Three adorable little ones sat in a row in the spacious living room, their chubby little faces and big eyes fixed intently on the TV, not blinking an eye. They were incredibly focused.
Old Ma and Aunt Ma exchanged a glance, then looked away without speaking, but they couldn't help but smile and their eyes crinkled. It was rare for these three children to sit so quietly for a while.
Then, while watching TV, I kept an eye on the three little ones.
The National Day military parade was playing on TV. Watching one formation after another pass by, but still not seeing the person they wanted to see, the little girl couldn't help but speak up first: "Grandpa Ma, why haven't I seen Daddy yet? Didn't you say Daddy went to the National Day parade? Where is he? I haven't seen him for two or three months. Mommy is so busy too! Grandpa is too, Great-Grandpa is too. Why are all the adults in our family so busy on National Day? I want to call Daddy and Mommy. To tell them that their little darling misses them. Don't they know that their little ones miss their parents?" She finished speaking, her little mouth pouting, her face full of grievance, her eyes revealing obvious longing. This quiet, childlike lament, though not a cry, touched the hearts of the two elderly people.
Before Old Ma could answer her question, one of the baby boys spoke up: "Sweet Orange, look carefully, you'll see Daddy soon." As he spoke, the boy took a filled candy from the coffee table in front of him, unwrapped it, and put it into the girl's mouth.
"Really? Brother?" Little Orange asked.
The eldest brother, Jing Huai, said with certainty, "Really, if you look closely, you'll definitely see it."
At this moment, his younger brother Jingren also said, "Look! The army contingent is about to arrive!"
With candy in her mouth and after listening to her older and younger brothers, Little Orange sat obediently and continued watching TV.
The two boys secretly glanced at each other from behind and breathed a sigh of relief. They were afraid that their little sister (older sister) would cry. She rarely cried, and when she did, she was very difficult to comfort. Then, the two of them stared intently at the TV, their eyes filled with anticipation no less than that of Little Orange.
Sure enough, the army contingent appeared on the television. Wu Sicheng stood in the jeep leading the army contingent, solemnly saluting.
The TV presenter announced, "Now marching toward us is our army contingent, led by our young Major General Wu Sicheng."
"It's Dad!"
"It's Dad!"
"It's Dad!"
The three children exclaimed in surprise at the same time, stood up, and their joyful mood filled every corner of the room. It also infected Old Ma and Aunt Ma, who were watching intently.
"Yay! I see Dad!"
"Dad is so handsome!"
"When I grow up, I want to be like my dad!"
The children cheered.
Before I could even get my fill of watching, Dad had already disappeared from the TV screen.
They sat back down in their seats, somewhat dejected. Old Ma comforted them, "Don't be discouraged. You'll see your father soon after the National Day parade."
"Where's Mommy?" Little Orange blinked her expectant eyes at Old Horse.
Jinghuai and Jingren also looked expectantly at Old Ma.
Old Ma felt immense pressure. After thinking for a moment, he said very seriously, "Your fathers are busy protecting the country and your mothers are busy earning money to support the family. But they both love you very much, don't they?"
The three little ones thought about it seriously for a moment, and then nodded in unison.
Old Ma continued, "When your parents left, did they say that they would come home as soon as they finished their work?"
This time, the three little ones didn't hesitate and nodded quickly in unison.
Old Ma continued, "Dad will be back soon, so Mom can't be far behind, right?"
This time, the three little ones looked at each other, and then the youngest, Xiao Bao Jingren, said, "Grandpa Ma, is what you said true?"
Old Ma said firmly, "Of course, when has Grandpa Ma ever lied to our lovely Jinghuai, Tiancheng, and Jingren?"
The three little ones hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Seeing their reactions, Old Ma said somewhat dramatically, "Grandpa Ma is so sad! Don't you little ones believe Grandpa Ma anymore?"
The three looked at each other again, and finally looked at the eldest, Jingren, who said with some helplessness, "Grandpa Ma, it's not that we don't believe you, we just want to know when Mom and Dad will be back?"
Old Ma's expression immediately changed, and he said, "Oh! That's good. I'll tell you as soon as I know the exact time, okay? Now, if you don't want to watch TV anymore, go outside and play!"
The three little ones left the living room one after the other and headed straight for the backyard.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, Tiancheng went straight for the swing, while Jingren and Jinghuai went straight for the seesaw.
Old Ma and Aunt Ma each looked after the three children separately.
As Little Orange swung on the swing, she made plans. "When Dad comes back, I'm going to go back to the military area with him for a few days. Ai Hua's big black dog is going to have puppies, and he promised to give me one. I have to pick the prettiest one, otherwise, I'm afraid Mom won't let me keep it. Sigh—" Finally, she let out a long sigh.
Jingren mercilessly exposed her, saying, "Are you sure the big black dog from the Aihua family isn't ugly? It's hideous, okay?"
Little Orange said uncertainly, "It's ugly, but its babies might not be ugly either! What if they're beautiful little ones?"
Jingren rolled his eyes, his face full of disapproval. Jinghuai said, "Why don't we just have Mom find one? You idiot! If Mom brings one back, we'll definitely raise it."
Little Orange muttered softly, "Actually, I just want one that's like a gust of wind and lightning." Her words were carried away by the wind from the swing, but Old Horse, who was always watching her, saw them and silently remembered them.
Wu Sicheng arrived home a few days later. As soon as he entered the yard, he saw his three little ones playing wildly, one of them covered in sweat, chasing each other.
The children were having a great time and didn't notice that there was another person in the yard. Old Ma saw him but didn't say anything. He just watched silently, waiting for the children to notice on their own. This was a unique moment of communication between the father and his sons.
The children ran around for a bit and then saw their father standing there smiling at them. They stopped playing and ran towards Wu Sicheng, shouting, "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"
Wu Sicheng squatted down and opened his arms to welcome his little babies.
She ran towards her father's arms, filled with affection and joy.
"Kids, do you miss Daddy?"
The three children, like fledglings returning to their nest, nestled in Wu Sicheng's arms and exclaimed in unison, "We missed you!"
Wu Sicheng kissed each person on the cheek, and in return, each little one gave him a sweet kiss. His face was filled with indescribable satisfaction and relaxation.
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