Qingyun, the squad leader riding a dog.
Jiang Mingxue, standing to the side: "......"
This is such an old, forgotten story. The two kids are all grown up now, and they're still turning over in the sand.
Jiang Mingxue was speechless for several seconds, secretly thinking to herself: Serves your daughter right for mistaking you.
After the lieutenant picked her up, Xiao Yueyue could see his face. She tilted her little head, blinked her big eyes, and looked at him carefully for a couple of moments, but then felt that he didn't look much like her father.
Her grape-like eyes darted around ninety degrees, and when she turned her head, she saw several uncles next to her dressed in the same clothes. Confused, she raised her little hand and scratched her braid.
The little head was overloaded; the face hidden under the hat and mask was all scrunched up, and the clear eyes were filled with confusion.
Seven or eight large men were all wearing blue camouflage uniforms, with their hat brims pulled low. At first glance, the only difference between them was their height, and the little girl really couldn't tell which one was her father.
My eyes paused for a moment when they passed over one of the tallest soldiers, then looked away uncertainly to look at the next soldier.
Didn't Mom say that the guy wearing a military uniform and cap is Dad?
Why are there so many uncles in military uniforms and hats? Are they all her fathers?
Rong Chengzhou watched helplessly as his daughter's gaze swept past his face. He gave a curt smile, no longer trying to make things difficult for her. He took off his hat, stepped forward, and stretched out his arms: "Come here, let Daddy hug you."
Little Yueyue looked over intently, her eyes widening in surprise. She finally recognized her father. Leaning forward from the lieutenant's arms, she stretched out her little arms and called out in a sweet, clear voice, "Daddy—!"
Rong Chengzhou felt a mix of emotions upon hearing the word "Dad". Last year, when he learned that the first person his daughter called after learning to speak at seven months old was "Dad", he was so happy that he couldn't sleep all night, thinking that the past six months of loving his daughter had not been in vain.
But after only a few months, this sweet little girl started having problems and started looking for her father everywhere.
Rong Chengzhou silently pieced together his cold and broken heart, a slight smile playing on his lips, and picked up his daughter with the demeanor of a loving father: "Yueyue, be good."
The lieutenant had only held the soft little bundle for two minutes, not even having had enough, when her father took it from her, clicking his tongue repeatedly: "Captain Rong, you're so stingy."
There weren't many children in the residential compound, so everyone treated the little ones like their own, taking turns vying to hold them.
Rong Chengzhou remained noncommittal, picked up his daughter, and said calmly to his comrades behind him, "We're going back now. We'll let Yueyue play with the uncles another day."
He deliberately emphasized the word "uncle," leaving his comrades speechless for a long while. They dared not express their anger, and could only greet Xiaoyueyue warmly, "Bye-bye, Xiaoyueyue~"
The men were deliberately speaking in high-pitched voices, completely lacking the masculinity they usually displayed. Rong Chengzhou frowned almost imperceptibly.
Completely unprepared, his daughter nestled on his shoulder, beaming as she said goodbye to the uncles, revealing her dimples: "Goodbye, uncles~"
A group of tough guys were instantly charmed, clutching their chests and saying, "Oh my, Captain Rong's daughter is so cute, I really want to steal her away in the middle of the night."
Xing Kaiyu bluntly warned, "Then you'd better be careful that Brother Rong doesn't let you down the spiral staircase for three days and three nights."
"..." Several comrades instantly gave up on the idea and dared not have another thought.
Over here, Rong Chengzhou held his daughter in one arm and took Jiang Mingxue's hand with the other. Jiang Mingxue held Xiao Youyou's hand with the other, and the family of four walked towards the family building as the sun set.
Back at the family dormitory, Jiang Mingxue played with the two children while Rong Chengzhou took a shower, changed clothes, and went into the kitchen to cook.
The apartment in the family building is small and the conditions are simpler than at home. There is no separate nursery, and no nanny to help take care of the children. The two babies have to squeeze into the same bed with the couple.
