As more and more guests came, the master bedroom on the second floor became more and more crowded. After seeing Lin Wei and the children coming downstairs one after another, most of the people sitting in the room were new arrivals.
Not only the second floor was crowded, but the living room downstairs and the yard were also full of people. Because the tables and chairs for the banquet had already been set up, the guests could only find open space to stand or sit.
Zong Shao couldn't entertain so many people by himself, so Zhou Jianhai and his wife also helped to entertain the guests and were very busy.
The kitchen was also very busy. Lin's mother stood in front of the stove, frying dishes one after another, and hardly moved. Zhang Lan helped to prepare the side dishes and also took care of the coal stove at the door, checking from time to time to see how the soup and vegetables in the pot were stewing.
Liu Dan and others would come in from time to time to help, doing what they could.
After working until half past eleven, Lin's mother said to Yang Yi who came in to help, "Help me take down the plates."
Yang Yi quickly handed over the cleaned plates. When Lin's mother was serving the dishes, Zong Shao came in and asked if anyone needed help. Lin's mother half turned her head and said, "Ask Xiao Zhang if the soup and vegetables outside are ready. If they are, let's prepare to serve."
Zong Shao went out to ask Zhang Lan, who opened the lid of the pot and checked everything. She said, "It's almost done. We can prepare to have dinner."
Zong Shao responded, invited everyone to take their seats, and notified everyone all the way to the second floor.
In the master bedroom, Lin Wei was feeding her baby. Because there were many people in the room, she didn't breastfeed, but made milk powder for the baby. After everyone else went down, Zong Shao sat down beside the bed, stretched out his hand to pinch his daughter's cheek and asked, "When did the baby wake up?"
Although children usually cry when they wake up, today there were people upstairs and downstairs and it was very noisy, so he didn't hear any sound downstairs.
"It's been a while." Lin Wei looked up and said seriously, "By the way, remember to call her Beibei instead of Baobao from now on."
Zong Shao was puzzled: "What happened?"
"Just now Mingming and Ruirui almost quarreled over my sister's name. Ruirui said my sister's name is Beibei, but Mingming insisted that my sister's name is Baobao, because we always call my sister Baobao instead of Beibei."
"But didn't we tell him the names of Bao and Beibei?" Zong Shao asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"You know your son has a bad memory, and he always hears us yelling like that, so it's no wonder he gets confused."
Lin Wei thought it was normal that she could even get her own name wrong before, so she got her sister's name wrong now, so she said, "From now on, you can either call me Beibei or Yunyun, or Zeyun is fine, but you can't call me Baobao anymore."
Zong Shao: "...Okay."
As there were many things going on, Zong Shao did not stay in the room for long and went downstairs after he finished speaking.
Although Zong Shao informed everyone about the start of the banquet and asked them to take their seats, there were too many people and they were not gathered together, so there was a lot of noise everywhere. Therefore, he stayed there for nearly ten minutes before everyone was seated.
There were several military wives sitting in the living room talking, Zong Shao saw them and went over to ask, "Why haven't you taken your seats yet?"
"We'll be there right away." One of the military wives said with a smile.
There were several children in the dining room, sitting around a square table in the middle. Zong Shao went over and ruffled the hair of one of the boys and said, "This table is closed. You all go sit outside."
The dining room was small and inconvenient to enter and exit for the banquet. Since the yard outside was large, he just set up the tables outside.
Several children exclaimed "Ah" after hearing this. The little one whose hair was being rubbed by Zong Shao shouted, "Then where are we going to sit?"
"Where are your parents sitting?" Zong Shao asked.
The children started talking at once, and several of them came with their father. Because their father was sitting with other uncles and wanted to drink, he let them find a place to sit by themselves. Some came with their mothers, and since their mothers hadn’t even taken their seats, they didn’t know where to sit.
Upon hearing this, Zong Shao went out the door and looked outside. The front yard was larger and had four banquet tables. Most people were seated now, with only four or five empty seats left, so he went to the back door.
Unlike the front tables which were almost full, there were only a few people sitting at the two tables at the back. Ruirui and a few friends were clearly playing video in the corner.
Zong Shao shouted: "Mingming."
Mingming turned around when he heard the voice, ran up to him and asked, "Dad, what are you doing?"
"Dad has given you a task."
Mingming felt that this was a sign that his father valued him, but when the old shígG Dujia heard it, he became excited: "What task?"
Zong Shao said, "There are a few children in the room who don't know where to sit. I'll call them out later. You can sit at this table with them and take care of them. Can you do that?"
Mingming took a look into the room and felt a little hesitant as he was not familiar with the children inside.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Zong Shao said earnestly, "They are all guests, but Dad and Mom are busy and can't spare the time to take care of them. As the eldest in the family, shouldn't you try to entertain them?"
Thinking of his status as the boss, Mingming immediately nodded: "Yes!"
