After returning to the guesthouse, they moved their belongings back to their room. Seeing that no one in the neighboring rooms was there, and that Lin Lishan hadn't gone to look for the old man and his family, she thought they were probably having a meal together in the cafeteria. She took out some candies and chocolates and put them in Xizi's pocket for him to eat first.
After washing and getting ready, they headed to the guesthouse cafeteria. It was lunchtime, so the place was quite crowded. Looking around, they couldn't find Grandpa Lin and his family; they probably went to the military cafeteria. Lin Lishan specifically ordered Xizi's favorite dishes: braised pork, stewed eggs, pork rib soup, and steamed buns.
After eating and drinking their fill and taking a short rest, Lin Lishan and Xizi slowly returned to the room. Lin Lishan and Xizi lay down for a while. As it was getting dark, Lin Lishan took Xizi and carried two bags of snacks she had just bought to visit her little sister in the compound.
Her sister was also in the art troupe. Two years ago, she was transferred to the Northern Military Region with her husband and children. Normally, they were close friends, but now they were in an unfamiliar place and had a shortage of tickets, so they just happened to visit each other.
Late that night, she went straight to the guard at the gate to ask for Fang Jianmei's address. With her officer ID, the young soldier quickly brought her to the downstairs of the military family building. Lin Lishan thanked the young soldier profusely and sent him off, then took Xizi upstairs.
Fang Jianmei lived in a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment on the second floor of the military family building. Both Fang and Fang Jianmei were military personnel, and they had two sons, all of whom were now in school. The youngest, a 12-year-old boy, was dark and strong, not afraid of visitors and quite playful. Both parties were delighted to meet each other; they hadn't expected to see Lin Lishan there.
Fang Jianmei happily made tea, pulled her to sit down, took out a fruit plate and handed it to her son, asking him to take Xizi to the room to play.
Seeing that the two boys did not quarrel and walked in hand in hand, Lin Lishan breathed a sigh of relief. She was really afraid that this boy would be naughty and bully Xizi.
Fang Jianmei said cheerfully, "I haven't seen you in two years. I just heard that your father brought his grandson-in-law to the military district for a meeting, and I was wondering why you didn't come. I heard that your daughter gave birth to a grandson for you. Congratulations."
Lin Lishan took a sip of tea and looked at her with amusement. "I came here just to see the baby this time. I didn't expect her to give birth so early. I wanted to accompany her during the delivery, but now she's in confinement. You're quite well-informed. We've only been at the military area for a few hours."
Fang Jianmei winked at her and whispered, "You don't know, those military wives here love to visit when they have nothing to do, and they know everything about the slightest movement. What's more, it's the old man who's here, and there are several leaders waiting to greet him. A bunch of them are in uniform, and your son-in-law is in plain clothes. You'll know everything if you ask him."
Lin Lishan looked around and asked, "How are you doing here? Are you used to it?"
"What else can I do? I have to stay here even if I'm not used to it. Everything else is fine, except that it's freezing cold in the winter and you can't go out at all. You're lucky you came now, otherwise you wouldn't be able to go out in a month. Also, the fashionable clothes here are hard to wear, and many military wives wear patched clothes. It's nothing compared to the capital. I have no choice. My child is so old, I can't stay away from the army forever. The work in the art troupe here is simple, and there's usually free time. I feel lazy when I have free time."
Lin Lishan rolled her eyes at her and said disdainfully, "Isn't it good to have some free time? You can still get your salary and go shopping."
Fang Jianmei looked at her sadly, "Still shopping? There's nothing good to see except the Friendship Mall, and you can't get in without overseas remittance coupons. It's my only hobby, and it's inconvenient to go out to the city. There are always cars full of military wives, and if you buy too much, there will be gossip and people staring at you everywhere. I don't even like going out anymore."
Lin Lishan laughed heartily. "You deserve it, you're so cocky. I just went to the Friendship Mall. They have a pretty good selection, but they don't have many tickets. Is there any way to get some? I want to save some for Jiaojiao so she can buy something too. The quality and prices at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative are unmatched."
"You don't need to look for anyone else for Overseas Remittance Vouchers. I still have 200 yuan in Overseas Remittance Merchandise Vouchers, and I don't have any more. Do you want the other vouchers? We're not leaving tomorrow, are we? Let's go to the city together and see if there's anything we can buy."
Lin Lishan nodded happily. Now her Jiaojiao no longer needed tickets. "Okay, that's very nice! I have time tomorrow morning, and I have to go back to accompany my Jiaojiao in the afternoon. I'll drive, and we'll go early tomorrow morning. You should bring the other tickets tomorrow as well. I haven't been to the supply and marketing cooperative yet, so I'll see if there are any good ones tomorrow. If there really aren't any, I'll send them back when I get back. If you see anything you need that you can't find, write to me and send it to you."
Fang Jianmei thought about it and realized she didn't need anything right now. "No need to mail it, it's too much trouble. If you really need anything, just ask my eldest sister. She's at the Beijing Department Store, haven't you forgotten? I'll give you all the tickets I have. You won't need them anyway, and the child's father will give them to his comrades later. My eldest sister often sends packages to me, and I'm too lazy to go to the city."
Lin Lishan did not postpone after hearing this, as the girls in the art troupe had never lacked any tickets except cloth coupons.
