Chapter 99 Catching Grasshoppers
As Lu Mingyue led Leilei into the house, she saw Huo Zheng bending down to feed the chickens.
She recounted everything that happened at the school gate that afternoon, and finally sighed, "I didn't want to mention what happened in the camp, but Zhang Haihua is really clueless, so I had to give her a hint."
Huo Zheng straightened up, wiped his hands with a cloth, and said with a knowing look in his eyes, "When it comes to matters in the family compound, it's all about neighborly relations. We should talk about reason first, then right and wrong. But if someone is really stubborn, it's good to point out the wrong things to make them realize the truth."
The military values family traditions most, and she cares more about her husband's future than anyone else.
The next morning, Cui Jianguo ran into Huo Zheng at the training ground in the camp.
He had just finished running five kilometers, and his forehead was still covered in sweat. When he saw Huo Zheng walking towards him, he quickened his pace to meet him.
"Commander Huo, wait a moment." Cui Jianguo smiled and said sincerely, "My wife and child were being unreasonable yesterday and caused you and Comrade Lu some trouble. I apologize to you on behalf of their mother."
Huo Zheng waved his hand: "It's just a small matter between neighbors. The kids were just playing around. It's not worth mentioning. Besides, Xiao Jun apologized to Lei Lei later, and the two kids have been playing together since then."
Seeing that Huo Zheng didn't take it to heart, Cui Jianguo breathed a sigh of relief and then smiled as he started chatting about other things.
On the other side, Lu Mingyue, holding Leilei's hand, had just stepped out of the courtyard when she bumped into Zhang Haihua and Cui Xiaojun coming towards them.
The air fell silent for a few seconds. Neither of them spoke first; they simply pulled their children to the side of the road to make way.
Leilei caught a glimpse of a flaky mooncake clutched in Cui Xiaojun's hand. Remembering what had happened before, she pouted and deliberately leaned closer to Lu Mingyue, even secretly letting out a "humph" in Cui Xiaojun's direction.
Not to be outdone, Cui Xiaojun hid the mooncake behind his back, frowned, glared back, and muttered under his breath, "You stingy guy."
Zhang Haihua suddenly stopped and deliberately raised her voice to ask Cui Xiaojun beside her, "How was the mooncake I bought you this morning?"
Cui Xiaojun immediately understood what his mother meant, and tilted his head back to shout, "Delicious! It's much more fragrant than what other people make. The ones from the supply and marketing cooperative are definitely different!"
The sound was crisp and clear, as if it wanted everyone in the alley to hear it.
Lu Mingyue paused, her mind perfectly clear.
This was said on purpose for her to hear.
She didn't reply, only smiled faintly, and continued walking towards the school without stopping.
Watching her retreating figure, Zhang Haihua pulled Cui Xiaojun aside and added, "If you want to eat something in the future, just tell Mom, and we'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy it. Isn't that better than stealing it?"
Not hearing Lu Mingyue's retort, Zhang Haihua muttered to herself that her rebuttal had been utterly pointless.
School.
As soon as the school bell rang, Leilei took out a sesame mooncake wrapped in oil paper from his schoolbag.
"This is a new mooncake my mom made, with sesame filling. Try it." He carefully broke open the mooncake, revealing the oily filling inside.
Xiaoman's eyes lit up, she took a big bite, and mumbled, "Delicious! Even better than the ones from the supply and marketing cooperative!"
As he spoke, he pulled a small bamboo cage from his pocket and handed it to Leilei like a treasure: "Here you go, I caught some grasshoppers on the edge of the field this morning, they're so lively!"
Leilei took the bamboo cage, looked at the little grasshoppers hopping around inside, and laughed until his eyes crinkled.
The classroom was bustling with activity, as most of the children participated in making mooncakes.
Holding their homemade mooncakes, some people huddled together, showing off the crooked patterns on the crust, while others exchanged fillings to try them out.
The sweet aroma of mooncakes, mingled with the laughter of children, wafted through the house.
Cui Xiaojun sat alone in his seat, clutching the mooncakes he had bought from the supply and marketing cooperative that morning.
I used to think the pastry was flaky and sweet, but now the whole house smells wonderful.
Looking at the mooncake my deskmate had made with their handprint on it, which they were holding like a precious treasure, I suddenly realized that the one in my hand didn't smell so good anymore.
He quietly slipped the mooncakes into the drawer, his eyes involuntarily glancing at the group of classmates sharing the mooncakes.
Especially when he saw Leilei and Xiaoman eating sesame mooncakes one after another, his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
As soon as Leilei got out of school, he ran home and shouted as soon as he entered the courtyard: "Yaoyao, come and see what good things I brought!"
Yao Yao, who was playing with pebbles in the corner of the yard, immediately skipped over and came to the bamboo cage in Lei Lei's hand, her eyes wide open: "It's a grasshopper."
The two squatted on the ground and looked for a long time. Yao Yao tugged at Lei Lei's clothes and shook them: "Brother, I want one too. Shall we go to the back slope to catch one?"
Leilei patted his chest and nodded, found an empty bamboo cage and put it in his pocket, then took his sister's hand and ran towards the back slope.
The grass on the back slope was growing vigorously. Lei Lei taught Yao Yao to gently part the grass blades, keeping her eyes on the movement of the grass tips.
A moment later, a plump green grasshopper jumped out. Leilei reached out to grab it, but it slipped away.
Yao Yao giggled as she watched, and then she imitated her brother, chasing after the grasshopper.
The two of them worked very hard and finally caught two, but then they got lucky and caught one after another.
Wearing an apron, Lu Mingyue was busy at the stove. The stewed potatoes and pork ribs in the pot were bubbling and the aroma filled the house.
Hearing footsteps at the courtyard gate, she peeked out and saw Leilei leading Yaoyao into the house, both of them carrying a bamboo cage.
"Slow down, don't fall." Lu Mingyue smiled, wiped her hands, and went to ruffle Yao Yao's hair. "How was your grasshopper-catching haul with your brother?"
Yao Yao immediately held the bamboo cage up to her mother, her little face beaming with excitement: "Mommy, look! We caught so many, some green and some yellow!"
The grasshoppers hopped around in the jar, making her giggle.
Lu Mingyue leaned closer to take a closer look, deliberately widening her eyes exaggeratedly: "So many? Our Yaoyao is really amazing, she caught even more than her brother!"
Leilei pouted, unconvinced: "I taught my sister how to catch it."
Lu Mingyue patted him on the back with a smile: "You two are both capable. Quickly put the jar on the windowsill, wash your hands and get ready to eat. Today I made your favorite braised pork ribs with potatoes."
The brother and sister cheered and skipped off to wash their hands.
The family sat around a small square table, the aroma of braised pork ribs with potatoes filling their nostrils.
Yao Yao had only taken a couple of bites of rice when she put down her chopsticks and grabbed Huo Zheng's arm, her little eyes full of anticipation: "Daddy, are there grasshoppers in the army camp?"
"have."
Grasshoppers have a high survival rate and reproduce rapidly, and they are abundant in the grass in the countryside.
Yao Yao: "Can we go catch grasshoppers?"
Seeing Huo Zheng shake his head, Lei Lei immediately turned to Yao Yao and said, "Then I'll take you to the back slope to catch crickets this weekend! The crickets on the back slope chirp very loudly, and I can even teach you how to make small cages to put them in."
Yao Yao immediately clapped her hands and nodded. Lu Mingyue smiled and put a piece of pork rib on each of the siblings' plates: "Eat well first, and when the weather is nice this weekend, you can go out and have fun."
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