He Yanzhi was gone for two weeks.
They said it would only be a few days, but it turned out to be half a month, so Guan Wenru couldn't help but worry.
As autumn arrived, the evening breeze brought a chill, carrying the scent of hay from the grasslands, sweeping past the poplar trees in the military compound, rustling their leaves.
When Guan Wenru rode her bicycle into the courtyard, the setting sun had just sunk behind the distant mountain peaks, gilding the roof of the gray brick house with a pale gold.
Her hands were a little shaky when she tried to hold the bike, and the cloth bag slipped off the handlebars, causing the aluminum lunchbox inside to crash onto the brick ground.
She picked it up somewhat absentmindedly, her heart inexplicably pounding with unease.
Pushing open the door, I saw her three boys lying on the kang table, playing with building blocks.
Upon seeing her enter, He Sheng jumped up first, "Mom! Is Dad coming back today? I've already talked to my older brothers, and we've agreed that when Dad comes back, he'll teach us target practice!"
Guan Wenru forced a smile, "Okay, I'll teach you when Dad is done with his work. You do your homework first, and Mom will go cook."
This dinner was prepared hastily.
The shredded potatoes were a bit burnt, the rice almost got burnt too, and I added too much oil when frying the eggs.
Fortunately, the triplets didn't pick the wrong ones; they continued to chatter on about school as usual.
He Qi shoveled rice into his mouth, glancing at her every now and then. His eyes were exactly like He Yanzhi's, making Guan Wenru's heart sink even more.
The child is sensitive; he must have noticed that something was wrong with her mood.
Guan Wenru quickly tried to make herself look normal.
After dinner, she sent her three children to read comic books in the house, washed the dishes, dried her hands, and stood in front of the stove in a daze.
After a while, she bit her lip and turned to walk out.
Zhu Yongqiang's house is just across the street; it's only a short walk away.
As she raised her hand to knock on the door, she heard Zeng Chunlan's laughter coming from inside.
As soon as the door opened, Zeng Chunlan saw it was her and immediately pulled her inside, saying, "Xiao Guan, come in quickly!"
Zhu Yongqiang was sitting at his desk reading documents when he saw Guan Wenru arrive. He stuck his pen into the pen holder, smiled, and stood up. "Little Guan, why didn't you bring your three little ones with you?"
Guan Wenru smiled and said, "Let them do their homework at home, otherwise they'll disturb you as soon as they come over."
After speaking, Guan Wenru unconsciously gripped the hem of her clothes, her voice filled with worry, "Political Commissar, Yan Zhi has been gone for two weeks now, and there's been no news of him at all. I'm not at ease with him, so I wanted to ask, is his mission this time... dangerous?"
As soon as she said those words, she felt her voice tighten, and she stared at Zhu Yongqiang, afraid of hearing something unpleasant from him.
Zhu Yongqiang was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
He reached out and picked up the enamel mug on the table, pouring her a cup of hot water. "You're just too worried. What danger? This time it's just a routine task to check information with the herders on the border and to investigate potential hazards in the grasslands."
Seeing that Guan Wenru's brows were still furrowed, he added, "I just received a message from the communications officer this afternoon. Their mission was over a long time ago, but they have to detour to deliver some winter medicine to the herders, which will delay them for a couple of days. They should be back in the next couple of days."
"Oh, I see!" Guan Wenru looked up suddenly, her eyes lighting up instantly. She loosened her grip on her clothes, and the weight that had been pressing on her heart for two weeks finally lifted.
Zeng Chunlan brought over a plate of roasted melon seeds and stuffed a handful into Guan Wenru's hand. "Xiao Guan, you're just too tired. There's already so much to do at the factory, and you also have to take care of three half-grown boys. You can't even keep your mind on everything, so it's no wonder you're thinking about all sorts of things. Don't worry, Xiao He will definitely be fine."
After saying that, she suddenly thought of something and patted Guan Wenru's hand, "It just so happens that we have a day off tomorrow. Let's take the kids to the market. There might be some fresh meat there at this time of year. Let's buy some and when Xiao He comes back, you and the kids can have a good family reunion dinner with him and make up for it!"
Guan Wenru's smile deepened as she listened. "Okay, let's go together tomorrow morning! Sister-in-law, you don't know, those three little rascals look forward to market days every time. Last time I didn't take them because I had to work overtime at the factory, and when I came back they took apart all the spools of my sewing thread. There was thread all over the floor. I almost laughed out of anger. Six or seven-year-old boys, they really can't stay still for a moment. They can't stand not causing trouble."
“That’s right!” Zeng Chunlan laughed, slapping her thigh. “All the boys in our compound are like that. Last time, Dandan’s son even broke the clothesline! Boys have a lot of energy, so they should be allowed to run around more.”
Zhu Yongqiang sat down next to them and watched the two women chatting animatedly. He smiled and said, "Alright, just be careful when you go to the market tomorrow."
Guan Wenru nodded. "Thank you, Political Commissar. I'll head back now. I need to tell the children we're going to the market tomorrow, so they won't worry about it at night."
......
Early the next morning.
Guan Wenru was not fully awake when she heard rustling noises coming from the end of the kang (a heated brick bed).
It wasn't the usual whining of children when they wanted to stay in bed; it sounded like they were quietly and quietly getting busy.
She rubbed her eyes and sat up. Just as she was about to ask a question, she saw three little heads peeking out from the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
He Yi was wearing a faded blue cotton jacket, the buttons were neatly fastened, and his hair was combed and, although still a little sticky, looked more tidy than usual.
He Qi, clutching his little cloth shoes, was tiptoeing as he handed He Sheng socks.
He Sheng, the most lively of them all, was surprisingly quiet this time, his head bowed as he tied his shoelaces, his little face serious and focused.
"Oh, is the sun rising in the west?" Guan Wenru said with a deliberately loud laugh, "Why are you three being so well-behaved today? You got up on your own without me calling you?"
Upon hearing his mother's voice, He Sheng immediately looked up, his shoelaces still askew, and jumped up. "Mom! We're going to the market today! We need to get ready early, or we'll miss seeing the sugar figurines!"
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