Chapter 9: Women Are Just as Good as Men

When I woke up in the morning, the small kitchen was filled with steam.

In the military compound, soldiers would deliver vegetables early in the morning. Hang Jingshu would also go to the nearby farmers' market to buy vegetables, but usually after breakfast.

The military canteen had chicken broth and tofu pudding today. Hang Jingshu warmed it up in a steamer after buying it. He also made a pot of hot soy milk and would make salted soy milk for Grandma Yan later.

What is baked on the pan is scallion cake, which is a rare flavor that both the old couple like. The freshly kneaded dough is soft and chewy, and you can taste the scallion fragrance when you bite it.

Hang Jingshu usually had corn porridge and bread, or leftover rice for breakfast at home. There was no breakfast shop on the mountain, so what he ate at home was very casual.

But things were different when we arrived at the military compound. Grandpa Yan and Grandma Yan both got up early, as the morning was the most important part of the day.

On the first day that Hang Jingshu came here, he got up early and planned to make breakfast, but was stopped by Grandma Yan: "Xiao Ni is still growing, it's not good to get up too early. There is a canteen in the compound, just buy something."

Since then, Hang Jingshu has developed the habit of walking around the military canteen every morning, which allows him to exercise while walking.

The old couple were satisfied with the delicious food, and Hang Jingshu and the nanny Yu Lihong, who was younger than him, could also eat their favorite dishes.

For example, soy milk. Hang Jingshu and Yu Lihong both like sweet soy milk, and it is perfect with a scallion cake or yesterday's leftovers.

The lunch is usually quite rich. The old couple have slightly different tastes, but they can find common ground while reserving differences. Hang Jingshu makes it with careful consideration, and so far there hasn't been any major mistakes.

Ten days later, Hang Jingshu went home to send his brother Hang Chenggang to the station. The Hang family was pleasantly surprised to find that their little girl not only did not lose weight from working as a nanny, but even gained some weight and whiter color.

Wang Silan watched her daughter wiping away tears, sent Hang Chenggang away, and then took Hang Jingshu to tell him, "You work hard there, and I'll go see you when you can rest in the afternoon."

The eldest and second daughters were married, and the son and the daughter-in-law all had their own futures. Wang Silan suddenly felt that the house was empty, and naturally she was reluctant to leave Hang Jingshu.

Hang Jingshu was quite amused and had to comfort Wang Silan.

When this man gets old, he likes to show off when he gets something new.

After sending his brother back to Yan's house, Hang Jingshu saw a few old men sitting in the living room.

They all looked energetic and looked at Hang Jingshu with shining eyes.

"Grandpa Yan, Grandma Yan, this is..." Hang Jingshu felt a little uncomfortable with the look, as if he was the meat bun being targeted by Da Huang at home.

"That Xiao Hang," Grandpa Yan cleared his throat and spoke to Hang Jingshu, "We old comrades all came here together, and now we love to eat the food in our hometown."

Hang Jingshu blinked to show that he was listening.

"We were thinking of having a get-together at the end of the month, and you can be the chef, is that okay?" Hang Jingshu felt relieved, as he had thought it was no big deal.

"Of course there's no problem with that," the little girl said with a smile, looking well-behaved and cute. She softened her heart when she saw the group of veteran leaders, all of whom had fought through fire and water, and their love for the younger generation was almost engraved in their bones.

Seeing that Hang Jingshu agreed, the remaining old men started to order dishes, such as fried tofu, pork belly, and stir-fried kidney, which are all classic Shandong dishes.

There were also braised meat, four-happiness meatballs, fish stewed with mustard and even noodle soup at the end, all of which Hang Jingshu could make or had seen making.

In the end, everyone took out red envelopes, but Hang Jingshu refused to accept them.

Grandpa Yan's eyes were gentle and his face was serious: "Gifts from elders cannot be refused. Besides, these old guys are rich, so just take it!"

Hang Jingshu felt the thickness of the red envelope and was secretly shocked.

It is a pity to accept a reward from someone, especially since the red envelope is quite substantial. Hang Jingshu will certainly not treat these old warriors badly.

I brewed two pots of good tea, and had some puff pastry snacks I bought earlier, paired with the big peaches that are in season, for a perfect afternoon tea.

During the chat, Hang Jingshu found that these elderly people had more or less disabilities. One was missing his calf, one was missing his left arm, and two of the other's fingers were blurred.

But his spirit is just as good as that of Grandpa Yan.

When talking about their early years of participating in the revolution, they were even more excited. Hang Jingshu came back in the afternoon, and there was no rush at this time, so he simply moved a small stool and listened to these people talk.

When the old guys talk to the younger generation, they are always criticized.

It's a rare opportunity to meet a well-behaved, obedient little girl who loves to listen to stories, and she can't stop talking.

When talking about today's big leaders, he can also make complaints very well.

Amidst the laughter and joy, Hang Jingshu noticed Grandma Yan who had been very quiet.

"Lao Yan, it's going to rain in two days. The shrapnel in your body must be uncomfortable again!" Old man Zhou joked with a frown.

"Hey, your legs are more useful than the weather forecast!" Faced with the teasing, Grandpa Yan retorted without giving in.

A group of old warriors, the afternoon time seemed to have returned to their youth.

As they talked and laughed, the topic gradually turned to Grandma Yan.

"Mingzhi was a heroine in her early years who was as brave as any man. My arm would be useless without you!" Grandpa Chen clasped his fists towards Grandma Yan, "Thanks to our great Doctor Shen!"

Amid the conversation and laughter of the crowd, Hang Jingshu pieced together the memories of Grandma Yan's youth.

He went abroad to study in a wealthy family, and after returning, he fought on the front line as a military doctor.

Shen Mingzhi, what a beautiful name.

Grandma Yan's expression was gentle. "Why are you talking about all this fighting and killing? Now that the national policy is good, we old bones can have a leisurely life. Otherwise, we wouldn't even have meat or meat scraps to eat."

A group of people laughed, "Our military doctor Shen's temper hasn't changed!"

The atmosphere was quiet for a few moments, and Grandpa Zhou seemed to remember something and spoke: "Mingzhi, transportation is well developed now, why don't you go back and take a look?"

Hang Jingshu also followed everyone's gaze and looked at Grandma Yan.

She still took a sip of tea slowly before speaking: "There's no one at home, nothing to see."

Grandpa Zhou also knew that he had mentioned something he shouldn't have, and he slapped his thigh repeatedly, "I am the one who offended you, I am the one who offended you!"

Grandma Yan looked calm and said, "When there is sports, people will sacrifice their lives. We are all comrades-in-arms, so don't mind."

At this point, Grandpa Chen sighed and said, "Yes, your two brothers were among the first batch of pilots, and even your two sisters have participated in flying. You are really a family full of loyal and brave people!"

Grandma Yan's eyes flickered slightly, as if she had thought of something, and she said in a low voice: "It's been too long, I can't remember their faces anymore."

At that time, it was not just ordinary people who took up arms. Also at the forefront were returned overseas Chinese and children of prominent families, who were full of passion and only wanted to defend their motherland.

Hang Jingshu's eyes turned slightly red, and he felt that his decision to become a nanny was the right one. Being around this group of positive people, one would naturally look up and move forward.

The dark past is like a passing cloud, and we stride forward into a bright and glorious future.