Chapter 36 Are you willing to go with the army?
The photo studio isn't far away; it's about a ten-minute walk.
We agreed yesterday afternoon to take photos today, and Cheng Cheng was well-prepared.
She wore a white cotton shirt and army green pants. Her long, beautiful black hair was parted in two and braided into two pigtails, hanging down in front of her chest.
In this era, it was a very common style of dress and makeup. Eight out of ten girls on the street dressed like this, with two braids.
Such an ordinary outfit looks exceptionally flattering and stylish on Cheng Cheng.
She was tall and slender with a well-proportioned figure, possessing all the right curves, fair and radiant skin, and jet-black, lustrous hair.
Her eyebrows were exceptionally beautiful, a light bluish-black, with a relaxed shape, like distant mountains after a rain shower, hazy yet carrying a touch of cool poetry. Her already stunning face gained an added classical elegance.
Everything is just right; any more would be overly flamboyant, any less would be plain and bland.
Cheng Cheng felt that what looks commonplace now might seem ordinary now, but if you take photos and record them, you'll think, "Wow, so retro! So beautiful!" when you look back at them later.
So she made Zhou Yue wear the same clothes as her: a white shirt on top and black trousers on the bottom. Men are walking clothes hangers, and he made such a simple outfit look like a runway show.
Cheng Cheng was extremely satisfied. Walking beside the man, she would glance at him every now and then. Hey, what a pleasing sight!
They were dressed simply, but luckily their good looks and charisma saved the day. However, when it came to Xiaoxiao, Cheng Cheng paid more attention.
I pulled out a red Chinese-style jacket that Grandma made for my little Xiaoxiao from the closet. It had a diagonal placket and Chinese knot buttons, paired with black rolled-up trousers. The little guy looked just like a New Year's picture doll in it, so pretty!
With two cute pigtails, she tied two bows with a red hairband to the little one. Her little face was delicate and adorable. Her baby was the cutest!
Taking a family photo of the three of them was fine; they only changed three poses. In one photo, Xiaoxiao was standing in the middle, with her and Zhou Yue holding Xiaoxiao's hand; in another, she was sitting on a bench, holding Xiaoxiao in her arms, with Zhou Yue standing behind her, his left hand on her shoulder; and in yet another, she and Zhou Yue were standing very close, shoulder to shoulder, with Xiaoxiao in Zhou Yue's arms.
Then I took two separate photos of Xiaoxiao. In one photo, the little guy is sitting on a small wooden horse, his bright black eyes curving into two little crescents, and his two little dimples also appearing, making him look very cheerful.
One photo shows Xiaoxiao playing with a ball, bending down and reaching out to pat it; it was taken by the old man.
Cheng Cheng thought it was over and was about to tell the photographer how many copies of each photo to print when Zhou Yue suddenly spoke up: "Cheng, let's take a couple of photos too."
He paused, then glanced at his wife, "Make up for the wedding photos."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Cheng subconsciously looked up at Zhou Yue, a flash of surprise crossing her eyes, before replying, "Okay."
"Men and women should get closer, yes, smile."
Cheng Cheng put on her best performance, managing her expressions perfectly. Hearing the old master's words, she turned her head to glance at the man beside her, wondering how the final product would turn out.
She and Zhou Yue took two photos. One photo shows them standing together, looking in the direction of the master craftsman. The other photo shows them sitting upright on a bench, also facing the direction of the master craftsman.
There weren't many fancy tricks; the shoot was completed simply.
Cheng Cheng agreed with the photographer how many copies of each type of photo she wanted to have printed. The photographer asked her if she could keep a family photo so he could put it on the glass window outside the photo studio, and he would print an extra copy for them for free.
Cheng Cheng refused the master craftsman without much hesitation.
She wouldn't put her photos in a shop window for passersby to look at and comment on her hobby; she wouldn't do that for money!
Zhou Yue shared the same opinion as her and disagreed with this.
The master craftsman, though somewhat disappointed that the couple had refused, respected their wishes and said, "Come back in five days to pick it up."
It was only a little past ten o'clock when they came out of the photo studio. Since it was still early, Cheng Cheng suggested going to the post office to call her grandparents.
Zhou Yue: "Okay."
He hasn't told his grandparents yet that he's back from his family visit leave.