Fortunately, Rong Chengzhou took into account the housing situation of four people and specially applied for a family room with a 1.8-meter-wide bed. The whole family can sleep on the same bed without feeling too crowded.
However, the couple hadn't seen each other for almost a month, and Rong Chengzhou wasn't too keen on sleeping with these two "light bulbs" in the middle of the night. After the two little ones fell asleep, he quietly carried them to his side, then went to the other side and cuddled Jiang Mingxue to sleep.
Even though I can't do anything, just holding him is enough.
Jiang Mingxue held his arm, still a little worried, and asked softly, "What if Youyou falls off the bed?"
After a month apart, Rong Chengzhou finally held his sweet and soft wife in his arms, feeling extremely satisfied both physically and mentally. Naturally, he had no time to worry about his son. Resting his chin on her hair, he said nonchalantly, "A little boy gets tougher after a fall."
Jiang Mingxue: "......"
Jiang Mingxue had lived in the family compound before, but this was the first time she had brought her children with her. Her life was completely different from when she was alone. She usually had to take care of the two children at home. Fortunately, Youyou and Yueyue were precocious and could already eat and use the toilet by themselves, which saved her a lot of trouble.
She hasn't changed their diapers since they were born.
The two children have grown up and become quite mischievous, with a strong curiosity about the outside world. I was able to keep an eye on them for the first couple of days, but after they became more familiar with the world, they would run away without me noticing.
The first time was on New Year's Eve. The whole team was given a two-day holiday. Jiang Mingxue and Rong Chengzhou were in the kitchen making New Year's Eve dinner for their family of four. During this time, Xing Kaiyu and several other comrades came to their home to deliver New Year's gifts, which were all sent by their parents.
While the couple was entertaining their guests, Xiao Youyou took Yueyue and ran out.
Jiang Mingxue went downstairs and searched everywhere but couldn't find her. She was extremely anxious, fearing that her child was lost.
Rong Chengzhou patted her shoulder to comfort her: "The base is strictly managed, so it's unlikely that she would get lost. She probably ran off to someone else's place to play. Don't worry too much."
Even so, Jiang Mingxue was still uneasy all afternoon, constantly looking towards the door with a restless mind.
It wasn't until dusk that the brother and sister returned from outside, hand in hand.
Rong Qiyou pushed open the door first, led his younger sister inside, and, like a little adult, held onto the door frame while instructing her, "Yueyue, watch out for the threshold."
Jiang Qiyue nodded obediently and strode into the room.
Jiang Mingxue was finally relieved when she heard their voices. She came out of the kitchen and saw the brother and sister each carrying two bags of different sizes, filled with snacks. She asked in confusion, "Where did you go this afternoon? Why did you bring back so many snacks? Did you buy them from the supermarket?"
Rong Qiyou shook his head: "No, Mom, they were all given to us by others."
Rong Chengzhou, still holding a spatula and wearing a gray apron, walked into the living room and asked, "Do you know who gave it to you?"
Before Rong Qiyou could answer, Xiao Yueyue placed the snack bag on the coffee table, then pulled out a handful of jelly, a handful of candy, and a handful of nuts from her bulging pocket, muttering, "This was given to me by tall dad, this was given to me by skinny dad, this was given to me by whistle-blowing dad..."
Rong Chengzhou: "......"
Every time Xiaoyueyue pulled out a handful of snacks and mentioned "Dad" again, Rong Chengzhou's face darkened a little more.
Many young soldiers in the army find it fascinating to see children in the family compound and encourage them to call them "Dad." I never expected that he would be the one being encouraged to do it so quickly.
Unfortunately, his daughter's description was too broad, and he had no idea who was instigating it.
"This was given to me by my round-faced dad, and this too..."
