After dropping the kids off, Zhou Jiao took her sons on a different route home, passing by a playground. It was, well, just a few ping-pong tables and a basketball stand not far away.
In addition to playing table tennis, basketball is also a popular entertainment activity in the army. On the one hand, it exercises physical fitness, and on the other hand, it can cultivate team spirit and collective sense of honor.
Of course, the more negative side of it is that it also serves as a form of venting.
Not to mention this cool and refreshing autumn night, even on the hot summer nights just past, there would always be a lot of people gathering here.
It was the same at this moment. There were many people inside and outside that area, and the shouting and playing sounds could be heard from a long distance away.
"Dabao, do you want to show off your skills?"
Ping An was troubled by his mother's recent nickname change. He was a grown man, and he was still called Dabao? But compared to a so-called baby, he was indeed much "grown up."
"Not interested."
Zhou Jiao looked at Liuyi.
Frightened, Liuyi quickly said, "Don't call Erbao."
Suddenly, the mother and her two daughters burst into laughter. Does this count as jumping into a pit?
Liuyi turned his head away speechlessly. His wickedness had been flaring up lately. What on earth had triggered him? Luckily, he never played around in front of outsiders.
Otherwise, just thinking about his buddies calling him "Erbao" all the time would make him cry. How could it be worthy of his image as a mighty and domineering man?
Wuyi stopped laughing and complained quietly, "Mom, he's out now, and people call him Sixth Brother."
"What about you, Fifth Brother? What's your dad going to do?" Zhou Jiao looked at him amusedly. He was still called Sixth Brother? It seemed like her children were having a great time out there.
"So I'm worried. I can't let people call me Fifth Brother, otherwise I'll always feel like someone is calling me Dad. But what kind of title is worthy of me?"
Ping An patted his forehead and said, "Stop talking nonsense. Sixth Brother? Be careful or Liuyi will get angry with you."
While Liuyi rolled his eyes at Wuyi, "Third Master, that's enough."
It's over, it's over, everything is exposed. Wuyi stamped his feet and smiled at Zhou Jiao ingratiatingly, "Mom, we were just yelling for fun."
Zhou Jiao smiled and said, "Then is your eldest brother the eldest young master?"
"Ah? You know everything."
Seeing her silly son startled, Zhou Jiao reached out and touched his head, smiling, "It's quite interesting. It's okay to play around, but you three brothers just need to be careful when interacting with outsiders."
Ping An nodded, "Mom, we know."
Some topics are not suitable to be discussed outside. Besides, the children are grown up and should have their own world. She is not worried that the children will suffer.
But I can't help feeling a little regretful.
It’s so bad that my son has grown up!
Looking at my sons growing up, especially seeing the tall Ping'an, I really miss the good times when I could hold the little one in my arms and drive around on a sidecar.
Unlike the secluded path just now, after leaving the stadium, we met quite a few pedestrians on the way back, and from time to time we could see groups of military families chatting with their children.
Ping An watched his mother chatting with others with a smile in his eyes. His mother often urged the three of them to learn from their father's diplomatic ways and considerate manners in dealing with people. In his opinion, she was also very good at dealing with people.
In my memory, my mother was always gentle on the outside but strong on the inside, decisive and never dragging her feet, and she approached people with three parts kindness and seven parts suspicion...
He wants to be such a person.
On the way to Cheng's house, Zhou Jiao stopped for a moment when she saw the light shining through. "Let's go see Grandma, okay?"
Ping'an had no objection. Seeing that his younger brothers were already running towards the gate, he followed his mother into the Cheng family.
Soon, the Cheng family's uncle and aunt will be transferred back. The old people will not be lonely with a grandson, but the three brothers will no longer be able to come and go freely.
Liuyi took Wuyi's hand and ran to the door. The two brothers pushed open the gate, immediately slowed down, smiled at each other, and walked into the yard.
Wuyi shouted: "Grandma, have you rested yet?"
Aunt Cheng came out of the kitchen upon hearing the noise, waved her hand and walked quickly forward, "It's okay to be louder, the old lady and the others are still resting in the living room."
"Any guests?"
"No, it's just the chief and the others playing chess."
Hearing the sound approaching, Old Cheng stopped and said with a smile, "How about a draw?"
Old Mrs. Cheng looked up at him in confusion, "You're almost winning..." Before she finished speaking, she heard a sound at the door. She turned her head and smiled, "Who is this?"
"Hello, great-grandma and great-grandpa." The two brothers greeted in unison and ran to the coffee table.
Wuyi glanced at the chessboard and said, "Grandma, she's playing chess."
"That's right. Playing chess regularly as you get older can help prevent Alzheimer's disease." Old Mrs. Cheng smiled and waved. "Why did you two come here? Have you told your family?"
Liuyi pointed outside and said, "My mom and my brother are in the back."
Wuyi then said, "Uncle Yi brought his son to my house. My mother was worried that his family would be worried about sending the baby home if he was late. When she came back, she happened to see the light on in your room."
Mr. Cheng looked at him with amusement. His explanation was clear enough. He glanced at the alarm clock in the living room. He guessed that the children hadn't had their midnight snack yet, so Auntie gestured for some fruit and snacks to be brought over.
When Ping An came in a little late, Old Cheng didn't wait for him to say hello. He pointed to the sofa beside him and said with a smile: "Our Ping An has become a handsome young man."
The more Mrs. Cheng looked at him, the more she liked him. She was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. "A few days ago, my old sisters were saying that all the handsome men in Beijing had gone to the Zhou family."
Seeing his wife happy, Mr. Cheng joked, "There should be more than that. Are there any girls you want to stuff into their house?"
"Need I say more? Even when we're so young, people still care about us. Hahahaha... Fortunately, marriages arranged by parents and matchmakers are not so popular nowadays.
When it comes to marrying a daughter-in-law, Jiaojiao must carefully screen her. As the saying goes, a good wife brings less trouble to her husband, and a filial son brings peace to his father. A good daughter-in-law is so important to a family."
Old Lady Cheng had one more thing she hadn't said. Especially the three brothers, Ping An and the others, had to be more careful in choosing their future partners. They didn't want a Zhou family daughter-in-law to look down on the Zhang family and cause a joke.
After being teased for a long time, Ping'an no longer looked confused. He calmly took the fruit plate handed to him by the aunt and said thank you.
Old Cheng was secretly impressed. This child, trained by his grandfather and father, was far superior to his peers and had a bright future.
He looked at the delicate twins again and sighed to himself: If Brother Jinyu were still alive, he would be so happy to see such outstanding descendants.
"Why didn't you go to the military camp this summer?"
Ping An was startled when he heard this, but he quickly reacted and said with a smile, "Some time ago, either my grandpa was on a business trip or my parents were working overtime, so there was a lot going on."
Mr. Cheng asked with great interest, "Have you decided on your future path?"
Ping An shook his head. "It's too early to bring it up now. I want to think it over carefully in the next few years."
Mr. Cheng nodded slightly in approval.
The situation is unstable now, so it is right to have this consideration.
What is rare is that in addition to training in the army, this child has never given up practicing martial arts for ten years, regardless of the scorching sun or the biting cold wind.
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