Zhou Yue picked up his daughter and followed his wife to the post office.
Zhou Yue made the call. Cheng Cheng didn't remember her grandparents' phone number, but she knew the address of the package they sent and that they had definitely left their contact information, but she didn't know where it was.
"Grandma, I'll have Ah Cheng and Xiao Xiao tell you."
Zhou Yue explained that he had returned from his family visit leave, then stepped aside and handed the phone to his wife.
Cheng Cheng held the phone receiver to her ear and called out in a clear voice, "Grandma."
An old man's happy voice came from the other end of the line, "Hey, Cheng, you've worked so hard these past few years. Yue is back. If you need anything, just tell him to do it. Let him serve you tea and water, do your laundry and cook for you."
Qin Youyi paused for a moment, thought for a moment, and seemed to realize something was wrong. She smiled and said, "A-Yue can do the laundry, but he probably can't cook. It's okay, A-Cheng, just tell him to do it. Just teach him verbally, and let A-Yue do all the work."
Cheng Cheng chuckled upon hearing this, her voice immediately becoming softer and gentler, with a hint of coquettishness: "Okay, okay, Grandma, I know~"
"I will definitely listen to you and have A-Yue serve me tea and water, do my laundry and massage my shoulders, sweep the floor and wash the dishes."
As Cheng Cheng spoke, she glanced at the man, her smile unconsciously softening and revealing a hint of cunning.
Zhou Yue watched quietly from the side, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. He could guess that his grandmother might say these things to his wife, but his wife deliberately said them, looking at him leisurely as she spoke.
He looked at his wife and nodded slightly, indicating that he hadn't done enough and needed to keep trying.
"Xiaoxiao, say hello to your great-grandmother."
Cheng Cheng beckoned the little girl over and put the phone receiver to her ear.
It was Xiao Lingxiao's first time making a phone call. His eyes were full of curiosity as he tentatively began in a low voice, "Hello, Great-Grandma~"
When Qin Youyi's kind and gentle voice came from the other end, the little girl's eyes lit up instantly, widening like two big, shiny black grapes. Her little mouth opened into a round "O" as she looked up at her mother.
"Mom, does Great-Grandma live inside the phone?"
"No, we'll explain that later."
"Phone calls are expensive," Cheng Cheng said in a low voice. "If you want to say something to your great-grandparents, just speak into the phone. They can hear you."
Little Lingxiao nodded understandingly, took the phone receiver himself, and, like a little adult, instructed, "Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma, you must eat well and not be picky eaters, okay? Mom, Dad, and I will miss you~"
Hearing his daughter's childish words, Zhou Yue smiled and patted her head.
After hanging up the phone, Cheng Cheng paid the bill.
The call lasted seven and a half minutes, costing 30 cents per minute, for a total of 2.25 yuan. It doesn't sound like much, but the little guy's favorite cream popsicles cost 5 cents each, meaning they could buy 45 cream popsicles.
"Mom, can we tell you now why Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa live on the phone?"
Why can't we see them?
"Mom, didn't you and Dad say that Great-Grandpa, Great-Grandma, and Aunt live in the capital?"
"Baby, are you a walking encyclopedia of questions?" Cheng Cheng chuckled, pinching the little girl's chubby cheeks before scooping her up and placing her in the man's arms. "Ask your dad!"
Zhou Yue instinctively hugged his daughter tighter, and seeing the avoidance look on his wife's face, he curled the corners of his lips into a smile.
Little Lingxiao was placed in his father's arms by his mother. He wasn't scared at all. He hugged his father's neck tightly with his little hands and turned around to look at his mother.
Looking puzzled, she asked, "Mom, I didn't ask a million questions!"
The little girl held up three fingers. "Xiaoxiao only asked three questions!"
She's really good at math. Mom, don't think she's a little kid and doesn't know anything. There are so many "whys" in the math. Right now, she can only count from one to one hundred.
Cheng Cheng hesitated for a moment, but ultimately kept quiet.
He glared at Zhou Yue, who was watching the commotion from the sidelines, and thought to himself: Ha, laugh all you want. Wait a few more days with the child and you won't be laughing anymore. You'll know how difficult your daughter is!
Receiving a sharp look from his wife, Zhou Yue readily shifted his daughter's attention, "What Xiaoxiao wants to ask is, why are we able to talk to our great-grandparents from a very, very far place?"