Little Yueyue was still clueless and continued to take snacks out of her pants pocket. Jiang Mingxue was sitting on the sofa laughing so hard her stomach hurt. Afraid that her daughter would make her father angry during the New Year, she quickly put her arm around her daughter's little shoulders and hugged her: "Okay, okay, Yueyue, you don't need to count anymore. Mom and Dad know."
His fingers unconsciously tightened around the spatula handle, and Rong Chengzhou pursed his lips, trying to keep his tone calm: "Yueyue, do you still remember what those uncles looked like?"
Little Yueyue leaned against her mother's chest and slowly shook her head: "Dad, I can't remember."
Rong Chengzhou slowly exhaled and gave a slight smile: "It's okay, Dad will go cook first."
When Rong Chengzhou returned to the kitchen, Jiang Mingxue held Xiao Yueyue on her lap and gently instructed her: "Baby, you and your brother only have one dad, who is Mommy's husband. You can only call everyone else 'uncle,' understand?"
The little girl blinked her big eyes, seemingly understanding but not quite, and nodded, saying, "I understand, Mom."
And then they'll shout it again next time.
After the New Year's Eve dinner, the two children each went missing again, each time returning with a bunch of snacks. Once, Rong Qiyou even ate dinner at the other child's house before returning.
At first, Jiang Mingxue would anxiously search for her child, but after a few times, she stopped searching and stayed home to rest, waiting for Rong Chengzhou's comrades to personally bring the child back.
Rong Qiyou was more outgoing and mischievous than his younger sister, and he ran away from home more often. Once, he ran to the training ground and barged into a recruit camp.
The new recruits had just finished training when they saw a little guy climbing the ladder they were using for training. They picked him up and carried him back to the middle of the line.
Rong Qiyou wasn't shy at all. He tilted his little head and looked around. He had been in the family compound for a few days and felt very comfortable with his older brothers who wore the same clothes as their father.
A group of newly enlisted soldiers sat around him, first asking politely, "Little brother, do you know what your father's name is?"
Xiao Rongqiyou shook her head and answered in a childish voice, "I don't know."
The little guy is only 20 months old and doesn't know how to read. He only knows that his father is called "Dad". It's already quite an achievement that he hasn't mistaken people for his father like his sister has.
The captain then asked the people who brought him over, "Whose child is this?"
Everyone shook their heads: "We don't know, let's play first."
So a group of greenhorn recruits squatted on the ground around Rong Qiyou, found a mat for him to sit on, and a group of recent college graduates, as if they had encountered a moving toy, enthusiastically taught him to do sit-ups and push-ups.
A soldier sitting opposite Rong Qiyou did a few standard sit-ups as a demonstration: "Did you understand?"
Rong Qiyou stared wide-eyed at it, then nodded, bewildered, "Mm!"
The soldier held his little feet in his hands: "Come on, you try making one."
Rong Qiyou blinked a few times, then lay down in a similar manner to his older brother. He tried to sit up from memory, but didn't know how to exert any force. He flailed his little arms, babbled and craned his neck, and tried his best, but still couldn't sit up.
The new recruits burst into laughter: "Don't make things difficult for the kid, hurry up and help him!"
The soldier standing beside him quickly reached out and supported Rong Qiyou's back and head, helping him sit up.
Rong Qiyou thought he had succeeded and chuckled with joy.
Laughter from adults and children quickly spread across the training field. The soldier simply helped Rong Qiyou's small body up and down, helping him do twenty sit-ups, and then taught him to do twenty push-ups.
Xiao Rongqiyou was being supported by several older brothers, who kept him lying down, sitting up, crouching, and standing. He didn't know what they were doing, but he knew that the scene in front of him was very funny. He let the new recruits take turns teaching him to pose in various training positions, and he just kept giggling.
After ten days, Rong Qiyou became more and more familiar with them, and the activities they took him to do became more and more exciting. They also often took him running laps.
The most audacious incident involved a squad of soldiers under Rong Chengzhou who took Rong Qiyou and rode their dog-like platoon leader around the training ground twice before being caught red-handed by the patrolling commander.
