The three of them talked as they walked and soon arrived at the guesthouse. The military wives were all downstairs basking in the sun and chatting, so Yang Niannian also stood there for a while before going back to the room to rest.

We ate dumplings in the army both at noon and in the evening, but with different fillings.

Early the next morning, she heard the news that Lin Manzhi had returned to the military compound.

On the third and sixth days of the New Year, all the military wives returned to the military compound one after another. It was not until the day before school started that Lu Shishen sent Yang Niannian back to the military compound.

Zheng Xinyue was also sent to Beijing by Qin Aonan the day before. The two of them brought back a lot of food from their hometown, including pickles, bean paste, and some fried foods made by her second aunt.

As soon as Yang Niannian came back, she pulled him into the house and presented him with treasures.

"Niannian, look how much food I brought. All this fish and pork are mixed with starch and fried. Just put them in the pot and cook them and you can eat them."

He opened another food bag and said, "There are also these. These are hemp leaves. Try them. They are crunchy and delicious."

Xiao Hei also smelled the fragrance, and jumped around the two people's feet, looking very happy.

Yang Niannian tasted a hemp leaf and found it crispy and fragrant, not greasy at all.

"It's really delicious. Your aunt's cooking skills are really good."

"Really?" Zheng Xinyue laughed, "If you like it, I'll ask my aunt to fry it for you later."

Yang Niannian picked up a hemp leaf and put it into Lu Shishen's mouth, "Try it."

Lu Shishen felt a little uncomfortable, but he didn't refuse, "Not bad."

Zheng Xinyue said, "Brother Lu, if you like to eat it, why not take some with you to the army? I brought a lot with me, and my aunt can send it to you anytime if you want to eat it."

The weather is cold now, so I don’t worry about it breaking down.

Lu Shishen shook his head, "No, I don't really like snacks, you guys keep them."

He checked the time and looked down at Yang Niannian, "You got up early today, eat something at noon and take a nap. I'll go back to the army first."

Yang Niannian was a little reluctant to let him go, so she sent him out the gate and said, "Please drive carefully on the road. I will come to see you when I have time."

Lu Shishen nodded, "Okay, it's cold outside, go inside!"

Yang Niannian was unwilling, "I'll watch you go."

Hearing this, Lu Shishen turned around and got into the car, turned the car around and left without any delay.

Zheng Xinyue was accompanying them, and when the car disappeared, she quickly pulled them back into the house.

"Don't stand at the door in such a cold day. Call Master Qu and say hello! Uncle Qu passed away a few days ago."

Yang Niannian was stunned for a moment, somewhat unresponsive, and asked with a serious expression.

"Uncle Qu passed away? Wasn't he in good condition when he was discharged from the hospital? How come it happened so suddenly?"

Zheng Xinyue explained, "I don't know either. It seems that his condition worsened during the Chinese New Year, and he passed away on the tenth day. According to the custom in Haicheng, the elderly who have passed away are buried three days after their death. Now it has been two days since the funeral."

Yang Niannian thought of the fact that Qu's father insisted on returning to Haicheng. She guessed that it was a sign that the old man wanted to return to his roots and did not want to die in a foreign land.

Thinking of this, she quickly dialed the office phone. When Miao Yu heard that it was Yang Niannian calling, she said.

"Boss, Director Qu's father passed away a few days ago."

Yang Niannian, "I just heard the news from Xinyue. Is Director Qu in the factory? Ask him to answer the phone."

Miao Yu, "Yes, I'll go call him now."

Yang Niannian hung up the phone, and not long after, Qu Xiangyou called her.

"boss."

Qu Xiangyou's voice was deep and he didn't sound sad, and he seemed to be in good spirits.

Yang Niannian was relieved. "Master Qu, I just came back from the army. Xinyue told me about Uncle Qu's situation. Please accept my condolences."

When Qu Xiangyou heard that Yang Niannian had just returned, he immediately called to say hello and was deeply relieved.

"Don't worry. I'm old enough to let go of many things. Birth, aging, sickness and death are the norm in life. Although my father is gone, it's a relief. He was indeed in pain when he was bedridden."

Seeing his father's painful groans, he was tormented in his heart. Although he wanted his father to live longer and enjoy a peaceful life, he also knew that his father's illness was incurable.

Sometimes when his father was in unbearable pain, he would ask him to buy some rat poison and drink it to end the pain.

Qu Xiangyou even thought about helping his father end his suffering. It was not because he was cruel, but because his father was tortured by the illness and almost unrecognizable, and he really couldn't bear it.

Yang Niannian was about to say a few words of comfort when Qu Xiangyou spoke again, expressing his gratitude.

"My father was in Beijing for medical treatment. Thanks to you... after he came back, he kept telling me that his life was not lived in vain and he had visited all the places he wanted to go. If he hadn't said it, I wouldn't have known that he had always wanted to visit places like Tianan Square in Beijing."

At the end of the speech, his voice choked unconsciously.

My father is a person of the older generation and does not want to cause trouble for his children. Especially after he got sick, he was even more afraid of adding burden to his children.

When he came back from Beijing last year, he was chatting with his father in the evening. He saw his father's eyes that showed he had fulfilled his wish, and then he understood what his father was thinking.

He didn't expect that Yang Niannian would do everything that he failed to do as a son.

Yang Niannian only remembered that when Qu's father went to those places, his eyes were filled with tears of excitement. She never expected that this had always been his wish.

"Master Qu, don't blame yourself. You've done a good job. I just did it by mistake. No matter what, it's always good to let Uncle Qu pass away without regrets."

Qu Xiang nodded slightly, and suddenly remembered that he was on the phone. Yang Niannian couldn't see his body movements, so he adjusted his mood and changed the subject to talk about something about the factory.

The two chatted for more than half an hour before hanging up the phone.

Zheng Xinyue had been in the room all the time. When she saw Yang Niannian hung up the phone, she started to talk to Yang Niannian about her and Qin Aonan.

The two chatted for a while before Yang Niannian remembered Xiao Nian.

"Where's Xiao Nian?"

"After I came back yesterday, Xiao Nian moved to the school." Zheng Xinyue replied.

Yang Niannian looked down at Xiao Hei at her feet. This guy had gained weight again. After the new year, he had gained at least five or six kilograms.

"It seems that Xiao Nian has taken good care of it. Look how strong it is. Thieves will have to avoid us if they come here."

Zheng Xinyue pulled Yang Niannian's arm and said, "Let's not talk about Xiao Hei for now. I still have some important things to talk about. Brother Qin and I..."

She started talking about what happened with Qin Aonan during this period, and the smile on her face never disappeared. Yang Niannian wanted to talk about Meng Ziyu, but she didn't find a chance to interrupt.

It was not until the two of them slept in the same bed and chatted for half the night that she found the opportunity to talk about Meng Ziyu. As a result, Zheng Xinyue fell asleep after just a short while.

Yang Niannian covered her with the quilt, feeling both amused and helpless.

After the New Year, everyone became lazy. I suddenly had to get up early to go to class, but I hadn’t adapted yet and almost was late in the morning.

It took me more than a week of adjustment before I gradually got used to going to school every day.

The first thing Zheng Xinyue said every day when she arrived at the school gate was, "I'm only a sophomore. Thinking about the three more years I have to endure, I wish I could just die right here."

Nowadays, universities are five-year programs, and very few majors are four-year programs.

Yang Niannian was not in a hurry. After all, Lu Shishen had arrived in Beijing and her business was booming.

In a blink of an eye, it was March. Zheng Xinyue had no classes in the afternoon that day. Yang Niannian had just walked out of the school gate after class when she was suddenly stopped by someone.