"That's right!"
Daddy is amazing! That's exactly what she wanted to ask!
The man was very patient, carrying his daughter as he walked and explained things to her, from the principles of electricity and its discovery to the invention of the telephone and signal transmission, using simple and easy-to-understand analogies.
Although Cheng Cheng was walking ahead, the man's voice reached her ears without missing a single word.
With her hands behind her back, she occasionally tilted her head to look at the father and daughter behind her, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up.
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They arrived early; there weren't many people in the state-run restaurant yet.
Cheng Cheng chose a window seat for ventilation and cooling. Her older sister's family hadn't arrived yet, so she told the waiter she wanted a roast duck. She would let her older sister's family order the rest of the dishes when they arrived.
She promised to fulfill their wishes, and she certainly wouldn't break her word; she's a trustworthy aunt!
"Have some water."
Cheng Cheng asked the waiter for a teapot, poured two glasses of water for Zhou Yue and Xiao Xiao, and then poured one for herself.
Zhou Yue was still explaining to his daughter, from the phone call to the light bulbs they were using, and the camera the photographer used to take their picture at the photo studio that day.
Little Lingxiao is a total curious child. His little head is full of questions. He is curious about everything and insists on understanding it.
In the past, when she asked her mother questions, her mother would answer them, but unlike her father, who knew everything, her mother would honestly tell her that there were some things she didn't know either. Her mother would tell her to write down the questions, write a letter to ask her father, or wait until she grew up to find out.
But not anymore, Daddy's back. Daddy's so smart, and he knows so much. She can ask Daddy questions now.
The little girl is now like Mickey Mouse who has fallen into a rice jar, immersed in the ocean of knowledge, exploring endlessly.
When the eldest sister's family arrived, Zhou Yue was telling Xiaoxiao about the history of Peking duck, and he was talking about Beijing Peking duck.
"Uncle, is Peking duck delicious? Is it better than the Peking duck at the state-run restaurants?"
Niu Niu, as if they were old friends, squeezed next to his uncle, tilted his head back, and stared intently at his uncle. The fervor in his eyes for Peking duck was probably even greater than the curiosity he felt when he first met his uncle!
"All you ever do is eat!"
"Yan Jianhua, look at your son! All he ever thinks about is food!"
Cheng Ping glared at her son, then at her husband.
Yan Jianhua smiled helplessly, nodded to his brother-in-law, and beckoned his son over.
"Sis, don't be too harsh on Niu Niu."
"Come on, Da Ni and Er Ni, sit down. Tell your aunt what you want to eat. Order whatever you like today, we'll do whatever you say."
The two girls were a little reserved, but upon hearing their aunt's words, they couldn't help but become excited and nodded happily, greeting, "Hello, Uncle!"
After introducing themselves, Cheng Cheng handed the menu to the four children and let them decide what to eat for lunch. She only ordered a roast duck.
Little Lingxiao got down from his father's arms and huddled together with his older brothers and sisters to look at the menu.
Four little heads huddled together, discussing what to eat. One said she wanted to eat pounded chili and preserved egg, while another said she wanted to eat steamed pork with sweet potato starch. They chattered and argued.
Cheng Ping was worried that the children wouldn't know what to do, so she only allowed them to order three dishes and told them to decide for themselves; anything more was not allowed.
Cheng Cheng poured water for her sister and brother-in-law, and then heard her sister ask, "Brother-in-law, how long are you staying this time? When are you leaving? How long of your leave have you taken?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yue turned his gaze away from his daughter and looked at his wife's sister, replying earnestly, "The leave to visit relatives is half a month. I was delayed on the road for four days, so I can stay at home for about a week."
So, Zhou Yue will be leaving in seven days at most, and the round trip will take eight days, leaving him at home for a maximum of one week.
After saying this, Cheng Ping was silent for a few seconds, glanced at her younger sister, and then asked, "You should have received the letter that Mom asked your younger sister to write to you last time. We don't ask what you do for a living or what your company's requirements are. We don't ask any of those things."
"But there's one thing we need to know: does your unit allow family members to accompany their spouses to the military? What kind of regulations does your leadership have? How can a husband, wife, and children be separated for extended periods? What kind of logic is that?"
