Little Red Lotus squealed and cried out as she was squeezed.
Xing Zhaozhao placed the little girl in Gao Mingcheng's arms and asked, "Haven't you eaten yet?"
"Hmm." Gao Mingcheng nodded, casually picked up Xiao Hongling, and kept his eyes fixed on Xing Zhaozhao, afraid that if he looked away for even a moment, the person in front of him would disappear again.
Xing Zhaozhao knew there definitely wasn't any; when she returned, the three little ones were practically screaming from hunger.
"There's still some hand-pulled noodles left, I'll go cook you a bowl," Xing Zhaozhao said as she headed towards the kitchen.
Gao Mingcheng, carrying Xiao Hongling, followed closely behind Hongfei and Hongyu, filling the small kitchen to the brim. Xing Zhaozhao could easily bump into them if she turned around.
Helplessly, she turned to look at the four pairs of eyes staring intently at her: "You don't need to keep such a close eye on me, I'm not going to run away."
Four heads, one large and three small, all shook their heads in unison. No, we have to keep a close watch.
Xing Zhaozhao: "..."
Forget it, I give up. Let them do what they want.
"Who can help me start a fire?" Xing Zhaozhao asked.
The two little ones were the first to move.
Gao Mingcheng originally wanted to compete with them, but considering that he had a little girl in his arms, he gave up.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Hongling also wanted to compete, but her father was not supportive and her brothers got there first. She even gave Gao Mingcheng a disapproving look, saying he was too useless.
Gao Mingcheng: "..." So it was his fault after all?
Hongyu was still a bit too young and couldn't compete with her older brother, so she could only return to her father's side in frustration.
"Why are you back so late today? When I got back, the three children were starving," Xing Zhaozhao asked while cooking noodles.
"When did you get back?" Gao Mingcheng asked.
Xing Zhaozhao thought for a moment: "After lunch, it will be around one or two o'clock."
Gao Mingcheng estimated the time of Tan Juan's death, and recalling Tan Juan's last words, his heart tightened, and he said, "Tan Juan is dead."
Xing Zhaozhao paused in her actions, then abruptly turned to look at Gao Mingcheng, her face filled with shock: "When did he die?"
"It must have been around 10 a.m.," Gao Mingcheng said.
"So that's how it is." Xing Zhaozhao murmured, "No wonder..." The door reappeared, and she was able to come back. It seems that their speculation about the door was correct.
"So, everything Tan Juan said is true?" Gao Mingcheng asked, his gaze fixed intently on Xing Zhaozhao. "That door can only be used by one person at a time, because she died, which is why you were able to come back?"
"It seems that's how it should be," Xing Zhaozhao nodded and said.
“But she also told me that you were dead, that she killed you with her own hands, otherwise she would never have come back…” Gao Mingcheng said, his voice slightly hoarse.
Xing Zhaozhao paused for a moment, then turned to Gao Mingcheng with a smile, deliberately downplaying the incident: "More or less, but I was rescued quickly and I'm perfectly fine..."
Gao Mingcheng's jaw was taut, and he didn't say a word, just stared at her silently with a blank expression.
Xing Zhaozhao's smile faltered, and she muttered softly, "I'm fine now, aren't I..."
"You almost didn't make it back," Gao Mingcheng said through gritted teeth, his voice trembling slightly, revealing the lingering fear in his heart.
"You're not allowed to go there again," Gao Mingcheng said firmly. He couldn't bear the blow of losing her again.
"Even if you hadn't said anything, I had no intention of going there again," Xing Zhaozhao said softly. One such experience was enough.
Gao Mingcheng felt relieved upon hearing this: "Remember to keep your word."
“Of course,” Xing Zhaozhao assured him.
"From now on, I'll keep an eye on you while you're at home," Gao Mingcheng said. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to feel at ease.
"Huh?" Xing Zhaozhao frowned upon hearing this. "Isn't that unnecessary? I already said I wouldn't go."
“That won’t do, because you have a criminal record,” Gao Mingcheng said firmly.