Enraged, Commander Yuan grabbed the little guy by the collar with one hand and the dog squad leader by the other, leading a group of audacious criminals directly to Rong Chengzhou's home in the family compound to demand an explanation.
The dog sergeant was a highly treated police dog in the military, usually pampered and given twice the food allowance of a regular soldier. If a soldier died, the report would go directly to the military region; if the dog sergeant died, the report would go directly to the military district! In all his life, this was the first time he had ever seen anyone dare to ride on his head!
Rong Chengzhou stood at the door, looking at a group of soldiers with their heads drooping, not daring to look up at him, a military dog wearing a helmet, sunglasses and a muzzle, lying on the ground panting heavily, a commander whose face was red and neck thick with anger, and his silly son who was being grabbed by the collar but still laughing. His eyelids twitched a few times.
His son was indeed better than his father; before he could even find a chance to let Commander Yuan experience the power of this great devil, he had already angered the commander so much that he came to his door himself.
Commander Yuan stood in the corridor, his fingers trembling with anger: "No wonder he's Rong Chengzhou's son! He's even more arrogant than you! He even dares to ride a military dog! I'm so angry at you two!"
The little Rong Qiyou stood at Commander Yuan's feet, feeling his immense anger. He grabbed Commander Yuan's trouser leg with his little hand and called out in a childish voice, "Grandpa, I'm sorry, I know I was wrong."
Commander Yuan: "..."
When the one-and-a-half-year-old boy apologized, he was obedient and well-behaved, completely unlike his arrogant demeanor when he rode on the head of the military dog. When he called him "Grandpa," the last syllable was slightly drawn out, sticky and sweet like he was being affectionate, which made Commander Yuan's anger get stuck in his chest, unable to say anything harsher to the little guy.
At this moment, several young captains and lieutenants stood up for justice: "Commander, it was us who brought Captain Rong's son to ride the dog, it wasn't Youyou who insisted on riding it."
Commander Yuan stiffened his neck and sneered, "Aren't you the soldiers led by Rong Chengzhou?"
"......"
The group of people were immediately speechless.
Regardless of who orchestrated this incident, Rong Chengzhou is inextricably linked to it.
Rong Chengzhou pressed his temples, looking troubled, and solemnly promised Commander Yuan, "Commander, I will handle this matter strictly according to military regulations, please rest assured."
Hearing his assurance, Commander Yuan's anger subsided somewhat: "What do you plan to do?"
Rong Chengzhou, upright and incorruptible, said: "Each of the soldiers involved will write a self-criticism and run ten laps around the drill ground. Rong Qiyou will receive the same punishment. As their captain and Rong Qiyou's father, I will also write a self-criticism."
Commander Yuan was fairly satisfied with the punishment he gave his soldiers, but letting a one-and-a-half-year-old child run away was somewhat child abuse.
Rong Qiyou's earlier cry of "Grandpa" did have some effect. Commander Yuan pointed at the mischievous Rong Qiyou, widened his eyes, and asked, "You want a kid this age to run ten laps around the track?"
Rong Chengzhou said indifferently, "Given that Rong Qiyou is young and not a soldier, I will take responsibility for his punishment. However, he will not escape his guilt either. When others are running laps as punishment, he will have to stand at attention with them."
"Huh?" Commander Yuan felt that this was not a good idea, as it would affect the reputation of the troops if word got out. "Why don't you just slap him on the butt in private instead of punishing him in public?"
Rong Chengzhou reminded him sternly, "Commander, military regulations prohibit domestic violence."
"..." Commander Yuan was at a loss. "Alright, alright, you decide what to do."
So, at a young age, Rong Qiyou, with her bright and lovely appearance, was forced to stand at attention as punishment, following a group of soldiers at the front of the ranks.