"sister--"
Cheng Cheng's heart tightened, and she stammered, "Sister!" She didn't dare to make any big movements, and shook her head slightly at her sister, signaling her not to say anything more.
Despite receiving her younger sister's hint, Cheng Ping remained unmoved.
Beside him, Yan Jianhua held his wife's hand under the table and squeezed it slightly, signaling her not to interfere too much.
Cheng Ping glanced at her husband and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Could she really not say anything?
She knew what her mother was thinking and had hinted at it to her, as well as the foolish things her younger sister had done in the past. Now her younger sister seemed to have become more sensible, but who knew what the future held?
Besides, my brother-in-law is leaving soon. If we don't talk about it now, when will we talk about it again? He won't be here anymore!
And then there's Xiaoxiao. When her brother-in-law comes back, look how clingy Xiaoxiao is to her father. If she, as the eldest sister, doesn't say these things, who will?
Her identity was perfect. Cheng Ping looked at him and continued to ask, "You're leaving in a few days. When will you be back next time?"
After a barrage of attacks, not only Zhou Yue, but even Cheng Cheng was almost overwhelmed by her sister's power.
Zhou Yue lowered his eyelids, then raised them again the next second, taking the blame upon himself without looking at his wife.
"Big sister, I am truly happy for Cheng that she has a sister like you who is so devoted to her."
"I also respect you from the bottom of my heart, but I'm sorry I can't answer you right now. I will definitely give you an explanation before I leave."
“Zhou Yue…”
Cheng Cheng looked incredulous. She hadn't expected that Zhou Yue, despite her sister's anger, would still take the blame and shoulder the responsibility all by himself.
Moreover, he didn't mention that she should go with the army at this time. In fact, ever since Zhou Yue came back yesterday, she knew that some things were unavoidable.
She hadn't decided yet, and seeing that Zhou Yue hadn't brought it up, she pretended not to know anything.
However, she never expected that her sister would expose this secret at this time.
The atmosphere became somewhat silent.
Yan Jianhua couldn't stop his wife, and seeing this, he quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Da Ni, have you made your choice?"
Children are very perceptive of adults' emotions and, like small animals, tend to seek advantage and avoid harm. Da Ni glanced at her mother and said, "We've made our choices. We want celery and dried tofu stir-fried with pork, sweet potato steamed pork, and stir-fried dried fish with pickled chili peppers."
Cheng Cheng tried to ease the tension by joking, "This little kid has quite a good appetite."
It's all meat and fish, all animal dishes, which shows their great love for meat!
Da Ni thought they had ordered too expensive a dish, so she glanced at her younger siblings and said, "Auntie, we don't want the dried fish."
"No! Don't worry about saving money for me, Auntie has plenty!"
Cheng Cheng waved to the waiter, handed them the menu, and asked them to bring up the roast duck she had ordered earlier.
Soon after, the roast duck was served.
"Come on, let's eat first! Eating is the most important thing!"
Cheng Cheng got up to greet them and placed the roast duck over to the children. The roast duck had been cut up and served; she picked up a piece of the shank and put it in her eldest sister's bowl.
She gave her sister a sweet smile and said, "Sister, please eat."
Cheng Ping glanced at her expressionlessly, but didn't say anything more. She forced a smile and said, "Alright, eat up."
The atmosphere at the dinner table immediately relaxed.
Half an hour later, all the plates on the table were empty, after everyone had eaten and drunk their fill.
This time, Cheng Ping asked her younger sister, "When do you plan to go back?"
This "going back" definitely refers to visiting the wife's parents' home. The brother-in-law is back, so he will definitely visit his mother-in-law and father-in-law. It's the new son-in-law's first visit, so the whole family should be there together to show how much they value him.
When that day comes, she and Jianhua will definitely take the child back with them.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Cheng was taken aback. She hadn't really thought about it either, and cautiously glanced at her sister, saying, "I'll tell you after we've discussed it and made a decision."
Cheng Ping glanced at her sister and calmly accepted it.
After leaving the state-run restaurant, the two families parted ways at the crossroads.
Zhou Yue held Xiao Xiao in his arms. The little guy was a bit sleepy, resting his chin on his father's shoulder, and was drowsy.
Cheng Cheng stepped forward and manually adjusted the little guy's sun hat to block out the glaring sunlight.