"Then are you willing to help Dad greet them?" Zong Shao asked again.
Mingming said loudly: "Yes!"
Zong Shao nodded and agreed, then called Ruirui to his side and asked him to help Mingming complete the task. In this regard, Ruirui always followed his brother. When he saw Mingming agreed, he also agreed.
Zong Shao went into the house and called out the children, asked them to sit at the table, and asked the children who were still playing with videos in the corner to find a seat. He also called out the military wives who were sitting and chatting in the living room, arranged them at the remaining empty tables in the back, and asked them to help look after the children.
After arranging the people, Zong Shao went to the front to ask when the food would be served.
As a result, as soon as he went out, he was stopped by several people in the camp, asked to sit down and drink, and threatened to give him a good feast today. As they were talking, someone poured Zong Shao a glass of white wine.
Zong Shao raised his head and drank the wine in his glass, saying, "I'll go ask if we can serve the food now, and I'll come back to drink with you guys later."
Everyone at the table knew that he had a lot of things to do today, and since he drank the wine happily, no one stopped him and let him go about his work.
In the kitchen, Lin's mother was still cooking, while Zhang Lan, Liu Dan and others were busy serving out the stewed soup and vegetables. The table made of two benches and a door panel was full of dishes.
Zong Shao walked in and asked, "What's going on?"
"Almost done, but I don't think there are enough people to serve the dishes." Liu Dan said, holding the large bowl, "We need to find two strong people."
"Let me arrange it. How many trays do you need?" Zong Shao asked.
Zhang Lan filled a bowl with roasted chicken and potatoes, raised her hand and pointed to the cupboard and said, "It's on there. There are about four or five of them."
Zong Shao walked to the cupboard, picked up the tray and counted, then went out and called three people to help serve the dishes. He also took a tray and, according to the order Lin's mother had specified, took out the cold dishes and fruits first.
But just as he walked outside, the tray in his hand was snatched away. His comrades took the initiative to help serve the dishes so that he could go and drink.
As soon as he sat down, everyone at the table toasted him with a glass of wine, and specifically emphasized that he should drink it in one gulp.
Zong Shao said: "Are you determined to get me drunk?"
His battalion commander was the first to laugh: "Isn't this a rare opportunity?" As he said this, he asked the people around Zong Shao to pour him a glass of wine.
Zong Shao had no choice but to pick up his glass and said, "You can drink, but you have to give me some time to eat something to fill my stomach, right?"
"Eat, come on, preserved eggs and tofu go best with wine." Someone said, putting the cold dish in front of Zong Shao.
Zong Shao took two bites of preserved eggs to suppress the spiciness of the white wine, and allowed his comrade sitting next to him to pour him a glass of wine. But when they forced him to drink, they only drank the first two glasses in one gulp, and the rest could be casual. They didn't want to get him drunk before the banquet was halfway through.
As the cooked dishes were brought out one by one, the banquet gradually became lively. Lin's mother finally stopped what she was doing and poured herself a glass of boiled water.
After the banquet started, Liu Dan and the others went to drink, only Zhang Lan was still in the kitchen. After drinking the water, Lin's mother said to Zhang Lan, "Xiao Zhang, you should also go to the banquet."
"What about the kitchen?"
Mother Lin said, "The dishes have been served, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. Let's talk about it when someone calls us."
Zhang Lan responded and asked her if she wanted to go. Mother Lin stood up and said, "I'll go upstairs to see Weiwei and the baby first."
The people having dinner outside were also asking about Lin Wei and the child, especially the latter. After all, it was the little guy's full moon banquet, so she had to come out and show up.
When Lin's mother heard this, she smiled and said, "I'll let Weiwei take the baby down right away."
Lin Wei upstairs also heard the sound. When Lin's mother came upstairs, she had already wrapped her daughter in a quilt and put on a cute little hat.
After Lin's mother entered the room, she asked a few questions about the child's condition, such as whether he was awake, had eaten, and had urinated. Lin Wei answered one by one, and then the mother and daughter carried the child downstairs.
Just as she reached the corner of the two-story staircase, Lin Wei saw Zong Shao, holding a bottle and a glass of wine in his hands. He wanted to go with Lin Wei and the child to toast.
Walking downstairs, Lin Wei smelled the alcohol on Zong Shao and asked, "How much did you drink?"
"Three or four."
When Lin's mother heard this, she asked, "Why did you drink so much?"
"A group of people forced me to get drunk. It's just the beginning, so I'm definitely going to get drunk today." Zong Shao was mentally prepared.
Lin Wei also thought of this and said, "Then you should eat more food later to fill your stomach."
Zong Shao nodded: "I know."
After saying that, the three of them walked to the front yard and started by toasting their comrades in Zong Shao’s camp.
There are etiquettes for toasting. Toast those who can drink first. After they have had a glass, you can make an excuse to toast others. After you have toasted all the tables of men, you can move on to the tables of military wives and children. Women rarely like to urge others to drink, and they won't say anything if he takes a few sips just for the sake of politeness.
