guo tried to persuade me, saying that if every military wife was like you, who couldn't bear to see her husband get hurt and wanted her husband to quit, would there still be soldiers in the army? Who would guard the country?
A country without people to defend it will only be invaded by those countries with ulterior motives, and its people will be at the mercy of others. Do you still want to go back to the time before the founding of the country and experience the tragic history of our ancestors? Without a country, there would be no home for us.
I was taught a lesson by him, and I felt very sad, but I also understood that there is a country before there is a family. If they did not give up their families to serve in the army, how could we have the peaceful life we have now? From then on, I no longer worried about gains and losses. If he was alive, I would treat him well. If he died, I would raise his children for him. It was no big deal. "
The two of them sang in unison, while Yang Qiujin remained silent.
She knew very well that Chen Shengqing was a soldier with the responsibility to defend the country. She was just afraid that he would go missing again and his whereabouts would be unknown, so she wanted him not to go on any dangerous missions for the time being. Why did Fan Qionghui imply that she was immature?
The food in the pot started to boil, and the plump white dumplings floated up, filling the air with the faint aroma of dumplings.
Yang Qiujin took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. "Thank you, my two sisters-in-law, for your advice and guidance. Don't worry, from now on, I will not interfere with anything related to Chen Shengqing in the army. I will just do my part."
Seeing her being so understanding, Bao Xiaoqing and his partner smiled at each other, feeling extremely relieved.
Fan Qionghui picked up the dumplings and said, "Xiao Yang, can you do me a favor and make me two of your southern Sichuan cold salads? I've heard a lot from Lao Liao that you're an amazing cook."
Yang Qiujin knew that Fan Qionghui did not let her cook hot dishes but only cold dishes because of her physical condition. She did not hesitate and stood up and said, "Okay."
In the kitchen were four emerald green cucumbers, a large piece of boiled kelp, and some wilted carrots.
Yang Qiujin picked up the kitchen knife, chopped three cucumbers quickly, and mixed a portion of less spicy garlic cucumber.
Cut the remaining cucumber, carrot and kelp into shreds, add vinegar and mix them into a large bowl of sour and spicy appetizing cold salad.
Bao Xiaoqing stood beside her, watching her cook the dish in no time, and kept praising her, saying, "Xiao Yang is really good at her job. The dish smells delicious and is obviously authentic Sichuan cuisine."
"Thank you, Dr. Bao. My cooking skills are just average. The food is not bad." Yang Qiujin put the mixed shredded vegetables into two large plates to make it easier for everyone to help themselves.
Fan Qionghui saw Yang Qiujin's cooking skills and thought they were very good. She said, "Xiao Yang, I'm going to cook fish. Your cooking skills are really good. How about you help me cook and make hot pot fish?"
Yang Qiujin saw that she had killed the fish, chopped it into large pieces and placed it in a large bowl with a large bowl of pickled cabbage next to it. After thinking it over, she decided not to refuse.
When a pot of sour and fragrant pickled fish, bubbling in a large bowl and sizzling with hot oil, was served on the table, Team Leader Guo recognized it at a glance: "Hey, this is Xiao Yang's cooking, right? The smell is the way pickled fish is cooked in southern Sichuan."
Fan Qionghui held the fish and said, "Captain Guo has a very good nose. This is indeed made by Xiao Yang."
"How can you let Xiao Yang, a guest, cook?" Political Commissar Liao took the large basin of fish from her hand, placed it in the middle of the dining table, and said with a frown.
Fan Qionghui glared at him: "You always told me that Xiao Yang's cooking was delicious. I thought you all liked her cooking, so I asked her to help. I killed the fish myself."
"We can't let her, a pregnant woman, do it. What if she can't stand the smell in the kitchen and feels nauseous and doesn't want to eat? Then my invitation would be in vain." Political Commissar Liao said unhappily.
Fan Qionghui raised her eyebrows, "Hey, Old Liao, why do you have so much nonsense? Little Yang didn't say anything, but you are the one who is making trouble."
Seeing that the two were about to quarrel, Yang Qiujin tried to smooth things over, "Political Commissar Liao, I am very happy that you have recognized my cooking skills. It's just a meal. I'm not that frivolous. I'm not feeling unwell. When I was in the countryside, I worked in the fields while pregnant with my eldest son."