"Please help me find out if there are any new military bags in the regiment. Give me a few and I'll give them away. They're rare gifts. You don't know, my Jiaojiao won't let me buy anything, saying she wants to be low-key. That little girl won't let me buy anything, and always says that I have the air of a nouveau riche. This remittance voucher is the one I sent her before, so why hide it if you don't need it? I plan to give these military bags to my nephews. If I buy them new school bags, they'll probably be distressed."
Fang Jianmei laughed heartily and jokingly said, "There's always a way out. How did someone as extravagant as you give birth to such a frugal daughter? I really envy you for having a daughter; girls are well-behaved, sensible, and thoughtful. My eldest son is already 15, and he only knows how to use nice things. A few days ago, his father said he wanted to train him in the army. There should be a military bag. I'll go check out the regiment tomorrow morning and come back to find you."
Lin Lishan nodded and made an appointment to wait for her at the guesthouse tomorrow.
Fang Jianmei recalled her elder sister's request and whispered, "Last time, the old leader said he was going to retire. Are you sure you want to go up there?"
Lin Lishan nodded. This time, she was able to stay a few more days. It was only after the transfer documents came in that she had time to come out. Otherwise, it would have been her fault if she didn't have a deputy. Now it's all good. With the deputy promoted, she doesn't have to work so hard.
Fang Jianmei mentioned her eldest sister's daughter. She had originally agreed to work at a department store this year, but then Fang Jianmei decided it wouldn't be a good influence to leave her under her wing. The girl was quite sensible, though a bit dull and silly. Her sister was worried about leaving her out in the field, so she finally secured a spot in the art troupe next year and wanted Lin Lishan to look after her.
Lin Lishan nodded in agreement without a word. These were trivial matters to her. She just needed to keep an eye on the child and give him some advice. Fang Jianmei was simply attracted by her status; with her around, no one would bully the child.
To others, her position as a group leader was considered quite valuable, but unfortunately, her daughter Jiaojiao had no such ambitions. She wasn't worried about her daughter and son-in-law at all. If they really couldn't get into university, wouldn't it be hard for them to find two jobs in Beijing? Her family wasn't short of money anyway, so her daughter Jiaojiao could live however she wanted, and she'd wait for her father to come back.
Seeing that her niece didn't mention Xiaofei, Lin Lishan asked her curiously, "Have you seen Xiaofei? He came here with my dad."
Fang Jianmei really didn't know. It was strange that she hadn't heard about it. "I really didn't know he was coming. I just heard that your old man brought his grandson-in-law here. I guess he can't leave now. If he doesn't come tonight, he should be able to see him tomorrow. It's just right that I can go buy something with you tomorrow to bring back for him."
"Your old lady is still anxious to help him find a partner. You should also help look for one. Xiaofei is already 24 years old, it's time for him to find one. If he doesn't get married, it won't be easy for his younger brothers to get married sooner."
Fang Jianmei looked at her with amusement. "My mom is just making a fuss. I guess Xiaofei has someone he likes, but he's probably too unsure to speak up. Don't you think about the fact that over the years, besides the girls in your family, he has only spoken to a few other girls?"
Lin Lishan looked at her in shock. After a moment's thought, she still couldn't guess which one it was. "So who do you think he's interested in? I haven't seen Xiaofei much. He's not home for a year. I only know that he and Shengli have a close relationship. Our family doesn't know anything about this. Jiaojiao got married, and my mom even mentioned why the others in our family haven't started families yet."
Fang Jianmei shook her head. "Everyone is busy with work, so who would pay special attention to him? I just noticed that he didn't say a word to any other girl in the compound except your girl. Ignore him, because the fox's tail will always show. This kid is very cunning. If I ask him, he will definitely play dumb. Who knows what he is thinking. That's why I said my mother is making a fuss. His mother is not in a hurry."
"It's better for them to resolve their relationship issues on their own. If they choose the wrong pair, it will be awkward for both of them. I think the ones in my family are not easy to deal with either. I'll just play dumb and wait until I get back to Beijing to see."
"Okay, if you find out, remember to write to tell me. If this bastard falls into my hands, I'll see how I'll deal with him." Fang Jianmei rubbed her hands and laughed.
"Okay, I'll tell you when I know. It's getting late. I'll wait for you at the guesthouse tomorrow. You go to the group to make arrangements and we'll set off." Lin Lishan stood up and stretched.
Fang Jianmei hurriedly pulled her aside, "You haven't got your ticket yet, why are you in such a hurry? Eat something first."
Lin Lishan shook her head repeatedly, "No, I've already eaten. If I eat more, it will be difficult to digest. Let's talk about those tickets tomorrow. I'm exhausted these past few days. I'll go back to bed early."
After saying that, Lin Lishan called out Xizi. Seeing Xizi and Fang Jianmei's youngest son, they both came out, their heads touching and whispering to each other, seemingly getting along well. Fang Jianmei's youngest son kept putting things into Xizi's hands, and Xizi kept pushing them away. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a bullet-shaped car. She looked at Xizi, knowing the child liked it. Without saying anything, she watched Xizi's reaction.
Xizi looked at Lin Lishan eagerly, "Grandma, my brother said he wanted to give this to me, but he forced it on me even though I refused. What should I do?"
Lin Lishan smiled and patted their heads. "It's okay, take it. He's your uncle Xiaofei's cousin. Oh, the generations are so messed up. Xiao Meihua, remember to take your son and this child out together tomorrow so they can keep each other company."
"Okay, tomorrow both my mother and I will take half a day off to spend time with you. I'll see you out the door and tell Xiaofei that there won't be anyone home tomorrow morning, so please say hello to the old man for me."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
