Then Yin, who was inside the door, saw the half-closed door pushed open by a large hand with distinct knuckles. A tall, calm-looking middle-aged man, who looked to be in his early thirties but had some graying temples, strode in wearing a neat military uniform.
Liu Mingfeng rubbed his tired brow from the meeting and looked up to see a pretty young girl standing next to his eldest daughter. He knew this was his eldest son's girlfriend. Although he had never met her in person because of his work, he had seen many photos of her, especially his wife. Every time his wife gave the girl clothes, the girl would take many photos of her wearing them and send them to his wife.
Seeing the little girl's slightly nervous expression, Liu Mingfeng gave her a gentle smile.
"You must be Jiaojiao. Hello, nice to meet you. I am Xiangjun's father."
Yin Jiao looked at the tall, handsome middle-aged man, whose demeanor immediately softened upon seeing her. When he introduced her as Xiang Jun's father, she blushed and called out to him shyly.
"Hello, Uncle. I am Yin Jiao. It's nice to meet you."
Liu Mingfeng laughed when he saw the little girl's embarrassed expression, and was immediately patted on the shoulder by Wu Qiaoqiao, who walked up to him.
"Alright, stop teasing the young lady. Go wash up, you smell all sweaty."
After Liu Mingfeng agreed, he told Yin Jiao and went inside to wash up and change his clothes. While Liu Mingfeng was washing up, Liu Xiangjun had already brought over Gan Xiaocao's family of four.
Liu Xiangdang and Liu Xiangguo also returned after taking a walk outside. When they came back, Liu Mingfeng had already washed up and come out. Seeing this, everyone who had been busy all afternoon went to take a shower and change clothes. After all, they had been by the oven all afternoon, and the sweat was pouring down their faces.
After everyone had finished washing up, it was almost time, so they all headed outside. Liu Mingfeng and Wu Qiaoqiao walked ahead chatting, while Liu Xiangjun and Yin Jiao walked hand in hand at the back. Liu Xiangqin, carrying Xiaocao's son and Xiaocao's daughter, talked to Yang Damei walking beside her. As for Liu Xiangdang and Liu Xiangjun, each carrying a large food box, they walked quickly ahead.
Seeing Liu Xiangdang and his companion running quickly ahead, each carrying a large food box, Yin Jiao asked Liu Xiangjun.
"Why did they walk so fast? And what's in the food box?"
Liu Xiangjun answered Yin Jiao's question, and Yin Jiao then learned that the food box contained some food that they had baked in the oven that afternoon. Because it was a bit heavy, Liu Xiangjun and Yin Jiao had run so fast, as they wanted to get to the canteen as soon as possible to put it down.
On the way, everyone mingled with the neighbors who were also walking out. Yin Jiao noticed that people often came up to greet Liu Xiangjun, including many young women. Liu Xiangdang and Liu Xiangguo had also been caught up with, and the young men and women who caught up with them took turns carrying two large food boxes. Among those who came up to greet them were many pretty women, and there were also many girls among those who were playing around with Liu Xiangdang and the others. However, Yin Jiao clearly noticed that everyone's eyes were very clear. Even though the three Liu Xiangjun brothers were all good-looking, why did it seem like no one was interested in them? This made Yin Jiao's eyes reveal a puzzle.
Seeing his girlfriend's curious expression, Liu Xiangjun explained the reason. It turned out that all of this was due to Wu Qiaoqiao. When the children were about to understand the feelings between men and women, Wu Qiaoqiao rarely let them come back during holidays. Every holiday, they would either stay in Beijing with their grandmother or go back to their hometown.
Although there were many peers in the military region, everyone lived on campus after entering high school, so those kinds of situations rarely occurred. Occasionally, someone would have such thoughts, but after Wu Qiaoqiao clearly stated that she disagreed, no one dared to bring it up again.
While Liu Xiangjun and Wu Qiaoqiao were talking, everyone had already gathered together. Liu Mingfeng and Wu Qiaoqiao also separated. Wu Qiaoqiao went to the back and chatted with the wife of the political commissar next door. Because the two of them were chatting as they walked, they walked a little slower. Soon, Yin Jiao and the others came up behind them. Yin Jiao could clearly hear what they were talking about.
The political commissar's wife said, "You've spent a lot of money again, haven't you? You bought a lot of food and sent it to the mess hall to give the soldiers extra meals."
"What's the big deal? My friend runs a farm anyway, and besides, this is the last time. I'm going to go somewhere else with Lao Liu soon, aren't I?"
“That’s your daughter-in-law. You have to admit, she’s really cute. It seems like you like that type.”
"Of course! Otherwise, someone like my eldest daughter, how could she be a girl? If you don't look at her figure, she'd be a handsome young man."
When the political commissar's wife heard Wu Qiaoqiao say that, she burst into laughter, but after laughing for a while, she sighed.
"Oh, you're so lucky to have found a daughter-in-law you like. Unlike my eldest son, I'm so worried about him."
When Wu Qiaoqiao heard her say that, she patted her on the shoulder and said...
"Nonsense, I didn't choose this wife; Xiangjun picked her himself. I'm telling you, you're worrying unnecessarily. Young people get married and that's their life, what are you afraid of? Are you afraid you won't get along? People at our level, when the men retire, they all live in retirement homes. If you're happy then, you can spend more time with them; if you're not, you can just go to the retirement home, isn't that enough? What are you worried about?"
Bingjiao was surprised to hear Wu Qiaoqiao say that; she hadn't expected Wu Qiaoqiao to sing so badly. She had also noticed Yingjiao's doubts before, and said...
"According to my mom, we choose our own spouses anyway. If we choose well, we'll stay together for life; if we don't, we'll still stay together for life. My mom said that if she's happy, she'll live with us; if she's not happy, she'll just go to the retirement home. Living in the retirement home is easier than living with us. If she lives with us, she'll have to take care of the family. When she lives in the retirement home, someone brings her breakfast in the morning. After breakfast, she and her husband take a walk hand in hand, right? Then the cycle repeats until evening. The two of them sit in the yard chatting, talking, and watching TV. If they feel lonely, they bring their grandchildren over. Isn't that a carefree life?"
They chatted as they arrived at the mess hall. By then, the soldiers had all finished eating and returned to their dormitories. The number of them was neither too many nor too few; there was one table for the men and two tables for the women and children. At that moment, the head chef and his team were there, wielding large iron ladles to stir-fry dishes.
Seeing this, the parents found a place to sit down, while the young men and women busied themselves shuttling between the kitchen and the canteen, constantly bringing the dishes prepared in the kitchen to the table. Once all the dishes were served, everyone started eating. Since they were in the army, no alcohol was served, as the men all had things to do the next day.
As everyone ate, drank, and chatted, they occasionally teased the young couple. Those who were sharp-tongued and said unpleasant things were quickly shut down by Wu Qiaoqiao's retort. Overall, the meal was quite enjoyable.
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