"Look, it's still Comrade Yang who is so carefree." Fan Qionghui squeezed past Political Commissar Liao and asked everyone to take a seat, especially letting Yang Qiujin sit next to her. "Xiao Yang, don't be polite. Just treat it as your own home and eat more."
"Thank you, Director Fan." Yang Qiujin picked up a dumpling and put it into her mouth. It was filled with sour cabbage and mutton, which was not quite to her taste. She silently turned her chopsticks to other dishes.
The others ate with relish, especially those who praised Yang Qiujin's cooking. They even said that if Yang Qiujin became a state-owned chef, they would definitely eat in the hotel every day.
Yang Qiujin smiled, said nothing, and ate her food silently.
Her reaction was seen by several people, and Guo Shengrong winked at Political Commissar Liao.
Political Commissar Liao put down his chopsticks and said, "Xiao Yang, you also know that Xiao Chen will be out on a mission in the next two days, right? You are pregnant now. If you have any inconveniences or needs in your life, after Xiao Chen leaves, you can directly come to me and Captain Guo for help, or ask our wives for help."
"Thank you, Political Commissar. My legs and feet are still very strong and I don't need any help from anyone," Yang Qiujin said.
At this moment, the air at the dinner table was extremely frozen. The three men in military uniforms at the table dared not even breathe.
After a while, Yang Qiujin realized the cautious looks of the three men opposite her and sighed helplessly, "Why are you looking at me like that? Director Fan and Doctor Bao have already done some ideological work on me in the kitchen. I admit that I was dominated by my emotions before and said a lot of irrational things, which was unworthy of my identity as a military wife. But now I have figured it out and will not cry or get angry anymore to stop Chen Shengqing from carrying out his mission. You don't have to act according to my expression."
"Xiao Yang, I'm glad you figured it out." Guo Shengrong breathed a sigh of relief. "In fact, this time we let Chen Shengqing go on a mission at this time. It was the result of repeated consideration by me and Political Commissar Liao. Chen Shengqing has been a reconnaissance soldier, received special training, and worked as a spy. He has strong reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance capabilities. He is the most suitable person to complete this mission. In this case, you will be wronged."
Yang Qiujin also put down her bowl and chopsticks and asked, "How long will he be gone?"
"It may take as fast as one month, or as slow as three to five months." Political Commissar Liao did not hide the truth.
"Got it. I'm done eating. Thank you, Captain Guo, Political Commissar Liao, Director Fan, and Doctor Bao, for hosting the banquet to enlighten me." Yang Qiujin stood up, thanked them politely, and motioned for Chen Shengqing to take his leave.
Chen Shengqing followed her out of Political Commissar Liao's house, watching her expression all the way.
Her expression was perfectly normal, and it was hard to tell whether she was happy or not.
Along the way, neither of them spoke. When they were almost at the gate, Chen Shengqing couldn't stand it anymore and asked, "Qiu Jin, what are you thinking about?"
Yang Qiujin stood at the gate of the courtyard, looking at a bare grape vine with its roots buried in the soil under the courtyard wall and said: "I was thinking, if I had known that you were going to join the army, would I still be willing to marry you?"
Chen Shengqing's throat tightened, "Qiu Jin, it's my fault. You have never lived a peaceful life since you married me. Instead, you worry about me everywhere. I am really ashamed of you. I..."
"You what?" Yang Qiujin squinted at him, "Don't tell me that you are going to give up your military officer position, your military identity, your belief in sacrificing your life for the country, and the favor of Captain Guo and Political Commissar Liao for promoting you? I know you can't do it just by thinking about it. If you can't do it, what's the point of me crying and making a fuss? It's better to accept the reality honestly. Besides, do you think I'm really the kind of person who makes trouble for no reason and doesn't know what I should do as a military wife? Well, let's just pass this matter by. Go home and pack your luggage. You have to leave early tomorrow morning."
Chen Shengqing swallowed back what he was about to say, his long eyelashes trembled, and he reached out to help Yang Qiujin into the yard, but she silently shook him off.
Well, you are still angry.