Hongfei and Hongyu chimed in, "We'll help keep an eye on Mom too."
Little Red Lotus wasn't going to be outdone. She raised her little paws and shouted, "Me, me!" She wanted to join in too.
Four pairs of eyes, one large and three small, were fixed on Xing Zhaozhao: "We'll all be watching you."
Xing Zhaozhao could only smile helplessly: "Fine, whatever."
Gao Mingcheng was eating the cooked noodles when there was a knock on the door.
"I'll go open the door." Xing Zhaozhao carried Xiao Hongling and went out.
Hongfei and Hongyu immediately followed.
"..." Xing Zhaozhao was speechless. "I just went out to open a door. I wasn't going far, and Xiao Hongling is still here with me."
The two little ones didn't care; they just wanted to follow along.
Xing Zhaozhao had no choice but to go with them.
Upon opening the door, Xing Zhaozhao saw Captain Gao and Aunt Hao standing outside. She greeted them with a smile, "Auntie, Captain Gao..."
Captain Gao and Aunt Hao looked at Xing Zhaozhao with astonishment.
"Zhaozhao? Didn't you go to your brother's? When did you come back? How come I didn't know anything about it? I even ran into Mingcheng this morning, why didn't he say anything?" Aunt Hao asked.
Xing Zhaozhao then realized that Gao Mingcheng had told everyone she had gone to her brother's place.
She remained calm and smiled as she said, "I only got back at noon. I was in such a hurry that I didn't have time to inform Mingcheng, so he doesn't know either."
Aunt Hao, without suspecting anything, nodded and said, "So that's how it is. You left without saying a word before, and didn't come back for two months. I was worried that something might have happened between you and your husband."
"How could that be? My sister-in-law broke her leg, and I went over to help take care of her for two months." Xing Zhaozhao unceremoniously dragged Chen Wei into the conversation as a tool.
"It's good that you're alright." Aunt Hao was finally relieved.
Xing Zhaozhao looked at Aunt Hao, then at Captain Gao, and asked, "Auntie, why are you here with Captain Gao? Is something the matter?"
Aunt Hao and Captain Gao exchanged a glance.
"There is an important matter, I don't know if you know about it, Mingcheng's wife," Captain Gao asked Xing Zhaozhao seriously, "about Mingcheng wanting to retire from the army?"
"What?!" Xing Zhaozhao was shocked and turned around sharply to look at Gao Mingcheng, who was still slurping noodles on the table inside the room. She shouted, "Gao Mingcheng, get out here! You actually want to leave the army? When did this happen? How come I had no idea?"
Gao Mingcheng stiffened for a moment, then quickly finished the rest of the noodles in his bowl, wiped his mouth, and got up to leave.
"Why are you suddenly leaving the army?" Xing Zhaozhao asked, staring at Gao Mingcheng.
Gao Mingcheng looked at Xing Zhaozhao seriously and said, "I can't leave you here alone."
Xing Zhaozhao's heart tightened. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but her throat seemed to be blocked by something, and she couldn't make a sound.
"What are you saying? Of course Zhao Zhao is going to the army with you and the child. How could she leave alone?" Aunt Hao glared at Gao Mingcheng and said.
Gao Mingcheng looked at Aunt Hao and smiled, saying, "She went to her brother's place back then."
"It's not like you're not coming back. It's too hasty to want to retire over something like this," Aunt Hao scolded.
"Yes, it won't happen again," Gao Ming sincerely apologized.
"Luckily, your unit commander valued you and didn't approve it. Otherwise, if Zhaozhao came back and you were discharged, that would be a real loss." Aunt Hao broke out in a cold sweat when she thought of this possibility. She would regret it to death if such a bright future were ruined like this.
Captain Gao nodded in agreement. When Aunt Hao mentioned this matter to him, he almost fainted from anger. It was rare for his family to have such a promising child. If he were to squander his future like this, he would have no face to face his ancestors even in death.
He glared at Gao Mingcheng and scolded him irritably, "You're not allowed to mess around like this anymore."
Gao Mingcheng smiled and nodded: "Understood."
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