The glorious story of Colonel Rong's soldiers taking his son, the squad leader, to run laps around the training ground on a dog instantly spread throughout the entire air force base. On the day of the punishment, a large number of people from the troops and the family compound gathered to watch the spectacle, including Commander Yuan, who couldn't help but come over to see how well the one-and-a-half-year-old could stand at attention.
The playground, which is usually empty during rest periods, is now packed with people, three layers deep, outside the fence.
Jiang Mingxue held Xiao Yueyue's hand and sat on a bench outside the playground, watching the father and son be punished together.
In the biting cold of winter, Rong Chengzhou and several other air force soldiers, dressed in light training uniforms, stood on the starting line of the training ground.
Rong Chengzhou glanced at his son, and upon receiving his father's gaze, little Rong Qiyou immediately put his legs together and raised his hands in a proper salute.
Both sides were ready and began to carry out their respective penalty procedures.
Several men were running, while Xiao Rongqiyou was made to stand as punishment, and a group of people were watching the show.
Little Yueyue sat on the bench, swinging her little legs, and turned to ask Jiang Mingxue, "Mommy, what did Daddy and Brother do wrong?"
Jiang Mingxue opened her mouth, unsure how to explain to her daughter about her son riding the military dog. After thinking for a moment, she simply said, "Brother was naughty and was caught by Commander Grandpa. Daddy has to take the punishment for him."
Little Yueyue said "Oh," and took the opportunity to put down her brother: "Brother is just naughty. He's not as well-behaved as Yueyue. He even made Daddy get punished."
Jiang Mingxue chuckled and rubbed her youngest daughter's head: "Yes, your brother isn't as well-behaved as Yueyue. He should learn from Yueyue."
When her mother praised her, Xiao Yueyue's eyes crinkled with laughter, and she snuggled into Jiang Mingxue's arms, rubbing her cheek against hers.
On the other side, Commander Yuan stared at Rong Qiyou with his hands behind his back for a while, and was surprised to find that the little guy had been standing in the same spot for more than half an hour without moving at all.
Suddenly feeling like teasing him, she walked over to the little boy and asked with concern, "Little one, are you tired?"
Rong Qiyou kept a straight face and didn't say anything.
Commander Yuan chuckled and bent down to pat his fluffy little head: "Why weren't you this well-behaved when you were riding the dog, squad leader?"
Rong Qiyou adhered to the military posture principle taught by his father, ignoring Commander Yuan's attempts to disturb him.
Commander Yuan's interest in the child immediately piqued, and he continued, "Would you like to have dinner at Grandpa's house tonight?"
Xiao Rongqiyou finally blinked, and then, as if remembering something, turned to look at the strange grandfather: "Okay, Commander Grandpa."
Commander Yuan also likes children, but unfortunately his grandson is already in junior high school. After running laps and standing as punishment, Commander Yuan successfully took little Youyou home.
The next morning, he returned the person intact, sporting dark circles under his eyes.
Commander Yuan, despite his advanced age, was kept awake all night by the ordeal: "Your son is as well-behaved when he's standing at attention as he is when he farts in my face in the middle of the night, he deserves a beating!"
The accused little Youyou looked at Rong Chengzhou with an innocent expression: "Dad, it was this grandpa who insisted that I go to his house."
Rong Chengzhou suppressed the curve of his lips: "Commander, I reminded you yesterday that Youyou is not easy to handle."
"..." Commander Yuan looked at Xiao Youyou's seemingly harmless face, but in reality, he was cunning and scheming. He suddenly realized why Xiao Youyou ignored him no matter how he tried to talk to him yesterday, but readily agreed when asked to come home for dinner. It turned out that Xiao Youyou was taking revenge on his father.
"Fine, fine, I've really fallen for you two!"
He's just like his father!
-----------------------
Author's Note: Here it comes! I've written several hundred words of draft that I scrapped, and just finished tidying it up [poor face].
There's one last chapter, the final chapter. If you have any requests for more, please leave a comment, and I'll try my best to write one.
Wishing everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival in advance!
100 RMB red envelope~
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