Zhou Yue lowered his head, gazed quietly at his wife, and whispered, "Acheng, would you be willing to go with me to the army?"
Zhou Yue's gaze was fixed on his wife, and a hint of tension flickered in his resolute and profound eyes.
Cheng Cheng looked up and met the man's gaze, which met his deep eyes. After a long while, she lowered her head.
Her voice was very soft, tinged with confusion and hesitation, "I don't know."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yue immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad that his wife hadn't rejected him right away; he was willing to wait for her to make up her mind.
Because of this incident, the two did not exchange another word until they got home.
When they got home, Xiaoxiao woke up.
After getting off her father, she seemed to regain her energy.
With her little legs flailing, she proactively poured water for her parents.
"Thank you, Xiaoxiao, my darling!"
"Alright, it's time for us to go to sleep!"
Cheng Cheng led the little guy to wash his hands and face.
Xiao Lingxiao looked at his mother hesitantly, as if he had something to say to her.
"Mom, can I skip my afternoon nap today?"
Cheng Cheng was taken aback. After wiping the little one's face, she looked at her and asked, "Tell Mommy why first?"
"I want to do a 3x3 puzzle."
Cheng Cheng then asked her, "Are you still sleepy? Do you want to go to sleep? Tell Mom honestly."
The way back was so short that the little one only dozed off for a short while, not even a deep sleep. She usually takes a nap with him at noon, it's become a habit.
She felt like something was missing if she didn't take a nap at noon every day; she would get sleepy at that time, and she didn't believe the little one wasn't sleepy.
Little Lingxiao hesitated, a conflicted expression appearing on his face.
Cheng Cheng understood the situation and firmly refused the little guy, saying, "Mom knows, let's go, let's take a nap first."
"Doing the problems after waking up is the same, it doesn't matter if I take half an hour."
Xiao Lingxiao was led back to his room by his mother and went to bed for a nap.
Cheng Cheng turned on the fan, lay down inside, and saw Zhou Yue come in as well.
He asked, "Are you sleeping?"
The man shook his head, but Cheng Cheng ignored him and lay down.
After tucking the little one's belly button in, she yawned and closed her eyes.
Zhou Yue walked to his desk, sat down, took out the formulas he hadn't finished calculating that morning, and began to work on them.
After a while, I heard my wife say, "Xiaoxiao, that's enough, go go play with your dad."
After saying that, Cheng Cheng turned over, facing inward, and closed her eyes tightly.
The little guy is still a bit too playful, or perhaps it's his passion for learning. He tossed and turned in bed, as if he were being pricked by needles, and wouldn't go to sleep for a long time.
She couldn't sleep because of the noise, so she simply let the little one play. If he wanted to do his homework, let him do it. She didn't understand, but she respected it and didn't stop him.
"Mom, I'm sorry."
The little one sat up and belatedly realized that he might have disturbed his mother's sleep.
Cheng Cheng yawned and turned her head, her voice heavy with sleepiness. She gently patted the little one and said, "It's okay, Mommy forgives you. Go play with Daddy."
Without even opening her eyes, she called out "Zhou Yue".
The man had already walked to the bedside and lowered his voice, "Ah Cheng, you go to sleep. I'll stay with Xiao Xiao."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Cheng turned back, hugged the blanket in her arms, and fell asleep the next second.
Seeing this, Zhou Yue bent down, reached out his hands to his daughter, and picked her up.
I walked to the desk and sat down.
He took out the entire book of nine-square puzzles he had given his daughter yesterday and flipped to yesterday's page.
Xiao Lingxiao's lips curved into a smile, and her two dimples sparkled, as if she were seeing her beloved baby.
Seeing the expression on his daughter's face, Zhou Yue paused, a gentle smile appearing on his usually cool face. After a moment's thought, he turned to the first page.
He said in a low voice, "Let's review yesterday's content first, and see if Xiaoxiao still remembers the other solutions that Daddy told you about."
Little Lingxiao looked at her father with bright eyes and nodded repeatedly. She remembered!
She remembers everything her father told her!
The person in the bed was fast asleep, completely still, while the fan beside them hummed softly, making a slight noise as it worked, highlighting its presence.
The sun shines brightly on the desk, and the soft voice of a little girl and the clear whisper of a man drift through the air.
A warm and cozy room.
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Author's note: Good night, see you tomorrow.
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