"Mom..." Hongyu tried to call out.
Seeing that things were going badly, Ying Hongyi quickly covered the little guy's mouth and pulled him away, saying, "Mom and Dad have important things to do, so let's not disturb them for now. They'll come out on their own when they're done."
"What's so important?" Hongyu blinked, looking at Ying Hongyi with an innocent expression.
Ying Hongyi hesitated for a moment: "...It's...it's something very important. He'll come out later, you can ask him yourself."
Hongyu blinked twice more: "Okay, then I'll ask her when Dad comes out later."
Ying Hongyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Wen Sinan looked at Ying Hongyi curiously. What's going on?
Ying Hongyi gave him a knowing look.
Wen Sinan frowned, and after a moment she reacted, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She quickly shook her head with a laugh. She had seemed cold and unapproachable before, but she never expected to have this side to her.
She smiled gently, waved to the two little ones, and asked, "Isn't there a little sister? Where is she? Can Aunt Wen see her?"
Hongyu immediately pulled Wen Sinan's hand and led her to the next room: "My little sister is sleeping next door. I'll take Aunt Wen to see her. She's so cute, just a little chubby, like a little pig. I can't even carry her anymore..."
"Really?" Wen Sinan agreed, and then brought Hongfei and her daughter along as well.
Hongfei casually pocketed the fruit box as well, noticing that Rongrong seemed to like it.
Fu Lan looked bewildered. She glanced at Xing Zhaozhao's room, which had already been locked, and then at Wen Sinan, who was leading the two little ones to the next room. She belatedly realized what was going on, blushed slightly with embarrassment, and quickly followed them to the next room.
Gao Mingcheng, wearing a vest and covered in sweat, came out of the house and was stunned to see that there was no one in the main room. Where did everyone go?
Ying Hongyi came out of the kitchen carrying a mug of cooled boiled water. When he saw Gao Mingcheng, he raised an eyebrow and smiled ambiguously: "Oh? All done? I didn't realize that our Battalion Commander Gao... no, he's a regimental commander now, could be so impatient."
Gao Mingcheng glanced at him sideways and said, "Get lost."
Ying Hongyi tapped his ear: "That sounds familiar. It seems like your sister-in-law just said the same thing to you."
Gao Mingcheng: "..."
Gao Mingcheng's temple twitched, and he retorted without hesitation: "I heard that back when you had just gotten married, you were suddenly sent on a mission for a month. When you came back late at night, several houses in the neighborhood heard the commotion, and Dr. Wen didn't speak to you for a month after that..."
Ying Hongyi's face twitched: "So what? We're husband and wife, it's only natural."
Gao Mingcheng rolled his eyes at him: "We're not wild either."
After saying that, he asked, "Where are the children?"
Ying Hongyi gulped down half a tank of water in one go, then pointed to the next room: "He's with Anan and Rongrong, keeping your chubby daughter company while she takes a nap." They were all tired after such a long train ride and a long walk. Luckily, they had eaten before coming, otherwise, given Gao Mingcheng's tendency to forget his friends for the sake of women, they would have gone hungry.
Gao Mingcheng felt relieved, found a basin and a towel, went to the yard, walked to the well, lifted the well cover, and prepared to take a shower, but found a basket hanging inside, so he lifted it out.
Ying Hongyi followed him out and, seeing this, curiously approached: "What is it?"
Gao Mingcheng frowned as he looked at the unusual takeout box inside, then casually opened one and found a large lobster.
Ying Hongyi exclaimed "Whoa!", his expression slightly hardening, and said, "I think you should have a serious talk with your sister-in-law..."
Gao Mingcheng's eyes flashed, but he quickly closed the takeout box without changing his expression, put it aside, and gave Ying Hongyi a warning look, saying, "Just pretend you didn't see anything."
Ying Hongyi patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Gao Mingcheng quickly took a shower, then went to the kitchen to boil a pot of water. He took a basin, scooped out two spoonfuls of water, added some cold water, and carried it back into the house.
When Xing Zhaozhao woke up, the sun was about to set, and a beautiful sunset glow filled the sky, casting a reddish light into the room.
She was clean and refreshed, and had even changed her clothes, clearly having tidied herself up. However, her back ached with the slightest movement, making her so angry that she almost ground her teeth to powder: "That bastard Gao Mingcheng..." He didn't even pick his time.
Xing Zhaozhao rolled out of bed, slipped on her shoes, and stormed out to confront Gao Mingcheng: "Gao Mingcheng..."
It was quiet outside; it seemed like there was no one there.
"Gao Mingcheng?" Xing Zhaozhao frowned and called out.
No one agreed.
However, someone quickly ran out of the kitchen. It was Fu Lan, who looked at Xing Zhaozhao with a smile: "You're awake, Sister Xing?"
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." Oh no, Fu Lan must know now.
Xing Zhaozhao awkwardly picked at her toes, her face slightly flushed with embarrassment. Fortunately, the sky outside was ablaze with red clouds, making the room glow red as well, so nothing could be seen.
"Ah... um..." Xing Zhaozhao responded somewhat awkwardly, and asked, "Where is Gao Mingcheng?"
“My brother-in-law went to the village down there; he said he went to see Captain Gao,” Fu Lan said.
Xing Zhaozhao looked around: "Where are the children?" There was no sign of them.
“I went with my brother-in-law,” Fu Lan said.
"Little Red Lotus went along too?" Xing Zhaozhao asked in surprise.
"Mm." Fu Lan nodded.
The little girl was meeting her father for the first time and was initially very shy and kept hiding. Perhaps it was just their natural father-daughter bond, but she surrendered completely after a little coaxing. Especially when Gao Mingcheng let her ride on his shoulders, she giggled happily and clung to her father's head, refusing to get down. Gao Mingcheng let her be and kept her on his shoulders until they left.
Xing Zhaozhao, hands on her hips, huffed and puffed out her cheeks: "Hmph, at least he dodged quickly."
"By the way, Sister Xing..." Fu Lan was about to tell Xing Zhaozhao that Gao Mingcheng had brought friends back when, before she could finish speaking, she heard laughter from a man and a child outside.
Xing Zhaozhao didn't look closely, assuming that Gao Mingcheng had brought the child back. Her eyebrows shot up, and she stormed out to settle scores.
She yanked open the courtyard gate, and before she could even see who it was, she shouted angrily, "Gao Mingcheng!"
The family of three who were chatting and laughing outside were suddenly stunned.
Xing Zhaozhao was stunned when she saw their faces clearly: "You are..."
This man looks unfamiliar; I've never seen him before and don't know him. The woman next to him is his wife and child, right? Wait, why do these two look so familiar? They look so much like his mother-in-law and daughter-in-law!
Xing Zhaozhao looked at Wen Sinan, then at Ying Rongrong, and, not believing it, rubbed her eyes and looked again. It was true, it was her mother-in-law when she was young and her daughter-in-law when she was a child.
Upon realizing a possibility, Xing Zhaozhao felt as if she had been struck on the head with a blunt object, leaving her completely stunned. Her face flushed red and then turned pale, and she wished she could disappear into a hole in the ground.
Gao Mingcheng, I'm not done with you yet.
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