When Yang Qiujin entered the yard, Li Xiu'e came out to greet her. She pulled her aside and asked in a low voice with a curious look on her face: "Qiujin, how was it? When you went to Political Commissar Liao's house, what delicious food did they make? What did they tell you?"
"We cooked some home-cooked dishes and talked about some family matters. Nothing surprising." Yang Qiujin looked around. "Mom, where's Tianyou?"
"He was helping me pick out bugs from beans in the kitchen just now, and he disappeared in the blink of an eye. He must have gone next door to play with Wang Songyang and his sister." Li Xiu'e said indifferently.
Boys are all very naughty and can't sit still for a moment. Even though Chen Tianyou has grown up and become more sensible, he still doesn't like to stay at home and goes out to play whenever he has free time.
The military compound was heavily guarded, with many soldiers patrolling and guarding, so the children could run around freely without worrying about them getting lost.
Yang Qiujin frowned, "It's almost dark. What's wrong with this kid today? Why hasn't he come home yet?"
She turned around and walked out of the yard, shouting toward the road: "Tianyou, we're home!"
"Got it." Chen Tianyou's voice came from a distance, and it didn't sound like it was coming from the Wang family next door.
After hearing his response, Yang Qiujin stopped shouting, because he would come back after hearing her anyway.
If it was in the early years when Chen Tianyou was naughty and disobedient, she would have to take a bamboo stick and bring him back.
Now it is not necessary, the child has grown up, has grown legs, and knows when to go home.
At this moment, Chen Tianyou was standing in a small alley in the family yard where garbage was thrown away. He crushed the wrist of a tall and strong fat boy with one foot and said coldly, "Deng Gangzi, haven't I warned you many times not to have any ideas about hitting on Sister Xu Tao, and don't bully Xu Tao, but you have forgotten it!"
Deng Gangzi is now a teenager. Two years ago, he failed to get into junior high school and was severely beaten by his father. His father then sent him back to the military primary school to be retrained and re-learned. After two years, he still failed to get into junior high school.
His father was so angry that he threatened that if he failed the exam again, he would send him to a farm as an educated youth to temper his temper.
Deng Gangzi had to study because he felt that he was not cut out for it and it made no difference whether he studied or not. He also did not realize how hard it was to be an educated youth on a farm.
Recently, together with a few other kids from the compound who were also not good at studying, they have been fiddling around here and there, and they got a copy of a foreign pornographic picture book from somewhere. They have been chasing after the two-year-old sister Xu Tao, and taking the opportunity to take advantage of her. This is because the Xu Tao sisters are notorious wild children in the compound, with no one to love them, no one to take care of them, and no one to protect them. Even if they are bullied, they have nowhere to complain, and no one to stand up for them.
They bullied Sister Xu Tao several times in a row and almost raped her yesterday. Xu Tao couldn't stand it anymore and went to Chen Tianyou to help her out today.
Don't think that Chen Tianyou is only ten years old. In a few months, he will be eleven years old. His fighting skills are not honed in vain. When he heard Xu Tao crying and saying that Deng Gangzi dared to do something worse than pigs and dogs, Chen Tianyou was furious and challenged five people alone and beat them all down.
Deng Gangzi was beaten into a pig face by him, but he still looked up at him unconvinced, "Chen Tianyou, what does it have to do with you if we touch those two dead girls? His father doesn't care, why are you trying to show off? Believe it or not, I will find an opportunity to kill you when I get back!"
"Others don't care, but that doesn't mean I don't care. Xu Tao is my adopted sister. If you bully her and her sister, you are bullying me. You are slapping me in the face. Do you want to kill me? You better pray for the best." Chen Tianyou slapped his hand hard. "You'd better pray that I don't tell Uncle Guo and Uncle Liao about what happened today, otherwise you and your father will have to get out of our border defense department!"
Deng Gangzi howled in pain and pulled his hand free. He stared at Chen Tianyou with gritted teeth and said, "Remember this, sooner or later, I will kill you. When that happens, I want you to kneel in front of me, crying and calling me grandpa, begging me to let you go."
"Don't be too late. I'll kill you now to prevent future troubles." Chen Tianyou kicked his fat belly, clenched his fist, and punched him in the face again.