…
When Lin Wei and Zong Shao were toasting with their children in their arms, a supply ship docked at Sanlin Naval Port.
As the ship's hatch was opened, a tall middle-aged man in a navy winter uniform and a middle-aged woman in a tweed coat, black trousers and round-toed leather shoes walked out one after another.
Seeing the man in the lead, Shen Wenjin, who was standing on the dock, went up to him, shook hands with the middle-aged man and said, "Old classmate, long time no see!"
As Shen Wenjin spoke, the guard standing behind him stepped forward and called out "Hello, Chief", then took the suitcase from the middle-aged man.
After the middle-aged man, Zong Ping, handed the suitcase to the other party, he smiled at Shen Wenjin and said, "Yes, it's been many years. How have you been these years?"
"She can walk and jump, and she enjoys everything she eats." Shen Wenjin said with a smile, then looked at the woman behind Zong Ping and asked, "Is this my sister-in-law?"
"My wife is Comrade Wu Shujuan." Zong Ping introduced Wu Shujuan and said, "Old Shen was my classmate when I went to the Command Academy for advanced studies. He is now the commander of the Sanlin Base."
Wu Shujuan smiled and said, "Hello, Commander Shen."
Shen Wenjin smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, you are too polite. You can just call me Old Shen like Lao Zong."
"Okay." Wu Shujuan smiled, but didn't really call the other person Lao Shen.
As they were talking, a group of soldiers came down from the ship, saw Shen Wenjin, and lined up to salute. Shen Wenjin took the lead and returned the military salute. After letting them do their own thing, he called on Zong Ping and his wife to go out.
After walking out of the dock, the group got into the military jeep parked outside.
After Shen Wenjin sat firmly in the passenger seat, he turned around and asked, "Should we take you to the guesthouse first?"
Before Zong Ping could say anything, Wu Shujuan whispered, "The full moon banquet should have started. Should we go take a look first and then go to the guesthouse after it's over?"
Zong Ping nodded and said to Shen Wenjin, "Old Shen, could you please take us to Zong Shao's house first?"
Of the dozens of people in the initial training class, less than half are still in the army now, and among this half, those in high positions can be counted on one hand. As the old saying goes, more connections mean more paths, so although Shen Wenjin and Zong Ping have not seen each other for many years, they have always maintained a good relationship.
In addition, although Zong Ping was angry at Zong Shao's choice and blamed him for becoming alienated from him, he only had this one child. No matter how harshly he said, he still cared about him in his heart.
As for Shen Wenjin, if Zong Ping wanted him to promote Zong Shao out of personal favoritism, he might refuse, but since his old classmate just wanted to inquire about his son's recent situation, he naturally would not hide it.
Therefore, the two have been in frequent contact in recent years.
This time, Zong Ping decided to come to Yazhou Island with Wu Shujuan, and he contacted Shen Wenjin first, so Shen Wenjin went to the dock to pick them up in person.
The space in the car was so small that even though Wu Shujuan lowered her voice deliberately, Shen Wenjin was not yet old enough to become deaf or blind, so he could hear it clearly.
As for the fact that Zong Shao was holding a full moon banquet for his daughter today, it was no secret in the family area. The only way Zong Ping knew about it was because Shen Wenjin told him.
Therefore, after hearing what Zong Ping said, Shen Wenjin did not ask any more questions and asked the guard to drive the car to the family area.
On the way, the three of them didn't talk much about Zong Shao, but only chatted about the surrounding scenery.
It was winter in the capital at this time of year, but it was still as warm as spring on Yazhou Island. When Zong Ping set out, he was wearing a military coat and a flannel hat, but that was not enough. He couldn't help stamping his feet while sitting on the train.
As the train went south, he gradually took off his cashmere cap and military coat. When he arrived in Guangzhou, he also took off the cashmere sweater he was wearing under his military uniform.
Not to mention the roadside scenery, there is no green on the streets of the capital. The tall trees on both sides of the road are bare, with fallen leaves not cleaned up in time and covered with thick snow.
Although the grass and trees on Yazhou Island were a little withered and yellow, the trees on the roadside were still lush and green. If they didn't remember clearly what month it was, they might have thought it was just the beginning of autumn.
While we were chatting, we arrived at the family area.
Shen Wenjin asked the guard to drive the car directly to the innermost part. Although he had never been to Zong Shao's house, he had heard his wife mention Lin Wei and knew that the couple lived in the innermost building in the family area.
The guard had been driving for Shen Wenjin for a long time and was familiar with the family area. After entering, he drove around and around and parked the car in front of Zhou's house.
Before getting out of the car, Zong Ping saw two banquet tables in the backyard. Thinking of his son whom he had not seen for many years and his grandchildren whom he had never met, he, who was used to big scenes, became inexplicably nervous.
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Second update
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