Deng Gangzi let out a scream like a slaughtered pig and echoed far away in the empty alley.
Xu Tao, who was watching from the side, was terrified and grabbed Chen Tianyou and said, "Stop hitting him. If others see you hitting him, they will make up a story that your mom and dad didn't teach you well. You can teach him a lesson, but don't beat him to death."
Chen Tianyou paused, looked up at Xu Tao, and thought to himself, when was the time for me to beat him to death? I was just beating him to scare him, it's not as serious as you say. If you want to scare Deng Gangzi, don't use my power.
Perhaps guessing what he wanted to say, Xu Tao blushed, lowered her head, and did not dare to look at him.
"I was wrong, I was wrong, Chen Tianyou, no, little brother Chen, please let me go, I will never dare to do it again." Deng Gangzi was also convinced. He couldn't understand why Chen Tianyou was as weak as a chicken when he came to the army and allowed himself to be bullied by him and Ji Feiwu and his gang.
Only a few years later, Chen Tianyou transformed himself into a martial arts expert. Few soldiers in the army could fight against him and beat him. Even though Deng Gangzi was now fifteen years old and weighed over 100 pounds, he was still no match for him. Deng Gangzi was so depressed that he had to admit defeat.
"Remember what I said. If you dare to bully Sister Xu Tao again next time, you know what I'm saying." Chen Tianyou kicked him in disgust, "Get lost."
Deng Gangzi and his friends immediately limped away.
As soon as they left, Xu Tao said sincerely, "Chen Tianyou, thank you for helping me. I don't know how to repay you. If you need me in the future, just come to me and I will do my best to help you."
"Come on, you have thin arms and legs, what can you do to help me?" Chen Tianyou grabbed a handful of snow on the ground and wiped the blood off the back of his hand to avoid being seen by his parents and causing trouble.
Xu Tao pursed her lips and said, "I can cook, wash clothes, sew clothes, sweep the floor, and also..."
"My grandma and mom can do all these, and I can do them myself, so I don't need your help." Chen Tianyou interrupted her, "Go back, and tell your sister to stay away from Deng Gangzi and the others when she sees them. If they bully you again, come to me and I will help you."
"Why are you helping me?" Xu Tao asked when she saw him leaving. "Also, are you serious when you said you treated me like a sister?"
"I'm not trying to help you. I have a grudge against Deng Gangzi. I just can't stand him bullying people just because his parents have military positions." Chen Tianyou said honestly, "When I said I treated you like a sister, I was just trying to please him. Don't think too much about it."
"Then why did you always give me money before?"
"Is that called giving? That's called borrowing. Do I always ask you to remember to pay me back every time I give you money?"
Xu Tao's bright eyes suddenly dimmed. "I thought you were different from others and helped me out of kindness. It turns out that you are just like Deng Gangzi and the others. You all look down on me."
Chen Tianyou held his head and said, "I didn't look down on you, I just felt that you were quite pitiful and wanted to help you, but I was afraid that you had a strong sense of self-esteem and would be hurt if I told you, so I denied it.
Let me tell you the truth. The reason I help you is because you are very much like me back then. Before I was seven years old, my father never came home once, and he rarely wrote home to contact my mother.
People in the village said that my father didn’t like my mother and wanted to divorce her. The bad kids in the village often called me a bastard born by a mother but not raised by a father, and they teamed up to bully me. I refused to admit defeat and often fought back with them. Every time they reported it to the teacher, the teacher went to my mother. My mother asked me why I fought, but I didn’t want her to be sad after knowing the reason, so I didn’t say anything, which made my mother so angry that she always beat me...”
Xu Tao was stunned when she heard this. She had never thought that Chen Tianyou, who seemed to have good parents and lived a happy life, actually had a similar experience to her.
She immediately developed an inexplicable sense of closeness to Chen Tianyou. "Chen Tianyou, whether you are willing to recognize me as your sister or not, I will always treat you as my brother. I will definitely treat you well and repay you for helping me, so please don't reject my kindness, okay?"
"Who would rush to be someone else's sister? I will soon have my own sister." Chen Tianyou muttered, but it was difficult to refuse Xu Tao's kindness, so he didn't say anything and turned away.
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